A Well-Rounded Venture

Sometime after New York, I lost my blogging mojo. I was super inspired and energized by FFFW and New York, but fell flat when July arrived. It was the anniversary of my Grandma’s death and between that, the move, change of climate, adjusting to a new city, school and other family stuff, the summer just slipped by.

I feel like I’ve started to write this post a million times. Each time I thought, “Today is the day I write a post!” something else happened that made me change my mind or forget. Sometimes I would take pictures, or have Chris do it but never posted. I guess I needed a break from the internet.

Last month, I decided I’d visit California in September. Three days after I booked the trip, my grandfather was in the hospital. It was torture being so far away, out of the loop and unable to fly in because last minute flights cost over a month’s rent. And my flight left in less than two weeks. Fortunately, my grandfather is okay and every is looking great.

I leave for California on Thursday morning and I’ll be there for almost two weeks.

If it isn’t one thing, it’s another. You know?

Blouse – New Look, UK 26
Skirt – IGIGI, 28
Sandals – Target, 10
Belt – Torrid, 4
Necklace – H&M (Summer 2012)
Ring – Evans
Earrings – c/o Anne Marie at lunch, coming soon, other styles available in her Etsy shop.

Lately I’ve been feeling more sartorially inspired, so things are looking up for the blog. I’m getting rid of a lot of clothes that don’t suit my style at the moment or aren’t working for me in the Texas weather. I’ve picked up a few pieces for fall but I’m reluctant to do a lot of shopping because I don’t know what to expect in regards to weather AND my style is evolving again.

Most outfits I’ve been pulling out lately look very business casual, which would be great except… I telecommute and out here in the suburbs of Houston, on 100+ days, it looks a little silly, especially on the days where I’m just going to the grocery store…

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting Anslee Connell, the amazing lady behind Savannah Red, and two of her friends – also designers, for lunch in Downtown Houston.

It was great to see Anslee again, after meeting her at FFFW. I can’t wait to commission her for a dress and soon! She does amazing work – the vintage silhouettes and sundresses are some of my favorites. She actually wore the dress I covet – a grey and lime polka dot, halter sundress with a sweetheart bodice. Alas, it wouldn’t fit, so snatching it at lunch wasn’t an option.

You should definitely check her out! Here’s a link to her Facebook page, so you can see the dress I’m talking about.

Here is a picture from lunch (Thanks Anslee!):

Anne Marie and I before lunch.

Anne Marie graciously offered me a set of her new statement earrings to take home. They are coming soon but I did see a few pairs at her Etsy store. Each pair is handmade from up/recycled materials (except the ear wire) and despite the size, are super light weight.

She had several to choose from, but I settled on this textured, chevron pair – plus they totally matched my outfit. It was meant to be! I got three compliments just running errands that night. I don’t normally go for statement earrings (actually, this might be my only pair?) but these will definitely be in my regular jewelry rotation.

Anne Marie designs fabulous bags – each of them were carrying one of her designs; a tote, a handbag and a clutch. It was too cute! I caught a glimpse of the clutch from her next collection and I can’t wait to see the finished line!

Color blocking is one of my favorite trends and our love affair is still going strong. Sheer clothing is a close second, and this outfit combines both! I’ve been tempted to pair these pieces together since New York but haven’t had an opportunity to wear the outfit. At the end of the day, my tank and the sheer shirt got kind of bunched up in the front, under the skirt, but I still loved the look.

This IGIGI skirt is the Michaela Curvy Pencil Skirt in Deep Purple. I bought it this spring and have worn it so many times, it is ridiculous. Comfortable, a great cut, amazing fabric and versatile to boot. A colorful pencil skirt is almost impossible to find in plus sizes, so I snatched this one up as soon as I could. There are only a few sizes left, but they have brought out a charcoal version for fall… and I’m thinking it will find a place in my wardrobe.

Chris and I are both out of practice with the outfit pictures and my 50mm lens is acting up AGAIN. I’ve sent it back to Canon three times now and if I do it again, they want me to send my camera too. My other lenses have no issues but I still love the 50mm, especially for outfit shots.

I have a backlog posts that need to go up – FFFW (I’m awful), a few reviews and other outfits from this summer, so keep an eye out for those. My trip to California starts with a four hour bus ride to Dallas, so I’m hoping to make good use of that time. Now I need to finish packing…

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 4th, 2012 at 3:32 PM and is filed under OOTD. You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.