And When We Catch An Outsider, Outside, Y’all Die, We All Ride

I wasn’t pleased with how the grey version of these pants photographed and now I have to say I’m not pleased with how the black ones did either. Maybe I should take that as a sign that they don’t actually look like I think they look on. But instead I’m going to disregard photos and believe how I feel in them, which is really good. So maybe they look terrible. I’m not sure I care. I feel good in them. Thin. Tall. Fashionable. So I choose to blame photography as an art form for failing to capture that.





Jacket, Target
Tee, Target
Belt, Target
Pants, Kohl’s
Shoes, Aldo
Bag, Vintage Coach
Bracelet, self made

I Will Be Here, Just Sunny Days

This dress is super comfortable, generous in length and well made. The fabric is really nice, and the sizing was true to what the site said it would be.



My only complaint is that it would be better suited to a smaller chest*, but then, if I’m being honest, I probably should have sussed that out myself. I tried it on out of the package sans sports bra and well, it was a bit much. Even fashion tape was not going to be enough to keep everything well contained. I think it looks really nice with the sports bra AND jacket though, and my office is so cold there was never a chance I was going to need to remove the jacket anyway!

I took a pic for you of the dress sans jacket, so you can get a feel for the construction, because honestly, I think this would be really nice on you A and B cup girls. It’s well lined up top, with soft cups for modesty.



If I want to wear it sans jacket though I will have to come up with a better solution than that sports bra, because it’s creating weird lumps and bumps for me right at the empire waist seam of the dress. Not pretty. If I had one of those tank/bra combos that would work really well, but that’s another thing I tend to have trouble with in a bigger cup size. They tend to be made for C cups and below.

*I am a 34 D. I think this dress would be great on a B cup or smaller.

Bwhahahahahaah! Edited to add a delightful and true quote from Emily Kennedy "The 34D is the unicorn of bras. Hidden deep in the forests and commonly obscured by 36Ds and 34Cs."
So. True.

Jacket, Target
Dress, courtesy of Maurices
Sports bra, Target
Shoes, Report via Zappos
Necklace, Haute Hardware at Etsy
Bag, Vintage Coach
Bullet earring, Prairie Oats at Etsy
Leaf earring, handmade by Lara

And We Listened To It Twice, Cause The DJ Was Alseep

I wore this blouse like 4 posts ago or something, but I don’t even care. I wasn’t even going to take pictures today, but then I thought, “Oh why not just be honest?”



And anyway, we don’t even have to talk about it. We can talk about other things. Like how a while back, Kelly reviewed an eyeliner called “Maybelline Unstoppable Eyeliner” and I thought to myself “Ok, self, we are going to try that.” And I did. And it WORKED. Which is remarkable. Because I have never had any luck with eyeliner. It ends up in my crease and about halfway down my greasy little face by 10 AM. But this stuff really works. I have nicely smudged pretty black eyeliner straight through when I wash my face. And to be honest, the next day. Because I don’t bother to use remover. I find the leftover bit means I have to smudge less. So take my word for it, if Kelly says it works, it WORKS.



Or else we can talk about how these pants are about 2 inches too big in the waist and I foolishly, FOOLISHLY went without a belt all day. I tugged my pants up all day long like a high school girl tugging her strapless dress at a dance. It was not awesome. But my eyeliner was!



OR we can talk about how REALLY, I should have washed my hair today, but instead I just dry shampooed it and then relied on my Spin Pins. Those things came in handy during the trips to Houston and Arkansas. I mean, I am not going to be bothered to try and straighten my hair in that kind of humidity. OK, maybe I did try once, but I learned quick.



Or we can talk about that vintage Coach there. My mom originally Ebay-ed it for herself, but then she didn’t get along with it. She has to have an organizer purse or things get ugly. Then she gave it to my sister-in-law Miranda who DID get along with it. And then it was passed down to me. I like that it reminds me of both Miranda and my mother. I like that we have all three carried it. And I like that it gets used. Because vintage things should be used until they can’t. Am I right? They should be cared for, but they should be used.

Blouse, Target
Trousers, Forever XXI
Jacket, Target (13 bucks, y’all, how many of you got one? I heard from several of you!)
Shoes, Report, via Zappos last summer
Bag, inherited from my Sister-In-Law, Miranda
Isabella Wolf Fang Necklace, Wendy Brandes

Eatin' Cheese On Toast

(Thank you so much for your many kind words in response to my last post.)

I was really pleased with this outfit, but it was the belt that really made it for me.



I’d been hunting for just this belt at thrift stores for a while, but of course once Nathan started looking it showed up. You know how strong the Thrift-Fu is with that one.



And I pretty much just wanted that belt to wear with this dress. I don’t know when or where the idea got stuck in my head, but it did. I remembered that they were popular in the nineties, and decided that it would be a good pattern mix for this dress.





I also love the combination of this bracelet with this watch.



The colors are perfect.

And that’s all. I’m a girl of few words today. I’m exhausted and I am behind on life, but caught up on laundry.

Dress, Wal-Mart
Belt, thrifted by Nate
Jacket, Target
Shoes, vintage
Bag, Lush
Watch, thrifted by Nate, vintage Swatch
Bracelet, self made

I'll Fly Away Oh Glory, I'll Fly Away

Back soon.
Been home with my family.
My Grandmother went to be with Jesus.

Sleep Tight, Grim Rite

(Or “sleep tight, dream right” or “sleep tight, grim ride”. Am I right? I don’t think even Interpol settled on the lyrics there for a while. I want to say I read somewhere that they changed the lyrics a couple times but I can’t really say for sure. It might just be that it irritates me that it took me so long to figure them out only to discover I’m not 100% sure)



Basically, I am getting my $13 worth out of this jacket. It goes to work with me almost every day. It has been grocery shopping (Dude. It is always so cold on the freezer aisle that I find I need a jacket), it has been to the movies. It is not, however, going to see Gaga. I’m taking my Alexander McQueen to that. Or maybe a leather jacket. But I’m for sure aiming for Diet Coke cans. Wish me luck.



But still. It’s getting a lot of wear. I did tell Nathan when we were taking these at 8:30 AM one morning that it was already so hot outside that you guys were sadly not going to get to see the way the jacket looked on with this outfit, but trust. It was perfect.





I’ve been having some issues with my hair lately. I’m stressed. About a lot of things. (I hope it doesn’t irritate you guys that I don’t go into all that, but really, who wants to hear it on a fashion blog?) And some of the ways that is showing is my weight gain, which I have discussed, and my hair loss, which I have not. It’s not at tragic levels yet, but it is alarming to me. It’s happened before, but my hair is so long now that it seems worse. I have some places on my scalp I feel are sparse. Nathan doesn’t see it. And no one else has mentioned it either. But for me, it’s there. It’s noticeable. And it is, quite frankly, freaking me out.

Nathan knows this. And while he doesn’t see it himself, and he thinks it might be a case of “all in my head”, he knows that doesn’t make it any less real for me. And last week he bought me a set of really nice volumizing shampoo and conditioner from the fancy hair styling products side of the store we never shop from. It’s the small gestures like that that really show that he cares. And I noticed an immediate difference. My hair looked and felt fuller and I found I was able to think about the problem much less. The Brand he got was called “Big Sexy Hair”, which kind of cracks me up, but it smells amazing, and like I said, instant results after one wash.




Blouse, Target
Trousers, Forever XXI
Jacket, Target
Bag, Express, approximately 13 B.C.
Sandals, Target, ages ago
Necklace, vintage

Break The Lock if It Don’t Fit

(I’m disappointed in how these trousers photographed, they look as if they bunch weird and are unflattering, but it was just the way I was standing. I’ll try and you know, move, next time so we can get a more accurate and flattering picture.)



I really like them, even though I admit they have issues. They are pleated, and who would have ever thought we would come back to that? But I like how they give a look similar to a harem pant (which I am dying to find but have had no luck!) without going overboard. They are cropped at a dangerous length, with potential to be very unflattering, but I think my tiny ankles can work it. They are super lightweight and really comfortable. I got them in this grey as well as black.



My main challenge is going to be shirting them. They require something fitted on top, and my wardrobe is mostly skinny fit trousers, which means fitted on bottom and long and lose on top. I’m finding things that work though, like these AA vnecks.

So I’ve been having tons of fun with the earrings. I have made 9 or so single earrings and it is so much fun and so much easier than making two, because there is no symmetry to worry about. I don’t get a lot of close ups of my jewelry lately so I thought I’d share a few of the ones I have made as well as a couple of others.



All of my cuffs are from Jewelry Gallery, and the earring is from Prairie Oats at Etsy.



This earrings is made from a set I got from Moon Raven Designs at Etsy. They make most of the talons and skulls I buy, and have great prices and make really quality products. I ordered a set of earrings and then altered this by adding chain and moving it to a lever back earring.



This is the first earring I made specifically to work and wear as a single earring. It is the perfect weight. I can feel it, but it’s not heavy and it gives good “swing”.



I made this one primarily to wear opposite the tiny talons earring. I made them the same length.



I was watching “Pretty Little Liars” and the blond one was wearing an earring that had a cross and chains, so I hit pause, grabbed my kit, pulled a bunch of chain and whipped this up in about 10 minutes. I love it.




This skull is also from Moon Raven Designs, and I mostly pair this one with the cross and chain earring.




I JUST made this one and have not even worn it yet, but I think it will go really well with the Prairie Oats crystal bullet earring!


Vneck, American Apparel
Trousers, Apt 9 at Khols
Shoes, Aldo
Watch, Fossil (limited edition Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Necklace, self made from vintage and craft store parts
Hoop and cross earring, self made
Bullet earring, Prairie Oats at Etsy
Leather bag, Express about 1000 years ago, when they made leather bags.

And I Can’t Afford To Lose One More Teardrop From My Eye

At some point I decided leggings were a Fall/Winter item only. I’m not sure why, probably because I associate them with layering for warmth, but the truth is, my leggings are actually really thin un-layered, and they make a number of shorter tunics and dresses more work appropriate*



Like this mark tunic which previously I only wore on weekends with pettipants, or during the colder months. Leggings worked perfectly, and I find that on my particular body shape, the fact that they stop above my ankles does no harm to the line of my body.



I wore my snazzy new super bargain jean jacket. All jean jackets are not created equal, and this one (and its sister friend in the light wash) is perfect for my office. Just enough to take the edge off the chill, but not so hot they stifle me. Plus I really like how it dresses things down a little…but not too much. Friday my boss and I went shopping on our lunch break** and she picked up the same jacket! But I bet she only wears it on Fridays.



Still love these shoes. I’m wearing them nonstop and have already begun to worry about the inevitable time coming when they will have worn out and I will have to let them go. Crazy or the mark of a truly loved item?

*In my situation. I realize I am in a pretty lenient dress code situation, I’m glad of that and take full advantage of it.
**I Bought Pants. Like normal pants. Or almost normal. They are cropped, but they are NOT skinny fit. Tapered, but not skinny. I was excited. They were on super sale at Kohl’s and I spent the last little bit of money I had made selling things to get a couple pair. More on this tomorrow.

Tunic, mark
Leggings, Target
Jacket, Target
Shoes, Aldo
Bag, Nordstrom Rack

And We Can Go, Go, Go And Never Look Back On Now

Here is what the photos generally look like in the mornings right now.



It is so muggy. They got the AC at work fixed though, so it’s hot and muggy outside, and bone chilling cold inside. Ah the joys of Summer in Texas.
But last night it got cool enough the camera could handle it, and the rain slowed to a drizzle so we could snap these…



I loved this outfit. Top to bottom. That jean jacket is on sale right now for less than $13.00. They have it in dark and light washes and my Target had tons of sizes. I have military style jackets, and cropped jackets, but I did not have a regular old jean jacket. It’s a great deal!



I also grabbed this top* which is pretty much perfect. It’s darted and fitted at the bust and then just sort of floats away from the rest of my body. I felt so tall and slim in it. And it breathes so I was comfortable when I left the arctic chill of my building.

I met my good friend Laura at the mall the other day, we were getting together to see Eclipse** because we have a standing date to see the Twilight films together. And since I had a little pocket money, I stopped into the Aldo. I went straight to the sale section. And there they were. Last pair in the store. My size. Spectacular.



I tried them on and bought them in less than 5 minutes. And I was thrilled. And I also felt a tiny bit of that panic you feel when you don't shop often and drop quite a bit on something that isn't food or rent. But it passed. Also, let me just say, I have been wearing them nonstop for 3 days now and they are so super comfortable. Almost like sneakers they are so bouncy inside. And more comfortable than the flats I was wearing when I bought them. I went right out after we ate dinner in the gorgeous and classy food court and scuffed them on the concrete and then wore them to the movies. It is true love. They were a bit of a splurge even on sale, but I don’t regret it one bit.

*No we didn’t suddenly come into money, y’all. I wish! I sold a few things for some spending cash!

** It was SO GOOD. I want to see it again. I liked Twilight and I liked New Moon, but I loved Eclipse.

Jacket, Target
Blouse, Target
Trousers, Forever XXI
Shoes, Aldo
Bag, Nordstrom Rack
Mismatched earrings, because I can

Hello…Is It Me You’re Looking For?

Oh, Hello there. I know I said I was going to blog less often, but I never meant it to be like THIS.

I will now give you a list of my excuses:

1. Over the weekend I looked really good, more than once, but I didn’t get dressed until the sun went down and it was too dark to take pictures.

2. Also, I’ve been lazy.

3. The AC has been broken at the office and as a result, I look a hot mess by the end of the day.

4. We tried to get picture this AM as I honestly look adorable, and hopefully we will get them after work, but it was so muggy outside the camera would not stop fogging up.

5. Also, I’ve been lazy.

And NOW I will give you a list of bloggers you should be reading if you are not already reading them. This is by no means comprehensive. At all. And I hope to do these lists more often. But for now I will start with…

1. T Minus T Plus. Funny. Stylish. Adorable. Crazy thrifty. And also, she just happens to be a wonderful person. Her latest hair tutorial is the best blog of all time. Of ever. Seriously. There was Daft Punk.

2. Fashion for Nerds. Audi’s style is the style I imagine mine to be in a perfect world. It’s offbeat, yet classy. Higher end, yet livable. It’s layered, yet sleek. It’s perfection.

3. Wendy B. You will learn something reading Wendy B. Maybe about history. Maybe about the cost of high end jewelry making. Maybe about Lady Gaga. But you will learn something, you will be glad you came and you will have fun.

4. Between Laundry Days. Clare is a bit more on the preppy side to my rock and roll. But preppy by way of bohemian if you ask me (and I have no idea why you would I just use those words whenever I feel like it with no basis in the real meaning of said words). She styles things in ways that would never occur to me, and I love that.

5. Already Pretty. I mean, this is a no brainer, and I have to assume most of you are already reading. But if not, please do. Sal will take you on a journey of style, self love and appreciation for others. It’s an everyday read for me, thought provoking, fun and always, always uplifting.

Crazy Happy Erin Thanks you for your time.

Let’s Get Physical, Physical, I Wanna Get Phycialllllllll

A co-worker is going to move to a different city. She is staying on the team and working remotely, but we will miss seeing her sweet face each day. As a going away gift, we all took silly pictures of ourselves for a scrapbook we put together for her. I originally wanted to dress up in a big cocktail dress and heels and mow a lawn, but getting at a lawn mower was too much trouble.
Instead, I got all dolled up to exercise. The joke was based on my hatred for both exercise and the outdoors as well as my tendency to overdress for almost any occasion.





And because we were taking these in front of the building and therefore the FREEWAY…



We* just threw that in for the commuters.

*by which I mean my boss and I, as she instigated the entire thing, including me stripping down to this workout gear hidden from said leaving co-worker under my work clothes, again, in front of the freeway

Collecting All The People You Love To Sing You A Song

I spent forever last night trying to put together an outfit. I think I am just having one of those uninspired streaks. I hate everything I try on, and I have trouble coming up with new combinations. It will pass! And I did finally come up with something I loved…



I forget I have this skirt. Why are some wardrobe elements prone to being forgotten? My theory is that it is a staple, and staples are boring.





My feet are not actually as small as all that, these shoes are just shaped in such a way they make me look like I have Barbie feet.



I am mostly posting this close up for Hillary and Alannah, who will both appreciate it!



That’s a limited edition Tokidoki for Lesportsac bear, a Tokidoki key chain and a kid robot munny on a clip together. I wanted it to be a wee bit over the top. Success.

So I’ve been wearing two different earrings (well technically two different earrings and one cuff). I seem to be the only one on board with this style choice. Nathan is not a fan, and co-workers are not big on the look. But I like it. I can’t even pinpoint why, other than it’s different, and not too outrageous and I love earrings. I only made one of each of these. The double ball earring I have worn every day with one hoop or another and I always wear the cuff (which I know is hardly visible, but there) on the same ear as the double earring. So basically only the left side changes. I don’t know. I like it.



Blouse, Wal-Mart
Skirt, Target
Bah, LUSH
Bag charm, various Kid Robot and Tokidoki charms
Shoes, vintage
Earrings, self made