A Not-So-Summer Skirt

The last time I wore this skirt, in a pretty similar color scheme in March, I noted that I was breaking the rules by wearing a warm weather skirt while it was still really cold out.  I was such a rebel back then, wasn't I?  The funny thing is, the skirt didn't get worn during the summer at all.  It's one of the many skirts and dresses I have that are too short for summer's bare legs, but I'm totally fine with wearing when it's cool enough to sport some tights underneath.

Cardigan & Skirt: The Limited
Tank: Gap (it's got some cute detailing that you can kind of sort of see here)
Necklace: New York & Company
Headband: Loft
Tights and Sunnies: Target
Boots: Eddie Bauer

A Little Fancy for a Monday

This outfit feels like it's way too nice for a Monday, like I'm totally wasting it by wearing it to work.  Do you ever feel that way about what you're wearing?  Nonetheless, I couldn't keep passing over this dress in my closet, hoping for something more fun than work to wear it for.  I'm sure I'll get a chance soon, perhaps around the holidays, but in the meantime, it was just wrong to let this dress hang in my closet, unworn.  It's a comfy wrap dress that isn't a neckline offender, though I've covered up the modest neckline with Meko's leopard print circle scarf.  You can see the full dress here, since I didn't capture the detail too well.  The hat didn't make it to work - I'm just sparing you all a bad hair day.  Though sometimes I do wish hats were office-appropriate.  That'd save me SO much time in the morning.

Dress: The Limited
Belt, hat and tights: Target
Scarf: The Limited
Boots: Eddie Bauer

Autumn Leaves are Brown, and the Sky is Gray

I knew our awesome unseasonably warm and sunny fall weather had to come to an end soon, and it did yesterday. It rained pretty much all day, and this morning, although the sun is shining again, it's dropped below 50. But it's not snowing or freezing, so it could be worse.

 I've been kind of bad about mentioning what item(s) is being rescued for No Repeats, but I have been digging through the depths of my closet and/or unpacked moving boxes. This sweater hasn't seen the blog since February 25th.  I like the space-dyed pattern of it, but the color totally washes me out, so it needs to be paired with bright, bold colors to prevent that.  Similar to how Kristen broke up her all-cream-on-top ensemble with a bold teal scarf.  I bought this sweater before I had a good handle on which colors I should probably avoid, but tricks like this help me dress around that.

Cardigan: Gap Outlet
Tank: Target
Jeans: Old Navy
Necklace: New York & Company
Shoes: Born

One More Day in Sandals

Some days there's just not much to say about an outfit. Today is one of those days. I haven't been to the office since Thursday, so I was less than enthused this morning. I wanted to just throw on some jeans, but there's a client visit somewhere in my building at some point in time today, and whether or not I actually cross paths with them, there's no jeans allowed during client visits. A knit jersey dress is a nice back-up, and I'm glad these sandals are getting another wear before it gets too cold for them. And before I throw them out, since they're just about falling apart. It's sad how run into the ground these sandals are, but they've definitely been loved the past 2 summers.

Dress: Old Navy
Cardigan: Target
Belt, Necklace and Earrings: New York & Company
Sandals: Aerosoles
Sunglasses: Target

I {heart} Fall

Have I ever mentioned how much I love fall?  The only thing I love more is a fall with sunny, unseasonably warm weather, which allows me to go outside and enjoy the beauty of the season.  And this weekend, I've done plenty of that.



This is a fairly simple outfit, totally copied from Rebecca's post on MinnChic the other day.  The scarf was last seen on Meko.  She totally wears it better, but thankfully, she was nice enough to let me borrow it.

Tee: Loft
Pants: Loft Outlet
Scarf: Limited
Shoes: Puma



Speaking of the dogs, one outdoor thing we did this weekend was give both the dogs a bath.  There probably won't be many more weekends where it's warm enough to hose them down in the backyard, so Fella and I took advantage of the weather.  They look happy here, but they were less than thrilled about baths.



I also went on 3 bike rides this weekend, logging close to 35 miles!  Above, was a ride down to Montrose Habor on Friday.



Yesterday Fella and I took a 17 mile ride up to Evanston and back.  Here he is above, in the International Friendship Garden in Evanston.  It's just beautiful, though definitely a trek to get up there.  We decided that, should we get another nice Saturday, we'll pack up some snacks and just ride as far north as we can.  And probably take our bikes home on the train, since I don't know how much I can ride beyond 20 miles or so.



Here's some pretty flowers and plants in River Park on Chicago's north side.  I don't think it's technically one of the city's prairie areas, but it reminds me a lot of what I've seen in prairie habitats around here.



And this morning I took a ride down to the lake, hoping to see some of the Chicago Marathon.  The northern edge of the route is just west of where this picture was taken, but alas, I didn't see any marathon runners.  I did, however, see a pretty, somewhat hazy city skyline.

How are you enjoying fall?

Plain and Simple

What would the Midwest be without unseasonal weather?  After a week of rain, cooler temps and gray skies, this week has been sunny, gorgeous and warm!  I'm trying to fit in sandals and bare legs a few more times before it gets too cold for that.  I have two pretty simple outfits here because I just haven't felt like putting a lot of effort into dressing for work this week.  It happens.  I bought some new tops at the outlet mall over the weekend, so I was eager to mix them in.  And wouldn't you know, they go pretty easily with black bottoms.

Tee: Loft Outlet

Pants, Cami and Necklace: New York & Company

Sandals: Aerosoles

Cardigan: Ann Taylor Factory Store

Tank: Loft Outlet

Skirt: Target

Necklace: New York & Company

Shoes: Tsubo

Date Night and Girls Weekend

Greetings, Stylenation.  I've had a busy few days since my last post!  On Friday (above), Fella and I had a date to see the Fleet Foxes play downtown at the Chicago Theater.  They're one of my favorite bands, and they definitely didn't disappoint.  If you haven't heard them before, they're described as "baroque pop," and have kind of a 60's vibe to me.  They're a band for music nerds like me - their music incorporates things like tempo changes, key changes, complex harp-like vocal harmonies and themes borrowed from gospel and folk alike.  So yeah, I'd recommend checking them out.

Top: Target
Cami and Earrings: New York & Company
Jeans: Old Navy
Scarf: Loft
Boots: Rampage




(more pictures from the show posted here)

On Saturday morning, I drove to Frankenmuth, MI, a small city known as "Michigan's Little Bavaria," to meet one of my girlfriends, who currently lives in Cleveland, for a girls weekend.  We went to high school together and were roommates together when I first lived in Chicago, but now that we live 6 hours apart, we don't get to see each other too often, rarely without at least one of our boyfriends in tow.  We enjoyed a weekend of spa time, good eats, adult beverages, dips in the hotel hot tub, beautiful fall weather and outlet mall shopping.



This is the Covered Bridge over the river.  Next to the bridge is a shopping center, complete with a spa that we visited upon arriving to town to kick the trip off with some pampering.



The downtown tourist district, which lies along the Cass River, is laid out like a small German town, full of cute shops, markets and restaurants.



Getting cheesy.  I remember this cheese block from trips to Frankenmuth as a kid (because most kids growing up in Northwestern Ohio go there at some point).  And it's even older than me - my mom was able to drive up to Michigan to meet me for lunch today, and she told me about girls trips she and her sisters took to Frankenmuth before they were all married, and all of the goofy pictures they have with this block of cheese.  So that mouse is pretty well preserved.



On Sunday, we took a wine and chocolate tasting cruise on the river.  It was amazing!  They paired 5 delicious locally made wines with all kinds of tasty treats.  I may have come home with 4 bottles of wine and about a pound of fudge.



All in all, it was a pretty great weekend.  And we're already looking forward to another girls trip next year.