A Leifsdottir Butterfly! Here is MY OOTD!

I was checking out Lisa...Respect the Shoes in her Yellow and Gray for the day, and finally figured out what OOTD stood for. I hadn't had my cup of Montana tea yet. It took 11 days to get that one through my thick skull. Hee-hee!

My leggings have an LL Cool J thing going on. I finally got busted! One of our hard core cyclists came through the Lobby as I was taking photos at 5:30 am this morning. I was all nonchalant. It was bound to happen eventually.

I love doing the OOTD, but I don't like explaining to others what I am up to. It sounds so stupid. "I BLOG my daily outfit" just doesn't sound meaningful to most people. WELL TOO BAD!

It's all about Leifsdottir, Athleta, Allison Dayton and Chan Luu today. I was on an Athleta kick last Summer while I was running.

Lets pull each item out one at a time. Because as you all know I am all about that. Lisa really respects the fact that I know everything about each item I own. It's an OCD thing.

Out of the box first is this stunning Dark Gray Leifsdottir Applique Butterfly Cardi. Looks more Brown to me. But that is the color description.

I fell in love with this the minute I spied it at Nordstrom.com in 2009. Waited for ever for it to hit sale. Snagged it! I wear this Cardi more than any other in my closet. Unfortunately I got caught on something at some point, and had to hand stitch a very large hole and several appliqued Butterflies back on under the arm in the back. Luckily it's hard to see.

I am considering Anthro's Choose Your Path Cardi to replace it part time.

Next is Athleta's Santorini Dress. Athleta has great easy care products that are suitable for street wear too. The fabric is fast drying and has plenty of give for a great fit. I love this simple tank dress with tie back.

They also make swim wear from this same pattern. I have a tough time finding suits that fit. They have every style and pattern of Tankini, Bikini, swim skirt, boy short etc. with bra cup suits too. And bra cup athletic wear. And the YOGA line-up is impressive.

Next are Gray Leggings from UO.

Urban Outfitters, Anthro and Free People are my suppliers for great Leggings and Tights. I pick up a dozen or so at the end of every Season.

I have 4 pairs of J-41's now known as Jambu. I managed to snag these Troy Wedges from Athleta last Summer.

They run big, so size down 1/2 size. They are back again this year and available at Athleta and Zappos. If you need to do a lot of walking or standing, J-41's are the shoe for you. They even make heels. I have the Black pictured in the background. These are Jeep designed and trail rated. But very stylish as street wear. You won't tip over or sprain an ankle in these strappy, bungee corded platforms.

Now for one of my favorite Orla Kiely Handbags from the AW09 Collection. I spied this poly-coated vinyl and leather bag on sale at Garnet Hill for $199. The original price on Orla Kiely's site was near $400. So I snagged it fast. Then Garnet Hill dropped the price to $150 a few days later and credited me $50. How cool are they.

This next item is why I love real stone jewelry! By Allison Dayton for Athleta. This hefty Rose is carved from a solid chunk of Green Turquoise on a string of hand stamped Sterling Beads from Thailand.

I can Dress this Necklace up or down. It's just incredible. I DO NOT regret paying full price for this gorgeous piece. Besides, it sold out before ever hitting sale.

You should all be familiar with Chan Luu. Anthro has featured her items in the past.

The most well know is likely this embellished Sparkling Skies T from the Winter 2009 Anthro Catalog.

I ordered it on sale. It was originally $118. YEP! $118 FOR A T SHIRT!

Scarves, handbags, jewelry, and even embellished T shirts are among many of her talents. She is most known for her Wrap Bracelets.

She also belongs to a consortium of European Designers that includes Chie Mihara, Coclico, and Argila to name a few.

I stole a page from DEA.

This is a faceted Turquoise Bead 4 times Wrap Bracelet on Waxed Linen. You can find these at Athleta, Zappos, and occasionaly Gult Fuse. You can also find these for 1/2 the price on Etsy. Not made by Chan Luu though. This bracelet gets better with age. I have applied leather protector to keep it looking nice and protect it from dirt and water.

I love my 9/80 work week. This is my long week, so it's tough to make it through to Friday. But then next week I work 4 days, with a 3 day weekend. YEAH!

So who shops Athleta besides me? Anyone love Chan Luu?

Did you guys recognize the Sparkling Skies Tee from Anthro by Chan Luu?

Love and Athleta Hugs today, Laura