OOTD: Fuchsia & Turquoise

Like I mentioned in a recent post, I've been on summer slacker schedule.  Stay up late, sleep in late,.... repeat.  Today was a work day for teachers and staff before summer session begins next Tuesday.  Of course I had slept in yesterday so I could NOT fall asleep last night.  I was up until about 1am and then had to get up at 6!  After hitting snooze about eight hundred times, I finally dragged myself out of bed and hurried to get ready.  Here's the outfit I quickly threw together.  I knew everyone else would only be in shorts or capris, so I figured a denim skirt was a happy medium for me.  Nothing special, but I do love how fuchsia paired with turquoise looks! 

Skirt: Halogen Seamed Denim Skirt via Nordstrom Rack (really old)

Blouse: Bandolinoblu via Macy's

Necklace: Lucky Brand (at Macy's)

Earrings: Lucky Brand (at Macy's)

Bracelet: J. Crew Outlet

Ring: T.J. Maxx

Sandals: Wanted Darla Ankle-Strap Sandal

 

When I was out on Tuesday, I perused the jewelry section at Macy's.  I fell in love with this Lucky Brand necklace and earrings.  Luckily, I realized I had a $10 off coupon plus a Macy's gift card left over from Christmas so I treated myself to both.  Oh how I love chunky jewelry and turquoise!

I was thrilled that the turquoise color of the necklace/earrings matches that of my J. Crew bracelet!

And I debuted my new sandals that I picked up during the 20% sale at endless.com last week.  I've been searching for a casual pair of black sandals for a long time now (who would have thought cute & casual black sandals would be so hard for me to find???).  Well, these fit the bill!  Love the knotted detail, the ankle strap, and the jute footbed.  Plus, they are pretty comfy too.  They also come in a blush pink color and an ivory.  If you're interested check them out here!  The 20% off special is valid through July 4th!

Tomorrow I don't have to work, but I can't sleep in either!  I have to run some errands and pack up because when my husband gets home at 1:00 we're leaving to go camping for the long weekend!  So excited!  What are your plans for the 4th of July weekend?

Anthro Review: Endive Hoodie

I ordered the Endive Hoodie on a whim last week only because I needed another item in order to meet the $150 minimum for free shipping.  Turns out it's the only item I ended up getting because the other thing got cancelled!  :(  But, more on that later.....

The feminine details are what attracted me to this hoodie.  I am a hoodie lover, but all the hoodies I currently have are very casual (think college logos or just plain colors) so this one seemed to fill the void in my closet for a feminine fashionable hoodie.

Outfit details:  Tee-Banana Republic Outlet, Jeans-Calvin Klein Boyfriend, Flip Flops- Bass Outlet, Necklace- Lucky Brand

This fits true to size.  For reference, I'm wearing a size large.

The color is not what I expected.  It is definitely not a true ivory as it appears in the product shot on Anthro's website.  I would describe it more as a sandy or bone off-white color.  It's nearly identical to the Maryam Tank in the sand color.  I think I would have liked this more if it were a true ivory, but this color isn't bad and it is growing on me.  On the plus side, it probably wouldn't get dirty as easily as white or ivory would.

I love how the eyelet detail points down into a v-shape on the shoulders.  The hood part does not have a drawstring.  I really like this because I feel it looks more polished without the hanging ties that most hoodies have.

Here's my attempt at a closeup of the eyelet details.  The stitching in the middle of the cutouts resemble flowers...but you can see this more clearly by looking at the closeup on the website. 

As you can see above, the pockets are in an odd spot....they are a little higher than what I'm used to on hoodies.  This is probably one of my biggest complaints.  The pockets would be more comfortable if they were lower and not so far over to the side.

The material is a nice, substantial weight.  This is definitely not a lightweight hoodie, but it is not too think and bulky either.  It's 100% cotton!  And it's very soft and comfortable!  I like the fact that the cotton (even the eyelet details) is very sturdy.  It's not too delicate, so I would not be afraid of it ripping easily.   

The zipper has a nice pull tie with a lace-like detail.  The same lacey detail trims either size of the zipper all the way down.  It's also along the shoulders and below the eyelet detail.  This adds to the feminine charm of this hoodie.  Oh, and the zipper is metal and seems to be of high quality.

Verdict:  Initially I planned to definitely return this.  Afterall, I don't really need it.  Plus, although it's cute and well-made, $88 is pretty steep for a hoodie.  However, the longer I wore it (to take photos and review it), the more it has grown on me.  Who knows, I may just keep it after all.......

Either way, it's going to be a while before I make it to a store to return it (I don't want to pay the money to ship it back!), so I will mill it over until then.

Dreaming of floral skirt combos.....

I've been on summer break for 2 weeks now and I'm definitely on summer time schedule!  I've been staying up late and sleeping in late.  Need to break this habit next week as I'll be starting to work summer session on Thursday.

Last night I was playing with polyvore in the wee hours of the night (er, morning).  I had no idea that it was set to post to my blog....so every single item I imported into polyvore last night got posted as a separate post!  Sorry!  As soon as I realized it I went an deleted them all and figured out how to undo it for the future...

Here's what I was working on last night.....styling ideas for my much anticipated Flowers of the Field Floral Skirt from Ruche.  After the mix-up of sending me the completely wrong skirt, customer service sent out the correct skirt as soon as I confirmed that I shipped back the wrong one.  Plus, they were nice enough to email me a 10% coupon code for my next order.  However, I'm a little perturbed that they sent the package first class mail rather than the usual priority mail!  In my opinion, they should have upgraded the shipping rather than downgraded it in order to try to make up for THEIR mistake!  So I'm still anxiously waiting for the skirt to arrive.....I sure hope it fits after all this!!!
Here are some styling ideas I came up with in the middle of the night:

 

 

Floral with a pop of coral by meghan311 featuring metal jewelry




Ruche floral skirt with pops of teal by meghan311 featuring floral skirts

 flowers of the field skirt with soft summer colors by meghan311 featuring leather heels



Flowers in a field of straw by meghan311 featuring a flower skirt



denim, orange, and flowers! by meghan311 featuring cotton skirts

Pretty in Pink & Yellow

The Evil Ruche Switcharoo

I ordered this pretty skirt last Friday:

It was actually this photo from Ruche's look book that sold me on it:



I've been creating various styling ideas with items from my closet ever since I clicked the "submit order" button.  I've also been stalking the tracking number like a mad woman since then.  As soon as I woke up this morning, the first thing I did was grab my iPhone to check the tracking status...AGAIN.  To my delight, the USPS site said "out for delivery."  Horray!  It was going to be delivered today!

When the box finally arrived this afternoon, I ran inside and opened the box.  I couldn't wait to try the skirt on and in the back of my mind, I was already planning to wear it out to dinner this Friday. 

So imagine my anger when I realized they SENT ME THE WRONG SKIRT!  No, not just the wrong size....a completely different skirt!  And furthermore, not even something that is remotely my style...so there wasn't even the "pick-me-up" of being able to try on a different cute skirt instead.  Oh no!  I'm really disappointed considering I've been planning various outfit ideas for this Friday night....all of which include this skirt!!!

Well, I went to the Ruche website and I could not find a phone number anywhere.  The "contact us" link only gave a spot for me to submit a message.  So I did.....  I'm still waiting to hear back, but I really hope they offer to send the correct skirt via express mail so I can get it by Friday!

This same exact thing has happened to me twice with Boden too!   It happened the first time and this past time I ordered from them.  Which is a lot considering I've only placed a total of 3-4 orders from Boden ever!  Unfortunately, the first time it happened with Boden the item I had actually ordered was sold out in my size....ug!  I was angry.  This past time, they were very nice and offered to correct the error, but I had changed my mind and didn't want the cardigan afterall.  I'm hoping Ruche will demonstrate good customer service about the issue!

Has anyone else ever received something completely different than what you actually ordered???

Pond Reflections in Dayton

We went to one of my best friend's wedding receptions this past weekend in Dayton, OH.  She and her husband actually got married in December in the Dominican Republic, but they decided to have a small reception for close friends and family since only a handful of people came to their actual destination wedding.  Her husband is in the air force, so they held it at a cute lodge that is inside the air force base in Dayton.  There was a nice outside area too with a lake in the background (I think it looked more like a pond though, but maybe that was just because of subliminal messages from my dress.....)

I debuted the Pond Reflections dress and styled it exactly as I had created in a previous polyvore set.  I didn't get any pictures of just me....so here's a pic of me with my husband, one of me with my best friend, and one of me with the bride.  It was so nice to see some of my best friends.  We all went to high school together and are still very close (even though we don't live close!)  In fact, the gal in the blue was my maid of honor and the other two were bridesmaids.  A few of my other closest friends couldn't make it because they were on vacation...we missed them!

Dress: Anthropologie Pond Reflections Dress

Cardigan: LOFT

Belt: Anthropologie Balmy Belt

Shoes: Anthropologie Strappy Stepper Shoes

Clutch: Coach Kristin Leather Large Wristlet

And here's the Polyvore breakdown:

(I couldn't find the yellow clutch...so the polyvore includes the exact same one, just in navy)

Dressy-Casual Summer Wedding Reception by meghan311 featuring leather belts

Dress
$90 - anthropologie.com

LOFT crew neck top
$39 - anntaylorloft.com

Strappy shoes
$80 - anthropologie.com

Coach clutch
$108 - coach.com

Leather belt
$30 - anthropologie.com

My Current Wishlist - Anthro and Beyond

Here are some of my current wishlist items that I can't stop looking at online.

Anthropologie:

Lila Frock - $158

Calliope Dress - $168

Chelsea Morning Flats - $158

Open Agenda Wedges - $88

Lockstitch Tee - $68

Flimflam Tank - $68

Non Anthro Items:

Ruche: Flowers of the Field Floral Skirt - $42.99

Sundance: Katida Skirt - $98

Garnett Hill: Liberty Print Shift Dress - $128

What's on your wishlist right now?

OOTD: Sequins for the Start of Summer!

Today is the last day of work before summer break officially starts!  I'm only working a half day which makes it even better.  I'll have 3 weeks off and then I signed up to work the 6 week extended school year program.  I'm really excited about it because it's very laid back (I can pretty much make my own schedule and work as much or as little as I like), I will get to work with more preschool aged children and low incident cases, and best of all..........the pay is great!  And I sure could use some extra money right now! :)

Today is just a teacher/staff work day, so everyone dresses very casual.  I'm sure I'll probably be one of the more "dressed up" people even though I am still wearing denim capris.

 Top: Anthropologie Cygnus Tank (on sale $49.95 + 25% off)

Cardigan: J. Crew Outlet

Jeans: Gap Outlet Long & Lean

Shoes: BC Footwear Thicker than Water II Peep Toe Flats

Love the details on this tank.  I've already worn in a couple times and have gotten so many compliments.  It's still available online + it's on sale....so check it out!

After I get out of work I have to rush home to finish packing.  My parents are coming from Cleveland and they are going on a long weekend trip with my husband and I.  It should be a fun weekend...great way to start off the summer!  Hope you all enjoy your weekends as well!

Sale Picks: Accessories are Key

None of the clothes on my wish list went on sale yesterday.  However, a ton of jewelry, hair accessories, and belts on my wish list hit sale.  There were several pair of earrings that I really wanted, but sold out before I got around to placing my order after work.  Oh well....I still scooped these pretty accessories up!

Muranga Necklace - $29.95

I've had this saved on my wishlist for a long time, but I must admit it was a bit of an impulse buy when I saw it hit sale.  I justified it by the fact that it's colorful and looks like a fun accessory for summer.

Teacup Traditions Necklace - $39.95

I've been drooling over this ever since I first saw it.  I love the vintage vibe and it's uniqueness.  $40 is still pretty pricey, so I sure hope I love it as much in person as I do online.....

Mollusks Adrift Headband - $19.95

I bought a very similar headband from Anthro a couple years ago and LOVE it!  So this one was a no brainer for me.  I know I'll get a lot of wear out of this + I love anything that's moss green.

Deep End Barrette - $19.95

I've started wearing my hair half back more often lately and I'll be doing so even more as the heat and humidity flairs up in the summer.  I saw this at the store the other day and it's a great size and a beautiful color.

Skinny Weave Belt - $19.95

I'm always on the look out for more skinny belts, especially in different colors.  I've discovered that yellow can be an amazing neutral and will go with so much.

Balmy Belt - $29.95

As I mentioned on yesterday's post, I am obsessed with this belt.  Bought it in the other color (mint green) a few weeks ago and I've been stalking this color for a pop back in my size ever since.  I got lucky that another large popped up yesterday!  So now the magenta/tan version is on it's way to me..horray!

As you can see, I should be set on accessories for a while now, lol!  I probably wouldn't have ordered so much if it weren't for FREE SHIPPING!  Did any of you ladies take advantage of free shipping and order any sale goodies yesterday?  Please share!