You're an animal tonight

Oh, sunshine. Between shorter days and lots of rain, it's a rare sight these days (and getting rarer).

So, I decided to keep my Evans booties after all. They're cute no? They are a bit roomy but with a pair of thick socks they fit well enough, and I love them with skinnies - these skinnies in particular, the Zip Me Skinny Jean from City Chic. On sale and with a credit I snagged these babies for just over a dollar! They fit so well through the leg and butt, but of course are roomy in the waist - it's my usual problem with all this junk in my trunk. I had to hold 'em up with a belt this time, but they'll be making their way down to my sewing room for a quick darting soon enough. But if you're straight through the waist and hips I can't recommend these jeans enough! They're super stretchy and comfortable, and I just love the rich, dark wash.

Oh, and do you like my new bag?? Finally, a purse big enough to hold all the crap I lug around. I scored it off ideeli; the price was so good that I just had to get the black version for my sister for Christmas as well! I just might have to borrow it - that's allowed right?

Sweater, button down: Old Navy
Skinnies: City Chic
Booties: Evans
Necklace: H&M
Coat: New York & Co. outlet
Bag: ideeli

Stripes Around My Shoulders

Yay! Real OOTD pics! So you guys know my obsession with stripes (ok, who isn't obsessed with stripes nowadays?). It was Friday afternoon, the day before I left for vacation when I saw this striped blazer on Forever21's site. I gasped in excitement and immediately started wracking my brain as to where I could have a packaged delivered while I was away, because there was NO way I was letting this baby pass me by. Fifteen minutes, a new shipping address, and $28 dollars later, she was on her way to me :)

Blazer: Forever21+
Tank: Kohl's
Skinnies: Torrid
Shoes: Franco Sarto via ideeli
Sunnies: Cole Haan via Syms
Necklace: Forever21
Bracelet: Gift from my brother
White ring: Nordstrom Rack
Gold Rings: MARYJOHN

Personally, I'm a big fan of the stripes with florals trend, how about you? Do you mix your stripes with other patterns, or would you rather pair them with basics?

Ok, I'm obsessed with stripes.

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen me tweeting away excitedly about my stripey bargain finds at Talbots on Tuesday. Well, here's one of them! I featured the dress version of this top on my "If I Had a Million Dollars...Talbot's Edition" post a month or so back. I scored this green and cream striped top for $15; retail price is around $60 I believe. Apparently it was my lucky day, because the dress version (in cream and brown) was there too and I took it home for $39 (retail $134)!

Top: Talbots
Pants: Michael Kors via Nordstrom
Shoes: Franco Sarto via ideeli
Necklace: Chrdesigns
Watch: Syms
Bracelet: gifted
Sunnies: Target

It was heart-wrenching to leave this jacket behind, but even on sale for $63 from $169, it was a tad pricey I just couldn't justify it having purchased the other pieces.

The craziest part is that this is a 14WP and it fits perfectly! Talbots definitely runs large when it comes to blazers, though I found their pants to run true to size.

Random, but I love this silhouette pic I snapped yesterday. I felt like Beyoncé! LOL!

Floral explosion

I had some extra time before work today; it was nice to have a leisurely morning for once instead of my usual bum rush out the door. I made myself a tasty omelet and lunch for later, actually applied my makeup at home instead of at work, and stopped at a park around the corner from work to take pics in the pretty morning light.

Did you all have a good Fourth of July weekend? I must say mine was quite spectacular! Friday night was spent at a friend's Poconos lake house, sitting around a fire drinking and chatting. Saturday got a little wild down in Lancaster, PA, where we went to a giant Greek barbeque with my sister's BF's friends. The food...oh the food was phenomenal; roasted lamb on the spit, homemade gyros with all the toppings, steamed crabs, tons of apps and desserts, and more drinks. Best of all was the company, though! This group was so open and welcoming, and I was feeling confident and sexy in a strappy little blue and white sundress. Pics didn't happen but I'll show it to you one day!

So, this outfit is pretty simple and straight forward, but I was feeling amazing in it all day. The super bright colors really boosted my mood, and I can definitely tell that my hard work at sticking to WW and working out is paying off. I can see a definite difference in my silhouette in this form fitting outfit! I was feeling guilty about not tracking and eating and drinking so much this weekend, but I won't let it get me down, I hopped right back on track with Body Pump last night and yoga and round three of C25K tonight. If the scale goes up because of my sins this weekend, that's ok. It's life - I'll just work that much harder next week.

Do you like my little gold rings? They're a find from another awesome Etsy seller, MARYJOHN. I fell hard for her delicate little gold bands and tiny stones. You'll be seeing a lot of these in the future!

Top: Not sure!! Target? H&M? Old Navy? I've had this shirt for 4 or 5 years easy!
Tank: City Chic
Pants: Michael Kors via Nordstrom
Sandals: Franco Sarto via ideeli
Necklace: F21
Bangles: Some from Greece, some borrowed from the sis
Rings: MARYJOHN

Check back in a bit for the winner of the Forever21 Gift Card!

Blue and White Whimsy

I absolutely love, love, love this dress from Forever21. I picked up a few weeks ago while browsing around the big Times Square F21 with Kim and Tina. I'd been coveting it online and was SO excited to find it in the store. It's everything I'd hoped - flirty, feminine; the tie belt (which I'm usually not a fan of) is really flattering in this case and the print is delicate but bold in white and navy. I love everything about it!

These are the nude Franco Sarto wedges I got for $6(!!) off ideeli. I LOVE them!! They are super comfortable and so easy to walk in. They match my skin tone to the T, which could have been weird but I really love the elongated leg line I get from them. They're going to be perfect for walking around the cobble stoned streets of Skyros without breaking a leg :)

Dress: Forever21 (not surprisingly it's no longer available online, but check your local store!)
Wedges: Franco Sarto via ideeli
Watch: Syms
Wrap bracelet: Market @ Union Square
Necklace: Forever21
Cocktail ring: Vintage
Small ring: H&M
Polish: Essie Lollipop

Stick around for Giveaway #5!

Feeling Patriotic

Apparently it's the Fourth of July in Ariana world! Hey, I'm patriotic, what can I say? I got this red cropped jacket at Syms a few years back, and I completely forgot I owned it until today! It's perfect for spring though, isn't it? I plan to wear it much more often now.

This navy V-neck tee is from my Gap order last week; these tees were about $7 and change on sale, so I got two for me and one for boyfriend. They're super soft and so comfortable. Nothing looks sharper than navy blue or black with white in my mind, so I pulled out my white Not Your Daughter's Jeans again and added my new striped wedges and a brown leather belt for a nautical feel. The red jacket topped the whole look off perfectly!

If you get a chance to pick up these striped wedges from Payless, do not hesitate! They're very comfortable to walk in and look so cute on. And they're only $24.99!

I liked the brown theme for my accessories so I added this studded wooden bangle I got in Greece ages ago, and layered two gold and bronze necklaces to create one large statement piece.

Top: Gap
Jacket: Anne Klein via Syms
Jeans: Not Your Daughter's Jeans via Ideeli
Wedges: Payless
Belt: Target
Bangle: An open market in Greece
Necklaces:
   Large circle: NY&Co
   Coin necklace: Vintage

As you can see it was quite damp when I took these photos yesterday; earlier that afternoon we got the torrential leftovers of the storm system that ravaged Alabama and several other states with tornadoes on Wednesday night. I couldn't believe the damage I saw on the news in those states; my heart and prayers go out to all those who were affected!

Turn Your Shadows White

 

Here the are! The elusive white pants! And I didn't even get them dirty, aren't you proud? Then again...I really didn't inspect the bum area for any marks...

 

White tank: Old Navy

Navy Tank: Gap

Blue Tank: INC via Macy's

White Jeans: Not Your Daughter's Jeans via ideeli

Wedges:  Forever21

Belt: Target

So these are a pair of Not Your Daughter's Jeans that I bought for $50 off ideeli (they retail for about $98 in department stores), which is one of those members-only designer sale sites. Speak of the devil, there's another Plus Size Perfection sale happening today on ideeli featuring Calvin Klein separates, SEVEN7 and CJ by Cookie Johnson jeans, and gorgeous dresses by Adrianna Papell and Tadashi Shoji.

Back to the jeans - They're stretchy enough that I was comfortable sitting at my desk at work all day in them, but they didn't lose their shape after a day's wear. The waistband of this 16W pair fit perfectly but they were a little roomy in the hip and tummy area. Still, I like how crisp and clean they look so they're keepers. I may do something with the hem though - they're a little to long to wear with anything but heels and I'm really loving the look of cropped skinnies at the moment (as you'll see in tomorrow's ootd!). I may take them to a tailor and get the leg narrowed and cropped.

I love my palette of blues against the white bottoms and the touch of brown of my studded belt and wedges, they match perfectly! These shoes are not winners unfortunately - They're from Forever21 so I should have been wary of the quality but I didn't expect them to be quite as bad as they are - one of the studs has already loosened in the front so I have a feeling they'll be replaced with a better brown wedge quite soon.

What do you think of this outfit? Will you be indulging in the white pant trend for summer?