Joie de Vive!

Today is Super Bowl Sunday, and I thought I would try to be somewhat festive this year, especially since the Ravens are in the Super Bowl! Being a Marylander, I am excited, even though my native team really is the Redskins. My adopted team is the Cowboys, and my husband tells me it's my only team. lol

Not only am I festive today, I'm also unintentionally French! I found this purple beret, wore my Kate Spade "Joie de Vive!" sweat shirt and wine AG jeans, and am sporting my eggplant Longchamp bag.

Sweat Shirt: Kate Spade Garance Dore Sweatshirt Size XXS (Sim) (Seen Here)
Tank: Ann Taylor Size S (Sim) (Seen Here)

Jeans: AJ Adriano Goldschmied Size 26/Hemmed (Sim) (Seen Here & Here)

Hat: Juicy Couture Beret (Sample Sale) (Sim)

Bangles: Forever 21 (Sim)

Shoes: Gap Ankle Booties in Gray Size 5 (Sim)

Go Ravens!

DIY: Empire State of Mind

Since the holidays are over, I've been doing some Winter closet cleaning. While organizing my closet, I stumbled upon an empire waist top that I haven't worn in over a year.

A couple of reasons why I stopped wearing it: 1) It needed to be ironed 2.) I no longer liked the empire waist style.

My resolutions: 
1) I received a wonderful steaming iron as a Christmas gift, so I've been an ironing machine and ironing ever wrinkled shirt insight.

2) Remove the stitching on the empire waist.  I thank my new sewing aptitude for this "creative idea" and for my sewing teacher for confirming that it would work. Although, I really didn't need to sew at all for this project. My sewing skills have taught me that nothing is permanent when it comes to unstitching thread.

Removing the Empire Waist

Using a seam ripper, I removed the elastic and the thread that was holding up the empire waist fit, and then I cut off the thin fabric belt.  This only took about 10 minutes to finish...and then ta da!

I think the empire waist de-aged me a bit or possibly made me look like I am expecting (which I'm not!). I'm happy with the outcome of my shirt. Although there are visible tiny holes on the shirt, the holes are camouflaged among the tiny flowers, so it's not a big deal to me.  Now my shirt feels like a new purchase. =)

A Little Bit of Leather Goes A Long Way

Ever since the appearance of (faux & real) leather, I've been on the look out for something leather. Most the of leather skirts and pants in the market have been too expensive (even the faux ones!) for me to experiment with, or they just didn't look like they provided the right fit. My biggest concern about wearing leather was the fact that I didn't know if I could pull it off.

The best way to test out leather trend, is to just wear it in combination with another basic fabric. So when I found this combination leather skirt at Zara, I bought it without hesitation...actually, I submitted my email address since it was out of stock, and bought it within a week when it was back in stock! The fit and length is prefect for my frame. This classic cut skirt is conservative enough to wear work (at least at my office), yet edgy enough to stay on trend.

Top: J.Crew Blythe Blouse in Bright Sun Size 0P (Sim)

Skirt: Zara Combination Skirt with Faux Leather Trim Size S (Here)

Tights: JCP Metallic Mini Polka Dot Tights in Gray/Silver Size S/M (Here) (Sim)
Bracelets: T + J Designs Hammered Bangles (Here)

Shoes: Gap Ankle Booties in Gray Size 5 (Sim)