Cardi, cami, shoes: Target ($15, $8, and $20) ~ pants: Calvin Klein via Filene's Basement ($24) ~ belt: Anthropologie (gift) ~ necklace: Shimmerwings (gift)

Date: March 1, 2011
Ensemble message: Another outfit focused on a birthday gift.  This time, I organized what to wear around my amazing new necklace from The Husband.  The pendant has an actual butterfly wing in it - how awesome is that?!?  The wings are collected in the Peruvian Amazon after the butterfly's natural life cycle.  They are called Shimmerwings and can be found in a number of different sites online.
I saw these necklaces in a gift shop in New Hampshire over the summer, lusted over them for about 30 minutes.  On the verge of buying one, I was ensured by The Hubby that this would be a gift for either Christmas or my birthday.  Well, I totally forgot about the pendant (typical) so it was a really nice surprise when I opened up the jewelry box over the weekend :)

shirt: Zara (gift) ~ cardi: Target ($15) ~ skirt: Esprit (part of old suit set) ~ belt: Target ($17) ~ shoes: ?? via Macy's (old, not sure of cost)

Date: January 7, 2010
Ensemble message: Wednesday and Thursday of this week, I was in Arkansas on a short business trip.  Even though it was just an overnight trip, I wanted to work one major clothing item into both outfits.  I chose this black skirt because it doesn't wrinkle (I had a 3 hour flight) and could easily be made into 2 outfits without it being obvious that I wore the same skirt 2 days in a row.  And the small heel on these shoes were great for both standing in front of a room to present and navigating my way through the airport later that night.  The overall look is a classic office look, but with my spin on it: lacy shirt/stockings, mixing black & brown, and of course the chartreuse cardigan.
My flight was packed, and I ended up sitting next to an older gentleman who was wearing a dress shirt and tie.  I was dead tired and just wanted to get some work done and then nap.  But my neighbor was super friendly and started asking me questions around why I was in Arkansas and what did I do for the Day Job.  He seemed nice enough, so we began chatting and explained that I am in Human Resources.  I found out that he works for Lion Brand Yarn, and he mentioned several people at my company that he knew, all of them being in Sales.  I then innocently asked, "Oh, are you in Sales as well?"  His reply: "No, I'm the COO for Lion."  Imagine my shock!  We then went on to chat throughout most of the flight, even as I did some work, and we discussed everything from our companies to our families.
The point I want to make here is that I did not change before catching my flight.  I had time to and could have easily packed sweats or leggings in my carry-on.  However, you never ever know who you will be sitting next to!  What if I was looking for a job or a new client?  Or what if our companies worked closely together (they don't).  If I didn't look professional, he may not have been inclined to strike up a conversation, and I would have missed an opportunity.  So think carefully about what to wear before traveling... you don't necessarily have to dress in a suit, but you may want to think twice about rolling out of bed and heading right to the airport!

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shirt: Gap (gift) ~ skirt: Kensi via Macy's (free with gift card) ~ cardigan: Target ($15) ~ belt: Target ($17) ~ shoes: Marc Fischer via Macy's ($36)

Date: November 23, 2010
Ensemble message: I wore this outfit a couple weeks ago but never got to post it.  I believe it was still fairly warm out (compared to the 20's now in the morning), and I remember really, really loving this outfit!  If we get an odd day with highs in the 40's I will probably wear it again.
That day, I had a ton of meetings to go to.  The actual clothing items were professional (skirt, blouse, cardi) but the colors were so much fun.  My sister gave me this blouse for Christmas a couple years ago, and I found it difficult to wear with my wardrobe at the time.  But I saw the potential and held onto it... and thank goodness too, because now I love it!  I also wore it here and look forward to re-mixing it again.

Or altogether just taken apart

We're reeling through an endless fall

Date: October 25, 2010

blouse: H&M ($40) ~ cardigan: Target ($15) ~ skirt: Zara ($35) ~ shoes: Steve Madden via Famous Footwear ($14) ~ earrings: boutique in Arizona ($7)