Late night

I am all for a tailored outfit. I also think allowances should be made for when you leave your nest at 8:30 PM to hunt down your dinner (aka a big chunk of BBQ-ed meat). In these specific cases, you need something comfy but still cute and preferably with an elastic waistband to make the consumption of the said dinner easier!

Edgy classics

I am all for the classic pieces: a silk button down, a tweed blazer, skinny jeans. Sometimes however just plain classic it's not enough. That''s when I combine some offbeat items: a pair of metallic skinny jeans with a button down silk tunic which peeks from under the blazer... and unconventional stud earrings. Let's not forget them!

 

The look is still classic but somehow sharper, edgier!

April showers

Another short over long layered look! Seems these days I am in the mood for multiple layers which is fortunate since we are having a cold front visiting for a short time. April is finally living up to its name before it ends!

K-pop extreme

Don't take this outfit too seriously. These days I am binge-watching a new Korean TV show and am under the influence of the layered androgyn look of Korean boy bands. Plus it was chilly and the rain was expected! This shirt's tail was long enough too peek out from the trench.

I think I had an edgier pair of shoes to pair with this outfit but our shoe closet is in chaos due to remodeling and I couldn't find them.

Rest day

We are up to our necks in tiles and dust and electric and plumbing supplies, although it's Sunday. Ah well the more days they work, the sooner it's done! I'm so tired of noise and chaos that I'm taking a mental vacation. How about Sedona? It's beautiful this time of the year, red mountains and green trees:

d'Orsay pumps

I am not a big fan of pumps. They over heat my feet specially here in Arizona. Also they look too formal. d'Orsay pumps however are another story. Their low or nonexistent sides are not that confining to my comfort loving feet and the pointed toes are still feminine and pretty. I am in love with the two pairs I found so far. If only I could find them in black and pure white too.

All the textures of navy

For the first outing of this chambray top, I wore it with wide leg pants. The evening was cool enough for a plaid tuxedo jacket to top it off. Too monochrome? Believe me, the texture variation was amazing: Denim, soft chambray, taffeta, leather, suede... so good!

Simple & utilitarian

Another outfit which illustrated a simple truth: jogger pants are as comfy as sweatpants. Second confession? When in doubt wear a white top! I spent 10 minutes looking at different tops and couldn't decide which one would go best with these pants. At the end I turned to my trusty old white tee... and of course dressing it up with a cute jacket never hurts!

Sunset by the lake

After a full day of noise and stress from our remodeling project, we decide to take a long walk and watch the sun set over the lake and relax a little. Good thing I took this old denim blazer with me. It still gets chilly at night!

 

PS.1: Those bleach spots on the top? They are part of the design and not from some laundry mishap.  

PS.2: Thought to give you a glimpse of what we saw that evening:

Brunching

Brunch with friends requires a boxy top to hide the over stuffed tummy. Good thing I had this peplum ruffled tee in my wardrobe. It lent an air of respectability to my indulgence. And blue and white is a great way to say "warm weather and carefree". As always it's all about details!

Black jogger pants

I started liking jogger pants after moving to AZ. In a soft drape-y fabric their loose shape is perfect for the summer heat. Starting last year, I am assembling a collection and was glad to find a pair of joggers in black Tencel. It has all the comfort of sweatpants without the stigma. When worn with sharper accessories, it looks dressy enough for a weekend dinner and gives a delicious sense of cheating and getting away with it!

Why not...

Why not disconnect from all communications today. Just for a few hours. Go somewhere quite and serene. Enjoy the sunshine and blue skies:

 

Photograph some pretty flowers:

 

Relax and recharge like a cat, napping in the sunlight:

How to style a chambray t-shirt?

Until now, the usual chambray items in my wardrobe have been button-down shirts and dresses. This season however, I am thinking of adding a new chambray piece: a t-shirt. Not a tee in jersey fabric colored to look like classic chambray but a top in the tee cut, made from woven chambray fabric. Perfectly faded, drape-y, super soft. I have noticed Lyocell or Tencel fabrics are my favorites.

So suppose I found the perfect tee. How am I going to style it? So many ways, so little time.Currently I am thinking of wearing it:

-with wide leg pants and jeans, half tucked in or untucked. shoes: wedges or block heels.
-with either slouchy or fitted shorts and mostly flat shoes.
-with midi skirt, tucked or half tucked and ladylike shoes.
-with skinny jeans, untucked, with heels or flats.
-with coluttes, either casual or super fancy.
and as a bonus,
-with maxi skirts.

True blue

This tee is in such a gorgeous blue, all I could do was keep looking at it! To truly appreciate this color I matched it with tan and black, the dullest colors I know, which let it shine even brighter. Am I waxing poetics about a color? Well, it's bleu!

Blushing a lot

An evening of 77 degree temp was the perfect opportunity to wear this new blush blazer and my dear old blush jeans. The color was a balm for my bruised soul. Yes, maybe too much blush, maybe too pale, but that little splash of burgundy saved me... OK, I confess, I really really wanted to wear that blazer before the weather heats up again!

Almond and pistachio

As a title, it sounds more like an ice cream flavor! Not one of my best, plus the green is more emerald or jade than pistachio. It was a comforting laid back outfit though. I personally testify to the fact!

Cyan pepper and navy

Soft draw string pants and a t-shirt would have looked very casual. Since it was Sunday night you could have found people in pajamas walking and having dinner. I however prefer a more polished outfit, hence the jacket. It pulled everything together and made a statement.

Light and gray

For this outfit I took my cue from the skies, gray with the occasional fluffy white clouds. White on white is a look I never get tried of.

On shoes

No, you are not seeing double! I am a true believer of that old saying: "If the shoes fit, buy them in every color!" Last year I found these navy block heel sandals from Nine West and I fell in love with them. The shoes came in tan, black and green too. I was tempted to buy the green and tan pairs as well but then found other alternatives. This year however, as soon as I noticed that they've brought this style in white, I knew I have to have them... and the rest is history!

Denim and peach

Usually I avoid the color peach since all the teenage girls (and their mothers) wear it in Phoenix. However a cool evening promoted wearing my darling Sonoma jacket and I thought  about overloading on peach.
Interestingly enough, the BBQ diner was offering peach cobbler for dessert!

TGIF

You know some weeks just start on the wrong foot and keep getting worse? Those that you can't catch up or catch your breath? This was such a week. Nothing major, just little frustrations every single day... I can't emphasis it more, thank god it's Friday!

Navy and lace

All of my recent obsessions in one outfit, the flared jeans, the stripes, bucket bag, block heels, lace. Yes, the whole back of this little jacket is lace! Such a fun jacket! I am very thankful to weather gods for the cool temperature of lower 80s these days, I can wear my wide leg jeans and enjoy the trend to my heart's content!

White dots

Palette cleansing using black and white? No, the truth is it was a bit chili at night and I used it as an excuse to wear my darling flared white jeans...and of course being a matchy matchy person, I had to repeat the white throughout my outfit!

Too much of a lady

So many ladylike elements in this outfit: the midi skirt, the floral top, the pumps, the bag, the mix of ivory and coral,... Honestly, I'd forgotten how much I adore this silhouette.  All it took was a full midi skirt.

Easter frock

It used to be that people would buy a new bonnet for Easter parade and church but then it morphed into a whole new outfit. These days it means a flowery pastel kind of outfit. My dress? I bought it in November in Michigan when I was missing sunshine and flowers and happiness. I thought Easter would be the perfect time to debut this cute dress, an epitome of joy and spring.

City chic

A mellow color scheme of taupe in a loose and relaxed silhouette is the right outfit for a Saturday. Bunny earring because the next day was Easter!

Yellow blooms

Is matching yourself to your environment a thing? Either way, I couldn't resist wearing a bright lemon yellow top today since everywhere I look it's full of yellow flowers these days. Palo Verdes, Mesquites, and so many other native desert plants have yellow blooms. I'm smitten!

Be bold!

Mixing a bold print with a bold color might read as too eye-catching but these pants were going so well with the top that I had to risk it!

Floral blush

Two things that say spring: Floral patterns and blush color... and they go so well together! Have I became obsessed with color blush this season? You betcha!

Artwalk

A whole street in Oldtown Scottsdale is dedicated to art galleries. There are also metal sculptures lining the sidewalks. A pretty avenue for a relaxing walk after dinner.