Lucky Thirteen

Enjoying the snow?

Me either. Lets talk about Spring.

I know you don't believe me, but I promise you... it's coming.

And nothing warms me from the inside out, on a snow laden day, like imagining myself foraying out into the warm Spring air for the first time in a new outfit.

I'm not sure if the word "spring" should be caplitalized, but I'm going to continue doing that out of respect for warm weather, which I am so desperately in need of.

If you're like me, you have a massive arsenal of clothes that you've accumulated throughout the years that will still be perfectly good outfit contenders this Spring and Summer. That being said, every good wardrobe needs a bit of brightening and freshening up now and again... think about throwing open your bedroom window wide and letting the spring breeze (minus the pollen) enlighten and enliven your closet.

Having a late winter birthday may be the greatest gift my parents have ever given me. Oh March 14th, how you have bestowed upon me fashion greatness. My plan has been to hoard any gift certificates that I receive for Christmas and combine them anything that I receive for my birthday... and plan a big ol' Spring fashion shopping spree in March.

Below are thirteen items that are meant to inspire you, get you amped up for Spring, and bring some new life to your dreary almost-end-of-winter closet. I know they'll all be featured guests when I go on my birthday spree (anyone want to come with?)

After a few seasons of dark, skinny jeans, I'm ready to lighten and loosen up. From Loft.

For the spring and summer, I love pretty floral dresses. I dress them up for work with heels and a sweater, or I'll wear them on the weekends with flipflops. This one is from White House Black Market. When in the hell did it become White House Black Market + random other colors?

I feel pretty, oh so pretty, when I put on a sweater in a pretty spring color, like this one from Old Navy.

Every spring I have to stock up on some more pretty tanks. This one, from Old Navy, is adorable... and cheap.

Sometimes in the springtime, I like to go to Germany and frolic through the woods looking for wild flowers and mushrooms. When I do that this year, I'll wear this shirt, also from Old Navy.

This year, I must own something yellow. Its like the sun has risen all over my torso. This yellow button down is from Ny&co, and is washable/no iron!

It wouldn't be spring for me unless I bought something striped and nautical (I actually just bought a nautical tee yesterday at Tjmaxx, but I digress) This sweater is great for those early spring days, when its still a wee bit nippy. From Loft.

I like to wear skirts, like this one from Gap, because then no one can see my fat legs.

I love a casual cotton pant. I own this pair, from Loft, in 3 colors and plan to add this Olive pair to my collection soon.

Sometimes my feet just need a break from big heels. These low wedges, from Nine West (check the DSW website for them) look great with a skirt or under a pair of jeans or cotton pants.

I love these sandal/heels hybrid shoes from Franco Sarto. So ethnic, so spring, so I must own them asap.

I absolutely love this woven shoulder bag, from Cole Haan. I'd take off that ugly long strap and just wear it over my shoulder.

And finally, I'd love to add a cute spring jacket to my wardrobe. Neutrals are great, but I also love this little pink number, from Old Navy.

One thing that will not be on my list this spring... short sleeve button down shirts! Please don't let me buy them - I keep giving them away at every book club!

Happy shopping.

Would You Like to Swing on a Star?

Yup, that title has NOTHING to do with this blog, but that song has been stuck in my head for some reason.

Anyhow, lets talk January and February. They are well known as the boring black hole of the fashion world. The fall colors have faded. The holiday hype is over. That cardigan with beaded trim that looked adorable in December? Well if you wear it now, face it, you're going to look like an ass. And, thus, we're left in a fashion rut. Its too ordinary a time for fancy sweaters and cute red dresses with tights; its too damn cold for the spring items that you suddenly long for the minute January first hits. Is that just me?

Pre-spring fever. I know it well.

It was the winter of 1992. For some bizarre reason, my friend Jen and I were unreasonably obsessed with Olympic figure skating, and all things Olympics that year. We even dragged her dad to Nassau Coliseum to see the Tour of Champions... but I digress.

Late that winter, perhaps in February, I was perusing Marshalls (yes, even as a 14 year old I was a huge fan) and I came upon a white pair of tennis shorts (no I didn't play tennis). These were not your ordinary tennis shorts. They were embroidered, in gold, with "USA" and the Olympic rings. Oh, how I had to have these shorts! I happily dipped into my babysitting money and plunked down $9.99 plus tax for these wonderful shorts.

Naturally, I wasn't allowed to wear them until it was "warm enough."

Then, one day it was a beautiful sunny winter morning... You know the sort of morning I'm talking about; you can smell that spring is around the corner; you want to will the crocuses out of the ground because it will confirm your belief that Spring is, indeed, on a short time away.

It was probably about 50 degrees.

Dammit, I was going to wear those shorts come Hell or high water. After much argument, fruitless on the part of my mother, she finally threw her hands in the air and told me to do whatever (the hell) I wanted to do.

And, I probably froze my ass off that day... but the fact of the matter was that those special shorts were my little bit of spring in the winter. My little bit of inspiration that the dreary gray days would seen be replaced by lush greens and yellows and pinks and blues. And maybe a new purse.

Now that I'm an adult, I probably won't be wearing Olympic themed tennis shorts to work anytime soon, and so I turn to shells and camisoles to brighten my winter days and remind me that spring, is indeed, on its way.


This bright yellow shell from Old Navy is a shot of sunshine beneath a gray suit.

I'd throw on this camisole, from Patterson J. Kincaid, with dark skinny jeans, boots, and a cream colored sweater.


This white shell, from Trina Turk, is so much more special than the typical white shell.

I like this camisole, from Gap, however, I do not like the model's head in this photo. She looks like a sleepy gazelle.

This aqua color is my favorite spring staple, by Ella Moses.

This shell, from Milly Louisa, is great under a suit now, and great with bare arms and a pencil skirt in May.

Oh Loft, how I love ye, and how I also love this pale blue shell.

I wouldn't feel like spring, to me, without some stripes. From Loft.

Ok Heather, we get the point. You love Loft.

A satiny tie dyed sorta looking thing, from the Limited.

If I were to put on this tank, from Express, I'd feel like Gretel frolicking around the forest looking for breadcrumbs.

This shell, from Banana Republic, feels like a warm weather vacation to me.

This shell is from Banana and it is also the color of a banana. Coincidence? Well, probably.

This is the shell I would wear if I was a funky abstract artist living in Soho. From. Anthropologie.

If I were to guest star on Star Trek, and they told me to wear a shell, I'd pick out this little number, from Anthropologie, because its called the Andromeda shell. Obviously this reminds me of the Andromeda galaxy, Duh.