On-Trend: The Peplum Top

{Peplum top: similar | Pants: Gap | Flats: similar | Earrings: Target }

And lace. And hot-pink pants. And leopard print. Kind of a lot of trends in one, I guess.

On a completely unrelated note: I was having a great hair day in these photos.

The Hit-On-Me Dress

Banana Republic dress (exactly)

Banana Republic boots (exactly)

Gap scarf (exactly)

TKO watch (similar)

On the way to work yesterday, wearing this dress, I thought, "I'll blog about how much I dig this dress!"

But as the day went on, I realized that THIS. DRESS. IS. AWESOME.

Y'all. Wearing this dress yesterday, I got hit on. For real. And not just a hollering cat-call, but a bonafide I'm-hitting-on-you line.

Now, I'm happily married. But even a married woman likes a little extra recognition. So this is now my hit-on-me dress. It makes me feel amazing. Sure, it's just a dress, but I think there's a few key points here. And on we go:

1. Find a dress that really (really) flatters your figure. I'm just a little hippy, and this dress hugs me perfectly so as not to emphasize my hips (I'm lookin' at you, empire waists), but to make my curves look proportionate.
2. Find a dress in a color that works. I don't think I have anything else in this color, and I don't know why. Against my fair skin, it's great. And for the Fall, it's greater.
3. Find a dress that leaves plenty to the imagination. This one hits just above the knees and has a pretty conservative neckline. It's much more Katie Couric than Kim Kardashian, and I think that's what makes it work.
4. Find a dress that shows off your best features. I dig my arms (and will dig them more as I get farther along in my race training). The only thing that would make this dress more perfect is if it showed off my shoulders.

I probably should go buy this dress in every color I can find.

Tell me about your hit-on-me dress.

How I feel at first when guys hit on me.

Then I'm all like, "That was interesting!"

Back on Track

This is the first week of my half marathon training.

I once said that I wanted to do a marathon every year for as long as I could. After having completed 2.75 marathons, I'm feeling okay with slowing down a bit, especially considering how my joints are feeling after that last race.

But I slowed down too much. I've gained a little extra poundage. I'm sure no one else has noticed, but my waist has. And so have some of my pants. Yikes.

And what I've learned about myself is that I have to have a goal in order to stay on track fitness-wise. Otherwise, I get a little sporadic in my workouts.

So I've signed up for a half marathon in Wine Country in October. And I'm using Hal Higdon's training schedule again. Bring it.

gifted jeans

Old Navy top

Old Navy cardigan

Gap scarf

Banana Republic bag

Chelsea Crew wedges

Recent Wardrobe Additions

How I'm preparing for Fall 2012...

Willow riding boot

Finally replacing my long-faithful cognac boots (see them here) with these beauties from Banana Republic.

Terry dress

Figuring out that sheath dresses are really the best for my shape, and sticking with them for every season. (See the below example, too.)

Brown leather sheath

Investing in a luxurious piece like this dress. Yes, it's leather. I know, I know. But I feel totally awesome in it.

Women's Lightweight Button-Front Sleeveless Tops

Picking up as many of these tops from Old Navy as I can. They're perfect for several reasons: They're cheap, they come in lots of fun colors, and the sleeveless factor makes them perfect for wearing under cardigans.

Women's The Rockstar Super Skinny Jeans

Sticking with some old faithfuls, like the Old Navy Rockstar jeans. I've worn my black ones so many times that I've had to replace them thrice. (Examples here and here.) And now I have a blue pair to wear into the ground.

Which Fall pieces are you stocking up on or investing in?

New York City: Filtered

brunch doodles

means of escape

pricey scarves at double r l

i <3 this wall

la colombe coffee

fun with friends

streetart

just street

like this one

craving

bridge view

the end.

Easter Dress

No, you didn't read that wrong.

The hubs bought me this dress and cardigan for Easter our very first year of marriage. It was the second time he surprised me with a perfectly well thought-out clothing purchase. (The first was when I first arrived in SF after our honeymoon and there was a dress waiting for me. I still wear it, too.)

I don't remember if he bought this outfit for me just because he likes to have some influence on my style (it's cool--he's way stylish) or if he remembered how I always used to go shopping for Easter dresses with my mom (every. single. year.). Either way, it was thoughtful.

The problem: It's white. I don't wear white. Mainly because I don't know how to wear it. But I think this time I pulled of a kind of successful color-blocking look.

How would you wear this white dress? Tips, please!

Banana Republic dress & cardigan, Old Navy scarf (do I ever take this thing off?) & booties

Is anyone else sad that the Olympics are over? Yeah? Me to.

The good news is that now I can catch up on my viewing of "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo." Life is good.

(Seriously. It's a REAL show.)

Ah ha! I have worn this dress before on the blog. Proof.

NYC Goodies

from Aritzia

from Topshop

from Gap (they're selvage!)

I brought a few things back with me from NYC.

Team USA Colors

Gap top, jeggings, scarf and bracelet; Old Navy booties

Who needs Photoshop?

I stumbled upon this article from IFB, all about (free) in-browser photo editing tools. Look at how much awesomer my photos look after using Pixlr's O-matic tool? (I used the "Peter" filter, in case you were interested.)

On to the Olympics! You already know how in love with them I am. Now I just can't seem to stop finding red, white and blue combinations in my wardrobe.

By the way, have you see that P&G Olympics commercial about moms? Yeah, it'll make you cry. (That's not the exact one that's airing frequently, but it's still so sweet.)

The hubs and I are heading to NYC early Friday morning. I'm going to BlogHer '12, and then we're hanging out until Tuesday for some fun with friends. I can't wait to get educated on some awesome blogging skills and consume lots of good food and drinks with friends. Holla!