WIW: 3 days before Christmas...

Looking through Angie's post on the most popular ensembles of 2014  I realized that I have never attached my WIW post to my most favorite ensemble of all - Whiter White! I don't know how it happened so here is my attempt to fix this omission! 

pic 1 - Winter White
I am afraid the picture is not the best as my usual photo shoot spot was occupied but I hope it gives you an idea. Volume on volume may be not the most flattering combination but sometimes I feel like breaking the rules! :-)
Grey boots and dove bag while not technically white keep the overall look light.

pic 2 - Relaxed Tuxedo
This is my attempt to casualize a slouchy tuxedo blazer with jeans and booties. I hope that red booties added some festive vibe to otherwise neutral outfit.

pic 3 - Playing with Plaid 
Trying to get more outfits in which are not "skinny into boots" variety while the weather is still unseasonably mild. I thought that these plaid jeans are put to hibernate until spring but decided to wear them once more - maybe the last time this season! I don't like them tucked into tall boots (especially black boots and this is all I have in winter boots department now - black boots). 
I usually like these jeans with tonal neutrals or pastels but I think this indigo tunic works pretty well too - maybe because there is some blue in the jeans pattern?

I fell behind on posting my WIWs (as well as commenting on the blog and forum) as life was pretty busy for the last month. Hopefully I can get back to normal now!
Happy New Year to all YLF!

1

Go to the full post to see all of the pictures →

18 comments

WIW - Christmas Ballroom Dance Club Gala!

It is over - our Christmas Ballroom Dance Gala was last night and we had a blast! I am a bit tired today from all this dancing but it is a good feeling. Just the fact that my hubby and I were able to waltz around the room without bumping too much into other people is weirdly satisfactory to me! :-)
Based on your advice I went with earrings and a black beaded clutch - and also threw in a silver cuff just because I am in the bling mood now.
I also got a new red lipstick for the occasion - Laura Mercier Creme Smooth in Red Amour:
http://www.sephora.com/creme-s.....Id=1436054
I am not very used for such bright lip color on me but even my hubby liked it so it must have been good. I like this lipstick a lot: it is staying on without looking caked and has a smooth and creamy feeling. I am also thinking to get Stick Gloss in Black Orchid for day wear (the same one Inge got in Seattle):
http://www.sephora.com/stick-g.....uId=939892

Have a great Sunday and thank you for looking!

1

Go to the full post to see all of the pictures →

36 comments

My version of red and brown - holiday addition!

What a timely Friday post! I could not wear that combination to work but it was perfect for the night out on Friday night!
I have asked your advice what to wear for this Friday dance here. The overwhelming vote was for the red dress so I thought - why not?
I really like this dress but there are 2 things which prevent me from wearing it more often:
1. the neckline is too deep for my body type to be flattering;
2. Apparently I lacked a good belt to wear with it.
So this is how i fixed it for last night:
1. Piled my pearls to fill the neckline: after all it is a holiday season and the bling is perfect for it, right? I was off the necklaces for the last 2 years but somehow these pearls felt right this time. Hopefully it was not over the top but even if it was - 'tis the season to be blingy! :-)
2. Ran to the store to look for a new belt after work and before the dance. Found 3 belts in Laura and Melanie Lyne. I wore this black Laura belt with the dress. I hope the buckle was not too much with the necklace but again - it is the holiday bling season! :-)
I also got 2 other belts from Melanie Lyne: this studded one and a gold elastic belt which I don't have a link to. This last one is too big so it has to be taken in but it is quite nice.
We had great time with live jazz band and dancing - actually we loved it so much that after returning home we bought tickets to the same venue for New Year's Eve. I can use more dancing in my life, right? :-)
Hope you have a great weekend!

1

Go to the full post to see all of the pictures →

15 comments

WIW: enjoying snow-free December so far (knock on wood!)

I am really scarce on the forum lately. The work is picking up ( no YLF time at work) and then dancing also takes a lot of time. Hopefully I can catch up during the holidays!
All outfits were worn to work except #2 which was worn to  dance practice.

pic 1 
I got this down vest from Lands End to layer under wool coats to extent their wear-ability in Canadian winter. However I really liked how it looks so I wore it to work on Friday. Accidentally my orchid BR t-neck is matching the vest color! 

pic 2 
Changed after work for a dance practice (turtleneck is too hot for dancing). I have not been wearing these plaid jeans much for the last months as I don't like how they look with black winter footwear so here I was taking advantage of mild(er) weather (for Canada).

pic 3 
Still trying to find ways to wear this JCrew sweater. This time layered it over a striped shirt with flared jeans.

pic 4 
Nothing like a bit of lemon yellow color to cheer a winter day!  I like culottes equally with tall boots and with booties and yellow with grey is one of my favorite color combinations.

pic 5
De-bombshelling the pencil skirt with a navy boxy Club Monaco t-neck and boots. Maybe a bit dark outfit  - I think I need to wear white tomorrow!

This was my week - thanks for looking and have a happy Friday!

1

Go to the full post to see all of the pictures →

12 comments

Christmas Gala outfit - which accessories?

I got this lace top jumpsuit for my upcoming ballroom dance Christmas Gala - which is this coming Saturday. I think it looks better IRL than in the pictures. I also got this faux fur shrug as a topper for it  - something about its retro vibe really speaks to me.
Shoes are the only ones I can dance in - Fidji pumps dyed from nude to
platinum.
What I need an advice with is other accessories.
- Pearl necklace or statement earrings?
- black beaded clutch or modern b/w striped clutch?
Also this jumpsuit has a self-tie belt which I tied in a  bow on the back. Should I remove this self-belt altogether and get a belt instead - maybe even an embellished one? Something like this or this or this
Thanks a lot for your help - I cannot make up my mind!

Please excuse my awful look without any makeup - I promise it will be better for Saturday! :-) 

1

Go to the full post to see all of the pictures →

21 comments

WIW: birthday edition

A quick post to say "thank you" once more for an awesome birthday thread and to post my birthday outfit.

Worn this evening to a dinner at the restaurant and a theater performance of Shrek The Musical in the local theater (big fun like MsMary says :-) ) 
Sequin tunic layered under my newly consigned LOOONG BCBG jacket with white jeans and cognac booties. 

1

Go to the full post to see all of the pictures →

32 comments

Help: my regular outfits do not work anymore!

I thought I have my dressing all sorted out and stress free now...until I have added dancing as a new activity to my life! Now I have a dilemma: all my tried and true outfit formulae just do not work for dancing!
 
First of all shoes: I cannot rely on footwear as a strong outfit building block here. Dancing requires special shoes so nothing trendy works here. I am using my old Fidji pumps now which I dyed from nude color to platinum (and this made them much dressier  IMO).
If shoes are out then clothing itself plays bigger role, right? I really like flared skirts for dancing as they twirl and make it more fun. Right now I have 3 flared skirts.
Now tops. Sweaters are OUT as dancing is a very warm activity. My tops need to be light and sleeveless or with short sleeves. Apparently I am very short on those - especially the ones that play well with flared midi skirts! 
Tucking is mostly out of question. First of all my skirts sit a bit below my waist so tucked in shirts do not stay tucked well. Also dancing involves a lot of arm lifting and movements which makes tucked in tops even more problematic!

This Friday we are going to a musical performance with dancing and I face a dilemma what to wear. I would like to wear one of my flared skirts and want it to be festive but not overly formal.
Below are the options I have. All 3 tops have some sparkle to them - silver lurex thread in ##1 and 3, sparkly beading in ##2,4,5 and sequins in #6. Sequin top is tunic length so I had to tuck it in.
I would add a brown leather blazer on top for when I am not dancing and need more warmth.
I definitely need to work on my dancing capsule but so far was not successful. I tried this lace top from BR but it was too short on me - did not even cover the skirt waistband so it was no go.
So for this Friday - any of these is less failure than the others? Or should I just go with my cranberry dress and forget the whole skirt thing?
I need to do more shopping after all - and I thought I was done until the spring!
Thanks in advance for your help!

1

Go to the full post to see all of the pictures →

35 comments

WIW - not so many silhouettes after all...

I like to vary the silhouettes I wear to work through the week as it is more interesting for me. However looking back at this set of WIW pictures it seems that 3 out of 5 were skinnies tucked into tall boots...must be the seasonal thing for me! :-) Hopefully different colors and top styles made them less uniform-like.

pic 1
BCBG long blazer from consignment with striped blouse. I think I may prefer this blazer with a turtleneck more than with a colored shirt. I was not sure about this look - what do you think?

pic 2
Yellow turtleneck, shadow plaid trousers and red booties. I like how the bootie color matches the red in the trousers. I have included the close up picture to show the colors better.

pic 3
I wore this long gilet with t-neck and with a button down shirt before. This time I wore it with a crewneck tunic and ponte pants from NYDJ. I love this vest - so happy that Suz, Angie and Inge basically made me get it! 

pic 4
I guess I was craving lighter colors that day :-) I wore the Gap shirt layered under the sweater. I like the extra definition the shirt cuffs and collar add to the look but shirt bunhcing under the sweater bothered me. I will try different shirts with this sweater, maybe this Gap one is to stiff for layering here?

pic 5
Very simple - dress and black flat Chelsea booties. Hopefully it was not too stumpefying :-) Added my tomato red Chromia bag for a punch of color.

This was my week at a glance. Thanks for looking and as usual all suggestions and comments are very much appreciated.
Enjoy your Sunday!

1

Go to the full post to see all of the pictures →

20 comments