WIW: the rest of the week

I don't know why I posted my WIW in the middle of the week...anyway this is the rest of it. I thought I will include the weekend casual wear too but we have a snow storm this weekend and it looks like I am not getting out of the house at all. Well, at least I am not working this weekend either so here is a silver lining!:-)

pic 1-2 Winter white
I am trying to find ways wearing this white and black colorblock sleeveless dress in winter. Here it is over the cream t-neck. I was going to wear my black opaque tights with it but then decided to try this new patterned hose. I am not sure I like this though: horizontal stripes on my legs are not my best friends. I think I will delegate this hose to wear with tall boots from now on. another bonus of my black coat - could not resist! :-)
I am getting to the conclusion that I am over this style in booties: they just do not sing to me at all. I thought this is because they are black but now I think it is really the style. I think I will hang on to them for now but will be looking for a replacement...:-(
Dress - Calvin Klein via Winners
Cream t-neck - BR
Clarks black booties
Red Chromia bag

pic 3
My hubby picked this tunic for me in the boutique in Annapolis. It does not happen often as we don't really shop together (I pity him) so I had to get it, right? :-)
I was not also sure about the light python booties with this outfit but I liked them better than brown and purple and red booties were just the wrong shade.
Martin skinny rousers - BR
Sam Eldeman python booties
Danier leather tote

Thank you for looking. As usual any comments and suggestion are very much appreciated. Have a great weekend!

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The bag update

Remember I asked you for the bag advice? Well, I did some field research this week and I picked the winner: Michelle barrel satchel in black!
I even liked it with my black coat!. Soft pebbled leather is distinctly a different texture from the cashmere wool coat and gold hardware makes a subtle statement and not over the top.
It is also very well made and feels well in my hand. It is not big but not small either: I think it is good for my frame. Unfortunately they do not have side look pictures on the site so I have included 2 pictures from the catalog. I really love the shape and the fact that zipper goes all way across to the bottom: makes it very easy to find things in the bag.
I was also considering Shannon's dome satchel but I was concerned with the quality a bit: in the one I saw the zipper was a bit uneven, not perfectly round but otherwise it is a very cool bag ( and teal color is gorgeous!). But satchel rally won my heart today! Also I thought I would enjoy a different shape: this dome satchel is a bit similar in overall shape to my red Chromia...
Hubby got the item# and going to the store to order it for my birthday. They do not have them in the store as this is the last season model but hopefully it will come in time!
I also looked at that two-tone bag and was disappointed. I love black and white but the leather itself did not impress me - and also the zippers were uneven on top. Too bad because I really liked the two-tone effect and the shape.

Oh and there is another bag there I may hint to my hubby about: it is not on sale now but by the time our anniversary comes around it very likely may be. I did not like the black one too much because of the color: I prefer rich deep black and this one was kind of greyed out black...but I fell in love with the cobalt one!  Such a deep nice color and such a simple and bold shape! One day, Sveta, one day...

I was so excited today - it is not often I fall in love with a bag - and just wanted to share!:-)

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WIW: to get my life back

I took a break from picture taking and posting for the last 2 weeks. I felt so tired and disinterested in anything because my work is not easing up and I am working weekends again. Last week I had a thought that it feels like I have lost an interest in life - and it really scared me!
So I decided to make an effort and start taking pictures again - just to keep myself motivated - so here we go!
pic 1 Dots
I have worked 10h on Sunday so on Monday I craved warmth and comfort. baggy trousers and cashmere sweater just fit the bill for this!

Polka dot sweater -  Only Mine (NAS), baggy trousers from Long Tall Sally, Vaneli booties (still keeping them in brown to see how I like this color - so far so good)

pic 2 Stripes
When it is dry and sunny outside I am reaching for wide leg trousers while I still can!:-)

BR navy & cream sweater, wide leg trousers from Long Tall Sally, Danier moto jacket, Clarks black booties

pic 3 Red, blue and leopard
I think I am starting to recover if I wanted to wear a pencil skirt today :-) Also  bonus pictures of my new Danier man coat - I love it!  it still feels weird to wear a black coat but I think I am getting there ;-)

Red pencil skirt  - Halogen (NAS), BR blue/white shirt, David Tate animal booties

Thank you for helping me to stay alive!!!

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Help me to choose a bag!

I am done with shopping for this year. Honestly! However my birthday is next month and I decided that I will save my hubby some anguish and do the gift shopping for him :-)
I am not a bag lady. Actually I am as bag illiterate as they come. But I really need to add at least one neutral bag to my collection.
Currently I have 2 totes - silver and tan python. Between them they cover my warm and cool spectrums. Totes are very useful for me to those days when I need to carry my gym clothes in addition to my lunch to work. I was honestly thinking I would not need any other bag and I am covered!
However I discovered that for those days when I don't need to carry my gym clothes to work my totes are too big for me and I need smaller bags. I have one very structured tomato red satchel but even while red is neutral if does not work every single time - and sometimes I just want a quiter bag for an outfit.
So this brings me to a need for a neutral satchel which is big enough to fit my wallet and lunch but not too big that they get lost in it. My ideal satchel would be black and white but I don't see many of those. I want a good quality but not overly expensive bag, ideally under $200. So as our Shannon I turned to Danier and here is what I found in styles I like and size I need:
Celia satchel in black and taupe (pic 1 & 2)
Etta satchel in black (pic 3)
Barrel satchel in black and dove (pic 4) Website does not show dove anymore though but it is the same color as pic 5 :-(
Round Shannon bag in dove-  or maybe black (pic 5)
Lori satchel in bone (pic 6)
Kelly satchel in taupe or black (pic 7/8)
Two-tone satchel in black and white (pic 9)

Here is the problem: I cannot decide on the color. My outerwear is cobalt, cream, black, purple, tan and red. My clothing neutrals are black, white, cream, navy, some browns, greys and taupe. For colors I wear purple, burgundy, red, cobalt, teal.
I don't own a black bag - do I need one? Or maybe grey or taupe is better for me? I do like black and white satchel (pic 9) but I ned to see in person it it is big enough for me - dimenwions look a bit small online...
I have not looked at them in person yet: I was going today but suddenly had to work the whole Sunday :-( What do you think - which color and style for me? Or none of the above?

Thanks in advance!

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WIW: nothing special but need a decision help with new booties!

Grey and white seems to be a theme for me this week. 

pic #1 While it was still dry I tried to get in one more wear from my trousers: they will go to the storage until the spring when the snow comes...hopefully not for another month? I got complimented on this shirt color that day. Purple seems to be a good color for me and I like it so it is a real mystery why I have so little of it in my closet .
Lilac shirt - Banana Republic
Grey Editors - Express
Danier leather jacket
Sam Eldeman booties

pic #2 I thought to use Angie's ensemble formula for a leather jacket and a pencil skirt. At first I thought to wear a "column of grey" with this white moto but then decided to break the grey up with this striped top. Somehow these red booties jumped into the picture and did not want to go away even though it was raining this day. Oh well, I sprayed them so they were OK.:-)
Grey Halogen skirt - Nordstrom
Striped white and silver top -Brooks Brothers
Danier white moto jacket
Red Munro booties  - NAS
Danier silver tote

pic #3 I ordered these Vaneli booties from Nordstrom and went to pick them up on the border last weekend. They fit really well  - I may need to stretch them a bit more on the sides but they are not uncomfortable at all for such narrow toe box. I  really wanted black or dark blue booties but the only color I could find in my size and width were these Nut Brown ones - really nice shade of brown like a dark cognac.  So now if they pass all comfort tests  I need to decide if I want to keep them in this color or should I risk and dye them black or dark blue? I wore them with my winter white trousers and also include pictures with a dress to  see them better (##4-5). What do you think - keep the brown or consider to dye? And no, it is not easy to find black booties in my size and width and in the style I want and heel height I can manage which are comfortable. 
Danier leather trench
Winter white trousers - Banana Republic
Striped sweater - Banana Republic
Vaneli Caesar booties

Thank you for looking and as usual all comments and suggestions are very welcome!

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WIW: polka dots, stripes and checks

It looks like winter is well on the way here: this week I had to scrape ice from my car for the first time! :-( It is really time to pack away the summer stuff now...
 pic #1
I have decided to try Angie's flared skirt and pullover ensemble but instead of skirt to use my fit and flare dress. I think this Only Mine polka dot pullover is the only one I have with a banded bottom, seems like a hole in my wardrobe :-) I really love these animal print booties. At first I was concerned that the color so pale but they really work as neutral and nude with bare legs.  
Only Mine polka dot pullover - NAS
Cranberry Donna Morgan dress - Nordstrom
David Tate animal booties
Danier leather jacket

pic # 2
Dry day so Angie's flared  legs with trendy top ensemble felt like the right one. I really want to wear this Pleione top more into cold weather so I layered a tux blazer over it.
Pleione striped top - NAs
Wide leg trousers - Long Tall Sally
Tux blazer - Banana Republic
Clarks black booties
Danier leather trench

pic #3
I am not sure if this outfit was a success or a disaster. My hubby told me I look like a nurse in it - too much white. I wanted to wear a textured black hose here but it felt too heavy so I went with the nude. This dress proves to be hard to style in the fall, it was easier in summer. I wonder if it was another shopping mistake...
Sorry for a very bad picture quality, had to take them in a badly lighted office.
Colorblock sheath - Calvin Klein via Winners
Silk blouse - Club Monaco
Grey boots -Franco Sarto
London Fog trench - NAS

pic #4 - 5
While it is still relatively warm I decided to bust out my new trousers, They are pretty lightweight so I am going to wear them from April until October. I got them last Saturday and thought they fit perfectly. However wearing them today i realized tat I need to take them in in the waist because they slouch down otherwise and there is no belt loops. I like the mini window pane pattern and tuxedo stripe and other than in the waist they fit really well I think.
Tuxedo trousers - Long Tall Sally
Cream turtleneck - Banana Republic
Python booties - Sam Eldeman
Danier leather jacket

Thank you for looking and have a great weekend!

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