Free People cardigan, BCBGMaxAzria top and pants, Marc Jacobs bootiesBCBGMaxAzria jacket and pants, Cinq a Sept top, Calvin Klein booties
My Marc Jacobs boots have gotten a lot of air play so far this year. I am crazy about them, especially the rust colored booties that at first I didn’t think would actually go with anything. Love them! Patent leather rocks.
Michelle DaRin jewelry bracelets, Talitha top, BCBGMaxAzria leggings, Marc Jacobs bootsAkemi + Kim for Anthropologie dress, Marc Jacobs bootiesTrina Turk dress, Marc Jacobs bootiesKobi Halperin top, BCBGMaxAzria leggings, Calvin Klein booties
The past two months really flew by at work. The annual peace poster contest is in full swing. The Lions Club will send three judges to select a winner from the eighteen entries on November 1, 2018 and my Studio in Art students have really nailed the theme. It is “Kindness Matters”. They are an amazing group of people. Kind, without a doubt and so, so talented. Cannot wait to share what they are doing. I gave them each a brand new tin of 72 colored pencils to use and they are taking such good care of them. So responsible! I just love them all.
Cinq a Sept dress, Marc Jacobs bootiesMax Mara top, Banana Republic pants, Marc Jacobs sandals
All of the Art-8 students have finished their clay projects. We are glazing them as well as working on finishing up some paintings. I double up on smocks during that activity but I still manage to keep DeWitt Cleaners in business. Most of my clothes are dry clean only because they are all pretty much silk and cashmere.
BCBGMaxAzria dress, Calvin Klein bootiesHonora necklace, BCBGMaxAzria wrap top, shell and pants, Calvin Klein booties
I don’t always take my #ootd pic. Sometimes I am in a re-run. I try to style myself so that I am not wearing the same shoes with a dress or the same pants with a top but sometimes I just feel like repeating a great outfit. I admit I have a lot of clothes. I just love fashion. There is always a new designer to discover or something new from the ones I already know. New – new – new. I love new. Getting dressed to go to work is just fun. It is easy – effortless. And anything that makes you feel this good is a good thing. <3
Rachel Zoe dress, Marc Jacobs bootiesFree People cardigan, BCBGMaxAzria top and pants, BCBGeneration bootiesFree People cardigan, Rachel Zoe dress, Marc Jacobs sandalsBCBGMaxAzria top and pants, Calvin Klein bootiesTalitha top, Hudson jeans, BCBGeneration bootiesFree People dress, BCBGMaxAzria leggings, Calvin Klein bootiesCinq a Sept dress, Marc Jacobs bootsRachel Zoe top, BCBGMaxAzria pants, Marc Jacobs boots
Banana Republic suit, Free People top, BCBGeneration sandalsChan Luu choker, Free People cardigan and top, BCBGMaxAzria leggings, BCBGeneration sandalsScrew cardigan, Free People top, BCBGMax Azria pants, Nine West booties
I’m finally getting back to blogging now that I’m in summer mode. I will post soon about more new encaustic paintings, once I get around to mounting them onto the chalk boards. I have a dozen new heart paintings and a dozen abstracted baseball ones that I am loving. They are currently residing on my kitchen table – and on the surrounding counter space. No current plans for exhibiting them as of yet.
BCBGMax Azria dress and pants, Banana Republic top, Coach bootiesFree People cardigan, Trina Turk top, BCBGMaxAzria leggings, Ugg bootsHonors necklace, BCBGeneration dress, Karl Lagerfeld boots
I still have artwork up at Kimberly’s Salon on James Street in Eastwood and at Syracuse Yoga down the street on Thompson Road. Not sure what is up next for me, but that makes the journey so special. I made the paintings for a purpose; just not sure what that purpose is as of yet, lol.
Free People top, BCBGMax Azria belt and leggings, BCBGeneration sandalsBanana Republic suit jacket, Syracuse yoga T-shirt, Inc pants, BCBGeneration bootiesHonora necklace, BCBGMaxAzria top and pants, BCBGeneration sandals
If I can get my friends to put up with doing the photography, I will try to post #ootd pics on Instagram during July and August. Although I am usually the one who takes our obligatory selfie when we are all out and about, I am not a fan of those selfie pics where the fashion blogger cuts off her own head or shoots a foreshortened image from above. By not a fan, I mean I really don’t want to do that. So…we’ll see.
Free People top, BCBGMaxAzria pants, BCBGMaxAzria sandalsFree People cardigan, BCBGMaxAzria romper, Nine West boots
Here are some outfits from the past few weeks. Kinda fell off the wagon with posting them here. We were having technical difficulties with the lighting in the classroom. I had to double edit the pics to adjust the brightness, so there are inconsistencies – I guess I will hold to that excuse. We take dozens of pics in a short time and I swear I am always changing out the pose, but for some reason I like this crossed legged thing-a-ma-bob that I have been doing a lot. It feels like the most natural and most comfortable position for me especially when I am wearing a dress or skirt. My go-to vogue. My work colleague Brad calls it my stance.
BCBGMaxAzria dress, Nine West sandalsHailstone Heritage dress, BCBGMaxAzria sandals
My new favorite things – Halston Heritage and everything by Rachel Zoe! OMG, I love her! I now own five pieces – two dresses and three tops. I am on her site literally every day. I want more!
Rachel Zoe dress, BCBGeneration sandals and clutch
I’ve discovered something called the Amazon wish list. It is a public list of things I desire. All I have to do is dream while on-line shopping and perhaps these things will actually materialize in my mailbox on the condition that fairy godmothers/Santa Claus/tooth fairy/Easter bunny/patron saints of fashion do exist. That is wishful thinking at its finest. How cool is this?
Banana Republic top and skirt, BCBGMaxAzria sandalsFree People top, Bailey 44 skirt, BCBGeneration sandalsFree People cardigan, Rachel Roy top, BCBGMaxAzria skirt, Ugg bootsFree People dress, BCBGMaxAzria pants and sandals
Banana Republic cardigan, Free People top, BCBGMaxAzria leggings, BCBGeneration sandalsBanana Republic cardigan, BCBGMaxAzria top, Trina Turk pants, BCBGeneration sandals
If you search Instagram for the hashtag #fashionintherealworld, you will find all of my posts. I invented it and #fashioninrealtime, and #fashioninreallife. I just checked them; I think there are only two or three posts on them from random fashionistas. The rest is all me.
Coach hat and jacket, Bailey 44 top, BCBGMaxAzria leggings, Karl Lagerfeld Paris bootsFree People cardigan and top, Calvin Klein jeans, Karl Lagerfeld Paris bootsFree People cardigan, BCBGMaxAzria top, Banana Republic skirt, Ralph Lauren boots
Here are my outfits of the day from the last two weeks. The landscape of my background keeps changing as I shift student work around the room. All of my clay projects are complete. The last batch went into the kiln today. The 5th graders are currently working on a three-dimensional wood sculpture, my Studio in Art students are learning watercolor techniques and the rest of the 8th graders are immersed in the various SLO test projects: Statue of Liberty paintings, “under the sea” landscapes with fish (mixed-media lesson), Japanese fan project (also mixed-media) and abstract paintings with realistic horses thrown in. So four additional different lessons for the six classes.
Banana Republic suit and leather shell, BCBGeneration sandalsFree People cardigan, BCBGeneration dress, Nine West booties
There is a lot going on, which will culminate in the School Fair set for May 12, 2017. I will have my hands full preparing for that exhibition and hopefully even with the upcoming state math tests looming, we will get everything accomplished.
Jcrew cardigan, BCBGMaxAzria dress, Nine West boots
But first – Spring Break!!! I will be working on the business of making art as soon as tomorrow. Can’t wait. Watching students make art is clearly a fun job, but nothing beats the guilty pleasure of creating my own artwork – even though it is super messy and therefore cannot be done in designer clothes. So…I will be sacrificing fashion for my art. I did buy a new dress for Easter though. It is Halston Heritage. <3 OMG, I love it!
Michelle DaRin Jewelry ring, Banana Republic top and Free People top, BCBGMaxAzria pants, Guess sandals
Banana Republic cardigan, Trina Turk dress, BCBGMaxAzria belt, Karl Lagerfeld Paris bootsBerkleyCashmere cardigan, Free People dress, BCBGMaxAzria leggings, Nine West bootiesFree People Cardigan, BCBGMaxAzria top and leggings, Karl Lagerfeld Paris boots
Here are the #ootd Instagram pics that I hadn’t posted (have I?). Oh well, I can’t remember. I haven’t done a fashion blog post in a while. It seems that I may be running out of new combinations and so, we are talking a lot of re-runs.
Free People Cardigan, Bailey 44 top, BCBGMaxAzria leggings, EnzoAnglioni bootsBanana Republic sweater, Trina Turk skirt, Hue tights, Nine West booties
I just received all the March issues of all my fashion magazine subscriptions. They are so thick with the Spring collections! Makes me desire new stuff. I am loving what Marc Jacobs is doing. Just saw the fashion show on-line. It was cute mini dresses with oversized jackets and mid-calf boots (and funny bowler hats). Loved the proportions. I feel the urge to on-line shop…. Someone should really try to stop me.
Free People cardigan and top, BCBGMaxAzria pants, BCBGeneration sandalsFree People cardigan, BCBGMaxAzria dress, Karl Lagerfeld bootsJCrew cardigan, Free People top with BCBGMaxAzria tank underneath, BCBGMaxAzria pants, Nine West bootiesBanana Republic sweater and skirt, Hue tights, Nine West bootiesFree People dress with Victoria’s Secret tube top underneath, Karl Lagerfeld Paris bootsFree People cardigan, BCBGMaxAzria dress, belt and leggings, Karl Lagerfeld Paris bootsMichelle DaRin jewelry bracelets, BCBGMaxAzria dress and leggings, Ralph Lauren bootsBanana Republic cardigan, Bailey 44 top, BCBGMaxAzria pants, Nine West bootiesFree People cardigan and dress, Karl Lagerfeld Paris bootsMichelle DaRin jewelry choker, Banana Republic cardigan, Trina Turk dress, Nine West booties
Banana Republic cardigan and pants, BCBG Generations top, Coach booties
I started each of the last two school weeks in all black. Black Monday is definitely a thing. I actually wore the same top both times – this BCBG Max Azria cotton top is sensational. I have it in white too and also in white in a crew neck. The quality of this brand is over the top fabulous. I either buy it at www.bcbg.com or Lord & Taylor. Oh, and sometimes at Bloomingdales.
BCBG Max Azria top and pants, BCBG Generation sandals
I had these pants hemmed because they were 1 1/4″ too long. Am totally in love with the little slits at the bottom – they are definitely my new favorite thing. Also love that I’m in a size 0!
So anyhow, I am starting to re-run outfits but am still working on changing it up. For one thing, I got a haircut. It will grow back in about a minute; it grows so fast. But this will be fun and different for a while.
Free People cardigan, Trina Turk top and pants, BCBG Generations bootiesTrina Turk top and pants, BCBG Generations booties
I love the above outfit. The top and pants are both Trina Turk. The top is a silk/spandex blend. The color is that rich oxblood it-color from last season that is still very big. I bought my first Trina Turk top in 1999. It’s the one I’m wearing in my profile picture – also a silk/spandex blend and probably my favorite thing in my closet. It’s older than my students but has transcended time in a way that very few fashions can. Surplice front, bishop sleeves and of course, black.
Banana Republic cardigan, BCBG Max Azria top, BCBG Generations sandalsBCBG Max Azria top, INC pants, BCBG Generations sandals
Here is that same BCBG Max Azria top I mentioned – in white but in the crew neck. Found it at the BCBG outlet store in the mall – marked down and 30% off (final sale). Such a great deal!
BCBG Max Azria dress, Steve Madden boots
This dress currently has over fifty likes on Instagram. My most liked posting. The first time I wore it, it was like a ninety degree sauna in school, so I had on sandals and had my hair in a giant bun. But this day, last Thursday, it was much cooler. I was subbing for the teachers who left with students on a field trip and I spent a chunk of the day in an air-conditioned computer lab. I love this dress so much that I got it in white too. Think I’ll wear it tomorrow – students are just about done painting so it might be okay if I’m careful and wear my smock. When I look at this photograph, I miss my hair because most of what is ombre ended up on the salon floor (sad face). But it will grow back.
Bailey 44 top, 7 For All Mankind jeans, BCBG Generations sandals
These Seven For All Mankind jeans are like something out of a dream. I think I spent an hour trying on jeans and these were the last pair. They fit like the ones in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Crazy. Had to have them. And size 25! Yes!
Marc Jacobs sunglasses, Bailey 44 top, Trina Turk shorts, Minnetonka boots
We had a BBQ for my birthday, so I pulled out the boots I bought for my Native American costume (needed them when I taught at Lake Street Elementary – they had a Thanksgiving feast every year where the kids all dressed as Pilgrims and Indians). Love them but would love them even more if they had a heel, which goes without saying. I have this Bailey 44 top in three colors – black, gray and this scarlet red. The shorts zip in back for a really smooth line. They are Trina Turk.
BCBG Max Azria sweater and pants, BCBG Generation sandals
This cotton/silk BCBG Max Azria sweater is reversible. I wore it the other way a couple of weeks ago. I love it both ways! It’s like two for the price of one.
BCBG Max Azria sweater, Trina Turk leather skirt, Etienne Aigner bootsTrina Turk dress, BCBG Generation sandals
Finally, another Trina Turk dress. The size 2 dimensions are my measurements. It’s like buying couture. This dress looks so much like a flat pattern sloper. The difference is that the fabric is this jersey stretch double-knit and not a muslin draft. It was available in black but I waited too long to get it and missed out on it.
So Trina, oh great goddess of my fashion world, if you are listening and there’s one in your secret dress lair that you’d like to gift me? Then I accept. You are my favorite. <3
The weather is all flim-flam again. Hot last week, cold today, rainy tomorrow. It’s really all over the place. So for the last two weeks, it’s been dresses and sandals or pants and sweaters, or something in between.
Banana Republic cashmere sweater and skirt, Steve Madden boots
There are four weeks of school left! Can’t believe how fast it all went. (Go bears!) I have some art shows planned for the summer – more about that later!
Trina Turk dress, BCBG Generation sandals
I live in exercise clothes and paint smocks in the summer, so I don’t foresee posting outfit-of-the-days (#ootd) between June 24th and Labor Day-ish. But I can’t rule it out. I was thinking about going back to the say yes policy I practiced last summer. I already said no to a bunch of things this week – I’m still working on it.
Banana Republic dress, BCBG Generation sandals
I love this Banana Republic olive ponte knit dress. It was the last one on bananarepublic.com – on sale with an additional 40% off. I never get breaks like that. In a dream world, this fashion blogging would lead to free clothes from my favorite designers. And if you are listening, I’m a 0 in Banana Republic, a 2 in Trina Turk and a small or XS depending on style and a 0 in BCBG Max Azria. 7 1/2 in a sandal, 8 in boots.
Trina Turk dress, Mia shoes
I know it’s kind of a fantasy – too bad I wasn’t born in the ’90s, because these girls seem to be living the dream.
My sister suggested I change out my poses and another person thought my classroom was messy. But those are my favorite things about my photographs (I am the only person on Instagram currently using the hashtags #fashionintherealworld and #fashioninrealtime). That and my shoes. If I had a dollar for every time I heard how-do-you-walk-in-those-heels?, I would have that six figure salary!
Edme & Esyllte top, Champion pants, Coach booties
I wore this outfit the day I taught gym classes in addition to art in order to help out with the dance lessons – swing, bunny hop and hokey pokey for the WWII event. I wore Champion fitness gear under that yellow tunic top. Got very sweaty that day jumping around for the equivalent of four hours. I don’t know what I was thinking. It was totally exhausting!
I feel most comfortable in black. I usually wear it every day of the first week of school because I am in mourning for my summer vacation, lol, and then I’m partial to black Monday throughout the school year. I think I have at least eight different pairs of black pants – and a new pair at the alterations place getting hemmed as we speak. But whatevs, you can never have enough.
Banana Republic cardigan and pants, BCBG Max Azria top, Coach booties
Purple though – almost nothing. We do a purple Thursday at work. I just can’t do it. It’s so Donny Osmond’s socks circa the ’70s. I can technically wear that Trina Turk pink dress. It’s actually the it color of last season – wild orchid. Or I can do what some of the bloggers do – initiate a pink Wednesday. That’s from Mean Girls or Clueless or some such ’90s chick flick. I’m sure those big buck fashion bloggers would know. 🙂 😉