Christmas in Clothes

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So, The Nutcracker? Yeah. Call me an uneducated ditzy fool, but ??? I guess I was completely oblivious to the fact that ballets have NO TALKING in them!!!

“Hi. I’m Jenni. I can’t sit through two hours of nobody talking.”

I am a three year old.

This is payback for all of those times my children would not stop talking and we would play the “silent game.”

Those ballerinas were all, “Silent game this!”

Only without actually saying that.

Okay. Okay. It wasn’t completely silent. There was a live orchestra which was fabulous. I love an orchestra. I took my son down to the pit to watch them set up. That was my favorite part. And his, too.

I have taken my children to musicals all of their lives. I guess I just was not prepared for the ballet. This is odd, because my mother has been dancing since she was a child. Pointe and everything. Heck, I even took consistent classes for eight years (don’t look so shocked). My mother has since moved on to hip hop, but ballet has always been a part of my life. Of course, I had not gone to see it since I was a little girl.

There were parts of it that were incredible. So gorgeous and pretty. Truly breathtaking. It is amazing what some talented people can do with their bodies.

But in the future I will know.

I am too immature to go.

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And yes, I am a total fraud in my ballerina dress (also worn here).

Silently sobbing.

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This was what I was going to wear to the ballet.

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I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that almost every single person was dressed up for the ballet. This is such a big difference from going to a play on Broadway, where only half of the people are in evening attire. This was my other favorite thing about the ballet. The ambience and the outfits.

Only I did not wear this to the ballet.

I wore this on Christmas Eve to host my family. Except, I was cooking all day, and I forgot to take my apron off until after dinner! So, apron + boots = disheveled crazy. Kind of like this post.

The skirt is my Emeline Skirt formerly worn here. And the top is my Peony Applique Pullover, previously worn here.

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Let’s sidestep chasse’ away from the hot topic of ballet and move into a topic I am much more comfortable with.

Gnomes.

And dressing like them.

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I do not know why, but this outfit does remind me a bit of the little fellows. Perhaps it is the cheerful colors. Perhaps it is because I am surrounded by gnomes. Perhaps it is because I had just seen The Nutcracker the night before and I was delirious.

I paired my Anthropologie Threaded Tides Dress (purchased for $10) with my red cardigan from many years ago. I remember I first bought this cardigan, because it was called Guinevere and that is one of my favorite names in the world. It is like “Jennifer” (derived from Guinevere) only more pleasant to say in a lilting way.

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The belt is a recent clearance purchase from Anthropologie called Layered Corset Belt. The boots are vintage from the flea market. The white sweater tights are from Nordstrom Rack. The earrings are from Modcloth.

What did you wear this week? Have you ever played the silent game? Are you “winning?”*

* Winning this game does not result from one being silent. Winning this game occurs the moment you convince someone else to actually play the game.

Tip: Don’t ever play against a ballerina.

* I shared this on The Pleated Poppy!

Anthropologie Reviews Fall 2013

I went on a return run to Anthropologie. It was fun. I took back some items that I have never worn that have just been hanging in my closet from this summer. I have never done fitting room pictures or picture reviews before. But I figured, what the heck? I always like to see the clothes on a “real” girl. This will not be a reoccurring post. I do not get to a brick and mortar store, but a few times a year. Maybe once a season. I felt a little naughty and weird, taking photos of myself in the dressing room. Oh, the things I do for this blog. ; ). Warning: this post is photo heavy!

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First up is this sweater dress called Petalblush Sweater Dress. I really liked this dress. It was super flattering and comfortable. I tried on the small and the medium. I am wearing the medium in the pictures. The small fit great, except the arms were tight. But it is the size I would probably purchase.

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I really do not like the detailing at the bottom. It looks like a muppet tragedy.

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The back is so cool. It is a shame that the bottom of the dress could not follow suit. Still a love, but at $200, I am waiting for sale.

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I then tried on The Sketchbook Dress. It is so fun and versatile. It has forests and fortresses on it. They did not have my usual size 8. I tried on the 6 and it fit perfectly. I love this dress. It is so easy. This lovely came home with me.

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Can I truly be a “gnome lover” and not own a mushroom blouse? This top is unbelievably lovely. I am wearing a size 6. This top is also insanely expensive. It is called Toadstool Blouse. It is silk with beautiful beading details. I am wearing it with a Holding Horses skirt that was on sale for $10. The skirt was a no brainer, but when they removed the sensor tag at checkout, it revealed a giant round stain where the sensor tag had been. The sales associate informed me all of the skirts had been marked that way (hence the $10 price tag). It was a giant bummer. I did not buy the flawed skirt.

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This skirt is beautiful. It is called Emeline Tulle Skirt. This skirt made me smile. The zipper was broken on this one. It is a size 6. It was a little large on me. I was able to slip it up and down without any problem. Super pretty for the more feminine among us. I would buy this for a great sale price!

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This top was pretty.. The top is called Ruched Ribbon Top (thanks Jules). It is purple with pretty ribbon details. This would also make a great sale purchase. I will save this on my wishlist.

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This top is adorable. Yep. That’s the word. It is the Nora Peplum Top. It is wonderful. It felt big in my usual medium, but when I sized down to a small, the arms felt too tight. I loved this blouse, and the medium happily came home with me. Let us wave good bye to my September budget.

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I will wear this with my Mothers brand jeans that I just got on sale for $40, marked down from $198. Sorry I am not a great photographer. And please ignore my messy house in the background. It’s on my to do list. ; )

Thus, we conclude my quick shopping jaunt. But I also took some pictures of some pretties around the store:

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Have you ventured to the dreaded dressing room lately? What did you try on?

P.S. Roxy at Effortless Anthropologie also did some reviews this week. I love her take on some of Anthropologie’s new dresses!