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

The Pants Formerly Known as Oxblood

Last year at this time, these pants were my "oxblood" cords.  This fall, they are my "wine" cords:

Because, apparently, oxblood is out this year.  That's not to say this color is out.  No, if you added something in this color to your wardrobe last year, rest assured you can continue to wear it this fall and winter.  But, you will need to refer to it as wine, otherwise you'll look dated. Heaven forfend.

Today I paired my oxblood wine cords (Banana Republic, similar) with a peach sweater (thrifted, similar).  I added a pair of dark teal velvet flats (Old Navy, similar) and a wool floral scarf (gifted, similar) to tie it all together.

Or something like that. 

Remember, kids; wine, not oxblood.

And have a happy Tuesday,

Gracey

Indigo Girl

I’m not sure today’s photos are really doing this dress justice.  They’re skewing a little cobalt when, in truth, this dress is a lovely, deep indigo:

Not that there is anything wrong with cobalt.  I love cobalt.  But this dress is not cobalt, it’s indigo.  I think these photos show it a little bit better: 

Hmmph.  Maybe not.

But this photo definitely shows me doing The Duck Face Robot, which is a dance I made up this morning:

Ducks and robots aside, my dress is indigo, not cobalt.  And it’s vintage and warm (wool/acrylic blend) and has pockets, so it’s basically awesome.  In addition to my awesome dress of awesome indigo-ness, I also wore a turtleneck (Gap), tights (Hue via Macys) over which I wore OTK socks (Nordstrom), and suede boots (Naughty Monkey via Nordstrom).  I also added a studded belt (JC Penney) and neon pink studs (Kate Spade New York via Nordstrom). 

Also, if you don’t know who the Indigo Girls are, we may need to have a talk.  At the very least you should watch this video (to which you could dance The Duck Face Robot if you wanted):

You're welcome.

Happy Wednesday, All! 

Gracey

Silk, Wool & Silk-Lined Wool

Taking some of the awesome advice I received from yesterday’s post, I decided to forgo the jeans today and wear some warmer fabrics.  Specifically, silk, wool and silk-lined wool:

 

Instead of a cotton sweater, I wore a silk blouse (Jones New York via Goodwill) layered under a silk-lined wool jacket (vintage via Goodwill).  And, in lieu of jeans, I wore a sweater skirt (vintage via Goodwill) layered over bloomers and tights (Assets via Target) which were in turn layered over merino wool footless tights (Hue).  I also added wool socks, ankle boots (Nine West “Darsy”) and a belt (thrifted via Goodwill).

And, for the most part, it worked.  My feet are still cold, but I think that’s kind of their thing.  My torso is definitely warmer with the layers of silk and wool than with yesterday’s cotton sweater, even though it was a pretty dense knit.  I think I may also be warmer because of the pattern mixing going on; few things warm the cockles of my heart like pattern mixing:

Thank you all again for the tips on staying warm, with a special shout out to Secret Squirrel and her Nan; I tried the silk scarf layered under a knit scarf this morning and it was brilliant!

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Clothes, Clever Title, Descriptive Words

I am exhausted today, folks.  Ex-haus-ted.  For reals.  And therefore, although I wore clothes, I pretty much have nothing to say about them.  But, here they are anyway:

And here are some descriptive words about them: I wore this outfit today; it was warm and bike-friendly.  I chose a gray sweater (Old Navy) and orange tights (Spanx via Nordstrom) to pick up the colors in the skirt (vintage, thrifted).  I like this skirt a lot.  It’s wool and plaid and pleated, so that’s fun.  I also wore a belt (thrifted), riding boots (Born Crown “Sosie” via Nordstrom) and a vintage moss agate necklace (via Lil’ Gypsy Vintage).  This outfit makes sense.

Now, let’s talk about why I’m so tired.  I stayed up late, late, late last night finishing Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.  Have any of you read that book?  What did you think?  I think the premise was great, but even with the unusual plot, it felt a little cliché to me at times.  But, that could just be because I watch too much television.  Or, not enough…  I don’t know.  I don’t feel like I’m articulating my thoughts well enough (I am exhausted after all), but, what it comes down to, I didn’t always believe Amy’s character.  It seemed a little too contrived and manipulative on the part of the author.

Anyway, if you’ve read it, I’d love to hear what you thought.  And if you haven’t read it, I definitely recommend it and then we can discuss.  

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

Black Skirt # 2 – The No-Brainer

I never had any doubts that I would keep this skirt:

February 13, 2012: with tights, boots, cashmere and animal

April 2, 2012: with tights, animal print booties & a cranberry duster

May 7, 2012: with animal, floral and more animal

May 30, 2012: with animal and neutrals

In fact, if I were to only have one black skirt in my closet (yes, I know it’s a ridiculous premise, but hear me out) I think it’d be this one.  It’s one of my favorite pieces, thrifted or otherwise.  I like the length, love the fact that it’s pleated and like that it plays well with both neutrals and colors.  Yes, keeping this one is a no-brainer for sure.

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey