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

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

A Day of Don’ts

A Day of Don’ts

If you read anything fashion-related (magazines, blogs, etc) they are often full of advice on what not to wear and what not to do.  In short, they are full of don’ts.  Today I had a day full of don’ts, but in a good way:

For example, they say “don’t wear racer-backs if you’re broad-shouldered; it will make you look broader.”  I have the broadest of shoulders and today wore this abstract animal print racer-back tank (Target).  They also say “don’t wear cropped pants; it will shorten your legs.”  And they say “don’t wear slim cut pants if you have big legs.”  My big, long legs laughed at that challenge and today I paired my tank with my slim, cropped black pants (Banana Republic).  They say, “if you insist on wearing cropped pants, don’t wear flats; you’ll look stumpy.”  Me?  Stumpy? I don’t think so.  So, today I paired my cropped pants with silver and black flats (Target).

Is it possible I would have looked taller and slimmer if I hadn’t worn flats?  Sure; life is full of possibilities and I’m willing to concede that as one.  But, it’s also a possibility that this outfit looks just fine on my broad-shoulder, big-legged, flat-wearing self and that’s the possibility I explored today.

Today’s Takeaway?  Try a don’t every once in awhile just to make sure it’s actually a don’t for you.  Or, for added fun, try a bunch of don’ts in single day while also trying to make messy hair happen – it’s fab.

Happy Thursday, 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

Put A Tassel On It

Turns out that I am a sucker for anything with a tassel on it.  Like this bracelet:

I got this bracelet and some tasseled carnelian earrings the last time I was at our local vintage store, Lil’ Gypsy.  And I’m kicking myself for passing up a tasseled lavaliere, but I think I’ll go back and see if it’s still there.  I’m telling you, folks, put a tassel on it and I’ll probably buy it.

Oh, I also wore clothes today:

Not nearly as exciting as the tasseled bracelet, to be sure, but probably more work appropriate than just the tasseled bracelet.  In addition to the bracelet I wore my black-and-gray twofer dress (Target) belted with a multi-colored cotton sash (thrifted), my purple-blue platform sandals (MRKT via DSW), turquoise bead necklace (rummaged) and vintage cameo bracelet.

I know my accessories look like a hodgepodge of colors, but although you can’t see it very well, the sash combines the black and gray of the dress with the purple of the shoes, the turquoise of the tasseled bracelet and necklace and the rose and cream of the cameo bracelet.  And in addition to be tied together with the belt, all of the accessories are similar in hue (or is it tone?) which helps unify the look without being matchy-matchy.

Today’s Takeaway?  Tassels rock.  That is all.

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

Fire Starter

These shorts are not corduroy…

But I can’t seem to convince my thighs of this fact.  The fact that the fabric is ever so slightly ribbed was enough for my thighs to attempt to start fires in them all day today.  This in spite of the fact that I had a talk with my thighs when I put this together this morning, assuring them that these shorts are NOT corduroy.  However, as soon as I put the shorts on, my right thigh yelled “Burn, baby, burn” and the left countered with “Cry ‘Havoc’ and let slip the dogs of war.” (The left has traditionally been more militant than the right).

I even tried to convince my thighs to put down the matches by telling them how flattering these shorts were to them, but I still heard mutters of “conflagration” and “where’s the flint?” all day long.  In spite of the muttering from my thighs, I do like these shorts; they're a good length and a good fit.  And although fussy thighs keep me from wearing them often, I was determined today and paired the shorts (New York & Co via Ross) with my neon camp shirt (thrifted) layered over a white tank (Old Navy) and neutral platform sandals (Target).

Heh, I just realized that I paired neon with a neutral – I don’t think this pairing was on my fashion bucket list, but let’s say it was, I’ll check it off and we’ll all pretend I know what I’m doing.  Agreed?  Fabulous.

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

Shades of Grey

Today’s outfit is pretty much the antithesis of yesterday’s outfit:

It’s formfitting where yesterday’s outfit was loose and monochromatic where yesterday’s was full of color.  Interestingly enough, I really like this one as well.  Once again, I’ve gone outside my comfort zone with the more body-conscious clothes and with the lack of color; but it still somehow appeals to me.  Which is making me start to suspect that I have no personal aesthetic and that I’ll just wear whatever.  It’s probably not the best thing for a personal style blogger to not have a grasp on their personal style, but hey, what are you gonna do?

And really, it’s not like this outfit is a complete departure, any more than yesterday’s was.  Yesterday was unexpected pattern mixing, but I’ve always enjoyed pattern mixing, just more safely.  And with this, sure it’s a lot of grey with the grey tee (Old Navy), the grey skirt (Gap) and the pewter sandals (Lovely People via Ideeli).  But I’m still me so I added some color with the turquoise beaded necklace (rummaged) and my orange earrings.  And yes, it’s sort of body-con, but it’s still an A-line skirt which is my go-to silhouette.  So, you see, it might not seem my style initially, but this outfit is totally me.

Bye, All!  I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Gracey

P.S. For everyone who wondered how I tied my blouse yesterday:

1. I gathered the blouse in front and then tied it in a knot, making sure it was pulled pretty snug on my body.
2. Then I just tucked the knot back up into the shirt which worked because the shirt was so snug at my waist.

Militant Lace

As I’m sure you all know, today is Everybody, Everywear’s Lace Challenge.  And I’m sure you all heard that the US Army has decided to do away with the black beret (What?  You haven’t heard?  I’m shocked; this is big news, folks.).  What may come as a surprise is that the Army is currently taking suggestions on how else to better their uniforms.  Personally, I would have kept the beret.  So chic.  But, I figure if they can’t have berets, they can have lace!  This is my suggested overhaul of those boring, drab uniforms:

I did, in fact, keep the olive drab because, frankly, it’s one of my favorite neutrals.  But, I like to think I spiced the uniform up in other ways.  I paired my olive skinnies (Gap) with a lace tee (The Limited) layered over a grey tee (Target) which gives it a sort of camouflage effect (try squinting with one eye).  I am obviously demonstrating the dress uniform, so I wore some mushroom-colored wedges (Bamboo via TJ Maxx) which can be replaced with some cute boots when one is not on the parade grounds.  I added some bangles (thrifted and Nordstrom) to show how well this look would go with a bandolier of bright brass bullets and my crystal and brass pendant necklace (Special) in lieu of dog tags.

Oh, and I can finally move my arms (hooray), so I finally washed my hair.  I am going back to the weight lifting class tomorrow, but I’ll be sure not to overdo it this time!

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

P.S.  None of this is true.  Well, some of it.  Today is the EBEW Lace Challenge and they are replacing sexy Army berets with boring Army caps, but really, the rest of it’s completely untrue.

Squeaky Shoes

Daily Outfit for Tuesday, May 17, 2011

I love the color of these shoes, but they’re squeaky.  I hate squeaky shoes – I like to be all stealth and sneak up on folks.  These darn shoes didn’t allow me to sneak up on anyone today, in spite of my best efforts.  Boo on you, Squeaky Shoes!

In addition to my squeaky teal flats (Target), I wore cropped navy pants (Banana Republic), a silver-greige tunic (Target) and a yellow bracelet (Mississippi Street vendor).  I think that I’m not wild about the color of the tunic; well, I am, but I’m not.  I think it’s a lovely color, for a neutral.  I’m just not sure it’s a lovely color on me.  My skin generally gets along better with brighter colors; however, I think the shoes and the bracelet give me a little of the color I crave so I was good with this outfit.

Also, and this is going to sound weird, but my face has been driving me crazy in photographs lately.  I don't know what it is, but, just like the color of this shirt, I haven't been wild about my face lately.  That's a sort of weird thing to say, I know, but if anyone else has been thinking my face has been looking crazy as of late, I wanted you to know that you're not alone.  I'm here for you.  If you weren't thinking that, please don't feel obligated to think it now. 

And, finally, I wanted to apologize for all the short posts lately – my brain is on overload as of late and I feel lucky that I’m even posting at all.  And that the pictures are right-side up. (Not good, mind you, just not upside down).  So, thank you all for your patience and your continued reading.  It means an awful lot to me.

Gracey

A Flare for Color

Daily Outfit for Monday, May 16th, 2011

This outfit isn't actually that colorful, but I'm wearing flares and if there is anything I learned from Mary at Stylefyles it's that it's a lot of fun to create blog titles out of nonsensical wordplay.

In addition to my grey flares (GAP), I wore a ditsy floral blouse (Old Navy), coral cardigan (GAP), brown wedge sandals (Kenzie via Macys) and turquoise earrings (gifted).  I don't know why I don't wear these jeans more often - they're super-comfortable and probably the most flattering fit of any of my jeans.  And yet I resist them.  I hope they're not taking it personally.

Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

A Return to Tights

Daily Outfit for Friday, April 29, 2011

So, apparently Mother Nature is mad at me for daring to go bare-legged on Wednesday and for hollering about how I refused to wear tights any more.  Because today?  Today I had to wear tights:

It was freezing this morning, you guys.  For the first time in awhile I could see my breath and had to wear my gloves on my ride in.  Needless to say, I am NOT very happy about it, but I hate being cold, so tights it was.  I wore my grey tights (Nordstrom) under my fuchsia skirt (Target) which I paired with my navy and white striped tee (Target) and grey cardigan (GAP).  I also wore a pair of thick, OTK socks (Nordstrom) and my riding boots (Born Crown “Sosie” via Nordstrom), because, yes, it was that cold.

I wanted to put away some of my winter clothes this weekend, but to be honest, I’m a bit afraid to do so.  I’m convinced that as soon as I do, it’ll snow.  I guess I just need to quit complaining about the weather, and maybe it’ll finally get nice. 

Does anyone have any big plans for the weekend?  I’m going on a couple dates tomorrow (yes, plural) as a result of my online dating.  I’ll let you all know how they go.  I also want to visit the Saturday market and I think Sunday I might be going to a movie and/or shopping with a friend.  It should be a fun, if maybe cold, weekend.

I also want to say again how much I appreciate you all taking the time to read and comment on my blog.  And welcome to any new readers – I do hope you’ll stick around for a bit.

Happy Friday, Everyone!

Gracey

WeeCap: April 17th and 18th

Saturday, April 17th

On Saturday, Alex and I went thrifting to try and find her something to wear for 80s prom.  We were out all day and unfortunately I didn't get a photo of what I was wearing, but it involved color and my black and silver flats.  The good news is that we found something for Alex to wear.  I can't wait to post pictures from prom for you guys.

Sunday, April 18th

On Sunday I cleaned my room, did some laundry and ran some errands.  It was actually pretty nice on Sunday, so I let my ankles out to play:

I wore my "regular" length Flirt skinnies (Old Navy), which are conveniently ankle length on my giant self, along with a grey tee (Target), grey cardi, raspberry belt (thrifted), yellow-stripe scarf (???) and my black and silver flats (Mossimo/Target).

I have no idea what I'm doing in these poses.  Showing off my giant man-hands?  Smirking?  Both?  I don't know, but all of my film looked like this, so I posted them.  You're welcome?

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and that it was warm enough for some ankle-flashing.

Gracey

Dear April, You Are NOT March

Daily Outfit for Thursday, April 14, 2011

April doesn’t seem to be satisfied with just having showers to prepare for May flowers.  No, apparently it’s decided to emulate March and also come in like a lion.  Seriously, it was so windy today I thought I was going to fall off my bike.   And of course I was riding into a headwind.  I tell you what, if April doesn’t follow up on this copycat mess and go out like a lamb I am going to be very put out.

You hear that April?  You have two weeks to get it together.

Windy days naturally necessitate wearing pants for me (my skirt got blown up once and while it was hilarious, it was also very embarrassing), and the grey skies suggested grey denim:

I figured if I cooperated with the weather it might cooperate with me, so I took that suggestion and went with my grey skinnies (Target) today.  I paired them with about seven tops because it was cold.  Okay, I exaggerate; I only wore three tops.  The first layer is my brown tunic (New York & Co via Ross), worn under my ditsy floral blouse (Old Navy) which in turn was worn under a cardigan (Old Navy).  I wore my Mossimo (Target) flats again today because I like them (and Anne does too).

Please note, if you are a reader named April, I am not yelling at you.  I promise. 

Happy Thursday, All!

Gracey

Take that, Miss Hannigan!

A Daily Outfit Post

Apparently I own not one, but two, purple pencil skirts, both of which are closet orphans.  I decided to let the second one out to play today:

Goodbye Work!

Hello Weekend!

I have had this purple pencil skirt for probably two years now, and have never worn it, for the same reasons I never wore the other one.  It’s impossible to ride my bike in this and purple is just not a color I wear very often.  I also find pencil skirts to be a little bit formal, which I am decidedly not, and that also makes them hard for me to wear. Right now some of you are probably wondering why I have two purple pencils skirts when I don’t wear purple or pencils skirts.  Maybe I was trying to branch out?  I don’t know.  Don’t judge me.

So, today’s challenge was to wear this short, purple pencil skirt (I drove today), pair it with something that wasn’t black, and integrate it into a more casual outfit.  To that end, I paired the skirt (Ann Taylor Outlet), with a grey tee (Target), marigold cardigan (Tulle), yellow and plum Swiss dotted grey tights (Hue via Macys), cream and striped scarf (???) and riding boots (Born Crown via Nordstrom).  And I liked it.  Another orphan saved from the clutches of Miss Hannigan.

In other news, it was very sunny here today, but it was also only 32 degrees when I left the house this morning.  So, nice try, Mother Nature, but I am not bamboozled by your sunshine.  I’m still in tights and boots.  Speaking of which, these tights make my legs feel gross to the touch.  They feel like they’re covered in Black Swan-level goose bumps because the dots are woven in, not printed on top.  Sexy, no?

Creepy goose legs

Does anyone have any exciting plans for this weekend?  I’ve got a birthday party for a nephew, will be hanging out with my much-loved friend, B., going to a jewelry party at Lori’s and staying over with Jenny.  Busy, busy, busy.

Have a lovely weekend, Everyone!

Gracey

And Then There Was Friday

Daily Outfit 4/1/11

So, today was a day without much inspiration and I dressed accordingly:

Yeah, it’s not awesome.  And certainly not as exciting as yesterday’s bright and stripe-y dress but few things I own are.  I guess this outfit could even be construed as boring.  It is, however, very comfortable which I feel should count for something.  I mean, really, it’s an outfit made of comfort.  Leggings?  Comfort!  Striped tee?  Comfort!  Sweater dress?  Comfort!  Flat boots?  Comfort!  Summer-weight cashmere scarf?  Comfort!  (And in case you were curious: Target, Target, Target, Chinese Laundry via Piperlime and Nordstrom).

Still bored?  Perhaps I can distract you with this bit of awesomeness: I found a new blog today, called Insulted By Authors, and it’s lovely and hilarious and well-done and hilarious.  I have a link over there in my Thinky Blogroll, but you can also get there from here.

If that’s not enough, I don’t know what else I can do for you, except to promise to get my Santa Fe pictures up this weekend.

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend full of rainbows and puppies (or whatever distracts you from boring Friday outfits)!

Gracey

Weecap: March 19th and 20th

A weekend in which Gracey finally finds a dye pot (hooray!) while thrifting, goes to a rather raucous happy hour with friends, and has a slumber party with Jenny and Lori.

Saturday, March 19th

I don't know why, but I was determined to wear a maxi dress today:

Like many of my outfit ideas, I have to wait for the right circumstances to wear them.  Maxi skirts/dress are not great for riding bikes in, so I wanted to wait for the weekend.   When the weather Saturday got up to about 50 degrees and no rain, I thought it was the perfect opportunity.  And I actually rather liked how it turned out.  I wore my grey/white striped maxi (Gap) under my chambray tunic (Old Navy).  Maxi dresses always feel a little bohemian to me, so I went heavy on the bangles including wood to pick up the brown belt (Old Navy) and boots (Kenneth Cole Reaction), and blue snake to pick up the chambray tunic, the scarf (H&M) and the clutch (thrifted).  Over the top I wore my knit blazer (J. Crew Factory).

I wore this Saturday when I went thrifting for a dye pot (again) and to happy hour with Jenny, Lori and friends.  My search for a pot was successful this time around; I finally found one for $4 at St. Vincent De Paul.  I was pretty excited to find it and may have even chortled.  I didn't have time to dye anything this weekend but I did cull out some items to dye once I have time.  I'll be sure to get before and after shots for you guys.


Sunday, March 20th

For Sunday I wore my Flirt skinny jeans (Old Navy), grey tee (Target), jersey cardigan (Old Navy), thrifted belt, faux-lace up boots (Kenneth Cole Reaction) and infinity scarf (Steve Madden via Macy's).

On Sunday we slept in after indulging in wine and chocolate and Cheetos and movies and the new Lady Gaga video during the slumber party.  It was, of course, fabulous good fun.  After we finally woke up, we headed to the mall to meet another friend and do a little shopping.  I got the wedge sandals I wanted and resisted the siren's call of some very cute peep toe boots.  They were cute, but I can't help but think that if it's cold enough to wear boots, I'd want my toes to be covered.  I'll probably come to terms with this contradiction as soon as they go out of style.

I hope everyone had as fabulous a weekend as I did!

Gracey