Milanese Wedge

     

Dress: Old Navy coloblock tiered (similar here, here, -ish here)
Top: J. Crew featherweight cardigan (worn here before - similar here, here)
Shoes: Toms kenya stripe (worn here before)
Necklace: Overstock overlay camelia flower (worn here before - similar here)

    

Top: Anthropologie city cousin (worn here before)
Shorts: Xhiliration via Target challis (worn here before - similar here, here)
Shoes: Toms coral canvas (similar floral here)
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff trompe l'oeil mac (worn here before)

Ciao belle! I'm back home between trips for a few days so I definitely want to drop in for a bit to get blogged and play catch up. I'll be headed for France later this week, so I decided to join the 21st century this weekend and get one of these.  And so far all I've really done is play Angry Birds ad nauseum and buy my weight's worth in books. Who says high-technology is wasted on me?

In the interim, here are a few random pics from Milan - I believe I've consumed more than my fill of carbs, cheese, and red wine this past week!

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)

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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?

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?

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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)

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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!

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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.
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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!

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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?

Slightly on Target

I'm so glad to be home! Going to FL isn't far, but it seems so much longer when you have a BF and pup at home that you're missing! Especially since all the time in FL was spent rolling out at the crack of the dawn and finishing long after dark - I had zero problem sleeping like a rock in the hotel.

A little "surprise" that I enjoy receiving after a long week away is a little pile of fresh packages (OK, one package, but still, it's nice). I received my Target GO International dresses and wanted to share my thoughts on them (though I'll keep it short since I know reviews have already made their rounds in the blogosphere).

  

Tracy Feith by Target hibiscus print dress: I think most of you gals know by now that the Tracy Feith dresses fit real small, so you've lucked out on this one, petite gals. I am typically a size 2/2P and got this in a 5 and it "just" fit. If you're on the busty side, you probably need to size up. The length is perfect on my short frame and it is fully lined in a bright orange with a layer of crinoline along the hem for added flounce. I really like this dress - except I kind of feel like I need to be on a Hawaiian vacation to wear it. I'm undecided about this one ... I may trade it in for the all-white version.

See Kathryn rock the dress.

  

Libertine by Target striped tunic: I'm not sure about this. It is short, so I'm going to need some leggings or other bottoms to wear this out in public in. And the puffed sleeves - I am kind of feeling football player-ish. I got this in a S for the additional length and I figured the 100% cotton material will probably shrink in the wash. I think I'm going to end up keeping this so I can wear it for super-cas at-home weekends since I'm automatically in love with something if it has stripes.

See Pamela, M and Carol rock the tunic.

And this is what I wore today - hello, beautiful spring - albeit cloudy - weather! I even broke out my very first Minkoff, which I love love love, but which I also carry around like a newborn baby! I'm not much of a handbag person - this ain't Respect the Purse -  and honestly I'm cheap can't you tell, hehe, so this is a big purse splurge for me. That I will coddle around like a purse baby. My sweet little studded purse baby.

  

Dress: AT Loft dotty blossoms (worn here before - similar here, here or luxe here)

Belt: cheapie gold woven (similar here)

Shoes: Artisan by Clarks herring bow flats (worn here before - similar here or here)

Bag: Rebecca Minkoff navajo studs clutch