Speaking of Violetta... an Oldie Kate Spade OOTD

As you can probably surmise, this outfit is from last month when there was still a lot of snow on the ground. And it isn't the oldest in my backlog of outfits to post...

This semester I have struggled more than ever to balance work and life, leaving the blog to fall low on my list of priorities. My parenting blog has seen one update since Emilia turned 1. And this one hasn't seen much more. Although I still like keeping this space and I really value the small flashes of time I have to catch up with my favorite blogs (linked in my blogroll), my posting has stalled from necessity. For the first time since I began blogging in 2008, I have felt a bit of uncertainty as to whether I should continue with Consume or Consumed. This is a hobby that I continue to enjoy but documenting and contemplating the rationale behind my purchases is no fun if I'm not really coveting much in the first place. I can count on one hand how many Anthropologie trips I've made in the last year and even when I do go I wind up feeling too scatterbrained to offer helpful reviews later.  

I will likely reassess things once my semester ends. I'm currently in the thick of end-of-term insanity with a mountain of papers to grade and student emails to answer. Surely that reality is clouding my thinking.

Details (interestingly fairly similar to the last outfit I posted):
Kate Spade Dress
Aqua Cashmere Cardi
Spanx tights
MBMJ shoes

Mid-30s OOTD

Last weekend I turned 34 and so it seemed fitting to take some stock. I pulled old favorites from my pre-pregnancy storage and sorted through what fits and what doesn't. I'm not ready to part with pieces that don't fit until I am finished with breastfeeding but since I am not finding much to covet in stores, I've been itching for more variety in my wardrobe. I was gifted this Kate Spade dress by my mother-in-law for my birthday last year and although I've worn it a few times I am not sure that I ever posted it here. I like the color combination and dot print but because it is sleeveless, I only really wear it during sweater weather. I'm not a fan of sleeveless and feel both cold and overexposed when I try it out. But it seems inescapable in all the recent Kate Spade offerings.

Why is that? What happened to the steady rotation of solid short sleeved shirt dresses from Kate Spade? Bring me your Jeanettes, your Stefanias, your Calistas, your Violettas, etc.! Are these styles really "out of style?" Maybe I am just aging out of my old brand favorites?

Outfit details:
Kate Spade Deborah Dot Willa dress
Aqua cashmere cardigan
Spanx tights
Aquatalia boots (there was a bit of snow that day)