A New Year...but not so new clothes

I don't think it would come as a surprise to anyone who knows me that the last year has been incredibly rough for me. I've never been one to deal well with change, and my life has changed drastically in the last 12 months. A little bit (ok, a ton) of retail therapy really helped me out over that period, and I've decided that I really need a new hobby to take my mind off things. Preferably a free hobby, so if anyone has any ideas, I'm listening!

Today's outfit was a fun one. A friend of mine told me that I don't know the difference between "bar cute" and "professional cute," and to that I say, "PLLLBBBB!" I think I look cute in it, and for God's sake, I'm 29 (for a few more days), not 90!

Top: Martin + Osa (RIP...we hardly knew ye, but damn! you had some cute stuff) Silk Racerback Tank
Jeans: !iT Diva Jeans (aka, my favorite jeans in the world...I'm going to wear these until they dissolve)
Shoes: Banana Republic Flats
On the phone: Katie (Yes, we talk to each other at 7:00 in the morning. Don't judge me.)

Back to work...in my sister's clothes

Since I can't shop at actual stores, I choose to shop in my sister's closet. Today's outfit is courtesy of Katie's closet, and I'm not sure that I'm ever giving it back.

Top: J. Crew
Jeans: Paige Premium Denim (aka, jeans that I could never afford...but I'm kind of in love with them)
Shoes: Target (even Connor is pronouncing it "Tarzhay" these days...and even better because I bought them on sale 2 months ago)

Lori's Outfit of the Day

Time for another pair of 3" J. Crew Chino Shorts...

Top: J. Crew Jackie Cardigan
Shorts: J. Crew 3" Chino Shorts (This time in white...ooh!)
Belt: Banana Republic silk scarf
Shoes: Banana Republic flats (The chain on the front adds a certain je ne sais quoi.)

Lori's Outfit of the Day

Can you really go wrong with leopard or cheetah print? The answer to that question is probably a giant YES!, but I think this belt is kind of cute with a few of my outfits. Thank God for belts - even though I only own 4 of them, I feel like they can really dress up an otherwise boring ensemble.

Top: Banana Republic Timeless V-Neck Tee

Shorts: J. Crew Matchstick Denim Shorts (no longer available on the website, but I kind of love them)

Belt: J. Crew Leopard Patent Belt (I didn't spend even close to $40 on it)

Bracelet: J. Crew

Shoes: ???

Child Lounging on Couch: Connor

In other exciting news, I’ve decided that those temptresses at Zappos know me too well. I blame today’s near slip up on my Internet history. I don't claim to understand that much about technology, so thinking that my computer is spying on me and sending the information from things I look at to various companies freaks me out. I’m waiting for my computer to turn on me completely. Thank God I have a MacBook – no CD drive to pop out and try to eat my hand…or worse.

Zappos has been harassing me with ads for days. I made the mistake of looking for some cute new patent leather heels before I repaired my old pair (Yay for me saving money, right?). Now every website I go to comes up with ads for these beautiful shoes scrolling across the page. Yes, Calvin Klein is making some beautiful shoes this season. No, I don’t need them…but I want them. Facebook pulls the same thing. A few weeks ago, it actually posted an ad for “The Perfect Teacher Dress.” Are you kidding me? That’s like offering crack to someone who just got out of rehab. And Jenna from J. Crew is back at it, offering me an exclusive preview of their new shoe collection because I’m a cardholder. Katie told me to cancel all of my e-mail subscriptions, but that doesn’t help the Internet cache.

But I have willpower. Sometimes. Ok, not very often, but enough to get me through this challenge.

Lori's Outfit of the Day (aka, Sparkly Headband Day)

Today's outfit is an ode to sparkly headbands and ballet flats that look like house slippers. I'm going to make the perfect old woman. I'll wear too much makeup, dye my hair colors that aren't even close to my natural color, and toss on a few too many sequins for daytime. Hmm...I might be doing all of those things right now anyway. I also somehow manage to stock up on every color of the same pair of shorts. When you find something that fits, you just go with it...multiple times over...even if one pair has dragonflies on them (maybe those will have to make an appearance soon).

Top: Banana Republic Sheer Button Down (similar-ish here)
Shorts: J. Crew 3" Chino Short...This time in navy blue (Variety is the spice of life after all)
Shoes: Cheap Ballet Flats from Target (similar here)
Headband: Forever 21 Sequin Fancy Headband

Katie's Outfit of the Day - Waterloo

Do you ever have a random song just enter into your mind, particularly one you haven't heard in a really long time?  I was sitting at my desk today, busy fixing about 20 drawings, when the ABBA song "Waterloo" popped into my head.  And so I sat there for the rest of the day, singing it and wishing I had a white polyester jumpsuit on.  But of course, I didn't think to wear that today so here is what I actually did wear:

Top: Express 

Bottoms: Express (circa 2006)

Shoes: Kate Spade patent leather heels (the greatest shoes ever!)

Earrings: Coach

Puppy: Chloe :)

Where did it all begin?

I've been trying to figure out where my addiction to buying more and more clothes began. I think it can be traced back to the mid-80's. My dad had us convinced that we were destitute. I kind of doubt that we actually were, but we were never allowed to spend money. It's not like we didn't get the things we needed, but we also weren't allowed to be excessive (perhaps it would have been better if we had maintained that attitude into adulthood). I still remember shopping for mix and match outfits at Target during elementary school. Even worse, we occasionally had to shop at K-Mart (*shudder*)...never mind that my favorite winter coat ever was that cute blue one with the snowflakes on the cuffs that we bought from K-Mart.

I'll never forget the first time I got to shop at the GAP. I know, big deal. But it was to me at the time. I bought a forest green velvet blazer from the GAP in seventh grade. I thought I was SO cool. Of course, I looked kind of ridiculous, weighing about 80 lbs. and wearing giant shoulder pads. And it felt so amazing to spend $32 on a pair of jeans (remember when GAP jeans were that cheap? I'm lucky if I can find a good pair of jeans for under $80 today). I finally tossed that green blazer into the Goodwill pile about 5 years ago.

From that first GAP trip, I kept wanting more and more designer things. We moved from GAP to Coach to Kate Spade. I'm still convinced that designer products are made better than their generic knockoffs, but my excuse that they'll last forever doesn't matter when I don't even wear half of what I own.

-Lori