Leopard fever

I blame this mismatch of an outfit on fever. I had flu! ....and yes, the weather was so cold I had to take my puffer coat out of storage.

Holiday BBQ

Apologies, between holiday activities and a never-ending flu my posting has become a bit erratic!
For the last night BBQ party I was too sick to overthink my outfit. I piled up on red pieces in hope of a healthy glow (hahaha!) and then tempered everything with taupe accessories. Did it work? I leave that to you!

Winter white

I am all for trendy and youthful pieces like jeggings, laced-back riding boots and faux fur vests but I like to don them more elegantly. A winter white color palette with tan and brown accents seemed like the right choice. What do you think?

Christmas dinner

I fell in love with this sweater-dress as soon as I saw it in Anthropologie and had to have it. Christmas dinner with close friends was the best occasion to debut its simple elegance. My old Gap belt looked like it was made for this dress and a pair of copper earrings played up the shifting soft colors.

Hi- low sweater

I bought this sweater without noticing how low the front hem was. Then had to go through my whole closet looking for high-waisted leggings. So glad this taupe one had a decent rise. ...and that dictated the whole theme and color scheme of this outfit. Just picking whatever matched!

Winter solstice

A few years back our Winter Solstice celebration was a big affair, a party hosted either by us, friends or our community social committee. These days I prefer intimidate friendly gatherings which allows for chats and enjoyment of great food, great company, poetry and music. Monday night party checked all these boxes!

Sweaterdress

I have been pursuing the perfect sweaterdress for a few winters now. By chance and while in Canada this past September, I found this one in JCrew. It is close to that perfection I'm searching for but still... For now however, I enjoy it with a lighter coat and booties.

Just add a fur vest

In reference to my motto "why mess with a good thing", I replicated Friday's outfit but adding a fur vest and flat boots for a few hours of exploring a new neighborhood and its wonderful holiday decorations. A thriving shopping district didn't hurt the matters either!

Weekend leisure

Two requirement for my weekend outfits these days: comfy and warm. Flat shoes goes a long way toward that (pun intended) and then the comfort of color navy is there. Also playing with textures to keep things interesting!

Pre-holiday party

We gathered at our friends' house for a pre-holidays party before everyone heads to vacation destinations or their hometowns. I was prepared to fight off our unusually chilly weather with a cardigan and a coat but our friends kept the atmosphere all comfy and cozy. Plus dancing requires only a light dress! My over the top vintage earrings went great with the folky embroidery of this darling dress. A great mix of red and blue, my two favorite colors in one dress!

Winter casual

My favorite cold weather uniform for lounging around the house is a cozy knit tunic and a pair of warm leggings. For running errands and casual outings, I just switch to fancier pieces like a pair of leather leggings and a cashmere turtleneck tunic. Easy peasy!

Company party

For my husband's holidays company party, I went with the tried and true combination of little black dress and gold accessories. Why mess with a good formula, anyway! I did fell in love with this Tadashi Shoji black dress last year. I mean, just look at those nude mesh inserts, so understatedly sexy! The dress was sitting in my closet for a whole year waiting its moment of glory and then I decided to just amp up the sublime glam factor with employing my Missoni shawl to ward of the chill... and a heavenly match was made!

Winter layers

Let me sum everything up in one sentence: A turtleneck layered under your dress goes a long way in encouraging you to brave the cold rainy outside world. Also, a bit of deep blue brings a lot of cheer to your day!

Shopping for gifts

It is the hardest, shopping for others. Can I give everyone a set of hat/scarf/gloves this holidays? That's what I'm craving for myself right now, a super soft luxurious set to cozy in.
Anyhow, here was another day of going store to store and hoping for a miracle:

Collutes for cold weather

Winterizing a dark colored pair of collutes is easy. Add slim fitting boots, a heavier top and/or a coat. Here is my version for a brisk autumn morning (65degree F). If the weather cools down more, I will modify this outfit and post a new version. Stay tuned!

Tree lighting in downtown

The greatest thing about cold season outfits is how casual and comfy they could be. But add a classic coat and you are all dressed up immaculately. So, for a stroll downtown and watching the huge 30+ feet Christmas tree light up, just throw a red coat over your sweater and leggings and finish with boots and a plaid scarf. So perfect, so warm!

Make sure to enjoy the fake snow raining down on you! Maybe do a little dance too!

The stylish explorer

Dear hubby and I have started exploring the hiking trails and lakes around the Phoenix area. For an afternoon visit to Bartlett lake I wore something that could protect me from the elements specially the chilly evening winds of the mountains but cute enough for an hour in the coffee shop afterwards.

Shopping outfit

I usually take a break Friday afternoons and go to a coffee shop in the mall. For holiday season, those quite afternoons paging through magazines and books has turned into shopping missions. That means comfortable shoes you can walk in for 5 hours. Then if you still have time, you can have a quick cup of hot chocolate to reward yourself for all your hard work.

Thanksgiving dinner outfit

Since I was the hostess of Thanksgiving dinner in our circle of friends, my outfit was all about comfort and practicality. This great embroidered silk dress struck the perfect balance of dressy and comfort. Of course my only accessories were those that wouldn't restrict my hostess duties. A dramatic lipstick and shiny pair of earrings always dress things up nicely without interfering much.

Casual BBQ outfit

Before weather cooled down in September, we had friends over for a BBQ and I ignored all the rules of dressing for a poolside BBQ. I went with light colored collutes and gold everything else. It was cool and comfortable even if I had to remove some persistent stains later on!

Party outfits for Holiday season

These days I mostly attend family dinner parties with little kids running and playing in the background. My party outfits have changed to accommodate the family air and occasional spilled pasta sauce and forgotten piece of chocolate cake. If something goes wrong there would be no serious harm to my precious outfit! Here are three outfits I've worn to these semi-casual gatherings:

Long time, no post!

Wow! When I said my postings would face some technical difficulties I didn't know it would take more than three months to resolve everything. Anyhow this is one outfit from September which I enjoyed wearing.

Let's hope my posts go uninterrupted from now on!

Some technical glitches

Dear readers,
My laptop died unexpectedly and all my files are currently in limbo. I am working to fix everything and hopefully by Monday I'll be back to posting outfit pictures.
In the meantime, you can check my Instagram for twice daily postings.
Apologies and thank you for visiting. 

Moss green

For us in southern states, the fall comes late, sometimes at winter; doesn't matter how much we want to follow the Fall fashion. With our 108 degree temp right now, any autumnal item is out of the question. In my desperation I've become creative and wear the colors not the textures. That's the case for going head to toe in soft greens.

Black and white view

The weather gave us a preview of Fall with some thunderstorm and a few hours of rain which I appreciated by wearing joggers. These are made of Tencel (Layocell) and still pretty light and breezy but have the appearance of respectable Fall pants.
And we know appearance are every thing, no?!

Pink posy

I fell in love with this little tee the first time I saw it. It is aptly "Posy" on Anthropologie's website for all the little pink and purple and yellow flowers on it. It is also in a sheer silk chiffon! For its first outing I put the focus on the floral print and matched it with hot pink grounded by indigo.

What I like for Fall:

I am ecstatic about the 60s and 70s revival this Fall. I love the clean lines and artistic appeal of  60s. I also have a little bohemian girl in my heart who adores flared jeans and fur vests.
So I'm currently thinking about:

-a black dress or shirt embroidered with Moroccan or Bedouin motives.
-any thing in suede or shearling. Dress, coat, jacket, skirts, all fair game!
-Oxford or college shoes, multicolored and in suede, of course!
-top handle crossbody bags, any color, any material... I'm not choosy!

Purple petals

Although my colors of choice are pretty predictable (neutrals, blues, a bit of red and orange), sometimes I surprise even myself with an outsider color combo. This combination of petal pink and purple was such one.

Mediterranean colors

Light blues, golds, oranges and reds.... this whole outfit puts me in the mood for a Greek or Turkish tile work or fresco. Does it show I need a vacation?!

Deceptive dressing

This outfit is full of happiness, light and sweetness, flowers and pastels and soft feelings. The appearances can be quite deceiving. Let's just say my evening was anything but and leave it at that!

Embroidered top

I love this little top with its white on white lace and embroidery details. To put the emphasis on these darling details I accessorized with white.

Alfresco dinner

These sultry warm nights are perfect for dinning on the terrace and lingering at the table with a drink. Somehow dangly earrings add some formality and charm to the occasion, kind of like a character in an old movie.

Checked denim dress

Getting my hands on this little chambray/denim dress became a saga last Fall. When I first found it online, it was the end of summer and I was in Michigan. The weather was cooling down and I was expecting to move so ordering the dress didn't seem such a great idea. Then it went on sale but I still wasn't sure about my address. Then it was sold out and I was regretting not buying it. By November I'd made peace with not owning the dress.... then in early December I was visiting the local Anthropologie in Ann Arbor (MI) and  this dress was on the sale rack. In size extra small and for less than $29. I didn't hesitate. It was meant to be!

 

And now I wear it with a sense of achievement in the118 degree heat of Arizona. It looks pretty good!

Perceptive blue

Surrounding a multi color print with one color makes it dominant. It's a rule I've came up with and am employing it with great success (wink!). Here you can see by using lots and lots of blues I drew out the blue and navy in this print and made them more noticeable. Anyhoo, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Pretty lady

This dress is deceptively ladylike... It is also the coolest and lightest dress imaginable. Great choice for a little dinner party we had to attend. Another virtue of this dress: it allows you to eat as much as you can because of its hidden elastic waist. All is all, I wish I can wear it everytime I go out!

A magical dress

For a little girl's birthday party you need low heeled shoes since there is a lots of walking and running and standing up involved. Good thing everything goes with this dress: navy, green, orange, gold... plus the birds of paradise print is festive and summery.

Black and white accents

I usually use red to accentuate a black and white look. This time around I used my back and white top to ground and mellow out all the reds of the outfit. I think it worked pretty well and made the top the focal point.

Hotter than Hades!

My car's thermometer hit 122! I would have stayed home if I knew how high the temp was going or at least have worn something much breezier. But when I checked the temp before leaving the house it was a tame 109 degree. The trickster Arizona weather is out to get me!

White on white

I love this dress but it seems I can't find any other colors to pair it with except white and navy... and then it gets old pretty fast! The real reason I am not wearing this dress as much as I want. Hmmm, inspiration inspiration?!

Cropped top, high waisted pants

Why mess with a good formula? This outfit worked a couple of days before, so it made my getting ready so much easier this time around. Just coordinating the colors, that was all.

A-line chambray dress

You all know how much I love this old dress of mine and how many times I've worn it these past three years. No surprise then since I found a little replica of that dress in Forever 21 and bought it without hesitation. This little one has a more youthful vibe being shorter with a much lighter wash. It is also undoubtedly perfect for high humidity and above 110 degree temp. So good!

Tie-front wide leg pants

What do you wear for a day at the museum? I went with these pants which I bought in the spring but the weather didn't allow me to wear until now. In reality it is still too hot for wearing pants but thank goodness for over-AC-ed interiors! These pants look different and special with the front tie. To appreciate the spirit of modern art, I paired the pants with my cropped abstract print top. Good choice really, the museum collection of modern art was far superior to its classical one.

The green of tropics

The level of humidity we are experiencing is almost the same as a tropical island... hmmm, Bahamas or Hawaii maybe. I just wish we had the same green landscape and the clear blue oceans too.

Global accents

I have a bad case of wanderlust but am chained to my obligations at home. Positive side is using it as inspiration for dressing: African print skorts, Grecian sandals, chain earrings and a saffron color top which probably was inspired by Nepalian monks. Wow, pretty exotic traveling right here!