Hearts and Raw Edges

This sweater used to have sleeves, but it looked ridiculous with sleeves so I hacked them off:

So now, instead of sleeves, I have raw edges:

And hearts.  Isn't it adorable, all covered in hearts?

Really, now that I got rid of those pesky sleeves, I love this sweater.  And I love it with my polka dot jeans, white button down and riding boots:

And, of course, with my heart necklace:

I figure if anything goes with hearts, it's more hearts.  Right?  That's a thing, pairing hearts with hearts?  Sure it is...

Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

Monster Boobs

I’m afraid that this top:

Makes my chestal region look like the chestal region of Roz, from Monsters, Inc.: 

Image via disney.wikia.com

 I know I should steer clear of clothing that makes any part of my anatomy look as though they belong to a saggy-chested monster, but I just can’t quit this sweater.  It’s warm, I think the draped aspect is cool (in spite of what it does to the girls) and I like the color.

I also like how it looks in today’s outfit:

I think the moss green of the top works well with the neutral layers and with the shiny layers of the necklaces.  

 

I guess what I’m saying is, monster boobs be damned, folks, I like this sweater, and I’m going to keep wearing it.

Happy Thursday, All!

Gracey

Get the Look

Chevron Necklace

Lonna & Lilly Tassel Pendant

Marc by Marc Jacobs watch

Similar draped sweater

Vince Camuto Midi Tube Skirt

Spanx Tight End Tights

Born Crown Boots

 

MarketPlace: Handwork of India

The other day I was contacted by a company called MarketPlace: Handwork of India with the offer to review one of their products.  I had never heard of this company so I did a little research and they’re pretty amazing.  They are a nonprofit Alternative Trade and Development Organization that works with 480 women artisans around Mumbai, India, to produce clothing and home décor items showcasing authentic techniques such as hand batik, ikat and hand embroidery.

The women work in supportive, non-exploitative work environments in the form of 14 cooperatives around Mumbai, which the women organize and manage.  And, addition to the much needed employment, MarketPlace works in conjunction with another nonprofit organization in Mumbai, SHARE, to provide social programs to the artisans.  And the women in turn use their own social program, Social Action, to get involved in their communities, tackling everything from garbage collection to domestic abuse.  

So, yeah, pretty amazing.

And so are the items they produce.  Like the Majuli Tunic:

Here is a close-up of the hand printed pattern and the hand embroidery at the yoke:

I don’t wear a lot of purple, but I love the dusty plum of the tunic.  And I love that the embroidery inspired me to pair the tunic with a mustard scarf:

Really, what's not to love about a company that empowers women and inspires the wearing of mustard?!  That's right, nothing.

To share in the love and learn more about MarketPlace: Handwork of India, please visit them here.

And have a Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

Kiss, Kiss

After Friday's all black challenge, I felt a return to color was in order:

I'm not saying this is better than head-to-toe black, but it's definitely more me.  I'm, somehow, more comfortable in an indigo dress and bright red, kiss print scarf than I am in black on black on black.

That's probably due to the kiss print scarf.  Kiss print scarves make everything better:

Tasha "Hot Kiss" Scarf via Nordstrom

Or, at the very least, they make me smile.

And it's not as if I'm banishing black from my wardrobe all together.  No, I just prefer it in smaller doses, like tights and a belt with an otherwise colorful look:

Dress: thrifted  Belt: Nine West, similar  Scarf: Tasha via Nordstrom  Booties: Nine West, similar

What about you, Reader Friends?  Are you more comfortable in color or in neutrals?

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Black on Black on Black

The lovely Fashionista Next Door has challenged us to wear all black as part of Style Me Friday.  And y'all?  This was crazy hard for me.

That's right, I had trouble putting together leggings and a tunic.

The thing is, I don't wear black from head-to-toe.  I pretty much have to have a pop of color; scarf, earrings, something.  Or something shiny.  I had to force myself to back away from my Foxxy Anubis brooch this morning.

However, I (sometimes) like a good challenge so I bit the bullet and resisted the urge to add color or shine, depending instead on different textures to (hopefully) add interest to my monochromatic look.

I, apparently, also wanted to show how it was possible to wear head-to-toe black and not look sleek and cool.

But, enough about my enduring fluffiness.  Let's get back to the texture:

Yes, my sweater is texturally interesting.  And yes, I do have to make that face when providing a close-up of this tunic. Rules is rules, folks.


Happy Friday, All!

Gracey

Dress Like A Wasp's Nest

I feel like a cocoon today.  Or a wasp's nest, what with all my gray, lumpy layers:

Which isn't to say I don't like this outfit.  I actually really do.  It's cozy as hell and it's as comfortable as pajamas. And it's successful deployment of a maxi dress in cooler weather, which is something I've struggled with in the past.

What it's not, is figure-flattering.  I know as a blogger I'm supposed to be demonstrating how to dress in the most flattering way (Right?  Isn't that what I'm supposed to be doing here?), but I just can't do it.  You want to wear something that swallows your shape?  Go for it.  Dress like a wasp's nest, if you want.  I totally support that.

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

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

The Faux Cowl Point

You see this mustard cowl?

It's not a cowl at all.  It's a faux cowl I created by draping this sweater vest around my neck:

Thrifted vintage wool sweater vest

Why?  Because I wanted a brightly colored, warm scarf to brighten up my otherwise neutral outfit.  Specifically, I wanted mustard, but, for some reason, I don't own a mustard scarf (I know, I'm surprised too). 

So, I did what anybody would do in my situation; I used my mustard vest as a scarf:

Jacket: Nordstrom (similar) Dress/Tunic: Target  Leggings: Target  Boots: Gap (similar)

And I'm glad I did.  I think the mustard brightens up this whole look and is the perfect focal point.  Or faux cowl point, if you will.  Yes, it's terrible and no, I can't stop.

Happy Thursday, All!

Gracey

Teal Abyss

So, the color of these pants is Teal Abyss:

And that kind of makes me laugh because it's an awfully dramatic name for a pants color.  It reminds me of this movie (oooh, drama). But, I appreciate that LOFT went for the drama instead of just calling it "Dark Teal" or something boring like that.

I also appreciate that LOFT made these pants at all because they're kind of fabulous.  They have a fairly high, wide waistband, so they're super comfortable and they hold their shape pretty darned well.  Also, they're teal and I'm big on teal this fall:

 Best of all, they come in Tall; although not in this color anymore.  But, they do have limited offerings in Tall in other colors and you can still get Teal Abyss in regular lengths and I recommend them for everyone; giants and non-giants alike (just make sure you line dry them).

In addition to my teal abyss pants (LOFT), I also wore a mustard sweater (thrifted, similar (tall & plus available)), black pumps (Gentle Souls "Rhemsical") and a tassel necklace (Old Navy, similar).  I thought the tone of the pants worked well with the sweater and both colors seemed perfect for a clear but cool fall day.

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey 

Mad for Plaid

If you follow me on Pinterest, you know that I've been pinning the heck out of plaid looks for this fall.  I have, so far, resisted the urge to run out and buy/thrift a bunch of plaid but I'm no longer able resist wearing the plaid items I already own.  Like this plaid skirt:

I thrifted this skirt a couple of years ago but, apparently I wasn't that in to plaid a couple of years ago because I rarely wore it.  I'm planning on making amends for that this fall because I am currently absolutely mad for plaid.

Today I wore the skirt (similar) with a chambray shirt (Caslon, similar), my much-loved Born Crown riding boots (similar) and a vintage ram belt.

I finished the look off with a ball-tasseled (basseled?) scarf (LOFT, similar):

What about you, Reader Friends?  Are you mad for plaid?

Happy Friday, All!

Gracey

Stripes, Tights & Blazers

This is a summer dress.  It's not terribly thick, it is sleeveless with a racer back and it is so short it's practically un escandalo:

However, I attempted to make it fall appropriate by layering the dress (LOFT, similar) over tights (Spanx via Nordstrom) with boots (Born "Mabel") and a blazer (J. Crew, swapped, similar).  I also added studded bracelets (Nordstrom, exact) and a neon necklace.

I'm trying to get better about transitioning summer clothes to fall and winter with layers.  I layer a lot but I tend to pack up items I consider "summery" once fall comes and I don't see them again until the following spring.  On one hand, it's kind of nice because I'm always surprised at what I have stored in the garage.  On the other hand, I think my two-seasons-and-two-seasons-only approach to my clothes has resulted in my over-purchasing.  And that's the outcome I'm trying to fight with better cross-seasonal layering.

What about you, Reader Friends?  Do you switch your clothes out for the season or do you have items that work across the seasons?

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

A Reprieve

We're having a reprieve from the rain for a few days and it is delightful.  It's still pretty cold in the mornings but the afternoons have been glorious.  So I took the opportunity to shed some layers:

I know, it's not a very fall-like palette but I actually really liked the skirt (Old Navy) with the gray sweater (JC Penney).  But the boots (Enzo Angolini via Nordstrom, similar), the boots are totally fall-like.  An effect I probably ruined with my pink and blue necklace (via Etsy shop, Nest of the Bluebird) and neon pink studs (Kate Spade New York).

Still, I'm sure I'll be back to fall colors once Oregon gets back to fall weather.

Happy Friday, All.  And have a lovely weekend!

Gracey

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