Serengeti is a Neutral, I'm Sure of It.

I'm very sure this is a neutral color. Either that or I've gone off the deep end and am considering it so in my off-kilter universe. These are my patent leather Serengeti Juliet pumps from J.Crew, of course. & I wear them with everything from white dresses to eyelet skirts, to anything with a solid color. First, comfy as all heck. Second, I never fail to get a compliment out of these. Hawaii women love these shoes!

When this particular pair dies, I'll have to go scout eBay for another pair.

Worn with the Schuyler dress, a J.Crew flower cardi, and my much destroyed and loved J.Crew men's belt.

♥

Dusty Rose Spectator Pumps: You Finally Belong to Me!

I have to show off my Fall 2008 Spectator Pumps in Dusty Rose I got off of eBay for under $10, still new. Ladies, you have no idea how baaaadddddly I wanted these shoes when they first came out. & I stalked them on eBay season after season, thinking of their dusty pink perfection. You could almost call them neutral. Couldn't you? Or is that a stretch?

♥

The sequin cardigan from last fall, with some bling-eriffic necklaces.

Paired with a simple back skirt from Ann Taylor. Their tropical weight wool? Perfect.

The Case for the Harem Jumper... in 2010, in the Fall, at a Baby's 1st Birthday

Yes, I wore a harem jumper. Say it with me, ladies. Harem. Jumper. With the bubble necklace! I sometimes act trendy on rare occasions, even though technically, harem jumper is not in my preppy-love-jcrew lexicon I've become fluent in over the last few years.

On another note, this was worn not-in-the-summer, after Labor Day, and with a cardigan.

mm. hmm. You're really feeling it now, I'm sure.

But Ladies, I have to say, there is a place and time for the harem jumper.

I think it's actually cute!

& can I tell you I was comfortable?

Like very comfy? & I felt very free and cute?

& I got compliments.

Let's not forget I am in Hawaii (perpetual summer, hot, humid, tradewinds that necessitate a cardigan from time to time)... We have no fall months. No changing colors of the trees. No seasonal changes. But instead, the upside is that I get to wear harem jumpers in every season of the year!

Harem Jumper: BCBG

Sandals: BCBG

On a festive note, how cute is this candy bar at the party? The theme was sweets and cupcakes and I think the candy bar fit in perfectly with the party.

Great ideas for my own shindigs in the future.

I had a blast. So did the jumper. Consider it, ladies! It's outside of the norm, it's trendy, but so are candy bars at parties, but they look great!

♥

Fashion Night Out in Honolulu, plus New to My Closet

First, I'm going to apologize for being MIA. With going back to school, my Little Guy and his myriad of activities that I am primary chauffeur for, and oh yeah, that little thing called work, I've been a little bit preoccupied. But I'm here and I've got a bunch of posts lined up that will keep me present in the blogosphere for the next couple of weeks.

First up, Fashion Night Out was a couple of weeks ago and moi, being of a fashion-minded nature, had to attend. Between some lovely champagne bubbly at Club Monaco (love that store), great deals at J.Crew, and an excellent cause at hand, Fashion Night Out was a hit and I can't wait to attend next year!

Live models in the window at Louis Vuitton. Ugh, to be tall and thin and modeling such gorgeous bags!

Hubs trying his best Zoolander impression, whilst carrying my purchases and keeping our Little Guy busy. You gotta love a man who can multi-task like that!

A copy of the flier that acted as our map. It outlined every activity, deal and highlight of the night.

My purchase of the night at J.Crew. A great dress that was on the sale rack. I went right by it at first, thinking I didn't need a dress like that. I had just told myself earlier that day that I needed to stock up on basics, not fabilis pieces. (hmmm... writing that down just now, it didn't sound as great as it did in my head when I originally had the thought. Not the best wardrobe strategy.)

Well, with a simple black eyelet dress in hand, I strolled around the rest of J.Crew looking for pieces that would go with this dress instead of the one I had in my hand. At that point, I knew it was meant to be mine, so I put the other dress back and grabbed this one instead.

With some help from the CS, I found the most perfectly destroyed leather belt. Why oh why, ladies, do we covet things that look this old and ugly. My saving grace is that it was on sale. But I find myself reaching for it over and over since I've bought it, so, perhaps it wasn't a crazy purchase after all.

Paired with a cardi from Tar-jhay, my Fashion Night Out purchase makes its debut.

♥

We spend our Labor Day with Sea Turtles

Besides grilling burgers and celebrating the end of summer, Hawaii has its own little regional quirks. Like sea turtles basking in the sun. We spent the morning at a beach on the North Shore of 'Oahu amid tons of sea turtles. Wanted to share some of these with my friends in the blogosphere.

Hubs and The Little Guy, striking a pose

Enjoying the View

Another one, enjoying the water, looking for a seaweed sandwich

Having the run of the beach

Happy Labor Day!

Yes, We're Dating. Out with the Old and in with the Anthropologie.

In typical NoJcrewinJapan overthinking, I am contemplating aloud what I've got in my cart. Yes, we're dating. Me and this glorious outfit pictured here. I am so enamored it's borderline ridiculous. I can only tell you, my bloggy gal pals. Even the Hubs will think I'm off my rocker. Ever loved an outfit so much you visit the damn website habitually -- daily even -- just to see the outfit? The last time I acted like this? Fall 2008, J.Crew ---> when spectator peep toe mary janes, thigh high grey socks, and bug pins ruled.

Now, I find myself under the spell of:

The Van Wrinkle Sweater, $118

and the

Tweedy Leaves Dress, $158

In particular, I think I'm drawn to the fall colors of both pieces, as well as the skirt on the dress. In theory, it should work with my body shape, which leans towards a pear-shaped apple. I like that the dress nips in at the waist, but is easy in the tummy and hip area. & I love the look of that sweater open, a la the styled look in the first photo. It's something different I can add to my wardrobe. & did I say how much I love the look with the tights? *le sigh*

Next up:

The Distant Chirping Chemise, $58.00

Let us discuss the absolute dress-like qualities of this piece -- too cute!

Can you picture with a cardi or little sweater? & I have tons to go around, given my J.Crack addictions of the recent past (As my logic goes, any gal who's got an affinity for J.Crew has more than her fair share of cardigans in her enviable closet). I am envisioning with my distressed brown men's leather belt, also from J.Crew, and a pair of very cute sandals.

& finally:

The Pittore Dress, $158

The Pittore Dress gets an honorary mention. Style, cut and everything else in between, it is my hands-down favorite. I am in loooooooove with this dress. The issue comes from my body shape and the straight cut of this dress. We just weren't meant to be, and for that I am a bitter, bitter lady.

What do y'all think about the Anthro roll-out? Anything on your wishlist?