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

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

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.

Bright Stripes and Cognac

I was running late this morning so I threw on the easiest thing I could find:

For the summer, there is nothing I like better than a bright, summery dress.  They’re easy and they don’t take a lot of styling to look good.  Today I paired my striped vintage dress (thrifted) with a braided cognac belt (thrifted), cognac sandals (Jeffrey Campbell via Nordstrom) and gold bangles (Nordstrom).  I wore it last time with a bright fuchsia belt and nude platforms, but I think I might like it even better with the cognac accessories.

Oddly enough, I used to not like dresses because I thought they were boring.  I preferred skirts because they felt more versatile to me.  I think that skirts are probably more versatile – they can look completely different paired with different tops – but I think I might prefer dresses for how easy they are.  While it’s nice to have the option to change the look of your skirt with different tops, sometimes it’s just nicer not to have to think too hard about getting dressed.

What about you, Reader Friends?  Do you prefer dresses or skirts?

Happy Wednesday, 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.

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

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.

Like I Just Don’t Care

I know this outfit doesn’t make sense on paper, but I love it:

And I’m surprised I love it.  It’s pretty far outside my comfort zone really; I am usually more cautious when I mix patterns, but today I threw caution to the wind and I’m mixing prints like I just don’t care.  I layered my new fuchsia and white print blouse (Old Navy) over a years-old brown and orange printed sundress (also Old Navy), added my pewter sandals (Lovely People via Ideeli), some gifted earrings and an arm full of bangles.  And I love it.  If you ask my friend Ferge (which no one did, Ferge), the blouse doesn’t match.  And maybe it doesn’t, but it goes.  And I think it goes brilliantly.  

I want to say that I knew this outfit wasn't for everyone when I put it together.  But, it's definitely for me and even though I've never worn anything like this before I felt confident enough in this outfit to wear it to work.  Which is not always an easy decision for me - at my height I try not to garner any additional attention. But, I liked the feel of this outfit enough to brave the stares and I'm glad I did. 

How about you, Friend Reader?  Do you ever venture outside your comfort zones in terms of fashion?  And do you ever factor in the response from others when deciding whether or not to branch out?  

Happy Thursday, All!

Gracey

One Tall Piece of Fruit Stripe Gum

That’s what I feel like today in this dress:

Shoulder detail

And you might not think feeling like a tall piece of gum is a good thing, but I absolutely adore this dress so I’m embracing the fruity, gummy-ness of it all.  This dress has everything.  It has color (so many colors) and stripes (yay stripes) and buttons (on the shoulder) and pockets (two of 'em).  It’s pert near perfect, in my estimation.  I love how bright it is and did I mention buttons and pockets.  I mean, really.  I paired this much loved dress (thrifted) with a braided, raspberry-colored belt (thrifted), neutral platform sandals (Target) and my orange drop earrings (Alberta street vendor).

But, enough about the dress; I want to apologize for the lack of posts this weekend.  Friday was super busy, and then I was under the weather for the rest of the weekend.  I didn’t have the energy to post or even read all your posts, but hopefully I’ll get caught up now that I’m feeling better.  I was actually still feeling a bit ‘meh’ this morning, but my cheery dress has made it all better.

That’s right; I brought back around to the dress.  It’s just how I do.

Happy Monday, All, and I hope everyone had a lovely weekend!

Gracey

More Coral, With a Side of Teal

I am having a rough day today.  I couldn’t even muster up a smile for some of my photos:



Boo on today.  For reals.



I have no idea why I’m wearing so much coral/orange this week.  I mean I did tell you all that I loved it (numerous times, I think), but this week I apparently really love it:

A semi-smile.  It's all I've got.


Today it’s a coral cardigan with white beading (Target) paired with a tiered blouse (Nordstrom), dark Real Straight Jeans (Gap) and my still-squeaky teal flats (Target).  I chose these flats to wear with this sweater because they’re of similar saturated hues.  Yesterday with my turquoise and lime scarf I wore earrings in a less intense shade orange.  Today the intensity of the coral of the cardigan invites a more intense shade of turquoise in the shoe, so these teal ones are a good fit.

Otherwise I’m basically recycling the color scheme from yesterday sans the lime with addition of white ruffles.  The ruffles are to distract those readers who are beginning to feel cheated by the lack of creativity going on over here.  If it helps any, I’m being punished by the squeakiness of these shoes and general dissatisfaction with work.  It’s just so busy.  Busy and squeaky; that’s my Thursday.

However, I hope your Thursday was awesome and less squeaky (unless that’s your thing).

Gracey

Turquoise and Lime

The scarf is the entire point of this outfit:

I love it.  I think it flatters my skin tone like nobody’s business and what’s better than turquoise and lime?  Besides, of course, turquoise and lime with a pop of orange.  And will you look at that, I’ve given you a pop of orange.  Just don’t say I never do anything for you.

In order to let my ridiculously fabulous scarf (Echo “Ornate” via Nordstrom) be the focus, I paired it with black cropped pants (Banana Republic) and a white tee (Target).  I added cognac accents with the shoes (BC Footwear) and the braided belt (thrifted).  And, of course, the coup de grace, a pop of orange in the form of drop earrings (Alberta street vendor).  As an added bonus, I think the orange earrings tie in quite nicely with the cognac accents, proving once again that orange goes with everything.

And because we’re all big on full disclosure and transparency (no puppet regimes here, Katie) I have to admit that Rebekah (of The Mixed Up Files…) wore a pair of black trousers, a white tee and a bright scarf the other day and I loved it so much I basically copied her.  Because sometimes that’s just how we roll here at Fashion for Giants.

Happy Wednesday, Everyone!

Gracey

I Still Can’t Move My Arms

Especially my left one.  This has made washing my hair impossible.  However, because I care, I wore a bright coral blouse to give you, Dear Reader, something other than my unwashed hair to look at*:

See?  So bright.  What unwashed hair?  Exactly.  Just focus on the blouse, folks, focus on the blouse. 

Said blouse is a silk/linen blend that I thrifted awhile back.  I haven’t worn it before because it’s so darned boxy and my body doesn’t do well with boxy.  Boxy tops, unfortunately, eradicate the little bit of waist I do have, but I just love the color of this one.  And I needed something to draw the viewer’s eye away from my poor, lank ponytail.

The blouse is fairly sheer so I layered it over an orange tank (Banana Republic).  And I paired it with my trouser jeans (Gap), leopard wedges (Tahari via DSW), coral and opal earrings (Crafty Wonderland vendor), gold cuff (thrifted) and a multi-colored scarf (Nordstrom).

So, to recap.  Weight-lifting sucks.  I haven’t washed my hair in at least three days (really, the pain has caused me to lose track).  And I wear a lot of orange (I told you I loved it) and a lot of leopard (rowwrrr).

Happy Monday, Everyone!

Gracey

*Yes, I’m aware I could have kept my unwashed hair a secret, but transparency is a big deal here at Fashion for Giants.  Anything less than transparency and my thighs will use it as an excuse for a military coup.  It’s what they do.

It’s Friday. I wore some clothes to celebrate.

To participate, just pretend that Kool and the Gang song is playing (You know the one; Celebration, not Get Down on It.  Although, I supposed if you wanted to imagine Get Down on It, I wouldn’t blame you.  It's a great song):

So yes, I wore clothes.  Specifically an orange skirt (thrifted), blue leopard hoodie (Nordstrom), white tank (Old Navy) and pewter sandals (Lovely People via Ideeli).  And then I went and worked out at the Y during lunch with my friend Kory who is a bit of an exercise fanatic.  She is always asking me if I want to go running.  I am always asking her if I’m being chased.  Turns out the answer is ‘no’ to both questions. 

But, I did want to try this weight lifting workout and lemme tell ya somethin’ folks – I have NEVER regretted trying something new like I regretted this workout.  I can barely lift my arms, my calves hurt and I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to walk tomorrow.  Thank goodness I have nowhere to go, but good golly, I haven’t been this sore in a long time.

Today’s lesson?  It is NOT good to try new things, I don’t care what your mama told you.

Also?  Happy Friday, Everyone!

Gracey

Silk Orphans and That Skirt. Again.

Daily Outfit for Wednesday, June 8th, 2011

Yes, it's the poppy pleated skirt.  Again.

 

 

I know I wear this skirt a lot, but look how versatile it is.  It helped me save two more of my closet orphans today.  The orphans in question are the cream silk blouse (Banana Republic) and the cream and black striped s/s silk jacket (thrifted).  I paired them with my vintage pleated skirt (thrifted), a black belt (Nine West via Ross) and platform sandals (Target).

I have never worn the jacket because I think it's cooler than I am (pretty sure it mocks me from the closet) and I've only worn the blouse once because it's better in theory than in practice.  The chevrons are a nice design detail but it lays funny and sits weird on the hips.  Trust me.  Back to the skirt though - I think it's one of my favorites.  I love the length, the pleats, the color and it's orphan-saving skills.  I mean, two at a time?  Impressive, no?  It turns out that poppy looks fabulous with black and white striped silk.  And that this skirt and only this skirt (with it's sidekick, The Belt) is able to tame the wonkiness of the chevron blouse.  You are welcome, Dear Orphans.

And you are welcome, Dear Readers, for yet another visit from The Orphan Saving Poppy Skirt.

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

Thriday

I had a fabulous day yesterday.  So fabulous, in fact, that I didn’t have time to write my post yesterday evening, so I’ve combined Thursday’s and Friday’s posts.  We’re calling it Thriday here at Fashion for Giants.

Yesterday really was fabulous.  My blog was mentioned on HuffPost Style, I got off work early to go to Last Thursday in Portland, I got to spend hours there with my much-loved and gorgeous friend Jodee and I even saw the man I like for a little while.  Oh, and my new shoes were cute (I’m just sayin’).  All in all, it was a good day, for which I wore the following:

I paired my Flirt Skinny Jeans (Old Navy) with a black ¾-sleeve tunic (Old Navy) layered under a tan batwing tunic (via Ross) and my cute new gladiator wedges (Bamboo via TJ Maxx).  I also wore my vintage squash blossom necklace (via Lil’ Gypsy Vintage) during the day.

For the afternoon and evening in Portland at Last Thursday with Jodee, I traded the squash blossom necklace out for a colorful scarf (???), coral and Peruvian opal earrings (via Crafty Wonderland) and a cuff (thrifted):

I figured I might need the scarf more than I needed the necklace for walking up and down Alberta Street in the rain while at Last Thursday.  I know most of you aren't from Oregon, so, briefly, Last Thursday is a sort of street festival that takes place on the last Thursday of every month during the summer, on Alberta Street in Northeast Portland.  It's amazingly fun with music and street vendors and food and jugglers and fire eaters and belly dancing troupes.  The galleries and shops stay open late on Last Thursday, giving it a sort of First Thursday feel, but with more dreadlocks.

Here are some photos from yesterday – the crowds were a lot smaller than usual because of the rain, but J and I still had a great time:

Fellow Last Thursday attendees

This was a wonderful ragtime band.  Wonderful.

I think this one is self-explanatory.

Rose City Vaudeville's mustachioed double-decker bus

If yesterday was fabulous, today was the antithesis of fabulous.  It was anti-fabulous.  Work continues to be crazy and today I had a three hour conference call.  THREE HOURS, Y’ALL.  That just isn’t right, especially considering that it was only scheduled for an hour.  And it rained on me on my way to work.  I have to tell you that I’m over being rained on, darnit.

At least I was dressed comfortably:

Today I paired some Real Straight Jeans (GAP) with a white tee (Target), beige cardigan (Santa Fe thrifted), gold flats (Kenneth Cole Reaction), a gold belt (???) and my new orange drop earrings purchased yesterday from an Alberta Street vendor.  I realized yesterday that for all my love of orange, I didn’t have any orange earrings, so I was very happy to find these.

As bad as today was (and it really was bad), it is Friday (hooray) and I do have a three-day weekend this weekend (double hooray), so I really can’t complain.

I hope everyone has a lovely, hopefully-three-day weekend and I will talk to you all later!

Gracey