Knitted skirts

Some time ago I was inspired by beautiful knits from Chloe.

Love this, like the lovely FFM would say. So chic and understated....

-->

-->

This too...

But, like everything from Chloe, way out of my reach in terms of money.  However, I do have some sweater skirts.  They are not based on Chloe designs, but I treat them as a loose, on-the-budget  interpretation.

As you can maybe guess, they belong to 'my mother made this' series.

The pictures are from couple of weeks ago, I just never got around to post them. It was warm that day but in the end I decided to add some brown tights before I left for the office. It made the skirt more winter and office appropriate. It was after I walked my daughter to school, so she was not around to take pictures after I changed. I thought of snapping good old bathroom picture but things got crazy that day and I completely forgot.

You cannot see it in the pictures but the skirt has some flecks of blue in the wool so the combination looks more coordinated irl. The sweater is from Hanna Andersson, I bought it several years ago and I love the color. It is 100% cotton so maybe not as warm but very comfortable. My daughter used to have a matching one, but of course she outgrew it and I didn't (thank God!).

 

***

Another sweater skirt I own is more of an a-line. This is a better shape if you are concerned about getting out of shape. Chloe skirts are cashmere but my mother convinced me that cashmere will look lumpy, especially in pencil skirt and we picked more dense and stiff wool. It is not as soft, but it holds its shape beautifully.

This skirt goes with everything. It  has similar shape to Sterling skirt and I like the slight flare, it is a bit flirty and fun.

Here, I went for colorblock effect and I think it works. This outfit was a hit among the ladies in my office. Thank you Mom!

This is also from couple of weeks ago. Right now I will go for a run, trying to get in back in shape to wear a sweater skirt after the Holidays, lol. One thing about them is they are not very forgiving and the lumps are coming back with vengeance :(

***

That's all folks!

Do you own any sweater skirts?

Have you 'recovered' from the Holiday madness? 

Please share, it would be no fun without you!!!

Leather And Cord

Do you like chocolate and caramel? I do. Preferably together. Just writing this makes me drool...

I think it is the combination of colors and textures that makes me love this outfit.

The jacket is one of the cheapest items in my closet. I found it years ago in Kohls clearance bin, it was $5. And I think I have only been to Kohls about 3 times total. Maybe I should go more often?

Anyway, it is made of slightly stretchy cord which makes it comfortable, while being formfitting.  I also love it with my full, camel colored velvet skirt.  

The leather skirt is from Talbots, couple of years ago. Again, I probably bought 5 things total from them but they are all favorites (and maybe that's why). As soon as this skirt showed up on their website and fell in love with it. I never wanted a leather skirt but I loved the color. It wasn't cheap but I bought it with the first 30% off coupon I could get and I never regretted. Just the color of it makes me salivate.

The jacket has the Liberty-like print and I love the blue flowers on brown background. It looks great paired with seafoam and I am actually wearing a tank in this color underneath so I could open the jacket if I wanted. It looks good open as well.

***

That's all folks!

What is the favorite thing you own that was also very inexpensive?

Do you Target or Kohls?

Do you wear leather skirts?

Please share, it would be no fun without you!!!

MacAlister Boots Review

As you may know, I love blue and navy. So when I saw that the navy MacAlisters were available on sale with an additional 30% off I could not resist them. I have two other pairs of MacAlister type booties and I love them both. I have almost bougth the brown MacAlisters from J.Crew two years ago but then I found the pair from Coach that I liked better at the same price, so I returned them.

Cute navy shoes are always hard to find. These only come in half sizes and I am 8.5 so I originally sized up to 9. But the 9s were way too big even with socks and my feet were sliding. So I reordered them in size 8 and they are perfect with tights. If I wanted to wear them with thick socks I think they will still stretch.

The color is very pretty medium navy that definitely looks blue and not black.They are comfortable and I actually  think I could walk some distance with them. They are not as comfortable as my Coach wedges but they are blue!

They do stick out a little bit in the back of the heel. I like the contrast of the darker shoe with the lighter sole.

Overall, I really like them and I can tell that I will wear them a lot. I loved how they looked with my Gallerista skirt and Madewell Academy blazer.

Also, see another review by Shopwithm HERE.

Here are my brown coach wedges that are one of most comfortable shoes I own. I have spend a day walking in NYC wearing them and I can vouch for their comfort. I am wearing them with my 2007 Gramercy coat in Alpine Green. I have since sold the coat because green is just not for me.

Contrary to J.Crew MacAlisters, Coach wedges are lined and padded and that definitely makes the difference.

Another pair of MacAlisters that I own is the Shearling vesion that they also offer this year. I have bought mine last year but they seem to be identical. I also sized down in these. They felt a little tight at first but they have molded to my feet. They are also very comfortable and warm.

Below is the picture of my first outfit without the blazer. Many time I would take of the blazer at work so whatever I wear under it has to work on its own. I decided to go for a plain blue perfect crewneck and I like the almost monochromatic look.

***
That's all Folks!

Do you own a pair of MacAlisters? How do you wear them?

How do you like the navy ones?

Please share, it would be no fun without you!!!

This one is for my mother

My mother is an avid knitter and on her last visit here she knitted me this wrap/poncho.

It took her about a week. I saw something similar when we were browsing through a magazine and she said 'Oh, I can do that!' So we went to the local yarn store and picked the wool in three colors.  It is super warm and easy to wear. It is basically a long and wide rectangular shawl, where one end is sewn together to make a sleeve, and the other end attaches to it by a single button.

Easy to say of course, I would never attempt it, even if I know how to knit, theoretically at least.  Thank you Mom, you are the best!

***

This winter I wanted to get a pair of off white cords.  I would not wear white jeans in the winter but cords are another story. Btw, I was looking through my recent posts and I realized that I wear cords a lot. There is something about the texture of cords that make them super appealing when it is colder. I was for long partial to J.Crew matchstick cords, but this year I discovered that their midrise toothpicks fit me even better. This was a surprise to me, because when I tried toothpicks in the past, they were a disaster: too short and too wide in the hips, while giving me a muffin top and cutting off the circulation to my calves.

Midrise toothpick cords

These are size 28. I am in between 27 and 28 in most denim. I wear 27 in J.Crew matchsticks, both jeans and cords, but these fit me perfectly in 28. The length is also perfect, right down to my ankles. There are super soft and extremely comfortable. I like the higher rise and the fit in the rear.

The color is called sea salt, which would  make me think they would have gray undertones, but that's not the case. They are definitely more 'creamy', which I prefer.

Here, you can see the pattern of the poncho better. I love this color combination, it just soothes my soul.

I loved how this outfit turned out and I got quite a few compliments. The cords would also be great with a longer camel/gray/blush/charcoal sweater. I am on the lookout for a perfect slouchy turtleneck to wear with them when it gets even colder, do you have any tips?

***

That's all folks!

 Do you wear cords? Do you own J.Crew matchsticks or toothpicks?

Do you knit or have somebody knit for you?

 

Please share, It would be no fun without you!!!