Polka Dots & A Backwards Belt

Although sometimes I like to insist upon my originality, sometimes I just blatantly copy other bloggers.  Today is one of those days:

Sometime back, the gorgeous Kendi of Kendi Everyday wore a similar belt, from Target, backwards; today I am wearing my belt, from Target, backwards.  What can I say?  Tuesday’s aren’t my days for originality (I save it for the third Thursday of every month).  In addition to a backwards belt, I wore a linen skirt (Jones New York via Macy’s), a polka dot tee (Gap), nude platform sandals (Target) and self-made drop earrings.

This outfit is only okay for me.  I think it’s the proportions.  The skirt is so full that I probably shouldn’t have gone so slouchy up top.  But, it’s finally getting really warm here in Oregon (high 80s, low 90s every day) so I shy away from wearing anything too close to my body.  And this top has polka dots, which in my book count for something (possibly everything).

Today’s Takeaway?  Wear polka dots.  They are going to be huge this fall (according to Marie Claire) and they hide a multitude of sartorial sins (according to me).

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Terra Cotta and Turquoise

I think I “borrowed” this color combination from either Ana at Better in Sepia or Dotty from Dash Dot Dotty.  Or it’s evidence of the collective conscience of personal style bloggers.  I saw we go with the latter because sometimes I like to keep up at least a pretense of originality.  In which case, I came up with this all on my own today:

Genius, no?  Well, perhaps not genius, but I think it’s a rather lovely color combination, however the idea came to me.  For this possibly-genius look, I paired my terra cotta jersey dress (Target) with a thin turquoise belt (Target), turquoise beaded necklace (rummaged), flat sandals (Target), Timex watch, a charm bracelet (Banana Republic) and a beaded bracelet (made by Mom).

Today’s Takeaway?  If you can’t remember where you got an idea, just cite the collective conscience of personal style bloggers.  It's (possibly) a real thing.

Have a lovely weekend, Everyone!

Gracey

EBEW: Mixin’ It Up

Today was Everybody, Everywear’s Mixed Print Challenge and it made me a little nervous.  I have mixed prints before (here and here), but it’s definitely not a style that comes naturally to me, so I decided to keep it simple today:



I mixed an abstract floral skirt (Fossil via Goodwill) with a striped three-quarters sleeve tee (Target), braided cognac belt (thrifted) and my oft-worn platform sandals (MRKT via DSW). 

For my money, stripes are one of the easiest patterns to mix as they seem to work well with other graphic prints (such as polka dots) but also with more organic prints such as florals.  So, pairing this striped tee with the abstract floral skirt didn’t take a lot of thought (I don’t have a lot of thoughts to spare lately).  It was also a pretty easy pairing because both pieces have at least one color in common; in this case the navy blue.  Although I’ve mixed pieces that didn’t have common colors, I find it easier if they do.

Today’s Takeaway: There is all sort of advice out there on how best to mix patterns, but I’d say the real trick is confidence.  If you don’t believe you’re rocking an outfit, no one else will either (and really, this is pretty much true for any outfit, not just pattern mixing).

Have a happy Tuesday, Everyone; and make sure you visit Everybody, Everywear for more looks featuring mixed prints!

Gracey

P.S. No, I did not ride my bike in this little-ass skirt.  I drove in today so as not to be arrested for indecent exposure.

Cheering Cherry* and Magenta

It’s been fairly overcast the last few mornings before warming up to the 80s.  Today was no exception and it even misted a little bit on my ride in.  When the weather is gloomy, I often like to wear bright, cheerful colors and today was no exception:

Last week Sal posted a link to this post about this fall’s top color trends.  They include my favorite cobalt, my beloved pumpkin orange and cherry and magenta.  The magenta was sort of surprising to me; one, because it doesn’t seem like fall and two because it reminds me of the 90s.  Which isn’t so much a reason not to be on board with something, but sometimes that’s what happens.

The cherry I was absolutely on board with, having already identified a couple of cherry red items I’d like to find for fall.  One of which was a cardigan and I found this one* (Beatrix Ost) last week on the sale rack at Nordstrom.  I decided to wear it today with my magenta dress (Target), a cherry, studded belt (thrifted) and cognac sandals. 

*While I truly did think this cardigan was red (damn your soft lighting, Nordstrom) when I bought it and even when I put it on, I think Lyddie is right, this is more coral than cherry.  While I do love cherry, for fall and otherwise, I apparently love coral more.

Although I was a little bit hesitant about magenta for fall, I can see how both of these colors will transition nicely from bright summery combinations to more autumn-appropriate outfits when paired with more neutral fall shades.  It’s like magic!

Today’s Takeaway?  Cherry is cheery, magenta is magical but orange is irresistable.  And all make for fabulous transitional colors.

Happy Monday, Everyone!

Gracey

P.S. My date on Friday was absolutely wonderful!  We ended up having dinner in; we listened to jazz, had a bottle of wine and talked about everything – it was just perfect!

P.P.S. Holy crackers, folks, I have a hundred followers!  I have no idea how that happened, but thank you all so much for reading and presumably for laughing at both my jokes and my bad puns.  I'm very flattered and very grateful to all of you.

*ETA

Black and Brights

It was sort of chilly this morning – it was only 62 when I left for work – so I decided to wear a warmer, knit dress instead of a woven one:

This dress is another one from Walmart that I’ve gotten a ton of use out of.  Today I paired it with bright accessories in the form of an embroidered belt (Target), teal flats (Target), a red necklace-as-bracelet (thrifted) and my vintage crystal and brass necklace (Special).  That’s one good thing about black; it offers such a great backdrop for accessories.

It has been a very long week for me, y’all.  I’m very, very happy that the weekend is here, even though I have a fairly busy weekend.  Tonight I have a date (!), nothing planned yet for Saturday although I think I might go to a couple thrift stores, and then on Sunday, my friend Alex and I are going shopping.  I think it’s going to be a wonderful weekend.

Today’s Takeaway?  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend as well!

Happy Friday, All!

Gracey

Blue and Birds

Today I’m wearing blue and birds, but not bluebirds, which are traditionally a harbinger of happiness.  I’m still pretty happy though as this skirt is my favorite shade of blue:

I paired the skirt (J. Crew) with a bird-print tee (Ross), black belt (Nine West via Macy’s), black sandals (White Mountain via Macy’s) and a couple of bracelets (because that’s what I do).  The skirt is too big so the belt is more a necessity than anything, but unfortunately there are no belt loops so it slides around like mad.  It started the day in the correct place, but by the time I’d pedaled to work, the buckle was on my left hip.  Needless to say, I’m a big fan of belt loops.  I considered sewing the pockets shut and using the fabric there to make belt loops but a) that would involve me sewing and b) I like pockets and belt loops.  Ah, dilemma.  But, at least it’s a pretty color!

Today’s Takeaway?  If you can’t wear bluebirds, wear blue and birds – it can still make you happy.

Happy Wednesday, Everyone!

Gracey

Saturation Point

I love saturated colors (which may be pointing out the obvious, but it’s better to be obvious than oblivious):

I especially like to wear them during the summer.  They just feel like summer to me and have a tendency to look better than pastels against my summer-skin.  I often pair my saturated pieces with more neutral pieces, but today I decided to go all out.  In part because I was inspired by Ana at Better in Sepia’s look here, and in part by the fact that I just found this tank top in my dresser (what?  It’s a big dresser).

I wore a coral (which photographed as neon salmon) skirt (Banana Republic) with a violet tank (Old Navy) and turquoise-beaded necklace (rummaged).  All three of these pieces are pretty highly saturated so I wore my neutral platform sandals (Target) to give the eyes a rest.  And I added a belt (thrifted) to help wrangle some of the drape of the pieces.

Today’s Takeaway?  If you usually pair saturated items with neutrals, try them with other saturated colors; it can be a fun change.

Happy Thursday, Everyone!

Gracey

Blue Friday

I love this color of blue and just realized that I wear it a lot, as is evidenced by today’s outfit...

... and by the fact that I wore a skirt in the same shade yesterday and have a similarly shaded scarf that I wear quite a bit (seen here).  I don’t know why I wear so much blue – it’s not like it matches my eyes or anything – but I do love it.  Especially this particular blue.

Today I wore the blue in dress form (Walmart) to which I added a rope-and-leather belt (thrifted), cognac sandals (Jeffrey Campbell via Nordstrom) and brass angel wing earrings (Alberta street vendor).  Because the color is so strong I decided to go with neutral accessories today, even though I like this blue equally well with brights and other saturated hues.

Today’s Takeaway?  It’s okay to wear a single color frequently, even daily.  It’s likely that no one will notice unless you tell them and if they do notice you can just say it’s your signature color.  It worked in Steel Magnolias, it will work for you. 

Happy Friday, Everyone!

Gracey

Seen It All Before

Well, not all of it, but I did wear two pieces of this outfit last week:

I wore both the dress and the belt last week, and in the same outfit last week.  How’s that for lack of imagination?  Pretty good, no?  I did mix it up a little bit though.  Last week I wore the black dress layered under another dress.  Today I repurposed the black dress (thrifted) to act as a skirt under a sheer, silk, dolman-sleeve blouse (thrifted).  The owl belt (Ross) is still being worn as an owl belt, for obvious reasons.  And I added my new-to-me black platform sandals (rummaged) and also-new-to-me vintage carnelian earrings (via Lil’ Gypsy).

I really liked this outfit, but I’m not sure the photographs do it justice.  The sleeves, for example are huge (talk about drama, right, Erin?) but you can’t really see that in the photographs.  You’ll all just have to imagine that I look more svelte and less poofy in person.  (Actually, I'd like you to imagine that with all the outfits I post, not just this one).

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.  Mine didn’t go exactly as planned (no drag queens but we added street corner serenades), but you know what they say about the best laid plans of giants and friends.  I'll post full details on my WeeCap a bit later.

Happy Monday, Everyone!

Gracey

Leopard Dress, Owl Belt

The bad news is that my dress is too small:

The good news is that I layered the too small dress over one that fits me so as not to look like a leopard-spotted-sausage (because no one wants to see that).  I love this leopard dress – it’s vintage, it’s silk and it has pockets (pockets!), but it doesn’t fit.  Specifically, my thighs fight it like it’s an invading army and my chest appears to be determined to say a very personal ‘hello’ to anyone and everyone.  I was going to get rid of the dress but then I had the idea to try it layered over another dress; and I think it worked.

The bottom layer is a simple black tank dress (thrifted) and the top layer is the silk leopard dress (thrifted) which I buttoned at the waist (the one place it fits) and belted with my owl belt (Ross).  I added some wedges (G by Guess via Piperlime) and a bangle and called it a day.

Would you all like another piece of possibly dubious advice?  Of course you would.  Before getting rid of something, try repurposing it first.  While it’s doubtful that I’ll ever fit into the leopard dress on its own again, by layering it over other pieces, I can continue to get some use out of it.

Happy Thursday, Everyone!

Gracey

EBEW: Hello, Yellow!

First things first, I wanted to thank everyone for your lovely comments regarding the loss of our beloved pet.  All of your comments mean a great deal to me, so thank you all very much.

Now, for the post; it turns out that today is Everybody, Everywear’s Yellow Challenge.  And I figured that this challenge was as good a time as any to return to blogging.  It’s not exactly triumphant (we only got five photos before I started crying), but it’ll do:

This is not the outfit I intended to wear today; I had planned on wearing a black skirt but today is a little rainy and a lot of overcast so I substituted in my black pants (who are thrilled to be coming off the bench, btw).  I paired the pants (Banana Republic) with my yellow dolman-sleeved blouse (Target) which I layered over a black camisole for consistent opacity and belted it with a braided, cognac belt (thrifted).  I added cognac wedges (Kenzie via Macy’s), a watch (yes, I do own one) and a charm bracelet (Banana Republic).

I’m always cautious about wearing black and yellow due to the whole Bumblebee Effect, which, granted, doesn’t have the worldwide-tsunami impact of the Butterfly Effect, but, still, who wants to look like a bumblebee, right?  Right.  So, I added the cognac accessories to lessen the severity of the contrast between the black and yellow and I think it worked.

Thank you all again for your comments and I hope everyone has a lovely Tuesday,

Gracey

American Girl

I love wearing red, white and blue this time of year.  It’s a color combination that just screams ‘summer’ to me.  And who am I to ignore that screaming?  Right?  Right. 

Smug patriotism at it's finest.  Also?  Pockets!

Here I'm demonstrating smiling patriotism.  Also rather finely.

I don’t wear red, white and blue on the Fourth of July (I don’t know why.  I refuse the allure of Christmas sweaters too) but I definitely like wearing it during the summer months.  Today I paired my skirt (J. Crew Factory Store) with a handmade gingham blouse (thrifted), braided cognac belt (thrifted) and woven bone flats (thrifted).  I know bone isn’t really white, but white shoes are just so white to me.

What about you all?  Do you have any favorite color combinations for summer?

Gracey

P.S. For those of you who eagerly opened this post hoping to see me posed with an American Girl doll, I’m sorry to disappoint you.  I’d say maybe next time but I’d hate for you to be disappointed two days in a row.

On Safari

Daily Outfit for Tuesday, May 31, 2011

I feel like this is what I would wear if I were going on safari.  I know khaki pants would be more practical; if for no other reason than they'd keep tsetse flies from biting my nethers.  However, I promise you all that I do NOT look good in khaki pants.  So, a khaki skirt it is:

I paired the linen skirt (Jones New York via Macy’s) with a leopard cardigan (Ann Taylor), my Born Crown riding boots (via Nordstrom), studded belt (Michael Michael Kors via Nordstrom) and blue scarf (H&M).  I’m not sure how well the blue scarf fits in with the safari theme, but I really like this blue with brown and think it’s sort of fun with the animal print.

Even though this skirt is sort of an awkward length – I think it could stand to be a little shorter or a little longer – it is super for riding a bike in.  Enough length and volume so that it doesn’t fly up and frighten schoolchildren.  And it has pockets.  I’m a bit of a sucker for pockets, I think.  I find myself wanting pockets on everything.  But only if there are two pockets; I don’t understand the point of single pockets.  I’m not talking kangaroo pockets, I’m talking just one pocket on the left or right side.  I mean, really?  Does only one hand get cold?  Am I only going to want to fill one pocket with pretty pebbles and Masai trinkets?  (Just so we’re clear, the answer to both of those questions is no).

I guess I should have called this post "On Safari With Two Pockets: Just The Way I Like It: The Fashion for Giants Story."  I smell a Lifetime movie, folks.

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Birthday Owl

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ROSEY!!!!

This is my older sister Rosey:

Today is her birthday and she is, hands-down the best big sister ever.  And yes, I will fight anyone who says differently.   She is only a year and a half older than me and we are as close in spirit as we are in age.  Not only did she teach me how to eat watermelon (off the floor, no less), she taught me how to properly rock an Afro:

I think those are candy cigarettes in my hand.  Probably.

I'm still working on the Afro and I usually don't eat while sitting on the floor, but I still value those lessons and everything else my sister has taught me in our more than 30 years together.

Happy Birthday, Rosey!!!  I love you!!!!

In other news, I'm dressed like an owl today:

 

I mentioned yesterday that I have a maybe slight, maybe more-than-slight, obsession with day dresses and this dress is one of the reasons why.  I absolutely adore the feather print and like to think the shape is pretty flattering on me.  Like many of my favorite day dresses, this one is vintage which I think makes it all the better.  And, I thrifted it for about $7.00, so really there is no downside.  I paired it with my owl belt (via Ross) and a similarly-toned metal cuff (thrifted).  I chose these shoes (Nine West via Nordstrom) because they are fairly modern which I hope kept this look from being too costume-y (owl belt aside).

Once again, it's my sister's birthday (hooray!!!) and I'm dressed like an owl.  That is all.

Gracey

Basic Posh Ross

Daily Outfit for Wednesday, May 18, 2011

This is probably the least original post I have ever done.  I really can’t take credit for anything in it.  I feel like the outfit is a Basic Cravings knock-off (she’s fabulous at pairing brights), I blatantly stole the first pose from Posh Spice (or, if you insist, Victoria Beckham) and I feel like the hair is edging out towards 1970s Diana Ross territory.  I have no excuses; all I can do is thank those lovely ladies for the inspiration.

In truth, I have wanted to try color blocking brights for awhile now, but the weather wouldn’t cooperate and I really wasn’t sure it was something I could pull off.  I also wasn’t sure I had the right pieces in my closet; but, then, a couple of weeks ago, I thrifted this blueish-purple (blurple?) Nieman Marcus skirt.  I decided to pair it with my bright pink silk blouse (Banana Republic) and my Mary Jane wedges (Corso Como).  I added a thin studded belt (Old Navy), a charm bracelet (Banana Republic), failed to brush my hair and there you have it; Basic Posh Ross.

Also, thank you all for supporting my face – I think Sue hit the nail on the head when she said I’m just looking at it too much and it’s lost all meaning, like when you write a word too often.  That’s right, MY FACE HAS NO MEANING.  In less shout-y news, I was totally right about pencil skirts and bike riding – it’s a terrible idea.   I have to say, though, that the trouble was less with the actual riding and more with getting on the bike.  I swear my dog was laughing at me from the yard as I struggled to get on.  I’m just glad he has a good sense of humor.

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

Mossy Blossoms

Daily Outfit for Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Today is the day everybody, everywhere is wearing florals for Everybody, Everywear.  And I have been saving this vintage dress just for today:

I love the shape of this dress, but I really love the fact that it’s not your standard colors for a floral dress.  I think the browns, golds, greys and greens with the splashes of periwinkle, pink and fuchsia are very unique and interesting.  And the sort of painterly quality of the flowers is pretty cool too.  I paired the dress (handmade, vintage) with neutral flats (Kenneth Cole Reaction) and a bright pink belt (INC via Macys).  The dress has a self-belt, but I wanted to pick up a little of the color in the dress and I think this belt does it nicely.

It may not be the most spring-y dress, but I think that’ll help make it versatile enough to wear throughout the year.  I can’t wait to remix it.

To see what everyone else is wearing everywhere else, head on over to Everybody, Everywear and take a peek!

Gracey

She Wore a Raspberry Beret

And I wore a raspberry scarf:

I wanted to wear something simple today; I didn’t have the fortitude for anything more complicated.  I went with a striped tee (Jones New York via Ross), black jeggings (GAP Generation), black mini-wedges (Jessica Simpson via Nordstrom) and, because I have to have some sort of color, a raspberry scarf and belt.  If you’ve seen my pictures from prom, you know that I love me a deep pink.  I think it looks better on my skin than a soft, baby pink.

In truth, I’m not much of a pastel wearer.  I do own some pastel pieces, but I’m definitely more drawn to brighter or deeper shades (or is it hues?).  How about you all – what are your feelings on pastels?

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and a happy Monday!

Gracey

P.S. My sister took my pictures today and we tried our hand at a jumping photo.  She cut off my head:

A-Team Hannibal, Not Hannibal Lecter

A Belated Daily Outfit for Monday, May 02, 2011

Today’s outfit was a surprise to me:

Yes, I did pick it out for myself, but you know how sometimes you think of an outfit and then you get it on and it’s twelve kinds of wrong?  Or you think of an outfit and you don’t expect to love it because it doesn’t even include any of your favorite colors, but you put it on and it turns out wonderfully?  The latter is what happened here today.

I think this outfit might actually one of my favorites and it was a complete accident. I am house-sitting for friends this week, and I don’t sleep well if not in my own bed, so I have a bit of insomnia.  I came up with this outfit during one of those half-asleep-but-the-mind-is-racing moments last night.  And honestly, it’s a combination that in the light of day I can’t even imagine how I came up with.  It’s making me think that half-asleep is how I should make all of my outfit choices.

When I bought this silk blouse (Banana Republic via Goodwill), I thought it might look okay with my brown pants (Banana Republic Factory Store), but couldn’t picture what else I would possibly wear.  I think I got stuck on the fact that I was combining brown, purple and pink, all of which are colors I don’t wear often and never together.  But, this morning at 5 am, it came to me; I’d wear the blouse and pants with a navy cardigan (GAP), leopard print flats (v. old via Ross) and a hot pink belt (INC via Macy’s).  And oddly enough, I think it worked.

Like Hannibal (A-Team Hannibal, not Hannibal Lecter or Second Punic War Hannibal), I love it when a plan comes together.

Happy Monday, Everyone!

Gracey

P.S. My new camera still hasn’t arrived, so Ferge is still taking my pictures, today with my phone, for which I am super-grateful.

This week has been brought to you by the letter P

Daily Outfit for Friday, April 22, 2011

I was getting ready to title this post "Peachy Keen" in honor of my peach-striped sweater, when I realized that would have been the fifth title beginning with the letter 'P' this week.  I've been Prim, Proper and Pleated, Puffy and Plain, a Pretty Shiny Copycat and done some Preppy Pattern Mixing.  And today I'm wearing Peach:

I paired my peach and white striped sweater (Old Navy) with my olive skinny jeans (Gap), silver Sperry Topsiders (via Ross) and clear blue belt (Old Navy).  If yesterday's look was my attempt at preppy, today is my attempt at the tomboy look.  I was physically comfortable in this look, but it's not an emotionally comfortable look for me.  With my height and size I am hypersensitive about appearing mannish in any way and rarely try anything androgynous. And frankly with my "curvy" build, I don't think I pull it off well anyway.

I liked this look well enough though.  I don't think I looked mannish (right? right.) and even though I'm not sure androgyny is right for me, it's an aesthetic that appeals to me on others so I try it every once in awhile.

How about you, dearest Reader Friends, are there any looks you admire but don't dare try?

Happy Friday, Everyone!  Have a wonderful weekend!!

Gracey

Pretty Shiny Copycat

Daily Outfit for Wednesday, April 20, 2011

I featured a look from Kristine of Pretty Shiny Sparkly on my blog earlier today, and here is my version of her outfit:

As soon as I saw Kristine’s post I knew it was something I wanted to try out myself with my new Gap trouser jeans (my whiny thighs having caused the ouster of my last pair).  Taking my cues directly from Kristine, I paired my jeans with a floral tank (Frenchi via Nordstrom), drape-y cardigan (Mossimo/Target), bright belt (Style & Co via Macy’s) and platforms (Franco Sarto via Nordstrom).   

Inspired by Kristine’s brilliant accessorizing, I even wore a little jewelry in the form of turquoise earrings (gifted) and a vintage cameo bracelet.

This outfit was amazingly comfortable.  I wish it had photographed better because I really do think it was flattering and is definitely something I would wear again.  And it’s a look that works for giants and non-giants alike!

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey