Skirt

Having spent a whole day (!) at home yesterday, I had to go grocery shopping today. And, as my husband changed his jobs yet again, I have "lost" the car which I've had for the last month and a half. So I teamed up with my parents and we drove to Ashdod. I decided to wear my floor-length skirt with flats.

 

I took this photo in the living room. The sunlight is directly behind me which highlighted all the fingerprints on the mirror and turned my head into a fuzzy cloud. And made me look like I don't know what, a Darth Vader in a skirt perhaps?

 

So I managed to snap a picture at the supermarket. Apparently they had a sale going on.
Wearing a floor-length skirt in the supermarket is a challenge. I forever had to grab and lift the hem in order to avoid all kinds of spills on the floor. Yikes.

People were looking at me funny and here is the reason. Yet another Zara necklace. Totally not my style but there is something about these bugs that I like.

I bought some school t-shirts for the Kid. They don't have a complete uniform but wear plain t-shirts with the school logo on the chest. I was given a list of permitted colors, so had to comply. And I got him some more blue jeans really cheap. Hopefully they fit him so I don't have to go back and exchange them. The price was ridiculous - get one for 15 bucks and get 50% off for the second pair. They are not premium denim brand name jeans, but they should be perfect for school.

It was a busy morning.

I'm Free

The Day has come and gone, and I'm officially done with my job. I'm happy even though I don't think that it sank in yet. It's my first day at home (and I was working in the morning and will be later in the day - doing my other job, translation).

 

Yesterday I wore this bright top to celebrate my impending freedom. Plus white cropped pants and shoes that I've had for about 7 years. They used to be so comfy but not anymore. I suspect it's my feet that are changing. Too bad.

 

Anyway, I love this top. It's flattering and has all kinds of colors that you can play up in the accessories. Like bits of navy and the navy bag.

Using my "last day at the mall" excuse I did some shopping. Originally I had to buy blue jeans for my kid. I got the jeans at H&M but didn't stop there.

First I got this Viva Glam Nicky lipstick. It's pink, what can I say. Bright pink. And I love it.

This skirt from H&M goes with the lipstick. What is this color? Salmon? Close enough. Just a plain pencil skirt to wear with almost all kinds of colors.

H&M restocked the turquoise ring that I was looking for. So I snatched it. Why? Because it's cheap, and I have turquoise in gold but not in silver. Now I have both.

And the last purchase was this fucshia blazer. I saw it on Marie's blog and just had to have it. It fits me differently, a bit more snug, but if I'd bought a larger size, it would have ballooned at the back. I never button my blazers so I figured I could get away with size 42. I think it's 10 or 12 american, but the conversion table I found online says it's 8. No way I'm size 8!

So now I have even more stuff to wear and I'm at home in my shorts and a tank-top, clicking away. Translated a bunch already and gearing up for a certain consierge medicine show tonight. It's good to know that I can still "go out into the noisy world" when I feel like it, but for now I'm content with being at home where it's quiet, no phones, no demanding clients. Oh, I'm so done with direct customer service, at least for now, and hopefully for a long time.

Asymmetrical

Believe it or not, but the Zara sale that started on June 21st is still going on. Of course, all the good stuff is long gone, but you can still find some gems on the remaining racks. That's how I ended up with this black top for about 10 bucks.

 

Of course, with my photography skills and the fact that people were giving me weird looks, you can't really see anything. Except that the hem is crooked (on purpose!)

Guess where the necklace is from... You're right, from Zara. I'm actually ashamed of myself, you know. I seem to be a walking Zara ad this year. Thank God, my pants are from H&M and the bag is from somewhere else, otherwise I'd have to check myself into rehab...

Went into the dressing room just to have an opportunity to take my own pictures without interruptions. Pardon the goofy poses.

This is one side of the top.

And this is the other one. The longer and baggier side. And here you can see where the two halves meet.

Well, enough of the shirt anatomy.
Tomorrow is Friday and I'm working. They somehow managed to persuade me to work. I don't know why I said yes, especially now that I have tons of translation to do. The hours are 8:00 till 12:00, not so bad but no sleeping in either.

Three work days left including tomorrow!

Channelling Divya Katdare! Plus Cat...

I confess, I have a girl crush on Divya from Royal Pains. I want to be her. Or rather, I want her wardrobe and her figure. I'd keep my blonde hair but otherwise...

Divya's style is to die for, the colors, the jewelry - I'm gushing... Sorry.

Anyway, today I was channelling Divya, with a bright yellow top, cobalt blue trousers and heels.

I felt so bright and cool until someone told me that I'm dressed in the colors of a popular Israeli soccer team... Jeez, why?!!! Call me anything, even the Swedish flag, but this? Kill me now.

The Divya experiment didn't cost me too much. The top is from Zara end of season sale, it was about $15 bucks (that's cheap by our standards, don't laugh!). The necklace cost more than double as it's from the new Zara collection. Here is the link.

The necklace is green which you can't see here.
Gosh, look at that mozzie bite on my arm!

And now for something completely different (I hope Monty Python's Flying Circus is not going to sue me for using this phrase...)

There is something cute about a cat sleeping on a bunch of dog-books, don't you think?

Good night, everyone!

Dinosaurs

Last Friday we went to the dinosaur exhibit in Tel Aviv. It was really nice though I expected something a little more "scientific". There wasn't much science to be viewed and absorbed. But it was impressive. Dark halls with huge life size (as far as I know) dinosaur models. You could see their sides move as they were breathing. Some tails were wagging, some necks were moving. Lots of growling noises. And lots of people. I mean, loads!

You couldn't really take pictures there as it was so dark. The T-rex hall had the most lights so I tried.

The best thing about the show was that my Kid loved it.

Of course, we had to buy a souvenir. Behold the T-rex skeleton puzzle!

I had to compensate the lack of pictures with the photos of my dress. Floor length pink Zara gown. Held up nicely in the scorching heat (the A/C in the car doesn't work).

The beads and the fringe are not over the top at all, I didn't feel overdressed though I had to grab and lift the hem while wandering around dinosaurs.

Hey, my almost last week at work has begun! I'm hoping for a peaceful "end of days". No crazy clients please!!!!!

Backdrops

I'm not working at the office this week which resulted in lack of OOTD posts. Those days when we went out and I actually dressed in something else rather than shorts and a tank top, I didn't take any photos.

So here are some pictures from the end of last week.

The first outfit was meant as a backdrop for my huge Zara necklace. Too bad the lighting is so dim, you can't see the colors.

The closeup didn't help with the colors but I like how the outfit came out anyway.

And this is a backdrop for the bright orange bag. Maybe next time I'll wear the bag with the strap, the lock is quite weak and the bag kept popping open, plus it got in my way when I tried to do something other than pose - I had to stick it under my arm to free my hand.

The Zara top I'm wearing here is one of the few leopard tops I have left. I think I have two or three, and this is the only summer one. At some point I've had leopard overload, collected all of them and took to the second hand store. I still have two leopard dresses and some shoes though, I'm not getting rid of those.

Tomorrow we're taking the kid to the Dinosaur exhibit in Tel Aviv. Hope he likes it.

Lucky Me!

Have you seen the cover of August InStyle? What am I talking about, of course you have. This Ralph Lauren jacket is so beautiful, it took my breath away. The embroidery, the colors, the idea itself!

Now, if I could only get my hands on this jacket...

Hang on just a minute! What is this? Aren't these my pictures from two years ago that I posted on this very blog?

OK, it's a cardigan, not a jacket. And the pattern is different. And it's not RL. And it had huge pearly-diamond-encrusted buttons that I immediately removed.

But it's the same idea!

The latest mantra "Shop your own closet" worked for me perfectly this time. I love InStyle magazine. Yes, it makes me want to go shopping. But it also makes me remember and use the things from my own wardrobe. What could be better than that!

The Sixties Vibe

Last night, half asleep, I pictured in my mind what I was going to wear today. Got up this morning... got myself a gun. No, not really. But I got dressed and realized as I was running out of the house that it was something completely different from the last night image.

The outfit planning started from this necklace. Sometimes I start with the shoes. Today it was this Zara choker.

Here I am, first thing in the morning, with coffee.

This top reminds me of "Magic City" and something that Vera would wear. Her skirt would be longer, but otherwise the vibe is pretty close.

The shopping bag in my hand was not chosen intentionally. It contains swimming shorts for my son. But the color is just perfect like this H&M skirt.

I went grocery shopping after work, so I changed into my trusty flip-flops that I left in the car. I'm all about comfort when pushing shopping cart around.

Have you seen the new collection at Zara? All those reds and suede? I love it!

Does It Suit Me + Shopping Haul

Lots of bloggers post their "shopping hauls" so I took some pictures of the stuff I purchased lately.

But first, the outfit that almost caused a family rift. Well, not really, but my mother said that I'm not 18 years old and that I should go and change. And my husband said that it looks good but it's not my best. While I didn't argue with the husband, my Mom's remarks seemed a bit over the top. Yes, the skirt is full, but my ass is not hanging out and my knees are pretty much covered.

Anyway, I felt good in this outfit. And two fashion-forward girls at the mall asked my opinion on which dress one of them should get. That should account for something.

And now for the haul.

As soon as I saw this necklace in Zara I just had to get my hands on it. And I immediately wore it with the stripey top - as seen on a number of fashion webpages.

It is so... much! And I love it.



I'll probably wear it with everything.

Pretty, pretty, pretty.



Then I bought myself some Zara perfume. They keep these simple bottles by the cash register, and you have time to sniff it while you wait in line. This blueberry scent is very light and it lasts quite a long time, no less than my other perfumes. At the price of about 10 bucks it's a real treat.

And the scent of this reminded me of something I had in high school. I don't remember the name, but as soon as I smelled it, I had such a warm and pleasant feeling that I couldn't pass it by. I could say that my life is often ruled by my nose. Scents and smells are very important for me. And this one brought back happy memories.

Another necklace from Zara. It was very short, like a real choker, so I extended the chain, just in case.

This necklace would look great with a breton top. I got this top as well, it has slightly longer sleeves, just below the elbows.

And the last photo in this picture-heavy post is this cheap and cheerful bag. It's bright orange! An unusual color for me. But I imagined it with jeans and a trench, a pop of color against a neutral outfit, and I was sold. Or rather, the bag was sold. To me. It has a long shoulder strap as well.

There we go. Little pleasures that add flavor to everyday life.

Nostalgic

Looking at my pictures I get "surer and surer" that it's not a good idea buying something just because it's inexpensive and looks good on a hanger. I'm talking about this top. The material is cheap, it keeps riding up even though the size is right, and the transparent panel in the front is just left hanging there on it's own. But when you pull the top down, it actually looks good for a couple of minutes, so I forgave it.

My dear cousin brought me these wedge sandals and I wore them next day. They are so comfortable!!

This is my nostalgic set. I bought the necklace in Vancouver at Claire's when the Y-necklaces were so "in". I'm so glad I kept it. It's a bit dainty for my present taste but I still love it. And the earrings are from a little shop in Corfu-town.

My "Captain Hook" bracelet. I like the crudeness of the hook. This bracelet is the answer to my inner "Hell's Angel".  Yes, I have a dark-ish side. I wore studded "heavy metal" belts and stuff in my early twenties. You couldn't get much in those days (in communist Russia), but we had the music and a few accessories.

Dark side is nice, but I combined the rocker chains with pretty pearls. This is my other arm. Bead bracelet is my cousin's gift, the silver Tiffany-style bracelet is a relatively recent find and the Swatch is from the Charles de Gaulle duty-free, bought in 2008 on my way home from Paris.

Oh boy, what's with all this nostalgia?