Outfit 3/2/2010- In the Navy, Part II

After much searching (okay, not really) I finally found some navy tights that don't clash with this skirt. Navy has to be one of the most difficult colors in the world. There are so many interpretations of it. For example, I bought some "navy" tights from welovecolors.com, and they were really much brighter than I would consider navy. These are from Walmart, and for $5, are pretty good. What else to say about this outfit? It's pretty boring, though I do like the lavender and navy combo. Unfortunately, the button-up is a little snug, and in my hurry to beat the timer on my camera, I neglected to tug it back into place. I really did iron it before I wore it to work.

The best part is the shoes!

I just bought these navy platform peep-toes a month or so ago. It's hard to find navy shoes that aren't really dowdy. These are a dark navy with a kind of sparkly, snake-print pattern. They are Calvin Klein (not crazy-expensive Calvin Klein, more like the Calvin Klein that made the tee shirts and jeans I coveted as a middle schooler.) Anyway, I luuuurve them. Such a nice shape!

Silver Locket (unseen) Gift from husband

Lavender button-down: Express, $20? (clearance, for sure)

Navy skirt: thrifted, brand is Alia, $4

Navy tights: Walmart, brand is George, $5

Navy shoes: Calvin Klein via endless.com $98 (Unless my mom asks, then they were $50.)

Outfit, February 24, 2010- Browned Down

No natural fibers were harmed in the making of this skirt.

Mens Button Down Shirt- Thrifted, $1
Sad Brown Skirt- Thrifted, probably $1 (I'll buy anything for $1)
Big Brown Belt- Charlotte Russe, $8
Tights- DSW
Brown Boots- Mossimo for Target, $30? (I paid full price. Gasp.)

I had mixed feelings about this ensemble. It's really cold here (it was 6 degrees when I left home) so I had to wear the tights. In order to keep the skirt from climbing up my thighs, I had to wear a slip. The shirt is really long, so I had it tucked in past my butt, over the tights and under the slip. Basically, I felt lumpy all day. I don't know how people layer as much as they do-- it drives me mad.

The skirt really doesn't help. It's made out of that fabric that they make grandpa pants out of, and it's made for someone more hour-glassy than me. In this case, I'm hoping that the extra flare to the hip made my waist look smaller? Right? I've been thinking about learning to sew, and I think this skirt would make a good starter project. It isn't lined, for one thing, and for another, I really don't care if it gets destroyed. Stay tuned- I might just do it.


I bought these boots at Target four years ago, and I still really like them, even though they aren't real leather. They have a really cool Victorian shape to the heel. They also have the narrowest shaft I've come across on a boot! My calves are a pretty ordinary size, and I can barely zip these to the top.

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.

Halloween

This is me in my "Goth Girl" Halloween costume. I'm not that into Halloween so I wanted a costume that would require minimal expenditure. I already had the dress, the tights, the boots, the eyeliner and the pasty skin, so why not?

I think I did a pretty good job with the eyeliner, too. I would show a close up, but I kind of scared myself when I enlarged the picture, so you'll have to make do with this. It's pretty much a really smudgy, exaggerated cat eye, extended down toward my nose at the inner corner, and winged waaay out at the outer corner. I wanted the lid to be darker, but I'm eyeshadow-impaired, so it didn't work out. I did a mix of black and red lipstick, with gloss over the top. (Finally, a use for that massive collection of lipsticks.)

Black velvet dress- Jones New York, thrifted at Arc's ($1.00!!)
Skull necklace- Savers new stuff
Cross necklace- thrifted @ Arc's
Key necklace- Charlotte Russe
Red Ring- Michaels (the craft store)
Skull ring- Savers new stuff
Lace Gloves- Arc's new stuff
Lace tights- Kohls (I think) Fall 2008
"Army" Boots- Maurices, 1999 (I had to vacuum them, they were so dusty.)

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

Outfit- March 31, 2009

Another outfit that's all about the shoes. Brown pants and lavender button-up are from Express (on clearance!). I'm wearing a thrifted long necklace with fake pearls, which you can't see because it's hanging funny. The shoes are lilac-colored Charles by Charles David "Azalea" pointed toe pumps. They were part of the big Amazon.com shoe purchase I made this fall. Not at all comfortable, but pretty and shiny!

Side note-- I love button-up shirts but they are tough to fit. This one is a little tight, for example. I'm guessing this is pretty common, but it sure is annoying.

Outfit- March 30, 2009 "In the Navy..."

I've been wanting to wear this sweater again before spring, and "luckily," awesome Minnesota weather gave me another chance. This is another piece of clothing I bought specifically to match a pair of shoes, in this case, these pink Chinese Laundry heels. Like 85% of my wardrobe, I bought it on clearance at Target. The pink in the argyle print matches these shoes almost perfectly. The skirt is thrifted and the navy tights are from welovecolors.com. The tights are a different kind of navy than the skirt (oh, the drama) but I managed to get through my day anyway.

Outfit- March 25, 2009

Oh man, some of my self-portraits are really great for keeping my ego in check. Oy. Anyway. On my work monitor, this outfit looks like one black blob, but it is actually a really cute navy blue empire-style dress by Converse One Star (for Target). It has black trim around the neckline and around the empire waist. I got it on clearance for 9.99 or something, and I'm pretty impressed with the quality. It's lined and everything, and actually really comfortable. I wore a cropped black cardigan, black tights, and red patent Isaac Mizrahi for Target mary janes ($7.50!!!). To appease my matchy-matchy self, I wore a shiny red necklace to tie it together.

This outfit actually marks the first time I broke the "no black with navy" rule I've been following blindly since prom shopping in 1998. My friend's dress was navy and we spent two hours scouring the mall for matching shoes because her cousin Mary said she couldn't wear black ones. Do you have rules about black and navy? In this case, the dress pre-broke the rule, so I just went with it. I mean, if Converse can put black with navy, then who am I to say no?

Outfit- March 23, 2009

I need to find a more flattering angle for taking pictures. Or maybe I actually look like this? No, must be the camera. Wearing black long sleeve t shirt from Target, thrifted gray skirt, purple thigh high tights from welovecolors.com, and my tough sandal booties from Payless. Confession: I chickened out wearing them to work and wore my sequin flats instead. Which is just as well, because these tights are bright purple, and got many comments ("Your legs are purple!") even without the crazy booties. I may still wear the shoes to work, but I will probably wear them with pants to tone them down.

On the plus side, I really like these tights from welovecolors.com. I probably won't buy the thigh high version again, because one of them rolled down all day, creating a tourniquet around my upper thigh that I had to surreptitiously unroll all day. But the quality, both in color and opaque-ness are awesome.

Outfit- March 19, 2009

This is me saying, "Isn't it awesome that my new white top with the little tuxedo pleats is completely transparent?" Why can they shoot people into space, but not make a white shirt that isn't see-through? At least I noticed how bad it was before I went to work so I could throw on the dorky undershirt. Why, why, why? Is there really a woman out there who wants her co-workers to know exactly what her bra looks like? Gah! Anyhoo, I bought this top on clearance from Old Navy a while back, and I sort of regret it. First, because it is basically Saran Wrap as far as coverage goes, and second, it is going to be a bitch to iron. I HATE ironing, and this has those fussy little pleats that I thought were so cute...

You know what? I'm going to move on to the shoes. They are leopard print satin high-heel slides from Nine West. That totally makes them sound like boudoir slippers, but there are a subtle leopard print. (Is that an oxymoron?) I'm not a huge fan of this style of high heel because they are tricky to walk in, but they pretty much threw themselves into my virtual cart-- $20 on Amazon.com, which sometimes has really good clearance prices on name brand shoes. The sizes can be limited, but I've found some good stuff, AND any order over $25 ships for free, as long as it sold directly by Amazon. Love free shipping!

Happy St.Patrick's Day, Colleen McGirl Scout!

Again with the face! I swear I was not intoxicated at 7 a.m. on a Tuesday. I never wear this color, but I bought a pair of green shoes, so then I needed a green top to wear them with. (Matchy-matchy!) AND what better day to debut them than St. Patrick's Day. Cheesy, I know. Anyway, this is an Old Navy t shirt, (with a white tank underneath-- why are all V necks so deep?) tank pants, and my green Mossimo for Target slingbacks. It kind of bugged me that they weren't exactly the same green, but I think it worked out because they weren't right next to each other.

Outfit March 12, 2009

Yep, only a week late with this one... blame the death of my blogging machine. I was pretty proud of this outfit, because I finally used another of my thrift store finds. I bought this skirt at Savers for about 7.00. It's made by Elevenses, which leads me to believe it was originally from Anthropologie, and therefore expensive. I bought it because it fits well and it's kind of fun to wear-- it swishes around and makes me feel a little like June Cleaver. (And who knew that that would be a pleasant feeling?)

The downside is that it's sort of a tan color with a little hint of pink, plus it has that plaid-ish pattern, so it is hard for me to figure out what to wear with it. I went with my black Old Navy sweater because it's easy, but I think maybe a really bright fuschia or maybe dark purple would work too. It would probably also take a little more courage. If you haven't noticed by now, I fall pretty heavily on the matchy-matchy side of the spectrum, so I have a hard time putting color with color. I'm wearing the Charlotte Russe satin ruffle heels and no jewelry because I ran out of time. As you can see, I hadn't even gotten to the hair and makeup stage of the morning when I took this photo. I probably need to spend less time staring into my closet and more time actually getting dressed and getting moving.

Outfit- March 10, 2009

You know, someday I'm going to get a picture where my clothes AND my hair AND my makeup are all complete. Unfortunately, yesterday was not that day. I wore a red sweater from Express, a black camisole from Old Navy, a multi-strand necklace, a black pencil skirt from Express, stupid "opaque" Worthington tights from JCP, and my favorite, red plaid peep toe slingback wedges (whew!) by Very Volatile. If you aren't blinded by the shiny-ness of my chin, you will see that Dimitri finds these shoes very intriguing. They were definitely the highlight of this outfit.

Incidentally, this was the 2nd outfit of the morning, which is why I don't have makeup on in this photo. The first ensemble that was so cool in my head totally didn't work in reality-- the dress was sort of see-through, the cardigan was itchy and too boxy... I need to do trial runs of these BEFORE 6:45 a.m. the day I'm planning to wear them. Do you change outfits a dozen times before you leave the house?

The shoes. I had to buy them because they have kilt pins. You understand.

Outfit- March 6, 2009

Yet another face of doom... smiles are hard at 7 a.m. This is my Casual Friday outfit from last week. It's a "vintage" sequin-peacock-feather-t-shirt from Target (9.99). I wore it with my dark wash jeans from... okay, they are from Wet Seal, but they were only $13.00, so I had to. The shoes are black Vans sneakers that I am super disappointed about. They are relatively cute, but the soles are falling off! I only wore them outside three times. When they get wet, they make this annoying squeaky fart noise as I walk. Nice. I'm probably going to buy a pair of the Converse One Star sneakers from Target to replace them, unless my superglue job worked!

Outfit- March 5, 2009

So here is a makeup-free, slightly blurry photo of me on Thursday morning. I'm wearing my new strawberry sweater from Savers ($2.00), a denim pencil skirt from Old Navy ($20.00), a red necklace from Target, black tights from Penney's, maybe? and no shoes because I was running way, way behind. I mean, I put on shoes before I left the house, but I didn't have time before hand. I think I ended up wearing my black sequin flats again because my ankle is still acting up.
I was really excited about this skirt when I bought it, but I think "dark denim pencil skirt" is back on the Want List. This one fits really oddly around the waist and the pockets sort of stick out. I'm thinking of sewing them shut. (I say that like I actually have the skills to do any such thing.)

Outfit March 4, 2009

I really need to work on my modeling face-- I'm not sure what I'm looking at here. Anyway, it isn't too bad for a hastily-taken, poorly-lit shot snapped 2 seconds before I had to leave for work. This is a gray ombre sweater dress from Target. It's sort of like walking around wrapped in a blanket and isn't very form-fitting. Good for all-you-can-eat buffets and the early stages of pregnancy, I imagine. I wore it with extremely annoying (see below) navy tights from Walmart and my new blue striped heels from Charlotte Russe. I will probably feature these shoes in a later post, because they are cute, and there is a mildly amusing story associated with their purchase. I also have a little sapphire necklace on, but you can't really see it. It matches my bracelet.

Here is a list of complaints about these tights:

1. Going by their size chart, I thought I was buying a size UP from what I technically could cram myself into. These tights are supposed to fit someone up to 40 pounds heavier or 5 inches taller than me. No. Flippin'. Way. My husband was laughing watching me try to wriggle and dance my way into these suckers.

2. Not opaque! Tights that aren't opaque look kind of trashy, I think. And I need the opaque tights to blend in the fact that this dress is shorter than I would normally wear to work.

3. I had a snag in them by noon, and I haven't had a run in my tights in years. I later spent about a half hour turning it into a full on run, just to see if I could pull off a sort of punk look. Nope.

4. The seam on the front-belly part was all lumpy and no matter how high up I pulled the tights (pretty darn high) it wouldn't flatten out. As a result, the fabric of the dress would cling to it. Ugh!

The odd thing is, I have another pair of George tights from Walmart in gray and they are awesome. For the record, I also had issues with Worthington tights from Penney's. So far, I like Vera Wang from Kohls the best. I hear good things about Merona tights from Target, but they didn't have navy the last time I looked. I bought some on clearance at Old Navy today, so I will see how they hold up. I know I should "invest" in some from Hue or Wolford, but I just can't make myself pay more than 10 bucks for something I'm probably going to shred.

Outfit March 2 2009

So this is what I put together for yesterday. (And a bonus shot of my other blogging buddy, Dimitri. We matched yesterday!) Not bad for a Monday, for me. It is a purple tie-neck top from Target, on clearance for about $6.50. Target.com styled it with a big bow tied in the middle, but that didn't work for me, so I just pretend it's a scarf. I love the color of this shirt, but unfortunately, the fabric is really cheap and I will probably only be able to wear it to work 2-3 more times before it is too ragged-y looking. It is too short to wear with pants, anyway. (For an in-depth analysis of ideal shirt lengths, see Sally @ Already Pretty!)
The gray skirt is one of my finds from Savers- $2.50. The brand is Alia, and I actually bought an identical one in navy from Savers that same day- weird. When I Google the brand name, I get a lot of matronly elastic-waist Bermuda shorts, but I assure you, the skirts are basic, but very nice. The tights are gray, maybe from Walmart? And I'm wearing my black sequin Oh Deer! flats (again) because my ankle still hurts. Sigh. Continuing with my tradition of being unable to photograph jewelry, here is close up of the sapphire tennis bracelet I was wearing:


This was a gift from my grandma when I graduated from college. I don't wear it nearly enough-- the last time was probably when I got married 4.5 years ago!
This whole outfit thing has been tricker than I thought. I really admire the people who do something different every day, because that really takes effort.

Is It Spring Yet?

I'm not sure what is going on with my hair and aggressive head tilt. Perhaps gravity is out-of-whack in Minnesota? This is another uninspired outfit, but it is still so cold! I just don't feel like wearing dresses or skirts. This is me in a blue Express sweater from about 2 years ago, black Old Navy camisole with lace around the neckline, and the ill-fitting gray trousers (unseen, for a good reason.) I am wearing a necklace, a gold claddagh that my husband bought me back when he was still my boyfriend... it has the claddagh symbol, but then what looks a little like wings out to the sides. I tried and TRIED to get a decent photo, but I can't figure out how to turn off the flash on my camera! So trust me, it is pretty. And I wore earrings this morning, but they were bugging me so I threw them away. (They were old and the shiny fake metal was worn off, anyway.) I need new earrings! I'm also wearing my new Revlon "Nude Attitude" matte lipstick, and I think I don't really like it in the picture. It kind of washes me out, although it looked fine in the mirror... Hmm. I guess I'll call that the free one!

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!

Welcome to the Jungle... Or Maybe the Savannah?

As promised, here is the photo of my Walmart loot, as well as my first outfit post. And yes, I do leave the house with my hair looking like that, thanks for asking. My husband was kind enough to snap this photo, which unfortunately cuts off at the knees. I'll have to be more specific next time.

The sunglasses are from Walmart-- I like them because they are not big bug eye ones. The tote bag is also from Walmart, and I think it is adorable. Right now I carry around a dirty bag with the name of my apartment complex on it, so this could even be considered an upgrade. (Sad but true.) On the other hand, the other tote is perfectly serviceable and I have at least 2 others around the house that I could use, so this really isn't a necessary purchase, and therefore not green at all.

I'm wearing a BB (before blog) tank from Target, a BB sweater from Old Navy, a crazy zebra-print dress from Marshalls, black tights, black sequin Oh Deer! ballet flats, and my new lion clip from Arc. It's not a pin, so I sort of clamped it at my neckline. I think it helps break up the black and white. The dress on it's own is too bare to wear to work, but with the sweater, it looks like a zebra pencil skirt.

This out fit sort of pushed the edge of my comfort zone. I was self-conscious all day about it, but I felt like I looked good. I need to stop worrying what other people think about my clothes! As long as I don't get fired, who cares? Repeat 50 times.

This is Daria, my blogging buddy. (Did I not warn you there would be cat pictures?) She approves of all animal prints, but prefers classic black for herself.