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!

“Where Oh Where Oh Where Is…

Shadow?” Anyone? Oh, please disregard my wandering thoughts. I am completely losing it over here.

Where did the time go? Seriously, I have approximately 5% done that I need to have done right now. But instead of doing those things I am writing a post. Funny how I always choose the more fun thing to do.

And I forgot to remove the darn garland again! For every single picture. On each and every day. You think I could remember one time. I did remember yesterday and today, so there is that advantage. Yep, that word (ho) appears in almost every single outfit photo in this post. Is the universe trying to tell me something? Well… ho, ho, ho! I’m jolly!

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I purchased the Anthropologie Petalblush Dress on sale in a size small during the additional 20% off sale dresses promotion. I am very glad I did, but I am almost wishing I would have kept the medium and not the small. The small might be a little…too small.

I paired it with a grey scarf and mustard cable knit tights from H & M.

I wore this on a day I knew was going to be really tough. I figured the bright colors would be cheerful. They were. The day ended up not being as draining as I feared.

And the muppet fringe? Well, I gotta tell you, it actually made me happy. It is nice to have a little extra support even if it is in the form of a dissected puppet. Comforting.

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This photo was taken the next day. I look as tired as I felt. It was really a beautiful day in Southern California, though. It was nice to wear short sleeves and bare legs. I wore my mustard Circle The Globe skirt that I bought off of eBay last year. It had previously been too big, but I recently had the waist taken in. Gotta love a good tailor.

The hedgehog shirt (Creature Feature Top ) is one of my favorites. I previously wore it here. The necklace is the Corallina Necklace from Anthropologie now missing a link. And the shoes are Anthropologie’s Ruffled Shooties (I purchased my usual 8 during the Black Friday sale. Probably could have sized down one, but they were all sold out).

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I paired my Anthroplogie Ruffled Sweater Vest (previously worn here and here) with my Free People Miles Of Henley Dress in charcoal. I have said it before, but this vest is my favorite purchase of the year. Yes, year. I find myself wearing it at least twice a week. There is another mom at school with one. I hope we do not show up on the same day wearing it.

The earrings are Lucky Brand. The boots are vintage.

How are you holding up this week? I am just completely and utterly overwhelmed. I have no idea how I am going to accomplish everything anything. Any suggestions?

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* Oh, and tonight I am going to go see The Nutcracker with my family. I could really use some help. I want to wear a tulle skirt. I was thinking of my Anthropologie Emeline Tulle Skirt from Anthropologie or I have my BCBG tan tulle skirt from last year. With the Emeline I was going to wear the Peony Applique Pullover. With the BCBG I would wear either a tan long sleeved shirt or maybe a lace pullover. The only shoes that I own (I only own about four pairs of heels) that may work are my plain nude pumps or my new ruffled shooties. The other dilemma with that is it is probably going to be freezing. I might need to wear tights. But I don’t think either shoe would look right with them. I did get a pretty pair of dressier boots, but they are currently wrapped under the tree. So, my only boot choices are vintage or black. What should I do? Please help. : )

Thank you!

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UPDATE: I was all set to wear my Emeline skirt, but then my daughter came out of her bedroom in the most beautiful tulle dress. And I knew tulle belonged all to her tonight. She looked so pretty.

So, I ran to my closet and I spotted the Bourgeois Dress with the ballerinas on it. In fact, I recreated the whole outfit the model is wearing, except the necklace. I wore my daughter’s foxhead necklace, because I thought it looked a bit ratlike. I love a theme! Thank you for all of your help. I think I will wear the Emeline Skirt on Christmas Eve. Have a lovely weekend!

Striped Terry Blazer

I purchased this Anthropologie Striped Terry Blazer on a major sale months ago. And I am just now getting around to sharing the pictures of how I am styling it?! I believe this was in August. Or September.

One of those months. They all blend together, kind of like the three pounds I gained this week from the three pies I ate. Dinner tonight? Salad. Oh. Who am I kidding? Is a Snickers bar a vegetable?

“Sigh.”

The major selling point to me with this blazer (besides the price tag) was the material it was made from. Terry cloth? It invoked images of bubble baths and showers. Plus, it had stripes. Grey stripes! Red stripes! Yes please.

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First up we have the blazer styled with a simple orange embroidered tee I purchased years and years ago. I actually own this shirt in three different colors. I bought a mustard colored one from eBay for $4 last year. The jeans in all of these pictures are from The Gap ten years ago. The boots are vintage from the flea market. I chose to include two pictures, so we can see the weird poses I make with my hands. They like to do odd things for my pictures. I think they are trying to spell “p-i-e.”

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Then I paired it with a bright blue henley.

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The crochet tank was $15 from Marshall’s over the summer. And the floral tank was $10 at Nordstrom Rack in the spring.

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I like the mix of patterns and textures here with the blazer.

Do you wear blazers with jeans? How do you make them more casual? Did you know terry cloth could be worn outside the house? Or the bathroom?

And what did we decide about the Snickers bar?

It’s definitely a root vegetable. Right?

P.S. * I shared this on The Pleated Poppy!

Sketchbook Shirt Dress

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I adore the Sketchbook Shirt Dress from Anthropologie. It fits like a dream. It has hidden fortresses amongst shadowed forrests. If you look closely, you can see a gnome.

Not really, but that would be awesome.

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The lining of the dress is a pretty purple.

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I am wearing a size 6 here. I have recently learned that this is probably the size I should be buying. But I am still finding my way in sizing. So I might really be an 8. I am sorry! I hope I can be a better help in the future in terms of sizing. I still think it runs a little big.

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I wanted a picture of the dress sitting down. But then I was accosted by my dog. And the dress rode up. I had to edit it. Imagine I can take a good picture.

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Have you tried on this dress? How did you feel about sizing? I would like to know if I am off. Do you have a fun, whimsical piece in your closet?

* I shared this on The Pleated Poppy!