lovely links: leap year bonus

     Today you get two, TWO, two wonderful links for the price of one! We (when did I start using the royal we??) at Petal by Petal believe in celebrating Feb. 29 in style.
     Nnenna of Star-Crossed Smile started a sweet little Correspondence Club and posted a roundup. Check out the post if you'd like to join in the snail-mail fun for March ... :)
 

 My pen pal Camille sent me a little gift

 in some very fun collage wrap.

     Kelly of Alterations Needed posted a must-read post on finding a great-fitting blazer. When I reviewed my tweed blazer, I went through her archives and tried to figure out what were
some key fit features. Turns out I missed a lot, so check out her thorough and detailed post!

February Freeze, vol. 2: stalking pays off

     I love silk, especially silk with colorful pretty prints, but I love a bargain more.

  Trina Turk top (Nordstrom Rack)

      Red cardigan (JJ Basics, previously loved)

      Amrita Singh "Marion" earrings (HauteLook)

      6-strand red lucite bead necklace (eBay)

      Tweed jacket, FCUK for Sears (gifted)

Cheesy dating/flirting books (gifted - thanks, Sis!)

     Therefore, I stalked this shirt at Nordstrom Rack, waiting patiently for the price to drop and keeping my fingers crossed that no one would snap it up in my size. At last, the price tag sprouted a 65% off sticker, and I ended up paying a grand total of $17.
     (Cue upbeat romantic music, as Carrie and her silk shirt dance out of the store).
     One of my favorite kinds of love stories. :)

     I love silk, but at the same time I don't wear my silk shirts enough. I think they're a little too fancy, but then it's heartbreaking that they just hang in the closet while the T-shirts get to have all the fun.
     From the topic of stalking, it's a short hop to thoughts of Valentine's Day (or is that just me?) -- which is what inspired me to add a red cardigan for some pink and red fun.

    

    

size it up: FCUK for Sears blazer

   I honestly can't remember the last time I bought clothes from Sear's (sorry, does that sound snobby?) But I stopped by the other day and this blazer caught my eye.

     NOTE: I wasn't quite sure how to review the fit of a blazer, so I turned to the queen of blazers -- Kelly of Alterations Needed. I read through a bunch of her blazer reviews to get an idea of what I should be looking at, fit-wise. 
     SIZE: 2. There were a few random petite sizes mixed in with the regular sizes, but I didn't get a chance to try on a petite version.
     FIT: I like the longer front and higher-cut back of this blazer -- it makes it look a little different. It has a bit of an extended shoulder (I don't know what it's really called, but when you feel the edge of the shoulder, there's a bit of padding). For my size, I have fairly broad shoulders, so I'm usually leery of anything that adds to this area. However,  this doesn't make me look like I play football, so it's OK. :)
      As this is a regular size, the sleeves are long. Getting the sleeves altered would just about eliminate the 4 (fake) cuff buttons. I could also cuff the sleeves.
      I'm always looking for items that define my waist, and this blazer does a pretty good job -- particularly when buttoned, it falls right at my natural waist.

     QUALITY: I'm the first to admit that I'm not familiar with the higher-end, much-touted brands for suiting, such as Theory, J. Crew, or Ann Taylor, so my judgments in this area are not based on extensive (or, any) knowledge. However, I think the jacket has a nice weight, and the fabric seems substantial.

Look at how it nips in at the waist!

      WARDROBE VALUE? I purchased this Mom generously picked this up for me for $27.99 (original price: $88).  I can see myself wearing this blazer over dresses,  my favorite graphic tees, or dressier blouses. It would replace my thrifted Laura Ashley blazer, which has served me well but doesn't measure up in the fit department. (I wear it out of desperation for a warm layer when I go to class, but I tried taking photos of it once and they was so horrendous that I never posted them).

Cuffing = more room for bracelets! :)

     POSSIBLE ALTERATIONS: I might get the sleeves hemmed, but for now I'll leave them as is and wear it cuffed. It might also be nice to replace the plastic button with something just a little fancier.
What do you think of the fit, and this blazer in general? I'd love to hear your honest opinion.

show what you (don't) know

   Do you ever have one of those weeks? You know, those weeks in which you realize several days after the due date that you needed to post your assignment online; in which you feverishly prep for an in-class exercise, only to figure out that it's really scheduled for next week and you have a little more time. And let's not forget this morning ... I showed up a bit late to aikido class and it turned out I had to take the instructor's place. Which is interesting to do when it's 6 a.m., I haven't had my coffee, went to sleep later than I should have the night before, and didn't sleep well in the first place.
     I wish I could say that midterms are eating my brain, but I haven't really had my midterms yet.
     I picked out this outfit thinking I needed to be in front of the class today. Wearing some jewelry always gives me confidence, so I added a colorful necklace and a pared-down arm party.

I broke the pearl bracelet during class, while I was putting on my blazer. :( More proof that this blazer is a size too small for me!

Fossil "Mystic" necklace (Macy's)

    Hope you are having a more organized week than I am!

closet orphans, part #2

    Since I had so much fun wearing yesterday's underloved but beautiful top, I decided to show another closet orphan a little love to celebrate Friday.

Banana Republic blouse; Loft blazer 

     Check out the wonderful beading using different colors, sizes and shapes of beads, plus the embroidery.
     There is also a ribbon tie in back, but there were two problems. One: it's hard to tie a neat bow with your hands behind your head. Two: taking a decent photo of the bow is beyond my camera skills right now. I suppose this means I will need to wear this top again. :)

        
     Problem 3: I think it's so cute to wear a blazer with sleeves cuffed, but this blazer is so snug on me that rolling the cuffs up a bit makes it difficult to move my arms! So I had to roll the sleeves down. Oh, the things I do for the love of stripes. ...

Try-it-out Tuesday: pattern mixing

This American Eagle Outfitters ruffled camisole has up until now been relegated to weekend wear. On Friday, however, I wanted to experiment with ways to make it work-friendly.

With a pair of jeans and my new striped blazer, it was ready to work! This blazer was my first purchase from Loft online, and it’s a little snug across the back. If I buy a similarly cut blazer from them again, I will definitely consider a 6P.

This floral top has a surprising blend of colors, from red to navy to yellow. I'm looking forward to pairing it with other items (maybe a colored pencil skirt?), or even just adding jewelry and accessories to play up certain hues.