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

Cranberry

I guess this cardigan could be called "red" but red is boring and I grew up looking at J.Crew catalogs, so I'm calling it cranberry:

Dress: c/o eShakti  Cardigan: thrifted   Tights: Spanx   Boots: Nine West "Darsy"

I know it doesn't seem like enough for cold November weather, but it's a lovely wool/silk mix and is warm as heck.  I thrifted it a couple of years ago and don't wear it nearly enough, I think because the proportions are a bit difficult to work with.

Then I remembered that I have trouble with proportions anyway so I just slapped it on over my eShakti sheath dress and some tights:

In case you were curious, the dress is oatmeal with an ink trim and the tights and boots are ebony.

Happy Friday, All!

Gracey

80s + Plaid = Love

This sweater is one of those fabled plaid pieces I thrifted this summer in anticipation of cooler weather:

Sweater: vintage, similar   Scarf: DIY   Jeans: Banana Republic   Boots: Nine West "Darsy"

 Well, cooler weather has arrived, and I finally (finally!) got to wear my beloved plaid cardigan.  And it was a delight.

Except that the super-low-v neckline gave me a bit of trouble.  It's not as though the girls popped out and waved at folks, but I could feel them thinking about it.  I tried to mitigate their overwhelming friendliness with a scarf, and I think that worked, but I was awfully warm all day.

I tell you, Friends, it's a rough day when a gal has to choose between sweating and flashing people.

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

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

Eye of the Tiger, Foot of the Leopard

Is there a rule about mixing your big cats?  I mean, if I'm wearing a tiger tee can I pair it with a leopard shoe? Or is this look a fashion faux pas?

 

Hah!  I'm just kidding; this outfit is clearly a great idea.  I say the more big cats the better!  I figure if I'm going to be a cat lady, I may as well be a big cat lady.

Really though, I love this combination of the tiger tee (Bobeau via Nordstrom) with the tweedy blazer (thrifted vintage, similar) and the ankle zip skinnies (Banana Republic).  And I think the leopard flats (Nine West, similar) and tiered chevron necklace (Hive & Honey via Piperlime) are the perfect finishing touches.

I mean, could I have used a bracelet?  Sure, but I'm still pretty darned happy with it as is:

 Also, lest you think when I say "eye of the tiger" I am referring to Katy Perry, let me disabuse you of that notion right here and now.  Below is what I'm referring to when I say "eye of the tiger," you young whippersnappers:

Yes, that song is amazing, thank you for noticing.

Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

SIA: The Woman And Her Chair

This is the painting Salazar, of 14 Shades of Grey, chose for today's SIA Challenge:

Cecelia Beaux "After the Meeting"

And this is what I wore:

Yes, that's right, I am dressed as both the woman and her chair.

When I first saw this painting on 14 Shades of Grey, I was immediately drawn to the mix of the floral on the chair and the stripes on the woman.  I also love the the rich warm tones of the painting and wanted to incorporate all of those things into my outfit.

The result is a mix of stripes (Target shirt, Vince Camuto skirt), floral (handmade vintage coat-dress-thingy) and leopard (Nine West):

Yes, I know there is no leopard in the painting, but I'm pretty sure that woman sitting on that chair would have some leopard in her life.  She's seems like a bit of a bad-ass like that.

For more inspired looks, pop by Salazar's and take a gander!

And have a Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Oooh, I almost forgot.  I'm linking up to Visible Monday over at Not Dead Yet Style because I felt highly visible in this mix of prints and awesomeness.

Shiny Casual Friday

I don't wear a lot of hats.  I have, what I believe, is an oddly shaped head with a large circumference and a bit of a point on top.  I am basically a phrenologists dream.  But, when I was contacted about trying a winter hat from the Dorfman Pacific Scala Collezione line, I thought I'd give it a shot.

And you guys?  I'm so glad I did; this hat is adorable:

It's boiled wool, so it's warm, but not itchy and it seems to fit my round, pointy head quite well.  As you can see, I chose charcoal, but this particular hat, the Cadet, comes in several colors, including black, burgundy, olive and camel:

I paired the hat with an embellished sweatshirt (LOFT), cuffed jeans (Lucky) and leopard flats (Nine West, similar) to recreate a look I found on Pinterest.  Here is the Pinspiration look:

Image via Pinterest

And here is my look:

Pretty darned close, I'd say.

Even if it's not, I finally did a look I pinned, so I get to link up to H&K Style Journey for their Pinned It and Did It series.  Yay me!

Happy Friday, All!

Gracey

Double Animal and FRAAS

Oh, it's been cold here in Oregon.  Happily, the kind folks at FRAAS offered to let me try one of their new line of scarves to help keep me warm:

It's reversible and comes in several colors, including petrol, dark red, purple and black.  I chose the petrol shade which, as you can see, is a sort of teal:

It's actually not an infinity scarf, but I borrowed a trick from Jeans and a Teacup and fastened the ends together with a small rubber band so I could wear it as an infinity scarf.

In addition to the FRAAS scarf, I did wear double leopard with my sweater (Old Navy) and flats (Nine West).  I also added cuffed jeans (Lucky).

If you're interested in procuring a lovely FRAAS scarf of your own, you can find select styles at www.fraas.com as well as www.amazon.com.


Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

Olive, Orange and Leopard

The weather has taken a turn for the worst here in Oregon.  Thunder and lightning, torrential rains and, gasp, layers.  Today's layers are olive, orange and leopard:

I'm not super excited about being forced into wearing layers, but I liked the mix of olive (thrifted jacket), orange (Old Navy top and Nine West flats) with leopard in this look.  I also added Gap Real Straight Skimmers and a Nordstrom studded bracelet. 

I think maybe my jacket is a bit boxy for my shape, but otherwise I liked this look.  I may try to thrift a more fitted one, but it's hard to find something that is both fitted and casual and I bought this jacket specifically to fill a casual niche.  Also, I'm kind of lazy so unless a more-fitted-but-still-casual olive jacket throws itself into my Goodwill cart, this one will just have to do.

So, to sum up, it rained, I wore layers and those layers included a somewhat ill-fitting but still mostly acceptable jacket.  And that makes me wonder, how important is fit to you, Dearest Reader Fans?  Do you purchase not-quite-right items to fill a gap or is fit paramount in your wardrobe?

Happy Friday, All!

Gracey

The Devolution of Style

So, June has been a rough month for me.  Work has been atrocious; I'm not sleeping well, I'm not blogging well and I haven't visited other blogs in ages.  Also, I've started dressing like this:

I know, I know, it's boring.  There is no raucous color, no vintage pieces and I practically match.  But, it's also easy and I really need easy right now.  Easy like jeans (Wit and Wisdom via Nordstrom) and a tee (Gap) with flats (Nine West via Piperlime) and a cardigan (Ann Taylor, thrifted).  Besides, this outfit isn't just easy, it makes me feel physically capable.  And I realized that when I feel more physically capable, I feel more mentally capable.

In this outfit I felt like I could not only run from zombies (although not the World War Z zombies; apparently their zombies are fast as hell.  Which, boo.) but I that could deliver a roundhouse kick straight to a spreadsheet's dome. 

I may not be battling zombies (yet; we all know it's coming) but I am battling some serious spreadsheets and dressing like this makes me feel like I have a better chance at winning.

Don't worry, I haven't completely given up.  I did add a lovely Megan Mae button flower because it looks great with leopard and doesn't detract from zombie/spreadsheet fighting:

And, in my mind, that's the mark of a truly great accessory; if you can still fight the undead while wearing it, it's a keeper.

Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

Knotted

As you know, I love me a striped shirt; I even recommended them in my wardrobe workhorses post.  And this vertically striped shirt is definitely one of my favorites.  So, I was pretty excited to find another way to wear it; knotted at the bottom:

It's pretty over-sized so I usually wear it tucked, but today I undid the last button and tied it up.  I like that it alters the shape of the shirt into something more interesting than a straight-across hem.  

In addition to the striped shirt (vintage, thrifted), I am also wearing another of my recommended wardrobe workhorses; dark pants.  In this case, a pair of black twill skinnies (Simply Vera Vera Wang via Kohl's (similar here)).  I added a neutral statement necklace (c/o Maurice's) but colorful shoes (Nine West via TJ Maxx).

And I don't mean to be smug, but I'm pretty sure this outfit totally justifies the inclusion of these items on my list. 

Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

Snow Leopard, Blue Leopard

I know it's a rule of thumb to only wear one piece of leopard in an outfit.  But, if I'm not going to let my thighs boss me around, my thumbs certainly aren't going to tell me what to do.  So, today?  Today, I wore snow leopard and blue leopard:

Hahahahaha, take that, Thumbs!  A leopard dress with leopard shoes!

Because that's just how I roll:

Target dress, Nine West flats, JCP belt & thrifted cuff

Mind-blowing stuff, isn't it?

Happy Thursday, All!

Gracey


Shop the Look:
Exact Mossimo dress
Similar blue leopard flats
Similar blue belt

** 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.

Short Pants, Tall Shoes

I'm really feeling this combination of loose, short pants, preferably printed and high-waisted, paired with a shorter top and tall shoes:

I might need to tweak the pieces a bit, but I feel like this is a silhouette I'll be wearing a lot this summer.  I guess it could use a bit more definition at the waist, but I don't know that I really want it.  I am trying to figure out how to wear looser pieces.  And even though this isn't quite right, I think it's the direction I want to go.

Happy Friday, All!

Gracey

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

Watercolor and White

This weekend I received a gorgeous watercolor-print scarf from FRAAS:

It is the Mystical Waters scarf, in turquoise, and it’s great.  It’s actually pretty big (40 x 72 inches) and can be used as a wrap, but isn’t too bulky when tied as a scarf, which is how I wore it today:

I wanted to keep the focus on the scarf, so I kept the rest of the outfit neutral, pairing it with a gray tee (Target), trouser jeans (Banana Republic) and a white blazer (Banana Republic).  I also added a clear belt (v. old, Old Navy) and platform booties (Nine West via TJ Maxx).

I think the scarf adds just the right amount of color, texture and interest to the look.  It’s definitely a piece I can see myself wearing all spring and summer. 

If you’d like a FRAAS scarf of your own for the upcoming season, this particular scarf (Style 623949) can be ordered by calling 212-575-0191.  And other scarves are available at fraas.com and amazon.com.

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Shop the Look:

Similar trouser jeans (available in Tall)

Gray Target tee

Similar white blazer (available in Tall)

Similar clear belt

** 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.