OOTD: Comfort Seeking

Encouraged by the two comments from previous OOTD post, I decided to overcome my self-consciousness and post another one.

Weather has been crazy these days.  Yesterday has high of 70F and this weekend supposed to get up to 88F? That is why I love any wrap style cardigans.  You can just throw them on and go. When the City Garden Cardigan came out in the spring, I didn't pay too much attention.  Later on I spot it on sale and decide to give it a try.  I never realize there were so much details.  The nude color fooled me. There is the stripe, floral, embroidery, and yet, it is a comfortable piece that you can toss on without worried about getting all wrinkle up.

My 4 year old daughter has a end of school year pot luck lunch today at their school playground.  In any event requires frequently getting down on a 4year's eye level, I avoid dress/skirt.  For the rest of the day, school would be off.  That means I will work from home, namely in front of the lab top at the comfort of my bed, while my daughter nap the rest of the afternoon beside me.  At this age, she still could't get through the day without being cranky at the end of the day if she misses her nap. Somehow whenever she gets to crash on my bed, her napped time gets extended.  Maybe it is the extra sense of security she gets from curling up around Mommy. Whenever she wakes up, if she sees me next to her, she usually falls back asleep as if she had never open her eyes.

The marinated braised beef we brought is a success. My criteria of success is if it gets consumed completely. I cut the beef paper thin and every single slice got finished.  I just love the sense of bringing the empty container home.




T-shirt J Crew V-neck
Cardigan: City Garden Cardigan
Capri: LOFT silk carpi
Belt: Gap

When will this be on sale for $60 again?

OXO Good Grips 10-Piece POP Container.  It will be perfect to store all these Chinese herbs we use for soup. This item was on my friend's wedding registry.  Since I liked it so much, I end up getting this for them in regular price.  But I did see a deal from 1 month ago that amazon had it for $60... found out too late. I think if it ever go on sale again, I might get one myself.

Can a girl ever have enough dress?

This Dress is very casual and a bit on the short side so it can only be worn on the weekend even for my line of work. I am waiting for some kind of promotion before I buy it. I tried a size 2 on this and it hits right above my knee. I like the Chinese water color painting like print. The raw finish on the trim and the cotton material give a very casual look instead of a refine cocktail dress. The cool color is dark enough to set against my skin tone but is not too dark to absorb too much heat like a black dress. I love the fit and the print but not the price tag.

Review: Tea & Sweets Dress

I was looking for a dress to wear for my friend's wedding. These days I don't get to invite to weddings any more.  I even passed the baby shower stage and is more entangled with birthday parties.  Kind of shows my age a bit there.  There will be friends I haven't seen since college there so it has some of the reunion element to it.

I wanted something nice, but I can wear it more than the special occasions.   Also hubby is probably not going to wear a suit, so I don't want to look too dressy when he look so casual.  Has to sync up a bit.  This dress seem to fit into that category. It is a very delicate piece, soft and elegant. I fall in love right away with it.

I ordered two size, xs anbd s, not knowing which one fits better. But I got to try it in store when I visit Chicago before I got to my shipment. The XS is too tight around the rib. The S fits with not much room to spare. Just for comparison, breakfasting and camellia dress are both a XS for me. I can't say it is TTS because I really don't know what my true size is any more. My size with Anthro is just all over the place these days. But if you are familiar with GAP/JCREW, I am mostly a size 2.

The bottom drapes nicely.  Even with all the pleate , it doesn't bulk up like the breakfasting dress. The color was a bit pale against my skin tone. I look better with a light weight navy sweater over it and I think that is what I am going to do should I decide to wear it at the wedding. I like the texture difference between the eyelet top and the floral print bottom. The strap is a bit long and curves in a little bit so it makes the shoulder appear wider. The zipper is not very smooth.  My mom has to help me with that.  It seem to be the problem with a lot of the dresses lately. I wish the waist ribbon is black like breakfasting or camellia dress, which would accent the waist line a bit more, but what it is is works fine too. The rosette feels very romantic and I am a sucker for this type of embellishments.

Overall I like the feminine yet casual feel this dress brings. It can be dress up or down.  I also like the fact it is machine washable, although I would probably leave it to very delicate cycle. The $168 felt a bit pricy so if something else came along, I might change my mind.  For now, I think that is what I will be wearing to the wedding.

Are you over your budget?

Here is a site that give you the tool to track your spending. mint.com is the site will break down your spending and let you know how much you spend on each category. I thought I was doing OK with my purchasing and returning and back and forth, but turn out I am spending a lot more than I anticipated. It also listed Anthropologie as the top store I spend my money on. Of course, it counted all purchase as cloth, despite some of the items are gifts or home decoration. Still, it serves as a warning to my post stock-vested over self-indulgence because it really isn't that much and I literally still have a roof to fix up. Otherwise, next storm season my broken shake roof will end up in my neighbor's yard.

How much are you willing to spend on Fashion each month?

In pursuit of the perfect dress

anthrodottir give away ends tomorrow

One of my favorite anthrodottir is celebrating 100 follower mark by doing a give away.  While I never really won anything in my entire life,  I still enter it and send it my "work" outfit for an additional entry.  Since I don't have any followers, I don't think it is fair to enter another entry by telling her I am mentioning her give away in my blog right now.  This is the outfit I send

top: anthro snowscape tank.
cardigan:  Free People 'Neon Lights Cutie'
Cardigan gap capri
shoes: Linea Paolo 'Frisco' Flat
Bag: computer bag by oakley

Anyhow, I had never realize how hard it is to take a picture for yourself. When I take the picture against the mirror, the flash creates a white spot.  The only full length mirror is at the entry of our bedroom which has very narrow space  and lighting is not that great.  I am also very awkward in putting up any post.  Finially I ask my sweet hubby to take a picture for me. So this is officially the very first OOTD from me.