Best laid plans...well, you know

     Sorry for the lack of outfit posts recently... for the past few days I've pretty much been wearing outfit repeats, saving my new or new-to-this-blog duds for this weekend. Unfortunately the outfits I had planned on have to go out the window, since, to use my favorite euphemism, I'm surfin' the crimson wave, a few days ahead of schedule. I HATE it when that happens. I had the outfits all planned out, the tight pencil skirts crisply ironed, and the requisite thongs at the ready. But now I have to wait another week to wear them and instead I have to wear something much less interesting. I'm hoping that by Monday I'll be able to wear something blog-worthy, so please hang tight! It'll mark the debut of Topshop on this blog, and trust me, it's worth it.
     In the meantime, here's my outfit from a couple days ago. Nothing really new to see (I've worn all pieces before) but I did like the way it turned out. I won't be wearing it again though because the slippery fabric of the top and the equally slippery fabric of the skirt did NOT get along; the shirt kept untucking itself and the skirt keep slipping around my waist, so while the outfit looks decent when I'm standing still it's not really practical to wear all day at work. Lesson learned!

Scalloped-bib top and chiffon-front cardigan (H&M), scalloped-hem skirt (F21)

     Oh, beige. Won't be wearing you for at least a few days...sigh.

About time!

     Look what finally popped back up on Forever 21 (well the Japanese site anyways):

Super cute. But so NOT a "dress."

     Though not quite as cute as its shorter blouse cousin that was all over the top style blogs last year, I still love it... and let's be honest, the blouse version would have probably been way too short to wear with anything other than a pencil skirt (interesting cultural side note: despite having no problem wearing short as f*ck skirts/shorts with racy thigh-highs, Japanese girls do not bare their midriff, unless they're at the beach. No exceptions).
     But I refuse to call this thing a "dress" as F21 has deemed it. I mean seriously, the minute this chick moves or sits down, hello wardrobe malfunction! So let's call a spade a spade: it's a tunic, F21, mmmmkay? But whatever, they can call it a dress as long as I get my hands on it. It actually popped up on the site last fall, but when I tried to order it the site had some sort of malfunction and it didn't get stored in my cart. When I tried looking for it again, it had mysteriously disappeared. But this time, no problem. It may be short enough on me to wear under certain skirts, which would be great for work, and it will look fantastic over dark blue super skinnies as well. I hope the fit is not too billowy, because I'm not a fan of belting, but I think it'll be okay. Another nice, versatilve (and cheap!) new piece for spring.

And, as a completely non-fashion related PSA:
     I love clothes, but I love video games just as much. And I game exclusively on the PS3. As you may have heard, the PlayStation Network got hacked recently and everybody's personal data was comprised. Now it's not super dire (yet) since it's not confirmed if they got anyone's payment info (and even if they did, they wouldn't have the security code needed to use it), unless they of course also got access to e-mail accounts or accounts with other merchants that DO store such detailed info. Luckily I'm not a big PSN user and my PSN password is a one-off (i.e. not used for other services/accounts) but if any of you happen to have PSN accounts that DO use one of your favorite passwords, best change it for all other accounts ASAP just to be on the safe side! I'm pretty sure this hacker just broke into the PSN for fame/glory/ego-boosting/to stick it to the man, not to go to town with anybody's info ('cause if he got caught, he'd be in deep you-know-what), but still, what a douche. 

Rant! And an OOTD, of course

     With the concerns brought about by the earthquake/tsunami/power plant disaster fading into the background for most Tokyoites, daily life is practically 100% back to normal. Which is both good...and bad, in a way. At least for the first few weeks after the earthquake, the city, while a bit uneasy, was kind of quiet and more slower-paced than usual. Now it's back to rush rush rush and work work work for everyone, even those who really don't need to be working in the first place.
      Japan often lauds its very low unemployment rate, which is, you know a good thing. But to keep it so low and shiny the government and the big corporations implement a lot of "make work" projects, which are not exactly (and in many cases, not at all) necessary.
     Case in point? Our neighborhood has essentially been an ongoing construction site for as long as we've lived here, practically 2 years now. From 9 am to sundown, 5 days a week, an army of jumpsuited laborers in trucks, vans, and heavy-duty machines tear up our streets, forcing cars (and sometimes even pedestrians) to take detours to get around. A few months ago, it was to even out the pavement. Then to repaint the traffic markings. This month? To do something with the water pipes, which were never a problem to begin with. They left fliers all over town to let us know that they'd be turning off the water for one day, for four hours. Kind of annoying, but manageable. Of course they forgot to tell us that on other days the water, while not turned off, would be sputtery, rusty, and pretty much unusable in the mornings. Great. Today, our day off, was spent listening to the endless drone of construction outside and enjoying the constant vibration of our entire building. As soon as they went on lunch break and the water was relatively back to normal, we hurried to shower, do the washing up, and do laundry. So annoying. And since it will probably be the same tomorrow, I have to make sure I'm done using the water before 9am. Not exactly a restful way to spend my Sunday morning. Ugh. Reason #1958 I'm happy to be leaving Tokyo this year.
     Well, rant over! On a less whiny note, I recently wore a casual outfit that I really enjoyed. I've worn the same ensemble a number of times, actually, so it's high time I put it up on this blog!

White tunic blouse and white long-sleeve shirt (F21), frilled leather  jacket (quoi quoi Japan),
jeans/jeggings (Zara), teal beaded necklace (Rope Picnic Japan)

The pin-tucks and pleating give the tunic an interesting shape

     The blouse was one of those cheap but good and not tacky F21 finds (rare, but they do exist), and is perfect for spring and summer. And that necklace is fast becoming my favorite accessory!
     Well that's all for today... now off to see if the water is clear enough to make myself a cup of tea...

Edit: Another rant! My little bro and I had plans to play Borderlands together on our PS3s this week. It sounds a little lame, I know, but I love my bro and living in different countries means we don't talk or hang out very often at all, so this is one way to spend some sibling time together. BUT OF COURSE this happens to be the week that Sony shut down the PSN because some douche hacked into it or something. And of course they have no idea when they can get it back up again. Arrrrgh.
Okay, I'll stop now. I promise!

Perky Paisley

     It's a lovely rainy day here in Tokyo, and while I'd normally be working today, I've taken a day of sick leave. So I'm living like most normal people do, staying in and relaxing on a lazy, rainy Saturday.  I have to go in to work tomorrow, though, for a not so easy day (quite a few hours with one client, the same who made both me and a coworker sick last weekend by insisting that his nagging cough... which was so bad he could barely get a word out... was no problem whatsoever). If he's still sick he'll definitely be getting a piece of my mind! But at least my real weekend is coming up, and then it's time for Golden Week, Japan's handful of national holidays that straddle the last week of April and the first week of May. We don't have any specific plans, though my fiancee is taking a few extra days off to start culling things from our apartment in preparation for our leaving Japan later this year. Other than that, we'll be eating out a lot and having a few movie nights with friends. Low-key and lazy, just how we like it.
     Yesterday was a slow day at work, so after being on-site at a client's in the morning I could pretty much just go straight home, which suited me just fine since I was feeling under the weather. I wore a casual outfit, one that I had never worn before, though I've had all of the pieces for over a year. This spontaneous outfit somehow ended being one that I totally loved. I love it so much that, since I wore it for only a few paltry hours yesterday morning, I intend to wear it again later this week on my day off. It features elements that I don't really wear too often, including the only yellow garment that I own as well as a very busy paisley print-top with a red and yellow color scheme.

Okay, so the colors aren't really "me" but what the heck, I love it anyways!

Yellow cardigan (Japan), paisley top (Zara), dark blue jeans/jeggings (Zara), brown suede boots (Aerosoles)

     Another reason that I love this outfit is that, for whatever reason, it is SUPER flattering. I don't know if it's the color combination, or the boots, or the fit and drape of the cardigan, but the total ensemble is super slimming. I'm not a "big" girl by any means, but nor am I size zero; I'm slim, but I definitely have curves,  so like most women, I appreciate a good slimming effect, especially if it comes from a fun colorful outfit rather than an all black look!

Twinset Triumph

     You know, as much as I love cardigans, I HATE twinsets. Having two layers of the exact same color and the exact same material just screams frumpy to me, even though I'm sure there are plenty of luxurious, elegant twinsets out there. But in a dazzling display of hypocrisy, one of my favorite outfits ever consists of, you guessed it, a twinset. Well, it's not really a true twinset, since the materials are different (the cardigan of course being a knit and the blouse being a gauzy pin-tucked cotton camisole), but they were purchased at the same store, albeit from separate collections and purchased on separate occasions. And they are the exact same shade of lavender... and since I usually avow that I hate all variants of the color people, I guess it makes me a hypocrite on two fronts! But what I can I say? The heart wants what the heart wants, and the eye likes what the eye likes!

Lavender camisole and open cardigan (Zara), grey pencil skirt (H&M), grey tights (Japan)

Close-up of the detailing on the camisole (necklace and bracelet by mayglobe Japan)

     This camisole is one of my favorite Zara purchases ever. It's long enough that I can also wear it with my skin-tight Zara jeans/jeggings without crossing into Lohan territory and I know with the arrival of spring I'll be wearing it a lot over the next few months. The cardigan was a random sales purchase; I had wanted to get a size small instead of my usual medium because it was open-front and a bit voluminous, but all they had left was one XS and a few larges... luckily the XS fit fine.
     So that's what I wore yesterday, a direct contrast to what I'm now wearing on my day off (PJs for the win, baby). It's finally raining here in Tokyo (I hate sunlight, so I love it when the weather turns dark and  gloomy ), and I'm enjoying my lazy hours blog-hopping, video-gaming, and cooking (a rare activity for me, I assure you!)

Today I made (from scratch!) Avgolemono, an awesome chicken/egg/lemon/dill/rice soup I discovered while living in Greece

Banishing the Blues

     Recently I came across a post over at Anthroholic in which the lovely Kim asked for advice on how to deal with stress and get over the blues, and it got me thinking about how I do so (or at least try to). The blues can be persistent, I know. And since the blues are more a general and often inexplicable gloominess rather than one that can easily be traced to a specific cause or event, they can be especially tough to get rid of. Here in Tokyo (a stressful, and frankly visually ugly city...though of course some places are beautiful!) it can be tough to feel cheery again. Here are my fail-safe measures:

1) Buy some of your favorite flowers and arrange them in a pretty vase. I like roses, tulips, peonies, and hydrangeas. Something with lots of color, size, and scent. Or I get myself a new huge scented candle, and chill out with it while reading or playing video games.

2) Give yourself a mani/pedi, or get one done if you can spare the money and time. I haven't had a professional one in years, but I'd like to at some point. In the meantime, I invest in some good quality polishes, nail clippers, and polish remover and I clean, trim, and repaint my nails every week.

3) Go have (ONE of... haha) your favorite junky treats...burgers&fries, chicken fingers, a milkshake, or something from Cold Stone always does it for me. If I want a comforting pick me-up at work, I make a run to Starbucks for my favorite coffee treat (tall dry cappuccino with vanilla syrup and cinnamon powder)

4) Clean something... your place, your car, your computer's hard drive. It may not be super fun, but it's definitely productive, which usually makes me feel accomplished, and then better overall.

5) If the problem is related to clothes but you don't want to go shopping, shop your closet. Pull out some things you rediscover, febreeze/iron them, mix and match them with other pieces, and then hang them somewhere you can easily see them (I use a rail over my washing machine). Did this one just yesterday, so now I have a rail full of "new" work and casual outfits that I can't wait to try out.

6) And last, hop online and browse your favorite stores and make a note of the things you'd like to try out during a future shopping trip. Next time, it's all about H&M for me:

Fantastic, right?

Black and Tan

     Well, despite the seemingly serious threat of rain, I decided to chance it today by wearing my new suede H&M dress. That's right, a dress entirely constructed of bone-colored suede leather. Since the dress is rather short, I decided to wear it with thick black tights instead of the nude mesh tights I had originally planned on. Then I tied on my favorite bib necklace to dress the look up a little and to complement the tights. All in all, I was pretty pleased with the result:

     Wearing an all leather/suede outfit was a bit of a challenge, though. While supple, it wasn't super flexible, and any moisture/sweat would show up (and stay around) easily. And while I do like the scent of natural leather, having it hang around you all day can be a bit much. But as with any leather, it will flex, shape, and soften with further wear, and the new suede smell will soon disappear. 

Suede dress (H&M), beaded bib necklace (anemone Japan), black tights (cK Japan)

Wilted Scallops

     Yup, you guessed it, another outfit featuring yet another item with... wait for it... scalloped detailing! I can't help it, I'm addicted. I actually wore this a few weeks back and just discovered the pics while I was clearing out my camera's SD card. I actually really liked this outfit, so I'm surprised that a potential OOTD post almost slipped through my grasp.

White cardigan (H&M), frilled scoop-neck top (F21), scalloped-hem skirt (F21), beaded necklace (Rope Picnic Japan), floral-pattern nude mesh tights (Celine)

    
     I really do love the skirt; it looks great in the pics and it's actually very slimming, and, of course, the scalloped hemlines are adorable. Unfortunately, the skirt, or at least the back of it, wrinkles. A LOT. The shiny fabric is quite thin and flimsy, and just a few moments of perching carefully on a chair resulted in quite a few creases and crinkles. I really really hate wrinkles, though for the sake of practicality I do put up with them to a point. But this skirt was pushing it, which is a shame since it really is very nice... at least from the front view. It, and its green dotted sibling, seems to be pretty popular in the blogosphere, and I can see why, but I'm going have to work on accepting the wrinkling. But regardless, I did really enjoy this outfit; it was the first time I wore my teal beaded necklace, which I now wear all the time, as well as the first time I wore my Celine mesh tights (yup, that Celine; in Japan all the major design houses sell hosiery, handkerchiefs, etc. for very reasonable prices... I think the tights were about $8). So all in all, it was a good day!

Sandal season is fast approaching

     The aftershocks have been going strong again here in Tokyo. It was relatively quiet for the past 2 weeks and then since Monday evening we've been having rather sizable jolts. Nothing too strong, but definitely annoying and unnerving. This morning I was just about to step into the shower when I was startled by an aftershock, and, not wanting to be in the shower in case a bigger one struck, I decided to clean house until the fiancee came home from the gym. I also took the opportunity to go through my make-up stash and tossed out a few things that were old or that I didn't use.

     I ended up purging a lot from my nail polish collection; I love nail polish, I repaint my nails myself every week (and, in spring and summer, toes every 2-3 weeks) and I always buy whatever color catches my eye. Tokyo is the nail art center of the world, so there's definitely a lot to choose from. Every month I end up with a few bottles of novelty colors, but I usually only use them once or twice, so I decided to get rid of most them today. Now I just have my set of staples, though I'm sure I'll be adding more (and then throwing out more) in the near future!

L-R: Essie Shop Til You Drop, Color Club silver glitter, Revlon Silver Screen, Mavala Rosee, OPI I Love Yokohama

     Now I know Essie and OPI are usually the top favorites out there in the blogosphere, and while I do like quite a few of their shades, I'm not particularly loyal to them. Essie polishes always seem super streaky, and Shop Til You Drop is no different. But it's a really pretty shade of coral pink, perfect for summer, and I only use it on my toes so the streakiness isn't much of an issue. As for OPI, some polishes/formulas are awesome, and some are streaky, bubbly, or dry up in their bottle way too quickly (Samoan Sand, my favorite neutral, is guilty of this, so this week I have to buy yet another fresh bottle). I Love Yokohama, from the Yokohama collection, is one of their better quality ones, offering a warm subtle shimmer and a rich natural pink tone. It's another color I use more often on toes, so when it comes to fingers, I usually rotate between demure (Mavala's Rosee, an amazing peach pink shade that always gets compliments, a which is a pretty close dupe for Chanel's Peche Nacree), chic (Revlon's Silver Screen, which in Japan is actually a different shade than the back in the States, more a white silver shimmer than dark grey/silver...Revlon's formula is amazing, it lasts forever and goes on evenly, it's the best of the drug store brands IMHO), and badass (Color Club's awesome chunky silver glitter, which does take some elbow grease and extra-strength remover to get rid of, but it's worth it).
     This past week I wore Silver Screen, so I mostly wore neutral colors to complement it. On Sunday I wore one of my favorite casual outfits (though I wore my Zara khakis to work and changed into jeans afterwards). I feel like a figure skater when I wear it, which is pretty awesome, and the sweater is both comfy and flattering, which can be a rarity!

Shimmer open-knit sweater (F21), white chemise (Zara), jeans/jeggings (Zara)

     While I still prefer autumn and winter, I do have to admit that dressing for spring is by far the easiest; fewer/lighter layers, flats rather than boots, and a cute light spring jacket (or not, on warmer days). Soon it may even be warm enough to wear sandals, so time to go buff and paint those toenails! Think I'll go for the Essie polish for my first sandal wearing of the year...

Swinging from the chandelier

     This past weekend, the weather took a turn for the gross, with warm temperatures, rain, and sticky humidity (80%). Which is quite uncommon for this time of year, when it's supposed to be a bit cool, sunny, and dry. Instead it feels like late June, which is worrying since that usually heralds the start of the Tokyo summer season... and Tokyo summer is TERRIBLE. I'm praying that the temperature takes a dive over the next few weeks, but as far as I (and Internet weather forecasts) can see, it's going to be warm and at least a bit sticky for the foreseeable future. The weather is especially annoying today; partly cloudy, a low chance of rain-but not low enough for me to totally discount it. I had planned to wear my new H&M suede dress, but the chance of rain is worrying, especially since I plan to walk home after work to admire the cherry blossom tress. I may chance it anyways, and bring a pair of jeans and a cardigan to change into just in case it rains later tonight.
     Despite the less than comfortable weather, I did manage to wear one of my favorite outfits this past weekend. I've worn the turtleneck/cardigan combo before, but I don't think I've ever shown this skirt on the blog. It's one of my absolute favorites: it was super cheap ($20 on sale) and I found it by chance in a random shop that I never usually visit (read: most of the clothes are fugly), it doesn't wrinkle, and I can wear it all year round.

Cream ribbed turtleneck (Lowry's Farm Japan), white puff sleeved cardigan (F21), abstract print skirt (Japan)

     It's the only piece of red/maroon clothing that I own, and I love the abstract print. I call patterns like this chandelier prints, but I have no idea what the proper term is. I've recently been trying to find more clothes with a similar print, but the style is not so popular here in Tokyo, except on stationary or for home decor. But spring has come to most store displays, and there are a lot of beauties out there, so I'm sure I'll find some consolation!

Would you like a bib for those scallops?

     The obsession with scalloped detailing continues! Next up, this downright awesome top from H&M:

Ignore the hanging camera strap!

     I first spotted this sweet little camisole about 2 months ago, and I loved it right away. But it looked a little cheap on the hanger, and the fabric is very thin and flimsy, and they only had a size 32 (H&M's smallest size, so yeah, way too small) and some 42s (too big). Not to mention that it was about $30, which is a little crazy for a scrap of fabric from H&M. But during the following weeks I kept thinking about it and how I could wear it under so many cardigans, so I went to a different branch to check it out again. This time they had one in a 36, and since it was cut very wide and boxy, I figured that would be fine instead of my usual 38. I also noticed that the scalloped ruffles were laser-cut and would not fray at the edges, which had been another worry. So after a few moments of deliberating I decided to go for it, and trust me, I'm really happy I did. Including this outfit, I've worn it 3 times so far, and I've been complimented on it each time.

Ruffled bib camisole, grey cardigan, blush tulip skirt (all H&M!)

     This particular outfit is my favorite thus far, though; I love the ballet color-palate (which inexplicably reminds me of neapolitan ice cream, even though the brown is replaced with grey) and the softness of the cardigan and the skirt against the stark white of the blouse. The ruffled bib falls very nicely, reaching the navel for a more streamlined look instead of the outward poof that a shorter bib length would result in. The only downside of the top is that it is very short and I don't think I'll be wearing it without a pencil skirt to hide the short hem, so wearing it with jeans on my day off is pretty much a no-go. But as far as office wear goes, this is definitely one of my favorite layering pieces. If only they made it in black as well...

One is the loneliest zip-up

      I suppose, in terms of this blog, my Monday outfit was rather boring; I wore my beloved Gap tweed skirt (already featured twice in my OOTDs) and as an undershirt I wore my go-to F21 shirt with the frilled scoop neckline, which by now I've photographed countless times. But at least the cardigan was something new!

Grey zip cardigan and white undershirt (F21), tweed skirt (Gap), grey tights (Japan)

Close-up of the cardi's neckline and my over-worn frilled undershirt

     This cardigan is actually the only zip-up that I own. In my experience such sweaters always bulge and bunch unflatteringly along the zip line, especially if the garment is on the cheaper side and/or doesn't feature a second zipper at the hem which you can unzip a little to tame the crinkles. Being from F21, you can guess that this cardigan definitely has its issues. I took one look at it in the store and thought, yup, I know what you're gonna do to my silhouette, and I don't like it one bit. But I was still intrigued by it; it was nice and long, the material was soft and a lovely shade of grey, and the deep scoop neck trimmed with a subtle border seam was very flattering. And at $15 I could deal with a little bunching up. And when I wear it to work I always tuck it into my skirt so it's not such a big deal anyways.
     And on an unrelated note, I've been drooling over Modcloth's new breezy spring offerings, especially the ombre effect tights:

     Those tights and the tiered dress would make such a nice semi-formal outfit... throw on some shiny heels and some bling and you'd be all set. Of course the dress looks way too short to make such an outfit actually feasible, but hey, it's still a nice idea in theory!

Pretty in Peony

     In dramatic contrast to last year's bizarre weather (solid rain from the previous autumn/winter and snow as late as April), spring is fast approaching here in Tokyo and will probably take over the land in a week or so. Due to the warm weather and sunny skies, the cherry blossoms are opening all over the city and will hit their peak as early as this coming weekend, so we're going to make some time to gawk at them since this is our last spring in the country. We had wanted to check out the spectacular (and spectacularly crowded) stretch of trees along the royal palace moat, which are illuminated at night are supposed to among the best views in the city, but due to the recent disaster up north and the subsequent energy issue, the traditional light-up has been cancelled this year. But no matter as there are plenty other places to admire the beautiful blossoms... though I secretly prefer the ume/plum blossoms of my birthday month, which are even more beautiful with their white to rich pink blooms and dark, sometimes even black bark.

Ume are so beautiful, and the liquor made from their fruit (umeshu) is amazing

     Today was Tuesday, aka my Saturday, so the fiancee and I headed out around noon to embark on a day that was both productive and enjoyable (a rarity indeed). We hauled some of my skirts and more expensive cardigans to our local dry cleaner's, along with some of his work pants and a few work shirts that required a whitening treatment. Dry cleaning is actually pretty reasonable in Tokyo; the prices are not bad (and in some places even downright cheap) and shops can be found in every neighborhood, usually on the way to the local station. And if, as in our case, your local shop does their cleaning on-site, you can get your stuff back in 2-3 days. After that, we took a quick trip to Akiba because I wanted to get a new PS3 title. On a whim we stopped by a small used game store to see if they had an imported copy, which surprisingly they did- nearly $20 cheaper than what I had expected to pay for a new copy. Score! After that we hit up Ginza, where I found a fantastic suede dress at H&M (which can be seen on fashiontoast's Rumi Neely in the midst of this post, though I myself got a lighter bone colored version), which, originally priced at close to $200, was on sale for $50. The Banana Republic nearby was having a 30% off sale, and the fiancee fell in love with a great charcoal zip-up and I finally found a black cardigan that was both elegant and fun (before today I only owned one, which I got nearly 4 years ago and should probably be retired). Then we picked up some macaroons at Laduree and hoped on the Yamanote for Shinjuku, where we ran a few errands and had a quick dinner followed by an after-dinner coffee at our favorite cafe in Tokyo; Starbucks will do in a pinch, but Paul Bassett is where it's at.
     This past weekend at work spring was definitely in the air, so I decided that it was a perfect chance to wear the Gap peony skirt I had seen and lusted after a few months ago. Actually, I had worn it to work already once before, but my camera battery decided to die on me after one blurry shot. But this time I made sure to charge it, so all was well:

I love the peonies, they look so lush. I'd also love to see this in a hydrangea print!

Peony silken skirt (in truth, 100% polyester, Gap), ruffle placket cardigan (J. Crew), grey lace tights (Japan)

     Seriously, Gap has really been putting out some gorgeous things lately. Their skirts are especially lovely, and look way more expensive than they are. Their tops and sweaters have still been kind of 'meh' but I have high hopes for them. Can't wait to see what full springtime will bring!

Cranky Crochet

     Just a quick OOTD post before I get ready for the looming work weekend. I found this skirt at F21 on sale (so yeah it was about 10 dollars). But when it came time to wear it, I was a little unsure of what to pair with it. I wanted to keep the top fairly simple and not too sweet, since the skirt is plenty saccharine on its own. Then the nutmeg Traversa cardigan that I wore before caught my eye, and lo, an outfit was born. Nothing truly special, mind you, I save my favorites for the weekend when I work for 8 straight hours (and I mean work, no unscheduled breaks or time to space out looking at a monitor, unfortunately).

Frilled neckline top and crochet lace skirt (F21), Traversa cardigan (J. Crew)

     Yeah, looking at the pics I'm not so crazy about the skirt, it hangs rather weirdly (definitely not as it looks on the model) and while the crochet detail and the hem is quite pretty the overall look is a bit...naff. Ah, well. $10 loss, not the worst by any means! Let's see if I can redeem myself tomorrow...