Viva Los Orphans

I’m still in a “Holy crackers, it’s too hot and I can’t find anything to wear” sort of mood, in spite of the fact that we had a lovely thunderstorm last night which relieved at least a little of the heat.  When I’m in this mood, I’m completely dissatisfied with most of the clothes I usually love (except for these shoes, apparently) and find myself looking more towards my closet’s orphans.  Yesterday I wore an orphaned yellow skirt.  And today I’m wearing orphaned grey pants:

Yesterday’s orphan acquitted itself rather well, and I think today’s orphan is too.  These pants are years old and, like yesterday’s skirt, I think I’ve only worn them once.  Today though, I decided to pair the pants (Gap) with what appears to be my favorite white tank (Design History via Ross) and my increasingly ubiquitous blue platforms (MRKT via DSW).  I finished the look with some blue and white jewelry, including these earrings:

I didn't notice the rust before I posted this, but, I still like them.

I have no idea why I never wear these pants.  I even have a khaki version that I never wear either.  I think that they maybe used to be a little big for me?  Or I thought they did funny things to my thighs?  I don’t know.  They seem to be okay today though, so maybe I’ll give this pair another shot and maybe even try the khakis (maybe; they are khaki, after all).

I’ll end with my usual Friday advice: have a good weekend!  And also, try to stay cool and if you’re on the East Coast, stay safe!

Happy Friday, All!

Gracey

Waist Not, Want Not

I have no waist today and I can’t care:

The fact of the matter is that it’s hot (relatively speaking) and I have nothing to wear (even more relatively speaking if it’s possible to qualify that phrase).  So once again I went with loose layers; a sheer blouse (Olivia Moon via Nordstrom) layered over a black dress (thrifted) with platform sandals (MRKT via DSW) and minimal accessories.  I didn’t even pretend to wear a belt today, backwards or otherwise.

This is another outfit that I think is better in the wearing than in the photographing.  It’s very comfortable and nice and cool which is about all I can worry about these days.  I do wonder though if I should think more about how outfits will photograph when I select them.  I probably won’t, because that’d definitely be more than I can handle, but it’s still a thought (I have so few thoughts these days, I like to point them out when they occur).

Question for my Blogger-Readers: When you select an oufit, do you all take into account how it will photograph?

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

Tunic and Skinnies

While I wouldn’t say that I have a uniform, per se, a tunic and skinnies is probably as close as I get:

It’s just a really easy look for me on days when I need easy, but don’t necessarily feel like wearing a dress.  Today was one of those days, so I paired a dolman-sleeve tunic (Angie via Ross), layered over a lace-trim cami (Old Navy), with “regular” length Flirt skinnies (Old Navy) and a pair of wedges (Bamboo via TJ Maxx).  I added a watch and a bracelet and I was done.  Not the most inspired look, perhaps, but I think the tunic adds enough interest so that it’s not the most boring look either.

Now, I’d like to say a word about dolman sleeves.  I love them.  I have several pieces with dolman sleeves (my dress from this weekend, for example) and they’re just great.  Especially for someone with my broad shoulders – a dolman sleeve gives my shoulders a bit more room to move around, which I love.  I hate feel constricted in my clothes so these really work well for me.  Also, as my bloggy friend Erin has pointed out, they have a fabulous sense of drama.  And what girl doesn’t love drama, right?  Right.

Today’s Takeaway?  If you don’t already love dolman sleeves, crawl out from under that sartorial rock and give them a shot.  They’re comfy and dramatic.

Happy Monday, Everyone!

Gracey

Bonus Footage: Gracey Does Stuff

Plucky Maidens Junk Fest

On Thursday, I went with my trusty partner in crime, Alex, and her daughter, Sophie, to the Plucky Maidens Junk Fest at McMenamin’s Edgefield in Troutdale and I wore this:

It's (hopefully obviously) not what I work to work.  I changed out of Thursday's too-big pencil skirt into olive green shorts (Old Navy), a floral tank (Old Navy) and flat sandals (Target).  I brought along my trusty vintage patchwork bag (gifted from my mom - thanks, Mom!) and a couple shopping bags for anticipated treasures.

Alex and I got off of work early, picked Sophie up and headed up to the Portland area for a smorgasbord of vintage wares on the grounds of McMenamin’s Edgefield which is an absolutely beautiful, untraditional resort east of Portland.  Edgefield was built in 1911 as the county poor farm so the grounds are huge (70+ acres, I think).   It was renovated for use as a resort by McMenamin’s and has several restaurants and pubs, a huge lawn for concerts, gorgeous gardens and vineyards and even an onsite glass-blower and potter.  Edgefield is easily my favorite McMenamin’s facility (they have several) so I was very excited to go.

I am a fool for a veranda and Edgefield has several.

One of the vineyards - I think there may be more than one of these as well.

And it did not disappoint.  There were around 50 vendors of vintage goods of all sorts, arrayed under the trees by the main building.  There was food, music and large quantities of McMenamins wines and ales and the crowds weren't too big.  We had an absolutely lovely time.  I didn’t buy much, but it was a fabulous way to spend a summer afternoon.

Vendors beneath the trees



Girl with raccoon tail - I think this is a thing now?



Beach Wedding

On Saturday afternoon, my gorgeous friend, Jodee, and I drove up to Cathlamet, Washington, along the Columbia River to attend a wedding of some friends of Jodee's.  And I wore this:

I had never heard of Cathlamet, but it was absolutely gorgeous:

And hot.  The wedding was right on the beach, in the middle of the afternoon and I'm pretty sure it got up into the mid-90s.  It was a lovely wedding though, just simple and pretty:

I hope everyone else is having a wonderful weekend as well!

Gracey

My Kingdom for Some Belt Loops

Daily Outfit for Thursday, August 18th

Okay, so I don’t have a kingdom*, but, if I did, I’d probably give at least some of it up for a skirt with belt loops.  Because, once again I was sorely feeling the lack of belt loops:

I paired my belt loop-less skirt (vintage, thrifted) with a silk blouse (Nordstrom, also seen here), cognac belt (Old Navy) and leopard wedges (Tahari via DSW).  Once again I wore this blouse backwards because it has what has to be the lowest cut keyhole neckline ever.  Seriously, this blouse doesn't even try to be work appropriate; but, the colors are so pretty I don't want to get rid of it.  I actually loved  all of the colors in this outfit but it wasn’t very comfortable because my belt kept sliding everywhere. 

It’s sort of my fault (only sort of, though) because this skirt is a size too big.  But, it’s such a pretty color and it’s vintage Neiman Marcus and did I mention how much I love the color?  And, as demonstrated with the blouse, I will keep something just for the color.  Unfortunately, the skirt is too big so not belting it is not an option, but when I do belt it it’s a hot damn mess.  Really, the practical thing would be to just get rid of the skirt, but practicality is not my strong suit, so that probably won’t happen.

Also, you may have noticed (and if you didn’t, that’s okay too), but I am a day off on my posts.  I didn’t have time yesterday to post this because I was in a meeting all morning and at a smorgasbord of vintage wares all afternoon and evening.  So, I’ll post today’s outfit sometime tonight or early tomorrow, and post pictures from yesterday afternoon and tomorrow’s wedding maybe Sunday?  Or something like that.  Don’t worry, we’ll get it all sorted.

You may have also noticed that today is Friday (I’d be a little concerned if you missed this one), so I hope everyone has a lovely weekend.

Happy Friday, Everyone!

Gracey

*Outside my head, at least.  In my head, it’s the Balkan kingdom of Gigantistan.

Silver Flowers on a Blue Field

I’ve always liked that flags and coats of arms are described as having a design element on a “field” (like a red lion on a green field).  I just think it’s both a lovely and effective way to describe them.  So it made me quite happy to be able to describe the "blouse" in today’s outfit in a similar manner:

Here is a close up of the aforementioned print:



The background looks black here, but it really is navy.



The “blouse” on this outfit is actually a tank dress (Gap, thrifted) that is a bit too short for me to wear as a dress but that I love the print of.  I decided to try it today as a top, paired with my blue high-waist skirt (vintage, thrifted) and navy platform sandals (MRKT via DSW).  I added a thin belt (Gap), watch and blue and white bracelet (local craftsman).

I’m always hesitant to layer dresses under skirts because my hips have threatened to join my thighs in rebellion if there is too much volume.  However, I think the thin fabric of the dress works well under the thicker, stiffer fabric of the skirt in this instance.

Today’s Takeaway?  When layering, pay attention to the thickness of the fabrics involved – it can be the difference between looking sleek, and having to fight off an attempted coup by volume-hating body parts.

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

T-Shirt and Skirt, T-Shirt and Skirt

I have become mildly obsessed with wearing T-shirts and skirts over the past couple days; so much so that I practically wore the same thing two days in a row.

On Monday I wore this:

I paired my vintage poppy pleated skirt (thrifted) with a grey tee (Target), my increasingly ubiquitous cuff (thrifted), vintage “fringe” earrings and black platforms (G by Guess via Piperlime).

And, today, this:

This pose is so ridiculous, I had to include this picture.

I wore a blue vintage circle skirt (thrifted) with a black and white striped tee (Old Navy), a silver necklace-as-bracelet (gifted, I think) and black sandals (White Mountain via Macy’s).

They’re not exactly the same, but they have a similar feel to them.  A feel that was prompted by some advice in the latest In Style to pair pleated skirts with a casual sweater and boots.  I love my pleated skirts, but never thought to dress them down and was excited to try a new way to wear them.  I tried it Monday with my favorite poppy-colored pleated skirt, tying the tee at the side both to help define my waist and to add to the casual feel.  And I really liked it.

In fact, I liked the look so much that I decided to try a variation on the theme today.  Today’s skirt isn’t pleated, but it’s very full and a length that, like with the pleats, tends to make me want to dress up instead of down.  But, today, I paired it not only with a tee (this time tied in the back to define the waist), but with flat sandals.  And again, I like it.  I know the proportions are a bit tricky, but for some reason, I think it works. 

Could I be delusional?  It’s possible.  Maybe I’m sun-addled from the trip to the beach.  But, for whatever reason, I like these looks and will probably continue wearing variations on this theme for awhile yet, you lucky ducks.

No takeaway for today, instead I wanted to let you know that I and several other bloggers, are showing the world our shorts over at Fabienne’s blog, The House on the Clouds, today.  So, get your minds out of the gutters and go take a peek!

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

P.S. Ferge and I tried to take a picture of me twirling to show off the skirt, but it did not work.  At all.  It just made me dizzy and sort of nauseous and this is all we got:

Again, yes, it's ridiculous, but it's all I've have to show for all our efforts.

Gracey Goes to the Beach!

As promised, I finally made it over to the Oregon Coast for the first time this summer and it was as fabulous as always.  We went to a small beach a little north of Nye Beach and it was just perfect.  It was a little overcast when we first arrived, but it turned out to be gorgeous.

What I Wore

Because the day did start out a bit chilly, I layered a chambray tunic (Old Navy) over my striped tank (Target) and floral shorts (Loft Outlet).  I thought I’d be wearing my jorts (hee!) at the beach but I figured if a girl can’t wear short shorts at the beach, when can she wear them?  Right?  Right.

What I Saw

On our way:

One of the many fabulous things about going to the Oregon Coast is the drive over through heavily wooded passes.

A view from the top:

Views from the bottom:

Back towards the road.

Out towards the ocean and lighthouse.

Yaquina Head Lighthouse (I think):

What We Did

Frisbee was played:

Ollie the Octopus Kite was flown:

And surf was played in:

This is one of the few times I wished I cared just a little bit more about being a better photographer because I’m afraid my pictures aren’t doing this trip justice.  If you ever get a chance to visit the Oregon Coast, I encourage you to do so – it really is amazing.

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend as well!

Gracey

More Lazy Dressing

I slept horribly last night and as a result I seriously struggled with what to wear today.  Because I didn’t have the mental acuity to come up with anything creative I went the lazy route once again:

While yesterday I couldn't be bothered with more than a dress, today I wore two whole pieces (your're welcome).  I layered an embellished tank (Design History via Ross) over a maxi dress (thrifted), added metallic sandals (Lovely People via Ideeli) and a metallic cuff (thrifted) and called it a day.  Is it lazy?  You bet your sweet bippy it is.  But, it’s also comfortable and sometimes a girl just can’t manage anything more than some lazy comfort.

Today’s Takeaway?  Shiny accessories totally make lazy outfits work-appropriate (Within reason, folks.  Lawyers probably won't be distracted by shiny stuff).

Happy Thursday, All!

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.

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

Too Much Togetherness

During the summer my thighs suffer from too much togetherness.  They get all hot and sweaty and angry and begin a series of minor border skirmishes against each other.  Sweaty, bickering thighs are no kind of fun, so sometimes I like to separate them to get them to behave.  The warmer weather has caused an increase in hostilities lately so today I’ve slapped my thighs into some shorts (a sort of penalty box for them, if you will):

And, as much as my thighs hate these shorts (and hate them they do), they admit that in this heat the penalty box is better than being in close quarters with each other.  Today, I paired the shorts (New York & Co via Ross) with a sheer blouse (Olivia Moon via Nordstrom) layered over a white tank (Old Navy).  I also added cognac sandals (Jeffery Campbell via Nordstrom), a couple of bracelets and large silver hoops (Nordstrom).  It’s simple, cool and helps limit thigh-fighting.

Today’s Takeaway?  Angry thighs are like children; sometimes you have to separate them so they stop fighting.  

Happy Tuesday, 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

EBEW: Gettin’ Thrifty With It

Yeah, that’s right, my title is a bad pun that references an even worse song.  Because that’s how I roll.  Also how I roll?  In thrifted clothes:

In fact, everything in this outfit is thrifted with the exception of the bangles (Nordstrom) and the necklace (vintage brooch-on-a-chain via Lil’ Gypsy).  And with the exclusion of those items, this outfit cost me a whopping $9.97.  The marigold blouse (never worn Liz Claiborne), which is silk and is the best color ever, was $1.98, the blue pleated skirt (vintage) was $3.00, the shoes (Franco Sarto) were $1.00 and the belt  (Mossimo/Target) was $3.99.

For those of you who bet yourself that I’d wear a pleated skirt for the EBEW Thrift Challenge, give yourself a cookie from me.  While my fabulous bloggy friend Katie loves to thrift silk scarves, I love to thrift pleated skirts.  And I was especially excited about this blue one. I’d been admiring the pleated blue Zara skirt that so many bloggers (like the lovely Katherine) rocked this summer, but we don’t have a Zara here in Oregon (hell, we just got H&M last fall).  So, of course I tried to thrift one.  And for months, I had no luck.  But, I kept my eyes open and finally found one, prompting a little happy dance in the aisle.

See? So happy!

If you’d like to see more of my thrifted pleated skirt collection, you can see this post, this one, or this guest post for gorgeous Fabienne of The House in the Clouds.  And if you’d like to see more thrifty posts (you know you want to), pop on over to Everybody, Everywear and feast your eyes.

Today’s Takeaway?  Whatever you’re looking to thrift (presumably pleated skirts because they’re awesome), be patient; it’ll pay off in the long run.

Happy Thursday, All!

Gracey