December 31, 2011

Cheers!

Finding the perfect New Years Eve outfit is always a quite the search for me. Maybe because I start that search a bit late. Or maybe because I always have something specific in mind that never seems to exist. Either way, it seems like each year I have a tougher time finding something I like.


This year I brought/ordered about 10 or so dresses before narrowing it down to the final 2. At this point, it's looking like it's going to be a game time decision.

NYE2
{BB Dakota}

NYE1
{Urban Outfitters}


Which dress do you prefer?



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December 29, 2011

Hazy

12/28/11 1
{Top: J Crew, Sweater & Necklace: LOFT, Pants: Limited, Shoes: Bandolino}

12/28/11 4

12/28/11 2

12/28/11 3

Some days my brain works better than others. Usually, those days aren’t after holiday weekends and 10 hour retail shifts the day after Christmas. To say I’m recovering from over indulging in Christmas cookies and a lack of sleep is an understatement. In my daze this weekend, I also managed to leave a good amount of my clothes at my parents’ house. But hey, I’m a clothes hoarder so I’ll make do. Although skirts and dresses are out of the picture until I pick up my collection of tights from good ole Mom and Dad’s {Christmas was also laundry day}. So pants it is. And since my brain is still in warm-up mode, I took a page out of Kendi’s book blog and went a look based on hers. Hopefully, my brain will be a little more awake tomorrow.

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December 28, 2011

Year in Review: Fall

Fall
Whirlwind | Effortlessly

Fall
A Wee Bit | Monkey See, Monkey Do

Fall
Over Here | This blog could be called...

Fall
Another day, another obsession | Timing

I'm wrapping up my year in review today, finishing with a look at a few my favorite outfits from the fall. This fall was a lot like the first title above, a whirlwind. Worked picked up, I started grad school and I returned to the world of retail worker for the holidays. I'm not quite sure what I was thinking, but I survived.


For a look back, here are the other 2011 year in review posts.
Winter | Spring | Summer

Thanks for following along with 2011 year in review. Looking forward to a fantastic 2012!



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December 22, 2011

Go with the flow

12/20/11 2
{Top: Express, Skirt: J Crew, Tights: Hue, Necklace: Banana Republic, Boots: Macys}

12/20/11 3

12/20/11 4

12/20/11 1

I've been trying to refrain from my usual "tuck anything and everything in" mantra when it comes to skirts lately. Although, my regimented self kicked in and I tried to tuck in this sweater just to see what it might look like. But being that it's a wee bit cropped, the sweater completely rebelled against being tucked in. I figured it was a sign and just went with it. Throw in some red tights and felt just the right amount of festive.

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December 21, 2011

Swapped

12/14/11 2
{Top & Skirt: Banana Republic, Cardigan: J Crew, Belt: H&M, Boots: Steve Madden}

12/14/11 3

12/14/11 1

When I was thinking how I would first wear this top, this not exactly what I had in mind. A swapped midi skirt for a mini, a change of tights and a cardigan later and I was here. And to be honest, I like this combination better than what I had envisioned. Sometimes you just have to get out of your own head and let the outfits come to you.

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December 20, 2011

Caving

12/16/11 3
{Top: Target, Sweater: Anthro, Jeans: J Crew, Necklace: Stella & Dot, Shoes: Target}

12/16/11 5

12/16/11 4

12/16/11 1

With the day off on Friday, I not only managed to finish my Christmas shopping but I also managed to get in an outfit post with jeans. Major blog accomplishment. Also if you’re wondering what is weird about these pictures, my bangs are pulled back. I’ve been debating growing out my bangs for a while now. This is usually the point in the process {the do or die phase I like to say} where I give in and make an emergency appointment with my hair dresser. I’m really trying to have some restraint but I have to admit I’m on the verge of caving.

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December 19, 2011

Year in Review: Summer


Summer
The Verdict is Still Out | Naturally

Summer
The Next Best Thing | I say high, you say low

Summer
A Good Friend | Third time's a charm

Summer
Easy Does It | Goofball

This summer was a little bit all over the place. Lots of trips {Vegas, Nashville, Pittsburgh}, a few hair color changes {which you can see above}, lots of bridesmaid duties and enjoying the last little bit of free time before going back to school. A good amount of these outfits are from the summer 30x30 remix, aka the remix that took almost the entire summer to complete. But hey it was summer! Summer can be an excuse for almost anything, right?

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December 16, 2011

Quick Hello


Friday

Just popping in quick to say hello and Happy Friday! I have the day off today so I'm off to try to finish all of my Christmas shopping {and maybe find something little for myself}.

Have a great day!

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December 15, 2011

The Other Way

12/12/11 3
{Dress as a Top: H&M, Skirt: NY & Co., Cardigan: J Crew, Tights: Hue, Shoes: Bandolino}

12/12/11 1

12/12/11 2

I wore this dress a few times on the blog last winter, but since then I’ve been stumped as to how to style it next. Red is not the easiest color for me to style/wear, not sure why, it just isn’t something I naturally gravitate towards. So I looked back at how I wore this dress last year and remember that I styled it as a skirt. Which got me thinking, why don't I wear it the other way around?!

Not as in backwards silly, but as a top! Finding a skirt that was long enough to conceal the fact that this was actually a dress took a few tries but in the end I think it worked out pretty well.

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December 14, 2011

Flower Power

12/9/11 4
{Top: NY & Co., Cardigan: Francesca’s, Pants: Limited, Necklace: Stella & Dot, Shoes: Alfani}

12/9/11 1

12/9/11 3

12/9/11 2

I've tried avoiding buying more flowery things lately, but it’s almost as if anything floral just jumps in the shopping bag and comes home with me {florals are starting to give my stripe collection a run for their money}! Like this cardigan, or the shirt from yesterday. Both floral, both fairly recent purchases that I could not resist buying. I just can’t seem to resist. I suppose you could say I've succumb to the power of the flower{s}.

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December 13, 2011

Enigma

12/13/11 4
{Top & Jacket: Gap, Pants: Limited, Belt: J Crew, Necklace: Express, Shoes: Alfani}

12/13/11 3

12/13/11 2

12/13/11 5

Well I’m glad to report I finished my first quarter of grad school! All those lost hours of TV watching were worth it when I saw I managed an A in Statistics. To be honest, I really missed my usual TV schedule over the past 10 weeks, so I did my best to recoup all that TV watching this weekend. Which basically means I stayed in my pajamas most of Sunday and watched entire seasons of things like The League and Downton Abbey. Yep, I’m both a fantasy football fanatic and lover of period piece British television. I’m enigma tied up in corset, eating finger foods like mini corn dogs.

Sequins + Sparkles | Everybody, Everywhere

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December 12, 2011

Year in Review: Spring

Spring
A Personal Best | Either Way

Spring
These Shoes Were Made for Blogging | Jump Around

Spring
Putting It Out There | Be My Guest

Spring
Almost Paper Doll | Call Me Crazy

Spring may have been my favorite season from last year. I moved into my own little shoebox of an apartment {I say with affection apartment, I promise}, traveled a lot of work {remember my great guest posters?} and decided to start the process of going back to school {now I'm done with my first quarter}. All in all I think it was a pretty good few months.


Stay tuned for next week's look at some of my favorite summer outfits!

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December 9, 2011

Cheetah

12/8/11 4
{Jacket: Tommy Hilfiger, Scarf: Fossil, Purse, Coach, Tights: Ann Klein, Sunglasses: Versace, Boots: Target}

12/8/11 3

12/8/11 2

It's taken me almost a year to break out these cheetah tights. As much as I love a good animal print, I wasn't sure they'd go over so well at work. So I kept it simple and wore a black dress and camel scarf. Obviously you can't see my dress since I'm bundled up in my winter coat {did I mention it's officially freezing}. But trust me it's just your run-of-the-mill dress.

I may have just been paranoid, but I'm not sure how the tights went over. At least I didn't get any random comments. But then again maybe my legs scared away the usual commentary. Rawr!

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December 7, 2011

“Present the Best You” Contest presented by Monster.com

At some point in life we all grow up, pack away our school supplies and enter the work force. But before we land that dream job, we usually go through an interview process. Not all interviews and jobs are alike so depending on your field, interview and work attire can vary too!

As a part of Monster.com’s "Present the Best You Contest" and the launch of their new Facebook App, BeKnown, I’m sharing a few tips for dressing for interviews and the work place. The outfits below are 2 examples based on a Creative and a Traditional business/business casual work environment.

Creative

Traditional


The Interview
It probably goes without saying that when it comes to an interview you want to present yourself in a professional manner. A suit is typically the way to go, but you can always mix it up a little with color and accessories. Don’t be afraid to ditch the black suit for something that better fits your personality. That could be mixing and matching pieces from different suits or adding a pop of color for a unique interview outfit. If you’re interviewing in a traditional business environment, any neutral suit will do the trick. Either way, mix in a little bit of your personality with a great bag, different fabrics or accessories.

With all of that you want to keep the industry of the company in mind. Are you interviewing at a financial company or maybe a start up? Once you have an idea of what’s appropriate go ahead and picked out your interview outfit. Having your pieces chosen will help you stay on time the day of your interview. But don’t stop there, make sure to try your outfit on! This helps to ensure the last step – being comfortable. The last thing you want to be thinking about during your interview is how uncomfortable your clothes are. You want the focus of your interview to be you – so avoid anything too restricting.

First Day
So you landed the job, congrats! But how do you dress going forward? Again research is key- is your job business, business casual or casual attire? It’s important to know the expectations for your office when getting dressed for work. Think back to what you’re interviewer wore – this may give you a good idea of what’s appropriate on a day to day basis. If you’re unsure err on the side of caution. Dress a notch above what you think is expected until you have a better idea of what’s acceptable. It's better to be over-dressed than under-dressed, right?


Monster.com recently launched BeKnown, a professional networking app for Facebook. BeKnown allows you to set up a professional profile directly on Facebook that is completely separate from your personal Facebook page. You can also check out the BeKnown app for your iPhone.


Disclosure: Today’s post is an entry for the “Present the Best You” contest sponsored by Monster. As an entrant I received gift pack including a makeup kit and professional business card holder provided by Monster Worldwide. Please know that all content is my own and is not influenced by outside sources.

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December 6, 2011

Sometimes life happens, thankfully there is instagram

Let me preface this by saying, this is not an exaggeration. Seriously, ever since my last post and that comment about rain, I swear it hasn't stopped. Between dreary days and my first round of grad school finals, I really haven't had the time, effort or need to get soaking wet to manage taking outfit photos. I really don't like neglecting the blog {she is my favorite hobby after all}, but sometimes getting out of bed, focusing on school and managing a work day is all I can muster.

But I haven't been completely neglecting my outfits. Here's a little glimpse of some of things I've been wearing via instagram {you can follow me @lizurso}

Post Thanksgiving loose top and leggings. I'll be wearing a version of this all week.

Simple with a bit of orange pop

I apparently I dress up final exams. Times are a changin'!


Also a big thanks to this guy for helping me get through the last week or so.


Let the Sunday study session begin!



More importantly, how are you guys?

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