A Different Kind of Pinspiration

This outfit was inspired not by Pinterest, but by the pins on this outfit of the, well, fabulous, April, over at Knocked Up Fabulous:

Instead of a bright blue skirt (I think I packed mine for winter) I paired my cream sweater (thrifted, Goodwill) with my mocha-colored skirt (thrifted, Goodwill).  I also added black tights (Spanx via Nordstrom), belt (thrifted, Goodwill) and boots (thrifted, Goodwill) and an infinity scarf (Steve Madden via Macys).

And, of course, I added a vintage brooch cluster (all via Lil' Gypsy Vintage):

I like how the scarf ties in the black boots and tights and love the little pop of red from the floral brooch.  This is definitely something I'd wear again; perhaps next time with my blue skirt if I can remember where I put it.

Happy Wednesday, All!  And Happy New Year!

Gracey

This Outfit is Weird

It is.  I think it’s conceptually sound, but the execution was shaky:

 (** Similar boots, sheer floral vintage dress, similar belt)

Allow me to explain.  It was finally boot weather here in Oregon, so of course I had to wear boots.  And I love wearing boots with dresses, so I had to wear a dress.  And the dress I chose is sheer so I had to wear a slip.  And I’ve always wanted to try a dress with an exposed slip, so I selected a slip that’s just a bit longer than the dress.  All that makes sense, right?

Well, here’s where it fell apart.  I paired cognac boots (Steven Madden) and a belt (thrifted) with this dress (vintage Blair, thrifted) because I swear to goodness there is some cognac in the print:

But, not enough to notice from far away, making the look a little iffy.  Adding to the iffy-ness is the fact that I refused to iron the slip.  Because to me that’s like ironing sheets.  Or jeans.  Ridiculousness.  (Unless, of course, you iron your sheets and jeans and then I totally respect your commitment to a wrinkle-free life).  So, yeah, not quite what I wanted.

That’s okay though, I gave it a shot and I’m not mad that I did.

Happy Wednesday, Everyone!

Gracey

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

Jumping the Gun

It was less than 80 degrees here in Oregon today, so I wore boots and a scarf:

Yes, I’m jumping the gun a bit for fall, but, unlike the Olympics, I think bloggers get two false starts, so I won’t be disqualified when fall actually arrives.  Besides, it’s still kind of summery because my dress (vintage, thrifted) is sleeveless, the infinity scarf (Plato’s Closet) is lightweight, and the boots (Steve Madden) are lighter colored.

Make no mistake though, I am ready for fall.  I’ve been Pinning fall outfits like crazy on my Fall Ready Already board, I’ve been longingly petting my riding boots and I’ve already started planning fall outfits.  All of this in spite of the fact that summer came late to Oregon; but, apparently two weeks of 90+ degree weather is all I need to be over summer.

How about you, Reader Friends?  Are you ready for fall?

Happy Tuesday, Everyone!

Gracey

I Just Can’t Like It

I want to like this dress:

I really do.  But, I just can’t.  It’s just not right for me and it makes me pose like an idiot.  I’m perfectly capable of idiotic posing on my own; I don’t need the help.

This dress just seemed like such a good idea when I thrifted it months ago.  I mean, it’s red; I love red.  And it has stripes; I love stripes.  And it’s vintage; I love vintage.  And yet, I don’t like this dress.  I even took the time to hem it above the knee, thinking that might help.  It didn’t.  

At first I didn’t wear it because I wasn’t sure how to style it.  But, I like the styling today.  I think the ankle strap flats (Hive and Honey via Piperlime) and the thin belt (Steven Madden) are good choices.  Just with a different dress.  Luckily, my friend Alex has agreed to take this dress off my hands, which leaves me with just one more never worn dress in my closet.  After I wear that, I’m shutting my Nosh Opping Expedition down.

I’ll finish it up this weekend with look at my expedition log and a retrospective of everything that didn’t make the cut.  And then Maurice and I are flying home (he’s going to live in the backyard).

Happy Tuesday, Everyone!

Gracey

Five, Not Seven

So, it turns out that I actually own five white skirts, not the seven I’d originally thought.  Two of the skirts I’d counted as white are actually cream (totally different).  And I found a third a third cream skirt running around The Valley of the Duplicates as well.  But, I’ll talk about those later; today is about one of the white skirts. 

Specifically, this white skirt:

This is my casual white skirt.  I also have a pleated white skirt (okay, two, but I’m getting rid of one) and two white linen skirts (one of which will also have to go).  Because I’m not great at mixing dressier pieces with more casual pieces, having skirts that can be dressed down is pretty important to me.  For example, I’m sure some bloggers could do it, but I can’t imagine wearing my pleated white skirt with this look.  I think this skirt works with the slouchy sweater (JC Penney) because both pieces are casual.  Ditto for the boots (thrifted) and the infinity scarf (Steven Madden via Macys).

Maybe when I grow up I’ll do a better job of mixing dressy and casual, but until then, I’m afraid I’ll need to maintain my larger, less versatile wardrobe.  So, the casual white skirt stays.  And so does the sweater; I know it’s not the most flattering shape, but darned if it isn’t comfortable.

Happy Friday, All!

Gracey

Sir Hems-a-Lot

Yes, there are pictures, but first we’re going to explore the etiology of today’s title.  Won’t that be fun?  (BTW: the answer we're looking for is yes, folks).

Sir: I don’t think I look particularly mannish in this outfit, but somebody called me ‘Sir’ today.  Maybe it’s because I didn’t wear earrings?  Let that be a lesson to you, Gentle Readers, accessorize or suffer the consequences.

Hems-a-Lot: I went on a hemming rampage a few weeks ago, taking quite a few of my midi-length dresses to above the knee.  Which isn’t to say I’ve given up midis; I just wanted a little variety.  This dress was one of the victims of that rampage:

Today:

Before:

Unlike previous outfits with this dress, I’m sans tights and I paired it with lighter, more spring-like accessories.  Instead of my dark brown boots, I opted for camel-colored ones (Steve Madden).  And in addition to the boots, I added a coral belt (Steve Madden via Ross), a couple of vintage bracelets (thrifted & gifted) and a watch.

Because faking Spring is almost as good as really having Spring arrive.

Happy Monday, Everyone!

Gracey