Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Stiff Weirdness

You see this sweater?



I love this sweater like no one’s business.  But, I’ll be damned if I can figure out how to wear it.  It’s just sort of stiff and a weird length and possibly too big.  But, it’s also multi-textured hearts and that makes me love it in spite of it’s stiff weirdness.  Sadly, love doesn’t turn one into a styling genius, so this happened:



I mean, I guess it’s not terrible.  But, it’s not right either.  I think the proportions are just too off.  Not off in that cool way that jostles the eye but still allows it to continue it’s journey along the lines of the outfit.  No, off in the bad way where your eye basically gets slapped in the face and you have to look away to prevent further damage.

Bam!  Like a slap to your eye face.

So, obviously, I need some help.  How would you style this sweater, Dearest Reader Friends? 

Thank you in advance.  And Happy Tuesday!

Gracey

Monday, April 29, 2013

For the Birds: Inspiration Monday

For those of you who don't know, the lovely ladies of Two Birds have a link-up every Monday of looks inspired by celebrity outfits.  This is January Jones and she is today's inspiration:

january jones

I don't usually participate in Inspiration Monday because I forget and/or don't have the right pieces and am not creative enough to make it work with the pieces I do have.  Today though, I had everything I needed; leather, denim and lace.  Oh, and bitchface:


Okay, it's not the epic bitchface of January Jones, it's more like the suggestion of bitchface or like I'm thinking really hard, but it's the best I could do on the face.

And this was the best I could do on the clothes:



Instead of being all sad-faced that I didn't have similar pieces, I used the pieces I had in similar fabrics.  My lace (sans the black bra (next time though, next time)) is my lace sweatshirt (Macy's).  My denim is jeans (Old Navy Mid-Waist Rockstar Skinnies) instead of a jacket.  And my leather is just the boots (Luxury Rebel via Piperlime) instead of pants and boots.


And, frankly, I think I nailed it:

I'm the one on the right.  I know, it's confusing.

Happy Monday, All!  And thank you to Two Birds for hosting and January Jones for inspiring!

Gracey

Friday, April 26, 2013

Black, White and Brown

I know the combination of black, white and brown doesn't seem very springlike, but I think this outfit is actually almost summery even:



I love a  stripe pretty much any time of year, but they definitely say summer to me.  And black and white is classic.  I paired today's black and white striped tee (Old Navy) with a full, brown skirt (vintage, thrifted via Goodwill).  I also added a wide black belt (JC Penney) and my ankle strap flats (Hive & Honey via Piperlime).

See?  Practically summery:


Just like our weather.  It's been gorgeous here all week and it looks like it will continue through the weekend.  So excited!

Happy Friday, All!  Have a wonderful weekend!

Gracey

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Getting Dressed Can Be Fun

Sometimes I can’t find anything to wear.  Or, perhaps I should say that I can’t find anything that I want to wear.  This has been the case for the past couple weeks.  Sure, I get dressed, but I’ve mostly just been phoning it in with uninspired color combinations and my usual half-assed accessorizing.  When this happens, I try to wear something that helps remind me that getting dressed can be fun.  Today’s outfit is just such a reminder:




This outfit is fun:

 
It’s plaid (men’s vintage golf pants) and houndstooth (vintage via Vintage by the Pound) together.  As they were meant to be.  And it’s layers of bracelets and big, chunky necklaces.  The red necklace is made from vintage African beads & brass (gifted) and the other is a silver & turquoise squash blossom necklace (vintage via Lil’ Gypsy Vintage).
 
They are very heavy together, just in case you were curious.

But, they are also awesome together.  And they are awesome with the houndstooth and the houndstooth is awesome with the plaid.  And it’s basically an outfit made of awesome:


The best part, though, is that it combines two of my current trend obsessions.  Printed suits (yes, I know it’s not a suit, but I feel like we can all pretend it is and still sleep at night) and global/boho chic.  Really, the only thing I’d change is the shoes.  I love these sandals (old Banana Republic “Natalie”) but I think this outfit could take a bolder shoe.  I was afraid a different shoe would be too much, but now I don’t think so.  I’ll definitely try something different next time.

What about you, Reader Friends?  Do you get in style ruts?  What do you do to remind yourself that getting dressed can be fun?

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Spring Remix

I wore this outfit earlier this year:



Today I remixed the look for spring:




I kept most of the pieces of the look intact, including the cropped pants (Vince Camuto via Nordstrom), the cap toe wedges (Bandolino via DSW) and the vintage coat (Maurice of Lansing via Goodwill).  But, instead of the turtleneck, I wore my new red, black and white graphic floral dress (Penelope in Red Rosie c/o Karina Dresses).

I love this dress.  Like my other Karina Dress, it's cut beautifully and the print makes me giddy:


I can't wait to remix it again for summer.

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Shop the Look:

Karina Sleeveless Penelope dress
Similar black cropped pants
Similar peep-toe wedge heels
Similar red vintage jackets (here & here)

** Disclosure: Actions taken from the hyperlinks in this blog post may yield commission/compensation for the writer. Please see the Disclosure tab for more details.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Trends to Try: Neon

Like many fashion trends that have been here before, neon has come back around.  It first cropped back up a year or so ago and is still going strong today.

So, how do you try this trend without looking as though you're starring in a Wham! video?  Well, for one, avoid wearing it with feathered hair and short shorts.  Agreed?  Good, now here are some other tips that might help you try this trend.

  1. A little goes a long way.  Try this trend in small doses such as jewelry, belts, small handbags and shoes.  I think you'll find that a even the smallest pop, such as studs, or nail polish, is still fun.
  2. Wear it with mid-tones.  Especially if you're not sure about this trend, you may find that pairing neon with too strong of a color might be too much look.  Try pairing your neon with mid-tones such as gray, khaki, navy and olive to keep your look modern.
  3. Stick to neon in colors you love.  I wear a lot of pink and orange so I naturally gravitated to neon pink, neon orange and, my personal favorite, neon peach.  If you wear neon in shades you like, you'll be more comfortable trying this trend.
  4. If you choose to wear more substantial neon pieces, like skirts, dresses or sweaters, make sure you wear them in a modern shape and/or with equally modern pieces.
  5. Wear it with denim.  In the form of a belt, shoes, sweater or clutch, neon anything looks good with denim everything.
Looks to Try:
 



Looks not to try, a.k.a the aforementioned Wham! video:


What about you, Reader Friends?  Have you (re-) tried neon yet?

Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

Thursday, April 18, 2013

I Blame Madonna

 


Okay, I realize that some of you make look at today's outfit and say "Sweet baby Jesus, Gracey, more blue?  If I wanted to see this much blue, I'd go stare at the ocean."  To which I say, firstly, that if you have an ocean in staring distance, go have yourself a good stare; it's good for you.

Secondly, I blame Madonna.  After I uploaded that video yesterday I had to watch it a couple of times because 80s Madonna is a national treasure.  And then, of course, the song was stuck in my head and as a result I couldn’t think past the color blue when getting dressed this morning. 


Still blue.  Still true (sure, why not?).  This time in the form of a thrifted silk blazer (via Salvation Army).  But, this time with a printed maxi dress (eight sixty via Nordstrom Rack) and some boots (Gap) to mix it up.  So, you see, this is nothing like what I wore yesterday.  Additionally, these aren't the droids you're looking for.

And that, folks, is how you pretend you didn’t accidentally repeat the same color palette two days in a row.   Smoke and mirrors and Jedi mind tricks.  Works every time.

Happy Thursday, All!

Gracey

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

True Blue

No, not the Madonna song*, the pants:


I have been looking for some summery skinnies as most of my skinnies are dark colors and/or corduroy.  I have a coral pair but wanted a pair in the blue/green family.  Unfortunately, all I could find were pastel colors.  I say unfortunately because my thighs hate pastel skinnies, and, to be honest, I don’t love them all that much either.  Happily, I was able to find these lovely true blue skinnies at JC Penney the other day:




And the color is perfect.  It’s summery without being pastel.  It pairs well with my favorite neutral, gray.  And it looks great with neon:



*Okay, fine, the Madonna song too:



Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

Shop the Look:
jcp “Sophie” Perfect Skinnies 
jcp Slub Sweatshirt 
Coconuts “Casey” flat (also available in neon yellow)

** Disclosure: Actions taken from the hyperlinks in this blog post may yield commission/compensation for the writer. Please see the Disclosure tab for more details.
 

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Spring Suede

For the past year or so, fashion magazines have been trying to convince me that summer leather is not only a thing, but that it’s a good thing.  And perhaps, for others, it is.  But, not for me.  I am a heavy glistener, by which I mean I sweat a lot.  Add to that the fact that I sweat even more because I ride my bike to work and I can imagine only a few things more uncomfortable than wearing leather in the summer.  But, even though I unequivocally refuse to attempt summer leather, I’m willing to compromise with spring suede:



Because I’m all about compromise.  Okay, not really.  But, I like to try everything once.  And, I’m glad I did; because I think it worked in my favor here:



The suede skirt (Valerie Stevens via Goodwill) paired with the denim top (Caslon via Nordstrom) were perfect for today’s in-between weather. I also added a bib necklace (Nordstrom), my vintage ram-buckle belt and my new spring boots (Corso Como “Seminole” via Piperlime).

Image via Piperlime
 
So, yes, spring suede I’ll do, but summer leather is still a “no” for me.  What about you, Reader Friends?  Are you summer leather wearers?

Happy Tuesday, Everyone!

Gracey

Shop the Look:
Similar suede skirt (eBay has lots of options)
Similar chambray shirt (tall available)
Corso Como “Seminole” boots
Vintage ram belt buckle
Similar bib necklace
 

Friday, April 12, 2013

Buttons, Boots and Polka Nots

Today's outfit consists of buttons, boots and polka nots.  The polka nots are what brilliant reader, Aya, calls the pattern on my shirt (Eddie Bauer via Goodwill):



They look like polka dots, but they're not, so polka nots they are.  The buttons are on the skirt (thrifted via Goodwill) and the boots are my spring boots (Enzo Angolini "Saylem" via Nordstrom).  I told you that was a thing.

I love the button front on this skirt and, surprisingly, my thighs are okay with it too.  Usually button-front skirts tend to make my thighs Hulk out just to prove they can.  But, they stayed put today.  Thank goodness.


I also wore a woven belt (thrifted via Goodwill) and a lovely vintage apple pendant from Ally Hoot Vintage.  But, I forgot to get a close up.  You can see it here though.

Happy Friday, Everyone!

Gracey

Shop the Look:
Similar Eddie Bauer shirt (Tall & Plus available)
Similar button-front skirt
Exact Enzo Angolini "Saylem" boots
Exact apple pendant

** Disclosure: Actions taken from the hyperlinks in this blog post may yield commission/compensation for the writer. Please see the Disclosure tab for more details.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

My Hair Was Too Tall

Please to let me explain.

My friend Kathy complained that my hair was too tall in these pictures and that she had to either cut off my hair or my hands to get a good torso shot.  We compromised with this pose:


You see, I'm both crouching and raising my arms to make the photo easier to take. So, yeah, that happened.

To see the actual outfit and my normal(ish) face, come visit me at Already Pretty - my outfit post is over there today.

Happy Thursday, All!

Gracey

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Get Thee to Bloglovin


As I'm sure most of you have heard by now, Google has decided that it hates bloggers and is shutting down Google Friend Connect (GFC) in the next couple months.  So, if you follow me on GFC,  please follow me on Bloglovin.  You can use the button on my sidebar, or this link: Follow my blog with Bloglovin

And, don't worry, Bloglovin has a feature that allows you to export all your favorite GFC-followed blogs, not just mine.

I do hope you'll keep in touch!

Gracey

Bat-Wing Boobies

I love leopard print paired with floral print.  And I love leopard paired with blue.  So, pairing my leopard cardigan with this blue, floral dress is a combination that really probably should have occurred to me sooner.  But, better late than never, right?



I actually wasn’t sure the dress (vintage Anthony Richards) would work under the cardigan (Ann Taylor).  It has elbow-length sleeves and as much as I like a dress with sleeves, they aren’t always the easiest to layer.  At least not for me and my arms.  They tend to bunch and twist and generally make me angry.  But, I’m happy to say that I was not angry today; the cardigan is loose enough through the sleeves to fit easily over the sleeves of the dress.  

I also added my lighter-hued boots (Enzo Angolini "Saylem" via Nordstrom) because even though it’s been pouring rain, it still actually feels like spring here. 




That's right, I've decided these are my spring boots.  That I will wear year round.

Really, the only thing I wasn’t entirely happy about with this look was the belt (Old Navy).  I love the blue, but I think it’s too skinny.  The cardigan kept drooping over at the sides, giving me bat-wing boobies (you can see what I mean in the first two photos especially).  And nobody wants bat-wing boobies.  Probably.  I'm not going to claim to know everyone’s boob preferences.  So, suffice it to say that I don't want bat-wing boobies.

Happy Tuesday, All!  May it be free of strange breast shapes (unless, of course, that's your thing)!

Gracey


Monday, April 8, 2013

Rorschach Floral

Lovely blogger friend, Megan Mae, wore a wonderful watercolor floral blouse the other day and it reminded me that I had a watercolor floral blouse of my own somewhere deep in the recesses of my closet.  Found it.  Wore it:







Wore it, in fact, with a vintage blazer, gray skinnies and black heels.

Interestingly enough, this outfit is a pretty fair representation of our weather lately.  It was gorgeous for about a week, so our trees are blooming in pink and white, like my blazer and the background of the blouse.  But, the past few days it's been raining and gray like the flowers and the skinnies.


Of course, now that I look at it in photos, I think maybe they look less like flowers and a bit like Rorschach prints.  So we'll call it a Rorschach floral.

Happy Monday, Everyone!

Gracey

Friday, April 5, 2013

Proper Deployment

Sometimes I covet things not because they are solidly in my style wheelhouse, but rather because I wish they were in my style wheelhouse because they look so cool and chic on everyone else and I'd like to grow up to be cool and chic someday too.  Things like anoraks. 

I love how they look on other women, adding just the right bit of casual chic to an outfit. But, the thing is, they don't work like that on me. I seem to have some sort of anti-cool anorak-disorder (AC/AD, not to be confused with AC/DC, whom I adore) that keeps me from being able to wear them properly. 

But, today, I think perhaps I've finally mastered proper deployment of the anorak:



I mean, it looks kind of cool and almost chic paired with my black and gray stripes (Target) and colorful skirt (Plato's Closet), right?  And it does work with the boots (thrifted via Goodwill) and bright scarf (gifted by the very chic and cool, Ana), doesn't it? 



Honestly, I think this is as close to proper anorak deployment as I'm ever going to get, so I'm going to go ahead and check it off.

Happy Friday, All!

Gracey

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Gracey and the Big Thigh Day

I am having a big thigh day today:



Don’t get me wrong, I always have big thighs.  My thighs will tell you themselves that they are the biggest, baddest thighs on the planet and that that is why they’re forming their own republic.  

But, I think they're planning something because I could barely get these jeans over them today.  Usually when they act up, I like to quash their dreams of independence with a full skirt, but I’ve been too busy lately to chase down the rebel leaders.  The result?  My thighs in open rebellion.  And by open rebellion, I mean jeans:


Well, Thighs, enjoy it while it lasts.  Because as soon as I can marshal my forces, I’m coming after you with the biggest, fullest skirt I can find.


Happy Wednesday, Everyone!  (Well, everyone except my thighs, of course).

Gracey


Shop the Look:
Exact Gap Real Straight jeans (Tall available)
Similar yellow Gap sweater (Tall available)
Similar heeled clogs
Similar fringe necklace

** Disclosure: Actions taken from the hyperlinks in this blog post may yield commission/compensation for the writer. Please see the Disclosure tab for more details.