The Pencil Skirt

Top & jacket, Anthropologie; skirt, J. Crew; shoes, Oscar; bag, MbMJ
Top & jacket, Anthropologie; skirt, J. Crew; shoes, Oscar; bag, MbMJ

I wore the pants version of this outfit at the beginning of the month, so I thought this would be a nice bookend. I don’t normally wear wool pieces in the summertime (especially a hot summer like this one), but the hearing room where I spent the better part of July was glacial, which made this combo perfectly temperature-appropriate.

Mustard yellow is such a happy colour, isn’t it? I was so taken with the yellow-on-yellow happening here that I didn’t realize until much later that I accidentally dressed like a bumblebee. Considering how insanely busy the last 4 weeks have been, perhaps that’s rather apt. Bzzz, bzzz!

bumblebee chic?
bumblebee chic?
sunny side
sunny side

Shades of Grey

Dress, Pink Tartan; blazer, DKNY; shoes, Jimmy Choo; bag, Marc Jacobs
Dress, Pink Tartan; blazer, DKNY; shoes, Jimmy Choo; bag, Marc Jacobs

For the record, this post is named after the eponymous Jasper Fforde book and not … the other one. Obviously, it’s also inspired by everything going on in this outfit, which is a lot of grey. Colorblocking, minimalist style. Here’s a better look at the dress.

sans blazer
sans blazer

Mah accessories:

shades of green
shades of green
toddler necklace
toddler necklace

I don’t often wear bright green, but I do love a pop here and there. I don’t think it looks as sharp as red paired with black, but it’s more unexpected. This Kelly green Marc Jacobs bag is an eBay find from last year, and the colour is so wonderfully vibrant even though it’s probably close to a decade old. It’s lined with celery green suede, which is such a lovely touch. Nothing beats old school MJ.

non-boring grey
non-boring grey
one more for the road
one more for the road

Blue Fancy

Dress, Prada (thrifted); shoes, Marc Jacobs (thrifted); bag, Rebecca Minkoff
Dress, Prada (thrifted); shoes, Marc Jacobs (thrifted); bag, Rebecca Minkoff

I don’t get to go to a lot of weddings anymore — I seem to average one a year in the last 3 or 4 — so it’s extra fun getting dressed for one. I have a lot of “fancy” dresses, and not many occasions to wear them, which makes for a somewhat challenging selection process. This time around, the winner was my blue Prada silk wrap dress. Since the dress code was fairly relaxed, I kept things pretty simple, with just a hint of sparkle.

blue + silver
blue + silver

The wedding itself was a beautiful family affair, and my husband and I felt privileged to witness it. The bride’s children (from a former marriage) were very much part of the wedding party, and watching the way they all came together and celebrated their new family was amazing. I’ve never really understood the point of vow renewals before, but this experience made me seriously consider it; obviously, my kids will never get to witness their parents’ wedding, but it might be nice to have a celebration not only of our marriage but of our family, at some point in the future when they’re older.

that's a wrap
that’s a wrap