month in review: march 2011

Just last month, we were still battling Old Man Winter here in Dallas, with his freezing temperatures and mounds of ice and snow. But March proved to be a much better month, filled with 80-degree temperatures, fun-filled fashion events, and pattern-mixing. Here are the words & wardrobes highlights for the month of March:

I divulged a secret. The response was overwhelming.

I couldn’t resist the urge to create a cost-efficient copy of a DKNY look that I’d been obsessing over for weeks.

Despite the official start of spring, I rocked an ensemble featuring colors usually reserved for the fall season.

I got up close and personal with a glass coffee table—and paid the price.

I played mixmaster again and paired two different prints in black and white (and added a cute little zebra).

I met fashion designers Robert Rodriguez and Rebecca Taylor. Oh, and Kate Betts, whose latest book showcases the style of our fashionable First Lady.

[I can't believe tomorrow marks the beginning of April! Already?!]

the aftermath of my confessions

Here’s another confession: when I allow myself to be emotionally vulnerable, I also tend to emotionally withdraw. So before publishing yesterday’s post, I disabled the comments. (Please forgive me, Prissy and Bee!) I’ll be the first to admit that it was a cowardly move. It was also unfair to you as readers. It was probably even a bit immature. But I guess I was nervous about the possible…I don’t know…backlash (for lack of a better word). As crazy as it may sound, I really thought that people would poke fun at the fact that I will soon be entering my 30s and am essentially friendless.

As I mentioned in the post, I felt that I had to be the only 20-something woman that was longing for close female friendships. As it turns out, I couldn’t have been more wrong. After receiving some unbelievably supportive e-mails, I found the courage to enable the comments and received even more support from my readers. I never imagined that so many women would be in the same boat. From other single mothers to introverts to women who had lost touch with old friends, you guys confided in me and let me know that, contrary to what I thought, I am NOT alone. Part of me feels relieved to know that there are other women out there experiencing what I’m feeling, but another part of me feels sad that there are other women there experiencing what I’m feeling. I mean, it’s nice to know that I’m not alone, but at the same time, the feeling of loneliness can be agonizing, and it hurts my heart to know that other women are dealing with the overwhelming sense of isolation that comes with having few meaningful friendships (or none at all).

Each time I read a comment or an e-mail or a Twitter DM from one of you, I was able to experience the very thing I’m longing for—that emotional support, that closeness, that trust. I received virtual hugs (thank you, YaYa! Hugs are always welcome!), offers of friendship (of course I want to be your friend, Kfloveinme! You’ll be my excuse to visit New York! I haven’t been in years!), advice on being more comfortable in social situations (thank you for the link to the article, Asia!), and even an offer to be a bridesmaid should I become a bride (I’m going to hold you to it, irishdancer2459! LOL! And we should get together—we’re both single moms in Dallas with boys close in age. But we’ll save the bottomless mimosas for when we hang out without the boys! LOL!).

What I’m trying to say is thank you. Every. Single. One. Of. You. Thank you for supporting me. Thank you for supporting my blog. Thank you for your kind words, your compliments, your time. But most importantly, thank you for giving me a taste of what it must be like to be Carrie and her crew…

[We’ll be back to our regularly scheduled program tomorrow!]

these are my confessions...

I was never really into Sex and the City.* During its six-season run, I didn’t catch a single episode. When the first movie was released in 2008, I still didn’t really buy into the hype, despite all the hoopla surrounding the fashion and costumes. But after seeing bits and pieces of the movie on HBO months later, curiosity got the best of me and I was intrigued enough to buy it on DVD. The movie kind of brought tears to eyes. No, I wasn’t teary-eyed when Big left Carrie at the altar. Nor did I shed a tear when Steve forlornly admitted to cheating on Miranda. My eyes didn’t even go into waterworks mode when Charlotte discovered she was finally pregnant.

At the risk of sounding pathetic, I’m going to admit that my waterworks were brought on by pure, unadulterated envy. My eyes welled up when Charlotte and Miranda comforted Carrie when she confronted Big in the street after he confessed he couldn’t go through with the wedding. I think I felt a tear drop when Samantha spoon-fed a devastated Carrie during their escape to Mexico. And if I recall correctly, I straight up bawled when the girls surprised Carrie after her courthouse wedding to Big (and when the foursome toasted Samantha’s 50th birthday at the end of the movie).**

Confused? Bear with me…

At 29 (and a half) years old, I don’t wish for unlimited access to designer handbags or a winning lottery ticket or a thousands of blog followers (though all of the above would be more than welcome). What I secretly long for is a close-knit group of female friends. (Well, I guess that longing isn’t so secret anymore, huh?) You see, Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte had formed an unbreakable alliance that endured painful breakups, cancer, and babies, among other things.

Now, I’m fully aware that these women are fictional characters whose lives were scripted and based on lines created by an army of writers. But I’m also fully aware that there are real women out there who have friendships like Carrie and her crew. And I want to be one of those women. But how do you make friends as an adult? I mean, Micah is able to make friends simply by asking, “Do you want to be my friend?” By my age, most women have already solidified their close friendships, whether it be through childhood, college, or the workplace. Despite volunteering and being involved at Micah’s school, the attempts that I’ve made at forming friendships with women that I’ve met at these places have been epic fails.

Regretfully, I didn’t really keep in touch with anyone from high school. Or college. (Apparently, I’m not the only one that has lost touch with old friends.) And while the dawn of social networking opened up the doors for faux friendships via Facebook, I still yearn for those close face-to-face connections based on trust and reciprocity and emotional support. Those women with whom I have a standing brunch date every week for cosmopolitans and conversation (okay, I really have been watching too much Sex and the City), those women who I trust enough to tell my secrets to, those women I’m excited to shop for when holidays and birthdays roll around.

The truth is, I suck at relationship-building. I’m socially awkward, unbelievably introverted, and painfully self-conscious. To top it all off, I’m also very “inside my own head,” which tends to come across as standoffish and unapproachable in social situations. Even building relationships via the blogosphere (where community and connections are everything) has proved to be problematic for me. I know a large part of it is due to the things I mentioned earlier—my introverted personality, my abnormal preoccupation with myself in social situations, and my irrational fear of interacting with others, lest I do or say ‘the wrong thing.’ Not to mention the fact that I have yet to master the art of small talk. Needless to say, I’ve never been bubbly or charismatic or charming; if anything, I’ve always been the wallflower, the one watching from the sidelines, the one that went unnoticed.

Unfortunately, the lack of camaraderie in my life has unleashed a colossal amount of apprehension. I fear that if I ever get married, I won’t have bridesmaids. I fear that in my old age, I’m going to be an eccentric ‘crazy cat lady’ living alone with 300 cats, scaring the neighborhood kids with my wild eyes, demented behavior, and senseless babble (and I don’t even like cats!). But most importantly, I fear that something is wrong with me, that I have this inherent inability to form and maintain meaningful relationships.

At nearly 30 years old, this is so excruciatingly embarrassing to admit, as I feel like the only woman walking the planet that is experiencing this type of loneliness and craving this type of connection. As I type this, I keep fighting the urge to click ‘Select All’ and hit the Delete key, while at the same time embracing the cathartic feeling I’m experiencing by putting to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) to finally voice something that I’ve held inside for a long while.

Now I realize this post may be induce feelings of pity, but that isn’t my intent. If this post generates any type of feeling, I want it to be a feeling of gratefulness for those of you that have women in your life with whom you have standing brunch dates every week, women with whom you share your secrets, and women you purchase gifts for each and every December.

*I’ve been watching the episodes ever since they’ve been showing them on E! Network. And now that BET has started regularly airing episodes of Girlfriends, I am all over that too.

**I apologize for the spoilers. But come on, it’s 2011. If you haven’t seen the Sex and the City movie yet, what are you waiting for?! But here’s a word of advice: skip the sequel.

[PHOTO CREDIT: watch mojo]

wardrobe replica: dkny spring 2011 campaign ad

Whether it’s a board, a file, or a folder, most fashion lovers have a place where they keep pictures of things that inspire them. For me, it’s a manila file folder (kind of old school, I know). It houses the many, many pages of drool-worthy ensembles I’ve ripped out of my favorite fashion magazines. For a few weeks now, the page that has been at the very top of the stack features this stylish DKNY look:



Is this outfit not the cutest?! I mean, what’s not to love? The colors, the ruffles, the Parisian chic vibe. Sigh. It was love at first sight. No really. It was. As a matter of fact, I think I may have actually gasped the first time I saw it—it literally took my breath away—and every few days I would open my folder and stare longingly at this page until I finally decided that I was determined to add this look to my wardrobe. Of course, my budget is a bit limited--where’s a winning multimillion-dollar lottery ticket when you need one?--but I managed to recreate this DKNY ensemble for less than $75, which is a fraction of the cost of just the $325 DKNY blazer.



The tiered skirt, purchased recently from Forever 21, is actually a dress that looks like this…



…but I folded the top half inward and made the dress into a skirt so that the red button-down, which was already part of my wardrobe, could be tucked into it. (Normally I would just cut off the top part of the dress, but with summer temperatures fast approaching, I think this would be a comfortable dress to lounge around in. Plus, I already have a few outfits in mind featuring this dress.) Once I bought the dress, the tricky part was finding a pink blazer, but after scouring the Internet for a few days, I finally found one on Etsy. It fits a bit big for my liking and the pink is a bit brighter than that of the DKNY blazer, but then again, I tend to steer clear of blazers because I’ve always thought that wearing them makes me look like a linebacker. (Hey, we all have our hang-ups.)

I never would have paired red and pink together for fear of looking like a walking Valentine, but I think the neutral skirt and shoes balance the bright colors perfectly. And although I love accessories, I didn’t bother with the scarf/choker that the model has around her neck. I just couldn’t. I wore this to a meeting, but I think this look is perfect for a lunch date. Or a hot date. Or brunch with the girls. Or just for the hell of it.















[SKIRT/DRESS: Forever 21; TOP: Thrifted; BELT/SASH: borrowed from my mom; BLAZER: Etsy (Shop: shopfoundobjects); SHOES: Forever 21; CLUTCH: Thrifted; WATCH: Kenneth Cole (borrowed from my dad); PHOTO CREDIT: DKNY]

weekend wear: mommy and me volunteer project

One thing that I love about weekends is that I get to spend quality one-on-one time with Micah. Since he’s in school, I have a pretty scheduled routine for him through the week as far as dinner, bath time, and bedtime, so weekends are our time to relax the agenda and have fun. On weekends, my outfits tend to be a bit more casual, although I still wear heels (I can’t give those up!). We’re currently in the midst of a cold front and woke up to 40-degree temperatures this morning so I wore the Forever 21 trench that I bought off of Ebay with black skinny jeans and tan pumps.







Today, Micah and I participated in a Mommy & Me volunteering opportunity at a local nonprofit—we filled Easter eggs with toys and candy. He had a blast with the other kids and filling all those eggs really tired him out.







[TRENCH: Forever 21; JEANS: Forever 21; SHOES: Bakers; HANDBAG: Mimi Boutique]

daily duds: dark angel

When it comes to fashion, I love juxtaposition—masculine and feminine, hard and soft, black and white. So when I pulled this angelic white dress out of my closet this morning, I immediately thought to pair it with my black faux leather jacket to balance the innocence of the frock. Like the skirt I wore in yesterday’s post, I’ve had this dress for years and even though it didn’t fit, I couldn’t bear to toss it without wearing it at least once. I upped the sweetness factor with my Mary Janes, but complemented the rock star feel of the leather jacket by adding chunky silver jewelry. And despite the fact that the day started out pretty breezy, it ended up being a gorgeous day—perfect for a walk in the park…

















[DRESS: Factory-2-U; JACKET: Forever 21; BELT: Hand-me-down; SHOES: Forever 21; NECKLACES: Walmart and Forever 21; BRACELETS: Walmart; RING: Forever 21]

daily duds: tomato, to-mah-to

When it comes to closet organization, the golden rule is if you haven’t worn it in a year, toss it. The last time I cleaned out my closet, I tossed a lot of things I hadn’t worn in a year (or more) and promptly regretted it. But one thing that I couldn’t let go of was this tomato red skirt. It didn’t fit—it was too small and every time I tried it on, it was so tight in the waist that it felt like it was going to cut my body in half—but I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of it. So it sat in my closet—until today. I lost weight when I got sick recently (and expect to gain it back quickly) so I decided to wear this skirt before I put the pounds back on. I think the color looks great with turquoise so I accessorized with a turquoise snakeskin belt, turquoise feather earrings and a necklace. Oh, and a scar that actually makes me feel like a bit of a badass. Or maybe a bit of a klutz.











[SKIRT: Thrifted; TOP: Forever 21; SHOES: Bakers: BELT: Forever 21; EARRINGS, RING and NECKLACE: Forever 21]

daily duds: autumn-ated systems

It’s official: spring has sprung. I am loving the 80-degree weather we’re having and couldn’t be more thrilled about wearing more spring-like colors—hot pinks, sunny yellows, bright blues. But that doesn’t mean I’ve shunned hues that are normally reserved for cooler seasons, as evidenced by the “autumn” skirt I’m wearing in today’s post. The tan cardigan isn’t very spring-y either, but it’s lightweight and oh-so-comfortable. I kind of feel like this outfit was one big miss. It was so much cuter in theory. I thought the double belt thing would be cool, but after I while I felt lame wearing one skinny gold belt and one semi-wide gold belt. I don’t know. What do you think: hot or Hot Mess Hall of Fame?











[SKIRT: Thrifted; TANK: Walmart; CARDIGAN: Forever 21; SHOES: Forever 21; BELTS: Gold Beauty Supply and Charlotte Russe; NECKLACES: Walmart; BANGLES: Agaci Too; RINGS: Walmart, Queen Beauty Supply, and Forever 21; HANDBAG: Thrifted]

in stitches

If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I had a fight with a glass coffee table on Saturday. And lost.



So now, instead of the All Saints Rho Heel I’ve been coveting or the La Mer Az Tabacco Wrap Watch I’ve been lusting after, my latest fashion accessory is CVS Pharmacy’s Wound Closure Adhesive Surgical Tape Strip, which I need to cover the wound (that will surely leave a scar) just below my left eyebrow.



Nice. You can just call me Scarface.

cocktails, crab cakes, and rebecca taylor

Last night, I headed to Neiman Marcus to meet designer Rebecca Taylor and view her Spring 2011 collection. I didn’t stay at the event long—only about an hour—but I definitely had fun. Petra, the department manager, introduced me to Rebecca (who said she liked my color blocking outfit, but more on that later). Rebecca is tiny, and has a cool accent (she’s from New Zealand) and a husband who’s from Dallas. Her spring line was full of fun and flirty pieces, including a camel-colored scalloped jacket I LOVE. After sipping on a Rebecca-tini (as Petra called them), checking out the line, and munching on crab cakes, I headed home, but not before I snapped a few shots.





















For the event, I tried the color blocking trend...



...which was inspired by this outfit from Shopbop's website.



[SKIRT: Thrifted; TOP: Forever 21; BELT: Thrifted; SHOES: Forever 21; RING: Forever 21; BAG: Burlington; EARRINGS: Borrowed]

daily duds: lines and vines

I’ve been a bit sick for the last few days, so I was excited to trade in my olive green hoodie (which I love, but can only wear for so many days) for a skirt, heels, and jewelry. I can’t think of a more classic color combination than black and white, so I thought this vine-patterned skirt with my striped tee would make the perfect pairing. One reason I love the combination is because it’s fun to throw in a bright accessory for a pop of color, but I resisted this time and kept it all black and white. I accessorized with a bit of gold, and even more black and white, in the form of a recently-purchased zebra connector ring that, despite my mild aversion to pets and animals, I absolutely adore.

















[SKIRT: Thrifted; TOP: Jones New York (Thrifted); BELT: Hand-Me-Down; SHOES: Bakers; EARRINGS: Sam Moon; ZEBRA RING: Forever 21; GOLD CLUSTER RING: Walmart; GOLD WIRE RING: Queen Beauty Supply; NECKLACE: Forever 21]