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.

J.Crew Carly Dress: Polite Summer Ruffles

Ladies, my Little Guy is on vacay with the grandparents. So here I am, a mommy who suddenly has quite a bit of free time. Do I go to the gym? No. Yoga? No. I blog, peeps. Thought I would show you a few snaps of the J.Crew Carly dress I bought a while ago -- FP, damnit. It's now since been marked down to $59.99 in Final Sale and was an additional 20% off a few days ago. Quite a deal. If you don't mind drying it flat.

I'm going to say right now, this is a very comfy, flattering dress. The sleeves don't cut you off at the fattest point on my arm. Instead, I find them a very nice length. The ruffles are, goodness me, wonderful at hiding what you don't want others to see. A year ago, I put myself on a ruffle-ban when I had just had it up to *here* with J.Crew's ruffle-addictions. But either I've mellowed out on my ruffle outlook or ruffles out of cotton are exempt from the ban. Haven't figured which one it is yet. Did I also mention the shift shape is very cute? Me likey very much.

A quick focus on the shoes, which is new to my closet and happily living amongst new brothers and sisters here.

They are Saks Fifth Avenue, happily picked up on Clearance with an additional 50% off from the Off Fifth Outlet. I believe my final price was about $75. When I posted last month about the few pairs of shoes I brought with me initially to Hawaii, I was lacking a cute wedge/platform heel for summer. & I've refused to settle for something that wasn't perfectly what I had in mind. I wanted something that was comfy, interesting, could be worn casually or used to dress something basic up. & I wanted a color that would work with lights and darks. Oh, and I needed the darn thing to cover my foot. This was no easy mission to find, but I'm happy to say I was very pleased to see these.

These sandals are very, very comfy and I love the heel -- totally different than anything I already have. I love how it covers quite a bit of my foot. & the back is very flattering. & did I mention the quality is great? All in all, a very good buy.

Ok, now back to the Carly dress. One thing about this dress that works for me is the length. I'm about 5'4" and I never find dresses that hit at a flattering point like this one. If you're taller, this may not be your bag - you may need something a little longer. For me, this is a great casual length. Not something I'd wear to work - the cupcake factor of the ruffles coupled with the length wouldn't go over well in my work "casual but conservative" environment. But for a Saturday of lunch or shopping, this is such a great summer buy. In my opinion, it is the ultimate white summer one-piece. Another love? Do not be afraid of the VPLs, ladies. The ruffles ensure that your derrier is covered and safe. :0)

But buyer beware: Ruffles have a downside. When this baby comes out of the washer, be prepared to lay flat or hang, and tame those things. I can't imagine putting this thing in the dryer. I actually fear Hubs being *nice* one day and doing this exact thing. The ruffles would be out of control. & we can't have that, Ladies. We need polite ruffles.

Anyone buy this dress? I tried styling it with a belt but it hasn't worked for me. The belt seems to get lost in the ruffles and then I get befuddled. & befuddled by ruffles? No.... we can't have that.