outfit in action: gaga for peter pan shorts

last night i pretended to be a little monster and went to see lady gaga with my friend andrea. while i can't call myself a huge fan, this was one of the most entertaining shows i've seen in a long time. maybe it was because we were able to sneak down to the floor for the encore, or maybe it was because i have a secret love for "bad romance." either way, i was psyched to wear my new peter pan shorts (as nick calls them) for the day at work, dinner and drinks at local restaurant vivo, and to the frank erwin center for lady gaga. i was definitely the most conservatively dressed in the joint. i guess that's what happens when you go from the office to gaga - and you're 31 years old. oh, i also bought these shorts in white. love. and you get to see these shoes in action!

below: she was born this way, bitches.

below: proof of me being under dressed. or over dressed. no, she's not peeing. she's resting.

below: gaga and the fame monster

necklace in action: sailor knots

i started out the week with some bad iphone photos so i figured i'd continue the trend...with more bad iphone photos. i just don't leave enough time in the morning to set up the tripod before bolting out the door to get to work on time. man, do i look tired. aaaaanyway...

my new banana republic sailor knot necklace arrived the other day and i luuuuuurv it. i bought mine with a discount code and a merchandise credit, bringing my grand total to $9, but i'm still annoyed that of course NOW it's on sale. oh well. i'm just glad i have it! get yours for $48.50 today. i think i'm gonna wear it again tomorrow.

outfit in action: flock of seagulls

i was so late for work today but i just had to take a pic of what i was wearing - even though i look slightly bloated and/or possessed in this bad photo. i finally decided to go for it and wear my new summer maxi dress, which a coworker lovingly dubbed my "flock of seagulls" dress. i got this bad boy from austin boutique fabrik and it's made my collective concepts. belt is new york & company and the cardi is H&M (btw, i get to go to the biggest H&M in the US in a few weeks when nick and i go to vegas for a weekend, woooot! i miss this store SO MUCH!).

guest blogger: korie's vintage finds for a good cause

introducing paid up top's first guest blogger, korie! i met korie while on my girls' trip to mexico and i loved getting to know her. korie is a native austinite turned minnesotan and a true fashionista who puts me to shame when it comes to looking super stylish without spending tons of loot. please welcome korie to paid up top and help her choose a mask for her masquerade ball! - annie

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If some of you know me, you know that I moved up to Minnesota to work for my aunt who started a nonprofit organization called the Hope Chest for Breast Cancer (www.hopechest.us). The organization has 2 stores here in the Twin Cities that sell very upscale designer clothing, accessories and home goods that are donated new by retail stores or gently used by individuals. The money made from the stores and other fundraising efforts supports different breast cancer causes.

I don’t work there anymore, but I do still love to support this cause near and dear to my heart. So, when I heard that they had been collecting designer vintage stuff for over the past year to sell at this one day only event, I marked it on my calendar! I took my daughter, Ryan, and we made the 40 minute drive out to the Hope Chest store in Wayzata, MN. We were told by the store manager to get there early because they had received lots of press about the event and the place was sure to be packed. And it was! We were among about 10 others waiting in line to get in right at 10 a.m! And boy was it worth it!

Here are some of my finds from that morning. I wish I had taken pics while I was there so yall could get a glimpse of how awesome this store is…and well…how cute my daughter was dressed up in vintage gold beads and greeting shoppers at the door.

Below: Yellow Mohair Jacket. I wore this to church last weekend and got a ton of compliments on the color.

Below: Long Garden Party Dress (this one looks Lily Pulitzer-esque to me). Thinking I’ll wear this to Easter brunch since it will still be cold here (ugggh!) and this dress has long sleeves. Maybe a gold statement necklace or earrings to bring it a little more modern.

Lace Cocktail Dress. This was done by a custom designer from Vancouver. Not sure when. But its totally on trend with the lace and the jewel tone deep blue. I plan on wearing this one to the Friends of St. Judes Masquerade Ball in May. I purchased 2 different masks from www.partyoasis.com to match! Which one do yall think I should wear?

Below: Turquoise/Black Cocktail Dress. Probably wear this to a rehearsal dinner I have in late April in Buffalo, NY. But it’s so classy and simple that I think I will wear it to a lot of places. I love the black on the back of the sash and the cap sleeves. And the bright blue is on trend for spring. I am thinking black pumps with this one.

Below: Navy Cotton Dress w/Gold Collar. Loving the pockets. So comfy, simple and something I could wear to a lot of different types of things.

All of these were at a fraction of what they would cost normally and all for a good cause….basically GUILT FREE! Plus I decided to give up shopping for myself and my children for lent. Only necessities….so this was a good place for one “last hurrah”.

Please remember that anyone can donate things to the Hope Chest…from anywhere. You’ll get an itemized receipt in January for your taxes and the shipping of the goods to Minnesota is also tax deductible!

Great finds - Great Prices - Great Cause

this one's for amber: closet tour

i had a special request come in last week from my colleague amber. she begged and pleaded (slash kinda suggested) that i post a little tour of my closet. while i do think this is a fun way to check out what's in my toolkit, nothing is the same as going in an rifling around. am i right? how awesome is it to root through your BFFs closet and borrow to your heart's content? anyway, i hope you enjoy the tour and one day get to come over and check it out in person!

here's the video tour with a still version below for those of you without video/sound capabilities at work...i couldn't get it to fit in the window, so you can watch it on youtube by right clicking.

below: behind closed doors

below: the broad view

below: the hanging shoes...the ones i don't wear as often

below: shelves full of jeans and cardis, plus racks of blouses and tanks

below: racks of warm sweaters and sweats, plus racks of dresses, skirts, pants and jackets

below: the shoes i wear most often alongside a stack of scarves

below: dresses flanked by skirts/pants and blouses - my fave fancy bags on the top shelf

below: a basket full of clutches and smaller bags

chambray and pleats

zara skirt, banana republic chambray shirt, forever 21 necklace, banana republic earrings, forever 21 tights, seychelles wedges

and another set of dusty photos...i swear i'm going to dust it, i swear...but i took these photos before i realized how dusty it is. anyway, this is another zara purchase from when i was supposed to christmas shopping. it's hard to see the details from my bad photos but it's pleated with 3 or 4 criscrossed tiers. i paired it with my banana republic chambray shirt to make it a little more casual for work.

dusty birds

zara blouse, jcrew jacket, forever21 necklace, old navy jeans, kors shoes

after putting this blog post together i realized that i REALLY need to dust the mirror in my bedroom. forgive me...

i picked up this blouse from zara last weekend while i should have been doing some christmas shopping. it reminds me of miu miu's bird print, which is too expensive for this little lady to own, so zara's rip-off version will have to do.

promise i'll bring the tripod back soon.

ps. hope you guys had a great weekend! nick and i took a little trip to san antonio for an overnight getaway. it was really fun to get out of town without an agenda. we filled our time with a good mix of things - some christmas shopping, some wine-drinking and some touristy stuff. sad to see monday come so quickly.

fat guy in a little cooooaaaaat

i think i mentioned that nick and i went to VA last weekend for his aunt's wedding. not only was it awesome to catch up with family and celebrate with denise and steve, but i also got in a little shopping time (obviously) with my sister-in-law jen. i found this little number at old navy on sale for $50 and couldn't resist. it's a great weight for cold(ish) winter mornings in texas and i can't wait to break it out in a month or two.

PS. that's my best "fat guy in a little coat" face.

outfit in action: making a statement at a wedding

bcbgeneration dress, swell necklace, zara shoes (even though you can't see them)

i mentioned my new wowza-thats-a-statement-necklace last week and here are some photos of it in action. nick and i attended a friend's wedding in maryland over the weekend and they couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather. i heart weddings, especially when i get to catch up with some really great people that i haven't seen in years. and helloooo...that's the view from our hotel room. we got to watch them set up for the ceremony and cocktail hour, both of which were awesome. congrats, julie and todd!

outfit in action: canadian tuxedo

banana republic top, new york and company jeans, michael kors wedges, belt from nyc street vendor, banana republic cuff, danielle stevens necklace

when the chambray shirt came back into favor last year, i admit i was a bit skeptical. jean on jean = canadian tuxedo in my book. however, i've embraced the chambray craze (and so has my dad for the last 25 years) and i rocked it all day and all night. it was a super comfy work outfit and transitioned well to see tosh.0 at bass concert hall that night.

outfit (house) in action: new couches have arrived

the couches! they've arrived and i'm in love (and emilio is already playing king of the castle). the ethan allen delivery men came saturday morning with these little treasures and i couldn't be happier with the outcome. hearts to you, ethan allen, especially for delivering three weeks early. the next step is finding a table for the tv, throw pillows, and the curtains finished and hung. more photos to come as i make progress!




ps. this is a typical outtake when emilio accompanies me on a photoshoot. "what is this shiny black thing that i am smudging with my nose?"

outfit in action: purple and "vintage"

friiiiiiiiiiiiiiday!

i've had these michael kors wedges for aaaages...so long, in fact, that i refer to them as "vintage" just for kicks. i decided to pair them up with a club monaco sweater and (very wrinkly, oops) skirt, banana republic belt and forever 21 necklaces. and i'm still loving my funky dunkey OPI toes, too.

bring on the weekend, please. we heard we're getting our couches tomorrow, three blissful weeks early. squeeeeee!!!