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 

How I Wear My: Neon

Today on the "How I Wear My" series (hosted by Jill and Adrienne) we're showing how we wear our neon.  With the exception of this neon dress, I tend to wear my neon in small doses like in today's look:

I paired my neon yellow sandals (Tommy Hilfiger via Piperlime) with a gray dress (thrifted).  I added a thrifted belt, a turquoise and lime scarf (Echo via Nordstrom) and lime studs (gifted (thanks, Megan Mae!)).

For more neon looks, please visit Jill at Everything Just So.

But, while you're still here, what about you, Reader Friends?  Do you wear neon?  If so, how do you wear your neon?

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

Literary Stylings # 3: Valeria's Last Stand

As I mentioned before, one of the mere three books I read last month was a weird-and-not-in-the-good-way book called Valeria's Last Stand, by author Marc Fitten:

I guess it was supposed to be a comedy, but I don't see how making every single character in the town hateful was funny.  I don't know, maybe I missed the point.  Has anyone else read this book?  If you haven't, I don't recommend it, but if you have, can you explain it to me, using small words, please, in the comments?

Enough about the book though.  Well, maybe a bit more.  There is a lot of talk of produce in the book as the titular character, Valeria, grows the best produce in town and constantly reminds everyone of the fact (seriously, she is horrible).  There is also a lot of talk about color, the color of the fruits and vegetables, especially peppers and turnips, but also of the crockery made by the local potter.

Well, when I saw this dress in Goodwill a couple of weeks ago, the colors instantly reminded me of the colors in the book:

And the chaotic print reminded me of the muddy, chaotic prose of the book:

Happily for me, crazy, chaotic print on a dress makes me much happier that crazy, chaotic writing.  Seriously, that book made me feel like this:

Pretty sure that was the look on my face the entire time I was reading it.

But, it did inspire me to buy this awesome dress, which I paired with a braided belt (also via Goodwill) and ankle strap flats (Hive & Honey via Piperlime) and a chunky necklace:

I chose this particular necklace because the large beads are actually clay, you know, like a potter uses and there is a potter in the book.  Also, it's pepper-colored and peppers play a large role in the book so I wore it.

Because, even though the book was terrible, it really did inspire this entire look.

And now, it's your turn.  You can link your literature-inspired looks below: 

 

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Sewing Savant and Possible Psychic

I love this dress:

Love the print, love the fit, love it. 

I mean, look at this thing.  It’s amazing:

It's perfect for swishing about, dramatic walks down spiral staircases, Mama Mia! viewings and casual summer parties.  I'd just add a white blazer for cool nights and I'd be set.  You can see it with a blazer at Everything Just So where the lovely Jill has included my pic with other party pics.

The best thing about this dress though?  It's handmade.  I’m always yelling about how much I love handmade vintage and this dress is a prime example why; it looks like it was made for me.  It wasn’t, of course, unless… Unless my 70s toddler-self sewed it for my future-self, at which point I should probably go on the next season of Project Runway because I’m clearly a sewing savant and possibly psychic!  

Happy Thursday, Everyone!

Gracey

SIA: Woman of Substance

Today, I am linking up to Salazar's blog, 14 Shades of Grey, for this week's SIA Challenge.  As soon as I saw the piece Salazar chose, I knew I had to participate:

Woman of Substance - Octavio Ocampo

In spite of all the blue in the piece, I was drawn most to the combination of cream, green and orange-y yellows.  So, those are the colors I used in my outfit:

For this outfit, I paired my green, knit pencil skirt (vintage via Vintage by the Pound) with a cream blouse (LOFT), yellow sandals (Franco Sarto via Nordstrom Rack) and a yellow necklace (LOFT).  I also added a leopard belt because, well, I'm sure the artist meant to put of leopard in the inspiration piece.  Probably.



All in all, I loved the inspiration piece and I love my resultant outfit:

To see everyone else's inspired looks, please stop by 14 Shades of Grey and take a peek.

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

The Yellow

I really liked this outfit and I think it's the yellow:

Dress: Thrifted (similar)   Scarf: Nordstrom (similar)   Sandals: Ella Moss via Piperlime (similar color)   Cuff: Street vendor (similar)

It's one of those things that may not make sense originally, but I think it works.  I mean, I love yellow with gray and with turquoise so adding a bit to an outfit that's predominately gray and turquoise really does make sense.  Also, my friend Ferge hates the yellow (it confuses her) so I'm pretty sure it was the right choice.

That's right, folks.  There's a tip for getting dressed in the morning: wear what your friends hate.

Happy  Friday, Everyone!

Gracey

On Repeat

Once again, I am wearing a dress.  And sandals.  I seem to have this combination on repeat this summer:

Thrifted Dress (similar), Enzo Angolini sandals (similar) via Nordstrom Rack & LOFT necklace

Tomorrow I will also probably wear a dress and sandals.  Sometimes I like to wear separates with my sandals, just to shake things up, but it's usually a dress.  I did manage a necklace this time though:

I know, I know; that's pretty fancy for a Monday.  I guess that's just how I roll.

Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

Busy or Whiny

This outfit feels busy to me:

I think it's the combination of the printed blouse (Bisou Bisou via JCP) with the pleated skirt (vintage via Goodwill).  I like both pieces well enough on their own but think they may be too much together:

Or, it's just hot out and heat makes me whiny and unable to dress myself.  Ah, well, busy or whiny, this is what I wore.

Happy Tuesday, All!  Stay cool!

Gracey

When Squirrels Attack: Part Deux

For some reason, squirrels hate me.  I don't know if they think I'm a tree and are trying to nest in my admittedly nest-able hair, or what.  But, today, this happened:

What caused such look of terror on my normally smiling face?

Well, I'll tell you.  What happened was I got attacked by this little, blood-thirsty killer:

Notice the straightened tail for maximum aerodynamic attack speed.

First he rushed me from the right, then tried to sneak back up on me from the left.  You can see in this next picture he tries to pretend he's minding his own business, but he is totally eye-ballin' me:

Sneaky little bastard.

But, enough about the killer squirrel.  Let's talk about the clothes.  This is what I wore:

 

Isn't that blouse fun?!!  I love it.  It's bright and colorful and I think the large-scale print is pretty cool.  To balance the delightful brightness of the blouse (thrifted) I decided to wear dark bottoms.  And to balance the wide-leg of the pants (Banana Republic) I decided to wear platform sandals (Franco Sarto via Nordstrom Rack).  I finished the look with black accessories.

Happy Thursday, Everyone!  Watch out for killer squirrels!

Gracey

Mogambo

Today I am dressed like my namesake*, Grace Kelly, in the 1953 movie, Mogambo. 

Grace Kelly (and the ever dashing Clark Gable):

Grace(y) the Giant:

See? We're practically twins.  Well, not really, but I do feel like Grace would have worn this in Africa with Clark.  Ava Gardner was also in the film and she would have scoffed at this, preferring her wiggle skirts but Grace and I know you can't properly go on safari, or ride a bike, in a wiggle skirt. 

Nope, it's a full skirt for me:

Jones New York skirt, Gap blouse, thrifted huarches, thrifted belt.

And an adorable little owl pin:

A stickpin used to keep my Gap shirt from living up to it's name.

Happy Monday, All!

Gracey


*This is not true.

Trends to Try: Neon

Like many fashion trends that have been here before, neon has come back around.  It first cropped back up a year or so ago and is still going strong today.

So, how do you try this trend without looking as though you're starring in a Wham! video?  Well, for one, avoid wearing it with feathered hair and short shorts.  Agreed?  Good, now here are some other tips that might help you try this trend.

1. A little goes a long way.  Try this trend in small doses such as jewelry, belts, small handbags and shoes.  I think you'll find that a even the smallest pop, such as studs, or nail polish, is still fun.
2. Wear it with mid-tones.  Especially if you're not sure about this trend, you may find that pairing neon with too strong of a color might be too much look.  Try pairing your neon with mid-tones such as gray, khaki, navy and olive to keep your look modern.
3. Stick to neon in colors you love.  I wear a lot of pink and orange so I naturally gravitated to neon pink, neon orange and, my personal favorite, neon peach.  If you wear neon in shades you like, you'll be more comfortable trying this trend.
4. If you choose to wear more substantial neon pieces, like skirts, dresses or sweaters, make sure you wear them in a modern shape and/or with equally modern pieces.
5. Wear it with denim.  In the form of a belt, shoes, sweater or clutch, neon anything looks good with denim everything.

Looks to Try:

 

Neon by fashionforgiants on polyvore.com

Looks not to try, a.k.a the aforementioned Wham! video:

What about you, Reader Friends?  Have you (re-) tried neon yet?

Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

Gracey and the Big Thigh Day

I am having a big thigh day today:

Don’t get me wrong, I always have big thighs.  My thighs will tell you themselves that they are the biggest, baddest thighs on the planet and that that is why they’re forming their own republic.  

But, I think they're planning something because I could barely get these jeans over them today.  Usually when they act up, I like to quash their dreams of independence with a full skirt, but I’ve been too busy lately to chase down the rebel leaders.  The result?  My thighs in open rebellion.  And by open rebellion, I mean jeans:

Well, Thighs, enjoy it while it lasts.  Because as soon as I can marshal my forces, I’m coming after you with the biggest, fullest skirt I can find.

Happy Wednesday, Everyone!  (Well, everyone except my thighs, of course).

Gracey

Shop the Look:

Exact Gap Real Straight jeans (Tall available)

Similar yellow Gap sweater (Tall available)

Similar heeled clogs

Similar fringe necklace

** 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.

Hello, Sunshine

We had a beautiful day here in Oregon today.  The past couple days haven’t been cold, but they’ve been overcast.  Today was both warm and sunny.  It made me happy.  And a little cheesy, if this photo is any indication:

Yeah, I don’t even know.

What I do know is that I love this outfit and I wish it had photographed even a little better:

I wasn’t sure which shoes to pair with the combination of mocha skirt (vintage via Goodwill) and yellow sweater (Gap), but I think I really, really like the houndstooth flats (Old Navy via Goodwill) with it.  Yes, I basically like houndstooth with everything, but this look just reinforces that.

Also, you see that lady-tie?  It’s a new lady-tie I found when searching for a lady-tie for my girl, Ally.  I love it because it pairs well with my mocha skirt but it also makes me laugh because it’s a lady-tie printed with lady-ties: 

If that’s not some sartorial hilarity, I don’t know what is.

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey