air conditioning woes

What is it with air conditioning units breaking down all around me? First it was at my office, and now, it's in my home. That's right - the A/C unit at my house decided last night that it had cooled us for long enough and that it was high time for it to go bust. So now my room is a balmy 83 degrees. I know this because I have a thermometer in here, and it clearly reads "8-3." 83 degrees. INDOORS. #$^$%#$!!!!

Moving on to the OOTD:

Simply Vera cardigan, Kohls
Xhilaration tiered cami, Target
Joe's Jeans
Lela Rose wedge heels, Payless
American Apparel bow tie + vintage pearls + random chains

I've always wanted a bow tie. (I have a thing for men's accessories, can you tell?) But I'm not exactly sure walking around sporting a straight-up bow tie is going to look, you know, sane, so I opted to turn this one into a necklace of sorts. Arts and crafts, anyone?

Halloween weekend is upon us! I hope you all have plenty of fun and candy (and candy-filled fun!), and have a great weekend!

ties are not just for monkey suits

I am so ready for Friday. Me and the BF are going up to Dallas to visit one of my close friends for Halloween weekend. We're dressing up as characters from Mario Bros., with me as Mario (mustache included!), the BF as Luigi, and my friend as Princess Peach. It's going to be AWESOME. That's right: AWESOME in all CAPS.

And now, the OOTD:

J.Crew button-down shirt
J.Crew Ruffled Celosia cardigan
J.Crew double-serge pencil skirt
Target Xhilaration white tights + black tights
BCBG Allie flats
J.Crew classic leather belt
J.Crew knit tie

The whole reason why I even wore this outfit today was because I really wanted to wear this tie. I found it last Sunday in the men's sale section for $14.99. $14.99! That's a steal!

fish tacos = bad idea.

Oooooh boy, let me tell you darling readers first and foremost that I normally have a stomach of steel. I grew up on a healthy diet of Captain Crunch, Dunkaroos, and Pop Tarts. Oh, my parents tried to take those away from me, but I had my ways of sneaking them back in. I was kind of like that kid with The Stash in the movie Heavy Weights. Except I never shared, bwahaha! Come to think of it, it's amazing that I'm not glowing in the dark right now as a result of all those sugary preservatives I ingested for a good decade of my life.

Anyway, I digress - the point is that these days, I can eat just about anything. So how surprised was I that after having some tasty Tex-Mex style fish tacos for lunch, my stomach started protesting? Hint: very surprised. Ugh.

GAP citron tee
GAP schoolboy blazer
J.Crew hipslung jeans
J.Crew Joley flats
H&M scarf
Lucky Brand bracelet
Handmade 'Steggy' necklace + Lucky Brand locket + random chains

New topic: it has come to my attention from the lovely Pippa that one of my photos is being used by a seller on eBay to shill the Leifsdottir Honeyed Peplum skirt. That seller is not me. And I am both simultaneously amused that my photo is being used, and also kind of creeped out. Does anyone know what I'm supposed to do in this situation? Do I contact eBay? The seller? Any advice would be much appreciated!

Also, keep telling me what you'll dress up as for Halloween if you haven't already! I'm having so much fun reading them!

tired of the rain, ENOUGH ALREADY

Nature, are you listening? Enough with the rain already. I am tired of my normally already-way-too-long one hour commute in the mornings turning into an obnoxious hour-and-a-half commute because drivers evidently can't handle a bit of precipitation in this city.

Leifsdottir mystery dress, thrifted
J.Crew ringspun cardigan
Hue navy tights + Modcloth Satine tights
BCBG Allie flats

And introducing the Kooba Jacinda bag. Welcome to my closet, my dear!


And of course, for those interested in the bag to human ratio:


In other exciting news, I've officially reached 50 followers! W-O-W. And, as I promised before, that means I'm doing a giveaway! Unfortunately, I've been unusually swamped these past couple of days (and I mean unusually, because I usually have no life), so I haven't been giving a giveaway prize much thought, but by next week, there should be something wonderful for you all to win! What will it be? For now, I have to focus on getting through this week and Halloween...

Speaking of which, I'm curious: are any of you dressing up? If so, as what? I love Halloween for the costumes, so pray tell!

floaty floaty!

I'm thinking that Friday afternoon updates are just not going to happen anymore. I get waaay too excited about the weekend, ha! I'm going to catch up on all your lovely blogs tomorrow and comment back. I've missed you all!

F21 dress
J.Crew Ruffled Celosia cardigan (I found out the name!)
Urban Outfitters belt
Lucky Brand locket + handmade 'Steggy' necklace
Hue tights
H&M scarf
Frye Midstrap boots
J.Crew Ruffle Front coat

the j.crew lexi satchel

Sorry for the delay - camera malfunctions and then life in general got in the way of my promised "review" of the J.Crew Lexi Satchel I ordered during the "Private 20% off" event some days ago. So, without further ado, I give you the Lexi Satchel:


It's a pretty bag to be sure, and the "shadow" color I got it in is a nice deep gray. I can see it pairing well with nearly anything. The leather felt nice, and I didn't see any imperfections, but then again, I'm not a handbag expert by any means.

The front flap is held in place with hidden magnets. The straps are there just for show:


It has a pretty slouchy shape, which I didn't like too much because I liked it better in that stiff rectangular form. You can see the slouchiness from the back view:


It had a super roomy interior with a main zip pocket and some compartments for cell phonesm chapstick, etc:


And my favorite part of the bag? It's gotta be the tassels:


You can see the size ratio between bag and human (haha) here:


As lovely as this bag was, though, I ended up returning it today because my Kooba Jacinda arrived and was the crowd favorite. I even took votes because I can't be trusted to make up my mind on my own!

holey tights, batman!

My Kooba Jacinda purse came in today, YAY! It is LOVELY, readers. I planned to do a quick little "review" of the Jacinda and J.Crew's Lexi Satchel today, but my camera had other plans. I came home this afternoon to find that it refused to do anything but record videos, no matter how many times I switched modes / turned it on and off / replaced out the battery / screamed obscenities at it. Here's hoping tomorrow will be luckier!

Burlap Bold Boutonniere dress from Anthropologie
rugby-stripe cardigan from friend
Mossimo ribbed tights from Target
BCBG Allie flats
F21 elephant ring + Kohls turquoise ring

The explanation of this post's title: my tights ripped at work today. I think I snagged them on something and rrrrriiiiiiipppppp! Luckily, I was able to hide the offending tear under the skirt of the dress for the rest of the day. Yikes!

there ain't no rest for the wicked

I have the song "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" by Cage the Elephant stuck in my head. And since I only know the words to approximately four lines of the song, those four lines keep looping over and over again in my mental jukebox.

I didn't actually wear this outfit to work (my workplace is casual, but I don't think it's get away with wearing shorts casual, if you know what I mean), but on a date with the BF. That's right, readers, this ol' girl over here has officially left Singlesville after a 5 year residency. It was all quite unexpected, too. In short, one of my best friends is now also my boyfriend. He's all kinds of wonderful and all that mushy stuff, but I'll spare you that oodly doodly talk ('oodly doodly?' what?) and just give you the outfit of the evening:

Cotton On cami
GAP button-front cami
J.Crew ringspun cardigan
Cotton On shorts
Urban Outfitters floral lace tights + Target Mossimo tights
Soda suede flower flats from GoJane
Lucky Brand locket

These flats are super comfortable, though I'm thinking about ripping off the suede flowers (they're just glued on) and replacing them with huge red felted hearts. Handbag reviews tomorrow! (Kooba Jacinda vs. J.Crew Lexi satchel)

mute

I finally busted out a wonderful Modcloth dress I got weeks ago. I don't know why I didn't wear it sooner - it's incredibly soft, drapey, and comfortable. And unfortunately, also sold out. Out of the 10 garments I've ever ordered from Modcloth, this dress was the only one I've ever kept. I find that the sizing there is a bit strange, and most of the other dresses and coats I got were either too big or too small. This one, however, was juuuust right.

sweet plunge back (ignore the plastic hanger straps I neglected to snip off) (and the bra)

Modcloth Sappho dress
J.Crew ringspun cardigan
Hue gray tights + Urban Outfitters floral lace tights
Lela Rose suede booties
Urban Outfitters skinny belt
Target ring
Lucky Brand locket
Handmade 'Steggy' necklace

My J.Crew Lexi satchel arrived yesterday, and it's quite beautiful. The color! The tassels!

However, a wonderful anonymous commenter found my much-desired Kooba Jacinda bag on sale on the Kooba website of all places! I don't even know why I didn't bother to look there, but THANK YOU! to the anonymous reader who found it for me! I placed an order immediately, and the bag should be here Thursday. Now, I really don't need two new handbags, so I'm going to compare the two and decide then which one I'll keep. I'll do a post about the Lexi satchel then. I know you guys are stoked.

You're not? Oh well.

it's 2 a.m. why am I awake?!

It's finally the weekend, and it seems that I'm staying up until the wee hours of the morning to celebrate! I enjoyed a great sushi dinner with an old friend and then a long phone conversation about absolutely nothing when I got home. Now I'm posting today's outfit at 2 in the morning, so please forgive me if this post is somewhat less than coherent.

Theory button-up shirt
American Eagle cardigan
F21 skirt
J.Crew classic leather belt
J.Crew Joley flats

I'd like to thank all my wonderful followers and visitors! You all make this blog so much fun, and I'm super excited about doing my first giveaway once I reach the landmark of 50 followers or 50 posts, whichever comes sooner! I've seen many of my favorite blogs (see my blogroll on the side!) do these, and I think they're a great way to show my appreciation to all you lovely readers out there. Now, I must brainstorm about what to give away...

Have a great weekend!

the lexi satchel

Oh man. I've woken up super late two days in a row now, meaning that I didn't have time to snap any outfits of the day for yesterday or today. Apologies! I did end up showing up early to the office both days, though. I don't even know how that works.

On another note, being the spend-happy person that I am who cannot resist a good sale, I got this lovely thing during J.Crew's 20% off promotion:

Lexi Satchel from J.Crew

I couldn't help myself, especially when I was hurting for a bigger bag and my coveted Kooba Jacinda is nowhere to be found. And this one just has some precious details! The tassels! The messenger-style capability! The lush dark grey color! Love, love, love. It's scheduled to arrive on my doorstep next Monday, and I hope it does not disappoint in person. Come on, J.Crew, don't fail me now!

now in tricolor

[UPDATE] I know I have yet to comment back, and have been lacking in visiting my lovelies on my blogroll, but it WILL HAPPEN SOON! I have not forgotten you all! Okay, now, back to work... [/UPDATE]

It's Tuesday, guys! Which means that tomorrow is Wednesday, which is already halfway through the week, which in turn means that Thursday is coming soon, followed by FRIDAY!

This is the kind of thinking that gets me through every work week. It's not that I don't like my job (I love it!), it's just that I'd much prefer sleeping in during the wee hours of the morning rather than spend it sitting in traffic, raging behind the wheel of my Mazda. And work days = early morning raging, while weekends = staying out late and sleeping in.

I like to sleep. Can you tell? I'd even go so far as to say that it's a hobby of mine.

Heritage 1981 ruffle blouse
J.Crew ringspun cardigan
Leifsdottir Honeyed Peplum skirt from Anthro
J.Crew Joley flats
Urban Outfitters belt
Kooba Jaylin bag

I decided to pose with my go-to bag today. This is my trusty Kooba Jaylin purse, and I take this lovely little tote EVERYWHERE. It's quite roomy for something so tiny, and the long strap hanging down is handy for instant messenger-style carrying when I feel to lazy to lug it around on my arm. Yes. I get that lazy.

Kooba Jacinda

I'm hoping to own this one someday. It's the shoulder bag version of my precious Jaylin, and you better believe that it'd be my staple black bag if I can ever get it in my hot little hands!

stiiiiiiir-ripes!

I have to admit that I love stripes. Which is a bit strange, seeing as how I don't own too many striped things. Hmmm. I'll need to work on this.

Cotton On cami
GAP striped shirt
J.Crew "bouquet" cardigan
Earnest Sewn skinnies
Steve Madden Pasion flats
Target Xhilaration watch
Lucky Brand earrings

I used to work at a bakery while I was still in college, and one afternoon a customer came in with her brown hair swept back to reveal these peace sign pretties. I asked her where she got her earrings from, she told me, and I promptly went to get a pair for myself that weekend. I'm pretty sure I wore them tucked beneath my sloppy french braid and uniform-required baseball cap too. Who says you can't sport fabulous earrings while donning an apron and portioning pie dough?

On another note, is it just me, or do my ears look kind of pointy in this picture? Like I'm the lovechild of a Vulcan and a human or something? I mean, Captain Kirk did try to convince someone once that Spock was actually Chinese, so... Alright - I've revealed enough of my inner nerd for one post.

weekends can be fun

And the theater dress is... the Monochromatic Corset Dress from Anthropologie! The other two dresses I had picked were sold out/looked weird, so this one went home with me! It fit like a glove and was so fun and flirty! I owe my inspiration of pairing this little frock with red tights to the lovely goldenmeans, who has posted about the dress ages ago and mentioned how stunning it would look with crimson-hued tights. And how right she was!

The only issue I had was that by the end of the night, the plastic boning started poking out through the top of the dress. It wasn't visible or anything except to me, but it made for some pokey-scratchy uncomfortable-ness. I'm thinking of sanding down the exposed part so that I won't have to worry about it in the future. Anyone else who has this dress encounter this problem?

dress:

Anthropologie Monochromatic corset dress

etc:

American Apparel tights in red

Steve Madden pumps / BCBG Allie flats

F21 bangle

Banana Republic trench coat

I decided at the last minute to change into flats because I thought it fit the "cutesy" vibe of the dress more. That and I was running late, so I knew I'd be doing a bit of sprinting, which is something I have yet to master in heels.

please stay, cold front

It dipped down to the 60s today. The 60s! Could cooler weather finally be on the way? My friend said, "You don't want it to get cold because it's too hot right now - you just want it to get cold so you can accessorize!" He knows me too well. I have a soft spot for long coats, knitted scarves, and colorful tights, so I want it to be cooler now now NOW!

top:
J.Crew perfect fit shirt
bottom:
Hudson jeans
etc:
Star Ling boots
F21 necklace
J.Crew ruffle front coat

I scraped all the mud off my ACL boots, and as you can see, they didn't escape unharmed. One boot is clearly darker than the other due to some water staining, but eh. I like to think that it gives them more character, hahaha... Sweet denial!

I love the J.Crew ruffle front coat, and only wish that it came in petite sizes because the sleeves are a bit too long. Other than that, it's perfection!

call me!

Modcloth Strangers on a Train dress

Dear Dress,

I hope you don't find this too forward, but I think I have a pretty big crush on you. Maybe you and I can get together some time and talk about how completely hot you'd look paired with the awesome red tights I just got. What say you?

Sincerely,
Amy Kelinda

PS. Your friend can come too:

Ruche Amelie Ivory Roses Striped dress

early dismissal

The air conditioning at my office has been nonfunctional for the past week and a half. In a city that's still sweltering in the high 80s, that's kind of a big deal. The maintenance guys has been "working" on fixing the A/C unit for days now, and no progress. None whatsoever. Every time that guy is in the closet where the unit is, all we can hear is hammering, drilling, and all sorts of other sounds that indicate he is hard at work to bring us some relief, despite the evidence that whatever he's doing is not working.

(I have a sneaking suspicion that he's really in there napping, and all those sounds we hear are just playing out of his boom box.)

Today, my cell phone screen fogged over when I walked into our office. FOGGED OVER. And I'm INDOORS. This was clearly too much, so after about an hour, my boss decided that we all should go work from home for the day. HECK YEAH. (for the record, I did get a large amount of work done at home)

top:
F21 shirt
bottom:
Joe's Jeans denim
etc:
Target Mossimo sandals
F21 necklace
Modcloth Camelot ring

This ring from Modcloth is absolutely funky and adorable! The "ring" part is made out of painted wood, and the castle bit is hard plastic. My only complaint is that the castle is a bit pointy, and if you're as uncoordinated as me, worrying about accidentally gouging out an eye on one of those turrets is not totally irrational.