PFC #22: Cold Weather Shopping Clothes

This month's PFC (Petite Fashion Challenge) is hosted by A Preponderance of Fashion.  Be sure to check out her blog for other entries!

The Challenge: Cold Weather Shopping Clothes
"The weather outside is frightful, but indoor shopping is warm and delightful.  So, whether you have wind, rain, or snow, show me your clothes when shopping for friends or foes!"

In general, I like to dress lightly, comfortably, and warm when going clothes shopping in the winter.  My essentials include a crossbody bag to keep me hands-free and comfortable shoes that can be kicked off easily to try on clothes.  I usually try to wear a shoe with some kind of heel to mimic what I wear to work.  This helps me get a good idea of what the pants / skirt / dress would look like "in real life."

LOFT Coat

LOFT Striped Sweater

NY&Co Pants (DIY slimmed)

Ann Taylor Pumps

Coach Station Bag (a gift from the lovely Jean)

NY&Co Tortoiseshell Necklace

A better view:

Lately, especially since I'm still healing from minor foot surgery, my shopping outfits consist of rolled up denim plus boat shoes - very comfy!

eBay scarf, J. Crew coat, Kate Spade bag, Abercrombie jeans, Sperry shoes

What are your go-to shopping clothes?

Past PFC Entries:
  PFC #19: Trend Benders

  PFC #18: What to Wear to Impress Your Date
  PFC #17: Candy Colorized

  PFC #16: Summer Wedding (Under $100)

  PFC #15: Chic Pin-spiration

  PFC #13: Professional Under $100

  PFC #12: From Night to Day

  PFC #11: Vacation Vogue

  PFC #10: Summer to Fall

  PFC #9: Heat Wave Appropriate

  PFC #7: Little Black Dress

  PFC #6: Dress Up Your Basics

  PFC #4: Holiday Party

  PFC #3: The Look for Less

  PFC #2: Wear it Now, Wear it Later  

LOFT Inspired Bow & Rhinestone Sweater DIY Tutorial

I originally tried this on a few weeks ago and have still been thinking about it.  A clue to either buy it or DIY it.  I chose the cheaper route ;)

Inspiration and DIY'ed Version

LOFT Striped Bow Necklace 3/4 Sleeve Sweater (link)

I know I made the bow a little too big, but I'm hoping to also use this as a neck tie like this:

Asos top

Want to make one too?  See the full tutorial after the jump.

Chinese Porcelain Inspired Skirt DIY

And this is it!  My last completed DIY from August before I went back to work.  I'm actually rather surprised I sewed so much that it lasted a whole month and a half before I had posted all of the projects.  The movers / packers are coming tomorrow and pretty soon we'll be saying goodbye to OH and hello to CA.

This fabric reminded me of my blue & white porcelain collection of vases, teapots, and dishes on display in the dining room.  It didn't seem right to make this into a flared skirt, so I opted for a pencil shape with the deep side pleats for tummy hiding.

 

LOFT Button Down Shirt, Peach (old)

LOFT Double Strap Belt (old)

DIY Chinese Porcelain Inspired Skirt

DIY Cameo + Pearls Necklace (original post here)

Balenciaga Money Wallet (added a chain to use as a small clutch, details here)

Gucci d'Orsay Pumps, Camel

My husband thought it was strange that I got inspired by dishes, LOL.

Where do you get your inspirations?

PFC #17: Candy Colorized

It's time for PFC #17!  I've always enjoyed participating in these challenges and I'm so excited about hosting this one.  I can't wait to see everyone's colorful posts!  :)

The Challenge: Candy Colorized

Take a bowl full of colorful candies (M&Ms, Jolly Ranchers, jelly beans, etc.), close your eyes, and draw 2-3 pieces.  Now use those colors (+ a neutral of your choosing) to form the basis for your ensemble.

**Extra brownie points if you post more than 1 colorful ensemble or if you add a DIY element (because I love DIYs so much!) :D**

For this challenge, I used some leftover jelly beans and drew green, purple, and orange.  I wracked my brain on how to combine them as solids, but simply wasn't able to put something together that looked good.  Prints made life much easier.

Green Top + Orange / Purple / Green / White / Fuchsia Skirt + Purple Sandals + Green Ring

Banana Republic Top

J. Crew Number 2 Pencil Skirt, Garden Floral (buy here)

Frye Sandals

Amrita Singh Shelter Island Ring (buy here)

Michael Kors Tortoiseshell Watch

Banana Republic Bracelet

Other options I played with:

Lavender Striped Top + Peachy Coral Necklace + Mint Jeans + Purple Sandals

LOFT Striped Dress (worn as top)

LOFT Modern Straight Leg Jeans

Frye Sandals

Gifting Grace Necklace

A 2-color pairing was much easier:

 

Orange Print Top + Peachy Coral Necklace + Green Maxi Dress + Green Bracelet & Ring

Banana Republic Button Down

Old Navy Maxi Dress

Gifting Grace Necklace

Lands' End Canvas Double Wrap Leather Bracelet (buy here)

H&M Ring

Be sure to check out each and every one of these lovely participants.  They are (in order of sign-up):

Sydney's Fashion Diary

KTRStyle

Stylish Petite

New Petite

Toronto Beauty Reviews

Long Live Classy

Squigglesss

Katattack

Tiny Bits of Nonsense

Petite Therapy

SS-littleflowers

Mix and Match Fashion

Phiphi's Blog

Shorty-Stories

The Petite Fitting Room

Easy Petite Looks

LaBelleMel

A Petite Treat

Couture Coco

Petite Stylist

2 Petite

La Conception Des Femmes - Kerry
La Conception Des Femmes - Isabel

Simply Yvonne

To Brighten My Day

Petite Adventures

Dieting Fashions
That's a Pretty Hat
Fast Food and Fast Fashion
With Each Passing Day
The Petite Bow
Vicky's Daily Fashion
Petite in the City
Created N His Image
A Preponderance of Fashion
Flan Remix
Yoo Hoo, Anhie Boo
A Fashion Deliberation
Oh the Endless Possibilities
Keeyatch
Noniq Diary
Extra Petite

Please let me know if I accidentally left you off the list or if there's something wrong with your link!

How do you mix your colors?

Past PFC Entries:
  PFC #16: Summer Wedding (Under $100)
  PFC #15: Chic Pin-spiration
  PFC #13: Professional Under $100

  PFC #12: From Night to Day

  PFC #11: Vacation Vogue

  PFC #10: Summer to Fall

  PFC #9: Heat Wave Appropriate

  PFC #7: Little Black Dress

  PFC #6: Dress Up Your Basics

  PFC #4: Holiday Party

  PFC #3: The Look for Less

  PFC #2: Wear it Now, Wear it Later  

Hearts Aflutter DIY Tie-Neck Blouse

Today's DIY was inspired by Wendy and her J. Crew silk shirt in Heart Throb.  I used to associate hearts with being a little girl, but then saw how chic it could be.  Not sure I pulled it off here, but doesn't hurt to try!  I made this sleeveless in preparation for summer with a little tie-neck for visual interest.  Unfortunately, you can't really see that detail since the print is so busy.  Just shows I didn't learn my lesson from here.

DIY Hearts Aflutter Tie-Neck Blouse

DIY Striped Belt

LOFT Marisa Cuffed Crop Pants (buy here)

Gucci Magenta Wedges

Leather Horsebit Bracelet

Gold Bangles

DIY Pearl Bracelet

Timex + J. Crew Strap

I used Butterick B5464 as the basis for the blouse, but cut the front on the fold and added a small slit.  Blouse is fully lined with a rolled hem.

How do you feel about hearts?

Alteration: The Red Pants Experiment

Argh, I had this post all ready to go for Sunday evening and then, inexplicably, all the content was deleted when I hit "publish."

Let me reconstruct this darn thing and try again...

Armed with a coupon for $10 pants (from this post), it was unlikely I would be walking out of the store empty-handed.  I found these red pants and loved the color but the fit left something to be desired.  Size 4 fit my tummy well but then the legs were a bit baggy.  The unfortunate effect of baggy pants plus tapered legs was a pear-shaped nightmare.  I decided to take them home for some DIY slimming to "fix" the silhouette.  Aside from hemming, I've never really worked with pants so I was a little nervous about it.  Thankfully, simply slimming it along the inseam gave it the straighter, more-slender shape I wanted.

New York & Company 7th Avenue Sateen Slim Crop, Yelling Red, $10, orig. $43 (buy here)

I wasn't quite sure what to wear with them so I first tried my trusty stripes.

Top 1: Old Navy Tee (old)

Necklace 1: H&M Turquoise Necklace (old)

Top 2: Ann Taylor Starlight Stripe Sweater, XS (buy here)

Necklace 2: J. Crew Resin & Chain (old)

Belt:  Lands' End Canvas Rope Belt (old)

Shoes:  Gucci d'Orsay Pump, Camel (old)

Watch:  Timex face + J. Crew strap (original post here)

Then thought maybe an analogous color combination?  I wanted to try orange with it but the only oranges I had were too close to this shade of red and ultimately made me look like one giant fireball.  I decided to try peach instead. 

And added a deep purple inspired by this J. Crew image I pinned.

Shirt & Cardigan: LOFT (old)

Closer view of accessories

Horsebit Bracelet (purchased here but no longer see online)

Target Chain / Rhinestone Bracelet, $17 - reminds me a little of the J. Crew pave link bracelet

Amrita Singh Cannes Ring (buy here)

How would you wear red pants?

Spring-minded: Brocade Skirt DIY

The weather is a bit wishy-washy lately.  Last week was in the fifties and the shrubs were starting to bud.  This week there's snow on the ground.  Well, in the spirit of 50 degree weather, I made this simple A-line brocade skirt in a lovely light gold with fuchsia paisley accents.  To make it girly, but hopefully not way over the top, I paired it with a peach blossom top, fuchsia flats, and a "tough" olive green military-style cropped jacket.

Isn't the print lovely?

Top: LOFT (old)

Jacket:  LOFT (old)

Skirt:  DIY Brocade 

Belt:  J. Crew, Coral

Shoes:  Gucci

Next on the DIY list: hi-lo skirt, handkerchief skirt, wrap skirt, fit & flare dress, and peplum dress (or top).  I've been feeling inspired and have been pinning away like a mad woman :)  If you're curious, you can find my pins here.

What are you looking forward to wearing this spring?

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Gettin' Tweedy: DIY Chanel-Inspired Jacket

Ah, the classic Chanel jacket.  I've admired them from afar for a long time but it wasn't until I saw Jean wear her Uniqueen version (as well as Wendy and Tiffany) that I felt inspired to try to sew one.

Jacket:  DIY Chanel-Inspired

Shirt:  LOFT, Peach (old)

Jeans:  Gap Always Skinny (old)

Shoes:  Ann Taylor Suede Pumps, Granite

Bag:  Balenciaga Twiggy, Anthracite

It was a good thing I was very inspired because the construction of this jacket drove me absolutely batty.  The shell came together easily (kind of - the pattern sleeve opening did not match the sleeve width) and I thought I'd have this post ready last Sunday.  Then came the trim.  I had been debating whether I wanted to do regular contrast trim or a fringed trim.  I decided to do contrasting fringe trim and this complicated things since I couldn't make this from a bias strip.  Instead, I used the selvage so it lays a little funny at the collar.  This is far from a perfect jacket but it's good enough (and finished) for now.  I'll have to do some more seam ripping this weekend :)

Secret Santa & Stripes/Gingham OOTD

The always stylish Jessy of The Little Dust Princess organized a Secret Santa exchange for the petite community and I was excited to join in this year.  Thank you Jessy for putting this all together!  My Secret Santa was Cynthia of Shorty Stories - make sure to check out her blog, one of the older petite blogs out there.

My goodies from Cynthia included Almay makeup eraser sticks, Burt's Bees lip balm, and a pretty beaded bracelet.  Thank you, Cynthia!  This is perfect!  I haven't tried the eraser sticks yet but they'll be great for on-the-go raccoon eye fixing and the lip balm gives just the right amount of color without any stickiness.

In case you're wondering, I drew Lor from Petite in the City.  Check out her blog if you'd like to see what I got her :)

I also received some goodies from Jean of Extra Petite and Annie of Really Petite.  These beautiful ladies have amazing blogs (the first ones I started following) and were among the first to welcome me to the blogging community.  Thank you gals for being so sweet and thoughtful!  <3

Beauty goodies (can't wait to try them!) and trim for Baby / Toddler crafting projects (perfect for my scrapbooking and shadow boxes!) from Jean.

 

A beautiful orange striped LOFT sweater from Annie (it was like she read my mind - stripes AND orange!) that I wore the first chance I got :)

Sweater:  LOFT Stripe Button Down Back Sweater, XSP, gift from the lovely Annie

Shirt:  J. Crew Crewcuts Boys' Button-Down in Large Gingham, Sz 14

Necklace:  J. Crew Resin and Chain Link Necklace, Navy Blue

Skirt:  J. Crew Bell Skirt, Sz 2

Shoes: Tory Burch Afrikan Reva Ballerina Flat in Razor Blue

I forgot to take a picture of my bag with the outfit!  This is a late birthday present from Hubby (not his fault, I took 2 months trying to figure out what I wanted) - a Rebecca Minkoff MAC Clutch in Stone with gunmetal hardware.  I LOVE it!  It is the perfect size for toting around my essentials and can be carried cross-body - a must for coordinating the kiddos.

If you're wondering how the Revas are doing in my breaking in process, I found the perfect shoe stretchers on accident last week.  Cardboard inserts that came with my Dansko clogs!  My problem areas are the back elastic and the pinky toe area.  This insert is helping stretch those for me and it's making a big difference.

Whew, that was a long post from me :)  Hope everyone has a wonderful and happy new year!!

Paisley Dress DIY

I found this gorgeous coral, red, and olive paisley sheer fabric at Joann's and decided to do a high-necked dress with it.  I was thinking halter at first but then decided against it - too much exposed skin (would like to wear this to work)!  Once again, the hem is a bit longer to help me transition throughout the pregnancy.  Can you believe I'm almost halfway through the pregnancy?!?  Another Preggy Chronicles post soon :)

Dress: DIY High Necked Paisley Dress (lined)

Belt:  LOFT Double Wrap Belt, XS with an extra hole punched

Necklace:  Long Strand of Freshwater Pearls (buy here eBay $10.99)

Shoes:  Frye Joy Vintage Slide (buy here)

Bag:  Piano Tote

A closer look at the paisley print.  I also love how this belt matches the bag vachetta so well :)

Another Nautical Dress DIY

As the weather gets warmer (it was 87 degrees today!!!) and I progress along the pregnancy, my favorite go-to items are dresses.  They allow your belly room without constriction and also allow your legs some air :)

This one is made from a blue striped jersey from Joann's featuring a tie-waist and has a below-the-knee hem (so that when belly grows, the length won't be obscenely short).  I used the same pattern as I did for this dress but took out the cowl for the warmer weather.

 

Dress: DIY

Necklace: Banana Republic with DIY fabric flowers

Jacket: LOFT Twill Cropped Military Jacket

Shoes: Frye Joy Vintage slide (buy here)

Belly progress - I think it actually shrunk a tiny bit because my appetite has finally gone from hyperdrive to normal :)

Meet My Baby Bump + LOFT Fitting Room Reviews

I have a very interesting post for you today.  I went to LOFT both last week AND this week (I just can't stay away).  When comparing pictures, I noticed a massive change in baby bump-itude!  You may think it's odd that I'm still shopping for non-maternity wear.  During my 1st pregnancy, I mainly wore my normal sized clothing - now granted, they were mainly tops in the following categories: voluminous wovens, stretchy knits / jerseys, and cardigans / blazers (unbuttoned) but 1). this really helped my ego and 2). saved me lots of money.  The only maternity garb I invested in were pants and skirts.  I mistakenly bought a few maternity tops - BIG MISTAKE - they were all so muu muu-esque that it made me feel much bigger than I was (which I did not need).

First, pictures of me from last week:  (L: OOTD, R: LOFT Ruffle top - can't find link)

Second, pictures of me this week: holy baby bump!

 LOFT Assymetrical Neckline Drape Dress, XS (buy here - solid color only)

Sorry about the fuzzy pics - apparently being pregnant also makes my camera hand shake!  I HEART the colors / print of this dress sooooo much!  The soft jersey material also makes it maternity friendly (post-maternity, I can belt it and wear it with cardigans or blazers).  I was THISCLOSE to buying it but I decided to use my $25 savings card on 2 sweaters instead.  From a size point of view, this is going to be super loose on anyone smaller than me and unfortunately, I didn't see this in petites.

Verdict:  Will wait for sale

LOFT Wide Stripe Boat Neck Sweater, S (buy here)

Stripes?!?  Sign me up!  I tried this on in both S and XS - both actually fit the same with a roomy torso.  The main difference was length.  XS looked very cropped on me whereas S looked more like a normal sweater so I decided sizing up was better for me.  Fit is pretty loose (even with preggy tummy!) so I'm guessing this is intentional.  Smaller ladies may want to try before buying as it will be an oversized fit.

Verdict: Buy - can't resist stripes.  Plus they had the BOGO 50% off promo.

 LOFT Crop Sweater Jacket, XS (buy here)

You can't tell in the photos (sorry!) but this sweater has the cutest nautical details!  The collar and pockets are lined with a navy/cream striped pattern and the neck features cute rope ties.

Verdict: Buy (same reasons as above)

 LOFT Draped Shell, XS (can't find online)

I love the print and draped ruffle detail of this shell!  I think this would look gorgeous with some muted gold pearls or cameo pendant on a long necklace.

Verdict:  Buy - on sale for $20 and accommodates the belly

I think my New Year's Resolution to watch my shopping has gone out the window at least for the month of March.  Darn you LOFT and your super tempting sales!  Did you shop this weekend?  How are you doing with your resolutions?

DIY "Lace" Skirt + OOTD

I actually made this skirt a while ago but never posted pics of it (so note the longer hem length LOL).  This was during the early days of the H&M lace skirt making its way through the blogger community - see it here on:

• Ping of All About Fashion Stuff, 
• Elle of Fast Food and Fast Fashion, 
• Elaine of Curls and Pearls, 
• Liane of PetiteXXS, 
• Annie of Really Petite, 
• Kileen of Cute and Little, 
• Vicky of Vicky's Daily Fashion, 
• and Kelly of Alterations Needed (am I missing someone?  Just comment below and I'll link you). 

I really loved how it looked on all of the above ladies but I was feeling rather cheap about actually going out and purchasing it.  On my regular craft stores round, I found a mock lace fabric at Joann's and decided to make a lace-esque pencil skirt.  The fabric is actually a black lace print with a cream background.

Top:  Eyelash Ruffled Satin Tank, XS

Cardigan:  LOFT, Black, XS

Necklace: F21 - I really love their dramatic and super inexpensive necklaces!

Skirt: DIY Mock Lace Pencil Skirt

Shoes:  Ann Taylor, Perfect Suede Pumps, Granite

Here's a close-up of the mock lace fabric:

What do you think about the mock lace?  A do or a don't?