Saturday Style File: Week Nine

Happy Saturday!

I hope you are enjoying the weekend so far :) My favorite outfit of Week Nine was Wednesday's look. I received the Mango dress I ordered on Tuesday evening, and I knew I wasn't going to be able to wait until Spring to wear it. The dress has a modest length, and plenty of wiggle room through the bottom half which I love. I'm not a fan of dresses that are tight around my legs and hips; it's not the best look for me.

On another note, this week Pretty Ingrid was featured on a blog for the first time! Danielle of The Merriweather Council included one of my pieces in her Weekly Favorites feature. Check it out here :) I am a really big fan of Danielle's work, so this is a big deal for me. Thank you so much, Danielle!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend :)

Saturday Style File: Week Eight

Happy Saturday!

I think lots of people struggle with the month of February; Winter seems never ending and spirits are generally a bit low. Have you noticed this?

Last week I mentioned that I've been in a bit of a rut, style-wise. For someone who loves clothes, I have a pretty small wardrobe. There are only so many things in my closet that are appropriate for bitter cold and many feet of snow on the ground (we just got another six inches or so yesterday)! I've been relying on a few pieces pretty heavily, just waiting for the weather to warm up enough to begin incorporating some of my more Spring-like items into the mix.

So, this week I will spare you the details of most of my outfit (blue turtleneck, skinny jeans, black ankle booties, blah blah..) and focus on the new piece in my closet - the Spring blouse I purchased from Express! The blouse is fairly sheer and lightweight, with a vibrant floral pattern. I wanted to inject some color into my look this week, so I decided to pair the blouse with my warmer Winter items.

I'm dying to get some bright cropped skinnies to pair with the blouse, along with my favorite pair of yellow flats. I will say, thought, that pairing the cheerful blouse with my Winter staples really did lift my mood on Monday :)

How has your weekend been so far? I'm off to run errands this afternoon, but I think I'll be able to talk A. into having Chinese tonight at the quiet little restaurant we love :)

For those of you who liked this, the card is now listed in the shop!

Saturday Style File: Week Six

Happy Saturday!

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend so far. A and I went out for a lovely early Valentine's day dinner last night, which was wonderful. We hit a small local restaurant for some chicken picatta, haddock, cheese cake (for me) and Guinness (for him). Tonight we are celebrating a friend's birthday at an Italian restaurant we really enjoy, so I'm looking forward to that..

The outfit I chose for this week's installment of Saturday Style File is what I wore on Friday. The dress is one of the quirkier items in my closet, and I absolutely love it! I purchased the piece a couple of years ago from a local boutique, Bella Luna. I really like this particular store because the owner only carries one of each item in a few different sizes; you are sure to get a unique piece that few others will have. 

Because the dress is quite short, I paired with with skinny jeans and boots. Since I wear the same pants and boots almost every day in the winter, I chose not to include them this time :) I also wore a black turtleneck for added warmth. 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Saturday Style File: Week Five

Happy Saturday :)

This is week five of my little Saturday Style feature! The look I chose to sketch this week is the outfit I wore on Monday. The look was centered around a thrifted pair of ankle boots I scored for $8 on a Sunday trip with friends to Bar Harbor last weekend. 

The boots remind me a bit of the Frye Engineer Boot, without the hefty price tag. Their look is a little bit tougher than my usual taste, but when I put them on I instantly loved them. I am going to try them with a dress next week, I think.

Favorite outfit this week:

- The blue turtleneck is from H&M.

- The military-style short sweater is from Target. I love the stretchy, incredibly warm material this piece is made of. 

- The skinny jeans are from Gap.

- The ankle boots are thrifted.

See you back here on  Monday! 

Saturday Style File: Week Four

Happy Saturday!

This is Week Four of Saturday Style File. I'm finding that I really look forward to sitting down and doing these little sketches on the weekend. It's a great way to keep the creative juices flowing, without stressing too much about how "perfect" the final product is. I limit myself to an hour with my sketchbook, so it's a fun little challenge. By the end of the exercise, I have so many ideas for other projects! This is an hour well-spent each weekend, for sure.

Back to the outfit; I wore this yesterday for a casual Friday in the office and a dinner date with the boy that evening. You probably see a pattern forming with my clothing choices for the lower half of my body. If I choose to wear pants, they are ALWAYS cuffed and paired with a pair of tall boots. This is the only really practical choice with several feet of snow outside, and lots of slush. I hate to wear clunky boots, making it necessary to pack an extra pair of shoes and change when I arrive at the office. So, I find cuffed pants with cute boots is a really practical option during the winter months.

Favorite outfit this week:
- The black turtle neck is from H&M. It's a cold weather staple, for sure. Perfect for layering.
- The little jacket is part of a suit by Willi Smith. Suits don't really excite me, but I liked this short sleeve style. I purchased only the top from TJ Maxx.
- The jeans are from Gap.
- The scarf was thrifted, and a gift from my mother. I have received so many compliments on this piece! I thought the brightness of the scarf would liven up the neutral colors of the outfit.
- The suede zip boots are old, and extremely comfortable. Unfortunately, I don't remember where I got them.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Saturday Style File: Week Three

Happy Saturday!

I was lucky enough to have an extra day off this weekend, because yet another blizzard rolled through the Northeast on Friday. Since I didn't get out of my pajamas yesterday, I had one less day to choose my outfit from this week :) 

I wore this somewhat casual, monochromatic outfit to work on Wednesday. It was lucky I was comfortable, because the work day itself was dreadfully stressful! 

Favorite outfit this week:

- The blue bird print blouse is from H&M. I am completely in love with the sweet print, and it makes a great layering piece over turtlenecks. 

- The blue turtleneck is also from H&M.

- Blue skinny jeans are from Gap.

- Black boots are by BareTraps.

What are you up to this weekend? The boy and I are planning to get Chinese food at our favorite local spot, browse the bookstore and catch a film (most likely The Fighter). 

Enjoy the rest of the weekend :)

Saturday Style File: Week Two

I hope you are enjoying your (long) weekend so far :)

This week's featured outfit is actually what I wore to work on Monday. Dresses with turtle necks, opaque tights and tall boots have sort of become my unofficial uniform this season. It's a really great way to get more use out of warmer-weather dresses that would otherwise sit in my closet during the winter months.

I felt really put-together and professional, yet still fresh and fun; that's my ultimate goal when I dress for work :)

Favorite outfit this week:

- The gray jersey dress is from TJ Maxx. I always have great luck finding deals on simple dresses there. 

- The turtle neck is a plain dark gray style from Target. It's a favorite of mine for winter layering.

- The stretchy belt I found at Kohl's. It's perfect for giving shape to flowy dresses. I used it to cinch this dress for a wedding, and I LOVED the look.

- The locket is from Verabel. This fun piece dressed up the monochromatic outfit.

- Tall black boots are by BareTraps.  

This look was a warm, cozy and comfortable outfit to start the week!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend :)

A Little Thing I'm Trying..

The beginning of the new year has a lot of the creative community talking about ways to incorporate more right-brained goodness into our everyday lives. The Storque article is just one of many places I have seen this conversation going on. 

Although I try to do something creative each day, I know that I could be doing a better job of it. I find myself making excuses; "I had a long day at work, I'm just too tired", or "I don't want to make a mess of the living room with all of my supplies". The fact of the matter is, though, that when I find the time to "make" something I'm a lot happier for it. Once I take that first step, grabbing a pencil and paper, pulling out my paints, I feel calmer and happier almost immediately.

In the spirit of living more creatively each day, I thought I would try a new little feature here on A Random Walk. Each Saturday I am going to share a little sketch of a favorite outfit of mine from the week. My hope is that through sharing a weekly "fashion" self portrait with you, I will sketch more consistently and be more adventurous with the clothes that are already in my closet. I can't have repeat outfits, after all!

So, I'm going to call this little feature "Saturday Style File". If you want to play along, or already have a similar feature on your blog, I would love to see!

Favorite outfit this week:

- Blue turtleneck by H&M

- Cream cardigan by H&M

- Jeans from Gap

- Suede zip boots are old. I'm not sure where I got them

- Chunky bauble ring from Pier 1

- Large pink felt broach was a gift from my mother

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!