Fall-ing back to summer?

leather jacket: ONLY, via Wilson's Leather (similar faux option)

sweater: TJ Maxx (similar)

corduroy skirt: Forever 21 (cute option)

tights: Nine West, via Marshall's (similar)

boots: Diba, via DSW (similar light brown version)

infinity scarf: Forever 21 (similar)

sunglasses: Forever 21 (splurge or save)

The weather in Texas today is what most meteorologists would describe as "unseasonably warm."  We're pushing the 80s here, people!  What happened to fall and the glorious layers of scarves and tights and cardigans that come with it?!

While I'm sporting a short sleeve shirt and a skirt (without tights) in today's November heat wave, I'm thankful for the cooler days we've had this season...like last Wednesday when I wore this outfit.

So, fall (do you prefer the more formal 'autumn,' dear season of mine?), if you're listening, feel free to come back to Texas at anytime.  My closet will thank you with seasonably appropriate ensembles.

p.s. If you have a few minutes, would you please fill out this survey about health?  It's for a research paper I'm working on for my Sociology of Health class, but don't worry...all answers are anonymous.  Thanks!

DFW readers - don't forget: you can get 10% off of laser and spa services at ATI Laser Clinic!  See this post for more details.



Sunshine and clouds

Howdy, howdy!  Hope your Veteran's Day is going fabulously well!

I'm enjoying the beautiful weather we've been blessed with in Fort Worth - upper 60s with a breeze, and lots of sunshine!  It's gorgeous!

I took these photos over a week ago on a more cloudy day.  A dress, tights, and a cardigan is so my go-to outfit for fall - so much so that I recreated this exact same outfit earlier this week, but I exchanged the mustard tights for some olive green ones and my oxfords for some boots.  The rest stayed the same!  I wore the green tights version for one of my testing days earlier this week.  I knew that I'd be sitting in front of a computer typing for hours for my comprehensive exams, and this outfit is beyond comfortable.  I always prefer dresses and tights to jeans!

Now that my written exams are completed, I'm just trying to prepare for my oral exams.  I test next Friday, and I'm feeling pretty confident.  I can't believe I'm almost done with grad school!

Any recommendations on what I should wear for my oral exams?  I don't want to look overly professional, but I don't want to look too much like a student either!  After all, I do want to teach college students when this is all over with!  Please leave any suggestions in the comments!

  



Forever 21 dress (love this silhouette)

Target tights (similar)

Jessica Simpson cardigan, via Ross (similar)

GoMax oxfords (similar)

Don't forget - you can get 10% off spa services at ATI Laser clinic until November 23!  Click here to learn more!

An outfit post!

Yes...I'm alive - and I'm still dressing up in pretty outfits!

I can't even express what a relief it is to have an outfit post up!  I haven't posted one since October 10 - that was a month ago!  Clearly, my love for rust continues because I'm wearing the exact same cardigan, and it's been appearing in my outfit rotation a LOT.  I got it on super sale at Old Navy over the summer for like $6-7, so my price-to-wear ratio is going to be so little!

Caleb and I still have so much to do around our little house.  We're building a farmhouse style table this weekend, and we're really excited.  When it's all done, it should seat 10-12 people, so it will be perfect for entertaining!  In addition to that DIY project, we're also still looking for some stuff for our bedroom.  The master bedroom is in a converted attic, so the ceilings are great, but the bedroom furniture we currently have is just to bulky for the room.  The headboard is super tall, so it wouldn't even fit on the along the wall where we plan to put the bed!  Luckily, the furniture fits great in our guest bedroom downstairs, so it's still being put to good use.  We're thinking about building our own headboard out of fence posts, and we plan to find some used drawers and stuff and revive them.  Should be fun!

And just for clarification, the pictures are not in front of my house.  We've been scoping out places in Fort Worth for outfit photos, and there are so many neat old buildings and houses that are perfect for bloggy pictures!  This old house is just a few minutes away from ours, and what a little gem it is!  You can see more photos and outfit credits after the jump... 

T-Hee

On Tuesday night, my friend Kendra (from Low Cost, High Style) and I attended a blogger meetup at a cute little shop in Dallas called T-Hee.  Truth be told, we were beyond fashionably late.  The event was from 6-8, and we didn't get there until right before 8.  I didn't get off of work until 6:15, and I still had to go home, change, and drive to the other side of the metroplex.  It was still fun to check out the shop though, and, of course, I always enjoy spending time with Kendra.

Fading light and comfort



I wish I could say all my outfits make it to the blogosphere, but this is just not the case.  When outfits don't get posted, one of two things has happened: a) I only wore my work clothes that day, which consist of jeans and a t-shirt (you can see the occasional button-up here), or b) it turned dark before I got the chance to take some decent photos. 

Fashion Blogger Fall Trend Report: Polka dots

The bloggers over at Fashables were kind enough to invite me to participate in their Fall Fashion Blogger Trend Report.  As soon as I got the email, I knew which trend I wanted feature: polka dots.  Who can resist such a fun, classic print?

The trend report features 17 fall trends, with contributions from some fabulous bloggers, including the lovely ladies of Grit & Glamour, House of Jeffers, and fellow DFW blog My Fashion Juice.  It's chock-full great information, so I hope you'll check it out.  You can see more photos of my polka dot shoot after the jump.

Falling in love with fall

I am beyond excited that fall is here!  The summer heat really dragged me down, and I've been looking forward to cool temperatures, cardigans, colored tights, and pretty scarves.

Of course, Texas still has awhile to go before I'll be prompted to put on all those layers, but the recent temperature dip makes me excited about getting dressed again.  As far as fashion goes, I felt so uninspired during the summer months because I was completely focused on staying as cool and comfortable as possible in 100 degree + weather - it was just too hot to think about being fashion-forward!

Cooling down

Texas has been teasing us with on-and-off cooler weather, and I am so looking forward to warm layers and fall colors.  Summer seemed like it was never going to end!  I couldn't help but throw on a pair of tights at the earliest sign of dropping temperatures.  Of course, with the heat wave that seemed to take over these past few months, anything below 90 degrees feels like a relief!

One last go around

Autumn is right around the corner, so I decided to break out some brights for one of the last days of summer.  I hadn't worn this dress since my vacation in May, and I thought it deserved one more outing before scarves, tights, and rich fall hues take over.

Fashion's Night Out in Southlake

{image via Southlake Town Square's Facebook page}

Last Thursday, I met up with Jenni from Engineered Style and two of her friends for Fashion's Night Out in Southlake, TX - one of many DFW area suburbs.  There were events going on all over the metroplex, but I opted for something I hoped would be more low key, and I wasn't disappointed.  The larger crowds migrated toward some of the more "major" events in Dallas, but I enjoyed getting to take advantage of some of the free services at local shops without having to push my way toward the counter.

Impromptu date night

I've been donning this boring hairstyle for several days a week lately.  I now work at a coffee shop, so I like to pin my bangs back and pull my hair up in a ponytail to keep my hair out of my face.  With hair on the shorter side, it's difficult to do anything overly creative when wearing my hair up, so this style is usually what ends up happening.  On the bright side, although I'm less than happy with my hair, I love my job.  I'll call that a win.

Guest post: My mother...seriously

My mom's been visiting me for about a week now, and when she saw me playing on Polyvore the other day, she decided she wanted some of the action.  Here is her creation (she's quite proud of herself)...

She dubbed it "Uniquely Mom."

How'd she do?!

Feminine and fresh

I'm a sucker for anything feminine, so I love this fresh, flirty look.  Summer is definitely going strong here in Texas, so you'll catch me wearing pretty, light dresses in girly colors up until the very end of the season!

I'd rather be swing dancing

Not gonna lie...I felt like swing dancing in this outfit.

But, alas, swing dancing was not on my schedule.  Instead, I went to class and took a test.  A long test.  Meaning I wrote for 2 hours and 20 minutes straight and experienced intense hand cramps.  All in the name of education, people.

Neutrals and neons

Mixing neutrals with neons is not a trend that I would usually choose to take on.  In fact, a quick glimpse in my closet will reveal very little in the neon family...I've just never really thought it was my thing.  However, I was determined to pull something off for the most recent edition of Bloggers Do It Better, put together by Kristina of Pretty Shiny Sparkly.  I searched for the most neon-esque things I could find in my closet (neutrals definitely weren't a problem), and came up with this outfit.  I am so glad I was challenged to do something new with my wardrobe because I really love how the look turned out.

Last full day in Riviera Maya

Like every other day on our Riviera Maya trip, our last day was full of fun and excitement.  It was definitely Caleb's favorite day because we got to visit the ruins in the old Mayan city of Coba.  It's in the thick of the jungle, so it included a lot of walking (and, ahem, sweating), but it was so cool to visit what was once a thriving city.

History's beauty

At my core, I'm a nerd.  There's no denying it.  And so is Caleb...don't let him tell you otherwise.  Perhaps this is why we get giddy about seeing Mayan ruins.  The history of it all never ceases to amaze us!  While some want to lay out by the beach all day sipping margaritas, we're happy to get off the resort and learn first-hand.

Imagine our surprise when we got the best of both worlds at the Tulum ruins...

Reader request: Child's birthday party

Child's Party Attire by jessicamarie626 featuring gold plated jewelry



Lindsay from Delighted Momma told me that she is going to attend a child's birthday party, and she asked for outfit suggestions that would be appropriate yet stylish.  Here are a few tips...