Houndstooth and Harlequin

Today I've paired houndstooth with harlequin:

And, frankly, I'm surprised it took me this long to put these two together.

The houndstooth blouse (thrifted Jones New York, similar) is a natural fit with the harlequin sweater vest (thrifted vintage JG Hook, similar).  Thank goodness I found these two hanging out together in my closet or this may never have happened:

Can you imagine??!!

Really though, though, those two did the hard work. I just added a midi skirt (thrifted vintage, similar), tights (Spanx Tight End Tights) and ankle boots (Nine West "Darsy").  Oh, and my new favorite tiger diadem necklace (Hive and Honey via Piperlime):

It's not my fault it goes with everything.

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Peplumesque

I am wearing a striped top once again today but, more importantly, it's also peplumesque:

Well, it's not really.  But I belted it into a peplumesque shape and I think it kind of works:

I haven't been too keen on the peplum trend because I haven't been able to find one I like.  I realized the other day (while watching Pretty in Pink, no less) that many of today's peplums are just too limp for my tastes.  I prefer a stiffer fabric.  And belting this vintage silk jacket was pert near perfect.  It could stand to be a little longer and even a little more stiff, but it'll do in a pinch.

Because I was adding volume at the waist, I tried to keep the bottom of my outfit sleek with a cinnamon-colored knit skirt (Jones New York via Goodwill).  I finished the look with my neon necklace (Target) and abstract print sandals:

 Seychelles Women's Mum T-Strap Sandal

Image via Amazon.com

What about you, Reader Friends?  Are you fans of the peplum trend?

Happy Wednesday, All!

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.

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

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

My Thighs Hate It

… but the rest of me loves it.  “It” being my new-to-me vintage tunic:

 

I do love it, but my thighs seriously hate it.  In fact, I can’t even button it all the way to the bottom without them threatening to Hulk out.  But, that’s okay, I just wore it over leggings with the bottom two buttons undone and my thighs stopped yelling about being suffocated in polyester.  They are so dramatic.

In addition to the tunic (vintage, gifted) and leggings (Target), I also wore boots (Enzo Angolini “Saylem” via Nordstrom) and another lady-tie (silk Brooks Brothers via St. Vincent Depaul).  Because it’s International Lady-Tie Week.  Okay, it’s not, but it should be.  Perhaps the next time my thighs are at the UN attempting to get recognized as an independent republic, I’ll float the idea past the General Assembly.  I can't imagine any country not supporting that proposal.

Enough about the lady-tie though, let’s get back to the tunic.  The fact of the matter is; I wasn’t going to allow my pouty, secessionist thighs to ruin this tunic for me.  I love this thing.  I love the crazy print:

And I love how it came to end up in my closet.   

This tunic was originally purchased by my fabulous friend, Jeanne, when we were shopping together at Vintage by the Pound.  I didn’t fight her for it because she was a guest in my city, but I did cast a lot of covetous looks in her direction.  And then, the other day, she mailed it to me out of the blue!  Needless to say, I was thrilled and Jeanne is awesome.

Happy Thursday, Everyone!  And Happy International Lady-Tie Week!

Gracey

Silk, Wool & Silk-Lined Wool

Taking some of the awesome advice I received from yesterday’s post, I decided to forgo the jeans today and wear some warmer fabrics.  Specifically, silk, wool and silk-lined wool:

 

Instead of a cotton sweater, I wore a silk blouse (Jones New York via Goodwill) layered under a silk-lined wool jacket (vintage via Goodwill).  And, in lieu of jeans, I wore a sweater skirt (vintage via Goodwill) layered over bloomers and tights (Assets via Target) which were in turn layered over merino wool footless tights (Hue).  I also added wool socks, ankle boots (Nine West “Darsy”) and a belt (thrifted via Goodwill).

And, for the most part, it worked.  My feet are still cold, but I think that’s kind of their thing.  My torso is definitely warmer with the layers of silk and wool than with yesterday’s cotton sweater, even though it was a pretty dense knit.  I think I may also be warmer because of the pattern mixing going on; few things warm the cockles of my heart like pattern mixing:

Thank you all again for the tips on staying warm, with a special shout out to Secret Squirrel and her Nan; I tried the silk scarf layered under a knit scarf this morning and it was brilliant!

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Girls Night Out: Feathers and Fire

On Sunday night, I went to dinner and a pole dancing exhibition with my friends, Jodi and Erica, for the first part of my birthday celebration.*  I wore feathers:

Thrifted top, Juicy Couture necklace & Gap blazer.

And watched stuff get lit on fire at El Gaucho: 

Flaming sword of meat.

FIRE!!

Bananas Foster in the making

But, let’s get back to the feathers.  Although you can’t see it very well in the photo above, I wore a feathered headband fascinator from Dorfman Pacific:

Image via Hartford York

When I was offered a chance to try one of these fascinators, I was a little worried I wouldn’t have any place to wear it.  And that I wouldn’t know how to style it.  But, a fire-filled dinner and a Christmas-themed pole dancing show seemed like the perfect place to wear it; and I paired it with more casual pieces, like jeans and a blazer, so that it still felt like me.

Thinking about a fascinator for yourself?  Here are my pros and cons.

Pros:

Feathers!

It was very comfortable.

It stayed in place even as I demonstrated some very vigorous booty-shaking to my friends.

Feathers!

Cons:

Not the best thing to wear in a windstorm.

You have to pay attention to overhead clearance; especially if you’re already tall.

Your friends may mistake your feathers as someone eavesdropping on your conversations.

Your cat will try to eat it.

As you can see, the pros far outweigh the cons, so I strongly recommend fascinators for everyone.  And I recommend the Dorfman Pacific fascinator.  They have all sorts of different types, from the simple yet effective model I wore, to those with full on veils and silk flowers.  If you are interested in a Dorfman Pacific fascinator, you can find them here, at Hartford York.

Happy Wednesday, Everyone!

Gracey

*Little known fact, tall people celebrate their birthdays for at least three days.

Monocreamatic

Today was the Everybody, Everywear Monochromatic Challenge.  I decided to go with monochromatic cream (or monocreamatic, if you will):

Monocreamatic

The Necklace

The Shoes

For this look, I paired a pleated skirt (vintage, thrifted) with a silk tank (thrifted).  I added a suede belt, worn backwards (thrifted) and nude platform sandals (Banana Republic) worn the correct way.  I also added a bib necklace (c/o Maurice’s) and a few bangles (Nordstrom and thrifted). 

I know it’s not entirely monochromatic, given the belt and the shoes, but I don’t know that I have it in me to go head-to-toe cream.  Or any other color for that matter.  Maybe black; I’ll have to try that come this fall.

For more monochromatic looks that probably aren’t broken up by off-colored belts, visit Everybody, Everywear.

And Happy Tuesday, Everyone!

Gracey

Oh, I almost forgot – eShakti has provided a special promo code for Reader Friends of Fashion for Giants for 10% off through August 31!  Just use code FA26KEY at check out.

Silk is Totally Professional

I am basically wearing shorts and a tee shirt at work:

But, it’s okay, because the tee is silk and silk is totally professional.  I paired the super professional silk tee (one of the six or so I thrifted) with patterned shorts (Target) and added a polka dot belt (Nordstrom Rack), Seychelles mini-wedges and a bib necklace (c/o Maurice’s).

Why did I wear shorts and a tee to work?  Because it’s getting stupid hot here in Oregon.   Today is supposed to be 91 and it’s supposed to hit 100 this weekend.  I know that is nothing to those of you who’ve been dealing with rolling heat waves all summer, but it doesn’t usually get that hot here.

Luckily, I like the heat so I’ll be spending this afternoon and evening at another 80s concert.  And tomorrow, I will return to my beloved thrift stores to pillage and plunderdo some shopping.  I need to find a dress for a wedding next Friday.  I think it’s in a field?  Or a barn?  Or a barn in a field?  I’m not exactly sure where it is, but I’m pretty sure I need something new to attend.

Have a wonderful weekend, Dearest Reader Friends!

Gracey

The Silk Obsession

Over the past year or so, I’ve become obsessed with silk.  It started with a couple of silk blouses from Banana Republic and has resulted in my thrifting four silk tees, two tanks, a halter, four more blouses and a dress.  This is one of the silk tees:

This one makes me happy because it’s so very 80s and we all know I have an irrational fondness for the 80s.  But, c’mon, how can this print in these colors not make you happy?

I paired today’s happy silk tee (thrifted) with black cropped pants (Banana Republic), ankle-wrap wedges (Very Volatile via Nordstrom) and a turquoise-colored bead necklace (rummaged).  The tee really does make me happy and these pants are definitely a keeper.  I want to keep the shoes, but they are several seasons old now and the linen straps are beginning to fray.  I’ll try to repair them, but if not, they’ll be added to the list of items I need to replace.  (Because no shoe wardrobe is complete without ankle-wrap wedges). 

I will try to get through the rest of my seasonally-appropriate thrifted silk items within the next couple weeks, which should put me on track for finishing this expedition by August 1.

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey