How to wear a pleated skirt

Lately I have been strongly drawn to pleated skirts, especially the ones below the knee, with small pleats. Pleated skirt is a surprisingly versatile piece of clothing, you can wear it with just about anything.

I recently purchased Jason Wu one from Target and it is adorable but on a short side - few inches above the knee.

I have been checking out many different ways to wear a pleated skirt and here are my preferred ones:
1)Colorful skirt with a striped shirt

ASOS

2) Basic color skirt with bright opaque tights

ASOS, $62.67

3) Bright skirt with a contrasting or neutral skinny belt


4) Bright skirt with a neutral tank top
5) Neutral skirt with a bright tank top paired with a belted cardigan
6) Bright skirt with a flesh-colored top with a white or navy blazer

Zara, $39.99

Doo-Ri Chung collaboration review - when cheap chic is just cheap

This morning I ran downstairs to Macy's with my Macy's credit card in my pocket with intention to snatch one of those beautiful dresses I have seen in previews. well, I had no clue such a disappointment awaited. The quality of the clothes was very poor - loose threads everywhere, and the most advertized black and white dress had a red zipper in the back which stood out way too much. In my opinion the whole deal with the back zipper is that it should be invisible and the bright red zipper on a achromatic dress looked vulgar and cheap. The material on all the dresses felt very unpleasant - it seemed like someone just took fabric meant for an umbrella and made dresses. One of my favorite picks was a belted maxi dress, it looked breathtaking in the photo but reality was less than perfect. Without a belt it looks just like toga of the Roman emperor and not like an elegant flattering dress. I must say that with a belt on it did not look that much better. As for the other, shorter dresses, they were neither well made nor figure flattering. Needless to say I left the store very disappointed.

Doo-Ri Chung collection for Macy's

On wednesday Doo-Ri chung collection for Macy's will hit the stores. Below are my 3 favories I am dying to try on! I will not lie, I did enjoy Target's Jason Wu madness, but the quality of the fabric was lacking, so I do hope this collection will be of better quality.

Got lunch?

Due to my new low sodium, low carb diet, I now bring my own lunch to work. Turns out, it's nearly impossible to get any healthy food in the city. Once, when I forgot my afternoon snack at home, I was forced to look for one to purchase near my job. The closest to a decent snack was an oatmeal cookie from Juan valdez, which was over 400 calories, which is terrible, taking into account that my diet is 1350 calories per day, divided on 4-5 freequent meals. So anyway, except those times I meet a friend for lunch and head over to Saladworks or a sushi bar, I usually bring my breakfast, lunch and snacks. So, being me, I needed a super cute lunch bag that would not clash too much with neither my purse nor my outfit. Here is what I came up with: Isn't it cute?:)

Jason Wu or Suburban Madness

Today Jason Wu's collection for Target hit the stores. I am not ashamed to admit, I was ready to go by 6am but got held back by my family. We got the the Target store by 10am and there was literally nothing - one pleated skirt and a couple of neck-tie blouses but they looked awful and the skirt fit well but was the wrong length - it hit way above the knee but was not short enough to be classified as mini. To be honest, not everything in the collection was to my liking. For instance those colorful purses are not appropriate for anyone past 15 years of age. I just can't picture myself sporting one of those, even if I would be seriously intoxicated. Then the famous cat bag - in my opinion it is a bit wacky and makes me think of a crazy cat lady (don't get me wrong, I love cats! I mean I am the person who linked the words from the song "Every step I take", "In the future can't wait to see if you open up the gates for me" to the death of my cat who passed away few years earlier). Then the straw bags - I think straw should be used for a basket type bag and not for a sleek elegant handbag. Just two opposing ideas for me. But that's just my opinion, I am not forcing it upon anyone. Most of the neck-tie blouses were not to my liking as well, the only one I thought was worth any attention was the navy one. Unfortunatelly I didn't find them neither online nor in any of the stores. What I really loved was the t-shirts with lace print, navy sleeveless shift dress, all the scarfs (even the one with the abundance of cats:)), the adorable poplin dress with a red stripe, the pleated skirt (I have been on a hunt for one for as long as I can remember). At first I was not sure about the skirt because I didn't feel the length was right but the girl I met in the dressing room convinced me otherwise. She knocked on the door of my stall to see the skirt and she made me see it was a keeper. I wish i could thank her now, because back then, in the heat of the moment I was not so sure. Another little thing that found its way onto my heart was the print on the navy scarf and one of the dresses - a small wheel, just like the one on the gypsy flag. At least that's my personal association. Below are my today's purchases from the above mentioned collection. The blue blouse we got for my mother-in-law, the navy scarf for my father's wife, the grey t-shirt with lace print is for my lovely sister. I wish i could get something for my mother too, but neither style nor sizes are suitable for her. Mental note: to start getting on my mother's case about eating healthy, exercising and taking better care of herself. The dress with dot print (reminds me of a gypsy flag) found my husband. When we got to the store, practically everything was gone and this dress was returned by someone and immediately snatched by my awesome husband:))