sometimes i get dressed

Sometimes I take photos of it.

Mostly not though.

i scream you scream

For mint ice cream with raspberries on top. Yum yum. I love this dress. It is so beautiful and structured and the color is amazing. I bought it out of the box before it was even steamed. I had to have it. The first time I wore it I just through a white blazer over it but this time I wanted to get super girly (also like a week ago it was over 70 degrees). Pink cardigan, neutral belt (emphasize that hourglass), and my favorite super girly heels!

I love being a girl.

sunshine on a cloudy day

This skirt is a showstopping, jaw dropping, sunshine skirt! I am obsessed with yellow. Obsessed. I had to have the moment I saw it. I normally don't buy the same day I see something at work (unless it's $7.88 for a silk blouse in gorgeous cream that fits perfectly) but I knew I had to have this cheerful little skirt.

I've worn it a few times but I loved it most with the crisp white blazer and silver white pumps. It just screams spring to me. Also, a guy on the metro said "nice legs" when I was walking to my train. Drive-by compliments are the best.

Here's a color crisp photo of Boyfriend walking a way and a photo of me doing my best 1980s music video back up dancer. Rockin' out.

neon

Classic shape. New colors.

What I Actually Wore Valentine's Day

My Valentine's Day ended with me curled in the fetal position after a case of bad food poisoning. My date was a true sweetheart though. He rubbed me tummy, made me drink water, and told me it would all be ok. He didn't even eat all my chocolates--now that's true love.

sunshine legs

Katie and I made these pants! I bought them about a year ago for like $2 because ohmygosh YELLOW! We cut them and sewed them and then ripped them back up (because there is zero give in the fabric) and then sewed them again. Then I wore them for a really cute outfit but I sat in a car for 4 hours and never photographed them. Well, here they are--sunshine pants! That are slightly see through. Slouchy style for a slouchy day.

From the department of random: A photo I can't get quite right. But I love this Man.

snow bunny

Sometimes it's all about the shoes.

breaking boundaries

This dress represents a major step in the milestone of Sarah Getting Dressed and Walking Out of the Apartment. Look--it's tight! Like show everything tight. And boy do I not do tight. Like ever. However, since I purchased this dress over a year ago and have yet to do more than put it on and take it off again I decided I really should let it see some sun. So yesterday I threw it on, added my favorite mustard tights to play off the gold, and tamed it down with my trusty boots. It was a good work outfit and netted my a few compliments! It might be time to give my other fitted dresses a second chance.

one weekend, one pair of pants

These pants are the most wonderful things I've ever purchased. Ever. On Saturday I wore them to work with a monochromatic look and fabulous little heels. Sunday I wore them with a thrifted cardigan, mocs and spent the day watching Lord of the Rings with a huge group of loves from college. So glad I finally saw the third film. More glad that I own these comfy things.

one girl, two bows, three colors

Today's ensemble is super impressive for me because of two reasons: a) my hair is in a bow and since I normally wear my hair in three specific ways (pony tail, bun, low ponytail/bun) this shows a huge improvement in my hair-skill; b) my first voyage into colorblocking proper! Light pink cardigan (purchased in Oslo), salmon/orange blouse (hand-me-down from my roommate), and red jeans ($5 at wet seal like three years ago). It was a pretty gray day in my part of the East Coast and I felt like a little ray of sunshine as I ran my errands and went to work.

Before work I went to the library and picked up the book "French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating For Pleasure" by Mireille Guliano. Now, I know (most days) that I'm not fat but I do have huge (understatement) guilt issues associated with eating... food...of any kind. The issues have gotten a lot better as I've grown more comfortable with being me and being my size and loving my body no matter what. However, I believe there is always room for more knowledge and for more understanding--and of more recipes, of which this book has tons. I'm only on chapter three but I'm already hooked and seeing Mireille's food perspective as a healthy alternative to the beating-myself-up-over-eating-a-chocolate-bar way of life I've led. Also, any woman who agrees that a glass of red should be served with lunch has the right idea in my book.

buttoned up

My boss passed this sweater on to me about a month ago and I swear I've worn it a dozen times, never photographed and only ever backwards! I love the color and I especially love the buttons up the back. The skirt is also passed down to me from the same boss and it is lovely and swirly and chiffonish. Perfect.

I spent my commute today reading through my gardening book trying to figure out what I am going to plant this summer. I'm thinking beans, tomatoes, peppers (at least one), spinach (several batches), and maybe some herbs indoors. I would like to grow some edible flowers as well as marigolds. I searched through my flickr archive and found a few photos from last years garden. I didn't do much research before planting my few tomato plants but I still harvested throughout the summer and into fall. Hopefully with careful planning this year my balcony garden will be even more bountiful!

mayday

Today was such a LONG day. Eight hours with no break makes Sarah a tired girl. I pulled this outfit together last night at like midnight after getting back from a whirlwind trip to Richmond at like 11:15pm. The need for sleep made me shun my new "sink or swim" color plan and I went to the basic gray. But the stripes and the polkadots made me feel like I was still having some fun with my outfit! I'm unsure whether I'm going to hold onto this dress for much longer. The cut seems a bit juvenile on me--I feel very babydoll in it.

Although, looking through my archives, I do see that it serves as a good layering piece. Also, belts help a lot! I guess I'll hold onto it for a bit longer... I just realized that both the dress and the shirt underneath are from high school! I hold onto my clothes forever :)! The tights are newish but the have huge runs in them. See them? No you don't because I layered black tights underneath and now I've solved the problem of these tights! Hoorah!

shabby seventies chic

When I moved into my little apartment there were several things left--a couch, a chair, several lamps, actually most of my furniture AND these jeans. Super awesome bell bottoms. So soft and so bell like. The bells inspired me to do a super seventies inspired outfit. Fun stripes and a fur vest. I've had this striped shirt since high school and halfway through my day at work I noticed a hole at the elbow of it. Ahh so shabby. Oh well.

&& if you're going to channel the seventies, you gotta throw in some peace&love.

peace and love friends.

colors but not really in block formation

Oops on the awkward faces in every single photo. I also realized that the (mostly) full body shots are not accurately focused. That's what I get for trying to quickly take outfit photos 5 minutes before I need to run out the door for work. Also I've been taking the photos with my camera balanced on a book on my bed because I left my tripod in the car. It's a delicate operation, let me tell you.

I really should have ironed this dress last night. I spent a few hours playing in my closet trying to come up with fun and colorful outfits and this was one of them! Pink and blue and orange and a really wrinkly beige! About halfway through my day I got to thinking that I had one thing too many: three bright colors, a collage of flower pins, ruffles, and lace tights? Then I went to dinner with my parents and my mom says she loved it and all was right with the world again.

I love these colors together! The light pink, the beautiful blue, the muted orange. They combine so well--surprise. Day two in a row for my big puffy flower pin; today I added two flower hairclips for a new look.

snowblossoms

I love that for main components of this outfit were FREE! Both the sweater (an ann taylor factory piece) and the dress-cum-skirt (h&m garden collection) were swapped for and the belt was a secret santa present from a friend in England. There is an inch or so of snow on the ground today--our first snow of winter. It was rather pathetic--mostly lots of slush and ice. I decided that on such a gray/cold day I needed something BRIGHT to make an afternoon at work manageable. Cue: the blue sweater and floral sundress. I added the flower pin (from Michael's. Win.) to cover a small stain on the sweater and to add a third flower piece to my themed look.

Warm leather boots, two pairs of tights, and thigh highs made my walk to and from the metro totally comfortable! At work today I invented a super fun colorblock game to help me figure out ways to use my closet to colorblock successfully. I now have a list of ten or so outfits that are totally colorblocked. I'm stuck on what shoes to wear though. Most of my colored shoes are heels/flats and all I want to wear are these boots... Does it break colorblock to just wear brown or black shoes?

patent pending

Now that I'm finally using pinterest (thanks Katie) I am obsessed with cycling through my favorite bloggers archives and pinning ideas for outfits. This outfit is a combination of Kendi's look here and the fact that it was freakishly warm in D.C. today. Nearly 60* in mid-January? This winter's weather is totally wild. The last time I wore these pants I really thought I was packing them up until Spring. I'm glad I was wrong because I love love the color.

Anyway, I had the intention of getting up on my roof and taking photos since I actually got home before the sun set. But then I got a call from a friend and before I knew it the sun was long gone. I really liked the outfit so I snapped some photos in my dinning room while my roommate told me stories of a tunnel built by a guy in Italy based on visions he remembers from his childhood.

[pants: gap; blouse: hand-me-down ann taylor; shoes: dsw, years ago; belt: gift, sweater: from high school]

mister rogers

I am so obsessed with these pants. I think my cost per wear is down to like $3 by now. Slouchy cardigan, brown trousers, and slip on shoes--how Mister Rogers is this? Also, I'd like to note that I took the black socks off when I got to work. It was so cold on my walk to the train even with the socks.

mint green

The other night I couldn't sleep so I started planning outfits in my head and this is what emerged. Cashmere rolled up and tucked with a rubber band, an oversized silk blouse, and an asymmetrical dress. I love the unusual layers and how even though everything is a smidge to big it still looks good on.

I'm staring oh so lovingly at this present even though I wrapped it for the boyfriend. I find that this year it's so hard to maintain Christmas spirit. I have a tree with lights, decorations around the apartment, a stack of presents under the tree, and Christmas music playing all day long at work. Even so I don't feel like it's Christmas at all.

why, i'll buy some furniture and give the cat a name

(skirt: from the DC Swapaholics swap over the summer; blouse: ann taylor; socks: we love colors; boots: so old-probably dsw or off broadway; christmas lights: santa's workshop)

We put the Christmas lights on our tree tonight. Before we wrapped the second string around the top half I just had to play with them. I didn't get home from work till after dark and I really wanted a photo of this outfit. Structurally it's very unconventional but I just love the colors. The wine-colored skirt and socks with the navy blue blouse made me happy all day. I also enjoyed the silk on top and bottom.

&& My new favorite way to get my daily calcium is inspired by the one and only Holly Golightly.