Wish List: Spots and Dots

I know she's a cartoon, but between the big hair bows, white gloves, and polka-dot frocks, Minnie Mouse might be the greatest fashion icon, other than my gals Audrey H. and Jackie O. I'm finding myself seeing spots -- literally -- all the time, so I pulled together some of my most coveted spotty and dotty pieces.

The polka-dot pleated dress is a great nod to the Mad Men obsession going on right now and is the perfect dress to wear to the two Texas weddings I have coming up this fall. And the calf hair belt would look great with black, brown, denim, and anything in between!

Overall, this is a reasonably priced wish list, with each item valued less than $55.

LC Lauren Conrad Polka-Dot Pleated Dress

[Photo source: kohls.com]

Queen of Hearts Blouse

[Photo source: spottedmoth.com]

 

 Polka Dot Skirt

[Photo source: forever21.com]

 Skinny Calf Hair Belt

[Photo source: jcrew.com]

Snow Leopard Vegan Women's Classics

[Photo source: toms.com]

Anyone else digging this trend lately?

Hot and Cold

I spent the weekend in Gruene, Texas, at a bachelorette party for my wonderful friend, Jeanine, where I drank a lot of wine, ate my weight in Twizzlers candy, and laughed until I cried at Jeanine's hilarious stories. (Seriously, she needs to write a book ... anonymously ... Otherwise, she would be arrested shortly after publishing.)

Needless to say, I'm moving slow as I start this week off, so I am actually including photos of an outfit I wore a few days ago. The weather in Texas can't decide to be warm or cool. This week has brought breezes and cooler temperatures, but the lingering grey clouds trap in all the humidity. Likewise, I can't decide whether I'm hold or cold at the office. I go from drinking glasses of ice water to turning on the space heater at my desk.

The shoes are a great daisies and chains mix. The looseness of the black loafers is old-mannish, and the rose appliques scream "young girl." They're the Woody Allen of footwear.

What I'm Wearing

Black V-Neck Slub Tee (J.Crew)

LC Lauren Conrad Boyfriend Blazer (Kohl's)

Striped Khaki Crop Pants (Calvin Klein, collected at a clothes swap)

Black Suede Loafers (Old Navy)

Floral Print Fringe Scarf (Madewell)

Gold Michael Kors Runway Watch (Macy's)

Happy Accidents

Lately, I've been pairing bold stripes with other small patterns. Even just yesterday, I combined a striped blazer with a whimsical parachute print. Wearing this conservative navy- and ivory-striped top -- which feels a  soft as pajamas, by the way -- with a floral scarf was a bit of an accident. I simply wore them at the same time because they both had blue in them.

The scarf is a gift from my parents from a cruise they went on this summer to Italy and Greece. Before they left, they asked if I wanted any souvenirs. I asked for an Italian man. They brought me back this scarf. They knew I would like it better anyway.

What I'm Wearing
Navy Striped Top (J.Crew)
Grey Wool Mini Skirt (J.Crew)
Floral Scarf (Gift, purchased from a market in Greece)
Tahari Tan Pumps (DSW)
Campo Bag (J.Crew Outlet)

Flying High

One of my favorite silk tops from Anthropologie is from a brand called Fei. When I set out to write this post, I imagined how international I would appear explaining to you -- my 23 readers -- the French translation of "fei"... But it came up totally blank when I entered "fei" into the Babel Fish translator online... So, I attempted an Italian translation. Also blank. Then, I Googled "translation of fei" and discovered that "fei" could mean "flying high" in Chinese. And I'm tired. So, that's what I'm going with. One point for culture, zero points for Jenn.

Luckily, the top has a parachute print on it, so perhaps "flying high" is actually not just a Google coincidence.

What I'm Wearing
Fei Parachute Silk Top (Anthropologie)
Terry Striped Blazer (Forever XXI)
Flare Jeans (Gap)
LC Lauren Conrad Black Platform Pumps (Kohl's)

My Latest Acquisitions: The Fall Edition

Halfway through the summer, I posted a few photos of my summer purchases and gifts and why I was excited to incorporate them into the season's outfits. And although the fall has only just started, I'm excited about my latest acquisitions.

[J.Crew Outlet Campo Bag, a birthday gift from my parents; Rush Polka-Dot Tee from Stylemint;

Gold Michael Kors Runway Watch]

[Close-up of the Gold Michael Kors Runway Watch,

a birthday gift from my fabulous fella!]

[A birthday gift to myself: Tahari Tan Pumps from DSW,

purchased with $15 in gift rewards]

And just as I said in my summer post, I am really anxious to incorporate these seemingly unrelated pieces all together! What have you recently acquired for fall that you can't wait to wear?

Wine, Cheese, and Ikat... Oh My!

This past weekend, I enjoyed a fabulous wine tasting party with my friends. We actually added an element of competition by covering all the labels of the seven different types of red wine at the party and giving everyone the chance to guess which wine was the merlot, pinot noir, zinfandel, and so on.

[Leanne, Jenna, and I pose during the tasting festivities.]

[A big thanks to the fella who organized the whole party. What a gent!]

One of my favorite parts came when the cake arrived, and -- drumroll, please -- it was painted with an ikat design! My friend, Laura-Kate of Sweet Stirrings, created a one-of-a-kind cake in honor of my birthday, and it was divine. Thanks to Laura-Kate and all of the wonderful friends who were there on Friday to celebrate. It was hard to say goodbye to the weekend!

So Long, Sweet Summer

Hey gals, how did the weekend treat ya'? I wore my DIY jean shorts for possibly the last time on Saturday. I'm using equal parts wishful thinking and logic to assume that fall might have finally hit Austin. Plus, my legs are becoming offensively pale, so it's really just time to put the shorts away for good until March or April anyway.

Have you put away all your summer clothes yet? I'm trying to transition a lot of my knits into the fall. I know they're going to show up in dozens of my fall outfits, because I'm going for a gamine look into this season. What about you? How would you describe your fall wardrobe?

What I'm Wearing
"C'est La Vie" Tee (J.Crew)
LC Lauren Conrad Boyfriend Blazer (Kohl's)
DIY Denim Shorts (Gap)
Guess Tan Cork Wedges (DSW)
Gold Michael Kors Runway Watch (Macy's)