Thursday, March 31, 2016

All of the Tassels


Tee (similar) - Target / Scarf - LOFT / Denim - Gap / Booties (similar) - Sole Society / Bracelet - BaubleBar / Bag (similar) - Ann Taylor







How many tasseled items can I wear per outfit? Three? Oh okay, we're good then. Tassels are my current kryptonite - they keep finding their way home with me! Like this scarf. I walked into LOFT to make a return, and after standing next to it having to wait at least three minutes for a cashier (first world problems, amiright?!) I lost all willpower. Luckily I had one million LOFT Cash cards and a giftcard so it technically was free. Looks like I win this time.

Can we talk about this tee for a minute? I'm pretty sure it was about eight dollars when I bought it over three years ago, and I've worn it so many times that the cost per wear must be fractions of a cent. It somehow goes with everything, from fun skirts to floral blazers (Wait, do I not have any pics of this?? I swear I wear it all the time!) and everything inbetween. If you don't have a good gray tee, seriously, get one.

How's your week been going? Jeff left yesterday for a trip with the boys and one lonely girl for Wrestlemania (yes, you read that correctly) so I'll be flying solo the next few days. I see lots of sweatpants and Netflix in my future ;)


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Previously on KDTI - the gray tee:

 

Linking up with Mix It MondayStyle SessionsFlashback Friday.

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Tuesday, March 29, 2016

For a Rainy Day


Dress (similar) - Bar III / BootiesAdrienne Vittadini / Sweater (similar) - Banana Republic Factory / Necklace - c/o LovelyWholeSale / Bag - Kate Spade / Bracelet - Michael Kors / Belt - Ann Taylor






My thought process for buying dresses is to always get one if I find one I like, and save it for a rainy day. That way I'm never at the store the night before an event, panicking because I have nothing to wear. Or, say, have something to pull out of the closet when I've forgotten I have a baby shower to go to.

I bought this dress years ago, but it's only managed to make it out of my closet once before. You see, the tweed always makes it feel a little more business-y, but the fit-and-flare shape feels more like a party dress, so it feels a little weird for most occasions. I actually mixed the two last time I wore it, and dressed it up for a work holiday party. I was looking for a last minute outfit for a baby shower last weekend and decided to top it with a sweater to make it feel a bit more casual.

At the moment the only dressy occasions I have coming up are another baby shower and a wedding in the fall, so I don't need any new dresses, but I might grab a new one or two anyway - there are such cute ones in stores right now that I'm having a hard time resisting! Here are a few of my favorites:


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Previously on KDTI - blue cardigan:

 

Linking up with What I Wore to WorkStyle Me WednesdayStyle Sessions, Mix It Monday.

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Monday, March 28, 2016

This Weekend...


...Had a Friday night to myself, and spent it getting a mani-pedi, eating pizza, and watching The Parent Trap for the 473rd time. So, you know, basically my dream evening haha.
...Got in a lot of quality time with my baby niece Mae and her mamma, and picked out basically her entire summer wardrobe. For summer, Mae will be wearing a whole lot of navy and white with  pink accents ;)
...Picked up this adorable dress at Old Navy, then realized it was about a third of the price online and ordered it too. The reviews are saying it's shapeless and unflattering, but if you have a bigger chest and smaller hips like me it's perfect.
...Went up to my parents' house to celebrate a couple of birthdays in the family and to watch my bracket get crushed - bye Kansas!
...Celebrated Easter with Jeff's family over brunch out at Medinah Country Club, and used it as an excuse to break out my favorite spring dress (LOFT currently has a really similar dress in stock)... and, you know, all of the rest of my favorite spring things at once. I also gave in on the not drinking thing, because the month is almost up and, you know, mimosas.
...Did a little trip planning/plane ticket buying - in the next couple months I'm going to North Carolina, Tennessee, Las Vegas, and Lake Tahoe! Bring it on, spring!
...Potentially killed my computer! Noooooooooooo. I'm pretty sure the harddrive is shot, but I'm heading to the Apple Store tonight to be sure. I spent Sunday night hurriedly scheduling posts for the near future in case I'm without a laptop for a while - wish me luck!

I hope you had a good one!



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Friday, March 25, 2016

Why I Returned My Tieks


I'm always on the search for the comfiest flats I can find. I have to work at a lot of tradeshows where I'm on my feet for 12+ hours a day, sometimes multiple days in a row, always in dress shoes. With particularly fussy feet in a not normal size (10 and a half, whyyyy), I was psyched to hear about Tieks. They promise to be the most comfortable flats ever with a specially padded insole, and what's more, they fold up and come with a little bag so you can also use them to switch out of heels when they get uncomfortable.


The price was my initial deterrent (the pair I was ogling was $175 but they range over $350 depending on the style) but after reading tons of reviews and checking out their return policy (free return shipping!) I decided why not and ordered a pair in matte black, size 11.

So Tieks are known for their great customer service. Well, their "great customer service" totally creeped me out! I did not connect with or like Tieks on Facebook, nor did I create an account on the Tieks website using my Facebook account, yet they sent me an immediate Facebook message confirming my order and letting me know it would be on its way soon and then sent me order updates every day. Umm, what? Hello privacy violation. It wasn't something that would deter me from shopping with them, but come on. They also were emailing me those updates, which certainly would have been enough.


Three days later (so speedy!) they were in my mailbox. I was really excited to try them on, especially since they came in such adorable packaging. Initially I loved them (as you may have seen on Snapchat haha). The extra cushioning on the bottom really does make a difference, and I loved that they folded up since I often want to change out of heels. They're just plain old black flats but they were cute.

So what went wrong?

Well since my feet are so finicky and these were so expensive, I decided to wear them around the house for a few days before committing (as long as you don't wear them outside you can still return them). After the initial elation, I realized that they don't have any arch support. Nada. They have a padded insole but it's completely flat on the inside. I assume this is so that the folding thing can function - if there was any contouring inside it probably wouldn't fold correctly. Of course this design issue also meant that I couldn't buy an arch insert since that would also stop them from folding. The lack of arch support may be fine for some people, but for me I need a supportive shoe if I'm going to be standing all day.


The second thing I didn't like was the elastic around the main body of the shoe. After a bit it started to dig into my feet and really started to hurt, especially around my big toes and the heels. I know that Tieks are supposed to stretch and get more comfortable with time, but after a week of wearing them around the house the problem didn't get any better. I also felt like because the elastic was so tight I couldn't go down a size, but they also didn't feel totally stable on my foot when I walked, like the heel was about to come off my heel at any second.

The final thing that bothered me was a little silly, but since the shoes don't have much structure on the top, they're stretched over my toebox which means you could see the outline of my toes right through them. You can see it in the picture above - both of my big toes are making major dents, and in person I could see the rest of my toes too.

So all in all, I decided Tieks weren't for me - back to the store they go! What do I have instead? My favorite flats right now are the Sam Edelman Felicia Flats. Super comfortable, and I can wear them all day!! I have them in nude (so cute and flattering with skirts - they make your legs look longer!) and the black suede to wear with skinny jeans.



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Thursday, March 24, 2016

Current Wishlist: Sole Society

Sole Society has been my go-to for shoes for the past couple of years, but lately they've really stepped up their game and are offering shoes, accessories, and clothing. I got their catalogue in the mail and basically circled every page. Small segue - have you noticed that everyone is doing catalogues these days?! All the sudden I get so many for clothing - Sole Society, Madewell, J. Crew, Boden, and Nordstrom have all found me recently. But anyway, I digress. Back to wanting all of the things:


1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13



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Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Stripes & Sunshine


Shirt and Jeans (similar) - LOFT / Booties (similar) - Target / Bag - Sole Society / Necklace - Madewell








It's a little hard to tell in Chicago, but I think spring is here! Or at least, the grass is looking a teeny bit green haha. I've been seeing trees budding and flowers blooming all over Instagram, but here we're mostly just glad there's no snow on the ground.

Lately I've been wanting to wear lots of oversized shirts - this one is called the "easy shirt" and it definitely is! I wore this last weekend for a relaxing day of running errands and getting stuff done around the house with Jeff. It's amazing how different this spring has been from last year. We were running around like our chickens with our heads cut off - in the final throes of planning our wedding, going to showers and tastings and fittings as well as attending wedding after wedding. Literally every weekend was packed with events for months on end. This year has been so relaxing, we've been using our weekends to actually hang out together.

Not to wildly swing from topic to topic, but how cute is this bag? Usually when I shop online I'll pin something and consider it a few times before actually pulling the trigger - not this time! I saw this in an ad and needed it. I love the shape and stitching, and who can say no to a good tassel?! My handbag collection has gotten really diverse as of late, mixing bags from Target and Sole Society with designer bags. I say who cares about the label, if you think it's cute then go for it!


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Previously on KDTI - Distressed Denim:

 

Linking up with Flashback FridayStyle Me WednesdayStyle SessionsHow I SpringConfident Twosday, Mix It Monday.

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Monday, March 21, 2016

This Weekend...


This weekend I...

...Went out to Roots with Jeff to watch some basketball (and indulge in some mozzarella sticks - ohmygee theirs are so good!). My bracket is pretty much busted, thanks in part to Michigan State. Every year I get a little too excited about the Big 10 (I went to Illinois) and every year they let me down. Le sigh. (EDIT: According to my husband, I'm currently in first place in our league. Who knew!)
...Drove out to the burbs for a friend's baby shower - it was a co-ed so Jeff had to go too! I really can't believe that all of my girlfriends got their guys to skip an afternoon of March Madness to watch one million onesies be opened. There were a lot of guys there though (the ladies were outnumbered at our table!), it was the most sports and video games talk I've ever witnessed at a shower.
...Had some friends over to watch, you guessed it, more basketball! I swear I still don't like sports. Just the pizza that comes with sports.
...Did a bit of shopping for my mom and sister's birthdays, and somehow also came home with this scarf for me - whoops! How was I supposed to say no to stripes and tassels?? And thanks to all of LOFT's current promotions it was almost free, so win win.

I hope you had a good one!!



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Friday, March 18, 2016

Garlic Basil Pasta & Chicken

(There's chicken in there, I swear!!)

Do all of the dinner recipes I post involve pasta? Seems like it, huh?! I guess I have a type haha. I don't think I could ever do a low- or no-carb diet because I seriously need it ;) Jeff even bought me a pasta drying rack for my birthday so we can up our pasta-making game. Or rather so that next time we make pasta, I don't make him take his shirts off of the hangers so I can use them for hanging pasta ;) 


I came across this recipe on Pinterest from Pinch of Yum and had to give it a try because, well, pasta, and loved it. It tastes so fresh and brings back dreams of summer, so of course it's a winner in my book. We do a lot of sausage in this house which is not the healthiest, so I love that this recipe uses chicken instead. 


I made a couple of modifications to the recipe, so here's my version:

Garlic Basil Pasta & Chicken
Serves 4

16oz spaghetti noodles
3 TB olive oil, divided
4 boneless skinless chicken thighs 
Salt & pepper
1 28oz can diced tomatoes 
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 handful fresh basil, cut into strips
1/4 cup salted butter
Parmesan cheese for topping

Bring a large, salted pot of water to boil. Cook noodles according to package and drain. Toss with 1 TB olive oil and set aside.

While cooking the pasta, rinse chicken and pat dry. Place between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound (or use rolling pin) to flatten to an even thickness, about 1 inch. Season both sides with salt and pepper to taste. Heat 2 TB olive oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy bottomed pan. Add the chicken and cook 3-5 minutes per side, until chicken is cooked through. Set aside.

Reduce heat to medium, let the oil cool for a few minutes, and then add tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes start to thicken into a sauce-like consistency. Stir in garlic and butter until butter is fully melted. Add chicken back to sauce and cook for an additional two minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the basil. 

To serve, top spaghetti with chicken and sauce, and add some parmesan. Enjoy!




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Thursday, March 17, 2016

Don't Kiss Me...


Tee (similar) and Jeans - Old Navy / Sweater (similar) - Banana Republic / Booties (similar) - Sole Society / Bag - Michael Kors / Necklace - unknown (a gift! similar here




This necklace was a birthday gift from my sister - it has our wedding date in roman numerals on it! This was from Etsy, I saw something similar with coordinates here.


...Because I'm not Irish! Although I do get asked if I'm Irish at least once a week haha. I guess the hair throws people off a bit. Anyway, Happy Saint Patrick's Day! I hope you found a little green in your closet so you don't get pinched. I thought that this tee was the only green I owned, but then I remembered this blouse - I guess I had another option after all.

Now that the weather is warming up a little I felt like it was time to pull out my white jeans again, and weirdly the exact same thing happened as last spring - I showed up and was #twinning with the same friend! We must be spring spirit animals. Same jeans, same booties, and even the same personalized necklaces having to do with our weddings. So weird.

Are you celebrating Saint Patrick's Day? I hate corned beef and cabbage and we gave up drinking for the month, so I guess wearing a little green is all I'll be doing today ;)


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Previously on KDTI - white jeans:

 

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