I'm Very Banana Today

This is what I'll be wearing when I head off to work in a few minutes. I'm starting to experiment with photo locations, I know that photos outside of a dormitory bathroom with a garish billboard in the background isn't very aesthetically pleasing.

I was making smalltalk with a sales associate at Banana Republic on Saturday and out of curiosity I asked if she always had to be wearing something from the store while she was at work. She said, "No, it just has to look Banana." 

Necklace, Earrings: Express

Cardigan, Shirt: Banana Republic

Pants: New York & Company

The point being that my top and sweater are both Banana Republic, so I guess I look very "Banana" today. I'm really loving beige and gold right now, I'm anticipating wearing that combination quite a bit for spring. 

Blue and Floral

Finally jumped on the bandwagon of adding vintage-y filters to my pictures. It kind of feels like a cop-out, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't love the way it looks. Of course, everyone looks pretty in soft-focus and without an unsightly nose in the way.

Top: Ann Taylor

Scarf: Rue21

Necklace: Vintage

Pants: New York and Company

Shoes: Madden Girl

Wore this to work on Friday, I literally worked the entire weekend so I hope yours was more enjoyable than mine. The boys at the store love to comment on my outfit, and I ended up having to give a much more detailed explanation of the difference between three-quarter sleeves and half-sleeves than I ever thought would be necessary. This was my first time wearing one of my new Ann Taylor tops from my latest shopping excursion. I'm usually not very comfortable wearing color because I think it makes me look bigger, but I think the draping of the fabric is pretty flattering for my waist and tummy. My only complaint is that I ended up with a itsy-bitsy sweat stain under one arm midway through my shift, and I literally cannot remember the last time that happened to me. I'm not sure if it was a fluke or something about the fabric.

Current Obsession

Swan, $8.80 (Forever 21) Dragonfly, $20 (1928) Red Parrot, $20 (Avalaya London) Blue Gems, $30 (Macy's) Butterfly, $29 (Alilyang Fashion) Black Lips, $205 (Sonia Rykiel Vintage) Chameleon, $20 (Alilyang Fashion) Crystal Cluster, $30 (Juicy Couture)  Roses, $182 (Forzieri)

I did some research on the toucan brooch that mysteriously came into my possession a few months ago, and discovered that it's a vintage piece by Kenneth J Lane, which certainly adds some value to it. And while traversing the Google trying to find my exact piece, I stumbled upon so many gorgeous brooches and I got to thinking about how they aren't really in style anymore. I suppose brooch conjures up images of old stuffy ladies going to church, but I can't help thinking how easy it would be to add interest to an otherwise boring outfit just by adding a statement pin.

Spring Shopping Haul

I realized a few days ago that I've been cycling through the same handful of outfits for work the last few weeks, that combined with Spring being my favorite season trend-wise I headed to the mall after class today. Here's what I got!

I made a beeline to White House Black Market. I've been salivating over this cardigan since I saw it online. It has roses AND rhinestones, which makes it two of my favorite things in one thing. The skirt was on sale and I thought it would be pretty versatile and a great way to do some subtle colorblocking. I ended up chatting about the "geek stigma" in video games with the sales associate, apparently she takes her sons to GameStop quite a bit so that was certainly an interesting conversation.

One of my goals for this trip was to pick up more tops. Finding tops for my body has always been a struggle, since I'm pretty busty but have a relatively small waist. Anything that isn't fitted tends to make me look chubbier than I actually am. I've never bought anything from Ann Taylor before, but the sales associate helping me was very friendly. I went to the fitting room to try on one top, and when I didn't like it she came back with at least 10 more for me to try on. I was a little overwhelmed, especially since I knew a couple of them weren't my style. But, I tried them all on none the less. I have to say that I'm glad I let someone else pick things out for me since a few of the shirts I would never have given a second glance to were actually quite flattering. I ended up picking out two solid colored tops with three-quarter sleeves that I know I can pair with a few other pieces already in my wardrobe.

Another revelation I've had recently was that I have several fancy, lacy bras but no neutral colored bras to wear under sheerer tops so I used my Secret Rewards Card ($10, no surprise there) and picked up a basic beige cotton bra. Not the sexiest thing in the entire world, but it was a basic piece I was lacking.

And lastly, a few basics from the lower-end stores. Camisoles have been a staple of my wardrobe lately, I like being able to put a cardigan over one and go if I don't have time to get dressed up. I've been looking for a opaque lace top for a while now too, and I got this beige/black one after trying on three different sizes since it refused to fit my boobs correctly. The three camis on the left are from Vanity, and the lace top is from Wet Seal.

One of the reasons I had such a successful trip is that I planned out exactly what I was looking for ahead of time. I knew I was mostly looking for tops that I could wear to work, and I made sure to stick to that plan. A helpful exercise I did a few days ago was to pick my favorite pieces from my wardrobe that I already own and write down exactly what it was that I liked about them to help me when I'm picking new pieces out. A few things I didn't realize I liked until I actually thought about it. For instance, one of my favorite shirts has three-quarter sleeves and I found I gravitate towards wrap-style tops.

Of course, there are a few trendier things I'd like to get for spring still. A lace pencil skirt comes to mind, and you can never have too many sun dresses.

What did you get on your most recent shopping excursion? Tell me in the comments! 

Update

I'm leaving for Florida tomorrow, and I'll be back on Friday the 23rd. I'll be at Disney World and Universal Studios for spring break, I'm extremely excited and I'll be sure to post lots of pictures when I come back.

I realize I haven't been posting much for the last few weeks. Dorm life is taking it's toll on me, with my inability to take well lit pictures unless I go outside at exactly the right time (which happens to be when I'm in class.) I have a few drafts of posts started and I plan on posting more after my vacation. Hang in there!