stern school teacher

Thanks for all the sweet notes yesterday! Boyfriend is doing much better now, aside from the usual "post-illness fatigue." I'm sure he'll be back to 100% after this weekend.

And before I jump into the OOTD, welcome my new sponsor, NOVICA! We've put together an awesome giveaway for you lovely readers, the details of which will be revealed tonight. Ooooh, the anticipation!

Now the OOTD:

blouse, marc by marc jacobs
cardigan, j.crew [x]
skirt, f21 [x]
tights, merona
heels, steve madden
belt, f21
ring, f21
bangle, kate spade

It seems like winter's finally here, but I don't know if I believe that it'll actually stick around this time. Houston's weather is notorious for playing with my emotions, that rapscallion.

Anyhoodle, this whole outfit is kind of very "school marm," is it not? I didn't realize it until waaay later in the day. I should have smacked someone with a ruler to really sell the look, but maybe it's better I didn't. I kind of like my car un-keyed.

The skirt is a surprise F21 find. I just love a full skirt, though most of them are way too long for my 5'2" frame. This one is no exception, though I think I might have helped myself out by wearing heels. For those of you who are interested, I suggest sticking with your usual F21 skirt size. I'm wearing one size too big here (since that's all they had in the store), which fits fine, but is a little too voluminous for my taste. It's also pretty heavy, which is awesome for cooler weather.

Have a good weekend! And remember, giveaway details tonight!

the story of a blouse

I woke up feeling 17 shades of horrible yesterday. Sigh. It figures that I'd catch a headache-body ache-congestion-filled Monster Cold in the summer. It was nothing three extra hours of sleep couldn't cure, though! Except now I have a "catch up work" induced headache. BLEH!

bib blouse, marc by marc jacobs

jenna's cardigan, j.crew [x]

pleated pencil skirt, anthropologie

snakeskin elly wedge flats, cole haan

studded skinny belt, j.crew [x-ish]

flower brooch, macys

duchess stone cocktail ring, j.crew [x-ish]

I impulsively bought this Marc by Marc Jacobs blouse maybe 5 years ago when my dad gave me a gift card to Saks Fifth Avenue as a graduation gift. I remember wandering into Saks for the very first time and marveling at the neat racks of folded denim, strangely posed mannequins, and racks of ethereal dresses and blouses. I had never been in Saks prior to that point -- the gleaming white decor and sharply dressed sales people with their over-rouged cheeks and heavily lined eyes always intimidated me. But armed with a gift card, I felt more than deserving to occupy the same space as Oscar de la Renta gowns and Carolina Herrara frocks.

That is, until I realized how much those things cost and promptly skiddatled to the lower level of the store before my rapid exhalations could cause humidity damage to the fabrics.

But I digress -- the point is, I discovered a whole new world of fashion that day that was unlike the American Eagles, Expresses, and The Limiteds that I was used to. And uh, it also felt really awesome to have a snooty Saks sales lady give me the stink eye until I marched up the register with this blouse in hand. Once I fished out my gift card, her whole face suddenly changed from "What does this stupid teenager want?" to "Why heeeellllllloooooo there, lovely customer!" Hmmmm...