a skirt & a scarf

{sweater & skirt - gap | tights - betsey johnson | scarf - gifted russian scarf}

i'm desperately behind in posting my 30x30 posting of picks, photos, etc. i've got my items, and i've been faithfully wearing them since last tuesday, but since i'm essentially working two jobs, i just haven't had the time! mix that, with the f-f-freezing cold weather, getting outfit photos has been absolutely out of the question. here are a few photos of my outfit from today. and just for the record, it's my second time remixing this skirt. i.love.it. especially paired with the bright scarf that almost matches perfectly, i thinks this outfit  is part feisty & part fashionable. and that's okay with me.

xoxo

30 for 30: take sixteen!

{white button down & jeans - gap | sweater - anthropologie | boots - lucky brand | bag - urban outfitters | scarf - H&M}

i'm finally over the hump of the half-way point. i know that i've already made it 30 days wearing the same clothes, i just haven't taken photos everyday. so i'll keep going :) i'm determined to finish this thing!

i love love love this sweater. it's the most comfortable piece of winter clothing i own. there's also something lovely about the color, commonly called "mustard". mustard has always been a favorite clothing color of mine because it always reminds me of vintage home decor circa 1960s. i feel similarly about avocado. avocado appliances, anyone? haha. i enjoy the color because it's the only color of yellow that i can actually wear. i don't like to wear pale yellows because i think it washes out my pale, freckled, skin tone. but mustard, i can definitely do! 

i will leave you with a sneak peek at one of the photos for our holiday card. every year since we've been married, we've sent out holiday cards, and for the past three years we've made them ourselves. this year will be the fourth! 

xoxo,

pilar

30 for 30: take fifteen!

{dress & belt - target | white button down & tights - gap | black flats - michael kors | necklace - vintage}

i planned it out as i drifted to sleep last night.  do you plan your outfits like that? sometimes i dream about creating outfits only to wake up to discover that they are all in my "dirty" pile. boo. this time it worked out. this is my first time trying the collared shirt under a dress look, and i think it came out alright. it felt too formal until i added the belt for a little something different to break it up. 

what worked: i enjoyed wearing this outfit. it was comfortable and dressy. i felt a bit formal for a normal day of work, but i could rock this outfit again when i need to dress up for a work meeting ... 

what didn't work: next time, i need to wear this outfit with heels!

xoxo,

pilar

30 for 30: take fourteen!

{tank - target | blazer & skirt - banana republic | tights - gap | belt - calvin klein | boots - hand me down from sister | necklace - lia sophia}

confession: i had to mix out an item to incorporate this skirt. does it count if i never wore the item?! confession: i'm really glad that i did because i forgot how much i love this skirt.

i don't have much to say today. do you have days like that? i've been sitting here with this post open for at least fifteen minutes and i all can think about is to comment on how cold i was while i took these photos today. LAME. 

so, here's my outfit from today. i tried something new, what i've labeled as "the fancy belt". i even watched this tutorial! overall, i loved how this outfit felt today. what worked: the tights and blazer kept me cool but comfortable. what didn't work: these boots aren't waterproof, so my feet get really wet when i walk through the snow. boo.

xoxo,

pilar

ps. the last photo is me dancing my way back indoors. haha.

30 for 30 double take: twelve & thirteen!

{top, jeans - gap | cardigan - target | scarf - gift from russia via my sister | flats - michael kors}

{my most favorite ornament!}

i'm horribly behind on my posts for the 30for30 challenge. honestly, i haven't worn anything other than my 30 items, i've just had difficulty remembering to take photos! so i'll be doubling up on my posts to show what i've been wearing when i haven't had the camera around.

confession: i've worn this outfit more than once. well, at least some version of this outfit. the weekend i visited michigan, i wore the very same outfit mixing it up with a purple tank and a different scarf. so here's a photo of me from today, wearing that outfit. i've got to do something to catch up. so i'll leave it to you: which one do you like better? i love the russian scarf, so i'm going to go with that outfit. either way, this cardigan is the most comfortable cardigan i own right now, and it's not so warm that i'm sweating indoors with the heat, nor am i freezing when i'm outside (with a coat, of course).

here is an eerily similar outfit that i wore a few weekends ago during my road trip to and from michigan. disclaimer: these photos are rather schizophrenic. indoor lighting is not my friend.

 {top, jeans - gap | cardigan - target |  necklace - family hand me down | earrings - gift from hubby | flats - michael kors}

 {our chicago ornament}

according to my handy dandy google countdown calendar, there are only 18 days until christmas! i love the countdown calendar. so much in fact, that i'm always counting down to something. past countdowns have included: graduations, vacations, 5k, 8k, birthdays, well, you get the idea. i've become a little obsessed with countdowns.

currently i have two countdowns: christmas (duh!) and a family vacation to colorado for the holidays! we leave in 10 days! my sister-in-law jen, her hubby, and her adorable dog live in colorado, and we're headed there for week to visit & celebrate the holidays! i'm. so. excited. i do love chicago, but i'm ready to take a break to breathe for a few days, and spend some quality time with family! 

xoxo,

pilar

30 for 30: take eleven!

{dress & cardigan - target | scarf - H&M | gloves - UO | tights - gap | boots - hand me down from sis}

so all of a sudden winter has appeared in chicago! on the first day of december, we had our first snow. pretty perfect, actually. you can even see a few snowflakes that were stuck on my scarf. so no surprise to you, i still am loving this dress. this time i enjoyed using some bright accents to offset the dark: the purple scarf & these bright teal gloves. these are my most favorite gloves! they're such a bright spot in what is generally a grey, dark season of winter in the midwest. i included the blurry photo because i love the way that the scarf & glove colors really stand out.

please pardon my "cold face". i was literally freezing as i was trying to capture these shots in the natural light. i could barely feel my face. thus, "cold face" happens when i don't really have any sense of what sort of face i'm making. 

i genuinely enjoyed my outfit today. i'm running out of steam a bit on this challenge. i believe i can live off of the 30 items. my difficulty is that i want to keep wearing the same thing over and over again because i know that it already works. are you fellow 30for30s feeling that way at all?

xoxo,

pilar

30 for 30: take ten!

{dress & tights - target | scarf - gifted | cardigan - nordstrom | peep toe pumps - ecco}

i'm baaaack! yesterday was a no-good-awful-monday. no outfit post yesterday due to dumping my morning coffee down my crisp white shirt and having to change out of it into an outfit i was, well let's just say, "less proud of". today i avoided spilling coffee on myself, and even if i did, you couldn't see it because i'm wearing a black dress. booyah.

what worked: this dress is so comfortable, and really easy to wear. 

what didn't work: i should have worn patterned tights to offset the black. overall, this was an easy outfit to put together, and definitely office-appropriate.

today was an office day for me, where i spent most of the day dreading the winter weather that will soon be upon chicago: snow. the first snow is usually exciting, but i know that it brings with it slush, brown slush, and more slush. gross. 

hope you all had lovely thanksgiving celebrations with your families. the month between thanksgiving and christmas is always my favorite. twinkling lights appear all over this city. my neighborhood does a particularly spectacular job of decorating the street lamps for the holidays. i love it!

xoxo,
pilar

30 for 30: take nine!

{white button down - gap | black skirt - thrifted | tights - betsey johnson | peep toe pumps - ecco | purple beads - vintage via local shop}

today was the coldest day yet. i was freezing while trying to take these photos today. the photo shoot was limited today due to a severe time crunch, so i edited the best three of them to share with you. today was the longest day i've had in a long time. it started out at a meeting, and ended with being yelled at by a client. sometimes. it's. just. not. fun. being. a. supervisor. okay, my hissy fit is over. 

what worked: i love love love these tights! the bows are just adorable, and i kept looking down and them and smiling throughout the day. 

what didn't work: i tried on three belts with this outfit today. three. and none of them worked. i think i need more belts.

sidebar: are you getting excited for thanksgiving? i love thanksgiving. i love eating, baking, cooking, and all things involved in the meal! i'm making the turkey again this year. eek! i'm so excited! what things are you most thankful for? my short list: friends and family.

happy thanksgiving!

xoxo,
pilar

30 for 30: take eight!

{dress & belt - target | scarf - gifted | blazer - banana republic | tights - gap | boots - hunter}

today was a rainy, gloomy, stormy day. this weather makes it really difficult to snap outdoor shots, but i pulled it off! with the help of hubs, of course. in between the rain, there was wind. lots of wind. 

so although i didn't count these boots in my 30x30 remix, i desperately needed to adjust to allow for dry feet. these are the most favorite rain boots i've ever owned. they're durable (unlike two previous pair), and they're so comfortable. i also love that i can pair them with pretty much anything, and they look alright. i wore these to and from the office, and switched into my black flats while i was indoors. does it still count as cheating? 

i have a hard time mixing things. i discover one outfit that i really love, and i wear it over and over and over again. this challenge is really bringing me out of my rut and helping me figure out how to mix the things that i have. this process is really a lot of fun! 

what worked: this outfit was perfect for the weather today. it was comfortable, warm, and easy to take off the jacket when it was too hot in my office. i've said it before and i'll say it again: i love this dress. 

what didn't work: i'm still on the fence about the tights with this dress. i'm trying to get out of the rut of black tights, black skirt, black dress, etc. what do you think?

i forgot to take photos of my weekend outfits in michigan (of course) so i'll try to re-create them to add. i had a fabulous trip to michigan, hanging out with my sister & catching up with my best friend.

{me & BFF}

xoxo,

pilar

30 for 30: take seven!

{top & jeans - gap | sweater - levi's | scarf - H&M | boots - lucky brand | watch - nixon via my hubs}

today i wanted to wear something that was comfortable yet dressy enough for the office. crisp white button down, skinny jeans, and boyfriend cardigan. i added the scarf for a bit of color, and to dress it up enough for the office. i attempted the whole "belted scarf cardigan" combo, but the belt i chose was too wide/heavy, so i discarded it. 

what worked: i really enjoyed wearing this outfit. it was comfortable, and i really like wearing red.

what didn't work: i need to wash my jeans. they're a little "slouchy". wait, should i be telling you that? haha.

i'm really looking forward to this weekend. i'm headed to michigan overnight to see my sister, say farewell to a friend who is moving, and then i've got a surprise engagement party for a dear friend that i'm going to on saturday. it will be a good weekend. i'm sure of it. but i must make it through friday first.

xoxo,
pilar

30 for 30: take six!

{tank - target | cardigan - caslon via nordstrom | skirt - thrifted | scarf - gifted | tights - gap | peep toe pumps - ecco | bag - anthropologie | bracelets - vintage via family hand me down}

today i decided to dress up a bit. it usually happens after i have a bad day, the next morning i wake up and think "self, dress up today!". there's just something about heels and a skirt that make a girl (at least this girl) feel good... until my feet start hurting. and then i whine about heels and the fact women only wear them as a fatal combination of wanting to appear taller/thinner/sexier. see, there i go... sorry. 

what worked: it was comfortable, and i love the combo of the black, white, and the pop of the chartreuse sweater.

what didn't work: the skirt is a little big to be considered a "pencil skirt". add that to the list of things that i want to replace when i'm finished with this 30 for 30 challenge. i also had issues keeping the tank "straight" mostly because the fabric is so slippery.

thank you all for the lovely comments! it really truly makes my day! and i love reading about all of my fellow remixers & their adventures with stepping outside of the box with their 30 items! it's so inspiring.

xoxo,

pilar

30 for 30: take five!

{top, cardigan, skirt, tights - gap | boots, bag - urban outfitters | watch - vintage via my grandfather}

today was a "blue day" of sorts, so i dressed to match my mood, i guess. nothing specific, i just felt off my game. do you ever have days like those? 

i love tights. most of them are black, grey, or a patterned black or grey; but these are by far my favorite to pair with this skirt simply because of the monochromatic effect. 

what worked: this outfit was comfortable & really easy to wear. my office gets really warm, so i love having the option to shed the sweater.

what didn't work: i wish that i had a navy blazer to pair instead of the cardigan. and the skirt is a little big, so it twists when i walk. but it's a great work ensemble for me. dressy enough with a little spunk with my favorite boots. 

xoxo,

pilar

ps. i included the last photo because i was running back and forth from the camera, and this is me spinning around just in time for the photo. hahaha.