A Touch of Pink II...

Okay, so yesterday was a bit more than a "touch" of pink.

If you missed it, click over to A Touch Of Pink to see my $10 pink suede skirt.

I am really into polka dots at the moment.  I suspect that these posts are evidence enough of that fact.

The problem, I just do not want to wear the same pieces day after day.  Truth time... I actually do want to wear some of my favorites EVERY single day... but then who doesn't it?  So more accurately, I know that I really should make more of an effort to expand my horizons.  This blog has actually been very good in that respect.  If the blog has given me nothing else, it has given me that.

Anyway...

Need more polka dots.  Dilemma.  Already spent "fashion budget" for the month.  Greater dilemma.  What to do?

Dig through the abandoned wasteland that is the back of my closet.  This is the region that only the US Marine Corps should actually venture.  Even the spiders are a little scared.  Do not laugh, you know you have the same kinds of "nooks and crannies"... "corners and cubbies."  You know, the portions of your closet where things just get lost... the abyss... the Bermuda Triangle.

Once again, I digress... moving on...

In the back of the closet I found this little gem... my very own polka dot skirt in a simple black and white pattern.  Subtle, yes but cute.  I see why I bought it... at Harold's... I know.

What do you think?

It is not the cut that I ordinarily prefer.  Perhaps that is why it got "lost" to begin with?  Never mind, she has found the sun again.  Perhaps another spin soon?  We will see?

I also wanted some color today.  The weatherman says rain tomorrow for sure.  In fact, sounds like a truly craptastic day ahead. 

BTW... "craptastic" is not my word... belongs to Kassi over at The Closet Intervention.

She is great, take a look at her blog.

And another misstep.  Aah, the hazards of blogging.  Moving on, round two...

I decided to let the skirt speak for itself and went with a simple white oxford.  I think too much color on top and the polka dots would have been "lost" in the ensemble.

Dizzy yet?

Well?

Still in need of some color I opted for a "touch" of pink... rockin' pink...

These Evan Picone suede heels have been a staple of my wardrobe for as long as I can remember.

"I love it when a plan comes together!"

Some TV or movie character said that.  Who was it?  Anyone?

And the smartly dressed Dallas executive looks like this today...

I hope your day is wonderful today and if it rains where you are I hope it is a truly "craptastic" day!

-- The Leather Skirt --

Blogging On My Lunch Break...

Today the weather in Dallas is awful.  Cold.  Windy.  Rainy.  Winter.  One of my favorite blogger buddies (Kassi from The Closet Intervention) used a new word in her post today.  The word - "Craptastic".  I looked it up, means - Crappy weather, fantastic day.  True.  Try Websters if you don't believe me.  Hee Hee

Anyway, it is the perfect word.  The weather really is crappy but I intend to have a fantastic day anyway.

Drop by and check Kassi's blog out if you don't already follow her.  She is great!

Moving on.... Does anyone else do their blogging on their lunch break?  Am I the only one?  Ordinarily I do not go home for lunch but today I decided I did not want to wait to get my outfit post up.  I am so thrilled with how this ensemble looks.  I just didn't want to wait until the end of the work day.  Hope you like it, too?

Well?

LOVE this hounstooth skirt.  You might remember from a previous post that I found this baby at a local resale shop for a mere $7.00!  What do you think of it?

I have already gotten my money's worth and since it has fast become one of my favorites, it will get many more spins to be sure .  Funny how our favorite wardrobe items change from time to time, huh?  

Another of my blogger buddies (Bessie from Bravoe Runway) just posted about how a recent acquisition has made its way to the top of her "favorites" as well.  Bessie puts the "S" in sophistication.  Drop by and check her blog out as well.

This is perhaps the softest sweater that I have ever felt.  As a result, I have it in at least three colors.  Hee Hee

Perfect for a craptastic day, huh?

Perfectly "walkable" and cute.  Hard to think of a better reason not to pull these babies out on a craptastic day!  How cool is that buckle?

Well, lunch is rapidly drawing to a close.  Gotta run.

Hope You Have A Fantastic Day!

- The Leather Skirt -

The Liebster Blog Award...

Whew!  What a week it has already been!  Actually it started late last week when my team was handed a last minute suspense at work.  I ended up in the office much of the day on Saturday and have been working very hard each day since.  BTW... I work from home often on the weekend but I rarely actually have to go in to the office so this was something of great importance.  I thought about telling my boss that the suspense would have to wait as I had not gotten a new post up on my blog in several days but decided that she would not find that nearly as funny as I do.  Hee Hee

Anyway... upon getting back to my personal computer for more than what I like to call "my 15 minutes of sanity", I see that one of my new friends from the blogosphere (CK of CK Staying Warm) has graciously honored me with "The Liebster Blog Award".  CK, I am humbled beyond words.  THANK YOU.

“The Liebster Blog Award" is awarded by fellow bloggers and is given to up and coming blogs with fewer than 200 followers. Liebster is actually a German word meaning dear, sweet, kind, nice, good, beloved, lovely, kindly, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome. Wow!  I thought English was a hard language to master.

To keep this award going, I am to pass the award along to 5 other new deserving bloggers who have less than 200 followers.

The rules for the Liebster Blog Award are simple:.. well, maybe not so simple...
1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4. Have faith that your followers will spread the love, too!”

Ok, #1 & #3 were easy.  Done, but I will do them again as it only seems right.  truly the least that I can do.

CK, I truly am amazed that you would think of my little blog.  Thank you SO MUCH.

Although you would struggle to find anyone that would say I am patient I think that I can handle # 4 easily.

Unfortunately, # 2 was not so easy.  I read (or at least breeze by) so many blogs everyday that it really was difficult to narrow it down to only five.  Fortunately, the requirement that the blog have fewer than 200 followers helped to narrow things down.  Also, I decided to limit my honorees to those blogs that I ALWAYS read and not just the ones that I sometimes breeze through.  With that said, my list, in no particular order:

Kassi at "The Closet Intervention"

Sarah at "Coming Unstitched"

Clochet at "Clochet.com"

Bessie at "Bravoe Runway"

Natasha at "Required To Be Inspired"

Honestly, it wasn't easy to narrow this list to just five but I think I did reasonably well.  Each of these talented and beautiful ladies inspires me in such different ways.

Kassi at "The Closet Intervention" is a master in the art of bargain hunting, specifically the unknown treasures available in the world of consignment shops and vintage stores.  She doesn't even know this yet but she actually inspired me to give a consignment store a try last Saturday.  Kassi, I will divulge my most prized discovery in the next post.

Sarah at "Coming Unstitched" is a woman after my own heart.  She works at home but doesn't let that discourage her from dressing with purpose each day.  Additionally, she so thoughtfully shares her talents for pulling together stylish ensembles with anyone that asks for her thoughts.  I can't imagine the hours she invests just to come up with posts like this one. A reader asked for some help with unique wardrobe needs and Sarah jumped right in.

Clochet at "Clochet.com" shares my love for a great leather skirt.  She pairs them with other classic pieces with such effortless style.  So ladylike.  You can see a couple of her recent inspirational posts here and here (this one is my favorite).  She is also one of the very first people to take the time to read my little blog and cannot thank her enough for that. 

Bessie at "Bravoe Runway" is the "diva" of the bunch.  I mean that in absolutely the BEST possible way.  Every outfit that she shows us on her blog takes my breath away.  It is not just the clothes, it is her confidence that translates so amazingly well through the pictures and words.  Bessie inspires me to dress a little better every single day.

Natasha at "Required To Be Inspired" also inspires me to dress a little better each day although from a little different perspective.  Bessie lives in Chicago and I suspect is rarely the only woman on the street well tailored.  However, Natasha lives in a very small town and I suspect deals with odd looks and questionable stares frequently.  In no way does this fact deter her from going about her day dressed ever so well.  I am impressed beyond words.

I look forward to hearing what you think of these talented ladies' respective blogs.

Well, there they are.  For those that hear from me regularly, please do not be offended, there is simply only room for five.  I could have easily included at least ten more.  I hope that you know who you are?

- The Leather Skirt -

Fierce...

Just a couple of days ago a posted here on my blog, looking for some help deciding between two new suits that I had my eye on.  In case you were curious, the overwhelming sentiment seemed to lean away from the Houdstooth.

Anyway, the author (Kassi) of one of my very favorite blogs ("The Closet Intervention"), left a comment on the post that got me to thinking.  Her quote...

"...you could get the red blazer as well. A red blazer would look fierce with your leather pants and skirts. Just sayin."

Fierce.  I like that word.  I like the mere thought of looking "fierce."  What woman wouldn't?  Well, maybe there are woman that wouldn't want to invite any unwanted attention but if you have read my blog at all, you know that I am not one of them.  If you're reading my blog for the first time try reading this post or this one to better understand what I mean.  Anyway... as I was saying, I was intrigued with the suggestion.

At the moment I do not own a red blazer but I do have lots of red in my closet.  Not too much red, not sure that is possible, but enough to figure something out.  Fierce, still thinking... fierce.  What can pull this together in just the right way?  As I searched my closet I stumbled onto something that I haven't worn in forever... I used to LOVE it but somehow it had been forgotten.  How does that happen?  Here is what I discovered and how I pulled it all together for today's outfit.

I thought about wearing my tall boots, as I so often do this time of the year but decided if the goal truly was "fierce", my Stuart Wietzman pumps that have gotten precious little wear would be the best best.  Did I make the right call?

How cool is that shoe?  If you ask me, the picture doesn't really do their beauty justice.

I give Kassi all of the credit that she so richly deserves, the red combined with the leather skirt really is "fierce".  I am honestly not sure why I have not ever done that before?  I tend to lean towards more muted tones when looking for pairings for my leather skirt and leather pants.  As much as I do LOVE wearing them, I am also looking for ways to "tone them down" just a tad.  Red just seems so bold.  As happy as I am with this ensemble it is pretty likely that you will be seeing more of these sorts of pairings.

Perhaps I was concerned that such a bold color was a little too much?  Not sure if I felt like that in general or only because I intended to wear this outfit to work?  Maybe without the jacket the red sweater would be a little "over the top" for the office?  Speaking of the jacket...

Look at the stitching in this thing.  Look at the texture.  Say what you will, I truly LOVE it!  How did that EVER find it's way to back of my closet?  I already have multitudes of other ideas.  You may see this one again sometime soon as well.  Hee  Hee.

If nothing else has come of this blog, I really like the fact that it has me being more "creative" when I step into me closet now.

Just a few more hours at work today and then I think I will "hit the town!"  Okay, just a little exageration.  Needless to say, I think that I look "fierce" enough today that I at least am due dinner and a drink.  Gonna call the girls now... HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

- The Leather Skirt -

Suits Up...

Ladies, so many of you inspire me beyond words.  Now I would like to ask you to inspire me a little with your words.  I am probably going to get a new suit and I want your opinion on these two.  These are both from Talbots.  LOVE Talbots.  My closet is simply littered with stuff from there that I have acquired over the years.  It lasts.  Great quality and timeless style.  The perfect combination.  Anyway...

Houndstooth, is it for every woman?  Perhaps but I have not exactly embraced it.  I am kinda the same way with the whole animal print thing that is so popular right now.

The jacket is $189.  The skirt is $109.  Although a sale is possible, it isn't likely anytime soon.  Christmas is just around the corner.  Hee Hee.  Does anyone else buy gifts for themselves?

I have ALWAYS loved the thought of a Houndstooth pattern but have never actually made the leap. This looks like something I could pair with a multitude of colors and textures to create new things to wear. 

Thoughts?

This jacket is $179.  The skirt is currently $99.  They are each available in white, red & black.  

I have so many black skirts that I would not do that but the red is interesting, even more so after seeing one of my favorite bloggers, The Closet Intervention, rocking a red skirt on this post yesterday.

 

Thoughts?

I know the jackets seem a little pricey but you ladies that wear suits and jackets with regularity know how valuable a great blazer can be.  For those that don't, it really is an investment piece.  I don't wear a blazer to work every day but I do quite often.

Perhaps the skirts are a little pricey as well but, if you read my blog at all, you know that I am the girl in the skirt and heels almost every day of the week.  

BTW... I am going to post a little about the origins of that little fact in a day or two.  You are on the edge of your seat, huh?  Patience.  I couldn't even type that without a snicker.  Hee Hee.

And... back to our regularly scheduled programming...

I love simple & versatile.  I also love just a little "surprise" now and then.  The shape and shoulders of this "military" jacket are a little different but will I still be wearing it a few years from now?  The Houndstooth pattern intrigues me but will I actually put it to work for me or will it just continue to tease me from afar? 

BTW... if you read this earlier post on my blog, I opted to wait on both skirts.  I am going to take the chance that I can pick them up after they are marked down.  We'll see?

I look forward to your thoughts.

- The Leather Skirt -