Adrien; All Askew

There is so much wrong going on here, but if you don't notice how my jeans need ironing, my necklace is all crookedy and my top needs adjusting, the overall look makes me pretty happy. We had another file day at work which mean I could wear jeans. JEANS! This is my favorite pair  - they're old and worn and as comfortable as yoga pants, I swear. It probably wear them every day if I could get away with it. Anyway, outfit:

It's bizarrely warm today so I didn't really need the jacket:

Don't you love the autumnal trees next to my autumnal hair? I do like to blend with the seasons, don't you know.

top: Ann Taylor (similar)
jeans: 7 For All Mankind bootcut
jacket: Banana Republic (similar)
shoes: Frye t-strap (similar)
bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs Hillier
watch: La Mer

Marianne: Halloween inspiration.

Well, it's that time of year again. To paraphrase Sue Sylvester, when little boys dress like girls and little girls dress like whores. I have to say, since I had a kid I really could not give two flips about dressing up myself, but this year we're having a little kiddo party, so I need a simple, comfortable costume. I'm going with a variation of this one, originally spotted on Design Mom:

The mushroom costume works with Lulu's garden gnome theme. I put the finishing touches on her costume last night, but you'll have to wait until November 1st to see it. What about you? Are you dressing up? Do you like to make your or your kids costumes, or do you go the store bought route?

Sephora Time!

Oh you guys, you know it's Sephora Friends & Family time, right? FF2010 gets you 20% off any website order through November 3 (I think.) I knew this was coming so I waited and planned and obsessively edited my wishlist and researched and read reviews. Your basic shopping obsession, makeup style. It's what I do.

I made my order over the weekend and now impatiently waiting for:

BeneFit Benetint. I reviewed this on my other blog a while back and I still stand by it. I know it's old school, like Clinque Black Honey or Nars Orgasm, but people, it's good stuff.  It took me a couple of years to work through my last bottle, so even though it's expensive, it lasts for freaking ever. Oh, and I only use it on my cheeks because lipstain just looks weird on me.

Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner. Best Liner Ever.  I am already a complete slave to the Primer Potion and now I love the 24/7 liner just as much. They are soft and smudgy and then don't budge.Sure, they have crazy glam-rock colors, but they also have subtle shimmery taupe and plum and brown. My everyday favorite is Underground (a taupey brown color) but I wanted something more interesting so I'm trying Stash, a golden green. We shall see.

Laura Mercier Flawless Face Kit. This is a deal, people. I already use (and love) the LM tinted moisturizer and this kit contains a smaller version of that, along with the primer, concealer, powder, sponge, powder puff, make up bag and two full size brushes. Not inexpensive but who doesn't want a flawless face?

I'm also getting some random samples which will probably make me want to buy yet more products because I am just that easy. Are you ordering anything? Do tell.

Marianne: Packing Light

Here's a little secret: I went on a whirlwind trip to New York a couple of weekends back, to attend the New York Food & Wine Festival. I know! How could I have kept this from you! Well, I had a last second freak out that one of our 29 whole readers would see that I was gone and come rob me. I have issues.


But more importantly, what did I wear? Well, as mentioned, this was an incredibly quick trip, and I did not want to take more than a small carry on. So my clothes needed to pull double duty. Once again, I harkened back to this post and decided that I needed ole' Gwennie's uniform. Enter the trenchcoat (the fall version of her peacoat, I've decided):
And hello to the gorgeous Maritime Hotel! I loved that place. Anyway, under the trench...

You guessed it, sweater dress, ponte leggings, and flat black boots. A word about these selections. In my search for the Perfect Sweater Dress, I started out at Target and let me just say OMG HELL NO. Just. No. I then girded my loins and went across the street to Loft. And y'all? Loft makes clothes for grown women.

Not only is this sweater dress supremely comfortable, it looks just as good as it does here with leopard flats, black tights, and a wide belt. Which you'll have to take my word on, because I didn't take any more pictures. Loser!

Okay, I took one more picture, with my phone. I have to give these leggings a huge thumbs up. They are pricey, yes, but I got them for 40% off. And they are so thick and sturdy that they feel like actual PANTS, not glorified tights like some leggings. And while I'm sure I wouldn't know about this, you can't even see cellulite through them. They are good.

sweater dress: Loft

ponte leggings: Loft
boots: J. Crew (similar here)
trench: Banana Republic
bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs old-style Faridah

Adrien: I Heart Stripes.

This is my Monday outfit and it's a lot more structured than what I usually go for on a Monday, but I wanted to wear stripes and, well, you know how I get. Girl needs her stripes.

I really liked this outfit until I ruined it all with a cardigan. But seriously, what am I supposed to do? Freeze to death? This is Real Life Outfitting! We will all just have to advert our gaze from the messy frump this turned into when I introduced the cardigan. (Suggestions for alternatives?)

This has no explanation but it cracked me up. What the hell am I looking at? No idea.

top: Gap striped cowlneck
skirt: Ann Taylor (similar)
shoes: Clark Indigo Sylvie
cardigan: Talbots Charming Cardigan
bag: Juicy Couture (similar)

Marianne: Fancy

Chris and I were lucky enough to be invited to a really lovely wedding last weekend. I so rarely really dress up, so it was nice to get to pull out one of my favorite dresses (and pray that it fit). This Banana Republic silk number is my favorite color and manages to be both flattering and comfortable. It even has pockets!

The evening was cool, so I pulled out this vintage fur wrap. I can't imagine ever buying fur new but I love this 50's wrap. It has straps to keep it on your shoulders and pockets on the inside for your lipstick or a compact.

Rounding things off, a vintage crystal necklace I scored on eBay a million years ago. The silly girl was selling her French grandmother's costume jewelry for pennies. I wish I had bought more.

Lastly, my new favorite red shoes. Red and yellow is a little ketchup-and-mustard, but I like it. And I needed the more sturdy heel, as the wedding was outside. All in all, I felt like I was a modern Mad Men girl.

dress: Banana Republic (find similar here)

necklace: vintage (find similar here)

wrap: vintage (find one on eBay or a faux version here)

shoes: Biviel (find similar here)

Adrien: Anomaly

My green Reed Shirtdress is a bit of an anomaly in my wardrobe. I don't generally go for full skirts, button-down styles, or really, anything this prim and girly, but the color was so fantastic I couldn't resist. I'm never quite sure if it's my style but I always get compliments when I wear it so for now it stays. I struggle a bit about what to wear with it - too far in one direction and you're Donna Reed, too far in the other and you're June Cash. I think I found a decent middle ground:

dress: Anthropologie (similar)
boots: Camper (similar)
cardigan: can't remember!
bag: MBMJ Hillier Hobo
reversible belt: Lauren by Ralph Lauren (similar)

Adrien: Hits and Misses.

So, I'd been eyeing this Gap cardigan for a while and finally bought it when a good coupon came along. I like everything about it: cotton, long and slouchy, grey/black color, animal print. What I don't really like is the way it looks on me. I think maybe it's just going to be a casual with-jeans option, because I can't really make it look good with anything else. See for yourself:

I don't hate it or anything, I'm just not sure it's doing much for me. You might say, Adrien, what if you buttoned it up and/or belted it? And I would say back, OMG THE HORROR. Because, it's...not good when buttoned. Very not good. Let us never speak of this again.

top: LOFT (similar)
skirt: Banana Republic (similar)
cardigan: Gap leopard print
shoes: Chie Mihara (similar)
bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs Hillier

Adrien: Bag Envy.

My love for bags is well documented here, I think, but my mania started a long time ago. My main love is still for Marc Jacobs, though I remember five or six years ago, before I owned a single nice bag, paging through Vogue and stopping dead on a page advertising a brick red Blake. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen in my life and I despaired because there was no way I'd ever be able to afford one.

Turns out, the trick is to wait five years and then find one dirt cheap on Bonanza. Boo ya.

There are a few bags I'm currently wanting real bad:








But yeah, I'm poor and not really in the market for another bag, so I just have to enjoy the ones I have: 

 

Not doing so bad, really. And this is the latest, an $8 coated canvas bag I got at the Gap sale last week:

 

 

Perfect for a rainy day.

Adrien: Wild Kingdom

So, here's what I learned this morning: When given the choice between photographing me or being distracted by the local fauna, guess which one my husband chose? (Great job, honey.)  Now, this dress I'm wearing is kind of...a lot. It's not subtle but I still love it:

Right after this, Stella busted in on my right:

And then the squirrel showed up and started approaching from my left:

This is me cracking up because it was all too ridiculous:

And this is what happened when I asked for a close-up (OF ME, HONEY):

Squirrel: 1. 
Me: 0.

dress: Nine West (similar)
boots: Camper (similar)
bag: Marc Jacobs (similar)
cardigan: Banana Republic

Adrien: Striped Addiction

I've worn my panic-purchased Gap striped boatneck top twice already and it's such a good thing. Y'all should all go buy one. I wore it yesterday with my navy cropped pants and only realized later in the day that I'd broken my own rule of not wearing cropped pants with 3/4 sleeves because it generally makes me look like all my clothes shrunk. Still, I think it's cute:

 

And then I threw on a jacket because I was freezing my ass off:

top: Gap Striped boatneck T
pants: Banana Republic (similar)
shoes: Chie Mihara (similar)
bag: Marc Jacobs (similar)
jacket: LOFT (similar)