First Days of School

Let's take a walk down memory lane and examine my "First Day of School" outfits through the years:

 2008

2009

2010

 2011

 2012

So, a couple things immediately stand out. First, I have always worn a dress or skirt on the first day of school. Second, other than 2012, I've always stuck to neutral colors (browns, grays, black and white, etc.). Third, I've always worn heels of some kind, but only once were they heeled boots.

If I had to rank them in order of which I like best, I would probably say I like 2012 the most, 2008 the least, and exactly in order in between - basically, the more recent, the more I like it. And really, that's the way it should be, right? Getting better through the years?

So the question, of course, is what I should wear this year. I turn to you, loyal readers, to give me your thoughts. What elements do you see in these outfits that you like (and therefore think I should aim to repeat)? What should I avoid? Are there any particular pieces you've loved seeing in past posts that you think I should incorporate into my first-day outfit? 

Give me ideas, people!

[P.S. My hair changes a LOT, right?]

I Still Wear Clothes

Want to see the clothes I've been wearing?

Work clothes:

Like.

Eh.

Like.

Love! 

 Like.

Dislike.

Like.

Love!

Eh.

Love!

 

Like.

Love!

Dislike.

Eh.

 Love!

Casual clothes:

Like.

Like.

Love!

Love!

Do you agree or disagree with my assessments?

Sigh

Who can guess when I started coaching soccer? Because it lines up pretty closely to when I stopped posting here at the fashion blog. Sorry about that, loyal fans. Prepare to be bombarded with photos of what you've missed in the meantime...

Skinnies and Boots

I don't think much needs to be said about these outfits, because we all know most of the reasons I love skinnies and boots.

 I heart argyle. Who's with me?

 I love the color and the cut of this sweater, but I feel like I never find the right top to wear under it. This t-shirt wasn't a whole lot better than anything else I've tried.

I don't love this outfit. I untucked the shirt when I got to school and that made it better, but I still wish I'd done better.

Add a Blazer

I know, technically, these are still in the "skinnies and boots" category, but I feel like the main focus of the outfit is the blazer, so they should be in their own BLAZER category.

Miss Self suggested, and I agree, that this outfit would have worked better with a brooch of some kind. Next time...

This was my outfit for the Open House, aka "Impress the Parents Day."

Sweater Vests

Another "skinnies and boots," but also a non-skinnies outfit.

 I got my boot socks! Yay! Also, let's remember I love argyle.

Printed sweater vest (in the first outfit) demands a plain top, so a printed top wants a plain sweater vest, like this grey one.

Dresses

We'll start with the simple dress for work:

New Target sweater? Yes, please!

But then, we also have the fancy dress for the staff Christmas party:

I LOVE this dress, I LOVE my fascinator (that black half-hat), and I love the whole look that came together here. I felt beautiful, and I don't often, so that's a big deal.

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So... ? Say something! Welcome me back, or just say hello, or pick a favorite outfit, or... something! I've missed you all. :)

Delayed Gratification

Well, I've been a pretty terrible fashion blogger this week, at least in terms of keeping up with the previously established schedule. But boy, it was a long week, and while I could have taken time to catch up last night, I decided I deserved to take a night and hang with my girlfriends instead of sitting at home with my laptop. You all understand, right?

To make up for the long silence, I have three (THREE!) outfits to share with you. First, from Wednesday:

I saw this skirt at Target and just knew I had to have it for fall. It's a wool blend, and it's chock full of awesome fall colors like mustard, wine, and blueberry. (On a side note, why are so many colors named for foods? It makes me hungry.)  Basically, I had just been sitting around waiting for a day to wear it with tights and boots.

 Because it's getting a little cooler now, we're also getting to the point where I have to take pictures of the outfit with whatever jacket I've chosen as well. And I love me a good denim jacket:

Get the look for yourself:
Skirt - Target, available here.
Shirt - I don't remember, but similar here.
Boots - Kohl's; similar here.
Jacket - Hand-me-down; similar here.
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So then came Thursday, and I was pretty sure I wouldn't have time to go home in the afternoon between school and Back-to-School Night, so I had to wear something pretty professional looking. I opted for a late-summer purchase - this retro pencil skirt jumper paired with a traditional ruffle-front white blouse:

I love the vintage feel of the pencil skirt with straps. It reminds me of one of my swing performance costumes:

I decided, for weather reasons, to pair it with some argyle tights and one of my favorite pairs of black heels, complete with adorable white flowers:

For the colder points in the day, as well as for a more professional look for the parents at Back-to-School Night, I added a dark blue blazer:

I was SO excited to see that blazers were coming back this past summer and into this fall. I'd been looking for an amazing blazer for a while before I came across this one at the Gap. It is a dark midnight blue with black trim, and it fits perfectly.

I loved this look, so I hope all the parents did too!


Get the look for yourself:
Blouse - Target; similar here.
Jumper - Charlotte's Web in Berkeley; similar here.
Tights - Target; similar here.
Shoes - Payless, and I can't find any like them in my searching...
Bracelets - Claire's, available here.
Necklace - Target; similar here.
Earrings - Target; similar here.
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The school administration decided that after a really long day on Thursday, the teachers deserved a jeans day on Friday, so I got to put together another Blue-and-Gold outfit:

And again, because it's been chilly, here's the outfit complete with sweater:

I absolutely love comfy cardigans, and they're one of the best parts of fall weather, in my opinion. Cardigans and comfy boots. Mmmm... Fall...

Get the look for yourself:
Shirt - Old Navy, available here.
Jeans - Target, available here.
Boots - (see first outfit above)
Cardigan - Target; similar everywhere, because, you know, it's a cardigan.
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And thus ends the longest Daily Dress-Up post yet. Hope you managed to hang in there until the end! See you next week, when I will hopefully be less busy. Hopefully...