Baubles that Benefit

Charm bracelet c/o CAROLEE

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of jewelry designer, CAROLEE released a line of commemorative pieces called the Legacy Collection. It includes numerous items such as the travel-themed charm bracelet pictured above. The sale of each Legacy Collection piece benefits the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. To mark the occasion, the brand also launched a Student Design Competition and scholarship. As an educator who came from a family of teachers, I was honored when CAROLEE contacted me about publicizing their efforts to present aspiring young designers with this wonderful opportunity.

Bracelets by Carolee
Necklaces by Carolee

Their university partner is the Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T.). The competition spans 20 weeks (which exceeds the typical college semester) so it requires a great deal of dedication on behalf the participants. There will be four lucky winners whose designs will be launched for sale in department stores worldwide. The judges are executives from F.I.T. and CAROLEE. You can watch episodes of the competition on the CAROLEE Tumblr, Facebook or Youtube Channel. And you can purchase commemorative jewelry pieces from the Legacy Collection at Macys, Lord and Taylor, Bloomingdales, Dillards, and other department stores.

Oversized Wristwear

Michael Kors watch

I posted about my new watch but never displayed it in action. So although I snapped this photo for Instagram I wanted to share it here. It was a great sale find from Bloomingdales. After $ and % off coupons, I managed to get it for around 60% off (even after spending the dough to get it adjusted to my wrist).

I have a backlog of outfits that I hope to post this week. I also would like to get into Anthropologie to try on some of the more promising new arrivals. And I still need to make it back to the Saks Liquidation, where indeed an additional 10% off has been taken. Between committee work and some revise and resubmit manuscripts that are on my plate, I am unable to take a lot of time out to blog and comment. But hopefully things will settle down soon. I was thrilled to get positive feedback on my Fighting Diamonds article (developed from the conference paper I presented in Chicago last March). That's back in for review after revisions so I hope to hear soon. I have a book chapter for a reader on activism and Twitter due at the end of February. And I want to get my NCA paper (from New Orleans in November) in to another journal asap. So much work to do and only so many hours in the day...

Sometimes it takes photos

See by Chloé Jardin print dress

To a Tee blazer from Anthropologie (similar)

Chloé lock flats (similar here)

Balenciaga Day bag in black

Misc. bracelets (Macys, Gabes, Kate Spade from TJ Maxx, Target, gift)

I really like shapeless See by Chloe dresses like the one above but I don't always want to look shapeless. So I tried to style it in a way that reigned in the billow with a blazer. I thought it worked pretty well until I saw how short my skirt looked. That's one of the perils of messing with a billowing dress... the length might shrink up on you. And I'm feeling a little long in the tooth to pull off mini. Black opaque tights would have been a lot better with this outfit. But in general, I don't think I'll be styling this dress similarly in the future.

Wild about animal bracelets

Bracelets at Dillard's
Teen Girls' Clothes by American Eagle

When I was a teen, my mom and I would regularly take advantage of the rich antique and flea markets in Washington County and the greater Southwestern PA area. We would shop tables of estate sale wares whenever we got the chance. And until last week one of my favorite costume jewelry finds from this period was in my regular accessory rotation. It was a silver-toned animal bracelet in the shape of a leopard with black onyx spots. The bracelet closure cleverly doubled as the leopard swallowing its own tail. When I got a little older and came into contact with Kenneth Jay Lane pieces, I would smile because I had my own similar (and much much cheaper) costume piece. Sadly, last week the clasp on my beloved bracelet broke. I don't foresee any way to fix it. So I have been nostalgically (and obsessively) googling animal-themed bracelets to locate a proper replacement. I am in love with all of the above but the prices vary pretty widely. While it is possible that Kenneth Jay Lane is worth the relative splurge, I will probably end up with something a little more budget friendly (like one of the KJL for QVC pieces, which are fun too).

End of summer jewelry buy

Rosa from Love at First Shop posted on Fashionism about these interesting starfish bracelets for sale at a website called Shop Suey. I was unfamiliar with the site. And the gold color I preferred was on backorder. Still I decided to make a request for one of each. Both the gold and silver arrived yesterday and I think they're pretty cool!

Rosa is wearing hers in today's outfit post. Because I just got mine I only managed to snap an iphone photo of how they look when layered together. Now I have to decide if I can I get away with wearing these after labor day.