OOTD: Whatever the weather, cardis and me go together

The weather in New York City is in that Springy in-between phase where it’s too warm to wear a real sweater but still too chilly to go without something covering your shoulders and arms. So I’m in total cardigan mode at the moment and this OOTD set reflects that.

It’s been a busy few weeks at work with lots of visitors in and out. As a result I’ve been dressing more up than down recently. I designed this look around the necklace, a bib from Anthro that I love. It may look heavy but it’s really not. Here’s a closeup shot of the accessories in this look. This dress, a v-neck number I grabbed at NY&Co for something like $10 last Spring has been a great work staple. It’s some kind of horrid polyster-icky stuff mix, but hey, $10. I find myself tugging at the hem sometimes as the skirt tends to float upwards over the course of the day.

The thing I like most about this dress is the stitch pattern right below the bust. This dress fits like a glove and is very flattering. Great day-to-night dress. For work a cardigan to cover and one versatile belt make me look cool and in-charge.

In this outfit:
Cardigan: Banana Republic (similar here, here and here)
Dress: NY & Co (similar here, here and here)
Belt: Snakebite Belt ($32)
Shoes: Nine West Naughty Flats ($50)
Necklace: Binu’s Necklace ($58)
Earrings: Anthropologie (similar here, here and here)
Ring: Forever 21 (similar here, here and here)

I’ve been ripping on Ann Taylor and their sister store LOFT for a little while now so it’s only fair to lavish high praise when they do well. The skirt in this outfit is from LOFT (it’s like LOST, all caps!!) and was instant love. It’s an ivory-based jacquard skirt that has a beautiful pattern on it. It’s lined and though the majority of the material is polyester (blech) it looks expensive. The price points stings a bit but I never shop at Ann Taylor or LOFT these days without a coupon. The fit of this skirt is amazing. I think the view from the back is illegal in about 15 states. Well done. Gigi also tried this skirt on and loved it.

The top is my beloved J.Crew Rosette Tee from last year. Who knew this would be the tee that launched a thousand more chiffon affixations from J.Crew? I’ve passed on most of the newer designs but this one still has my heart. I love how it looks over a pencil skirt (an idea I fully admit to copying from an early 2009 J.Crew catalogue). Closeup of the accessories here. This is my favorite springtime work outfit.

Top: J.Crew rosette tee (similar here, here and here)
Cami: Banana Republic (similar here, here and here)
Skirt: Ann Taylor Loft Sunburst Jacquard Skirt ($80) — take 30% off today by entering “Friends” at checkout
Shoes: J.Crew Joley peep toes (similar here, here and here)
Necklace: J.Crew double-wrap layering necklace in gold/lilac (similar here and here)
Earrings: Anthropologie Urchin’s Shell Earrings (similar here and here)

Last week there were a few torrential downpours. On those days my hair is near impossible to control. A pony is the best option though as you can see any loose wisps had ideas of their own. The Stratus Cloud Top doesn’t seem to photograph well but is cute and fun in real life. Since it runs a little short, hitting me at high hip, I threw a longer cardigan on over it to keep the silhouette long and lean. Let’s be honest — skinny jeans are silly on me. But these AG jeans are very comfortable and they work with heels.

To get the ponytail to sit over my shoulder I just tied it low and towards one side. I always watch the YouTube videos in amazement of how “simple” it is to do a high bun, or a french twist, or even a self-done french braid. NONE of those things are easy with my hair. So the simpler, the better.

In this outfit:
Cardigan: J.Crew Twilit Stripe cardigan (similar here, here and here)
Top: Stratus Cloud Top (similar here, here and here)
Jeans: AG Stilts in durini (grab ’em here, here or here
Shoes: Cole Haan Air Almond (similar here and here)
Necklace: NY & Co (similar here, here and here)

I was stalking the Organized Chaos Tank for a loooooong time before scoring it (thanks to help from Diem!). But once I owned it I found myself pushing it towards the cull pile. Funny thing is every time I wear it I love the outfit. The top has so many colors in it that it’s easy to pull one or two out for a look. I originally tried the top portion of this look on a weekend and then after laundry time switched out my jeans for a skirt during a later work week. Now that I see the photos I think the jeans worked a little better. The belt is simply to keep the cardigan from fluttering about. How do other people deal with this problem?? I always see models with open cardigans and no problems but in real life mine becomes a mess if I let it fly about.

The necklace is yet another Anthro grab. It hasn’t shown up online yet which is too bad because I love it and would recommend it! It’s a single-strand that I’m wearing layered into a double. It has no closure so it’s a delicate task to double it. There are two variations of the necklace: a gold chain with round, faceted taupe and green beads and a silver-chained version with clear and blue beads. I have and love both. It’s $32 in-store. Closeup shot here.

And lastly, the shoes are from Target. They’ve been impressing me lately. These are replacements for my Steve Madden Scotcch flats, which wore out from near-daily use last spring and summer. While most people seem to find Target shoes true to size I have to size up a 1/2 size. My local Target (the laughable Atlantic Ave Target in Brooklyn) has a very slim selection so it’s mostly online roulette for me. Free shipping makes it worth it.

In this outfit:
Gap cropped v-neck cardigan (similar here, here and here)
Top: Organized Chaos Tank (similar here, here and here)
Skirt: Gap slant-pocket denim pencil skirt (similar here, here and here)
Shoes: Target Studded Point-Toe Flats ($18)
Belt: Anthropologie (similar here, here and here)
Necklace: Anthropologie (similar here)
Earrings: Crystal Wave Earrings ($32)

Skirt and cardigan, rinse and repeat. It’s a challenge keeping it fresh day by day. This is why I own 11 billion patterned tops. The underlayer is the Paragon Top which I grabbed on sale over the winter. I love it! I’ve been lucky with the beaded neckline in that none have come loose yet. Hopefully I didn’t just jinx myself. It is a bit heavy and pulls down as the day goes on so I usually wear a high-neckline cami underneath just to be safe.

The top has teal in it which is my favorite clothing color and I found a cardigan that perfectly matches the shade. Ah, small victories. The cardi is also the perfect length on me, hitting just below where my high hip starts. I added a necklace isn’t needed with this outfit and some might find it overkill. Although if you think this is too much accessorizing my next look is going to really drive you over the edge.

In this outfit:
Cardigan: LOFT Crewneck Cardigan ($40)
Top: Paragon Top (similar here, here and here)
Skirt: J.Crew cord pencil skirt (similar here)
Shoes: Nine West Naughty Flats ($50)
Necklace: Dripping Gems Necklace ($42)

This is most of what I wore to the Chelsea Anthropologie party last week (I changed the skirt as I sadly stained it during the day at work). The tank is from Ann Taylor LOFT; I see J.Crew is carrying a similar tank for 3x the price. Suprised? Nope. There are differences obviously but for a trendy look I feel much better about dropping $20 then I do $80. On top of it all is the Soutine Cardigan, which has a vibrant floral sunburst pattern on both the front and back. I still remember when I bought the cardigan — I had just gotten a bonus at work and indulged myself in a small splurge. The $128 pricetag was hard to fathom then but I’ve gotten so much wear out of the cardi that it was well worth it.

And the accessories (closeup here). As I alluded to above I am wearing a huge necklace plus three bracelets and it’s perfection to me. J.Crew’s jewelry line gets lots of poo-poo’ing from the J.Crew Aficionada community and I don’t agree. Is it ridiculously expensive? Uh, yeah. But on sale this stuff is great. The community’s argument is that this stuff doesn’t last long. I dunno. I’ve had pieces for 3 or 4 years now and honestly my taste changes so often that I’m fine if the stuff craps out in year 5. Let there be no doubt; I appreciate the beauty of fine jewelry and plan on owning those pieces of mine forever but for costume $50 and 5 years works well. The bracelet colors that I got are no longer available online but I have seen them floating around stores.

In this outfit:
Cardigan: Soutine Cardigan (could not find anything similar)
Top: LOFT Sparkle Sequin Tank ($35)
Skirt: J.Crew sateen pencil skirt (similar here, here and here
Shoes: J.Crew perfect pumps in dusty rose (similar here, here and here)
Necklace: J.Crew Deco Necklace (now $70)
Bracelets: J.Crew Glamor Bracelet ($70), J.Crew Small Cristal Colletto Bracelet ($70) and J.Crew Pearl Garden Cluster Bracelet (similar here)