Colorblock...

Hi!

I'm sorry about the inconsistent blogging but my life has been super crazy as of late! I recently got a new job! I'm super excited and start in early September. I will be working on some Affordable Care Act stuff with a major hospital system in the Greater Boston area.  It's a welcomed change from what I'm doing now which is more policy-based.  Also, my son is starting Kindergarten in the Fall and I am freaking out! He doesn't do well in large group settings and he has been placed in a classroom with about 23+ kids.  I've already had several meetings to devise his Individual Educational Plan and am not really pleased with the recommendations the school system has made with regards to his plan.  I can't help but think about the parents who do not know how to navigate the system and are essentially forced to go along with a plan that may not be right for their child.  That won't be me though.  The entire school system will know who I am when all is said and done!

So what inspired this outfit was the lack of clothing options.  Our washing machine is broken and I've been forced to seriously dig through my closet for practical pieces.  We are getting a new washing machine in a couple days but it's Lord-of-the-Flies-type chaos in my house right now!  I purchased this jumpsuit from Macy's over a year ago and could never figure out how to wear it since to me, it looked plain.  After much rifling through my stuff, I decided to throw on a bright pink sash I got from Marshall's.  The material of the jumpsuit is very clingy and has a slight sheen to it.  Shiny fabrics seem to accentuate everything so admittedly, I was a bit wary to put it on. 

Here is the jumpsuit on a model:

 Here it is on me:

Jumpsuit: Macy's (sold out)

Sash (originally a scarf): Marshall's

Shoes: Old Navy

Bug necklace: ASOS

Turqoise necklace: Urban Outfitters

Earrings: F21

Zig Zag Cuff: ASOS

Bangles: F21

Lippy: Dear Diary by MAC

If I had a do-over, I'd probably wear heels instead of flats (my flats are looking a bit worn...womp, womp)  and would have added a clutch. I love the fact this jumpsuit has pockets! I also appreciate the tapered leg because in my opinion, wide leg jumpsuits do not look as sleek and sexy.

And to close, I'm including a pic of Jessie from Toy Story because my daughter Ava sked me to! ;-)

Giveaway time!

Hi!

I'm sorry for being such a slacky bum with these giveaways.  At the time, offering a giveaway a week for this month seemed like a great idea...too bad my memory is not so good.  Do not fret though, today's giveaway is a great one!

I have a $50 Forever 21 gift card up for grabs to a lucky reader! Use it on clothes or shoes and accessories...the possibilities are endless (not really but you get my point!).  To enter, please see below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GOOD LUCK!!!

Pants on fire...

Hey!
I bet you thought I was joking when I said I'd be posting more eh?  So today I felt like wearing a vibrant color so I decided to wear my red-orange F21 pants that I purchased recently.  I had been eyeing these pants for some time but always held off buying them because I didn't know how I would make them work.  Well, I came across a F21 code and decided that I would buy them.  Surprisingly, the pants fit great (my luck with F21 pants is not so good) and the color is very vivid in person.  The pants come with this brown belt which admittedly looks and feels a bit cheap.  Since I'm a little obsessed about pairing bright colors with monochromatic ones, I decided to wear my striped Faith21 tank and topped the ensemble with a F21 woven cardigan.  I think the pants give the outfit a nice punch of color without being too in-your-face (which is not necessarily a bad thing). FYI, the pants I'm wearing are a size 16 so if you are wanting a looser fit, I would size up. 

Again, sorry for the craptastic pics! I will be getting my DSLR soon!

Pants: F21

Tank: Faith21 (now F21)

Cardigan: F21

Earrings: F21

Necklace: ??

Shoes: Old Navy

Back in the building...

Hey!

Ok, so I know I've been a bum when it comes to outfit posts but I promise that that will all change now.  A lot of stuff has happened since my last outfit post and I want to fill you all in.  First off, many of you know that I have a son with special needs.  Well, my hubby and I recently visited with a neuropsychologist to get the results from my son's recent neuropsych evaluation.  He basically determined that my son has ADHD which came as no surprise to me.  He did his best to reassure us that with proper interventions his quality of life won't be adversely affected by the diagnosis.  Well "proper interventions" is basically the introduction of meds which I have A LOT of reservations about.  Although I know many people have benefited from psychotropic medications, there's something about giving those type of meds to a FIVE YEAR OLD that just doesn't sit well with me.  Needless to say, my hubby and I have alot of thinking to do and must make certain decisions before my son starts school in September.  I won't lie, this is all emotionally taxing for me.  I am determined however, to do the best that I can to make sure my son thrives emotionally, psychologically, socially, and academically.

Another decision I have come to recently is to start my own online clothing business for plus-sized women!  I am still in the business development phase of all of this but I hope to roll everything out by the end of this year. I will be sure to keep you all posted on any new developments!

Without further delay, let me show you today's outfit!  I had been stalking the blazer for some time on the ASOS site and finally bought it after coming across an online code.  The blazer is from the main range and is a size 14.  To be honest, I probably could've sized down to a 12 because the entire jacket is very roomy and I would've preferred a more fitted look. I also want to do some raving about the chevron bodysuit I am wearing.  Many of you may bypass Forever 21's main range section due to the fact that it only goes up to a large.  You'd be surprised to know that many of my wardrobe staples are from the main range section.  This particular bodysuit is a large and is VERY stretchy.  This holds true for many of their bodysuits.  When trying to determine whether to buy something from the main range line, I look for words like "elasticized", "jersey", and "spandex" in the description of the item.  Nine times out of ten, if an item says spandex, it will stretch significantly and WILL accommodate sizes larger than what the tag indicates. The message here? DON'T WRITE OFF THE MAIN RANGE FOR ANY STORE!!!

Blazer: ASOS

Bodysuit: Forever 21

Pant: eoquii Curvy Fit Skinny Jean

Belt: Motel via ASOS

Necklace: Forever 21

Earrings: Forever 21

Boots: ASOS

Clutch: Zara

Exposed arms...

Hi All!

It's been over 2 weeks since my last post and I am sorry! My Dad wanted to borrow his camera back so I had to borrow my sisters.  Her camera is not the greatest but it was better than nothing.  I definitely need to invest in my own camera and will be doing so soon. 

Today was 70 degrees in Boston and it was so lovely! Whenever I am running errands I am usually scowling because my "To Do" list on most weekends is like 10 miles long.  Today, I had a grin on my face for most of the day.  Not only was the weather beautiful, but people were actually pleasant! Today I wore my new ditsy leaf dress I got from F21 recently.  I almost didn't buy it because I thought the pattern would look a bit juvenile on me.  I'm glad I bought it because the print is very colorful and playful and helped to brighten up my mood even more.  The purchase of this particular dress is significant because I usually don't wear clothes that show my arms.  Recently however, I decided I would step out of my comfort zone and do my best to "get over" things like bare arms...you only live once right?  Admittedly, I felt like wearing a cardigan but I deliberately left it at home so the world could see my arms in all their glory.  My apologies in advance for the grainy photos and the partial date stamp...I forgot to deactivate the feature on the camera!

Dress: F21

Belt: NY&Co

Shoes: Tarjay

Thanks for reading my blog! Be on the lookout for a contest this week!

Giveaway! F21 Fringe top

Hi!

To commemorate the end of January (really, is a reason needed?), I'd like to offer another giveaway to Izzygetsbizzy readers!  It is a fringe-shouldered top from Forever 21 and is brand new with tags.  The shirt is a 1x but has amazing stretch and would probably fit a 2x.  To enter, all you have to do is 1) follow my blog via Google Connect or BlogLovin' and 2) comment with your email addy below.  I will use a random number generator to select the winner.  Be sure to enter by Sunday at 5pm! The winner will be announced and notified on Monday!

fringe-licious!



The mom cut

Hello!

This week has been marked by prodigious amounts of eating.  Yesterday was the annual holiday potluck for our floor at my job and today, another Bureau was having a potluck celebration.  I was smart enough to wear stretchy pants for the occasion.  I wanted to show you all how I spruced up this outfit by adding several pops of color.  By itself, the polka dot shirt from Forever 21 is very “tent-ish”—I probably could’ve sized down to an XL with no problem.  I decided to add my Pieces color block belt (it's only $9 on ASOS!) to break up the monochrome colors.  This belt is awesome on so many levels.  First, it features an elasticized back. Secondly, said elasticized back is neon pink! Of course I had to break out my neon pink Corso Como ballet flats for the outfit (to do anything else would’ve been just plain wrong).  In retrospect, I probably should've worn by skinny ponte pants instead of these boot cut pants.  I think the tapered leg of a skinny pant would have given the entire outfit a sleeker look.

I’m still trying  to figure out what to do with my hair after removing my extensions.  Although I love being able to go back and forth between short and long styles,  I think I need to give the extensions a break for a while.  So how are you liking my “mom cut”? I’m a bit tempted to put in some highlights. Do I look really different with shorter hair? All I can say is thank goodness for my flat iron (a remarkable Sedu) or my hair would be all over the place (think Michelle Duggar).

Top: Forever 21

Pant: purchased from Macy's

Belt: Pieces via ASOS

Shoes: Corso Como

Back of belt.  An aside: don't you hate it when pants do that funky crinkly thing in the inner thigh area? Its enough to make me go mad!

Rawwwwrrrrrr....

Hi!

This morning I was feeling a bit like a vixen so I decided to spice up things a bit.  I recently bought a slinky leopard top from F21 and have been trying to find a reason to wear it to work.  After much deliberation, I was like: why the heck does leopard print anything need to be justified? So I know what you are thinking: Izzy, I thought you hated leopard print? Well I kinda still do when it's all-up-in-your face.  I do, however, like leopard print in small doses and when it doesn't comprise the whole of an outfit. 

The skirt I am wearing is from Torrid and was purchased during their haute cash promotion.  If you have been on the fence about this skirt, I definitely encourage you to get it.  It has a banded top (bonus) and an off center front slit and feels great on.  Easily, the skirt is one of my favorite pieces from Torrid.  I decided to throw on my sheer BCBG cardigan that I got from TJMaxx a long time ago.  I love this particular piece because it is very versatile and has amazing stretch.  My accessories include my patent belt from the Gap and my hammered hoop earrings from Ashley Stewart.  The shoes I am wearing are pointed flats from Tarjay.  I love these shoes because they are super comfortable but they are really beat up because I've worn them so much.  I've been  really trying to wear flats less often but it is sooooo hard!  Flats are my go-to because I have realllly flat feet and they make walking a bit easier.  My challenge for the new year though is to start wearing more heels.  I've made several amazing shoe purchases the past few weeks that I can't wait to share with you all.  They are all heels too!  I'm working up the nerve to wear at least one pair before the year is over.

One outfit, different styles:

Leopard top: F21+

Skirt: Torrid

Wrap top: BCBG via TJMaxx

Belt: Gap

Earrings: Ashley Stewart

Bracelet: F21

Watch: ASOS

Shoes: Tarjay

Club Shrine

Hi All!

I am happy to report that this past weekend was a little more eventful than most of my weekends.  A very good friend of mine recently celebrated a milestone birthday and we decided to go to Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Connecticut to commemorate the occasion. I was happy that we had a VIP table because my feet were hurting for a better part of the night.  Towards the end of the evening, I broke out my Dr. Scholls Fast Flats and my feet thanked me for it.  By the way, these shoes are the perfect go-to shoe if you are at a club and need to give the heels a break. They are about 10 bux at Amazon and you can get a 15% discount if you sign up for their subscribe and save option (and you can cancel the subscription anytime with no penalty).

Being as indecisive as I am, I packed about 3 different outfits for the night and in the end decided to wear my F21 striped dress. The two "back-ups" was a Monif C dress and a jumpsuit from Torrid. I have to admit that I wasn't too excited about my outfit choice.  The top of the dress shifted alot and I found myself constantly adjusting myself.  Although you can't see them, I'm wearing my fave Corso Cormo pumps in patent red.

Me with my trusty Dr Scholls Fast Flats

In closing, I wanted to share with you a couple of pics of the birthday girl in her amazing outfit.  She is rocking the one-arm lurex dress from Forever 21 (no longer available online) and I think it looks absolutely amazing on her.  I also think she did a great job of matching her eyeshadow with the dress!

werk it!