Bonjour-Buongiorno

I've got some heavy duty work-related trips coming up this month, so I will be scarce in bloggydom next week and then again later this month. The work will be exhaustive, but the super-duper awesome thing is and if I keep saying that, then it will be true that I'm going to get to go to Milan and Paris!

Now I've never ever been to Italy before and have only briefly been to Paris - though Charles de Gaulle Airport, I know you well and we are not friends - so I would love recs from any of you gals who have been to either city. What's a must-see or must-do or-must-eat in Milan or Paris? I'll hopefully have a few free hours on both trips to wander, so any recs or tips especially for the gal who speaks zero Italian and incomprehensible French would be gladly appreciated!

And now here is me, oui, oui:

  

Top: Gap shrunken cable knit (similar here)

Skirt: J. Crew broadcloth pin-stripe (worn here before - similar here, here)

Shoes: Keds spright (worn here before - similar here, non-peep here)

Clutch: Rebecca Minkoff pouch (worn here before - from set of 3)

Necklace: Laila Rowe (similar here)

Cuff: Sweet Auburn Studio via Etsy (worn here before, similar here, simpler here)

♥   ♥   ♥    ♥

I've been tardy in keeping up with this, but I'm catching up again, so here are some of the cool giveaways this week:

♥  Ashley from Ashley Getting Dressed is giving away a $200 shopping spree to any department store that sells Karen Kane. Contest ends June 5.

♥  Runway Rundown is giving away Romy Gold clutch. Contest ends June 5.

♥  The Zhush is giving away a $100 gift certificate to ShopBop. Contest ends June 5.

♥  Rose from 1 More Shopping Bag is giving away a $25 gift certificate to J. Crew. Contest ends June 6.

♥  JoAnn from Sidewalk Chic is giving away a watch of your choice from The Trendy Boutique. Contest ends June 8.

♥  Julie from Julie Rose Sews is giving away a $10 gift certificate to her Etsy shop. Contest ends June 8.

♥  Wild as a Mink is giving away the Lighthouse dress from Shabby Apple. Contest ends June 9.

♥  Carrie from this free bird is giving away a product of your choice worth up to $150 from Dr. Perricone. Contest ends June 9.

♥  Nina from all tumble down is giving away the Spanish Steps dress from Shabby Apple. Contest ends June 13.

♥  Lisa from Confessions of a Call Center Gal is giving away an Orient automatic watch. Contest ends June 14.

♥  Really Petite is giving away a $100 gift card to Amazon for signing up for Mr. Rebates. Contest ends June 30.

♥  Kristina J. is giving away a Converse All-Star dress that she has customized. Contest ends ?

♥  Maria from Infinite Whimsy is giving away the Spanish Steps dress from Shabby Apple. Contest ends ?

♥  Debby from Inspired Design is giving away a Coach wristlet of your choice. Contest ends ?

Up in the Air

It's "there's no denying that summer has arrived" week in the SE as temps soar over the 90s Fahrenheit and are expected to stay there all week long. And as it is still technically May, this means that I have about 4-5 full months of back-sticking, shade-finding, mosquito-swatting, near hot-as-Hades weather to look forward to. Which means my hair is one low pressure dip away from a full-on asian fro, and that ain't gonna be pretty.

I've tried a ton of different "de-frizz" products, but so far a combo of Garnier Fructis Smoothing Cream mixed with Citre Shine Anti-Frizz Serum during my daily blowdry has kept my hair at bay without completely flattening it out, but I see the flyaways congregating, and they're starting to gain ground. Plus I feel like I'm lacking in that glossy shiny locks department - wasn't that supposed to be part of my "being an asian" package? So short of tying my hair in a big knot on the top of my head and leaving it alone until October or opting to buy hair spray by the case, how do you gals battle the summer time head frizz? Are there any specific products or "techniques" that work for you?

 

Top: LE Canvas gingham poplin (worn here before)
Skirt: Delicia eyelet via Alloy (worn here before - similar here, here)
Belt: Anthro city safari (worn here before - similar-ish here)
Bracelet: The PS Boutique via Etsy (worn here before - similar here)
Shoes: Seychelles ring in the new year (worn here before - similar-ish here, here)

Dots & Stripes Forever

Happy Memorial Day, ladies! Aside from the (hopefully) physical and mental recharge we are all partaking in these past few days, let's also spend a few moments and remember the real reason we celebrate this day - to commemorate all the US service members who have fallen while in military service.

I've had a great long weekend of eating, cooking, park-ing, lounging and generally being a lazy loaf - it's been awesome. So it should come as no surprise that with the great summer-y weather, I've spent my days in general absolute casual-ness:

 

Top: H&M stripe (worn here before - similar here, modern here)
Skirt: UO Cooperative monaco
Shoes: Keds spright wedge (worn here before - similar here, here)
Necklace: White Owl via Etsy (worn here before - similar here)
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff trompe l'oeil mac

 

Top: J. Crew factory multi-stripe pullover
Shorts: Banana Republic (similar here)
Shoes: Mossimo by Target wakana (worn here before - similar here)

 

Hat: Christy's & Co. (big enough to fit my giant noggin! - similar here, here)
Top: J. Crew max & molly gallery (worn here before - similar here, here)
Shorts: Old Navy pleated (worn here before - similar here)
Shoes: DVF lush flip flops (worn here before)

 

Top: F21extended hem dot (worn here before - similar solid here, here)
Shorts: Old Navy chambray tie-belt
Shoes: Sofft woven thongs (similar luxe here, reg here)

What have you gals all been up to? Have any of your partaked in some awesome sales, or other grand (there are no small) adventures?

Sleeper Style

I had someone ask me a few weeks ago to describe my sense of style. And with that question, the usual blathering outpouring that comes from my lips came to an abrupt halt. I think my brows wrinkled in concentration and my eyes squirted off into looking at something non-descript in the distance.

I blabbed out a jumble of adjectives and changed subject to discuss things I have way more know-how with - cold cuts and Christian Bale (whoops, THE Christian Bale). And granted it was no life-changing deep-rooted question by any means, I did get to thinking more about my style.

What do I think my sense of style is? I know what I would like it to be - classic, timeless, chic. Hint of edge. I want clothes and accessories that defy "labels" (as much as I do love you, Anthro and Crew, I don't want to be head-to-toe anything - I would like to be the _____ girl, not the Anthro or Crew girl).

Where am I now? I still think I'm evolving sartorially and I'm not sure if where I am now is where I want to be. I think if you scroll back through my past outfits (and this will take a while, I document myself well apparently), you will definitely see style evolving - but into what, I'm not sure. I'm honestly not sure what a "Lisa look" is, though I know what kind of pieces I am drawn to.

I've always considered "getting dressed" a little to be like "playing dress up" so if I really truly think about it - am I dressing me or am I clothing my body? And then what does it come across like? Eclectic? Conservative? Frilly? Obnoxiously loud? Pattern-blind? Caroline Manzo, YOU can call ME a clown if you want to.

So I am asking for a wee bit of blogee input - how would you describe my sense of style? And even better yet now, how would you describe your own?

♠   ♠   ♠   ♠

I already posted my Saturday outfit - here's me last Sunday (aka dressed up jammies, aka Lisa no-pants):

 

Dress: Anthropologie Splendid cargo pocket chemise

Necklace: UO multi-stone bib (worn here before - similar here)

Bag: Rebecca Minkoff navajo studs (worn here before)

Bracelet: The PS Boutique via Etsy (worn here before)

Shoes: Mossimo via Target wakana (worn here before - similar here)

I'm still having Blogger comment issues, so I've been visiting your blogs, but I haven't been able to comment on most of them! I am still getting caught up in the endless glitch cycle of login / comment / login / comment / etc. Please fix it already, Blogger! Argh!

D'Armee vs. Navy

Oh I wonder how many cheesy military references the inception of this dress' name is responsible for. So of course I totally had to up the smirk-inducing factor by going full-on girly with my ensemble today, including the Shirley Temple-esque curls (still working out the "kinks" with the curling iron, OK - though the bobby pin was all me).

BF and I watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part I yesterday evening. And though I know the character are supposed to be full-blown teenagers and the actors are even older than that, it was still cringe-worthy to me when I saw Harry help Ginny zip up her dress (really, girlfriend, you're not rockin' a bra or slip or anything?) and {spoiler} even eye-covering in that nightmare scene where Ron saw manifestations of Harry and Hermione totally hooking up. Can I help it if I still envision those multi-millionaire actors like wee little wizards running around in their too-big robes, frizzy hair and squeaky voices?

 

Not sure if my hesitation and squeamishness is due to feeling all nostalgic about these characters/actors not being all young tiny children anymore - or if in the way back of my mind, it is just a reminder to me that if they're getting older, than also means I'm getting older.

So apparently I strike out with a head full of "good ship lollipop" curls and a work-appropriate version of a little sailor outfit. Watch out, at this rate after Part II comes out, I may end sporting my version of a baby new year costume.

Dress: Anthropologie Parameter d'armee (worn here before)

Belt: J. Crew skinny (similar here)

Shoe Clip as Brooch: Lilywinkel via Etsy (worn here before)

Tank: Gillian & O'Malley via Target (similar here)

Shoes: Kenneth Cole Reaction swim n fool (worn here before - similar luxe here, reg here)

Clutch: Rebecca Minkoff pouch (one of a set - larger version seen here)

Is it just me, or has anyone else had difficulty leaving comments on Blogger today?

Big Hair, Jambu, Smashion

I've got a blog-podge of a post for you ladies today. My blog cup runneth over lately and I am so appreciative of all you great readers for taking the time to visit my little blog. Your comments have provided me with so much good humor and insight - and I am consistently impressed with your unique senses of style, imagination and varied areas of expertise.

So in your honor, I sport ridiculously-big-for-me, I-obviously-don't-know-how-to-use-a-curling-iron-so-that's-why-I'm-smiling-like-a-goof hair today:

 

Top: Lands' End Canvas gingham poplin (worn here before)
Skirt: J. Crew dorrie (after a month of being on backorder, it finally came in)
Shoes: Coach ireena
Bracelet: The PS Boutique via Etsy
Clutch: Rebecca Minkoff pouch (1 of 3 from a set, now on sale sale sale)

♥   ♥   ♥   ♥

First, the nice folks over at Jambu asked for me to try out a pair of their shoes to review. Jambu is a comfort shoemaker that uses partially recycled rubber outsoles, recycled and recyclable packaging. They also have a collection of completely animal-friendly footwear for you Natalie Portmans out there.

I decided to go with the Espy style in grey, which I thought would be a nice casual-day shoe in a fairly go-with-anything color:

 
I only look like I am in my jammies. I actually wore and went outside in this entire outfit on Sunday. No, really.

Cons about these shoes? They were heavier than I had expected and felt very "dense" (hello, recycled rubber). Plus the thong part rubbed a bit against the inside of my big toe. And let's be honest, these most likely are not going to be your what-to-wear-when-you're-dressing-to-impress-shoes-of-HAWTness.

Pros about these shoes? Super-duper comfy sandals. I wore these all day on Sunday to run errands and take the dog to the park, etc. and had no breaking-in issues at all. The sandals didn't feel heavy on, the platform and wedge provided me with some needed height and though the toe area rubbed, it never got bad. And the fit is TTS with a thin adjustable leather velcro ankle strap.

So what do I think? Will I reach for these when I have on my prettiest dress or frilly skirt? Probably not ... but then again, they aren't that kind of shoe or company. However, I'll likely wear these sandals a lot this summer on those casual weekends when I'm running around, and I think they're really cute. Thanks again, Jambu!

♥   ♥   ♥   ♥

Second, THANKS to Natalya - I won her giveaway! Natalya is a fashion design student chasing her dreams and looking fantabulous while doing it. Check out her blog if you have a moment.
♥   ♥   ♥   ♥

Third, check me out on the Smashion Lounge - I'm one of their featured interviewed bloggers! If you haven't checked Smashion out yet, it is a social fashion site that is home to a marketplace, forums and outfit gallery for that stylish inspiration. Ah, like a virtual fashion bloggy mecca!

♥   ♥   ♥   ♥

Lastly, OK, let's get down to it - Anthro's semi-annual tag sale. As my personal shopping ban rules for the month consist of one in-one out, this means I need to work that much harder to put up stuff on my blog sale and sell, sell, sell! However, I haven't bitten on anything online yet and am waivering on whether or not I should take time out to trek to a store. What kind of damage have you gals done, or will you be hoofing it to a store in hopes their offerings will be better?

Pop Ya Collar, Don't Let 'Em Sweat You

Report from the homefront: BF decided to not kennel the pup while he was away at work the other day because he didn't want her stuck in a little box for eight hours. And then completely ate his thoughts when he got home because our pup got up on the kitchen counters and BF's home office desk and apparently ate everything else.

Like a box of stale Krispy Kremes. And a box of baking soda - or rather, the box around the baking soda. A leather portfolio. A notebook, including the notes part. Pretty much all of BF's business cards. A plastic cup. An entire bottle of vitamins. The labels off of the BF's medications. Kitchen towels - apparently all of them. My suede Coach hobo, which was a gift from the BF.

It seems like Pacey may be living in the kennel full-time now.

This is me and we, over the weekend, pre-Coach:

 

Top: RL Polo skinny-fit (similar here in classic fit, longer placket here, here with a metallic pony)

Skirt: J. Crew dorrie (worn here before - sim here longer)

Shoes: Seychelles she's got the moves

Bracelets: Sweet Auburn Studio via Etsy (worn here before) / Old Navy enamel bangle (similar here)

Necklace: J. Crew pearl cluster (worn here before - similar ivory here, grey here)

♦   ♦   ♦   ♦

Special thanks go out to Inkmark from Objects of Desire and Little Miss Fancie Pants for the blog awards! You gals are too sweet - thanks again!

And if you haven't checked out their blogs yet, please do! They are two seriously busy do-it-all moms who can juggle work, kids and still look stylish in their J. Crew and Anthro gear!

♦   ♦   ♦   ♦

Lastly, if you haven't signed up for Ebates yet, now's the time to do it! I'm sure you've seen the Ebates logo a lot on fellow blogs - well, it's because we are all believers. Ebates is completely free to join, and gives you money back on purchases made online with your favorite retailers - I just got my first check in the mail!

Ebates is now offering a whopping 12% cash back for retailers like Endless, Banana Republic, Gap, Old Navy, Sephora, DSW, The Body Shop, etc. Sign up to join HERE.

You Should be Dancing, Yeah

Jen from vintageglammz had a hilarious post yesterday about figuring out when posing for an outfit shot, she has a handful of go-to poses she adopts and then copies over and over. That got me scrolling through some of my recent outfits and call me embarassed, I am apparently queen of the hand on hip semi-turned crossed leg pose. And I groan-worthily repeat that a lot.

So in an effort to break out of my pose rut, I'm temporarily trading in fashion blogger Lisa for my former model, goofy boogie Lisa. Goofy boogie Lisa likes to make faces at the camera and reenact scenes from Saturday Night Fever when the camera timer is going off. Goofy boogie Lisa thinks that there is no such thing as an outtake and yawns in the face of fashion blogger Lisa for her wannabe cloy over-the-shoulder poses, hands always on the hips.

 

Goofy boogie Lisa is only back for a limited time though, as she's difficult to control, shoulder dances at inappropriate times, has a terrible attitude and a habit of making a regular mini skirt look not-so-lady-like - but she may come back for a few guest appearances when she thinks fashion blogger Lisa is taking herself way too seriously and needs an outfit pose shakedown.

Mental note to file away? Loosen up, we don't need to take ourselves so seriously sometimes. Peace out!

 

Top: J. Crew gypsy rose (worn here before - similar here as tank, here as blouse)
Sweater: Loft pocket (similar here, here)
Skirt: J. Crew (worn here before - very sim here as a dress, similar-ish as maxi here)
Shoes: Seychelles sophia (worn here before - not sim but really cute here)
Bracelets: Sweet Auburn Studio via Etsy / Old Navy (similar here)

Take a Step that is New

I love seeing all the gorgeous pics of my fellow bloggers rocking their maxi-length dresses and midi-length skirts but I have a difficult time joining the bandwagon. I'm short and not tiny, and those lengths just tend to cut me off at weird places and make me look stumpy instead of svelte (seriously, I've tried, I'm not just whining for the sake of whi - well, so what if I am).

Granted, I should just take that as a reminder that trends are not made for everyone (and that's OK) and I should instead embrace the ones that suit me - like you, bright saturated colors, and you, tribal prints, and even you, early '80s-inspired platform sandals (Chrissy Snow would be proud).

But I still can't help to stare enviously at the leggy gals with their long skirts swirling at their ankles or grazing across their calves, looking both incredibly modern and on-trend, yet classic and modest. So I think I will get as closely long as I dare at the moment and sport the boldly shocking just-below-the-knee length. I know you're all impressed, I can tell.

Are there any warm-weather trends that you are intimidated by?

 

Top: LE Canvas stretch poplin (worn here before - similar here)
Chemise worn as tank: Anthropologie (similar cami here or here)
Skirt: LE button-front chambray (good sub for the Madewell sightseer skirt)
Belt: Mossimo by Target (similar here)
Shoes: Xhiliration by Target teanna (worn here before - similar here, here)
Necklace: Overstock overlay camelia flower (worn here before - similar here)
Cuff: Sweet Auburn Studio via Etsy

I, Comment

I know I'm not the only one it happens to - you spend time reading and responding to each one of your comments from a post so you end up with a looooong response. And then when you click "post comment," something within Blogger freaks out and you end up with a whole bunch of nothing. No posted comment, no going back to what you've just typed, it all just disappeared into the great electronic ether. And of course, you're left with twenty minutes you'll never get back.

This is pretty much what happened to my last post, and I am frustrated becauseI haven't left you feedback when I wanted to and because I think I wrote some darn witty things that'll never get recouped.

So my mind is having thoughts to upgrade to a better commenting system, but I need one that the technologically stunted, like me, can use. I know some of you gals use IntenseDebate or Disqus or similar - was it difficult for you to load the system onto your blog? Is it hard to manage? What do you like (and don't like) about it and what do you recommend?

And for you gals who post comments via those commenting systems, what do you consider good or bad about being users of those systems, or should someone like me just stick with Blogger and not trifle with the blogee gods?

 

Sweater: J. Crew celosia (worn here before - similar here)
Top: Forever 21 effortless calm tunic (worn here before - similar here or cheaper here)
Skirt: NY&Co. abstract print (worn here before - similar here as dress, here)
Belt: Anthropologie bow & angle (worn here before - similar here)
Shoes: Xhiliration by Target teanna (worn here before - similar here or luxe here)
Necklace: fuzzyelephant via Etsy (worn here before)

♠   ♠   ♠   ♠

I've been remiss in keeping up with these, but there are still some cool giveaways of the week to be had by some of your fave bloggers, check them out:

♠  Kim from Anthroholic is giving away a pearl cluster necklace from Silver Lining Decor. Contest ends tonight!

♠  Elizabeth from Delightfully Tacky is giving away a bike watch necklace and camera card stand from Ruche. Contest ends May 1.

♠  Steph from Anthro-esque is giving away a custom-made blue pattern skirt. Contest ends May 1.

♠  Carrie from this free bird is giving away the amanda dress from kendall k. Contest ends May 2.

♠  Keiko Lynn is giving away a $50 store credit to The Rabbit Hole vintage. Contest ends May 2.

♠  Elaine from I'm clothed much. is giving away $100 worth of products from Fresh Face. Contest ends May 3.

♠  Fabulous Florida Mommy is giving away a copy of Parisian Chic by Ines de la Fressange. Contest ends May 3.

♠  The gals at Free Honey are giving away a $100 gift certificate to Aveda. Contest ends May 3.

♠  Chiara from The Blonde Salad is giving away a small Balenciaga bag. Contest ends May 4.

♠  Sara from You, Me & Anthropologie is giving away a mega makeup medley. Contest ends May 6.

♠  Audrey from Audrey Allure is giving away the two worlds ring from Purpose. Contest ends May 8.

♠  Nina from alltumbledown is giving away a $25 gift certificate to SkinCareRX. Contest ends May 9.

♠  Urban Sherp is giving away a $100 gift card to Target. Contest ends May 10.

♠  Natalya from Natalya's Closet is giving away a $100 gift certificate to ShopBop. Contest ends May 12.

♠  Marie from All Things Marie is giving away a marie bracelet from BehindThese-Walls. Contest ends May 15.

♠  Tara from Little Girl Big Closet is giving away the sautoir necklace and voluminous scarf necklace, both from Anthropologie. Contest ends May 16.

♠  Kristina J is giving away three $25 gift cards to Anthropologie. Contest ends ?

♠  Debby from Inspired Design is giving away a Kate Spade bangle in the winner's choice of color. Contest ends ?

Lastly, please check out my blog sale HERE - loads of new items added, thanks!