Pushing the Boundaries

What I Wore: May 7

J. Crew loafers, Marc Jacobs Turnlock Teri
pants, AG (via Kijiji); shirt, Old Navy; trench, Gap; shoes, J. Crew (via consignment); bag, MbMJ (via eBay)

Having No Good, Very Bad Days seems to be turning into a habit of mine these days; as you might imagine, I am not thrilled about this. One of the side-effects of toting around my own personal black cloud is that I am. Never. Happy with whatever outfit I manage to cobble together. And that makes writing this blog tricky, because “grumble, grumble, grumble” surely has a limited appeal. You’ve heard one grumble, you’ve heard them all.

Anywhoodle, the title. It’s about the shoes. I know, it’s just a pair of loafers we’re talking about, but these are style-boundary-pushing shoes for me, you guys. I don’t really do menswear-inspired anything, least of all shoes. I’m not sure this was the best shoe choice for this particular outfit (seeing as it adds a third, unnecessary shade of mismatched tan/camel to the outfit), but I’d like to think I still get a gold star for effort. Half a gold star? OK, fine, I’ll settle for a cookie.

Here’s a closer look at the shoes:

J. Crew loafers

They were a pretty good consignment score from last summer, or possibly early fall; that whole period is pretty much a blur of late-pregnancy hormones and post-delivery sleep deprivation slash exhaustion. All things considered, buying them was not the worst decision I could have made at that point. Judging by the soles, they were new, and they set me back a whole $46; I don’t veer into uncharted style territory unless the ride is cheap, cheap, cheap.

Speaking of things that were trendy 3 years ago, here’s my “arm party”:

bracelet stackObnoxious or cute?

 

The Ancient Trench

What I Wore: End of April

Rebecca Minkoff MAC Cerulean
Pants, NYDJ (via consignment); top, Gap Factory; trench, Gap; shoes, Old Navy; necklace, J. Crew Factory

I need a new trench. Did I mention that before? I feel like I have complained about my trench situation a lot lately, but I’m not sure if it was to you guys, my husband, or myself. Anyway, I need a new trench. This one is 6 or 7 years old, and wasn’t phenomenal quality to begin with. I would love to have a classic Burberry trench (who wouldn’t), but that’s not in the cards for the foreseeable future, and I’m not really motivated to look for an affordable alternative. Maybe if I daydream long enough (and complain long enough), the universe will send me a Burberry trench via my local consignment store. Well, a girl can dream.

Rebecca Minkoff MAC Cerulean
Rebecca Minkoff MAC bag

I love the “cerulean” blue of my Minkoff MAC, and I wish the leather was a little sturdier and less prone to water-damage – I’d wear the heck out of it. It’s a perfect mom-on-the-go size, and the cross-body strap is awfully handy. (Obviously, I don’t subscribe to the diaper-bag-as-handbag philosophy. I’d rather tote extra baggage than have to dig through diapers and related ephemera when I’m looking for my phone. Purely personal preference, though.) But I don’t have the time or the inclination to baby my bags right now, so this beauty will probably not get to see the light of day nearly as much as it should. Le sigh.

Diamonds Are Forever

What I Wore: Family Visit

grey jeans, diamond print t-shirt, Rebecca Minkoff Cerulean MAC
Jeans, Kenneth Cole Reaction; t-shirt, Vero Moda; shoes, G by Guess; bag, Rebecca Minkoff (via Kijiji)

I pondered the white jeans dilemma for weeks, and came nowhere near an answer. The dilemma is this: I want to wear white jeans this summer; I really really should not attempt to wear white jeans, this summer or ever. I have 2 kids under 3, which means that (a) my clothes are never 100% clean, and act as beacons to all manner of stains and questionable substances, and (b) my hips have been through a lot recently, and deserve a kinder fate than being encased in white denim.

And yet.

I really want to wear white jeans this summer.

So a light grey pair will have to do. Compromises.

It was warm – positively summer-like – for about 5 minutes a few weeks ago, so I had to bust out this outfit. While the jeans were a somewhat thought-out purchase, the top … is another story. I mean, it had to have been a moment of hysterical blindness or something because – hello, early-2000s eye-searing pattern. Did I mention it’s sheer-ish? On the bright side (and bright it is), it’s the perfect weight for a hot day and has a cool hi-low thing happening. See:

Guess silver d'orsay flats
All of the trends

Also, it was $13 at Winners, so hey – it could be worse, you know.

Action shot!

Rebecca Minkoff Cerulean MAC
Do not stare directly at my shirt, and if you do, please sign this waiver first