Outfit, January 28, 2010 School Marm Chic

This is a picture of an outfit that I wore 3 weeks ago. I am an awesome blogger, no doubt. I've had this blouse (I hate that word!) for about a year, but couldn't figure out how to wear it. It didn't look right untucked, it didn't look right tucked in, it didn't look right buttoned up to the neck or unbuttoned. Finally, I just tucked it in, rolled up the sleeves a little and put on a huge black belt. I think this would have looked better with brown boots and a brown belt, but alas, the brown tights were in the laundry, so that whole plan came tumbling down.

My hair was supposed to be a loose, messy bun, but my hair refuses to have any volumn at the crown, so it turned out to be a regular school-marm type bun. My hair puts me in the depths of dispair. (Anne of Green Gables, anyone?)



Raspberry colored blouse, thrifted at Savers, $4, (possibly vintage)
Black Belt, Charlotte Russe, $8
Khaki colored pencil skirt, thrifted at Arc's, $1
Black tights- ?
Black Charles by Charles David Boots- $100, unless you are my mom, then they were only $50. Shh.

Hey! Rachel Bilson

So recently there has been some debate about the FTC rules about bloggers disclosing free stuff they get from companies to review. That's all well and good; I don't really care because no one gives me free stuff. I'm really more annoyed about celebrity product endorsements. I hate when you see a celebrity in an ad or on a commercial, shilling some product you just know they don't use. (Tiger Woods drives a Buick? Sarah Jessica Parker colors her own hair at home with Garnier??)

A particularly irksome example of this phenomenon occurred in the November issue of Lucky. Rachel Bilson* (who's also on the cover) stars in a six page advertisement for Tresemme products: Note the text starting on line 4: "With the help of Tresemme, she achieves the most fashion-forward hairstyles to compliment each look."

Then, about twenty pages later in the "Her Way" segment, she gives a recommendation for a shampoo and conditioner: Tresemme! No, wait, that would actually make sense. Instead, she recommends something called Davines Love Smoothing Shampoo and Conditioner, which will set you back $19 and $22, respectively. What?! Didn't you just spend six pages of ad space trying to convince me that Tresemme will make my hair look like yours for about $3 a bottle? Liar!

Scanned evidence! (from Lucky Magazine, November 2009)

If you click the picture, you can see the whole thing, if you need to.

*Who is this person, anyway? I keep seeing her all over the place, (well, on the internet and in magazines) but she doesn't seem to do anything, other than lie about shampoo and wear outfits that people think are really cool. Anyone? Am I just getting old?

Outfit 10/29/2009

Now I see why all the fashion bloggers put their hand on their hip like that- look how shapely my arm looks! Must stand like that all the time. Anyway, I wore this to work on Thursday, and now that I look at the picture, it may have been pushing the envelope a little. The shirt is a little low and of course, the shoes are sparkly. I did have my hair pulled back in a low ponytail, so maybe that helped make it a little more professional. Oh well, no one said anything, and it's actually pretty flattering. I bought the top specifically to wear with these silly shoes, and in real life, it actually matches better. The shoes change color in different lights, and here they look more green.


Oh, and I got a couple of compliments on my hair today, which was funny, considering that it was dirty. I'm trying not to wash it everyday, but if I don't, I have to do something to it so it isn't gross-looking. So I sprayed it with dry shampoo and hot-rollered it. I'm glad it was humid today, because my hair was HUGE when I took the rollers out. (I can't go more than one day without shampooing. Isn't it weird that all the magazines are suddenly advocating going three plus days without washing our hair? I'm wondering if the whole island of Manhattan smells like dirty scalp. Just throwing it out there.)


Teal cowl neck top: Target, Sept. 2009
Gray Skirt: Isaac Mizrahi for Target, 2008
Gray tights: Can't remember, and wish I could because I love them
Iridescent peacock shoes: Spring, Sept. 2009

A Minor Setback and a Minor Victory

The setback: my outfit today was very boring. I had a doctor's appointment this afternoon and I didn't want to have to take off tights so the doctor could look at my ankle. Yes, I am that lazy. I didn't bother showing my lower half because I really don't think the ill-fitting, charcoal-gray trousers and black Vans added anything to the outfit. The purple v neck tee shirt is from H & M (12.99) and the multi-strand "topaz" necklace was a gift from my MIL. I am proud that I at least put on the necklace! I'm trying to accessorize more. I even put up a cork board in my bedroom so I can SEE all the necklaces I have, and thus be inspired to actually WEAR them.

The minor victory is that I figured out how to use the timer on my camera! Now I just need to figure out where to set it so I can get a head-to-toe shot. It really wasn't that difficult to figure out, but I couldn't find the manual, so I just had to play around with it.

Also, I got a much needed haircut this afternoon-- i.e., the reason my hair is actually styled in these photos. I am ambivalent about it. I think she cut off too much and over-texturized it. My regular stylist wasn't available for over a month, so I just went to some random girl. I've been trying to grow my hair out for two years, at least, and it just isn't working. My hair grows at a glacial pace, and every time I make progress, someone butchers it and I have to start all over. Oy, the drama. Anyhoo, we will see how this shakes out once it has been washed and air-dried-- the true test!