Busy as a Bee

Nothing like getting back to the September grind to make dressing like a worker bee appropriate. Yellow and red are the 'popiest' colours to pair with black and white, and yellow feels fresher to me.
Reading this article about polka dot addiction made me realize that I am not alone. And also that I am perhaps a little bitter about the current uber-trendy status of my beloved spots. I think perhaps my spotted wardrobe needs its own family portrait.
This look is pretty simple, but full of details like ruffles, bows, and mixed-print accessories to make it something special. I'll never tire of this Joe Fresh blouse. Prepare for its American invasion soon my southern readers...(see article in October's ELLE) 24°30 or fight!I'm looking so pensive despite my sunny sweater because my lovely photographer Judith is departing for the semester for the libraries of Amherst. Her loss, combined with the darling Jenna's graduation, has left me looking for photographers. Names starting with letters other than 'J' may also apply.
Cardigan: J Crew

Blouse: Joe Fresh, Real Canadian Superstore

Pants: no brand, Winners

Shoes: Jessica Simpson, 6pm.com

Belt: Old Navy

Bracelet: Vintage, Etsy

Candied Camera

Anna and I may have different style, but one thing we both do often is overdress. For the final exam, teachers often dress down, but I decided it was time to embrace the last day of the summer workplace dressing. The star attraction is, of course, my saltwater taffy blouse. I like it best with pink (of course) and used turquoise accents to keep it appropriately saccharine. These perfect patent pumps are Expression, The Bay's poorly named footwear house brand. Almost all of their shoes are classic shapes in leather (the heels have leather soles) at a low price point that often gets marked down. My black and white flats are also Hudson's Bay specials. Blouse: Kate Spade, Amazon.com
Skirt: Halogen, Nordstrom.com
Necklace: Sam Moon (in The Woodlands TX)
Shoes: Expression, The Bay
Sunglasses: Kate Spade, Winners

Printed Materials

A printed dress is pretty much dressing for dummies. It makes a big impact for as little effort as zipping a zipper. The downside, however, is that unlike my endless parade of black and white and bright separates, it cannot be combined into endless permutation of outfits.
Still, the conservative neck and hemlines and cool linen fabric make it the perfect summer work dress, even if I do need to remember to stand up straight to avoid wrinkles.
Regular reader have probably noticed my affinity for wedges and these brown ones exemplify why I love to rock a graduated heel: comfort and leg flattery. Even though their colour is at the very bottom of my favourites list (like my six-year-old self I still love pink and loath brown) they work with many of my summer teaching dresses.
Dress: Vero Moda, Plum Clothing

Shoes: Steven by Steve Madden, Zappos

Work Wardrobe

Although this may seem a bit off given my fashion history on the blog, when I'm teaching, I wear dress pants once or twice a week. I've never posted any outfits involving them because I usually feel like they are lazy and uninspired, but I'm trying to making my outfits more interesting with small details, not just crazy tights and layers, so here is my first attempt. I feel like this outfit is quite Erin.

I actually really like these pants. They're flattering, comfortable, and endlessly useful. I bought them in the summer of 2007 when I realized that I was weeks away from having an internship in London that may require some business casual clothing and panicked when I realized I had none. And that's the thing about nice dress pants: they still look nice and they are as in style now as they were then.

The pants are absolutely not the focal point of this outfit, though. That distinction goes to this amazing shirt I recently bought at Anthropologie. It has a lot going on by itself, but I thinks its drape is so lovely and the black at the bottom suits itself to my pants so well that it felt like a great combo for teaching. I tried to keep the rest of the outfit's details subtle, but also fun. This shirt is, after all, fun. I wore my maroon tweed flats (not pictures because I'm still getting used to the new tripod and because it was cold! And snowing! And windy! And cold snow was blowing in my face!) and gray cardigan because I didn't want to add any extra colors to the outfit.
This cardigan, as you can see in the collective detail shot below, has small hearts cut out of it, which makes it the most twee and adorable thing I own. My beautiful diamond necklace (thanks Dad!) fit the neckline well, and I couldn't resist adding a brooch. A serious accessory for dress pants with just enough whimsy to match the fun shirt.

Pants: The Loft, hemmed (I'm not that short, but I do have an aversion to heels)

Shirt: Anthropologie

Cardigan: Basement of Topshop, London

Brooch: Golden Nugget Flea Market, New Jersey

Necklace: Gifted, Dad

Shoes: Gifted, Doug, Aeropostale

A great workday success that easily became a great post-workday success by exchanging the dress pants for dark jeans and the flats for black boots. xoxo Anna Rae

Off to work we go

The holidays are over and the working wardrobe starts... perhaps all the black is mourning for lazy days gone by. I wear this dress often, even though it isn't really like anything else in my wardrobe. My mother picked it out for me and made me try it own against my initial resistance, but as soon as I put it on I loved it. The fine wale corduroy is comfortable and warm, and the embroidered detail is a luxe bohemian touch.


Dress: DKNY, Enda B
Tights: Hue Boots: Diba, Ross
Earrings: Foxy, Blue Ruby

Miss Nelson is Missing

On Friday I got to play substitute teacher for the lovely Jenna. Since she warned me that her class was a rowdy bunch, I wore my best "literature is good for you" glasses, "what do you mean you don't know what a thesis is" boots, and "shut up, sit down and try to participate" blazer.

Despite my discipline and punish intent, my outfit still had lots of lovely detail: frayed edges and velvet trim on the blazer, crystal sparkle, and silk pleats. I love the look of a non-tailored top with a tailored blazer for contrast.

Miss Viola Swamp was definitely in town.

Blazer: Vintage Banana Republic, Etsy

Blouse: Joe Fresh, Real Canadian Superstore

Jeans: Gap

Boots: Zara

Necklace: Thrifted, The Salvation Army Kerrisdale

Despite my apparent glee at being the meanest substitute teacher in the whole world, I stepped in for an important reason. Jenna, my photographer extraordinaire, is having very serious surgery next week. So if you know her, and even if you don't, please send good thoughts or prayers or even wishes for the perfect pair of shoes on sale her way. Thank you.

Timing Out

Today I taught my last class of the summer and wore what regular readers can probably identify as classic Erin even from only a small number of posts: black & white and a pop of colour.
What I think makes this basic outfit special (other than bright pink, which is inherently wonderous) is the graphic whimsy of the "Call Home" telephone brooch and the three dimensional square neckline details on the abstracted houndstooth top. Both teeter along the classic/crazy line which is a wonderful place to be, in clothing and otherwise.

Grounding the look are my wardrobe workhorses: black capris, (soon to be repaced by black pants as fall nears) black flats, and pearl studs.

This was my second attempt at self-timing, so please excuse my lack of a good head to toe shot. Perhaps September will bring not only additional layering options and my response to the yellow tights challenge, but also more willing photographers. My favourite part of TTTB before Anna repatriated was taking the pictures -- I am hoping to find some kindred spirits who also like detail shots, location scouting, and long walks on the beach.

Cardigan: Banana Republic

Top: Tory Burch, eBay

Capris: Le Chateau

Brooch: Vintage, eBay

Flats: American Eagle

Too Cool for Night School

Why do I look so forlorn? Because I am dressed for my return to teaching for this semester. Nothing makes me more likely to stare wistfully into the distance than the prospect of summer nights in a classroom teaching business communication.

The remedy: a bold black & white print, a bright colour, pants that are more Sandy post-makeover than business casual...

and a sassy pair of pointy-toed flats.

Jacket: RW&Co

T-shirt: Express

Pants: LeChateau

Flats: Sam Edelman

That's Hot! Pink

Whoa! A picture! Finally!! So as you are all waiting with (fashionably) baited breath, Anna and I have been trying to keep busy with various and random blog posts. This title is not an homage to Paris Hilton, but rather to OPI and my boss. My boss is in his 50s, and sometimes I just smile at the things he says. He has two daughters (that I know of, and not in the sense that he has a mistress and might have fathered more children likely to be discovered by the National Enquirer a la John Edwards) and I know of these two daughters because they work with me. However, this could explain our conversation yesterday:

Boss: Hey Libby, did you do...
Me: (Sitting, cutely dressed of course, with my fingers by my mouth because I cannot seem to break the habit of biting my nails and cuticles)
Boss: Oh, that looks nice!
Me: Huh?
Boss: Your nails match your ring.
Me: Oh, yeah, I guess they do. Thanks!

I have a dad. He is oblivious when it comes to fashion. (Once, I had my hair dyed lighter after it was black for awhile - You'll get to see those pictures someday, I'm sure. When I came home, my dad mentioned how my hair looked darker. Poor thing, he tries.) I appreciate my boss' comment because it's nice that amidst all of the stress he is under throughout the day, he still found the time to compliment me on something seemingly insignificant.

Nail Polish: OPI, That's Hot! Pink
Ring: Aerie, on sale