Sweater Weather

After a few weeks of unseasonably warm weather, sweater weather has finally arrived in Oregon.  So, I dressed accordingly:

Actually, I overdressed, as I do.  This sweater (thrifted) is alpaca and it's ridiculously warm.  Almost too warm actually.  But, I've been waiting for months to wear it and the weather finally dropped below sixty so I decided now was the time.

Also, it's the perfect excuse to wear orange and burgundy together:

Cashmere scarf: Nordstrom, similar  Skirt: thrifted, similar  Tights: Target  Boots: Born "Mabel"

Not that I need an excuse.  But, I do think it makes my friends and family feel better when I can point out that there is both orange and burgundy in the sweater so therefore the scarf and the tights totally make sense. Sometimes people need things to make sense.

Personally, I just like to wear orange.

Happy Thursday, All!

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

Pompoms and Lace

I have been eyeballing the FRANKIE necklaces from Etsy vendor, NestoftheBluebirds, for a couple of months now and finally pulled the trigger on this one:

And I love it.  Really, the only reason it took me so long to order is because it comes in quite a few color combinations and I didn’t know which one to choose.  I’m very happy with my choice though; the two neon poms  at the ends clenched it for me. 

I especially like the scale of it.  I like that it has pompoms, not POMPOMS.  It’s a good way for me to incorporate a little of the “global chic” trend into my wardrobe in a manner that compliments my style as opposed to overpowering it. 

Today I paired the necklace with a simple, cream lace sweatshirt (Macys) and burgundy cords (Banana Republic).  This lets the necklace be the star.  I also added blue leopard flats (Nine West “Naughty”) because 1) I love burgundy and blue and 2) it picks up the blue from the necklace tying the whole look together.   

That’s right, not all of my outfits are happy accidents; sometimes I actually think things through!

Happy Friday, Everyone!

Gracey

Shop the Look:

NestoftheBluebird FRANKIE necklaces

Lace front sweatshirt

Similar burgundy cords

Blue leopard flats (here, here, here)

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Lucky Lamb

This outfit was directly inspired by an outfit that I saw in Lucky Magazine a couple of months ago.  And by a trick of Catherine’s at Not Dressed as Lamb:

A couple of months ago, Lucky suggested pairing a super-full skirt with a turtleneck layered under a printed shirt.  I knew immediately that I wanted to try to recreate the look but didn’t have a suitable skirt.  And then, a couple of weeks later, I found this skirt so I thought I’d give it a whirl:

And I love how it turned out.  In spite of it’s awkward length, this skirt has become one of my favorites to wear and today’s outfit is no exception.  I paired the skirt (Ralph Lauren via Goodwill) with a burgundy turtleneck (Gap) layered under a houndstooth shirt (vintage via Vintage by the Pound).  I also added a tie belt (DIY with belts from St. Vincent de Paul), tights (Hue via Nordstrom Rack), booties (Nine West Darsy) and a neon necklace (Target).

Although I do love the skirt, I was a bit iffy about the shirt.  It’s vintage and therefore has an appropriately crazy collar.  Which is where Catherine’s trick comes in; in this post here, she pins the collar of a shirt into a stand-up collar.  I did something similar with today’s shirt.  My collar wasn’t robust enough to pin behind my neck, so I folded the collar inside the shirt and used a stick pin to keep in place, creating a sort of mandarin collar:

And I think it worked.

So, thank you, Lucky.  And thank you, Catherine.  Also, a special thanks to my friend, Jeanne from I Dream of...{by Jeanne}.  She was with me when I bought this shirt and swore I could rock it.  Best enabler ever.

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Burgundy & Blue

We’re entering that confusing time of year here in Oregon where it’s really sunny and things are starting to bloom so you think maybe it’s Spring, but then, in the middle of your bike ride it drops 15 degrees and starts hailing.  

As you can imagine, that sort of weather can be hard to dress for when you commute by bike.  Therefore, I’m back to my old standby of dresses, cardigans, tights and riding boots:

What can I say?  It dries easily and is warm enough but not so warm that I overheat during the sunny moments.  Also, it’s easy to put on when you're to tired from staying up late reading the Game of Thrones books to think of anything else.

For today’s version, I paired a blue dress (vintage Karin Stevens via Salvation Army) layered under a burgundy and blue cardigan (Gap Outlet).  Today’s tights are burgundy and today’s riding boots are Born Crown (“Sosie” via Nordstrom).  Et voila, simple, effective and quick-drying. 

Happy Tuesday, Everyone!

Gracey

Shop the Look:

Similar polka dot dress

Similar tipped cardigan

Similar Born Crown boots

** 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.

Burgundy and Orange

Burgundy and orange are one of those color combinations that look fabulous to my eye even if they don’t exactly make sense on paper:

I am especially fond of the plummy burgundy (which, yes, I call oxblood when I want to seem on-trend) of this turtleneck (Gap) paired with the bright, tangerine orange of this skirt (vintage via Goodwill).  I also wore a cream, cashmere sweater (Forte Cashmere via Ideeli), black tights (Spanx via Nordstrom) and snake platform pumps (Pierre Dumas via Piperlime).

Also, I didn’t realize it until today, but I’m a turkey decal away from being dressed like the Virginia Tech 2012 Russell Athletic Bowl Helmets.

Helmets:

Gracey:

And, in Great-Intent-Shaky-Execution News, I also wore this metal filigree necklace from Old Navy: 

You can’t see it in the other photos because there isn’t enough contrast between it and the turtleneck, and because my hair is in the way, but, I swear that I wore it and that it added pretty much nothing to the outfit. 

Happy Tuesday, Everyone!

Gracey

P.S.  You're welcome for all of the football helmets I share.

Shop the Look:

Similar skirt

Similar turtleneck

Similar sweater

Spanx Tight End Tights

Similar Shoes

I couldn't find a similar necklace, but they have these in-store at Old Navy.

** 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.