light and blue

A busy but fun day requires a comfortable outfit, a bit loose, a bit structured, totally chill.

All white

Still dreaming of white lace blouses (Ref. yesterday's post) I wore the next best thing, my lace shirtdress and eyelet moto jacket. Trying to keep the all white from becoming to costume-y, I accessorized with light snake print and burgundy.

Holy Grail of Style: White lace blouse

For the last three summers I've been looking for a white lace shirt. My requirments are simple and not demanding:
-fitted close to the body but not tight
-made from cotton or rayon
-not sheer or see-through in chest area
-in pure white color, not cream, ivory or off white
-preferably  with a collar
I have increased my budget  as the time goes and still haven't been able to find that perfect blouse. Why is it so hard? Has my quest no end?!

Preppy checks

I thought matching a gingham shirt with the oxford pants would temper the preppiness of the pants nicely. The whole thing felt like a private school girl in her off hours. Oh, well!

Take a hike!

My usual outfit for a hike around the neighborhood. If I want to go on a trail I just change my shoes to sneakers. A thin long sleeved cotton top is the best sun protection. It also keeps you cool. Yes, I may look like a little old lady but imagine how hot those people in skin tight polyester tops and shorts must feel...and burning your skin to a crisp under AZ's sun is not sexy in my opinion.

Day to night

It was a day for running errands. In the afternoon:

Back home and a quick change for more errands and dinner. Since it was a bit chilly I switched to jeans and added a jacket:

Good thing my mom taught me to always look pulled together. Meeting my husband's colleagues at the sushi place was rather unexpected!

Pepper spicy

One of the trends this spring/summer is desert or spice color schemes. Knowing that and considering the hot summer weather, I decided to invest $15 on these linen pants from Forever 21! Going with the Spice trend thing, I call them Cyan pepper, you can call them rust. For their first outing I matched them with blush and spruce them up with more luxe finishes. Doesn't look half bad, does it?!

Palo Verdes in bloom

On Sunday we went to see the Palo Verde trees in bloom in Desert Botanical Gardens. A swirly dress to appreciate the happy atmosphere and a light jacket to protect my arms from the sun. My big hat and polarized sunglasses are not pictured here but were very much present. I avoid direct sun whenever I can, just call it heliophobia!

I love these trees with their green trunks and delicate yellow blooms.Imagine a long avenue lined with these beauties while a breeze rustles the branches and the petals rain on you. Too beautiful for words!

Spring amalgam

For a windy evening when you want to wrap yourself in something cozy, an oat colored sweater looks perfect. Although considering the 78 degree temperature I preferred to wear a thin one made of  linen. White jeans to acknowledge the spring, utility jacket for cool casual factor and a saddle style bag for a bit of ruggedness so the pearls won't take themselves too seriously!

Happy spring!

Happy Nowrooz! Happy Persian New Year! Happy the first day of spring! Wishing you all a great year ahead, stylish and joyful!

Full on indigo

The last navy/denim/indigo outfit of this week.I am so glad I found this denim t-dress last year. With cloudy skies and cool breezes it was the perfect time to wear it with navy tights and a light coat. Double denim, double pendants, double triple rings... more is more!

Indigo in rain

My way of appreciating a special piece? Letting it take the center stage by keeping everything else subdued. That was the case with this lovely jacket from Lucky Brand.Good thing it was cool and rainy so I could wear it with skinny jeans.

I love this jacket dearly. It speaks to some deep buried part of my soul, the bohemian 70s born part. Seriously, just look at those details:

Relaxed indigo

An outfit for running errands in the evening should be comfy and cozy. A navy striped cardigan with special trimming fits the bill.

Indigo stripes

Nights are still cool enough for a jacket even if it's an unlined soft one. Since jackets are an essential part of my style, when I don't wear them I feel under-dressed.
Navy, stripes, a blazer and red lips, everything I love in one outfit!

Gingham and indigo

Gingham shirt and wide leg high rise pants, such a  relaxed weekend look circa 1960s. I just needed a floppy hat to finish the look. I resisted but just barely!

Indigo dreaming

After a whole week of white, blush and black, I crave a bit of navy and indigo. Taking the fact that the weather has warmed up to 90 degree as affirmation, I now declare this "The week of Indigo"!!! I have to wear my jeans before it's too hot!

So glad I resisted the temptation and didn't donate these wedges. They are the only shoes that go with all of my wide leg jeans and flared pants.

Blushing motorist

This little eyelet moto jacket is the best topper for the sheer silk shirt. It also added an extra layer of texture to the rest of the outfit. Win win!

Blushing a little

A tiny bit of blush (or peach or coral) to keep an all white outfit from becoming too boring.

White, Impossible

A black and white comfy outfit for a quick dinner. I can't tell you how hard it was protecting the white from food stains. In a perfect world, restaurants would offer a smock (like painter's smock) to diners in white outfits!

Green shoots

I am starting the preparations for Persian New Year and growing green shoots (Sabzeh) is one of them. You may say I have green on my mind a lot these days.

The jacket may not seem like a good match for the rest of this outfit but I assure you in real life that silk tee has white piping at the hem and side seams! You just have to take my word on it: everything went together perfectly. Now if those shoots come up in time!

Spring blush

What would be more springy than a color scheme of white and blush with just a bit of burgundy to keep it from total candyland? I confess to being tempted to wear my blush colored jeans and carry a bush tone bag, but I resisted. All's well that ends well!

R&R

Let's take a day off!

Enjoy a walk in nature:

Smell some flowers:

and drink something sweet and delicious:

Blue Friday

I absolutely love this shirt (from Banana Republic, last year), so much so that decided to let it shine and planned the rest of my outfit around it. Keeping the shirt untucked, peeking out under the jacket was the best way to highlight its different blocks.

Click on the picture and enlarge to see the shirt's details!

Go for the tuxedo

I've told you before why black and white is my go to color combo. The amount of black in the outfit correlates directly with my mood. I am not in a good place these days so there is an over abundance of black in my wardrobe.

 

PS: Upon exiting my closet, my husband commented: Are those track pants?

My cold reply: Tuxedo pants! The most formal type of pants!

Musical comedy

What do you wear to a musical performance by a bunch of five year olds pretending to be crayons? I tried to go for a casual luxe outfit: casual beacasue the performers were in preschool. Geez, What's the big deal?! ...and luxe because the parents were all power players.

Spring showers

My antidote for the gloom of these days? A black and white combo which has been brighten up by epic red lips and the most delicate of gold jewelery.
These barely-there rings are so delicate you can wear one on each finger and still look understated!

Rain or shine

I hadn't got a chance to pack away my winter wardrobe which was fortunate. It rained and the temp dropped and I was prepared. Yes, it was preparation and foresight, not laziness... my story and I'm sticking to it! 

Marsala wine

Generally I prefer to drink Pinot Noir, but for the last night's party I went head to toe in Marsala. In real life my tuxedo jacket was taffeta and trimmed in shimmery gray. As for carnelian jewelery, I have a great weakness and a vast collection!

Checkered days

A cold front has brought a bit of cold and rain to our area and after a few weeks of springy weather it's back to more substantial coats. I unearthed my old well-worn navy pea coat and remembered why I loved it so much. For a nod to spring trends, I added this gingham shirt to the mix. Looks like it was made for my old standbys!