Stripes and Spots

The other day I wandered into Target for laundry detergent, as one does.  And I walked out with a new skirt, as one does.  But, really, how could I resist this piece?

I love leopard and I love mustard and my joy in having them combined in one piece cannot be overstated, so there was absolutely no way I was going to pass this skirt up.

It is perfection:

I mean, it's short perfection but with some tights, I'm pretty sure I didn't flash anyone.  Probably.

In addition to the spotted skirt (Phillip Lim 3.1 for Target) and the tights (Target), I also wore a striped shirt (vintage, thrifted), black booties (Born Crown) and a vintage bracelet (Red Fox Vintage).

Happy Monday, Everyone!

Gracey

10 Things to Thrift

A bit ago, the lovely Adrienne, with an assist from her equally lovely daughter, Tori, posted the ten items they like to look for in thrift shops.  That post inspired me to write a post about the ten items I like to look for.  And here they are, in no particular order.

Dresses

I know I said that this list was in no particular order, but dresses are probably my favorite item to thrift.  The majority of the dresses in my closet are thrifted and I can’t imagine that changing any time soon.

Scarf Print Blouses

I love scarf print blouses and though you can find them in retail stores, I prefer the authentic blouses from the 80s and 90s, festooned with jewels, chains, cherubs and gryphons.  Sometimes all at once!

80s Prom Dresses

Speaking of 80s, you can find some totally radical prom dresses at thrift stores.  With the exception of one year, all of my dresses for the 80s prom I attend every year have been thrifted.  And in the case above, so were my shoes, my headband of glory, my bag and my sunnies.

Skirts

I do thrift a lot of dresses, but I also thrift a lot of skirts.  In fact, I’d say the majority of my skirts, like my dresses, are thrifted.

Coats

Coats are a pretty great item to thrift, especially fancier coats, because people don’t wear them every day so they are often in pretty good shape.  I love coats but I don’t necessarily like shelling out the moolah for them so thrifting is a great way to build a coat wardrobe without spending too much.

Housedresses

As I admitted the other day, I am a housedress fanatic.  I wear them all the time and they’re all thrifted.  In fact, I’m not even sure where to get a housedress if it’s not at a thrift store.

Giant Sweaters

A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away called The 1980s, people used to wear ridiculously oversized stuff.  Like giant sweaters that they paired with stirrup pants and flats.  I don’t know why, but they did.  And then they donated those sweaters to thrift stores for me to find and buy because they fit my giant self perfectly.  Thank you, kind citizens of the 80s!

Lady Ties

There are few things I like better than pairing a lovely, silky lady tie with pretty much everything.  You know who has lovely, silky lady ties for a song?  Thrift stores.

Brooches

If you’re looking for a signed rhinestone monstrosity of a brooch, you probably won’t find them at thrift stores.  But, if you’re looking for fun, glittery-but-not-gaudy everyday brooches, I strongly suggest thrifting them.  You can buy a whole cluster for less than ten bucks.

Belts

Belts, like coats, are another item that I don’t really like spending money on, even though I wear them constantly.  Happily, thrift stores carry a huge selection of belts, from leather to pleather to elastic to plastic.  And they’re generally pretty inexpensive too, which makes it easy to pull the trigger.

What about you, Reader Friends?  Do you shop at thrift stores?  What are some of your favorite items to look for?

Gracey

Graphic and Gray

This top represents two things I'm heavily into this fall; graphic and gray:

Top: Olivia Moon via Nordstrom  Skirt: vintage, thrifted   Boots: Born Crown via Piperlime

I love pretty much any print, but lately I've really been drawn to graphic prints.  And I've actually been on a gray kick since early this summer.  I don't know why since it's basically a non-color, but I just can't get enough gray.

I think one thing I like about both gray and graphic prints is that they play nicely with color, like this top with this burgundy skirt:

Similar shirt    Similar skirt     Exact boots

I believe the trend is heading towards monochromatic outfits, so I'm not remotely on trend, but that's okay.  Everything is okay with graphic and gray.  (Heh.  Rhyming.)

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

Literary Stylings Reminder

Hello Dearest Reader Friends!

This post is just a friendly reminder that it's nearly time to link up to the Fashion for Giants Literary Stylings Link Party.  Per usual, the party will be held the first Tuesday of the month, which is next Tuesday, October 1st, and will be open for linking all week long.  You can find more information on this awesome literary adventure here.

Here are the books I'll be choosing from for my look.

This month, I read Kapitoil, by Teddy Wayne:

Image via goodreads.com

This was a good book but not necessarily one I enjoyed reading.  I will try to explain.  The lead character, Karim, is from Qatar and is really quite lovely but most of the other characters were not.  It got to the point where I dreaded his interactions with the mostly horrible Americans he came into contact with.  And from the stand point of this challenge, there really wasn’t much inspiration there so I don’t think I’ll be using this one.

 

I read The Roaches Have No King, by Daniel Evan Weiss:

Image via www.bookfever.net

The Roaches Have No King was… interesting.  But, I think the author’s device of writing from the POV of a roach back-fired on him in the end.  The book got increasingly graphic and, well, disgusting as it progressed, and by the end I was no longer sure what point the author was trying to make.  It got drowned out in scatological observations and inter-species sex.  And although those two things might make for an interesting challenge look, I think I’ll probably end up going a different route.

I read The Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy and Hard Times by Jennifer Worth:

Image via thebooksmugglers.com

The Midwifewas an absolutely lovely book.  Jennifer Warner isn’t the best author in the world but that didn’t stop me from enjoying this book.  I’m delighted she put her experiences in East End London after World War II down on paper because the stories are wonderful.  I definitely recommend reading it and I’ve heard the PBS series, Call the Midwives, is pretty darned good as well.

And I'm finishing up Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison, by Piper Kerman:

Image via goodreads.com

The author of Orange is the New Black, Piper Kerman, isn’t exactly a great author either but she gets her point across and I’m glad she wrote the book.  Like Warner, Kerman doesn’t try to glamorize her experiences and both are honest even when it doesn’t portray them in the best light.  I definitely recommend this book and have heard this series is pretty good too.

My Literary Stylings outfit this month will most likely be based on one of these last two books unless I come into possession of some cockroach-colored patent leather and then, well, my choice is obvious.

What about you, Reader Friends?  Have you chosen your look for next Tuesday?

Gracey

Before the Rains Came

So, I'm not actually wearing this dress today:

Vintage RK Originals dress, Gap boots & Kate Spade New York earrings

Nor did I wear it yesterday as is usually the case.  No, I wore this before the rains came.  Over the weekend, Oregon remembered that it's Oregon and it has a responsibility to rain steadily from the first day of autumn through the last day of spring.  It's off to a great start.

But, enough about the weather.  Let's talk about the dress.  I think it's from the 60s and I think it's fabulous.

My favorite part is the studded trim:

Seriously, aren't those just the most ladylike little studs you've ever seen?

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Perfect 10 Remix Recap

From the 9th to the 19th of September, I participated in Coffee and Cardigans, Perfect 10 Remix Challenge and it actually went pretty well.  I was concerned because I don't do well with these sorts of challenges; I'm usually pretty fickle about what I wear.  But this time I was able to select and actually stick with ten items of clothes for ten days.

What I didn't do very well was wear all of the items equally.  For example, I wore one pair of shoes, my Rieker huaraches, nine out of ten days, essentially ignoring my yellow platform sandals.  I also wore my striped Vince Camuto quite a bit and probably could have actually worn it more.

Here are my favorite outfits from the challenge:

As you can see, they all include my Rieker shoes and three out of the four include my striped skirt.  What can I say, I like to be comfortable, which both of those pieces are.

In truth though, I'd say I liked every outfit I wore during the challenge.  I was worried that my choices were kind of boring, but they really worked for me and I don't think I would have changed any of them.

Again, thank you all for reading along.  And a big thanks to Callie for hosting this challenge; it was nice to do one that was manageable and didn't make me cry for the rest of my wardrobe.

Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

Days 9 and 10: Black Pleats

I finished my Perfect 10 Remix Challenge with two outfits featuring my black pleated skirt.

Day 9:

For Day 9, I paired my pleated skirt (thrifted, similar) with my striped tee (Old Navy).  It was a bit cool on the ride in so I also added my floral jacket (thrifted).  The shoes are, of course, my Rieker huaraches (thrifted, exact) and I added my red apple pendant (c/o The Monet Chronicles, similar) so I’d still have some interest once the jacket came off.

Day 10:

For my final outfit, I wore a simple combination of the skirt and a sleeveless chambray shirt (Caslon via Nordstrom), again with the Rieker shoes.

But, I also added my lovely bird huddle scarf because I'm from Oregon and I will be putting a bird on it, thank-you-very-much.

And, with that, I am done with the Perfect 10 Remix.  Thank you to Callie for creating this challenge and to all of you for reading along and pretending you’re not tired of huaraches and stripes.   Heh, Huaraches and Stripes sounds like a terrible buddy comedy with a hard-bitten detective, Huaraches, who semi-retired to Thailand and his Bengal tiger partner, Stripes.  Or, it’s my next band name.

Happy Friday, All!

Gracey

Day 8: Stripes and Floral

I think it’s safe to say that my striped Vince Camuto skirt is the MVP of this challenge as I wore it yet again for Day 8:

Well, co-MVP.  I’ve actually worn my Rieker shoes the absolute most during the Perfect 10 Remix Challenge and am wearing them again today:

I can’t help it.  The skirt and the shoes are the some of the most comfortable pieces of clothing in my entire wardrobe much less in this little mini-wardrobe.

In addition to my much-loved skirt (Nordstrom, plus available here) and apparently-favorite shoes (thrifted, exact), I also wore (finally!) my cropped floral jacket (vintage, thrifted).  It’s still too warm to really layer, so I just buttoned the jacket and wore it as a blouse.  I also added a belt (thrifted, similar), for a peplum effect, a chunky gold bracelet and red drop earrings (similar here).

My sister and Ferge didn’t like this outfit at all, stating that it was too much, but I, predictably, loved the combination of the busy floral and the bold stripes.  

Happy Thursday, All!

Gracey

Day 7: Alien Fox & Miss Sassypants

So, I think this is actually Day 8’s outfit, but I didn’t wear anything other than work-around-home clothes on Day 7 so we’re calling this Day 7:

Jeans: Old Navy   Top: Caslon via Nordstrom  Shoes: Rieker

It is also the outfit I wore to see my blogger friend Rinda, of Miss Sassypants:

She was in town for work but we got to spend a few hours eating and shopping and talking and laughing.  And you guys?  She is amazing.  She is gorgeous, funny, willing to do the running man in public, super talented and believes there is no merit to high-waist short-shorts.  So, she's, you know, basically a genius.

I had a ton of fun shopping with Rinda, and one of the stores we stopped in was a packed-to-the-brim vintage shop that had a lot of crazy amazing stuff.  I especially liked a lot of their brooches but I was completely enamored with this one:

I call it my alien fox brooch but I guess it could just be a "stylized fox" brooch.  Nah, that's boring.  It's an alien fox brooch commissioned by an alien visitor to our planet to commemorate their favorite pet (alien) fox.  Yes, I have decided.

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

Day 5 & 6: Stripes on the Bottom, Stripes on the Top

For Day 5 of the Perfect 10 Challenge, I wore stripes on the bottom, pairing my Day 1 skirt with my Day 2 shirt:

In addition to the striped skirt (Vince Camuto via Nordstrom) and the navy tee (Gap, similar), I also wore my Rieker shoes (thrifted, exact), my braided belt (thrifted, similar) and studded cuffs (Nordstrom).  And I added a large scarf (LOFT, similar) for a little extra warmth on the morning bike ride.

 

And for Day 6, I wore stripes on the top, wearing my Day 1 tee for my jeans' first outing:

I know, I know, this is nothing groundbreaking, but it was just a weekend outfit for running errands and going to the movies.  In addition to the tee (Old Navy, similar) and jeans (Old Navy Mid-Rise Rock Star Skinnies), I added my Rieker shoes (thrifted, exact) and studded cuffs (Nordstrom).

Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

 

Day 4: Yesterday’s Dress

For Day 4 of the Perfect 10 Remix Challenge, I’m re-wearing yesterday’s dress.  As a skirt:

I layered the dress (Bar III via Macys) under a sleeveless chambray shirt (Caslon via Nordstrom).  I added my Rieker shoes (thrifted, exact), some studded cuffs (Nordstrom) and finished the look with some delightfully shiny earrings (Robert Rose via Nordstrom).

Robert Rose "Fan-Glam" Earrings

I feel like the chambray shirt, the shoes and the cuffs have a dressed down, sort of tough vibe and that the rhinestone earrings are a fun juxtaposition. 

Happy Friday, Everyone!

Gracey

Day 3: White Heat

So, here’s the deal.  Last week Oregon’s weather was sort of crummy.  I complained and now it’s mid-90s.  I’m not saying that Mother Nature’s trying to punish me, but 95 in September feels a little vindictive.  Anywho, it’s hot.  Stupid hot.  Too hot for clothes, but public nudity is frowned upon (What’s that?  It’s illegal?  Good to know.), so I wore this:

I just couldn’t possibly manage anything more than a simple white dress (Bar III via Macys) and sandals (Enzo Angolini, similar) in this heat.  Heck, I couldn’t even manage a necklace!  But, that doesn’t mean I didn’t accessorize.  No, I used some brooches (similar fruit, similar blue, exact bee) in a cluster at my waist and some studs on my wrist (Nordstrom) to add some interest and a little color.

Hopefully it will cool off some tomorrow because I only have one simple white dress in my Perfect 10 and public nudity will most likely still be illegal.

Happy Thursday, All!

Gracey