Friday's Fancies - Leaf Love

This Friday is the first cool one 'round these parts marking the turn towards cozy knits, lush leathers and boot(ie)s.  I love fall fashion and the idea of basing an outfit on the gorgeous leaf colors to come.  We're still pretty green here in the Mid-Atlantic but I'm hoping next week will bring out the deep reds, yellows and browns.  To see how the other bloggers styled their leaf love looks over on {AV}'s blog.  Have a great and leaf-ly weekend!

I Dabble - Leaf Love by carasun00 featuring a tank top dress

Inspiration Monday: Rachel Bilson, Take Two

The past two days have been so rainy and raw I finally felt like embracing the season and putting on a sweater AND a sweatshirt.  This week's inspiration over at Two Birds was once again the adorable Rachel Bilson who layered a blue blazer over a grey sweater and paired it with cute booties. 

I had full intentions of working my closet to find something similar but when I saw 40's and rain I drifted towards the 50 shades of grey in my closet.  I paired this cozy navy sparkle sweatshirt, a recent addition but already a favorite with some grey jeans and a light grey sweater jacket.  My booties are playing hide and seek with me so instead I reached for these killer heels.  

Sweater jacket and Sweatshirt - Ann Taylor Loft, Jeans - Old Navy, Shoes - LAMB

See how the other ladies styled Rachel's look over on Two Birds' blog! 

Friday's Fancies - Marvelous Monotone

I'm so excited to have a long weekend, I've had work on the brain for a solid two week(ends) and I'm excited to kick back with some football, a baptism and hopefully some fun times with friends that I've been neglecting.  Having spent many hours at work over the past few weeks, I decided to use {AV}'s Friday's Fancies prompt for a monotone  look to create a cubicle chic ensemble. Purple isn't my favorite color but I just loved the idea of those gorgeous YSL shoes paired with a lilac pencil skirt.

I Dabble - Marvelous Monotone by carasun00 featuring high heels

 See how the other blogger's styled their monotone looks hop over to {AV}'s blog and join the fun!

A Few Good Reads: Third Edition

Insert lame "I'm busy" excuse here. What can I say, juggling my workload and teaching duties is proving more time consuming than planned. I don't have the time to write or read blogs as much as I would like but luckily I still have a long commute to read books on.  Here's a few books I've loved recently.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

I'm fairly certain you've heard of this one by now. It's a total thriller with a few twists and turns that are hard to predict.  I found it hard to put down as it was well written and quite detail-oriented. It's a great book club read as there's plenty to discuss between the gender roles and symbolism found throughout. My only negative would be I found the ending to be a bit of a cop-out, I wanted the author to make a stronger statement with the ending but I heard that she struggled with it, and that makes sense to me.

Talking with my Mouth Full - Gail Simmons

We're huge Top Chef fans in this house and while I knew who Tom and Padma were before the show, Gail always alluded me, and perhaps I was jealous of her job as a professional eater.  Her autobiography is actually quite interesting! She's worked far more restaurant jobs than I was aware of, loves simple foods and is quite funny.  If you're gearing up for the new season (November!!) this is a quick and easy read to get you back in the knife-packing mode.

The Glass Castle - Jeannette Walls 

I am not finished with this memoir from 2005 but if you have not picked this one up yet, please do so! This book chronicles the upbringing of the author, Jeannette Walls in a totally crazy, very impoverished family situation.  It's beautifully written and sets the scene of life in the desert and then in Welch, WV.  As the reader, I have so much empathy for these children and their childhoods while also having so much frustration and anger for their parents.  I can't wait to see how it all pans out!

Have you read anything great lately?  

2012 Emmy's Red Carpet: Best and Not Their Best

In terms of award shows, last night's Emmys were pretty entertaining.  I loved the opening skit and montages of the comedy and drama categories, Kimmel and Morgan's antics and the dresses...always the dresses.  There was quite a range last night; from neon kiwi to 50 shades of grey, bold orange and some beautiful sparkly numbers.  Here are my picks for best and not their best. My favorite was Padma Lakshmi, and my least favorite was Kristen Wiig.

Best Burgundy: Tina Fey. She looked flawless last night. The ease of her hair and make-up let her beauty shine through. She sported Fall's "it" color, burgundy with a rounded brocade bust detail in a perfect fit for Tina.  Honorable Mention to Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Best Neon: Julie Bowen.  In a color as bright as this one, it's easy to misstep (Kaley Cuoco I'm looking at you) but this look was a knockout. Julie has a long, lean figure that makes a column dress like this one shine.  The teased up do made the whole thing California fun.

Best Orange: Padma Lakshmi. She clearly picked this phenomenal dress knowing she'd be guest-hosting on Fashion Police tonight.  The pale clementine hue was gorgeous against her skin and beachy brunette waves.  

Best Sparkle: Kerry Washington.  The rose gold metallic dress looked spectacular on Kerry. This dress definitely looked better on TV than it photographed. The slinky cut kept this high impact dress fairly relaxed. She looked amazing (like always.)

Not their Best: Christina Hendricks.  It saddens me to put a fellow curvy girl on the not their best list. Christina' dress was so ill fitted, she had total side boob by her ABC interview. The color also washed her out. Her alabaster skin is so beautiful, it needs to be highlighted with a brighter color.  

Not their Best: Kristen Wiig.  Why oh why does she insist on wearing dirty dishwater colored frocks to award shows?  Her dress looked sad, which is not something anyone who makes America happy should sport.

Not their Best: Ashley Judd. The stunning Ms. Judd took the cake last night with her weird seamed frumpy Fanta grape soda dress with large 1980's neck bow and Bride of Frankenstein hair.

So what were your picks for best and not their best from last night?  I can't wait to see what Fashion Police picks!  

Friday's Fancies - Team Spirit

I am SO glad its almost the weekend, it's been one heck of a week! This week {AV} asked us to put together a look based on our favorite football teams.  I'm a Patriots fan, having grown up in New England and it doesn't hurt that our QB is a cutie-patootie. I'm really hoping to kick back this weekend in my sweats with some junk food and catch some the Patriots but if I was heading out to a friends or to the bar to watch the game, I'd love to sport this spirited ensemble complete with leather touches.  Check out how all the other bloggers show their team spirit over on {AV}'s blog.  Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

i Dabble - Team Spirit by carasun00 featuring stud earrings

Wednesday's Wardrobe: Looks for Lecture

I have fallen into a rhythm with teaching, and incidentally, dressing the part.  Most mornings I pair a printed dress with some sort of blazer, long cardigan or vest.  Since I still look on the young side, I rely on the knee length hemlines and structured jackets to set me apart from my students.  I think its working so far, I feel more confident each and every lecture. Dare I say, I really am enjoying my stint as a Professor! Here are a few looks I've taught in over the past week.

  Lecture last week:

Dress - Marshall's, Jacket - Ann Taylor Loft, Shoes - Target, Bag - Kate Spade, Pearls - Gifts

Lecture today:

Dress - Maggy London, Blazer - Nordstrom, Shoes - Target, Bag - Gift (Dooney & Burke)

Truth be told I did not teach in this as its far too casual but it's in the same vein of that printed dress/vest uniform I have quickly adopted.  I never knew how versatile this military vest would be!

Vest - Old Navy, Tank - H&M, Dress - Forever 21, Shoes - Anthropologie, Necklace - Craft Fair

I'm hoping to do some transitional looks in the next few weeks, I cannot believe Fall is almost here for real! What are you most excited to wear?