Houndstooth and Harlequin

Today I've paired houndstooth with harlequin:

And, frankly, I'm surprised it took me this long to put these two together.

The houndstooth blouse (thrifted Jones New York, similar) is a natural fit with the harlequin sweater vest (thrifted vintage JG Hook, similar).  Thank goodness I found these two hanging out together in my closet or this may never have happened:

Can you imagine??!!

Really though, though, those two did the hard work. I just added a midi skirt (thrifted vintage, similar), tights (Spanx Tight End Tights) and ankle boots (Nine West "Darsy").  Oh, and my new favorite tiger diadem necklace (Hive and Honey via Piperlime):

It's not my fault it goes with everything.

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Cobalt Midi

I know for some, the inclination in summer is to wear as little clothing as possible.  And, as the temperatures climb into the 90s here in Oregon, I definitely understand.  And others swear that maxis are good, especially for air conditioning and I understand that too.

But, personally, I’ve found myself drawn to full, swooshy midi-skirts, like this cobalt one:

 

Skirt: Thrifted vintage   Tee: Gap   Sandals: White Mountain via Macys

 

I think it’s the swooshy-ness (shut up, Microsoft, it is too a word) of the skirt that makes it so lovely for summer:

 

Or, it could be the pockets:

 

Because pockets are a gosh darned delight all year long. 

Whether it’s the swooshy-ness or the pockets or something else, I don’t know.  What I do know is that I love a good midi-skirt for the summer months.

What about you, Reader Friends?  What length are your summer hemlines?

Happy Thursday, All!

Gracey

Hot Pink Camp & A Mocha Midi

I don't know that I would have thought to pair this hot pink camp shirt with this mocha midi skirt if they hadn't been on the same migratory path through my closet.  But, they were and I liked the way they looked grazing on the plains together so here they are:

Blouse, skirt & belt: thrifted vintage, Hive & Honey flats via Piperlime

I also added black accessories, including my vintage sweater clip pins:

One day I'll probably wear this piece to hold a sweater together.  Probably.

Happy Thursday, Everyone!

Gracey

SIA: Coral and Cobalt

I have been on a roll this month.  I participated for the first time in Two Birds’ Inspiration Monday earlier this month.  And now I’m participating in Style Imitating Art.  I’m rather proud of myself.  But, enough about me.  Let's talk about art and style.

Here is the art:

Image from David Weisner's "Flotsam"

And here is my style:

I love the combination of coral (salmon? carp?) with the bright blue so I paired my coral polka dot blouse (handmade vintage) with my cobalt midi skirt (vintage via Goodwill).  I also added some pops of black (I heard it's the latest trend) with my belt (via Goodwill), necklace (Old Navy) & ankle strap flats (Hive & Honey via Piperlime).  

Yep, you guessed it: POCKETS!!!!

I’d like to thank Jess of Animated Cardigan for hosting; you can see the other participants on her site. 

And I’d like to give a shout out to my boobs for distorting some of the dots into goldfish-like shapes; I appreciate your help with this challenge, Ladies.

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

P.S. This is an illustration from the book, Flotsam, by David Wiesner.  His books are amazing and if you haven’t read them, I strongly suggest you do, even if you think you might be too old for picture books.

Harlequin and Hearts

I learned a lot from wearing this outfit today:

 

One, in spite of the neutral color palette, this outfit attracts a lot of attention.  From whispers of “look at those shoes” as I passed by, to concern that I was interviewing for a different job.  

Two, I am apparently considered by my peers to be more fashionable than professional; today’s outfit was described as “professional-fashionable” as opposed to my “usual fashionable-fashionable.”  I’ll take it.

Three, when worn over black tights, these shoes kind of look like the wedge high-top sneakers I’ve been trying to avoid.  Heh.

Four, this skirt is not great for bike riding.  It’s so full that the wind kept catching it and I looked like a giant crow or bat trying to ride a bike.  And, with my black coat, I also felt a little witchy.  My friends are always threatening to drive behind me blasting the Wicked Witch’s theme from The Wizard of Oz.  Today would have been a great day for that.

All that for what’s basically a very simple outfit.  It’s a harlequin sweater vest (vintage J. G. Hook via Goodwill) layered over a black turtleneck (Gap) with a black skirt (Ralph Lauren via Goodwill), black tights (Hue via Nordstrom Rack) and Matiko “Ella” wedges (Ideeli).  I also added a belt (vintage brass), earrings (gifted) and the titular hearts in the form of a heart necklace from ModCloth ( v. old).

And I think I liked it.  I think it’s unusual but I also think it’s kind of cool.  But, honestly, I don’t know; I’m having the hardest time dressing myself lately. 

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Mocha, Charcoal and Plaid

One of the looks I knew for certain I’d try this fall and winter was black with brown.  And then, the other day, my charcoal sweater ended up next to my brown skirt and I realized that I also needed to try graywith brown.  So, I did:

Specifically what I did was to pair that charcoal sweater (Tulle) with a mocha-colored midi-skirt (vintage, thrifted).  I added gray and black herringbone tights (HUE), black shooties (BC Shoes) and my plaid infinity scarf (DIY’d).

And I’m glad I tried it, because I liked it.  I think the look would have worked just as well with a black sweater, but I think the charcoal with the mocha is a little bit more unexpected.  And I think the plaid scarf was a little unexpected as well.  Well, maybe not on me as I wear this thing constantly, but in general terms of clothing combinations, I’m totally cutting edge.

Happy Wednesday, Everyone!  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Gracey

Like A Real Blogger

I feel almost like a real blogger today:

 

Layers?  Check.  Awkward skirt length coupled with awkward boot height?  Check.  Blogger bun (sans the sock)?  Check.  

Of course, I should probably be wearing a statement necklace, probably the J. Crew Bubble, instead of my tasseled pendant.  And I probably should have tripled the guest list to my arm party.  And I’m missing a clutch to hold across my body.  Oh, and I should probably be staring pensively into the distance instead of smiling.

But, really, those small missteps aside, I think I came pretty darn close to real blogger-ness today.  The formula?  Loose gray midi dress (thrifted) + open-weave, button-back sweater (Old Navy) + cuffed, heeled boots (Gap).  And of course accessories; mine are a pendant necklace (Old Navy) + bracelets (Banana Republic, gifted and Macys) + earrings (Target).

Happy Friday, Everyone!

Gracey