Find your inner superhero this season...

Who knew that The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) could be such a fabulous source of fashion information!?! We receive WSJ at work on a daily basis. The past couple papers have contained a rather fashion forward "personal journal" section. One of my favorite recent WSJ features? "Fashion's Superhero Moment".

"Fashion's Superhero Moment" is all about capes, which hit runways in a big way this fall season. Capes take come getting used to. I tried on a sweater cape at Target this weekend, but I just couldn't get used to the feeling of having wings instead of sleeves. The sweater cape I tried on at Target came in this beautiful camel color, perfect for the fall. I wish I had been able to get over the sleeves...all in good time. :-)

Merona Women's Cape Sweater ~ $29.99

There are different types of capes: cloaks, capelets, ponchos, etc. The best style of cape for you depends on what you're using the cape for (statement piece, outerwear, or just a cozy sweater). Cape length is also a crucial element in selecting the right cape. For those of us who are a little bit shorter, like this bombshell, we unfortunately cannot rock a floor length cape without the assistance of 7" platform heels (which would be a fine solution, but platforms are not in right now). Shorter waist-length capes are best for those of us without the long legs to back up a dramatic flowing cape or cloak. All you tall bombshells out there, I say go for it and wear the long luxe cape! 

When capes are being worn for outerwear I feel it's okay to go bright and bold. I am obsessed with this Michael Kors toggle cape, although it does have a hood and I tend to find hoods too fussy.

Michael Kors Hooded Toggle Cape ~ $450

Looking for a more affordable outwear cape option? Try this wool cape found on DrJays.com. There is a bright coral red option as well.

Basic Essentials Wool Cape ~ $39.99

Another cape I love is the wool-blend cape at Banana Republic. It has a stunning leather trim and is sleek, modern and structured, which is not typical for a cape.

Banana Republic Wool-Bend Cape ~ $198

So find yourself a phone booth bombshells and put on your capes. Lookout world, bombshell superheros are taking over!

XOXOX The BoiseBombshell

Work-Day Wear Wednesday

Welcome to Wednesday bloggies, more like the end of Wednesday seems its almost 11pm :-) Fashion has been a tricky thing to tackle this week because the Boise weather has been "cray cray" (one of my student's phrases for crazy). I crack up every time I hear it....but seriously one minute it's raining, the next it's windy, the next it's sunny. Check it out.

This kind of weather has caused me to turn on my fireplace, sip coco and bust out my gloves and scarves. It is officially fall my friends. Enjoy it!

Hat: Handmade by one of my fabulous friends, Cierra, for my birthday a couple years ago. The girl is beyond gifted!
Scarf: Gift from my mama :-)
Jacket: JcPenny, I got it last year for 75% off (yaya!)
Top: Gap for $7
Jeans: Banana Republic skinny 

As for work wear I've been layering with blazers, sweaters and have added tights under my skirts :-) Oscar seems a little freaked out by my choices, see he furry little face below...haha

The sweater is H&M, blouse is from Target, pants Banana Republic and shoes are my new high heel faux-oxfords from DSW. My roots are terrible in these pictures, don't judge. My mom will be fixing my hair this weekend. She says her and her boss developed a game plan. Dun dun dun....stay tuned for results.

 It seems I am very into orange this season and rightfully so, it is fall after all, you know...pumpkins.

 Blazer is Forever21, shirt is the non-iron button down from Banana Republic, tulip skirt is also Banana, boots are Kohl's or JcPenny (I can never remember) and necklace was a gift from my older sister from Gap. I think I got these leggings at Kohl's they have cute little buttons on the sides.

 I debated on how far to button this blouse. Looking at the pictures I think I might've had a little too much va-va-voom that day at the office. No wonder male patients were so nice haha Totally kidding! Top is Victoria's Secret, skirt is Forever21 and shoes are Pink &Pepper from DSW. I love love love these shoes. Patent leather & tassels! Sign me up! The flash makes them look odd, but they really are quite fabulous in real life. I got 10% off because there was some glue on the edges of the shoe. I think they were about $35, kind of pricey but I splurge on things I know I'll love forever. 

Hopefully it will be a little easier to dress next week. Stay tuned for pictures of the "game plan" hair. My mom and little sister are coming tomorrow for my birthday weekend!!! I think we'll be doing my hair Friday afternoon. Woot woot!

On a side note, my husband cannot seem to manage to buy me the right candy corn. Tomorrow will be the 3rd attempt at getting the right kind and so I've decided to take on the task myself. Apparently he didn't know that the original candy corn flavor doesn't have brown coco color or flavoring, but instead is yellow. He says "All candy corn is disgusting." 

First attempt: He bought candy corn in bulk at Winco...enough said. I really did try to like this kind, but it just doesn't taste the same with the chocolate part.

Second Attempt: He bought the good stuff, Brach's, but purchased "Indian Corn" instead of candy corn, again with the chocolate part. I don't like chocolate in my candy corn, which apparently he had no idea that not all candy corn has chocolate flavoring. Poor guy is missing out on a fall must have food item. Bless his heart though. When he went back this time he bought 3 bags of it because he felt bad for getting the bulk kind. He didn't realize it was the chocolate that was the problem, not the bulk part. He's such a saint for trying.

My face due to my lack of sufficient candy corn fuel. I'm braving the store tomorrow for the 3rd attempt, this time I'm going in. 3rd times the charm :-)

XoXo The BoiseBombshell

It's all in the shoes...

I have been obsessed with high-heeled oxfords and high-heeled loafers this season. For the past couple years, I have been in search for the perfect shoe in both styles and I recently found them at Designer Shoes Warehouse (DSW). I'll include the full outfit, so you can get a better feel of the ensemble. The first outfit was inspired by the recent change in weather. I was feeling very fall this day. :-)

Jeans: Banana Republic
Sweater: Gap (it's rabbit hair and I'm terribly allergic, but I just love it too much, I put up with the hives...ridiculous I know)
Jacket: Target
Gloves: Hand-knit by my fabulous Aunt Cyndie
Purse: GiGi Hill
Shoes: DSW - I splurged and spent $49.95, but I got $5 because it was my birthday month :-) The brand is "Not Rated".

My bombshell cousin, who works for a shoe designer, suggested I swap out the brown laces for a brighter color ribbon. I'm thinking purple or mustard yellow. Love the idea! Thanks Aimee!

The next shoes are high-heeled oxford knock offs. I love them! They have a retro 60s feel too them. They make quite the statement! I love the high contrast. Black and white color combinations are a BoiseBombshell favorite, always. These pants are a bold color choice, but I felt the fuchsia worked well with classic black and white. 

Pants: Ann Taylor (less than $30)
Top: Belle (a BoiseBombshell favorite, unfortunately it went out of business recently, tragic...)
Shoes: TJMAXX (less than $30) Usually I don't spend $30 on shoes, unless they're boots, but I felt these shoes were unique and I would wear them for years as a statement piece. LOVE!

Be sure you have the right shoes to walk the walk, my fellow bombshells!

XoXo The BoiseBombshell

Work-Day Wear Wednesday (x3)

Wednesdays are my new favorite day. Why?

1. I don't' have class until 12pm, which means I have time to workout and do homework before going to school (although if I'm being honest, I usually use the time to blog, watch TLC's What Not to Wear, spend extra time on my hair and do a tiny bit of homework).
2. Wednesday's mark the halfway point in the week aka hump day
3. For me, Wednesday means the last day of class for the week, yay! Which means only work to worry about Thursday and Friday, no school (what a relief!).
4. It means I get to write what has become one of my favorite blog posting topics, Work-Day Wear Wednesdays, even though not all these outfits were worn to work.

This first outfit was a little risky for me. I usually don't wear extremely fitted garments, especially not to work, but for whatever reason I got up the gumption to put on this form fitted frock and go to work. I must admit this dress does nothing for my boobs, but you win some you lost some. ;-)

I wore my Spanx slip with this dress and I even though I do love the concept behind Spanx, but I've found that they flatten EVERYTHING, including your chest (this I am NOT a fan of). Plus my slip was hiking up all day and I kept having to go in the back room and pull it down, which was hard to do discretely. I bought a medium in the Spanx slip dress and the straps are much to big and fall down. 

This dress was a hand-me-down, so was the belt. Cuff is Forever 21 and shoes are from this fabulous local store that used to be in Bend, Oregon called Santee Alley the store after L.A.'s famous fashion district. This dress caused quite the commotion at work, all the girls loved it. I think they get a kick out of my need to play dress up on a regular basis.

The next outfit I wore to a Gigi Hill purse party (see previous post: 
http://boisebombshell.blogspot.com/2012/09/they-have-parties-for-purses.html). I have been a little Jekyll and Hyde when it comes to my blonde hair, but on this day I loved it. I decided to channel my inner Carrie Underwood and go big or go home with the volume. Necklace Forever 21, which later broke at the grocery store, when it got stuck on the cart. The thing I don't like about Forever is that it is lower quality items and everything is fake. This metal on this necklace turns my neck green...whatever it sparkles and has pearls, I love it too much to part with it.

My infamous Banana Republic skinny jeans, I did try to buy another pair in a different color today, but they weren't fitting right (must be all that macaroni we've been cooking lately, hahaha). Top from Vanity. It was a gift from my older sister probably 6 years ago or more, I am obsessed with cream colored lace. The back is see through and the sides are tapered. I love it so much, I can't bear to replace it! Jacket is from Target and boots are also 6 years old from the once was but is no-longer Santee Alley (sad). 

If you can't tell I hang on to all my stuff FOR-EV-ER. When I find something I love, I just can never seem to part with it. Although I did muster the courage to take some things into Plato's Closet today and sell them, which is a big step for me. I then proceeded to go to the mall to replace the things I sold and only found 1 pair of shoes, yikes. Now I have no clothes...okay well almost no clothes.

I wore the next outfit to work the other day and a patient told my that I looked like I should be on the cover of a Ralph Lauren magazine. It was the sweetest compliment ever!!! I didn't feel I looked so good with my hair un-brushed and my lack of high-heels, but her words brightened my day. A "warm fuzzy" as my mother would say. If Ralph Lauren had a magazine and I was 20lbs thinner and 6inches taller (maybe a foot taller, I'm looking extra short in this picture below), I would be honored to be on the cover :-) A girl can dream right?

Pants and white non-iron button down are Banana Republic. Ring, shoes and blazer are Forever21. The scarf was a gift from my mom. As much as a I struggle with the quality from Forever21, I do shop there rather frequently because they have such low prices and so many options. The one thing I will not buy form Forever 21 is denim. The shoes also aren't the best, you can see where they've been glued together and traction is minimal, but I do love the wide selection. Such a dilemma, sigh.

I would like to thank my ever so patient husband who is greeted everyday by "Hey babe! How was your day? Can you take a picture of my outfit?" hahaha Seriously. He's become quite the fashion photographer and will make me retake images if he feels the picture didn't "turn out right." I love him for trying, so hard.

On a side-note, we're going to pick up Oscar this weekend from Oregon, can't wait! We bought tons of doggie stuff today, it was hard to resist all the cute little toys and treats. We even got a Martha Stewart collar, say what?!?  I'll post pictures soon! Happy Wednesday everyone!

XOXO The BoiseBombshell

Work-Day Wear Wednesday

I don't know if it's the fall weather or my new job, but lately I've been making all kinds of new outfits from pieces I already own, SCORE! The following outfit was worn to school, not work, so don't worry that the dress is a little short ;-) The dress was a Kohl's purchase from the Lauren Conrad line, a BoiseBombshell favorite!!! Belt & Cardigan are both from Banana Republic. Boots are from Ether in Portland, OR. They were on sale for $35, which is amazing for boots! You can also roll them down too. My bff Emma in Illinois, bought the same boots in chocolate brown. I think she probably loves them as much as I do!

2 of the necklaces were my mothers and grandmothers, the eifle tower  necklace is from Forever 21. I think it was less than $3!!! They offer tons of great necklace options online. I'll admit it is still a little warm to wear boots, but I couldn't resist. Now this next outfit I did wear to work :-)

Blazer: H&M
Tank: Gap
Pants: Daisy Fuentes @ Kohl's

This was my other blazer options, from New York & Co. but I didn't feel the contrast looked good. Usually I'm all about high contrast, but not in this situation. I loved the gray blazer because it added texture to the outfit, while staying somewhat mono-chromatic.

Shoes: Simply Vera, by Vera Wang in Kohl's

Hello traction! Thank you Miss Wang for creating such a practical heel. It's easy to run in these heels, if necessary.







I loved this outfit! Wearing heels and slacks always makes me feel like a supermodel. I love feeling tall :-) My latest fashion obsession involved a little more school spirit. Leslie at A Blonde Ambition has got me hooked on Meesh & Mia.

Button Back Dolman - $54

I'm thinking I'll request this for a birthday present :-) Have a great Wednesday!!!

XOXOX The BoiseBombshell

Fashion's Night Out - Recap

Even though I was exhausted after going to classes all day, attending a human resource meeting for my new job and running errands, I forced myself to make an appearance at Downeast Basics for Fshion's Night Out last Thursday. I am sure glad I did! 

Fashion Kellie, a local personal stylist, blogger and journalist for Fusion magazine, was there (looking fabulous as always). She was pretty occupied with customers the entire time, so I didn't get to talk to her much. However, she did compliment the headband I made (pictured below).  Snaps for that! haha I kept my look simple with a black silk Banana Republic blouse, my skinny jeans, gold accents and my handmade headband.

You can tell I barely saw the sun this summer...yikes!

In honor of Fashion Kellie and FNO, Downeast Basics had food & drinks, a pretty good overall set up.

Downeast Basics revealed their September line at FNO too! I loved the "front flower sweater" in sequioa. 

Front Flower Sweater - $26.99

I actually ended up buying this sweater on FNO. I couldn't resist the detailed and of course the fall color was to die for! Unfortunately, I went back the next day and exchanged it. Oops!  I absolutely loved the sweater and the color, but the flower part was too heavy. I found that the weight of the flower pulled on the fabric and anytime you would try to bend over the whole shirt would drop open, which created a problem. I'm not a big "expose your entire bra to the public" kind of girl. :-) Well maybe in Vegas...totally kidding! I did love that sweater though. I wish it had cooperated better, or I had a job that involved no moving or bending over of any kind. hahha I exchanged the sweater for 2 shirts, which were only $5 each. That's right bloggies $5 a shirt!!!

Downeast Basics ONLY $5!

Downeast Basics ONLY $5!

I also bought a Downeast Basic necklace, during Fashion's Night Out. It was less than $7 and I can already tell it was an EPIC purchase! It was discounted special just for FNO, but you can now get it for $9.99, still not bad. I love love love it! It has a chair, a key and a jewel (of course I needed a little sparkle). It's also on a mixed-pearl chain and pearls faux or real are a BoiseBombshell favorite!!!

Trio of Trinkets Necklace - $9.99

Overall, I feel it was a successful 4th annual Fashion's Night Out. Minus the Paul Frank drama in West Hollywood, how ridiculous! Hopefully Paul Frank issues a meaningful apology sometime soon, instead of giving absurd excuses... Anyway, I hope Boise pulls off an even bigger Fashion's Night Out next year. It should fall on a Friday next year, so that'll help. Until next time....

XOXO The BoiseBombshell

PS - I know I've been slacking on work-day wear. I do have an outfit coming up, so stay tuned...

PS x2- The puppy dog is now being fostered at my sister-in-laws, but they haven't officially said we can have him yet. Help us pick a name! Our choices: Rufus, Bruno, Cash or Samson.

PS x3 - Today was my last day at my student-worker job. I start my new job tomorrow. So excited!!!