Sunday Best

Inspired by Kimberly, I'm trying to inject more color into my wardrobe. It's so dark and dank that even my husband, who doesn't care what I wear, has taken notice. All I wear is black, grey, and some dark jewel tones. Granted, these colors work for me, but I really do need to jazz it up a little.

So when I saw this dress on crazy clearance at Macy's I had to get it. Seriously. How cute it is??

Dress: Alfani via Macy's (can't find the dress but here's a top in the same pattern)

Shoes: Sofft via Zappos/6pm.com outlet

Necklace: vintage c/o Me-Maw

Bracelets: Old Navy and Me-Maw (the two Me-Maw links go to different posts)

This necklace. Man. I've had it for years and years but never wore it b/c I didn't have anything w/the right neckline. I wear a lot of v-necks and layers so it would get lost. Then I read Tom and Lorenzo's Mad Style review of Mad Men and knew what I had to do. When I saw Megan wearing a similar style necklace (from the same period) I was thrilled.

This pic is from Tom and Lorenzo's site. Please click through to the links above to read their fantastic Mad Men recaps and Mad Style reviews. They're seriously one of the best things on the internet.

My version:

It's hard to tell, but the piece is very textured and super fancy. I loved wearing it. The only thing I'm not 100% sold on is how blousy the top is. I feel like it makes me look puffy but whatever. I suppose the belt pulls things in enough.

The big chop.

Somehow between getting married and life and remodeling a house I sorta forgot to get a hair cut. For 2.5 years...yikes! At about a year in, I realized this and figured, "Hell, if I've gone this long, let's see how long I can go!" So I did.

And here's the hot mess I had on my head:

Is that not the most where's-her-denim-skirt ridiculous hair ever? It was past my waist and was driving. me. crazy. I knew I had to schedule a cut before I cut it myself.

I put out a cry for help on Facebook and learned one of my friend's sisters works for Blades Salon here in Louisville. They do hair donations and make wigs for kids - that's so awesome! After an hour in the chair, here's my after:

Say goodbye to 11-12 inches of hair! I can't believe she cut off A FOOT OF HAIR and I still had long hair. I call that a win-win situation. I get a great new 'do (which was $Free.99, by the way) and got to help out a good cause.

I haven't missed my hair for a second and only wish I had cut it sooner.

Tuesday - Dressing like a grown up

I felt super grown up in this outfit and really liked how it looked. I didn't like when then wind blew up my skirt, but I'm smart and wore giant undies AND petipants AND a slip. You can never be too careful, right?

Pink blouse: Tahari (via TJ Maxx)
Skirt: Jason Wu for Target ($8 on clearance in store)
Cardi: NY&Co
Belt: Target
Necklace: Sarah Balmer
Flats: Target (cheapies I'm wearing into the ground)

Blue & Gold kind of day

Or is this purple and gold?

Dress: Chaps ($9 at Kohl's - 90% off, y'all!)
Shoes: Kate Spade
Watch: Liz Claiborne
Squinty expression: sheer exhaustion

We did some serious work to our house (still remodeling) and HOLY CRAP am I tired. I'll post some pics of what we did later this week. I'll also consider catching up w/the 30-day photo challenge...which I've clearly failed. :-/

Basic black

I wear a lot of black. This we all know. So when given a $20 gift card to Macy's from a coworker, what'd I do? I scoured the sale rack for a black dress. But I already have black dresses. So I had to find one that was special and I think I did :)

Dress: Nine West

Belt: came off another dress

Flats: Stuart Weitzman





























Cute, right? It was originally $118, marked down to $41, and after my gift card and an additional discount at the register, I walked away paying $15 for this dress. I also picked up a pair of dress slacks for $2.99. Can't beat that!!!! All together I saved 75% off retail.

How'd I get an additional discount at the register? I asked for one. Extra 15% for me! It never hurts to just ask the cashier if he or she has any coupons they could use for you. Being extra nice doesn't hurt, but you should be doing that anyway.

The dress is from the petites section and I rarely even darken the door of that section. I'm short, but I'm not petite. This dress has made me a believer and I'll definitely keep my eyes on that section more. The waist and bust are the right length for me and it doesn't bunch up in the back like most dresses do. It's a smidge shorter than I'm used to, but I think the proportions are right. I just think my knees could use some Photoshopping :D

Here's a close up of the adorable inverted pleats on the dress:

Have you scored any great deals lately?