The battle of puffer coats

Yes, it is still too hot here to wear a puffer but I stumbled upon very nice packable puffers at Costco last weekend and could not pass.
I have a long and very warm LE dark purple puffer   which is great for heavy cold. However there are days when it is too warm for it but not warm  enough for wool coat - usually with wind and dampness which cuts right through the wool. So I was looking for a lighter and shorter  puffer for a while and this was a lucky find.
The brand is Andrew Marc and the price is $60 which I think is great for a light down puffer. The length is good for me and even the sleeves are passably long. The problem I have - which color?
I tried on the navy and liked it. Then I tried on the warm taupe (not sure if this is a correct name for this color) and liked it too. I could not decided and my hubby said - why don't you get both at this price?
So I ended up with 2 at home. I am not sure I want to keep both so I am calling for YLF wisdom to help me decide on the color: navy or taupe?
This is my current coat collection to give you an idea about the colors.

Also I took the pictures with my NAS buy - Top Sperry duck booties from Angie's finds. Love them! I was not sure if cream color is going to be useful for winter but I like them even with dark jeans - and they work great with white and faded blue jeans which I also wear all winter long. I am so happy I went for cream and not for black! ;-)

Thanks in advance!

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WIW: catching up

I am still here and trying to check YLF from time to time when I surface for a gulp of fresh air :-) Here is a quick WIW post before I have to dive again :-(
pic #1 
These jeans are full length with the scrunch so they are too long for these low ankle strap sandals but I ma not ready to hack at them: it is so hard to find full length jeans for me and full length is more useful for me in a cold season. So this is the "cropped" version with hems rolled under. I think I will pass on this Gap yellow blazer in the end of the season. It starting to look tired and fabric does not hold that well.  I need to find a new one in this color as it makes me happy.

pic #2 
Trying to wear skirts with flat footwear - this time white loafers. Hopefully it was JFE. Not sure about the top tucked into this skirt though. I blousoned it out so the elastic waistband of the skirt does not show but still...I wish I had high-low top like Suz's CM tank: it looked awesome!

pic #3
Another thing which most likely is in its last season - this floral dress from LTS It is a bit too big on me now and I don't fancy how it fits. Was not really excited about this one.

pic #4
I am not very original in how I wear this BR vest and tunic - combine them together every time I think. Hopefully it does not look boring because it feels good :-) 

pic #5
This was inspired by one of Angie's ensembles - white, black and light blue. Again - flat shoes with the skirt. I decided on the animal print loafers here just for fun! I really enjoy pairing this lace top with faded denim.

That was my week. Thanks for looking and as usual all comments and suggestions are appreciated!

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WIW: just to prove I am still here :-)

I wanted to follow my off topic post with this quick WIW just to prove that I am still here and kicking :-) Hopefully I can get back to normal soon and return to taking my outfit pictures on a regular basis.
These were my outfits for the last week - before the heat wave struck as you can see.
#1 Navy and orange.
I am continuing to experiment with low heel high vamp shoes as they are the most comfortable for me. This time the loafers with track pants and long vest - is it at least JFE?

#2 Whiteout
I think I already posted almost identical outfits a couple of times - this eyelet tunic and leather vest continue to be one of my favorite combinations this summer.

#3 Denim and lace
This lace blouse was another buy this summer which made me happy - I
feel happy every time I wear it! I love these old Paige flares but I am afraid they are too big for me now - what do you think?

#4 Leather and stripes
Angie's twin! :-) After much agonizing I decided to keep this peplum top and here it is with the skirt. Do proportion look OK to your eye? I am stll getting used to the peplum style on me so not sure. I have also added a leather vest to keep me warm in blasting A/C - do you think it all works together?

Thank you so much for looking and as usual all comments and suggestions are very much appreciated!

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WIW which is short on words...

...because it is too hot now to think what to write! Last week was extremely busy for me with spending 3 mornings in the hospital so most of the time it was for FFBO to the rescue.

pic 1 Trying to find ways to incorporate these brown loafers into my summer outfits - here is with white. Works?

pic 2 Morning in the hospital to drive my hubby to and from a procedure and then to work. Of course I was running late in the morning and no time to dress properly so very simple shirt-pants formula was needed!

pic 3 I am trying to get more wear from my new summer pieces before winter is back. This one felt pretty good.

pic 4 Another summer shirt I want to wear more often while I can - and the vest too!

pic 5-6 I think I have a mental block wearing skinnies with shorter tops which I tried to overcome here. I am adding the side and back view as this is my most "tender" spot now - do you think I can wear shorter tops with skinnies or I ma better off sticking to the ones which cover my behind as much as possible?

pic 7 This is my "not NAS" purchase from yesterday trip - Vince Camuto tube skirt in black. I have one in stripe for the 3rd season now and while I love it sometimes pattern mixing is too much so I picked up this solid black yesterday. As you can see I am firmly on the Team Wear as I wore it to work the next day!

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

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WIW: to take my mind of NAS...

...I decided to post my outfits from the previous week which I did not have a chance to post yet. So here we go!

pic #1 White, black and nude.
I love this lace top from BR - amazing how much better it looks in person than in the stock picture. I prefer to layer it over a black tank so the lace pattern stands out more (neat trick I learned from Angie) The top may be too long for the skirt but I hope it is JFE!

pic #2 Orchid, black and navy
I really like the color of this J Crew sweater but I have an issue with the fit - it is too big. I am not sure if it stretched out that much or if it was too big to start with as I bought it before finishing my weight loss last year. I know some of fabbers have this same sweater (Suz? Tanya?)  - did yours stretched out too? I cannot wear it without a partial tuck and sleeve scrunching as it is too oversized for my liking.
It also definitely faded after a couple of washes!
Other than the sweater fit I was really happy with this outfit includig the scarf. I am really warming up back to them now!

pic #3 Almost whiteout
I got this BR silk shell on a big discount at the store to use as a layering piece and this is my first attempt to wear it. I am not sure though - may be this neckline which is not the best for layering? I don't think I was as happy with this outfit as I was with the other two...

OK, thus distracted from NAS browsing I am going off to bed :-)
Thanks for looking nad as usual all commenst and suggestions are very much appreciated!

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WIW: inspired by Angie and others

The first time I saw Angie's outfit with the matching scarf and blazer I was smitten. So pretty and sophisticated! I could not copycat it because I don't have such brilliant wardrobe items - and don't even have enough matching pieces in any other colors either. 
So I came up with my own version ( pic #1 ) which was inspired rather than copied. In my case it was rather tonal than matching with 2 colors - ink and pastel blue. I really love this blue scarf I got at The Bay - the perfect lightweight summer scarf in a flattering for me pastel blue - not easy to find!

Now #2 did not come out as I expected at all. It looked fine in the mirror but I cringed when I saw the picture the same evening. I even made a note in the ensemble ( I try to save my daily outfits as  ensembles in my collectios - thanks Greg and Angie for the awesome feature!) not to pair this shirt, pants and shoes in the same outfit again. At least the lesson is learned!

For keeping it real I am posting a rare weekend outfit in #3 - rare because I rarely get to snap pictures of them. The slip ons are new and I hope the orange was not too jarring here. 

#4  was worn to the dance on Sunday. Love my regular occasions to dress up and wear dresses! :-)

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

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Introducing my new little darling

You may remember that I am trying to build my dance capsule for our new hobby - ballroom dancing. This trend - handkerchief hems - is perfect for this because it adds a lot of movement and interest during the dance so I am always checking this option online. Unfortunately it is also a hard trend to get right, at least for my taste so
I saw this dress on The Bay website when they had a sale a week ago and it looked interesting and unusual. The brand (Kensie) was not known to me but the price was right so with free shipping and returns I had nothing to lose. I have also ordered this Vince Camuto handkerchief skirt and a couple of tops while I was on it :-)
The tops and the skirt came on Monday and they were a bust. I was not sure about the skirt but my hubby took one look at it and said "no" - and he was right. It had too much volume on the top and too many handkerchief parts and all together looked as a shapeless mess. I did not even have to post K/R for it and did not take a picture either - returned the whole lot the next day.
I thought that I forgot to order a dress and thought "oh well". Imagine my surprise when I cam home from work on Friday and there was a small package waiting for me.I had no idea what was it and there was this dress...
...and I fell in love from the moment I put it on. It was a completely new style for me and I worried that it may be too short but strangely it did not bother me.The handkerchief pieces are so cleverly done that this dress has a lot of movement to it and even though it is too short in some places but overall effect is quite decent on me (I think0.
And hubby loved it too! He called it "mermaid dress" :-) And as I am firmly on the Team wear I wore it to the dance the same night!

So here it is for your viewing pleasure :-) because it is not a K/R post. Nothing in the world will make me to part with this little dress! I can also wear it with leggings and may do it for winter dances but I think it is decent enough with bare legs.

Here are the pictures from different angles and also how I wore it to the dance - with a white jacket and a nude clutch.
Welcome to the my dance capsule, my little darling! :-)

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WIW: climbing back to the world of living :-)

Between the recovery from my surgery, my Dad being in the hospital and my acute gastritis for the last 2 weeks I did not manage to take many outfit pictures so this is what I managed. All but the last outfit were worn to work.

pic #1
A shirt, jeans and sandals - it does not get any easier than that. 
pic #2
White out - a debut of a white eyelet tunic from BR. It took me long time to select between a black and white tunics and in the end the white won.
pic #3
We had an event at work with a lunch and golf but at the last moment the golf was cancelled as the course was closed due to a heavy rain on the weekend (and to my relief as I hate golfing :-) ) The invitation said "no jeans" but I gathered that nobody will guess these Kut skinnies as jeans so I should be safe :-)
pic #4
After days in jeans I felt like wearing a dress! 
pic #5
Day off today! I took my Mom to a farm for some strawberries and then we went for a long walk in the park. The weather is strange this summer again - July 1 and it did not even reach 20C by noon! These are the same Gap resolution straight jeans Angie has and which were in her funds. After a long internal debate I decided to get the after all after I purged my light grey jeans which were stretching like crazy - and I am so happy I did. Love these jeans! I wore them 4 times already and they do not stretch at all. The fabric is very pleasant to the touch and the color is really nice. The only issue is they are REALLY cropped on me but maybe it is a good thing: after all I wanted to branch into cropped pants this year and these fit the bill (an hopefully they are cropped at the flattering length).

Thank you for looking and as usual all comments and suggestions are very much appreciated.

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Danier: update on the bag and a potential purchase

If you remember from my previous post I discovered a defect in my beloved Danier dove grey satchel.  Today I dropped by the Danier store to see if something can be done about it.
The SA was very nice, suggested to leave the bag so she can send it to the alterations team to see if it can be fixed (they are not available anymore). I hope they can fix it because I love that bag! 
Well, they also had 50% of all jackets sale today - and 50% of the latest price. Could I leave the store without checking if there is any treasure for me? Of course not - my iron will disappears when I enter the Danier store :-)
There were some jackets in nice colors - blush pink, pale lilac, pastel blue - but none of them vowed me with the fit and the leather was heavier than I like for the indoor jackets. I was almost ready to leave when my eye caught this one: Winona jacket. I tried on a black one (the same ElizabethP got some time ago) but the chemistry was not there...and then I saw that it also comes in grey so I tried it too.
For some reason the grey one spoke to me like the black one could not. M was too big and XS was a bit tight in the sleeves but they did not have S. 
Well, long story short - SA is ordering the grey one for me in S. The 50% sale ends today so I thought - why not? It is lightweight, very soft leather and it is long enough for me! I like this grey color too although grey is not my best neutral. This is the only hesitation I have  - will it work in my closet and be JFE for me color-wise. On the other hand the dark grey Trouve long gilet was a brilliant addition for me so there may be a redemption for grey color yet?
Just in case you want to see what should it work with:
- my cold weather capsule;
- my all-season capsule  which also need to work with this jacket.

So please put me straight - do you see this as a good addition for me? I think my frugal part (whatever is still left of it) requires some enabling here :-)

PS: still cannot add finds from Danier - arrggh! :-(

9 comments

WIW: variations on the topic of white and grey

Grey and I are not a match made in heaven... or anywhere else for that matter. However I like how it looks with white and some other colors like yellow or pink.This was the reason why I got these Gap grey skinny jeans several months ago. So when Angie posted this ensemble this outfit was already swimming in my head...but alas! a week ago I was just 2 days recovering from a surgery and could not tolerate anything except PJ around my midsection... :-)
This week I went to work and used this opportunity to sport this outfit at last - pic #1. Unfortunately these jeans stretch like crazy

after several hours of wear

 and fit like BF jeans rather than skinnies (and not even slim BFs )- not fab! I think I will be purging them quite soon - too bad because I love this grey color :-(
The shirt is new  - a lucky find on the clearance rack in Winners. It is by Adrianne Papell and cost me around $20. The quality is very nice, I like the hi-lo hem and look at the length on the back! I rest my case :-) One cannot have too many white shirts, right? 

Pic #2  was what I wore to work the next day. Everything in this outfit is old. I am trying to wear my culottes while it is not too hot for them yet. 
I have some inspirational pictures on my Pinterest board for culottes with flats - here, here and here so I tried to experiment a bit. The shoes are lower vamp and not complete flats - about 1.5" wedge.

I tucked the top in but  these culottes are not high-waisted.

Last time I tried to wear these culottes with flats  it was a disaster - how is it this time? 

Thank you for looking and as usual all comments and suggestions are very much appreciated. 
Have a great weekend!

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