#48 Fashion Faux Paus & Happy New Year

I'm sorry to do it, but I am about to commit a major fashion blog faux pas: post the same outfit worn on a different day, within just a few weeks of one another. I absolutely love this wiggle dress that I bought from ASOS and I had to wear it to this 1920's party I went to on New Years Eve. It's a lot more Joan from Mad Men than '20s flapper, but it was the best I could do for our last minute NYE plans.

I love my new sparkly flats from Nine West. They are this beautiful iridescent glitter, full of dark blues, purples, and silver.

2012 was a challenging but exciting year.

I accomplished one of my lifelong dreams: I finally moved to NYC. I said goodbye to all my friends and family, and my amazing students who mean the world to me, my old school and all my wonderful coworkers, hopped in a Uhaul and moved to the Big Apple all by my lonesome.

It's been one of the hardest but also most exciting years of my life. It's been lonely sometimes, yet also filled with joy and love. I've seen much beauty but also darkness. However, no matter if I've been up or down, I have boundless gratitude for all the wonderful blessings in my life and there are many. Happy New Year!

#15 A Formal Affair

I love getting dressed up for formal galas and gatherings, though I rarely have the opportunity to do so. I always really look forward to putting on fancy dresses and gowns and the educator's gala I went to on Thursday evening was no exception. I love the vintage feel of my dress and was really trying to evoke Christina Hendricks in Mad Men. Did I succeed? :)

DRESS Green Ava Dress, Pin Up Girl Clothing | SHOES Black Patent Peep-Toe Pumps, Nine West | NECKLACE Garnet Heart & Gold, Vintage Jewelry | PURSE Studded Metallic Clutch, Marc Jacobs (not pictured)

I'm a bit frustrated that I forgot my Nikon D40, which takes much better quality photos than my regular point and shoot. The only problem is, a huge Nikon does not fit in a cute Marc Jacobs clutch. I'm not a huge fan of name brands or designers, although thanks to fashion blogs and to Gilt, I'm getting more and more interested in designer clothing. This Marc Jacobs bag was a gift from my dad's girlfriend and it's absolutely perfect. I love the gold and silver metallic combination, which means you can wear it with any jewelry. The studs add a rocker/bad girl flair that resembles my personality and it's the perfect size, not too big or small. It's one of my favorite accessories and I use it all the time.

I must admit that after a long week of professional development, I was pretty pooped and wasn't interested in grooming myself for several hours. I got ready for this event in about 30 minutes. Side pony tail, a few bobby pins for my bangs, slip on the dress, some quick makeup, slide my shoes on, and I was ready to go. I wish I would have hit the dress with an iron for a little bit after it was in my suitcase, but I'm still pretty pleased with how it turned out. If you like the dress or vintage/vintage reproductions as much as I do, I highly recommend you check out Pin Up Girl Clothing, with sizes up to 3x. However, buyer beware: prices can be high and quality of their garments is inconsistent.

#8 "Little" Bumblebee

As you may or may not know, I'm a teacher. It's one of the most important things in my life (yes, even more important than fashion!) and part of the reason I'm visiting NYC is to improve my craft. Yesterday, I visited an amazing school in NYC to observe what they do during summer school. This school is such an incredible place and the teachers are so invaluable for what they do. It reminds me how lucky I am to be a teacher and have the opportunity to watch other great teachers! As I promised a day or two ago, today I'm posting something in yellow for the Everybody Everywear challenge, but my outfit has a bit of a professional spin.

Hot and cranky!

One of my favorite simple necklaces.

A close up of my stretched ears. I know some find it gross, but I love them! These are beautiful cubic zirconia tunnels that look like real diamonds. The pic doesn't do them justice.

A close up of the daisy pattern.

TOP Black Draping Body Suit, Urban Outfitters | SKIRT Yellow Daisy Lace Pencil Skirt, Talbots | PUMPS Black Patent Leather Peep Toe Pumps, Nine West | NECKLACE Beaded and Jeweled Necklace, J Crew

I'm not too happy with the way the photos turned out because the lighting in our apartment is pretty atrocious. However, it was almost 100 degrees today in NYC and after a two-hour commute to and from Harlem, I couldn't bear to be outside any longer!

I definitely want to take a second to hype one of my favorite professional labels, Talbots. For a long time, I used to think this was kind of an old lady store and not for stylish 20-somethings. However, for those of us who are in professional (non-fashion) careers, it's a great store to shop at if you want to look stylish at work and if you appreciate classic but colorful pieces. They have a "regular" line that goes up to a size 18-20 and they have a "woman" line for plus-sized ladies that goes up to 24. They also have a petites line and a line for plus-sized petites. I really appreciate how they called their plus-size line "woman."

I'm a bit obsessed with pencil skirts and they often carry these in a huge variety of styles, colors, and patterns. Obviously, my yellow daisy print one is from Talbots and I just bought a beautiful bright green one and a deep purple one for the fall! My other favorite thing about them is that they regularly have pretty good sales and it's easy to find coupon codes online. In fact, they're having a end of season sale right now. And I know what you're thinking... I WISH they paid me to say all that! Just wanted to rep one of my favorite professional clothing lines for women of all sizes. How about you? What's your favorite place to shop for work/interview clothing?