"Well, THAT'S a nice holiday outfit," my boss said to me this morning. He never lets a nice outfit go unnoticed, which is really, really nice. I remember as a kid, when my mother sent me to school in new new clothes, she'd always ask at the end of the day, "Did anyone like your outfit?" Of course, no one did. Schoolkids are jerks. No one notices or likes anything.

With that little non sequitur tale, I present to you an outfit almost entirely donated by my mother, which is nothing new if you've followed any of my previous posts. I'm a well-dressed broken record. This outfit actually has nothing to do with the holidays, as my boss suggests, but it is bright and cheery, and well,  I guess it's somewhat festive with the reds and golds and whatnot. Here's me, at 7:15 a.m. this morning, in my usual spot and pose:

The brown stretchy cotton skirt is from Target and was hers, handed down to me during a closet purge. The tank-top shell, which has some gold shimmer to it, is Chico's, also from the closet purging. The poppy-colored Olivia Moon knit blazer is from Nordstrom, purchased by my mother, and I just love it.

The shoes are Ann Taylor and about five or six years old but still in mint condition! And now onto the jewels ...

This is one of those pieces people notice in the elevator. It's multiple strands of glittery, metallic beads with flat coral, hot pink, wood-grain and gold shell medallions. From Chico's, i.e. my mom.

And my mom sent me this gold braided bracelet, along with some pajamas and a skirt and some other stuff she didn't want anymore, in the mail the other day. It looks like an antique, though if I had to throw out a wild, crazy guess, I'd say it's probably from Chico's too.

I'm really fortunate, is the moral of this story. I have a kind mother with good taste and a boss who notices my efforts, which is pretty much all you need for success in life. As I close out 2011, I am grateful.

Happy Holidays!

Deal Diva Emily