OOTD AND FOTD: "MAXI-MIZING My Dress for My 9-5!"

Pretty much everyone knows that I have recently had a baby and am now going in the transition of losing weight. I am now in that horrible stage of "too big/too little". I'm too little for my bigger clothes and I'm too big for my smaller clothes. So, I am pretty much at a loss when it comes for dressing for work.

Then I happen to remember coming across a fellow blogger's OOTD where she remixed her maxi dress to make it appropriate for work! I put my spin on one of my MANY maxi dresses that I've accumulated over this past summer.

 

My outfit stems from items I've purchased and decided to put together at the last minute. It's just happenstance that they are actually ALL leopard print. My jacket is actually a men's blazer from H&M that was on Clearance for $10! The faux leather lining had me at HELLO when I first laid eyes upon it. My scarf is also from H&M. My belt came with a shirt I purchased from Wal-Mart.

 My shoes: Platform stiletto heels from Charlotte Russe. These are one of MANY pairs of leopard print shoes that I've purchased throughout my shoe journey.

Here's the end result! put together so that I can work in style and not become concerned about showing my "plumber's crack" at work LOL!




Another shot of my outfit!

As far as my face? My sister wanted me to do a Face of the Day because I'm in love with Wet 'N Wild Cosmetics. I used Intuitive Blend in Medium and also Wet 'N Wild CoverAll in Medium as well. I used the the Color Icon Palette in "Petal Pusher", the Blush in Pearlescent Pink and Mega Last Lip Color in "Cherry Bomb".


 I'm very pleased with my look today and I'm sure that I can rock this from 9-5 and beyond!

Sunday's OOTD

This weekend has been the most beautiful and pleasant ones that we've had in a while. As the cold weather closes in, days like this are far and few between. This is definitely "walk with your family through a park" type weather, and we have several around us. Won't be long until I am blogging about boots, scarves and peacoats! But today deserves one last hoorah in short sleeves and mini dresses!

I've had this dress for years, and I thought that it would be a good color to compliment my accessories. I don't remember it being this short. LOL! That's what a baby will do to you, but hey, I still love it!

Blooper shot! :)

Of course my accessories are chunky, yet simple. Nothing too extravagant today.  I used Wet 'N Wild once again for my makeup! The color I have on today is  Mega Last Lip Color in 914C Mocha-licious and I used Color Icon Eyeshadow Collection in Comfort Zone.

I love this outfit!

It's surprising how a little sun makes you adjust your attitude! Or maybe it's just that this weekend has been fun and relaxing!

My shoes? Jeffrey Campbell. I would say that they are vintage, but I have no clue. All I know is that I love these shoes! They are comfortable, but are a little on the heavy side. Can't tote a baby in these beauties!

As Fall comes to an end, I can only imagine what Winter fashion will bring! I'm excited to see and participate as well.

"A Beautiful Fall Baby Shower"

Saturday was a BEAUTIFUL fall day! Not too cold, not too warm. Just perfect. It also was my sister in love's baby shower, and she's expecting TWINS! Being a mother to two 9 year olds, a 6 year old and a 2 month old, I can only imagine how she feels right now! I know I'm super excited!

The decorations were absolutely adorable! Everything was done with very intricate detail. The event planner (Majestic Events) made the clubhouse look very inviting and gorgeous! Perfect for the two little ones who will be arriving very soon!

 

The cake and "double" the decorations!

There was a candy bar as well!
 

The gorgeous mother to be-TWICE!

A day like this wouldn't be complete without looking my best! I went through several outfits before I came to find one that I thought would look presentable for this wonderful occasion LOL!



For my face, I used several products from Wet 'N Wild (which is TOTALLY awesome!) This cosmetic line has come a LONG way from when I was younger and experimenting with different lipstick shades. I absolutely love the staying power of the Mega Last Lip Color! I am wearing 917B in Cinammon Spice. Perfect lip color for Fall and especially November! The primer I used is called Wet 'N Wild Intuitive Blend Shade-Adjusting Foundation + Primer in 177 Medium. This awesome primer and foundation in one starts out white and adjusts to match your shade and skin tone. I used it under my actual foundation. For my eyes, I used Wet 'N Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Collection in Comfort Zone. I used the lighter side for a daytime look.

My outfit is one that I have been wanting to wear for the longest time! My dress along with my necklace is from H&M.

 I live for chunky jewelry, and this particular necklace caught my eye. I love it and it coordinates with my dress perfectly!

I purchased my shoes a few years ago online. I absolutely adored the color and I had to have them. They are made by Liliana.

 

Today was definitely a day to step out in your best threads, especially with it being beautiful and basking in the perfect weather! Being that it's November in the Midwest, I'm not sure how many more days of beautiful weather we are going to have, so I better dress as cute as possible before the snow hits! 

 



Bang for Your Buck Spotlight: Go Jane VS. Ruthie Davis!

Good evening all! One of the things that I love to do on my down time is to window shop, and what I happen to stumble upon today was pretty amazing!

I absolutely ADORE Ruthie Davis. If you haven't had a chance to check out her shoe collection, please do. It's does my heart good to see all of those beautiful shoes.


I have been LUSTING over a pair of RD's for the longest time, and these caught my eye. And a small tear rolled down my cheek from the beauty:

These are RD's Linden in Dusty Rose and Gold. They are truly breathtaking. The Linden is from the Pre-Fall 2012 collection and similar to the Avatar pump. This shoe features tan leather, spiked embellished adjustable ankle-strap, metallic gold patent leather heel counter & heel and green sole. You can find them on Amazon.com for $1,038.

 

 

 

 

 

 

These spiked platform heels are from gojane.com and are the dupes to my beloved RD'S! If you can't quite afford the Linden's by RD, check out Go Jane's website and order these for the awesome price of $34.95! They are currently having a HUGE heel sale and you can receive up to 80% off the regular price! If you would like an even BETTER bargain on these awesome pair of shoes, here are two coupon codes for you:

 

 

                               PSWJANE

 

 

This discount code offers an EXTRA 20% off everything in the store! I know, I've tried it, and it works!!!

 

                                   GJSHIP60

 

This discount code gives you FREE SHIPPING on orders over $60. Unfortunately, you can only use ONE coupon code at checkout. Choose the one that's best for you! Either way, you will be winning!

 

 

 

 

Here's a comparision of both shoes:

 

 

 

 

What do you think? Go Jane (in my opinion) ALWAYS have the best dupes in shoes!!! Let me know your opinions!





A "Blue" Sunday

Sunday was a beautiful day to be out with my family, so I decided to spruce it up a little. Cobalt Blue is in this season, and what better day than Sunday to debut a new dress, right?

This litte number was made by AGB and $86. I bought it for $9.99. Can you say STEAL?! Brand new!

I was attempting to channel Jacqueline "Jackie" Lee Bouvier Kennedy Onassis with this look. She was tasteful and classy with her choice of wardrobe. Simple, yet refined. My purse is by Arcadia. I love these purses! They are big enough to fit all what you need, but chic enough to wear with anything. My sunglasses are "Brand inspired." They are cute and serve their purpose very well.

This dress is really comfortable and as time goes on, I will probably get it tailored to fit with my weight loss. This dress is definitely a keeper!!!

A "Wine, Women and Canvas" Casual Birthday Weekend!

This past weekend, I celebrated my good friend's birthday by going to Wine and Canvas. This was my first time going, so of course I didn't know how to dress for the event! He called me and said, "I'm going casual." Um... what is this CASUAL?! The GG doesn't DO casual! So, I had to go looking for something casual, and that's what I did. Casual. Hmm. It even feels funny saying it.

Hubby bought these Chuck Taylor's for me last year. I have never worn them. So I said might as well pull them out tonight!

Chump wanted to jump in the picture lol!



My "Vintage" Barbie shirt I bought years ago made its debut yet again on this night... I love this shirt!

My accessories are from LuxeBaby (earrings) and of course my eyewear are Jackson Harlem Icons.

So I was casually ready to go out on the town!

After looking at all of the beautiful pictures on the wall, I was reluctant to start because I am NOT an artist by no means, so I needed some "Liquid Courage." LOL! The cheese, grapes and crackers were AWESOME! I think the Moscato brought out the flavor.

Here's my blank canvas. This was before I created my "Masterpiece". LOL!

My good friend and I are ready to paint the town! He's also very fashionable. He's my hairstylist, by the way. Awesome buddy!

 Getting ready to paint, we strike a pose for the camera. My buddy's trying to look like he knows what he's doing LOL!

 He's actually doing a great job!!! He can do more than hair, apparently! LOL!

My final result. My Adult A.D.D. started kicking in after a while.

Meh. This is a blurry pic. One too many moscatos. LOL!

In all, the night was a total blast. This was a different experience for me. I do not like to paint, draw or anything, so for my friend to want to do this for his birthday was definitely a step out of the ordinary for me. I'm really glad that he enjoyed himself! I was glad to be a part of it, as well.

Entrepreneur Spotlight: Jackson Harlem

Award-winning Author/ Menswear Designer/Speaker AND friend Jackson Harlem took the time to sit down and answer a few questions that I had for him regarding his ICONIC line of eyewear: JACK ICONS. The known introverted workaholic gave me the opportunity and also the privilege to work with him back in 2007 when he was known for his menswear, poetry and also his publishing of two poetry collections: "Black Boy Juice" and "My Southern Fried Affair".  Now working on bigger ventures such as "Eat and Prey: The Harlem Manifesto" along with celebrities spotted sporting the ever so popular ICONS, he sits to explain what brought about the conception of the eyewear and what they mean to him.

GG: Jackson, you are the designer of JACK Icons. Can you introduce us to your collection ? How you can define your frames ?

JH: JACK Icons are the official eyewear of the JACK By Jackson Harlem brand. They feature an oversized silhouette of a wayfarer design and come in an array of colors and patterns. I describe JACK Icons as my burqa. They keep me protected and allow me to hide in public.

GG: What is the history behind JACK Icons?

JH: JACK Icons were birthed out of my need to hide trauma. A cadre of young artists and I were recruited into this private organization that operates within the entertainment industry. At one of their grandiose events in 2008, I met an eyewear developer by the name of Ronnie Marcsen who later taught me resin molding and I turned my 2007, one-off sunglasses into a full, streamlined collection.

The same night I met Ron, my friends and I discovered what this organization was about, but it was too late to really back out and leave the event. That night went to hell. Days later, I turned to my oversized sunglasses as a coping mechanism. I found strength in hiding behind what later became the JACK Icons. And that strength is molded into each and every pair.

GG: I know that you are the stylist of your brand. Could you explain to us the definition behind the names and colors of your ICONS?

JH: I always weave my personal narrative into the literature and menswear I create, so the JACK Icons are given names like "Suicide", "Pain", and "Blackout" to reference the traumatic situations my friends and I found ourselves in that also correlate to each JACK Icon's unique design.

I saw a friend guy of mine completely black out after being drugged at the event I mentioned. That memory inspired "Blackout". The emotion surrounding that memory is what I wanted to hide. JACK Icons allowed me to hide the agony of that memory while maneuvering through college life.

GG: You've fit celebrities with ICONS in the past. Who have you fit? What were their favorite colors? Do you have any favorite celebrities you've been able to meet through your job?

JH: My favorite celebrities are the everyday 9-5 men and women who care little to nothing about fashion. I've been blessed to have the support of many people I really respect in music and fashion. Gayle King’s former stylist Andre Austin, rappers Big K.R.I.T and Kamikaze, R&B duo RecognitioN, stylists Rudy Reed and LaureNicole, and now Flo Rida’s new artist, Stayc Reign from the song “Wild Ones” are all currently wearing them. I'm currently creating exclusives for several new pop groups and R&B singers at the moment as well.

GG: What about hair color and skin tone? Which color ICONS work best for blondes, brunettes, redheads, etc?

JH: BLACKOUT seems to work best for most hair colors. I'd recommend brunettes consider something bolder like HARDCORE, whereas redheads could go for POISON to really punch up the contrast.

JACK Icon's bold, classic shape allows you to stand out without being eccentric, so I'd recommend selecting the JACK Icons that most often accentuate your hair, personal style, and wardrobe.

GG: Any quick tips on taking care of your ICONS so they will last?

JH: Keeping the JACK Icons on your face is the best protection. Keeping them in the sleeve or casket they arrive in is a swell idea, too. And never let anyone borrow them.

GG: What has satisfied you about the ICONS collection this year?

JH: The most exciting aspect of my work is sharing it with the men and women who support me. Hearing the stories of people getting complimented not on just the eyewear, but how the JACK Icons amplify their style and become a conversation piece are the most satisfying facets of what I do.

Also, being able to give people custom colors they've long requested is rewarding as an artisan.

GG: Where we can find your frames ?

JH: JacksonHarlem.com is where they are exclusively sold as well as at S.A. Boutique in Atlanta.