Recipe for a perfect day

Dress: Taylor;

Sandals: Miss Trish of Capri, Target.

How I've worn the dress before: here.

Recipe for a perfect day:

- Eliminate any work schedule.

- Sleep in until 11 a.m.

- Eat a subway sandwich from Quizno's. Share the chocolate chip cookie with your significant other.

- Wear a dress that makes you happy, and in a color that matches your favorite stuffed animal.

- Wear shoes that make your feet happy. And promise them they deserve better, and will get better.

- Go to the library and check out a book you've wanted to read forever (The Divine Comedy). Promise yourself you'll re-read The Inferno parts.

- Go to the park. Watch the little bluebirds fly around. 

- Drop off dry-cleaning. Ponder the new outfit possibilities.

- Watch an episode of "Gilmore Girls."

Rinse, repeat and do it again next week.

A cry for help (from my feet)

After my first two weeks of retail work, I've realized that my cheapo black flats are doing nothing for comfort or style. My feet are rebelling in the form of blisters, throbbing and soreness, and well, I'm desperate to make them happy after eight-hour shifts of standing all the time. I've been alternating my Target flats (the insoles aren't helping), as well as my Naturalizer red flats and Minnetonka moccasins, but no pair has been able to keep soreness low after my shift ends.

So if any of you readers have worked retail or in similar jobs where you're required to walk/stand a lot, I would love your suggestions. I'd really like to find a replacement pair of shoes that are comfortable, stylish and can withstand long periods of standing and walking. They can be any color, style or height, as long as they look business casual for work.

I really appreciate any advice you might have. Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Since my retail work revolves around Fri/Sat/Sun, I officially begin my weekend tonight through Tuesday, so I'll be putting up some casual outfit posts soon!

Dressing my best, part three

 

Top: Ann Taylor Loft;

Jeans: Ann Taylor Loft;

Ring: Target, gift;

Sandals: Miss Trish of Capri, Target;

Bracelet: Finder's Keepers.

For my third "Dressing Your Best" day this week, I decided to debut a new-to-the-blog top to celebrate my shoulders. I used to be really self-conscious about wearing halter, strapless or one-shoulder styles until about a year ago when I found this top, and I realized how much I really liked showing off my shoulders. The style felt very Grecian goddess to me, and made me proud to show off those areas of my body. 

I realize now that during "Dressing Your Best" week I've worn mostly the Loft brand. This wasn't really planned on my part, as I just gravitated to items that highlighted my favorite parts of myself. But I think it's become my go-to brand for finding styles that fit and drape my body in a way that is really flattering.

I hope you all have a really great weekend! I'm going to be working throughout most of it (weekends: retail workdays for me), but I'm trying to enjoy the new aspects of my new job. Thank you again for all of your kind words and support this week. It's been really humbling and has given me some new perspective on my position. I really love you all.

Treasured: Animal brooches

I've decided to start a new feature here called "Treasured," in which I'll pay tribute to some of the lesser known but really loved items in my closet. It'll be a way for you to know which items mean a lot to me (the kind of items I'd probably try to save in a house fire), plus it'll probably get me to wear these items more often.

First up, animal brooches. If you'd asked me about wearing animal-inspired jewelry back in high school, I would have called you crazy and possibly tacky. The only people I knew who wore animal jewelry were the older ladies at church who would wear animal and holiday-inspired brooches (think cats in Santa hats that lit up). It just didn't go with my uniform of t-shirts and cargo shorts back then. Oh, naive me.

But, I've changed my mind on animal jewelry. Animal brooches of any shape and size can be awesome. They can add touches of whimsy to any outfit, and when done right, can be total scene-stealers.

For my newer readers, you may not know that I have a habit of naming my animal jewelry. Above, we have Greeley the tiger and Monsho the turtle. I'm pretty sure they have rambunctious parties in my jewelry box. Here's how I've worn Monsho and Greeley before.

So maybe one day I will become that lady who wears holiday-themed cat brooches that light up. I think I'm okay with this.

Have you ever reconsidered an accessory or clothing type that you once thought was tacky?

Dressing my best, part two

Dress: Ann Taylor Loft;

Belt: Ann Taylor Loft;

Shoes: Target;

Silver Bangle: gift.

How I've worn the dress before: here.

I had Wednesday off from work, so it was nice to wear as much color as I felt like. This is Dress #2 from The Dress Project, and it feels like it's been forever since I've worn it. I love the paint splatter effect of the pattern. For Academichic's "Dressing Your Best" week, I decided to draw some attention to my waist by wearing a contrasting belt. Throughout my life, I've had a smaller waist in proportion to my body, and whenever I wear a belt it highlights more of an hourglass figure. It's one of my favorite features because no matter how much my weight has fluctuated in the last five years, my body shape has remained somewhat constant. I really ended up liking this look and felt really confident wearing it to the park and to the grocery store. And, in addition to the four inch heels from Target, I felt sky-high and totally on top of the world.

I've been awestruck reading other bloggers' accounts of Dressing Their Best --- it's been amazing to read how others are embracing their broad shoulders, hips, legs, derrieres, etc. It's refreshing, because it's so counterintuitive to what we're told to feel about our body images by societal pressures and lady magazines. It's nice to see others flaunt what makes them unique.

 Are you Dressing Your Best this week? And if so, how is it impacting the way you feel about your clothes, and body image?