July 29 2009

I am wearing: a polka dot sheath dress from Express, a floral skirt from Express, a shrug from BCBGeneration and the ugliest work shoes (which is why they do not appear in the photo!).

I wanted to try something new today. Also, I haven’t worn this dress in forever (well, since graduation)! I like the idea of layering a dress over a puffy skirt, and this is the only dress I could think of, that was short enough to have the skirt show at least a little. I like the vintage look of a skirt with a frilly colored bottom ruffle, which is what the layering makes it look like. This layering business is hot, which is emphasized by the already hot weather, so it is a little uncomfortable. And I wouldn’t have thrown on a shrug but for dress code purposes: the dress top is the color and ruffles, there are no sleeves.

I went very light on the accessories (meaning only a hairpin flower) because of how condensed the outfit already seems. I would love to find a T-shirt type dress, very slouchy to do this type of layering with.

July 28 2009

I am wearing: a grey pinstriped NY&Company pencil skirt, a silky Anna Sui top from Anthropologie and my new favorite shoes.

This shirt was the bargain I got at Anthropologie last week. I love it because it is soft and silky, is a beautiful purple with a lovely floral pattern, which does not make it grannyish. Plus, it has great detailing on the back: buttons from the bottom to the top of the banded bottom – if that description made any sense. I would have worn it with a plain black skirt but I wanted to wear the shoes and felt that they went better with this grey skirt. The shoes in question:

 

 They are beautiful. Enough said.

I just cannot wait to find more occasions to wear these. I love that the heel matches the plaid and is comfortable to stand in all day.

Love THEM!

July 23 2009

I am wearing: a black sleeveless top from H&M, a bright pink pencil skirt from H&M, a pink flower pin from Maurice’s, red and pink Betseyville wedges and a purse from my mother.

I love this pink on pink: as I have mentioned in just about every entry when I am wearing pink, I love pairing pink and red together. In this case, it’s mostly red shoes with a pink skirt. But it’s also the pink flower pin on the waistband with the different colored pink skirt. It works as a flirty way to point out the thin waist without having to cinch it with a belt. This is another outfit I think would be fun for a date night: it’s flirty, it’s cute, and it’s not over-the-top.

I really like pairing a fairly plain colored shirt with a bright skirt these days; it really makes every outfit look polished. As a matter of fact, I think that’s true especially when the shirt is white or black. The best part about this outfit is how little you really need to accessorize: the pin is really all I have going on. You don’t need a necklace, the neckline of the shirt kind of prohibits it (unless you wear a layered long necklace); earrings should be small so as not to detract from the up-do; and you want your arms to look very clean and free, so as not to look desperate.

Date night entry it is!

July 21 2009

Now it has developed into a full-on cold/flu business. Just so you know I wasn’t faking it.

Despite my illness, I am wearing: a Calvin Klein black and white A-line skirt, a black sleeveless shirt from JCPenney, a flower pin from Kohl’s, a headband/fascinator from Anthropologie, and silver mary jane pumps from Kensie.

This is an outfit I had not planned until I started rummaging through my closet. I wanted to wear this shirt tucked into a pencil skirt, and was going to pair it with a bright pink one, but I wanted to be comfortable at work (my mother has forbidden me from calling in sick) since I am not 100% better. I decided then to stick to an A-line skirt, and thinking in black and white, grabbed the CK one. I like adding the flower pin to this shirt because it is brightly colored and helps delineate where the asymetry ends on the shirt; there is a draping that begins in the middle back of the neckline and wraps around most of the front. I added mary-jane pumps because I have not worn them in forever, and my only colored pumps are red, and that would give this ensemble a Christmas-y feel, with the green flower. They also are fairly comfortable and look very retro. When I had picked those things out, I decided to go the whole nine yards with the retro thing and put on bright red lipstick, my fascinator/headband and some bangles my grandmother gave me. I feel like this outfit looks very date-night-y and cute, without being restrictingly tight.

July 20 2009

Forgive the frizz, it’s been raining on my way to and from work.

I am wearing: black slacks from NY&Company, w plain white tee from H&M, a cardigan from Express and… my slippers. Sorry. My shoes were wet.

This is a completely boring outfit. Entirely unexciting. But that is okay. I am still feeling blah, and it turns out black and white are the most chic of colors, especially when those are the only two worn. I tried to spruce it up with a cool new necklace, but I did not take a picture for you all to see it up close. Sorry. It is a double strand, one of which has an antique look bow and the other has a few pearls. I matched it with a wristful of bracelets with faux pearls to match as well as an antique look flower on one of them. Suffice to say tomorrow shall be as dull as today if I am lucky.

I think I am trying to work up the courage to think of an outfit that I might submit to weardrobe for their contest. But even that is making me nervous. And more ill. Bleh.

July 18 2009

I am wearing: black slacks from NY&Company (which I just got tailored), a former dress/tunic from JCPenney, a black patent belt from Anne Taylor Loft and the ugliest work shoes on earth.

I wore this to work today because I felt so lazy I might explode. So I just threw on these pants and this shirt. They both were just tailored and they felt like new clothes that needed wearing. The shirt was once a dress/tunic. It has this half-foot ruched banner on the bottom which made it leggings-ready, for the trendster with bad taste. I decided the bow on the back made it wonderfully cool.  So I chopped off the bottom half and hemmed it at a normal length. (By “I”, I mean my tailor, who is the church lady – they are always the best to go to because of their low-low non-competitive prices and talent) It also has discreet black horizontal stripes. It’s not fattenign because the stripes are as thin as pinstripes, and blend so well with the blue, and that leads it to be not enlarging. I don’t know why I belted it. I just felt accessory insane because I was wearing a plain outfit.

Tonight, I then went out to dinner at my grandmother’s house. Thus, for the oldsters, I dressed awesomely:

I am wearing: a royal blue strapless dress from Express, a thick black leather belt from Bebe and peeptoe sandals from Bandalino.

I should stress the fact that there is nothing more essential than a thick black belt in one’s closet. It can look anywhere from s/m, to biker tough, to just plain cool. And, it’s slimming. It always feels really neat with the strappy hardware wedge sandals. And what I feel is a retro-looking high hairdo makes this just a funky thing to wear. Which worked out perfectly for celebrating someone’s 70th birthday. Thus, I decided to wear something cool, because I knew they’d be too drunk to say anything negative.

This necklace is new; I got it at JCPenney. I really like it because I think it’s part of the new “mature person” look that I’m working on. It’s shiny, but not ostentatious; it’s black, but not childish. I think it will work with other outfits too.

July 17 2009

So I didn’t post yesterday. I know. I was sick.

I am wearing: an Express leopard print short sleeved button down, black slacks from France, a red patent belt from Forever 21 and plain ugly black work shoes.

This was an easy outfit to throw on today because I was not in a skirt or dress mood. Plus, this button down was relatively new, and I hadn’t worn it yet. I love animal print so much! And I love that it looks good on me. Plus, everyone complimented me on it, but I suspect it was also because I was wearing a super push-up bra, so they probably noticed what was under the shirt first. Nevertheless, button downs are one of my favorite things to wear to work in the summer. They can be tucked into high waisted pants, skirts, worn untucked from pants with a belt to cinch or same with a skirt. Cinching a shirt with a belt, when untucked, is not necessarily obligatory; a lot of well-tailored shirts have princess seams. This makes a shirt come in underneath the bust to highlight the fact that your bust is usually the widest part of your body. Indeed, one thing I really like about this style of button down from Express is that they are well tailored for my body; but they also have another style which just does not work for me at all. The lesson is to try a good number of button downs, and find the one that fits best. Tailoring is always an option, especially if you have a larger bust; it is very easy to take it in on the sides, as long as it fits well over the afore mentioned area.

July 15 2009

No – that thing on top of my head is not my hair; it’s something on the wall behind me! For a second, I thought I hadn’t noticed my hair was piled really high on my head.

I am wearing a red NY&Company city short suit, a black tee shirt from Banana Republic and Sofft shoes.

See – it’s a light fixture!

So I really liked this suit because it is a suit, but with city shorts, and a short sleeved jacket. Perfect for summer, when it gets too hot to be wearing a serious long jacket and pants suit. It is also a really bright orange/red, like a fire hydrant, so it is even more un-boring. The shorts also have a sailor pant type closure in the front (that is what I am calling the six buttons on the front). It’s really just an altogether fun look; and I know I can wear the jacket with other outfits. I also suspect that I could get away with not wearing a shirt underneath it, as it is so fully covering. The multitude of buttons on the shorts is hidden by the length of the jacket, which is okay, because the jacket has all sorts of buttons  on it. It has a pea coat closure (two parallel rows) and buttons on the collar. All in all, it’s a very easy outfit to just throw on. However, I would not really wear any color shirt other than black and maybe white with this outfit; I think the red is so overpowering, it might just get ugly.

I also went really light on accessories; just a gold pin in my hair, and very discreet small gold hoops. I think the suit is so eye-catching already, anything more would be overkill. And eye-harming.

July 14 2009 – Bastille Day!

As you can see, I did not dress patriotically at all – I went to see a very American movie with my mother today, and had a very American lunch, including American beer!

I am wearing: a pink cropped rain pea coat from JCPenney (their American Living line is designed by Ralph Lauren, and really great!), some jean capris from JCPenney, a black tank you cannot see from H&M, orange sandals from Younkers and a coach shoulder bag (oh and cheap red sunglasses from JCPenney).

I wore this outfit, thinking it might rain later on in the morning, and instead, as we were in the theater, it just got hotter and hotter and hotter. But the outfit was still alright; I jettisoned the coat in the car and walked around in the tank top. I love those sandals, by the way. They are not particularly comfy, probably won’t outlast the summer, but they were only $15 and they make me ever so tall. Indeed, I tower over everyone, making me stand up straighter, and thus boosts my confidence. No heel is too high, no pain too great, in exchange for confidence! Except maybe some.  I was wondering what to wear this coat with when I bought it: it’s rainproof, but has no hood; it’s a pea coat, but it’s cropped, and its sleeves are 3/4 length. But it works well with jeans,  and I imagine it would actually look fairly good with a full skirt, or even a pencil skirt, for a slightly more serious look. It will really make any casual outfit seem more put-together, even if it is not necessarily serious. It’s a flirty take on a conventional piece. I can’t wait for fall; pairing it will all matter of outfits will be my delight!

July 12 2009

I am wearing: an argyle sweater shirt from JCPenney, black slacks from C&A (a store in France) and green pointy toe flats.

This is a thoroughly unexciting outfit, fit for a thoroughly unexciting day: I have to buy a few things before going to work. Great. What actually makes this outfit is the accessories. I am wearing a leopard print scarf around my neck, layered with a gold star necklace. I really like the idea of combining two neck accessories, especially with one being a neckscarf: the way the necklace hangs underneath it really makes it have a romantic look.

Plus, I matched the leopard print scarf with a leopard print purse (animal print drives me wild!!!). So even though we have a thoroughly clashing brown tone leopard print with a blue, green and off-shite argyle print; it can be pulled together with neutrals (the black slacks) and having some matching item in the outfit (purse + neckscarf; argyle + shoes).

And that is how you clash patterns and still look sane.