Anatomy of A Peep Toe

I've been feeling a 'need' for classic peeptoe pumps, and had picked up a pair of the Ann Taylor Sofia in black satin a while back when they had a 40% off sale (post), which I really ended up liking:

The only problem is that they do slip a bit, so when ReallyPetite raved about the BCBGirls Ariel which were slip-free for her, I was immediately interested:

I only recently pulled the trigger and ordered them in size 5, 5.5, and 6 (good thing there's free return shipping!), just because I'm starting to suspect that what I thought was my size (5.5-6) is really too big since I'm always slipping out of my shoes.  And it's a good thing I did, because size 6 was ridiculously big, size 5.5 was still too loose, and only the size 5 seems to fit. 

But now my dilemma is which ones to keep!  The AT Sofia ($87) has a 3.5" heel, while the BCBGirls Ariel ($71) is higher at 4.25".  The Sofia satin definitely feels more comfortable, while the Ariel patent leather is more stiff but may feel better after they're broken in.  The peep-toe part on each is shaped differently:

The Sofia has a more rounded shape with a smaller exposed toe box, while the Ariel is square-cut with more toe exposure.  Here's how they look on me, with the AT Sofia on the left:

Here's the side view, again with AT Sofia (size 5.5) first and the Ariel (size 5) second:

As you can (maybe) see, I have rather long toes and I think there's probably too much toe overhang with the Ariel.  I'm leaning towards keeping the Sofia and either get some foot petals or go down to size 5.

Alright, I officially feel a little too OCD about these shoes now... but here's some more shots of the two anyway, with better lighting:

Ann Taylor Print Tops

I thought I would be able to resist this round of sales... but failed!  I realized that I have absolutely no prints in my wardrobe, so here's what's coming in the mail:

Floral Print Silk Charmeuse Blouse With Neck Ties

Vibrant Animal Print Silk Georgette Halter Top

I was going to wait until AN does her review on the first blouse... but bit the bullet anyway just in case they run out of my size.  I didn't have much luck with my last Ann Taylor purchase (post), hopefully this time something will fit!

I also got these pretty Pearl and Ribbon 2 Strand Bracelet to get to the free shipping amount... we'll see how they fit on my uber tiny wrists.

One Black Dress... 365 Days

This is so neat!  One girl wore the same black dress for a whole year, but made so many different looks by just using accessories.  You can see snapshots of all her looks in the short video below.  I wish I had half her skills at accessorizing...

The Dress

How do you design a dress that can be worn all year around? We took inspiration from one of my staple dresses, improving upon the shape and fit to add on some seasonal versatility. The dress is designed so it can be worn both ways, front and back, and also as an open tunic. It’s made from a durable, breathable cotton, good for New York summers and good for layering in cooler seasons. With deep hidden pockets to appease my deep aversion for carrying purses.

From The Uniform Project

J.Crew Chiffon Forget-Me-Not Cardigan

I'm relatively new to J.Crew and was very pleasantly surprised by the fit of the Grand Ruffle Shell and Cashmere Plisse Cardigan.  I actually re-ordered those items when they went on sale, and I found that J.Crew sizing can be a tad inconsistent.  Although all the Grand Ruffles I got were the same size, some of them were noticeably bigger than others.  Also with the Cashmere Plisse Cardigan - the second one I got actually fits a little smaller than the first.

Anyway, excited by the possibility of small-fitting J.Crew cardigans, I also bought this Chiffon Forget-Me-Not Cardigan in XS when I made my second order:

The color I got was Sandstone Sky, which is supposed to be cream/beige with flecks of blue:

With the "3/4" sleeves down and from the side:

This one was a disappointment for me.  The color reminds me of the flesh-toned part of ice-skating costumes.  The fit is not very flattering with quite a bit of extra fabric at the waist (I wasn't sticking my tummy out in the side view but look semi-preggers).  It makes me feel like I'm wearing a grandfather cardigan that a little girl decorated lol.  Boy that is not how it looks like on the model!

Edible Accessories... Yum!

Saw these on CouteQueCoute and thought they all look so pretty...

They're handy if you're out shopping for too long and need a snack lol...  Not sure what that ring is made of though (bacon?).

Danskos

One day of wearing regular shoes to work and three blisters later, oh how I missed my Danskos!

Dansko 'Professional' Clog

I used to think that they were expensive at $115 (I was living on student loans at the time).  But hands down, the best investment I ever made!  I've been wearing them daily for 4 years now, and they are so unbelievably comfortable I forget I'm even wearing shoes.  They're pretty popular among residents and for good reason.  No matter how comfortable flats or running shoes may feel at the beginning of the day, by the 8th straight hour of standing in surgery and not being able to move, you'll realize what a huge difference shoes can make.  Also, the sturdy material helps protect your feet against accidental drops (needles and what not) and spills of all kinds (you don't want to know).  Luckily I'm not doing a surgery residency... but I can still reap the benefits of these awesome shoes anyway!

Real Work Clothes

I've been on a little hiatus from blogging and even blog-reading (although I do cheat), due to being busy with a huge presentation for work.  It's a formal hour-long lecture that I have to research and put together, which I presented today (podium-included!) to a group of more senior residents and attendings... which is a little ridiculous to have a more junior resident like me do because I know they know the material better than I do.  But anyway, we have to give one lecture a year and this was my first one, so a little nerve-wracking but I'm finally done with the thing until next year!

Anyway, most of the residents my program generally show up to work in scrubs on a daily basis, and this is literally the first time in a year that I put on actual clothes to go to work!  So of course I took some pictures lol.

I'm wearing a pinstripe pink dress shirt and neutral dress pants with a greyish-brownish tone, both of which were tailor-made in Asia.

I even washed my white coat for today (which I don't do often enough lol).  Notice the nice empty pockets... usually you can tell a resident from an attending by looking at the pockets of the white coat.  A resident will always have pockets full of stuff (pager, books, notes, pens, medical tools, snacks, etc).

Of course my white coat did not originally come in convenient numeric petite sizing... even the smallest issued size was humongous.  My lovely aunt (who used to be a seamstress) took it in, in addition to helping me alter all my scrubs.  I used to think that she did a pretty good job (considering how large it was before), until now when I saw this side view:

She still left too much room I think... funny how I never noticed in the 2 years I've been wearing it.  But ah well, it's not like I'm making any fashion statements in my usual slouchy scrubs anyway! 

We're Moving!

I currently live within 5-10 minutes walking distance to work, which is awesome... but due to some issues with the current apartment that I won't go into, we've decided to move when our lease expires the end of this month.  Our apartment hunt was super short... we only went to see one place, immediately fell in love, and officially signed our lease today!

It's a brand-new small building of loft-style units, literally across the street from our favorite restaurants and Asian market (and hair salon too!).  It's a 1 bedroom + loft/den with 2 baths, and the rent is about the same as what we're currently paying now (which is outrageously expensive in any other city than LA/NY).

Here's the building exterior:

Interior:

And of course the must-have in unit washer/dryer:

I even like the cute little courtyard:

Since it's brand-new and therefore unoccuppied, we got our keys today and can start moving in even though our lease doesn't start until June... I'm so excited!

Banana Republic Short Crinkle Trench

Is it just me or has Banana Republic been emailing out 40% off coupons every week?  I'm not complaining... but they need to update their current collection already!  Anyway, there wasn't a lot that interested me, but I used one of those coupons to order this Short Crinkle Trench in XSP:

I honestly wasn't really expecting too much, and I'm not really sure how I feel about it.  Here's how it looks in various stages of belting:

My initial reaction was a probable no.  The material is rather stiff, almost paper-mache like, and I don't like the fact that it's not lined.  The fit is so-so, not terrible but not great.  The belt actually falls a little below my natural waist.  The sleeves are too long as always, but that's not a big deal.  Here's the side view, unbelted:

The total came out to about ~$75, which is not bad, but I'm just not excited about it for some reason.  My search for the perfect light trench continues...