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

Day 2: Black & Blue & Neon Too

For Day One of the Perfect 10 Remix Challenge, I wore stripes.  For Day Two, I wore solids:

And for Day Three, I’m planning on mixing stripes and a solid.  Just kidding, I have no plans for Day Three.  I prefer to go where the morning takes me.

And, on Day Two, the morning took me to this look:

This look being a navy blue sleeveless tee (Gap, similar) paired with a black, pleated skirt (thrifted, similar).  Yep, that’s right, black and blue.  But, with neon too, in the form of my neon yellow necklace (Target) and some neon blue studs that you can’t see because of my hair.  I finished the look with a multicolored belt (Target), some studded cuffs (Nordstrom) and my trusty Rieker shoes (thrifted, exact).

I have to say that I actually picked the rather staid, non-psychedelic items I chose for this challenge on purpose.  I like color.  A lot.  All over my body.  All the time.  Oddly enough, not everyone feels the same way, and, as a result, there is a school of thought that says you can have a small, neutral capsule wardrobe with maybe a couple of accent pieces but that otherwise depends on accessories to add color and interest.  I, of course, think this is a bunch of hooey.  

But, still, it’s an interesting concept, isn’t it?  So, I figured I’d use this 10 x 10 challenge to try a toned down palette, like black and white and navy, but with strong accent pieces, like neon.  So far, it hasn’t been terrible, but, it’s only Day Two.  By this weekend I may be sleeping in my printed dresses because I miss them so much.

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

Day 1: Sexy Beetlejuice

So, yesterday was the first day of the Perfect 10 Remix Challenge and this is what I wore:

I liked it, actually a lot, but it did feel a little "sexy Beetlejuice" to me.  I hesitate to call myself sexy, but this was definitely a lot more va-va-voom-y than I usually go.

Happily, the striped skirt is one of the most comfortable pieces of clothing I've ever worn.  It felt like I was wearing lounge wear all day and it was great for bike riding.  I think if I weren't so physically comfortable in this, being dressed like sexy Beetlejuice might have been mentally uncomfortable for me.  But, as it was, I kind of loved this:

In addition to my awesome striped skirt (Vince Camuto via Nordstrom, exact) I also wore my striped tee (Old Navy, similar), my latest thrifted espadrilles (Rieker, exact) and a braided belt (thrifted, similar).  By the way, these shoes are awesome.  I have never heard of this brand before I thrifted them, but they're crazy comfortable too, just like the skirt.

Oh my Gawd, y'all; I've figured out the key to comfort! Dress like sexy Beetlejuice!

Trust me, it totally works.


Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Perfect 10

The wonderful, fabulous Callie, of Coffee and Cardigans, is hosting a blogging challenge, called The Perfect 10.  As part of this challenge, I and various other bloggers are going to cornrow our hair and run along the beach a la Bo Derek; and we’ll be video-taping the whole thing!

Okay, not really.  No, in actuality, the Perfect 10 Remix is far more sensible and far more safe for work that that.  Instead, for the next 10 days, we’re limiting our wardrobe to 10 items, remixing the heck out of those 10 items and sharing the results with our readers.

I don’t usually do challenges like this because a) I tend to get bored easily,  b) I don’t like anyone telling me what to wear, including me andc) I never know what to choose!!  Still, I will (reluctantly) admit that I need to challenge myself more, so I’m in.  Yay, me!

Here are my 10 items:

My perfect ten includes two skirts; one black and one striped: 

Three shirts; a striped tee, a navy tee and a sleeveless chambray:

One dress, in white, because that Labor Day thing is no longer a thing, right? 

Two pairs of shoes; brown huaraches and yellow platforms:

And one wildcard piece; a floral printed cropped jacket:

I’m actually kind of surprised by the pieces I chose – I figured I’d have more color or more prints or more colorful prints but I think this mix will work.  At least I hope it will.  I also hope that two pairs of shoes are enough; I’m kind of skeptical on that point, but shall do my best. 

For more on the Perfect 10 Remix, please see Callie’s post here.  

And stay tuned!

Gracey