The Skirt Likes Leopard

Yesterday, Kelley, of Threads and Buttons, rescued one of her closet orphans and I remembered, “Hey, I have closet orphans – they might like to be rescued.”  This skirt is the orphan I decided to rescue today:

I actually have a great fondness for all of my closet orphans; I’m just not fond enough of them to wear them regularly.  This skirt is no exception; I like the color and the length and the fullness but I never wear it.  At first it was because it used to be a little big in the waist.  So, I took it in.  And I still never wore it.  But today?  Today the yellow linen skirt has been liberated.

I paired the skirt (thrifted Eileen Fisher) with a knotted white blouse (Banana Republic) and leopard mini-wedges (v. old via Ross) because the skirt hinted that it liked leopard.  I figured “who doesn’t” and added the leopard wedges and some bracelets (Mom-made) to tie them in.  And I liked it.  I just don’t know how versatile this skirt is going to be for me.  The skirt would like me to point out that the fact that I don’t have the imagination for multiple pairings isn’t it’s fault.  And that’s true – I should probably try harder before just giving up. 

To that end, how do you all think this skirt would look with grey?

Happy Thursday, Everyone!

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

Long Weekend, Lazy Monday

It really was less of a long weekend and more of a looooooooong Saturday.  My friend Alex and I headed up to Portland early on Saturday morning, had breakfast at Gravy, visited the Mississippi Flea Market and then hit every vintage store we could find.  On Mississippi, we went to Flutter and Animal Tracks.  On Alberta we had lunch at Petite Provence and went to Billy Goat Vintage and The Factory.  And downtown, on 10^th, I think, we went to Fat Fancy and Ray’s Ragtime.

Sadly, neither of us were very successful in finding anything; although I did purchase an amazing clutch from the Mississippi Flea Market (I love clutches, I have a couple dozen of them) and Alex found a gorgeous dress at Flutter.  Luckily, our trip to Portland was two-fold; we were also going to an 80s concert in nearby Canby that night.

The concert was absolutely fabulous.  It was outdoors at a bar called The Wild Hare Saloon and it was great.  It was $12 for three bands all of whom played 80s music.  The first group was Radical Revolution; they play 80s pop and are the same band that played at our 80s prom.

The second group was Stone in Love, a Journey tribute band:

This is the poster from the concert.

And the night closed with Hair Assault, a hair/metal group:

This is their promotional photo and yes, they really dress like this!

We had the best time, but didn’t get home until nearly 1 am.  Therefore I spent most of Sunday lazing about the house and re-watching Casino Royale (it’s one of my favorite movies and I adore Daniel Craig).  I think I was still tired, or maybe just uninspired today, because I couldn’t come up with anything to wear besides this:

Oh, no, it’s not bad, I know that.  It’s just so neutral.  And I am not a neutral kind of gal.  But, I liked this outfit in spite of its snooze-fest of a color palette.  The black jeggings (Gap Outlet) are super comfortable, as is the embellished tank (Design History via Ross) and the wedges (Bamboo via TJ Maxx).  I added simple gold hoops and a vintage cameo bracelet and pedaled my tired little heinie to work.

Today’s Takeaway?  For all you color-lovers out there; neutral isn’t bad, it’s just neutral (and that's okay).

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

Bananarama

As it turns out, I really love kitschy prints.  Like the one on this dress:

Why, yes, those are bananas.  And palm fronds.  And what are either red bunches of coconuts or yet another made up flower.  And yes, I do love this dress in all of its kitschy glory.  So, I’ve finally decided to admit what I'm sure we've all long suspected: I Love Kitsch.  I might even make a bumper sticker to that effect, that’s how much I love it.

This dress is vintage (via Billy Goat Vintage in Portland) and, as I think I made abundantly clear, I think it’s fabulous.  I paired it with a white belt (thrifted) to try to reign in some of the volume, mushroom platforms (Bamboo via TJ Maxx) to add a little modernity and multicolored bangles (thrifted) because I can’t help myself.

I hope everyone had a lovely Fourth of July and that no one is having a cruel, (cruel), cruel summer.*  (Wow, talk about words losing meaning – I don’t think I’ll ever be able to type “cruel” again; that is one strange word).

Happy Tuesday, Everyone!

Gracey

*If this song is now stuck in your head, I can only say: "You're welcome."

The Elusive Zebra-Leafed Hibiscus

Daily Outfit for Tuesday, May 28^th

I’m pretty sure the pattern of this blouse is taken directly from nature:

Admittedly, I haven’t done a lot (any) traveling in equatorial nations, but surely somewhere, some very, very remote somewhere, there is a zebra-leafed hibiscus plant.  And this plant is probably worshipped for its healing powers, or because it makes a tasty, if slightly hallucinogenic tea, or because it makes a deadly dart tip even deadlier.  Whatever its use, I’m sure the elusive zebra-leafed hibiscus is completely awesome.  Just like the blouse it influenced.

As I said the first time I wore this blouse, I recognize it’s a bit kitsch, maybe even tacky, but I love this darned thing.  This time I paired the blouse (vintage, thrifted) with a high-waist, midi-skirt (thrifted), my new wedges (G by Guess via Piperlime) and, taking some advice from Reader Ismay, I added a long necklace (gifted?).  I also added my trusty cuff (thrifted) because it’s trusty.

Remember, it’s not tacky if you love it!*

Gracey

*Like much the “advice” dispensed here on Fashion for Giants, I’d take this with a grain of salt if I were you.

If It Ain't Broke...

Daily Outfit for Monday, June 27th (sorry it's late, work is busy, busy, busy).

Why, yes, you have seen this color combination before:

I don't know what I'm pointing at, but this picture cracks me up.

But, what can I say, I love coral and I love turquoise and I love the two together.  So, you get the two together.  A lot.  Yesterday I paired my coral skirt (Banana Republic) with a white tee (Target), my turquoise beaded necklace (rummaged), a braided cognac belt (thrifted) and cognac wedges (Kensie Girl via Macy's).   However, because I adore you Dear Reader Friends, I did want to add some variety, so I posed pointing at the ground.  I figure if I can't vary my color combinations, I can vary my poses.  You're welcome.

Again, sorry for the delayed post, but I should get today's outfit posted today and I'll be back on track (hopefully).

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

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.

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.

Running Through the Jungle

Daily Outfit for Tuesday, June 07, 2011

I think I got too much sleep last night because I was squirrelly as heck while taking today’s photos.  Case in point, this photo here:

I’m pretending I was trying to show the cut of the tunic (it’s quite low both back and front) but sometimes a girl just feels like fake running in her photos.

These next two are some of the few that I wasn’t talking, laughing or distracted in:

Seriously, it was a rough shoot.  There is good news though – I rather like today’s outfit.  I bought this tunic this weekend from Ross Dress for Less where I’m pretty sure they were selling it as a dress.* Anyway, I layered my new tunic over a lace-trim camisole (Old Navy) and paired it with my “regular” length Flirt Skinnies (Old Navy), leopard peep-toe mini-wedges (v. old via Ross), orange earrings (via Last Thursday vendor) and a few bracelets (Banana Republic, Nordstrom, thrifted). 

Yes, it’s another tropical/jungle-themed outfit.  And no, I’ve never met an animal print I didn’t like.  It’s funny though because before I started blogging, I would not have said I had this much of an affinity for jungle and tropical prints.  But, now that I’m cataloguing everything I’m wearing I realize that I really do love them.  I think it’s because they have a tendency to be more bold (or crazy) than other prints and sometimes I like crazy (or bold).

I hope everyone had an equally bold, crazy, and squirrelly Tuesday (which really are the best kind of Tuesday to have).

Gracey

* Let me just say that this is NOT a dress.  Seriously folks, just because something clears your crotch by a whole four inches does not make it a dress.  At least not at my height.

You Want Accessories? Oh, I’ll Show You Accessories

Unlike Thursday’s unadorned dress, I wore the heck out of some accessories the past couple of days.  I didn’t wear much of anything on Friday – I had the day off and it was sunny so most of the afternoon was spend sunbathing with the dog.  For some reason, our dog loves himself a good lawn chair so we laid out both Friday and Saturday afternoons.  Otherwise I ran some errands but mostly did nothing.  Let’s just say I got A LOT of reading done.

On Sunday, however, I had reason to get out of the house.  I went shopping and bought some shoes, went to lunch and then on a date with my current favorite person to date.  We went out to Multnomah Falls along the Columbia River and it was absolutely gorgeous:

View of the Falls from near the bottom

View from the Falls from just above the bridge

And yes, I was accessorized:

I wore these maybe-slightly-too-big khaki shorts (Target) with a new yellow blouse (also Target) and accessorized with my favorite vintage turquoise-beaded cuff, a turquoise ring, vintage blue glass bead necklace, multi-colored medallion earrings, a vintage Anne Klein clutch and pewter sandals (Lovely People via Ideeli).

After the falls we went to a graduation party, for which I traded out my sandals for these fabulous leopard print wedges (Tahari via DSW):

Today I kept the accessorizing bonanza alive:

I paired a jersey dress (Target) with a thin leather belt (Gap), one of my new scarves (Nordstrom), a wood bangle (Alberta Street vendor), unkempt hair (it was just so very kempt the day before) and my new favorite shoes: blue platform sandals (MRKT via DSW). 

Seriously, folks, these are easily the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn.  They feel like they have at least a half-inch of padding in the soles and the straps don’t pinch or cut into my dear piggies.  And the color!  I’ve already decided this lovely periwinkle will go with everything.  Like this dress!  And this scarf! 

I know, I know; that’s a lot of enthusiasm for a Monday, but it was sunny this weekend.  In Oregon!  And I bought shoes.  And scarves.  Really, you’re just going to have to cut a girl some slack.  I will end it here though. 

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend too.  And Happy Monday, 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

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