throwback

These pants are quite the throwback. Junior, maybe senior, year of high school. And whenever it's closet clean out time, I just can't part with them (you can't see it in these pictures, but they have a small pinstripe).

I was about to toss them (they're kind of a funky fit, and really wide-legged, and what do I wear with them?), but my friend Amanda gave me some new ideas for them. And so, life was breathed back into these old pants. I chose a baseball tee, plaid tennis shoes, my trusty cognac faux leather jacket, and of course, my aviator-style sunglasses with monogrammed croakies. We'll call this

"casual, menswear-inspired, almost-but-not-quite-vintage wide-legged pants."

How's that sound? ;)

And please wish me luck - currently I'm running 13.1 miles (I use running very loosely) down a canyon, into Old Town, where I hope to have a beer waiting for me at the finish...

shirt: J. Crew Factory

pants: GAP

faux leather jacket: c/o Aéropostale

plaid tennis shoes (or, as my sis-in-law calls them, "tenny pumps"): Coach via DSW

sunglasses: Smith Eyewear via The Eyes Have It

croakies: Etsy

linking up with Saltwater and Stilettos

30 for 30: day 24 + day 25

day 24

Since I've already worn this cardigan with this pencil skirt this month, I tried something a little different this time around- I wore this cardigan as a shirt. I buttoned it all the way up, and tucked it into my skirt. I paired it with black ankle booties, and of course, my black faux leather jacket, to "toughen it up" a bit. And it's something I'm pretty into.

black & white polka dot cardigan: J. Crew Factory

pencil skirt: J. Crew Factory

faux leather jacket: Target

black ankle booties: Kohl's

statement necklace: Walmart

day 25

Here we have some (extreme) print mixing. Leopard up top, and stripes on the bottom. Not just a small piece, or an accessory here or there. I went all out. All leopard, and all stripes. And while I love the idea of this, the shirt didn't tuck in so nicely into my skirt, so this outfit (or some variation) is going to be revisited. And soon.

leopard button up: WalMart

striped skirt: Target

faux leather jacket: Target

pointy toe flats: Target

monday the 30th

Good morning! How was your weekend? As far as weekends go, mine was pretty good. Lots of friends, eating, and running - some of my favorite things. I'm looking forward to this next one, too - quality time with my Dad is the big thing on the agenda. And by quality time, I mean ice cream eating, war-movie watching, Reese's consuming, and general cracking of silly jokes.

We're a pretty funny duo (at least we think so).

*carriage return*

This outfit. These booties. Not sure how I feel about this whole thing together. Black on black on black with polka dots, topped off with a purple scarf? Let's consider it a questionable marriage of winter and spring. I think I've got the elements of something great, but my execution is not so great. *sigh* I could wear this without the scarf, BUT the cut of this dress is QUITE low, so not quite appropriate for work. However, low-cut tops only showcase my sternum and a freckle or two ;)

And these booties. I LOVE my taupe ankle booties from Old Navy and wear them all the time. I have high hopes for the black ones (hence how they came to be a part of my closet), but I think they might hit in just the wrong spot to make my legs look extra beefy.

Anyone else struggle with ankle booties?

What kind of socks do you wear?!

The struggle is real.

dress: thrifted (Target)

polka dot cardigan: J. Crew Factory

ankle booties: Kohl's

purple scarf: gift

monday does it again

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, or a tugboat tooting my own horn, or Kanye singing his own praises, this outfit is another one that just came another in the early morning (yesterday did, as well). This look has a few different elements that, when combined, form a cohesive (and dare I say, classy?) look.

First up is the colorblocking with the navy top half, and the wine-colored pencil skirt. Colorblocking works best when the 2 colors are of the same saturation, or level, of color. So, a deep wine color, and a rich navy blue work here. Or a deep emerald with another equally deep and rich jewel-tones (see some of my past not-so-great colorblocking looks over here...).

Next is the monochromatic layers up top - the navy blue button-up under the navy blue vest.

The third is tying together the boots with the necklace and scarf. Cognac meets brown paisley and brown + gold - not matchy-matchy, yet coordinating and pulled together. And lastly, I wore a necklace under the scarf so that if/when I took off the scarf and vest (which I did), my outfit would still look complete, and not like it was missing some element.

button-up shirt: thrifted (J. Crew)

vest: Old Navy

scarf: gift

necklace: Target

pencil skirt: J. Crew Factory

boots: The Frye Company via Nordstrom

the opposite of snowy

See that snow on the ground? And the accompanying velvet pants, boots, turtleneck, and blanket scarf?

I'm NOT wearing anything like that today.

Instead, I'm wearing a lot less warm clothing, and soaking up as much sunshine as possible with friends while patio drinking and frolicking. We're also resurrecting old phrases and -isms from our youth, in celebration of my birthday nameday yesterday:

"Long hair, don't care."

"Let your freak flag fly."

"Leggooooo."

"YOLO"

turtleneck: GAP

blanket scarf: WalMart

velvet pants: J. Crew Factory

boots: c/o Aéropostale

sassy

Just in case I haven't made it clear before, I love my Frye boots and wearing them with dresses or skirts. Without tights. It feels so sassy and fun. And almost like I'm getting away with something - like cheating winter and its subsequent snow and gross weather.

It DOES help to wear a warm dress when foregoing tights in winter - this sweatshirt dress from J. Crew Factory has a great fleece-y lining, and since it's such a nice basic color, pairs with just about any scarf in my closet.

dress: J. Crew Factory

scarf: gift

boots: The Frye Company via Nordstrom

jacket: c/o Aéropostale

wine colored

I picked up this wine colored pencil skirt on a whim, on sale, at J. Crew Factory on New Year's Day. And I can't believe how much it goes with. Really. It's filling the hole of a black pencil skirt in my closet just perfectly. Hard to believe, I know, but it's true. It's such a nice, rich, merlot/wine/plum color that it adds just a little something extra to anything I wear it with, more so than a black pencil skirt would do, which makes me thankful I picked it up instead of a different color.

And based on yesterday's outfit (here), I guess you could say that I like this color combination of wine/merlot/plum/berry with black. And, you wouldn't be incorrect with that statement.

shirt: Charlotte Russe

skirt: J. Crew Factory

polka dot tights: Target

booties: Old Navy

faux leather jacket: Target

the sweater saga, part 6 + sweater #21

previously, the sweater saga...

part 1 / part 2 / part 3 / part 4 / part 5

Picking up where I left off yesterday...

I'm finding it refreshing to have a few dresses that look great, no matter what, and are basic enough to be styled in an infinite number of ways, as opposed to 20+ dresses that are each "ho-hum" and don't do much for me. Or a closet full of pieces that are "meh," instead of a smaller collection (perhaps a capsule wardrobe?) of knock-out pieces that get worn every day.

I've become a lot more open and willing to wear my "special" and favorite pieces more often. There’s no point in having a great fitting skirt, if it only gets worn once or twice a year for special occasions.

Instead, shouldn't I make an effort to look nice and presentable and my best every day? Or at least most days of the week, instead of once or twice a quarter? I've gotten rid of lots of cheap jewelry (not all, but lots), and enjoy wearing my diamond studs from my parents day after day (they really go with e'er'thang).

At times, it's hard for me to choke down the cost of something nice - like my Frye boots, but, they'll last forever and I love them. They go with everything, and I find myself dressing them up, down, and casually. The only time I don't wear them is when the snow or precipitation stands a good chance of ruining them. 

still to be continued....

button up: from a friend (American Eagle)

sweatshirt: Old Navy

statement necklace: WalMart

skirt: J. Crew Factory

booties: Old Navy