March Closet Additons

Even while my total for this month is about average, hovering around $200, I definitely feel like I spent more than I should have, and I honestly have no justification for the thing I spent the most on, the Banana Republic maxi dress. I got it at a good discount, but that is besides the point. When am I going to wear this dress?

I also went into TJMaxx knowing I had a gift card, but overspent there too, coming home with three pieces instead of the one the gift card covered. The black top in the image below is actually a stand-in for the dress I got. It looks exactly the same, just longer. I could only find the top on their website, but this is what the dress looks like on.





Thyme & Honey French Terry Balloon Sleeve Dress, $25 at TJMaxx
Cupio Gingham Tie Front Dress, $30 at TJMaxx (a couple sizes here)
Fit and Flare Maxi Dress, $56 at Banana Republic
High Rise Button Fly Jeans, $34 at Gap
Sculpt True Skinny Jeans, $23 at Gap
Cascade Ruffle Sleeve Blouse, $15 at Ann Taylor
Nanette by Nanette Lepore Ruffle Bottom Pants, $20 at TJMaxx
Silk Floral Scarf, $15 at Ann Taylor

Button Up Buttercup

High wasited jeans on short waisted people is delicate balance of proportions. Still, I had to have these jeans. I was in love with the button fly, something I've not had since high school (they were a pair of mint green denim shorts, and my favorite thing to pair them with was a finely knit lavender cami). When I saw them peppering the spring lineups, that bit of nostalgia was all I needed to click 'add to cart'.

I was initially intimidated by Gap's description of these jeans being 'super high rise'. I imagined something along the lines of Madewell's 10" rise version, however they are only 7" high, and that is only 1" more than their mid rise. The disappointment lies in the inseam length - these are a far cry from a cropped jean on my 5'-2" frame, and I don't trust myself to duplicate the frayed hem. Aside from that, they still feel like denim, but have enough of a stretch that they aren't 'standing room only' jeans. Considering they are currently on sale for $45, I'd say they are a good buy.

        

The Rundown
White Tee Loft similar
Grey Cashmere Cardigan TJMaxx similar
High Rise Button Fly Jeans Gap
Silver Regan Mule c/o Vionic
Willis Bag Vintage Coach thrifted similar
Silk Floral Scarf Ann Taylor
Loop Earrings Mejuri
Thin Gold Ring Etsy via Ellyn Blue Jewelry

Linking up with Classy Yet Trendy's Trendy Wednesday
and

Stylin' in St. Louis's Spotlight Linkup

and

Elegance & Mommyhood's Thursday Moda

Spring Blows In

Nevermind that deceptive sun and the fact that it's the first day of spring, a faux fur coat is still wildly appropriate outerwear.

If I'm being honest, I'd prefer to be in hibernation until more of the world reflects spring than the date.

I spotted the first green of my tulips emerging from the earth, a true feat that they return year after year. While I don't consider myself someone with a black thumb, I am still in awe of those tulips. Year after year, they persevere. They push through the snow, they bloom. They don't complain about the cold or the wind or the rain. They just bloom, and bring beauty into my world.

         

The Rundown
Wrap Blouse Banana Republic
Black Jeans Old Navy
Leopard Fur Coat JCP similar

Nude Pumps "Natalie" Naturalizer
Willis Bag Vintage Coach thrifted similar
Crystal Chevron Earrings Express similar
Pave Triangle Necklace TJMaxx similar
Thin Gold Ring Etsy via Ellyn Blue Jewelry
Crystal Bar Ring Upper Metal Class

Peaks of the Week

❖ Yet another nor'easter rolled through this week. No one showed up at work but me (not uncommon) so I got to have music on all day. My Discover playlists on Spotify have been good lately, giving me little gems like Stranded by Flight Facilities.

❖ This week we celebrated Pi Day. While I like to celebrate with pie,  it's far more mathematical side is quite interesting, as we have uncovered 22 trillion digits of Pi, with no end in sight.

❖ My mom's birthday cake came out really well, and the two of us had it polished off by Wednesday night. This meme pretty much sums it up.

❖ Thankfully we had a Chocolate Lemon Pie waiting in the wings. (We are allegedly cutting back our sugar intake after Easter my birthday.)

❖ I feel like I was off the market when online dating really exploded and somehow became more normal than meeting people in real life. I've never actually tried it, and after reading this article, I have even more reservations.

❖ Apparently what was a subtle creeping of 80's fashion has now become a full blown invasion. I for one have no desire to wear anything involving giant shoulder pads or print mixing in primary colors. Though I might have a soft spot for a statement belt.

❖ We share a lot of our lives online as bloggers, and for some, death too.

❖ Sam shared some adorable gingham pieces under $100 in anticipation of spring. I can't choose between this Target skirt or this J.Crew Factory one.

❖ This article about our nation's obsession with home renovations brought up some good points, and it does kind of feel like we are losing some of our individuality on a quest for clean white spaces. Admittedly I'm just as guilty for idolizing white kitchens.

❖ E's structural handbag is making me swoon.

Chocolate Lemon Pie for Pi Day

Happy Pi Day! I don't have a typical post for today, because I wanted to introduce you to a new project. For a while I'd mused about the idea of starting a food blog, I even had the name all picked out, but never felt like I'd have the time and energy to get it off the ground while still running this blog. Then last year my mom said she wanted to start a food blog, and that she'd do it with me. I was anxious to get the ball rolling, registered a domain, and got things set up with blogger (clearly, I'm afraid to leave my comfort zone). There was an attempt at a cheesecake recipe and then... nothing.

I forged on, learning the nuances of getting a food blog set up - apparently all the cute recipe card widgets are in the Wordpress only club - but I did eventually find a template I could use that would be pinterest friendly. My only still persistent technical problem is that I can't get the domain to redirect without the 'www' - as it turns out the instructions I followed six years ago when I set up my domain don't work presently. If anyone knows how to fix this, message me please!

That was a year ago, and no amount of badgering on my part seemed to get my mom to embrace the blog. However, it was not something I was ready to let go of, and since I'm back home again, I traded nagging for insistence. I demanded she choose a recipe for Pi Day, and she chose the Connecticut native pie, Chocolate Lemon. She did the baking, while I took care of the technical aspects of photographing, editing, and formatting the post. She wrote the copy.

I'm determined to make posts on the food blog weekly, with the focus largely being on classic family recipes, the ones my siblings and I would always be calling my mom for, the ones which feel like home.

Anyway, I hope you will check out Cooking In Cashmere and give it some love!

Sweater and Jeans Ad Nauseam

I took outfit photos six times in February. I feel like that has to be some sort of record low. Even the coldest of times, I used to be so dedicated. I can even remember some of those days very clearly thinking, "Why, oh why, am I standing out here in the freezing cold with this tripod taking photos?"

I feel a little guilty, because when I started blogging it was in part to motivate me to want to dress my best every day. Now it's more like, wear jeans and a sweater every day, but maybe put on some cute heels the day I take photos. Just because I don't like wearing tights anymore doesn't mean I have to write off winter style, and while I ride out these last few weeks of winter (because the reality is that it is still winter) I feel like I should try harder to make the most of it in a way I haven't been these last few months.

I suppose now that I've got that extra hour of daylight I have one less excuse for not taking photos on weekdays.

        

The Rundown
Snow Bird Sweater Lou & Grey
Grey Jeans Gap similar
Nude Pumps "Natalie" Naturalizer
Fur Bag Vintage via Roundabout similar
Gold Ball Studs Kohl's
Necklace Taken for Granite
Signature Spade Ring Kate Spade
Thin Gold Ring Etsy via Ellyn Blue Jewelry
Sunglasses "Meteor" Ray-Ban c/o TJMaxx
Nail Color "Caviar Bar" Essie

Linking up with Pink Sole's How I Fall

and

Oh To Be A Muse's Lookbook Linkup
and
By Lauren M's Mix it Monday

Friday Five Under $50

Winter is still holding on strong, with the latest snowstorm causing power outages across the state, myself included. No power in the winter is no fun, especially since that means no heat! At least it was only for one night, but for the moment I'm wishing I were somewhere much warmer! Unsurprisingly I have some very summery items in the mix today.

I was very excited about the Gap & Banana Republic Friends and Family sale, which is going on now, because everything, even denim is 40% off with an extra 10%, and I snapped up three pairs of jeans, black, white, and button fly. Friends and Family is the only sale where denim is included in the promotion, so I like to take advantage. They had a lot of other cute new things like this dress and this skirt, but I'm trying to be good.

This weekend I'll be celebrating my mom's birthday, though she hasn't decided what she wants to do yet. I'm baking her a cake, and while I usually go with Ina Garten's chocolate cake, I wouldn't mind trying something new. Does anyone have a chocolate cake recipie they swear by?

Knot Front Shirt, $39 at Nordstrom

Toucan Stud Earrings, $18 at Banana Republic 40% off with code BRFAMILY

Crab Round Straw Tote, $40 at Topshop

Button Fly Denim Pencil Skirt, $60 at Gap 40% off with code FRIEND 

Raffia Pom Mules, $25 at H&M

Dot Dot Dot

...Photos after dark with the flash are not a common occurrence, but Meg and I really wanted to take outfit photos before dinner at Jack's Bar and Steakhouse last week, so we made it work. Normally I avoid harsh direct light like the plague (and the closeups we tried for turned out a bit garish) however overall I'm kind of into the film noir vibe of the dark alley.

While not intentional, I feel like this outfit is a testament to my thriftiness, the new J.Crew blouse I only paid $5 for, my vintage trench and these thrifted jeans cost even less - seriously. I won the shoes in a giveaway, and I love them. They are from Shoes of Prey, and you can customize every shoe they have. It may seem silly, but I made half a dozen slightly different versions of this shoe before settling on the suede d'orsay with a rose gold leather insole trim that you definitely can not make out in these photos.

       

The Rundown
Polka Dot Wrap Top J.Crew
Cropped Bootcut Jeans Gap thrifted similar
Trench Coat London Fog thrifted similar
Toe Cap Pumps "Varesse 70" Shoes of Prey
Snakeskin Box Purse c/o Vintanthromodern similar
Necklace "Scottie" LuxbyUK
Thin Gold Ring Etsy via Ellyn Blue Jewelry
Nail Color "Caviar Bar" Essie

Linking up with Classy Yet Trendy's Trendy Wednesday
and

Straight A Style's Style on the Daily

and

Elegance & Mommyhood's Thursday Moda

Catch of the Day

I keep getting excited, thinking that spring might be arriving, but it was nowhere to be seen this past weekend. The sun didn't make much of an appearance, and the winds from friday's nor'easter (which only turned out to be rain on the shoreline) refused to die down. At least the countdown to Daylight Savings Time is on, and next week at this time I'll (hopefully) be basking in the glow of a 6 p.m. sunset.

Though the snowdrops have made an appearance, a small reminder that time is marching forward, soon the world will be green, the boats back in their slips, this dock a far more bustling place. As much as I don't care for the cold and the grey, it is always a nice reprieve to be taking outfit photos when no one else is watching.

        

The Rundown
Rust Orange Mock Neck Sweater Madewell
Jeans Max Studio via TJMaxx similar
Fur Trimmed Mules Target similar
Fringe Bucket Bag Margot via TJMaxx similar
Pave Triangle Earrings TJMaxx similar
Thin Gold Ring Etsy via Ellyn Blue Jewelry
Crystal Bar Ring Upper Metal Class
Sunglasses "Meteor" Ray-Ban c/o TJMaxx
Nail Color "Couture Curator" Essie

Linking up with Pink Sole's How I Fall

and

Oh To Be A Muse's Lookbook Linkup
and
By Lauren M's Mix it Monday