Wednesday Wishlist - Shirtdresses

I am all about those pieces that you can just grab and throw on but still look like you have a sense of style and tried a little.  Shirt dresses are like that.  Often basic so you can mix them up with various layers and accessories, but they still work on their own to just throw on and go.  I've rounded up some of my favorites for the fall season below.

Top to bottom, left to right:

• Plaid is so in for fall, and I'm loving this shirtdress for it.  Also has pockets - score!!  Can't you see it with a denim jacket and booties?  Or what about a light colored cardigan and some suede OTK boots?
• Starts out simple with a white shirtdress, then gets fun with the black neck tie.  Wear it with some black crop pants and pointy toe shoes to the office, or alone with strappy stilettos for an evening out.
• This army/olive green is another hot color for fall, as well as the military styling.  I like the shape the self belt give it.
• The pretty teal and white graphic pattern on this one is what caught my eye, as well as the feminine silhouette.  Perfect for the office, as well as casual weekend wear.  
• How cute is the fringe on this one? It's like business on top, party on the bottom, LOL.  The contrast is fun and unexpected.
• Can't go wrong with a classic neutral, and this one reminds me of Michael Kors styles I've seen without the MK price tag.
• The black and white stripes and slim silhouette make this a flattering yet fun office look.  Also love the white collar and cuffs.
• A bit more on the boho side, this one is very loose and comfy, with cute embroidered detailing along the hem.  And pockets again! Whoohoo! (also on significant sale.)
• Another basic that would last from season to season, you can't go wrong with this denim shirt dress.  Button up front and belted waist, I see this with a felt fedora, plaid scarf and tall brown boots.
• Speaking of Michael Kors, here he is.  This belted style has a retro feel about it, with it's full skirt and pleats.  Very feminine.
• Love the mid-calf length of this one, and the dolman fit of the top with the hip-tie detailing.  Classic but different.
• This one is so on-trend for the fall with the suede and the rich jewel tone.  It also comes in tall sizes for those who need a little extra length (that'd be me. :) )

Softest Sweater EVER

[Fall style - color block - fringe - sweater - booties]

Well, hello there, November.  Didn't see you coming.  Got preoccupied with little dude's first Halloween as a trick-or-treater.  I wasn't sure what to expect from him, but he seemed to have fun.

I was a little worried that the day was going to be off: we left to drive from LA to Orange County a little later in the morning than I'd hoped, and once you become a parent you understand the importance of planning travel around your child's energy level and nap times.  My son needs to take a good long nap mid day to make it to bedtime without a melt down, and that usually happens around noon.  However, if he has to sit in the car for longer than 20 minutes (which the drive to OC from LA is) he could possibly fall asleep for a mini-nap, and that will mess up his afternoon nap schedule. (Don't we all remember falling asleep during car rids as kids?) Well, that's what happened this time.  And he slept for only about 30 min, when we woke him up and then fed him donuts (Daddy had been wanting to try Sidecar Donuts).  So not only did he have a little refresher nap, but then we fed him sugary donut. Great parenting, LOL.

And it did indeed mess up his afternoon nap. Instead of noon to about 3p, he finally went down around 3:30.  But he slept til 5:30 (which on a normal day would mess up bedtime) but it actually worked out perfect for an unusual night of running around a neighborhood collecting candy from strangers, LOL.

 We dressed him in his Lakers sweatsuit to pretend he was a basketball player.  He doesn't understand the concept of costumes yet, so he wouldn't wear anything puffy or on his head.  He had his pumpkin bucket he kept a death grip on the whole evening, and he quickly figured out, by following his 5 year old cousin up to the doors, to hold his bucket out and people would give him things.  He could only say "treat" (of "trick or treat"), but that's the most important word anyway, right? :)

Sweater, necklace, bag, jeans, boots

The weather had been warm this weekend, but when we were out trick-or-treating, it was perfect and cool.  I can tell fall is ALMOST here.  Which is good, because I want to wear this sweater everyday, it is SO soft and comfy.  It's only 3/4 sleeves, which works well for our quasi-fall temps in SoCal, and I love the colors.

This fringe bag is the perfect size, and while it's faux suede, it's really good quality, no one would be able to tell.   And if you read my bucket bag post from last week, you know that hands-free cross body straps are a necessity of mine with the little dude around.

The booties are very comfortable, but I found they run a little narrow so I sized up, and I love them.  I scored these at a Sole Society sample sale, but they're still available for regular purchase as well.

I hope you all had a fun and safe Halloween, and are ready to start the holiday countdown!!

Trying to catch up to his cousin

He wasn't sure which was better, the candy or the big dog on the otherside of the gate. Or those pig figures on the porch, lol.

Heading to the next house with his best bud, Grandpa.

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No One is Perfect

I am of the generation that remembers life without email (even without cell phones! I first learned to make phone calls on a rotary phone. Do people even know what that is anymore?).  I am totally dating myself, but AOL was the beginning when I was in school. We had to listen to the dial-up modem sound as we logged in to check our email.   We had pagers to keep in contact with our friends, and numerical codes to send messages (early texting shorthand: 143 = I love you, etc.)  

Then social media came along - we all had MySpace first, then Facebook blew up.  And everything has seemed like warp speed since then.  It's really hard to imagine life without all this tech now, but I do actually remember it, and am thankful I grew up when I did.  I think the stages of my life perfectly coincided with the growth of technology: I was young enough to grow with it, so it wasn't like I was trying to play catch-up learning it all, but the tech itself was still mild enough that I was able to get through the 'tough years' (aka adolescence) without the often harsh and critical social media world weighing on me.  While social media has created so many new, positive, creative forums and connected people in positive ways, it has also created a place for cowardly, immature and ignorant people to have a more profound effect than they ever should.  

And even as an adult, it can be hard not to let the media ( in all its forms) get to you.  Its only human to compare ourselves to each other, and its hard to remember that what we're seeing is only what other's want us to see.  I took some dorky photos during this session, but I obviously only used the ones I liked in this post.  I compare myself to others as well, and then judge myself.  But my goal of this blog is to be who I am, and share who I am and what I have to offer, and not be anyone else.  Because no one is perfect. And everyone is different. We all just need to be the best version of ourselves.