Ain't No Sunshine

It wasn't sunny today.  It was overcast.  Not terribly cold, but it is Oregon in January so there was no sun.  At least it wasn't raining.

Daily Outfit, Monday 1/31/11

The Breakdown:

• Floral print dress - H&M
• Coral cardigan - Gap
• Black tights - Spanx Tight End Tights - Nordstrom
• Faux lace-up wedge boots - Kenneth Cole Reaction - Piperlime?

I also had to wear a black cami today under this dress - it's a bit risque for work otherwise.

I love these boots, but I think they might be stumpifying my legs today.  The high waist of the dress elongates my legs, but the skirt length and the higher boots might serve to shorten them.  Maybe.  I can't tell.  It could be the fact that I cut my feet off in these shots (oops).  I like to think I get away with it because of my height, but if I were not six foot tall, I wouldn't suggest these boots with this outfit.  A bootie, preferably in black, would help elongate the legs.  Including my feet in my photos would also help with this.  So, lesson learned.

You may have noticed that my cardigan matches some of the flowers on my dress almost exactly.  This was an accident.  Matching is not something I generally strive for, so I wore brown boots.  I think I might be afraid to match.  Is that weird?  I think that's weird.  But, it's just how I am.  I prefer elements of my outfit to compliment each other as opposed to matching each other.  While black booties would have matched this outfit perfectly, I decided on brown boots which I believe compliment the non-black elements on this outfit.  Also, I really do like these boots.  So I wore them.

What about you guys - do you prefer matching elements or complimentary elements when you put together an outfit?

Happy Monday!

Gracey

Here we go!

SHOP the italianese is up and running!



As an opening bonus, I will be adding an additional selection of menswear from Mass' closet within the following day or so. I am excited for your feedback.

THANK YOU for your support.

Random weekenders...

We're in the process of renovating our place (will post when major changes occur) and the weekends have been spent deciding, drawing, drafting up new ways of living.

Here are some pics from the weekend.




Armani (both EA and GA) create the most well-fitted jackets for men. The detailing of this jacket is an incredible combination of leather and zipper.

My sister and I share the same pearl bracelet (given to us by our cousin) with the same ballet slippers charm (we were dancers as kids)


One of my current fav pairs: Elizabeth and James booties. They're not too tall and just edgy enough to wear daily.

Sunshine on My Shoulders

Daily Outfit, Sunday, 1/30/11

The Breakdown:

• White ribbed tank - Old Navy
• Dolman-sleeve sweatshirt - Stem - Nordstrom
• Flirt skinny jeans - Old Navy
• Silver hoops - ??? (v. old)
• Fringed scarf - Macys (v. old)
• Flat boots - Born Crown - Nordstrom

We had gorgeous weather this weekend, and especially today.  I couldn't believe how warm it was.  When I took my outdoor shots on Friday, it was windy and therefore a little chilly, but today was just gorgeous.  I am a sun-lover, so I was thrilled to be outside for these shots. 

My scarf looks sort of orange-y red in these pictures, but really, it's a true, medium red.  I wanted to pair it with grey after seeing Jodi of Day2DayWear in her fabulous grey dress with a red scarf here.  I usually wear my burnt orange scarf with grey (really, with every color), but have been thinking I don't wear enough red.  I love red when I wear it, I just rarely wear it.  So, I'm going to make an effort to wear more red.

Also, I love these boots.  I wanted some tough-looking motorcycle boots, but, the fact of the matter is, I'm just not that tough.  These, however, are so perfectly me.  Again, they have that bit of androgyny (they're a little French soldier, no?) and fun details like the laces and the cap toe.  I know they're an odd color, Born says they're black, but they're really a blackish-brown, but that doesn't bother me as much as I thought it might.  All in all, I find them delightful and very, very comfortable.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Gracey

Friday Fashion Focus - Born Crown "Sosie" Boots

 

If you've seen my blog, you've seen these boots.  They are the Born Crown "Sosie" boots and I got them at the Nordstrom Anniversary sale at least two years ago, but possibly three.  They were not inexpensive, but because I wear them at least two times per week three-quarters of the year, my cost per wear is down to pennies.

These are easily the most comfortable, versatile boots that I own.  As you can see above, I wear them with skirts, I wear them with dresses and I wear them over leggings, skinny jeans and cords.  I have worn these for hours of shopping/walking, and they have been nothing but comfortable.  The heel is about an inch and a half - very walkable.  I think the color is pretty versatile as well - you can't see it very well in my pictures, but they're not just a solid dark brown - they're sort of dappled with shades of brown, which I think makes them unique and interesting. The official calf measurement on these is 14 1/2 inches, but my calf is 16 inches and these are roomy enough to fit me over jeans and cords.  At my height, they come to about an inch below my knees, and, they go up to a size 11.

Even though I purchased my pair years ago, you can still find these online.  The absolute cheapest I was able to find them was at Planet Shoes, for $168.00, but they only go up to size 7.5.  Otherwise, I found them cheapest at onlineshoes.com for $199.99, up to size 11.  If onlineshoes.com doesn't have your size, I also found them at Zappos and Amazon (unfortunately, they are more expensive at these two sites).

Happy Shopping!

Gracey

P.S. I know it's not Friday, but I went to bed early Friday and ended up sleeping a much needed 14 hours.

The Great Outdoors

Daily Outfit, 1/28/11

The Breakdown:

• Abstract patterned skirt - Old Navy
• Striped tunic - Old Navy
• Tights - DKNY via Nordstrom
• Riding boots - Born via Nordstrom

Okay, so it's not the great outdoors.  It's just my back alley, but it's significant for a couple reasons.  One, I actually got off work while it was still light enough to take pictures and two, it was actually warm enough to take pictures outside.  And it was raining.  I know you all have been getting bored with my indoor shots, but now that it's staying light longer, hopefully there will be more variety.

I know not everyone is a fan of mixing prints in an outfit, but I am.  It's not easy for me - in fact, it's very challenging, but I like that it's a challenge. And I think even though it's definitely more mainstream now, it's still fairly unexpected to mix patterns and I like to have a little of the unexpected in my outfits.  This particular mix was not really a challenge - I think of this outfit as a no-brainer, really, but it's also a very good example of the rules I use for mixing patterns within an outfit.

I usually do two things when mixing prints.  One, I make sure the items I'm pairing have a color in common.  In this case, the skirt and the top both have cream in common.  Two, I make sure the intensity (or is it hue?) of the colors in the outfit are the same.  The print on this skirt is a sort of soft, almost dusty blue and the stripe on the top is tan, which is a soft, dusty color.

Do you guys like to mix patterns/prints in an outfit?  Do you have any tricks for doing so?

Gracey

What's in store...

I have some exciting news. Starting Monday I will be opening the online store for the italianese: here! It will mainly be a collection of items that I love but can no longer house because they are not receiving sufficient attention. Ranging from clothes to accessories, I think it is a great way to share the love!

I will keep each series up for approximately a week and a half, thereafter I will be selling it on ebay. This is to give a chance to my beautiful readers the first (and cheapest) opportunity to view/purchase.

Stay tuned for Monday!



And this is a picture from a fun photoshoot Janet and I did. (London's revolving door of friends would already have had the best of me without her).

Have a great weekend!

Reverse Leg o' Mutton

Daily Outfit, 1/27/11

The Breakdown:

• Silk blouse - Banana Republic
• Cashmere sweater - Forte Cashmere via Ideeli
• Black skirt - Calvin Klein via Ideeli
• Patterned tights - Assets via Target
• Double-strap shoes - BC Footwear "Shadowplay" via Endless.com

This blouse under this sweater sort of gives my sleeves a reverse leg o' mutton feel, which amuses me for some reason.  I suspect that I'm just really tired.  We worked over 12 hours yesterday and another 12 today.  Luckily, these hours are nearly over and then maybe my posts will make a little more sense (but, probably only a little).  And though you can't see it, I swear I'm wearing a black skirt and black tights - I shouldn't have stood in front of the fireplace, but am too exhausted to re-shoot.

These are the shoes I bought in response to the "oxford" craze from the last year or so.  I didn't like any of the oxfords I tried - I didn't feel they looked right on my rather large foot.  However, I do enjoy androgyny, so I wanted something that had the same feel (for me) as oxfords.  These are perfect for me.  They have a small wedge and I love the little baby studs on the straps (you can find them at Zappos, Endless or Amazon).  They also come in black with silver studs and in sizes up to 11.

Gracey

Off the Rails

Daily Outfit, 1/26/11

The Breakdown:

• V-neck sweater - Tulle via Pin Me Apparel
• Vintage handmade skirt - thrifted
• Faux-croc, patent belt - Macys
• Tights - Nordstrom via Nordstrom Rack
• Wedge booties - Modcloth

Clearly my quest for professionalism has gone off the rails.  I meant to wear something more subdued (and therefore more professional?) but I saw these shoes and realized I haven't worn them in forever.  I decided I wanted to wear them today, and proceeded to build an outfit around them.  Also, I love the color of these tights and so am always trying to find different outfits to pair them with.  I think they go fabulously with this skirt and I love that they peek out through the heel of the booties.

These booties are fun for me, but also difficult to wear.  They're completely different than anything else in my closet, but I really like that about them.  The fact that they're so different is what keeps them 'me' and makes them something I would wear.  But they are definitely a departure, so I don't wear them as much as other, safer pairs.  But, I think they worked with this outfit - maybe I'll wear them more now.

Do you guys ever purchase items that are different from your usual style?  Do you ever have any trouble incorporating those items into your outfits?

Gracey

A Touch of Whimsy

Daily Outfit, 1/25/11

The Breakdown:

• Lace applique blouse - Nine West - Macy's
• Three-quarter sleeve cardigan - Gap
• Fine wale corduroy pants - Banana Republic
• Peep toe pumps - Aerosoles - Piperlime
• Vintage bug pin - Lil' Gypsy

I need to apologize for these pictures.  I know mine are always sort of haphazard at best, but today they seem even worse that usual.  We presented to the Feds for five hours today.  Five straight hours, no breaks.  It was exhausting.  All together, we were at work for just shy of 12 hours.  Again, exhausting.  So, I apologize for the lint on my pants in the close-up of the pin.  I'm too tired to use a lint roller and re-shoot.  Ater my week of professionalism is over, the shots will hopefully get better.

This was day 2 of my "professional" work week.  I tried to keep it professional, but instead found it boring, so I spiced the look up with fishnet trousers socks (you can't see them, but I know they are there).  And I added a touch of whimsy.  The pin is very small and unobtrusive, but it still makes me happy and is representative of me.  And you can't see this in the picture, but the wings are actually on little springs, so they move - I love that.

When you guys have to dress more professionally, do you include touches of whimsy or sex appeal for yourself?

Gracey

Winter Patriot

Daily Outfit, 1/24/11

The Breakdown:

• Vintage plaid skirt - thrifted
• Lace blouse - The Limited
• V-neck cardigan - a.n.a - JC Penney
• "Footless" tights - v. old - ???
• Riding boots - Born - Nordstrom
• Scarf - v. old - Macy's
• Trench - Kenneth Cole - Ideeli

I have to dress like an adult this week (yes, this is my "adult wear") because we have a very, very important series of presentations with some high muckety-mucks.  Said high muckety-mucks happen to be with the Feds, so I thought red, white and blue was tres appropriate. 

Ordinarily, these colors remind me of summer, for obvious reason.  But I also really like these colors together (its a combination on flags all over the world for a reason).  I don't think this outfit is summery at all, and was a great excuse to wear my new sweater.  Which, by the way, is not a "tall" but fits me perfectly in the arms.  I love it when that happens, especially when the perfect fitting sweater only cost $6.97.  Seriously - if you have one, get thee to a JC Penney.  Darn near half the store is on sale for $6.97.  Macy's is having a pretty good sale too - a lot of their clothing is 75% off.

Did you guys find any great sales today or over the weekend?  Share.

Gracey

Blue Velvet

Daily Outfit, 1/23/11

The Breakdown:

• Real Straight Jeans - Gap
• White tee - Target
• Honeycomb knit cardigan - Tulle
• Cream/multi stripe scarf - ???
• Blue velvet flats - Old Navy

I realized today, while out shopping with friends, that I love blue shoes like some people love red shoes.  These are blue velvet and I adore them; I think they're fun and funky and that the velvet is nicely unexpected.

How about you guys - do you guys wear colored flats?  Or non-flats?  Is there a color you're more drawn to than others?

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend,

Gracey

HAPPY belated NEW YEAR

GIAMBATTISTA VALLI dress, KURT GEIGER shoes, WOLFORD tights, BCBG necklaces, VINTAGE ROLEX watch

Back from my week long hiatus induced solely by a crappy internet connection at home. Anyway, I wore this dress to ring in 2011. I absolutely LOVE the balloon sleeves and I will definitely be wearing this again to show in more detail later. The designer is the unbelievable Italian artist Giambattista Valli, whom I love for his wedding designs especially. I got this dress at Holt Renfrew Last Call for only $268! What an absolute steal. It went down from an original retail price of $3000! It's actually supposed to be a shirt but at size 8 it fits me like a dress.

We went to a cheesy Italian restaurant in Toronto, Sotto Sotto, for dinner with the family and then off to a party with some friends. Don't my sister and I look alike?

Hope you're enjoying your weekend!

Dressing Under The Influence

Daily Outfit, 1/21/11

The Breakdown:

• Lightweight turtleneck sweater - Hinge - Nordstrom
• V-neck tunic - Vertigo Paris - Ross
• Cropped skinny jeans - Gap
• Riding boots - Born - Nordstrom
• Vintage glass-bead necklace - borrowed from my sister

This is not the outfit I planned on wearing today.  I actually didn't really "plan" an outfit at all, but when I woke up this morning, this outfit wasn't even foremost in my mind.  Truthfully, this was probably Plan C or D.  And it looks it.  I thought I was feeling better today.  I was wrong.  Yes, I can breathe a little better, but I am not remotely clear-headed yet.  Between the grogginess of the cold and the fogginess of the cold medicine, dressing myself this morning was a major ordeal.  What follows is a transcript of my dazed inner monologue from this morning:

Me:  I think I'll wear my Flirt skinnies today.

Me 2:  All you wear are Flirt skinnies.  Everyone is going to think you own two pairs of pants.

Me:  Hmm.  I do have more than one pair of those, but you're right, no one will be able to tell the difference from the pictures.

Me 2:  Of course I'm right.

Me:  Maybe I'll wear my Real Straight jeans and blue velvet flats.

Me 2:  It's raining.

Me:  Well, okay, there goes that.

Me 2:  What about your stone-colored skinny jeans?

Me:  Yes.  Yes, that might work.  But what to wear with them?

Me 2:  How about a patterned sleeveless blouse, under a deep-v tunic with a cardigan?

(Pause in the dialogue while I'll get all of this on, taking frequent breaks to rest, because my cold has sapped all of my energy).

Me: Oh my hell.   This looks terrible.  What the hell is the tunic doing?

Me 2: Yeah, you probably should have tried that on at the store and not have removed the tags.

Me: That's really helpful advice.  Sort of like telling someone to close the barn door after all the cows have escaped. 

Me 2:  Also, what the heck is up with your thighs today?

Me:  I don't know.  I think they're planning an attack on Chinese Taipei.  And this tunic does nothing but show them off.

Me 2:  Not good.  Not good at all.  You need to find something else to wear.

Me:  Thanks, Captain Obvious.  But, you're right, this will not work.  Whatever I wear will have to incorporate these pants though.  I'm too tired to put different pants on.

Me 2: How about that turtleneck and tunic that are hanging together?

Me:  Sure.  Why not?  At this point I don't think it matters.  I'll just add a blue necklace and we're out the door.

And so, I ended up in this outfit.  I don't think this is one I ever repeat again, even though I like and wear all of the individual elements.  I just need to not get dressed, ever again, while under the influence of cold medicine and germs.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Gracey

Man Voice and the Meeting

Daily Outfit, 1/20/11

The Breakdown:

• Peach ruffle blouse - Sunny Leigh - Nordstrom Rack
• Red cardigan - Gap
• Brown cords - Banana Republic
• Light gold shoes - Kenneth Cole Reaction - ??? (v. old)
• Cream/multi stripe scarf - ??? (v. old)

You can't tell this blouse is peach, but I swear it is.  It's a pale, pink-y peach.  With ruffles!  I know giants aren't supposed to wear ruffles, but I don't have a very large chest in spite of my overall size, so large, soft ruffles generally work for me.  The color of the cardigan is a bit off too, in these pictures.  Gap describes it as "soft red" but I'd call it coral - in the pictures it just looks bright red.  I don't think it looks bad with this blouse, it just doesn't look the way it's supposed to.  I agonized over which shoes to wear with this, but decided on the gold shoes to pick up the row of gold beads on blouse (you can sort of see them in the close up shot).  I actually quite liked this outfit, but not the way it photographed.  You'll just have to take my work for it that these colors worked well together.

Even though I am not at all well, I had to go into work today for a meeting/training.  It had been postponed for one reason or another for a couple months and now we were down to the wire.  Unfortunately, I was the one doing the training, so I had to talk for two hours.  Even more unfortunately, my voice has become low and hoarse due to this darned plague.  Darn you plague! (shakes fist towards the heavens)  Yeah, basically, I have a man voice.  And it is not at all pretty.  When I am not deathly ill, I actually have a fairly high pitched voice.  In fact, I've always wished for a sexier, huskier voice.  But, no.  No, this cold shot me right over sexy, straight into drag queen territory.  It was a great meeting.

But, at least I was finally able to post an outfit.

Happy Thursday, All!

Gracey

It's Official: I'm Stylish

Actually, I was stylish last week, but I forgot to tell you guys about it.  Being stuck at home, ill, reminded me that Sara Star had awarded me the Stylish Blogger Award a week ago, and I meant to do a proper post about it and completely forgot.  So, I'll do it now.

Thank you so much, Sara Star, for giving me this award - it makes me quite happy to know someone out there finds me stylish!


In order to accept this award, I have to do a few things:

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded it to me.
2. Share seven things about myself.
3. Award 10 recently discovered great bloggers
4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award

So, I've thanked Sara above (thank you again, Sara!), I guess I'm on to number two.  Seven things about myself:

1. I love going to school.  A lot.  If I had the money, I'd just go to college and get degree after degree.
2. I ride my bike to work almost everyday and I love it.
3. I used to be a total tomboy - I didn't wear skirts or dresses from about 5th grade until my senior year.
4. I love reading and sleeping - I'm basically a narcoleptic bookworm.
5. I took a pole dancing class for about a year or so and it was the most awesome form of exercise ever!
6. Even though I am six feet tall, I routinely wear heels over three inches in height and even have five inch platforms.
7. I used to be almost painfully shy.

Now, the easy part - awarding 10 other bloggers:

1. Heather of Special Portland
2. Louise of Coffee and a Cardigan
3. Audi of Fashion for Nerds
4. Allison of Tall Girl Blogging
5. Terra of Stylish White Female
6. Katie of Interrobangs Anonymous
7. Lyddie of Chic-OnThe-Cheap
8. Jodi of Day2Day Wear
9. Joelle of both Joelle Van Dyne and The Owls Are Not What They Seem
10. Noel of The Owls Are Not What They Seem

Thank you again, Sara!

Gracey

The Plague: Day 2

Hey All -

I want to thank everyone for their well-wishes in the comments.  That is very sweet of you all.  Unfortunately, I am still plague-ridden and therefore still bed-ridden.  So, once again, I have no outfit to post.  The good news is that I don't think I've gotten any worse.  The bad news is that I don't think I'm any better either.

However, I will be going to work tomorrow regardless of how I'm feeling (I have an important meeting), so you'll get an outfit tomorrow, guaranteed.  It might even be a good outfit; don't hold your breath though, I am sick after all.  I will promise to brush my hair though, so that's something to look forward too, right?  Right.

Talk to you all tomorrow.  Thank you again for the kind comments - you guys are awesome!

Gracey

Propensity for Hyperbole

Hi All -

I was deathly ill today.  Okay, okay, fine.  I was not deathly ill, I just have a propensity for hyperbole, but I was very sick.  And as a result, I don't have anything to post.  I was in my pajamas all day and in my bed most of the day.  I didn't figure you all would want to see my pajamas or raggedy rats nest of hair, so I'm not going to post a picture of that. You're welcome.

I would like to point out that I dragged myself out of my warm, cozy bed just to post this for you though, dear readers.  Again, you're welcome.

I should be back in fighting form tomorrow.

Gracey

WeeCap (Weekend Recap)

WeeCap for January 15th - 17th, in which Gracey attends a birthday party, watches some movies (a lot of movies), and finally finishes Le Divorce.

Saturday, January 15th

The Breakdown:

• Long and Lean jeans - Gap
• Tan and cream stripe tunic - Old Navy
• Light grey boyfriend cardigan - Gap
• Low brown boots - Target
• Burnt orange cashmere scarf - Nordstrom

Friday night I headed up to Portland to visit my gorgeous friend, Jenny and her gorgeous daughter, Cameron.  We watched the movie "The Other Guys" which was funny, but very strange.  Very, very strange.

On Saturday, Cameron had a dance competition, which her squad won (they were fabulous).  I wore the above outfit to go shopping for an 80's prom dress (which I found - it's fabulous, but more on that later) and to watch Cameron's competition.

On Saturday night, Jenny, Cam and I had a "Twilight" marathon.  Full disclosure: I read "Twilight" some years back and didn't like it.  I don't find Stephanie Meyer to be a very good author, although she has, admittedly, a wonderful imagination.  Because I didn't like the book, I hadn't watched any of the movies.  Jenny and Cameron, seeing an opportunity to expand my horizons, re-watched "Twilight," "Eclipse" and "New Moon" with me.  The movies were delightfully over-wrought and campy - it was fun.

Sunday, January 16th

The Breakdown:

• Brown sleeveless tunic - New York & Co via Ross Dress for Less
• Black boyfriend cardigan - Old Navy
• Flirt skinny jeans - Old Navy
• Low brown boots - Target
• Burnt orange cashmere scarf - Nordstrom

Today was Mason's birthday party.  So my friend Ferge and I made the trip down to Albany to help him celebrate being seven.  Children's birthdays are hilarious.  There was pizza, and balloon decorating, and presents and cake and ice cream and children running around everywhere.   

About these boots.  These boots are not the boots I wanted.  I wanted the Mia "Sergeant" boots (you can see them here) which run about $140.00.  I got the above boots at Target for less than $40.00.  They're leather, they're very comfortable and I think they are a pretty fair approximation of the boots I wanted.  Which is pretty rare, at least for me.  Generally I either end up going without or buying the original because nothing is quite right, but I think these work.

Do you guys have any tips for finding alternatives to more expensive items? 

Monday, January 17th

The Breakdown:

• Red ruffle-neck tunic - Old Navy
• Tan boyfriend cardigan - Old Navy
• Black leggings - Target
• Brown leather skinny belt - Gap
• Brown riding boots - Born - Nordstrom
• Gold necklace - gifted
• Angel wing earrings - from an Alberta Street vendor

Today was Martin Luther King, Jr Day, so I did not have to work.  Instead, I slept in (I needed to recover from my Twilight marathon) and I finished Le Divorce, by Diane Johnson, and then went to see TRON (finally).  I liked the movie, it was definitely visually interesting, but I think it could have probably been better.  But, I'm also catching a cold, so maybe it was just me.

A word on the leggings.  Leggings are an item that I do not like to spend a lot of money on, so these leggings work pretty well for me.  They are from Target so they are inexpensive ($8 or so).  They are also actually fairly long (right to my ankles), they have a nice high waist (which is my preference), and they have a nice wide waistband which is very comfortable.  The downside is that they are fairly thin (but not see-through), so they're not good for really cold weather.  Luckily today was sunny and fairly warm, so they were perfect. 

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Gracey