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 ?

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?

Take Me Home Tonight

I think that all clothes deserve good homes and to be worn with zeal. Unfortunately I have way too many things and find that many clothes are languishing in my closet, unworn and unloved (sound familiar? ;o)

To give some of my clothes a new home and to help fund my shopping addiction, I've set up SHOP respect the shoes. There are loads of stuff from Anthro, J. Crew, Forever 21, etc., all either new with tags or in excellent condition.

Please take a look through my stuff and see if you are willing to "adopt" some clothes! I'll be making updates every few weeks. Shoot me an e-mail at respecttheshoes(at)live.com if you're interested or have any questions - pieces will go first-come, first-serve. Thanks for looking!

♥   ♥   ♥   ♥

  

  

Dress: Anthropologie Parameter d'armee

Tank: Walmart (similar here or as dress here)

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

Belt: Ebay (similar-ish here or here)

Shoes: Keds spright wedge (worn here before - similar here or here)

♥   ♥   ♥   ♥

In other news, here are some of the cool giveaways of the week - enter up, ladies, lots of chances to win some great stuff from your generous fella bloggers:

♥  ♥  Don't forget my giveaway! Contest to win a $100 gift card to Shopbop ends March 20!  ♥  ♥

♥  Thirteen Pounds is giving away a $25 gift card to Anthropologie. Contest ends March 20.

♥  Sharonlei from elisharon is giving away an Orient automatic watch. Contest ends March 20.

♥  Collette from Statements in Fashion is giving away a $50 gift card to Free People. Contest ends March 20.

♥  BonBon Rose Girls is giving away a $40 gift card to Wardrobe Avenue. Contest ends March 22.

♥  Tippy from tres tippy is giving away an item of your choice from Perricone worth up to $150. Contest ends March 22.

♥  Jenny from Not Just a Pretty Face is also giving away an item of your choice from Perricone worth up to $150. Contest ends March 23.

♥  Fabulous Florida Mommy is giving away a $100 gift certificate to Shopbop. Contest ends March 24.

♥  Summerilla from Sumsunshine is also giving away a $100 gift certificate to Shopbop. Contest ends March 24.

♥  Dea from the dea diaries is giving away a $45 gift certificate to CSN Stores. Contest ends March 24.

♥  Joey from everyday outfits is giving away a medley of cute spring accessories. Contest ends March 25.

♥  Emilie from My Little Fashion Diary is giving away a EUR 100 gift card to ASOS. Contest ends March 25.

♥  Cee from to brighten my day is giving away a polka dotted scarf from The Vintage Scarf. Contest ends March 26.

♥  Vogue & Vintage is giving away an Orient automatic watch. Contest ends March 29.

♥  Debby from Inspired Design is giving away a $50 gift card to Restoration Hardware. Contest ends March 30.

♥  Melanie from Unravelled Threads is also giving away an Orient automatic watch. Contest ends March 31.

♥  PetiteAsianGirl from Extra Petite is giving away three $100 gift cards to either J. Crew, Saks or Nordstrom for signing up to Ebates through her site. Contest ends April 30.

Another Kind of Green

I wore this earlier in the week when the weather was warm and sunny - but my bare legs and toes still got a bit of the chills from all that hibernating! This outift was assembled for JG's Inspiring Interpretations post - check it out here!

Top: J. Crew merino scoopneck (worn here before - similar here)

Tank: H&M

Skirt: Anthropologie Blue Robin twilit (worn here before - similar here or here)

Belt: Anthropologie city safari (worn here before - similar-ish here)

Shoes: Keds spright (worn here before - similar here or here or patent here)

Necklace lucie0ellen via Etsy (worn here before)

★   ★   ★   ★

I think word is already getting around, but I am so so proud that we have a full-blown author in our fashion blogging midsts now! Lisa's first book, Confessions of a Call Center Gal, is now in print and on sale on Amazon! Check out Lisa's blog here or her book here!

From one Lisa to another, here's a big bubbly virtual champagne toast in your honor!

★   ★   ★   ★

And what other nice way to start thinking about the weekend than to check out some of the cool giveaways of the week:

★  Lauren Nicole Gifts is giving away a heart pendant. Contest ends today.

★  Collette from Statements in Fashion is giving away a $50 gift certificate to ModCloth. Contest ends February 27.

★  Elaine from I'm clothed much. is giving away a $25 credit to Smashion. Contest ends February 27.

★  Peggy from She Had Done What She Could is giving away jewelry from the Temple St. Clair for Target line - submit your best Target outfit by February 27 and readers get to vote for the winner the next day.

★  Roxy from Effortless Anthropologie is giving away a camelia sweater from liaMolly. Contest ends February 27.

★  Delightfully Tacky is giving away a pair of baku wedges from Blowfish. Contest ends February 27.

★  Audrey from Audrey Allure is giving away a $100 gift certificate to LuLu's. Contest ends February 28.

★  Maria from Lulu Letty is giving away a $30 credit to An Eye for Vintage. Contest ends February 28.

★  BonBon Rose Girls is giving away a pair of show clips from Hot Magnets. Contest ends March 1.

★  Sandy from Sandy a la Mode is giving away a $30 credit to For The Love Of Joy, a hand-made crafts shop. Contest ends March 1.

★  Lynzy from Sparkling Footsteps is giving away an octopus ring from Egokitten. Contest ends March 2.

★  Jinah from bonjour it's jinah! is giving away a $100 gift certificate to ShopBop. Contest ends March 2.

★  Fashionable Academics is giving away the north shore dress by Shabby Apple. Contest ends March 3.

★  Kim from Anthroholic is also giving away a $100 gift certificate to ShopBop. Contest ends March 4.

★  Sarah from You, Me & Anthropologie is giving away a $50 gift card to either Anthropologie or J. Crew in celebration of her birthday. Contest ends March 6.

★  Melissa from A Working Mom's Closet is giving away another chance to win a $100 gift certificate to ShopBop. Contest ends March 6.

★  Maria from Infinite Whimsy is giving away a $50 gift certificate to Apothica. Contest ends ?

A ton of other great giveaways are still open for winning, check out last week's post here!

Faded Frills

OK, it's not like I've been out of the office for a long time or anything, but I feel like I have zero idea of what is going on. I've been slam-hammered at work today playing catch-up and have that lovely feeling of anxiety in the pit of my stomach of all the stuff that still needs to be done. And I won't get into too much detail about how the BF decided he didn't want to do a lick of laundry or cleaning or food shopping that whole time I was gone - nope, won't get into that ... leaving that alone ... not still bothered at all or anything ...

This is just a round-about way of me trying to tell you that I didn't have the time (or brain power) to get too creative with my outfit today. Thank goodness for Anthro's unique pieces that can help bring some personality to an otherwise bland ensemble.

What do you do to get yourself back into the swing of your routine after a long time gone?

Tank: Faded Glory by Walmart (worn here before - similar online here or ruffly version here)

Sweater: Anthropologie Guinevere Roaming Frills (worn here before)

Skirt: H&M drop-pocket (now in stores - or similar online here in teal for cheap!)

Shoes: Keds Spright wedges (worn here, here and here before - similar online here and here)

I heart this skirt so much that I wore it once already on Sunday:

Top: BDG by Urban Outfitters (worn here and here before - similar online here)

Shoes: Guess Lawri (worn here and here before - similar online here or luxe version here)

+++

Someone shot me an e-mail a few days ago asking what had happened to my recipe posts - well, I have been a total lackey in the kitchen front the last few weeks and have been pulling through recipe repeats or not taking pics of my meals. A gal's still got to eat, though, so I've been cooking, but case in point, dinner from last night - build-your-own-taco night isn't pretty or creative (but at least it was good!)



Amicalola Fourth

Hi Ladies - I hope you're all having a wonderful 4th!

Thought I'd drop a quick post with some outfit postings from the last day. BF and I went to a friend's home on Saturday night for an Independence Day party, so this is my version of patriotic attire pre-party:

Dress: Ann Taylor Loft cotton

Shoes: Keds Spright wedges (now on super-sale and worn a lot - like here, and here, and here ...)

Necklace: Anthropologie Double Torsade (worn here and here before)

During the day, here's what I wore (and I know I've pretty worn much the exact same outfit before):

Shirt: Gap cotton chambray safari (worn here and here before)

Shorts: Anthropologie Hei Hei Heatwave (worn here and here before)

Shoes: Mossimo by Target (worn here and here and ...)

Bracelets: Old Navy enamel & J. Crew studded (worn here before and a bunch other)

Clutch: Cole Haan

Today we drove up to Amicalola State Park and did the Falls hike up and back. BF and I have agreed to try go hiking once a week for our health and peace of mind. Plus it didn't hurt that on the way home we got to pass the Georgia Premium Outlets (uh, of course we stopped).

Thought it'd be funny to show you BF's first photo attempt of me today:

He did much better when we got to the falls:

LOTS of food had also been (is still being) imbibed these past few days - I'll have some pics of one my new favorite weird food laters!

Lollipops for Work

Being super-simple today. Why did I wait this long to fall under the spell of wearing dresses? Especially soft-as-a-slub-tee knit ones? One piece and DONE. Throw on a belt and STYLED.

(Yes this is the same dress I took the pics of while trying on the Edelman wedges yesterday.

I was going to wear this yesterday, but just didn't feel it.

Tell me that I'm not alone in changing a bunch before finally deciding on an outfit for the day.)

Dress: Gap knit (worn here before)

Belt: Anthropologie Infinity (worn a million times before and still love it)

Shoes: Keds Spright Wedges (worn here before and a few thousand times before that)

Here's a pic of my latest purchase - the J. Crew lollipop ribbon blazer. I got it recently on sale with an additional 30% off and I kind of love it. I wanted something appropriate for work that was still a little off-beat and this fit the bill perfectly. Plus it's got bracelet-length sleeves - which for me means regular-length sleeves, yay! The tweed is really light and it kind of feels more like a sweater than a super-structured jacket. And I think the lining is silk - sweeeeeeeeet.

So with this and the Cartonnier Hello Sunday blazer, I've got two new lighter-weight pieces packed with personality that are both perfectly work-appropriate and would look just as good off-hours with jeans (or even shorts - gah). New non-stodgy additions to work wardrobe - check!

(Ignore the rest of the outfit - just trying stuff on)

Jacket: J. Crew lollipop ribbon (now on sale)

Going to Anthro later today or tomorrow to return the Herb Field cardi (I tried it on again last night and it mocked me from the mirror: "Really, you again? What's your name again - Lucy, Linda, Lena? We already had this conversation - you and I are not going to work. It's not me, it's you."). I'm going to be strong and try to resist all the other pretty temptations in there - but a stroll by the sale section is almost mandatory, isn't it?

Happy weekending!

Classic Checked Chinos

Feeling vaguely Maggie Gyllenhaal from Mona Lisa Smile today. If only I could achieve her perfectly tousled curls.

Top: Lands' End Canvas gingham poplin (worn here and here before)
Skirt: J. Crew chino back-tie (worn here before)
Shoes: Keds Spright wedges (worn here and here and here before)

First, great big THANK YOU goes out to Prettyface! I was the lucky one to be picked to win her Anthro giveaway! I did literally look like Macauley Caulkin when he screamed into the mirror in Home Alone when I saw the post. If you haven't checked out her lovely blog yet, Not Just A Pretty Face, please do!

Second, I got my Sam Edelman Kasi wedges in and I actually really really like them. For their height, they are comfy and really light (plus they're like 40% off right now - yes, I am easily tempted). If anyone else is looking for a high platform wedge, I recommend these!

But alas for me, they're going back. There's not much ankle support there and my klutzy self in these shoes in public would certainly turn into GA's first wedge sandal-related fatality. Sorry to take full advantage of your free shipping and returns policy, Endless, but I had a brief misguided moment of thinking I was cooler and more coordinated than I really am. Le sigh.

Finally, I forgot to post a pic of my roasted shrimp cocktail from weeks ago. They turned out really well and was super-easy to make (if you choose not to peel and devein your own shrimp, it is even easier - what can I say, I like food prep). Find the recipe here - thanks, Ina Garten!

Outfit Roundup and Some Festival Medley

Happy Memorial Day! Please remember to take a moment out of your day to remember the reason why today is a national holiday.

BF and I have been busy this long weekend and are planning to take it easy today with some Super Mario Galaxy 2 game and enjoying our new grill. Here's a medley of some of my outfits through this weekend. Yes, I dug into the comfort department and pretty much shorted it for most of the weekend.

Sweater: Per Una by Marks and Spencer (worn here before)

Tank: Gap Body

Shorts: Old Navy pleated cotton

Shoes: Keds Spright wedges (worn here and here before)

Shirt: J. Crew Perfect Fit sunshine peony (now on sale in stores)

Shorts: J. Crew chino

Belt: Forever 21

Shoes: Etienne Aigner Roz

Shirt: Lands' End Canvas gingham poplin (worn here before)

Shorts: J. Crew chino

Belt: J. Crew snake embossed

Shoes: Franco Sarto

Bracelet: Old Navy enamel

And because my hair won't be looking like this again any time soon, here's a pic of it right back from the salon on Friday:

Some of you asked for it, here are some quick pics from the Renaissance Festival. Next weekend is the last weekend, so go if you haven't had a chance to yet! Yes, there is some cheesy goodness x10, but the BF and I still had a ton of fun and enjoyed the day.

Course one: Me knawing on a smoked turkey leg. The fair food is part of any festival fun!