The Pet Leopard Lady Tie

As most of you know, I love me a good lady tie.  I find them amusing and cheeky and fun to wear.  And my latest lady tie find is no exception:

Is that not the most fabulous lady tie ever?  The print is pet leopards on chains with what I’m assuming are diamond collars.  

Yes.

I thrifted the tie this summer and have been waiting for it to get cold enough that extra fabric around my neck would be welcome and not make me a hot, sweaty mess.  And today, My Friends, is the day:

For the lady tie’s inaugural outing, I paired it with a mustard sweater (thrifted, similar), black skinny jeans (a.n.a via JC Penney) and riding boots (Born Crown “Sosie,” similar).

But, really, a pet leopard lady tie goes with everything.

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

P.S. Don’t forget to enter my giveaway, here!

Eye of the Tiger, Foot of the Leopard

Is there a rule about mixing your big cats?  I mean, if I'm wearing a tiger tee can I pair it with a leopard shoe? Or is this look a fashion faux pas?

 

Hah!  I'm just kidding; this outfit is clearly a great idea.  I say the more big cats the better!  I figure if I'm going to be a cat lady, I may as well be a big cat lady.

Really though, I love this combination of the tiger tee (Bobeau via Nordstrom) with the tweedy blazer (thrifted vintage, similar) and the ankle zip skinnies (Banana Republic).  And I think the leopard flats (Nine West, similar) and tiered chevron necklace (Hive & Honey via Piperlime) are the perfect finishing touches.

I mean, could I have used a bracelet?  Sure, but I'm still pretty darned happy with it as is:

 Also, lest you think when I say "eye of the tiger" I am referring to Katy Perry, let me disabuse you of that notion right here and now.  Below is what I'm referring to when I say "eye of the tiger," you young whippersnappers:

Yes, that song is amazing, thank you for noticing.

Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

Double Animal and FRAAS

Oh, it's been cold here in Oregon.  Happily, the kind folks at FRAAS offered to let me try one of their new line of scarves to help keep me warm:

It's reversible and comes in several colors, including petrol, dark red, purple and black.  I chose the petrol shade which, as you can see, is a sort of teal:

It's actually not an infinity scarf, but I borrowed a trick from Jeans and a Teacup and fastened the ends together with a small rubber band so I could wear it as an infinity scarf.

In addition to the FRAAS scarf, I did wear double leopard with my sweater (Old Navy) and flats (Nine West).  I also added cuffed jeans (Lucky).

If you're interested in procuring a lovely FRAAS scarf of your own, you can find select styles at www.fraas.com as well as www.amazon.com.


Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

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

Snow Leopard, Blue Leopard

I know it's a rule of thumb to only wear one piece of leopard in an outfit.  But, if I'm not going to let my thighs boss me around, my thumbs certainly aren't going to tell me what to do.  So, today?  Today, I wore snow leopard and blue leopard:

Hahahahaha, take that, Thumbs!  A leopard dress with leopard shoes!

Because that's just how I roll:

Target dress, Nine West flats, JCP belt & thrifted cuff

Mind-blowing stuff, isn't it?

Happy Thursday, All!

Gracey


Shop the Look:
Exact Mossimo dress
Similar blue leopard flats
Similar blue belt

** 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.

Emerald & Animal

I know I came out as being anti-emerald when it was announced as the Pantone 2013 Color of the Year.  But, I don't hate it (mint, I hate).  I just don't love it.  Which is why this emerald silk blouse doesn't get much wear:

In addition to my poor orphaned blouse (Oscar de la Renta via Salvation Army), I wore skinny jeans (Old Navy "Rockstar" mid-rise), animal print booties (80%20 via Piperlime), a cuff (Macy's) and a necklace (Nordstrom).

I don't know why I don't wear this blouse.  All I can say is that green is just not a color I gravitate towards. What about you, Reader Friends?  Are there any colors you just don't wear?  Do you actually have rational reasons for not wearing them?

Happy Thursday, Everyone!

Gracey

Shop the Look:
Similar emerald blouse
Exact skinny jeans (Tall available)
Similar animal print booties
Similar collar necklace (BaubleBar invite)
Similar patterned cuff

** 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.

What I Learned at Blogwarts: Layering

So, it turns out that Blogwarts is totally a real thing and they let me audit a class on layering.  Since many of you indicated on Wednesday’s post that you also have trouble layering dresses and blouses, so I thought I’d share what I learned.

Let’s talk first about the dress.

It should be a heavier-weight fabric.  I, personally, prefer ponte, a tightly-woven and therefore, heavier knit.

It should not be skin tight.  Especially in your curvier areas.  As I mentioned Wednesday, I went with a fit and flare dress because it gave me extra room around the thighs which is where I need it.

It should be structured (but not tight).  A more structured silhouette will help keep the look sleek.  A fit and flare dress, for example, will look sleeker layered over a blouse than a sack dress.

Now for the blouse.

Unlike the dress, the blouse should be lightweight.  Sheer blouses are very good for layering because they add very little bulk, especially under a heavier knit.

Like the dress, the blouse should be fitted.  This is especially important if the blouse is not sheer; a fitted blouse will help keep the bulk down.  Gap has some very cute fitted/shrunken boyfriend button-downs that I think would work.  They are available in Tall as well.

I also love the Caslon shirts from Nordstrom for this concept.  They don’t come in “Tall” but tend to have long-enough sleeves and are well-fitted.

For some suggestions on what to layer how, I created some Polyvore sets, all featuring the Mossimo Fit and Flare Ponte Knit dress from Target which is the same dress I wore in my post Wednesday.

Mossimo dress, Ruche "Giselle" Pleated Necktie blouse &Lulu's d'Orsay flats

Mossimo dress, Modcloth "First Class Cabin" blouse & "Both Feet on the Playground" flats

Mossimo dress, Nordstrom Caslon shirt, Sole Society booties

A couple more tips.

If you can't find a bow blouse you like, you can always add a lady-tie to your look.

Belts are your friends; a wide belt, especially, can help keep the volume down.

And, if you're still not looking as sleek as you like, try this trick from Franziska at Franish; she's a genius.


So, what do you think, Reader Friends?  Would you try any of these looks?


Happy Friday, Everyone!

Gracey


** 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.

Spots, Dots & Par-rots

I'm wearing spots, dots and par-rots today:

I've often yammered on about how I love animal and green together because something something jungle.  I continued that "jungle theme" with my new (to me) parrot brooch:

So green.  And parrot-y.  (Not parody, parrot-y; if it were a parody of a parrot, it'd be Conan O'Brien in a parrot mask or something).

I found the brooch in my favorite local vintage shop, Lil' Gypsy Vintage, and thought it would be perfect with my animal spotted cardigan (Anne Taylor via Goodwill) and green dotted pants (LOFT).  I also added a vintage Monet bracelet (via Red Fox Vintage) and my cap toe wedges (Bandolino via DSW).

Yay!  Jungle!  Sort of!


Happy Thursday, Everyone!


Gracey

P.S. if you haven't entered my Shabby Apple giveaway, today is the last day to do so; don't forget!

Shop the Look:
Similar green dotted pants (Tall available)
Similar spotted cardigan
Similar cap toe shoes
Similar vintage parrot brooch

** 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.

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

Black and Baroque

Aside from the unfortunate placement of some of the design elements, I rather like this Yves St. Clair vintage blouse:

Although I have a well-documented affection for scarf-print blouses from the 80s, I wasn’t sure about this one because it’s not very colorful.  But, I do love the pattern (baroque nipple shields aside) and really like it paired with black skinnies (a.n.a via JC Penney) and animal print wedges (80%20 via Piperlime). 

I also added a filigree heart necklace (Modcloth) that I think works well with the pattern of the blouse:

 

I know, it’s not terribly spring-y look, but as they say, if it’s not baroque, don’t fix it.  And, in my opinion, this outfit doesn’t need any fixing.

Happy Tuesday, Everyone!

Gracey

Tight and Moody

This look is both tighter and moodier than I usually go:

Although, I think it really only seems tight to me because my boobs are in one of their bigger iterations right now and the shirt is both high-necked and stripe-y.  Also, I ate some donuts before I took these photos.  Note to self, tight stripes and donuts are not your friend. 

As for the color palette, it is moody, maybe a little grungy even, but I like the mix of the purple striped tee (Rebecca Beeson via bluefly) and the leopard skinnies (Old Navy Rock Star).  I also added a black cardigan (Old Navy) and charcoal boots (Gap) because when your outfit is feeling moody, it’s best to just go with it. 

Happy Friday, Everyone!  Have a fabulous weekend!

Gracey