Birthday Shopping at Tory Burch, J.Crew, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus

This week was my unbirthday, which I celebrate the event but not the actual age.   Of course, this is when I reflect.  What is the rule for fashion for women my age?  What age is too old to wear what?  After 40, I started having more fun with clothes.  Is this a mid-life crisis I am having with my closet?  Am I too old for colored capri pants, prints, etc.  Is there a rule?  Jennifer Aniston is my age and she rocks a mini dress because she can.  Should she get a high five and “you go girl” for pulling it off or should she stop and dress more mature?  As I was left pondering the meaning of age, life and fashion, I decided to throw my rule book out and have some fun going shopping.  I took the day off on my unbirthday and went to the Bravern and Bellevue Square to shop.  I also decided not to worry about it, celebrate life and ate chocolate and drank wine at Wild Ginger.   Here I  am celebrating with a delicious and naughty chocolate desert:

 

J.Crew Nolita Denim Jacket
J.Crew Blouson Dress in Polka Dot
OPI Nail Polish in Pompeii Purple

I  did a lot of shopping, and when I say a lot, I mean a lot, even for me:

Lots of goodies!

J.Crew Nolita Denim Jacket
J.Crew Blouson Dress in Polka Dot
J.Crew Watson Wedge shoes

Neiman Marcus was having a gift with purchase.  The gift bag is cute, and I like the samples.  I opted for the orange bag.  (I bet you guessed pink!  I can’t believe I didn’t pick pink.  I think I was trying to be bold and daring).  I got a bottle of Michael Kors perfume and La Mer eye cream (back to that aging thing).  I also had a makeover at Yves Saint Laurent and bought this glossy stain lip color in encre rose, perfect for summer and super long lasting (stays on for hours, seriously):

YSL Glossy Stain in Encre Rose

I went to Tory Burch and Nordstrom and went crazy on shoe shopping.  I'm more of a handbag girl (hence the name), but I've been on a shoe kick lately.

Shoes!

At Tory Burch I  got the Robinson Demi-Wedge Sandal.  I love these and the blood orange color is beautiful for summer and they are comfortable.

Tory Burch Robinson Demi-Wedge Sandal

I also got the Tory Burch Leather Amanda High Peep Toe Wedge, which are cushioned, comfortable and cute on.

Tory Burch Leather Amanda High Peep Toe Wedge

I got the Tory Burch Miller 2 Logo Thong Sandals in Royal Tan.   They are comfy and will go with a lot of things for summer.  I'm  still debating if I should keep these since I got so many others.

Tory Burch Miller 2 Thongs

At Nordstrom the Half Yearly Sale, I got a pair of Maria Sharapova by Cole Haan'Air Catalina' Sandal on sale for $99.  These are so cute and comfortable.  They have the concealed Nike Air Technology.  They are sparkly and even met my 12 year old daughter’s seal of approval.

Maria Sharapova by Cole Haan Air Catalina Sandal

I went to J.Crew and took advantage of the sales. I got the Vintage cottoncap-sleeve tee in stripe with neon pink stripes (item 80405) $34.50, in store sale of $19.99.   This is a basic tee shirt, true to size.

J.Crew Vintage cotton-cap sleeve tee

I got the Candy-stripe Jute Clutch.  This bag is so cute for summer (goes with brights) It makes me smile.  It’s on sale in stores at $49.99.  Grab one of these, since it’s a cute bag for summer that you can keep year of year.

J.Crew Candy Stripe Jute Clutch

I got the Summerlight terry pullover ($59.50 item 82341, on sale in store for $39.99) in café mint.  It super soft and comfy, fits true to size and is bright neon green which is fun for summer.  I love the neons.  Makes me think of the 80's.

J.Crew Summerlight Terry Pullover

I love the way it is styled in the June Style Guide:

I got the Villa Dress in green on sale for $49.99.  I reviewed the stripe dress.  I love this green shade.  So bright and cheerful.

J.Crew Villa Dress

I also got the Navy Golden Cabochon Bracelet in the store for the online sale price of $49.99.  It's beautiful in real life.  I've had several compliments on it already.

Here I am in my new things pulled together:

J.Crew Nolita Denim Jacket
J.Crew Villa Dress in Emerald
J.Crew Pearl Twisted Hammock Necklace
J.Crew Navy Golden Cobochon Bracelet
J.Crew Candy-Stripe Jute Clutch
DKNY Ceramic Watch
Cole Haan Catalina shoes

 In addition to all of this fun stuff, I got some beautiful earrings from my husband.  (I lost one of my diamond studs the day of my mother’s funeral in December.  Since then, I’ve been wearing costume and pearls). 

My husband said "After all of this, you won't need to shop for a couple of weeks, right?" Phew!  I am exhausted after all of this shopping, but excited about my new things.

 How was your week?

Summer Sales, Nails and Hotels

It was a busy week.  I had a leadership summit for work at Willow’s Lodge in beautiful Woodinville Wine Country near Seattle.  I know it sounds miserable, right?  I did actually spend a lot of time in the conference so there wasn't a lot of time for play.  The guestrooms were beautiful with fireplaces and a  beautiful bathroom with a large spa tub.    This is a lovely place to stay.

I got to do some shopping prior to the summit.  I went to J.Crew at Bellevue Square.  I finally ended up with the Whisper Linen Stripe Tank.  This is true to size with a longer length than online it seems.  I ended up with the Pointelle Beach Cardigan, which is now on final sale at $88 from $118 (and an additional 40% off in the store).  I loved this looked in the catalog:

Here in real life (I decided to wear pants for my pic instead of completely copying the model).  Check out my fabulous diva phone case (grrrrr!):

J.Crew Whisper Linen StripeTank
J.Crew Pointelle Beach Cardigan
J.Crew Leopard iPhone 4 Case

J.Crew Pointelle Beach Cardigan by Handbag Aficionado featuring a long sleeve cardigan

It's funny how I didn't love it at full price, but marked down significantly, it's suddenly appealing.  I think it seems thicker in real life than in the catalog and the sleeves are longer.   My husband said: "Isn't that sweater a little thick for summer?"  Oh yeah, good point.  It's final sale though, so I can't return it.  I do have air conditioned offices and cooler Pacific Northwest nights, so what the heck.  It's good for evenings around the fire pit.  This is sized bigger.  I am wearing a size down, and you can see the sleeves are still long and will need a little flip or push.  This was the only one left in the store.  

I  tried on the Candace Dress.  Here it is on the model, which is much shorter.  The models must be 6 feet tall.  I am reluctant to buy some the dresses since they look so short on the model, but some aren't when I try them on (I'm 5'7).

I have the other one in Paisley which like better.   It's a fun, comfortable summer dress.  They are super cute on their own or paired with a jean jacket or cardigan.  I didn't end up with the Ink Dot one at full price, although, if this goes on sale soon, I may get it.  I wore it with my Linen Island Cardigan, which is now $39 and an additional 40% in the store.

Candace Dress in Ink Dot
J.Crew Linen Island Cardigan
Born Sandals

I got a manicure and pedicure today with my daughter.  She's 11 years old, so she went for the bright blue colors with nail art (multi colored dots).  I tried out some colors from the new Summer OPI Collection:  Nice Stems.  I had the lightest color, Play with Peonies, for my manicure and the third color, Be a Dahlia, Won't You? on my pedicure. 

OPI 2011 Summer Collection: Nice Stems

Amazon.com has this cute little mini set that I ordered.  I am not such a fan of the glittery one but love the colors because the Poppy and Dahlia colors will compliment a lot of the J.Crew colors now in Poppy or Dahlia.  I'm kind of obsessed with the new Dahlia items coming out in the store.


Hope your summer is going well!

Summer Lovin'

Summer is my favorite season.  I love everything about it: the warmth, longer days, the styles - from fabulous sun dresses, skirts, flip flops, bright lip and nail colors on the possibility of a tan.  

I went to Ohio this week to visit my mother.  The weather was hot and muggy, and I pretty much packed sun dresses  and flip flops.  I got back late Sunday night after delayed flights to a busy work week. I did manage to do some shopping yesterday and last week before I went.  

I made a trip to J.Crew and tried on the Maritime Dress in Navy.   I tried the size down for a different look:

Maritime Dress, Sized down to Small

Here is my original dress in my regular size to give you an idea for cut, depending on how you want to wear it.  The sail blue seems softer inside.  Would it be ridiculous to get two of the same dresses in different colors and sizes?

Original Maritime in Medium (I typically belt it)

I found the Daytripper Pants on Final Sale for $13.99. Score!  These are great weekend pants that are as comfy as sweats.

I have been debating on the Sequin-Stripe Tank, then ended up caving and got this one online with the 20%:

J.Crew Fisherman Cardigan
J.Crew Montezuma Collar Necklace
J.Crew Sequin-Stripe Tank
J.Crew Daytripper Pants
Italian Shoemaker Shoes

The Fisherman Cardigan is so comfy.  I sized down because the sleeves were so long.

I liked the black sequin-striped tank that I tried last time, but ended up going for the dune color, which is opposite of what I would typically pick. Here's the black striped one just in case I should reconsider:

J.Crew Sequin-Stripe Tank
Kut from the Cloth Denim Jacket

At Nordstrom Rack, I found some great deals on sandals.  Now is the time to buy because you will find sales in anticipation of early fall arrivals.  I got a pair of Tory Burch Thora Metallic Flip Flops in Turquoise:

Tory Burch Metallic Thora Flip Flops, $69 on sale

Since I must have been on a metallic sandal kick, I also got a comfy pair of Born Chacha Sandals at the disagreement of my 11 year old daughter (she is not a fan):

Born Chacha Sandals, $49 on sale

I went to Nordstrom to try and buy some lip colors.  I went to the Laura Mercier counter and got the
Peony Stick Gloss. This lip color is as close to perfect as it gets.  It’s longwearing and hydrating, part lip gloss and blam that provides a beautiful wash of a sheer and universally flattering color.

I also bought the Laura Mercier Limited Edition Berry Sorbet Gel Lip Color.  This is so stunning for summer and I love the coverage.  I probably need another one to tuck away since I love it so much.

I hope your summer is going well.  What are you lovin' right now?

Birthday and Book Club

It finally feels like summer in Seattle.  I missed the warmth and that big yellow thing that used to be in the sky.  It was a great weekend.  I celebrated my "un-birthday" (it's not about getting older, it's about the celebration).  I got this beauty for my birthday.  Isn't she gorgeous?  Her name is Kristin, and she's a limited edition and more stunning in real life.  The navy just pops and I love the styling, straps and size.  My husband got a 25% card in the mail (he gets them instead of me since he's bought birthday or Christmas gifts in the past).  He asked the Sales Associate at Coach about it since it expired a week ago, and they honored it.  Woo-hoo!

Coach Kristin Elevated Leather Sage Round Satchel, $698

They only had the one in stock that was on display in Navy, and after the sales associate showed me a little scratch on the clip, I decided it would drive me crazy, so they are shipping it and I get it over night by Tuesday.  Here it is in real life:

Coach Kristin Elevated Sage Bag
J.Crew Rialta Tweed Jacket
J.Crew Coralie Cami
Joe's Jeans
Italian Shoemaker Shoes

Here are some celebrity pics of Eva Longoria, Halle Barry and Rebecca Romijn caring the same bag in a different color:

I'm so excited.  I had a dream that this bag came early before the delivery.  I realize that sounds insane.  That just tells you how excited I was when the package came.

It was a beautiful, sunny day in Seattle on my birthday.  We went out for appetizers (and I had a margarita, or two) to Citrus in South Lake Union.  Then then went to Elliot's Oyster House for dinner.  Since I was full on my previous appetizer and 2nd margarita, I went with an seared Ahi Tuna appetizer for dinner (yum).  I had a blast:

The previous night, I went to my neighborhood book club.  This month's book was The Violets of March by Sarah Jio.  Here's what I wore:

J.Crew Fiona White Canvas Jacket (bought 2-3 years ago)
J.Crew Stripe Sunburst Tank, $24.99
Joe's Jeans, $168
 Italian Shoemaker brand Shoes
Coach Metallic Clutch

I did some more shopping this week.  I bought a pair of Joe's Jeans (my favorite brand now) at Nordstrom during their big Half-Yearly Sale.  Unfortunately, this pair wasn't on sale but it was the pair I liked so I got them.  So much for finding the sale!  There were some things I passed on from J.Crew.  I tried on the Mirabel Dress, and I think I am the only person it didn't work on either.  Just didn't love it. The dress seemed  horrible and frumpy to me.  

Mirabel Dress, $148

I bought the Linen Jacket last week, then regretted it, so I returned it.  I love white, but the Linen Bermuda Jacket seemed like a lot of work, and I liked it less after I got home and hung it in the closet.  I stared at it for 2 days before taking it back.  I did get a picture.  (My husband said hold your hands up, as I was rolling up the sleeves which explained the jazz hands).

J.Crew Linen Bermuda Jacket, $118
J.Crew Sequin Tank, $48

In addition to shopping for clothes, my hubby and I also went furniture shopping.   We wanted to do something for the house and get new furniture.  We ordered this couch and leather ottoman (used as the coffee table in the middle) from Pottery Barn (we've looked at it for over a year, love the look and keep going back to it):

Pottery Barn Pierce Sectional

In the store they paired it up with a chair that cost as much as the couch.  I didn't love the chair.  We ended up getting this chair in Bordeaux from Crate and Barrel (Pottery Barn's red leather chair was nearly double, and didn't look as good or was as comfortable in my opinion):

Crate & Barrel Streeter Leather Swivel Chair

I also got this nice throw pillow with poppies (which looked really good on the display chair):

While we were on this crazy buying spree, we saw a dining table and chairs with a buffet that we really liked, and at that point, decided to go for it (this was before the margaritas.  Perhaps we were crazy from the heat? Or, to my husband's point, the buffet cost what the handbag did).  We liked the Cabria Honey Brown chairs and table size, and we have so many big windows in the room, it looks odd to have the big cabinet that we've had for 10 years (bought for our previous dining room):

It was a fun weekend.  I'm exhausted from all of the shopping, birthday fun and sunshine.  How was your week?