Weeks 25: Vegas and After

Week 24, Day 6: White BR tee, BR trouser jeans

Week 24, Day 7: Burgundy BR cami, White Old Navy skirt

Week 25, Day 1: Old Navy peach flower camisole with tie in back, Ann Taylor Loft demim skirt

Week 25, Day 1 Evening Outfit: Purple Halter (designed by Chloe, Season 2 Project Runway winner), BR grey A-line skirt, Christin Louboutin black 100's pumps

Week 25, Day 2 Outfit (re-enacted at home): Green Forever 21 halter, Gap yellow skirt

Week 25, Day 2 Outfit (Evening - again re-enacted at home): Express strapless lacy black top, BR Trouser Jeans

Week 25, Day 3 Outfit (also re-enacted at home): Black Gap Camisole, Old Navy Khaki Linen Shorts, Red Faux Fur belt from Uniqlo

I have somehow managed to get off my weeks, the week of 7/25, (according to my calender) should be week 24...so I'm correcting this in my blog...not that it matters too much as week 24 was pretty much a work from home week, with very little wearing of something different in my wardrobe...except on the last 2 days whic (work was pretty insane with a ton of web-based meetings, some of which required 6AM delivery, therefore the working from home!).

Sooooo...Vegas, baby, Vegas! Yes, as you can imagine, it was a action-packed trip - so action packed that the days started bleeding together - I guess there's nothing more to expect when your days are comprised of eating, drinking, laying by the pool, a little bit of gambling, drinking, and then eating! We hit up a lot of great restaurants (many of whom were selected based on the Chef Owners' appearances on Food Network or Top Chef). We also hit up a variety of bars in various casinos - Tao at the Venetian, Rhumbar at the Mirage - and also managed to catch a comedy show at Planet Hollywood and a magic show the last day of our stay at Harrah's. Filling our time between casino visits was a good amount of pool time - which was heavenly after a couple hectic weeks of work. Needless to say, getting into the french bikini Mike bought for me in South Beach required more and more disregard for self-consciousness - especially after all the meals and cocktails starting taking their toll on my waistline - as I'm sure is evident in my pictures.

We did not have any celebrity sightings, except at one seedy establishment where Mike and Scott, after chatting with a really large looking dude, discovered that he used to play for the Cleveland Browns. I would imagine that the fact that we were all getting to bed by 11pm each night greatly hurt our chances of running into the rich and famous - especially since they are usually found after midnight at some swanky club that by that hour, is impossible to get into.

As you can see from the pictures above, I found Vegas to be the perfect occassion to break in my Christian Louboutins. I (thankfully) had the smarts to pack a pair of flat shoes for my outfit that night as strutting around in 4 inch heels as we walked up and down the strip and through the enormous casinos to get to our restaurant or venue was going to severely slow everything down, and would have likely left me with amputated feet. I must say, however, that given that these shoes are 4 inches tall, they are reasonable comfortable - they better be after dropping that many Ben Franklins on them!

Abstaining from shopping was not at all hard while in Vegas, mainly because the people I was with had absolutely no interest in going to shopping malls. I did need to buy a special undergarment for the purple shirt I wore one of the nights out, but aside from that, did not purchase a single article of clothing. However, considering the other challenge that I am undergoing - which is to not re-wear anything until I have exhausted my closet, really did cramp my style and left me feeling "frumpy" for pretty much the entire trip. I have already filled the billowy skirts that I wore during the days (which were good for the heat) into the "donate" pile of my "worn clothing" closet section. I am definitely scraping the barrel now with my clothing, and either good or bad, many of the things I am "forced" to wear are going to be worn for their last time - at least by me. Being in a city where you see so many well-dressed people, and then catching a glimpse of your bloated self (after the food and alcohol) wearing something that makes you look even more bloated, is a real doozy on your self-esteem and makes you long for the days when you looked fabulous. I cannot wait for my closet to reach the point of exhaustion - and I have come to realize that this challenge is really helping me identify what my "style" is, and to eradicate from my precious closet real estate, clothes that make me feel less than fabulous!