Bloggers Do Oxblood Better

Today is a very special day, and I wanted to do an outfit post that would reflect that.  Today is the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, which means today is a full moon.  While here in the United States, we go by the solar (or Yang, meaning male) calendar, in certain parts of China, people still go by the lunar (or Yin, meaning female) calendar.  During this time, people usually go around eating mooncakes and lighting lanterns.  This celebration is mostly associated with the Moon Goddess (and no, I'm not talking about Sailor Moon.  ^_^ ), and how she is coming down from her palace on the moon to enjoy the treats which we mere mortals have to offer her.

In honor of the Moon Goddess, and with thanks to Pretty Shiny Sparkly for hosting this challenge, I give you my Bloggers Do Oxblood Better outfit.

 
 I think I might have overdone it with the Oxblood... ^_^;  As you can see, this is a very popular color in my wardrobe.

First off, let's start with the dress.  I got this dress on sale at Macy's years ago for a close relative's wedding.  She even asked me to be a bride's maid.  Usually people would just wear a dress like this once and throw it out, but I love the color of it so much that I've kept it all this time.  The dress is from Betsy & Adam by Linda Bernell in a size 6 petite.  I was a bit heavier during that time, but I remember that this dress hugged my curves in all the right ways, and it still does!  From this picture, you can see that the dress has a bit of a sheen to it, so every time I move, I feel like I'm walking in water.  I love finding new ways to wear old favorites!

Moving on to the accessories, and starting with my Amrita Singh necklace.  I got this necklace some time ago, but I never got around to wearing it.  It's a beautiful, heavy piece that I also saw on Betty Draper on Mad Men one time, although I believe, it might have been in a different color.  I loved the stones on this piece paired with the gold, so I added on my Ann Taylor rustic gold lace cuff to my outfit.  I like how you can adjust the cuff to fit your wrist, because mine is very, very small.  Most bracelets just fall off my arm, but not this one!  I've also gotten compliments from friends for this cuff.

Finally, we have my Hermes 30 cm Rogue in Togo leather with gold hardware Birkin.  (That was a mouthful, wasn't it?)  This bag holds a special place in my heart.  I ordered this bag from a consignment store off of Ebay, when I had one too many glasses of wine.  I probably wouldn't have clicked the Buy It Now button if it hadn't been because of the wine, but it was a color that I loved, and it was in gold hardware!  It came on the day of my birthday, and I wore it that same day to my party.  It was fabulous.  I topped everything off with my YSL lipstick.  Don't you just love the pretty packaging of the tube?

Check out to see what other outfits other bloggers have cooked up!

Ann Taylor Off The Shoulder Top

I LOVE Ann Taylor!  I've always felt that they offered great quality clothes at a reasonable price, and in recent months, those prices have been awesome!

After seeing a friend wear an off the shoulder top a few years ago, I've always wanted to have one for myself.  I have pretty wide shoulders, so I wasn't really sure how it would look on me, but I'm so glad I bought this off the shoulder top from Ann Taylor a while back.

Ann Taylor Off the Shoulder Top in Vanilla Creme (regular sizing only)

The material of this top is really smooth, and it's not see through.  You can wear this top off the shoulder like in this picture, or wear it as a cowl neck top.  However, this top is pretty long for my petite frame, so I just tuck it into my jeans for an easy fix.  The shoulder part does tend to ride up your shoulders though, so sometimes it does get pretty annoying trying to pull it down all the time, but I think it's the same for all of the shoulder tops.  Right now this top is sold out online, but I found a burgundy color one in my local Ann Taylor store so definitely look around.  There are also other alternatives that can be found online.  Here are some examples below:

Striped Off the Shoulder Top in Black (regular sizing only

)

Striped Off the Shoulder Top in Hot Cappuccino (regular and petite sizing available)

If I didn't already have the creme (and burgundy) top already, I would be hard pressed to pick which top to buy from the two options above.  I actually like the bigger strips in Black, but I like the Hot Cappuccino color (a color that I don't have in my wardrobe), and it has petite sizing.

Off the Shoulder Top in Black (regular sizing only)

This top is also available in Peacock (a greenish-blue color).  However, I think I prefer the black color more.  This would probably be a good top to wear during the summer, but it is only available online.

Off the Shoulder Silk Stretch Top in Black (regular sizing only)

Off the Shoulder Ribbed Sweater in Coffee Foam (regular sizing only)

These last two options are probably better for the winter time.  They sure look warm enough!  Happy shopping everyone!