Back to School Shopping

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My fall semester begins in a little over a week, but next week I have work orientations for my various teaching jobs and I have been frantically trying to lesson plan, write essay prompts, and otherwise prepare for my classes so it feels like school/work has more or less already begun.

I recently read that August is the worst month to buy clothes, but unfortunately I had no choice but to go back to school shopping this month unless I wanted my son to traipse off to school virtually naked. That child grows like a weed and wears his clothes out even more quickly. Luckily, I’ve gotten down kids shopping to a near science – buy the basics at Target (skinny jeans, shorts, cute graphic t–shirts, underwear) and Lands End (always with a discount – socks, sweat pants) and Gap Kids (again, always with a discount that makes the prices comparable to Target – more skinny jeans and shorts) and sweaters, jackets, and button downs are where I splurge a bit (mini boden, J.Crew’s clearance section, and Zara Kids).

And as for me? Well, I just couldn’t resist a few things:

 Jacket – Zara, Shirt – Madewell, Belt – Nordstrom, Boots – Boden

Although I’m always tempted to buy all sorts of very on-trend pieces, as I’ve gotten older I’ve tried to stick mostly with pieces I’m sure I love enough to wear for the life of that piece. And, to be honest, I’m a lot more risk-adverse when it comes to clothes than I like to imagine. So, for me, these pieces are just perfect. Classic pieces with a little dash of whimsy. I’m a sucker for simple pieces with very feminine details so I’m absolutely in love with the big bow on the otherwise plain white t-shirt from Madewell and the puffed shoulders on the Zara jacket. And of course I’ve been wanting to buy a pair of ankle boots for ages, but they were either way out of my price range or not wedges. I’ve promised myself to only wear them occasionally as 1) they’re suede and will wear and 2) my poor back can’t handle even wedges all that often. And the belt, though it was a “risky” pick for me as I’ve never really worn belts, I’ve been wearing it quite often since I bought it. In fact, I’ve decided that I’m rather enamored of belts now.

So hopefully as school gears up again I’ll muster up the time to post some of my outfits as I incorporate these pieces into my existing wardrobe.

Until then, adieu!

Floral Jeans and Almost Apologies

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I know, I know. I promised I wasn’t giving up, and then I all but disappeared. What can I say? I was busy keeping my head just above water with school and work and the children and my hubby and all the lovely and difficult things that make up life. I’ve been on break now for nearly a month, but haven’t really felt like posting my outfits until just recently. This time, I won’t promise anything. I’m here today, and I’m sure I’ll be here for awhile, but probably inconsistently. I’m no longer a professional blogger, after all, and I’m just doing this for fun.

I’m usually not a big fan of prints, but that’s only because it’s so hard to find ones that appeal to my own aesthetics. The floral pattern on these jeans, however, are just perfect. I’ve been coveting them for months, but I refuse to spend over a $100 on jeans so I just figured these were out of reach. Lo and behold last week I was window shopping (heh heh) at Anthropologie and found these on the sale rack for half off! Score! Unfortunately, I bought them in my regular size without trying them on (dumb of me, I know), and they feel slightly too snug. They didn’t have the next size up anyway, and I can still squeeze into them so I’ll still keep them. I just have to remind myself not to eat large meals when I’m wearing them. :)

Anyway, I think they’re ever so lovely and evoke a sort of late summer feeling, when the days are long and hot and lazy.

I’m back to wearing flats all the time now because I’ve been having some trouble with my back. I have scoliosis, and while it’s mild enough that, absent close inspection, I look relatively symmetrical, I’m really not. But I was a dancer in high school, got a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, swam competitively in junior high, and carried two children with relatively few problems. All rather suddenly, however, I seem to be developing some pretty debilitating back problems.

The pain comes and goes, and usually I’m just fine. But when it comes, I can barely function so I’ve decided that I best take care of myself. I’m trying to get back into dancing and swimming, and I’m going to go back to wearing flats except for special occasions. I’m also trying to research alternative treatments for scoliosis since most doctors seem to give only two options: surgery or simply living with the pain. Neither is an acceptable option, as far as I’m concerned.

I know if I really do want to start taking care of my (nearly 30-year-old!) body, I need to start over the summer when I have time to foster the discipline. I think I could sustain the habit during the school year, but I definitely couldn’t start it then. Just one of my many summer projects!

Top: J.Crew (old)
Jeans: Citizens of Humanity from Anthropologie
Shoes: J.Crew
Bag: Twenty-Two (an unfortunately discontinued local line)
Hairclip: homemade
Lipstick: NARS Heat Wave layerd over Clinque different lipstick 33 Rasberry Glace
Nails: essie watermelon

Out Sick

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I just wanted to say that I haven’t abandoned the blog, I’ve just been sick. I’ve promised myself that I’ll get the flu shot next year and every year thereafter because NEVER AGAIN! I can’t even remember how many times I’ve gotten sick this winter, and I can’t go through this again. I usually get pretty seriously ill about once a year, partly because I tend to not take care of myself especially if there are other, more pressing demands (children, school, work) and partly because my immune system sucks and it hates me. Last year, I ended up in the ER from dehydration after a particularly intense bout of stomach flu. This year, I’ve managed to stay out of range of medical professionals, but I can’t seem to shake these 4 or 5 day colds and flu. I’ll get sick for about a week, spend another week with lingering congestion or a cough, and then – if I’m lucky – have another week of blessed health during which I go around telling everyone how GREAT I feel and how WONDERFUL it is to be healthy again, and then I’ll promptly get knocked down with something else by the end of the week.

It so seriously sucks, but by next week hopefully I’ll be up and running again.

The Borrowed Closet

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When I was younger, I always wanted a sister. I imagined a playmate that would share my enthusiasm for dolls and dress-up and all things girly that my brothers vehemently eschewed. I imagined a confidante who would stay up late with me in a neighboring bed sharing giggles and gossip. And I imagined somebody who I could fight with over a shared wardrobe, just like sisters always seemed to do on television. Alas, ’twas not to be.

By the time I was in high school, however, I realized I didn’t really need a sister.

I had my mom instead.

I know that parents who try to be friends with their children rather than authority figures is kind of a cultural flashpoint, but my mama really has always unequivocally been both my mother (I definitely did not call her by her first name) and my best friend. And now that I’m an adult and can understand so much more of who she is as a person, I feel even closer to her and depend upon her advice and wisdom that much more.

One of the great side benefits of having such an awesome mom is that there is a lot of overlap in our aesthetics and sense of style, and she’s always happy to let me raid her closet.

This weekend Yubo was out of town for work so the kids and I spent most of the weekend at my parents’ house, and my mama was kind enough to let me borrow this chic Carolina Herrera coat, her favorite Marni purse, and this black cashmere turtleneck. I feel really lucky to be able to wear such nice things, most of which would be out of my reach otherwise, and I know my mama likes to see me wearing her clothes. That’s the nice thing about borrowing from your mom rather than your sister. My mama never resents me for borrowing her clothes, and – at least on TV – sisters seem to get mad about that sort of thing.

My poor dad, on the other hand, always goes a little bug-eyed when he sees me making off with something of my mom’s. I think he worries I won’t come back with it, but I really always do!

Anyway, I wore this outfit to work today and then to pick up the children from school. It was really cold in the morning and looked like it was going to rain, but by the time I left work it was hot and sunny. I was kind of dying in the jacket and turtleneck while taking these pictures.

At work today I taught my students how to respond to other people’s ideas in a persuasive essay and how to transition from other people’s ideas to your own and from one topic to another. I created a handout on responding and then wrote a sample paragraph on health care reform. They were asked to break apart the paragraph, identifying transition words and phrases and labeling different parts of the paragraph (i.e. topic sentence, analysis, counter-argument, etc.). Then they were given time to work on their own essays (while hopefully practicing some of these transitioning skills). I was really kind of proud of the whole lesson, and from the questions I was getting while the students were working on their papers, I felt like they were getting what I was trying to teach them.

So that was fun!

I find that I really, really enjoy teaching. I guess even though I always wanted to teach in some capacity, I didn’t really know if I would like it or be good at it. It’s nice to finally be doing something that feels like it fits.

Coat: Carolina Herrera navy wool and cashmere peacoat (from my mama’s closet)
Top: Neiman Marcus black cashmere turtleneck (from my mama’s closet)
Vest: Moyna lace vest from Anthropologie (old)
Jeans: Pilcro skinny jeans from Anthropologie (old)
Shoes: Modcloth wedges
Purse: Marni (from my mama’s closet)
Accessories: pearl necklace (gift from grandmother), dogeared heart necklace
Nail Polish: essie licorice and deborah lippmann shake your groove thing
Lipstick: Cle de Peau Lipstick 16 and Chanel Gossimer Wild Rose (119)

Weather Confusion

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It feels as if LA can’t decide whether it wants it to be winter – cold and blustery with rainclouds perpetually threatening – or spring. The flowering trees and bushes in front of our house are in full, triumphant bloom. This weekend and yesterday were balmy in the high 70s. Today, however, was cold. (But, you know, LA-cold, which is, um, in the 50s? Don’t laugh. I’m an Angeleno. It’s my right to complain when the weather dips below 65 degrees.)

So, anyway, this is all to say that even though I was wearing a coat and a scarf today, I was very cold. I really don’t like being cold! This is the whole reason why I can’t move away from Los Angeles, and then it has to go play this dirty weather trick on me.

Harumph.

Enough about the weather, yes? This is what I wore to work today to conference with students. This skirt I’m wearing is pretty awesome. I love the little white leather circles that are sewn in layers on the skirt panel. It feels fun and feathery (alliteration!). And I was so excited that all I needed for work today was a folder full of essays and a purse. Usually I’m dragging several folders, a few books, maybe my laptop, various school supplies, plus all of the stuff that always goes in my purse.

After work, I went to pick up my boys at school.

I’ve set up a new points/rewards system for my eldest son so he was all eager to get home and start his homework. It was rather entertaining.

Basically, he gets a point (indicated on a calendar by a sticker) for fulfilling various responsibilities; homework and piano practice are the main ones, but he can also get points for reading a book or doing extra math worksheets or being caught doing something particularly good. I thought about adding points for doing chores such as setting the table or cleaning up his toys or making his bed, but he’s still at the age where he’s really eager to help around the house so I figured if it ain’t broke, why fix it?

The points he earns can be exchanged for limited amounts of “screen time” (TV or games on the ipad) or other small rewards. He seems pretty motivated.

Most days I have to do quite a bit of cajoling to get him to start on his homework and practice piano, but today he had done everything within an hour of getting home. An hour after that, he had done 4 pages of a math workbook and read a book. I had to insist that he stop and go play.

Coat: Burberry (also worn here)
Shirt: Mikkat Market (also worn here and here)
Skirt: Zara white leather skirt
Tights: J.Crew
Shoes: Modcloth
Bag: Modcloth
Accessories: Esprit outlet scarf (old), silver bow hair clip (gift from my mama), Herkimer diamond earrings from Principessa (gift from Yubo), Dogeared heart necklace
Nail Polish: essie licorice and deborah lippmann shake your groove thing
Lipstick: NARS Jungle Red lip liner and Red Lizard lipstick

Maxi Pleated Skirt

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I feel like I’ve been looking for this exact skirt my whole life, and I finally found it this past weekend.

I spent the weekend with my girlfriends in Santa Monica. We’ve been putting a little bit of money in a pot each time we meet in the hopes that at the end of a year we would have enough to pay for the six of us to spend the weekend together at a hotel. I’m so glad we did because our weekend together was so much fun!

After some shopping on the Promenade, we had dinner at Musha on Wilshire Boulevard. It was seriously, seriously good. You need to go there. Order the lobster roll, yellowtail sashimi, and the risotto. (I’m salivating just remembering how good it was!)

I spotted this skirt at Zara on the Promenade while we were making our way to dinner. I’ve wanted a skirt like this forever, and I knew when I saw it in the store that it was perfect.

I wore it to work today, and my teaching partner commented on how fun it looked to walk in. And it is! I love how it swishes when I walk and how the wind plays with the fabric. I do have to be careful not to step on the hem when I’m walking up and down stairs, but that’s fun in a way as well. I’m not used to wearing long skirts, and there’s something nostalgic and romantic about the total impracticality of daintily holding up one’s skirt as you climb or descend a set of stairs. It makes me feel so very lovely.

I love this cloche hat too. I used to never feel comfortable wearing hats, but when I cut my hair super short a couple of years ago, I started experimenting with hats and other hair accessories. As it turns out, I really do like hats.

This one is made out of jute with a black grosgrain ribbon. While I love the vintage shape of the hat, I feel like the wide stripe gives it a more modern feel too. Still, I feel like this whole outfit has a very 1920s vibe, which is definitely a good thing in my book.

And I think this is one of the first outfits I’ve posted on this blog where I haven’t worn black as the dominant color, but just as an accent. I’m kind of proud of myself! My friend was telling me this weekend about how she’s trying to step out of wearing so much black by incorporating more grey into her wardrobe, which I thought was pretty funny, but it’s true! Black always looks good!

Isn’t the skirt just so pretty?? *sigh*

Shirt: Zara peter pan collared blouse
Sweater: Rag & Bone sweatshirt (hand-me-down from my mama)
Jacket: Madewell (also worn here and here)
Skirt: Zara pleated maxi skirt
Shoes: J.Crew
Hat: Anthropologie cloche hat (old)
Accessories: Mikimoto pearls (hand-me-down from my mother-in-law), field guided canvas bag
Nail Polish: essie licorice and deborah lippmann shake your groove thing
Lipstick: NARS Jungle Red lip liner and Red Lizard lipstick