A Thousand Million Shivering Furry Holes

My friend/co-worker Stephanie found this blazer. The first I saw of it was when she was bringing it to the front of the store to place on her hold.* You can't tell from the pictures but it is the MOST luscious silk. I can only think of a handful of people in the world whose wardrobe would demand an oversize floral silk blazer, but Stephanie and I both have such wardrobes. As a result, I had an immediate reaction of longing and need when she showed it to me.**




Circumstances eventually dictated that I end up with the blazer (because Stephanie is a doll and conceded it to me). And I LOVE IT.



I've also decided that pettipants = black shorts for this summer. I have something like 7 pairs, because I wear them so often under dresses, so I might as well get as much use out of them as possible and what can be wrong with lace bottom shorts?



I've got a long week ahead of me. The store has some very important guests coming this week, and we are all very excited. We are prepping for their visit and I am needed for a short shift on my day off to help with our guests. I hope they have a wonderful time and I'll tell you all about it!

*Buffalo employees pretty much always have a hold. We are allowed a very limited number of things on our hold, and we are only allowed to hold them for a couple shifts, but we pretty much always have one. One of my favorite things to do at the store when I have a minute of downtime is peruse my co-workers holds. They are fashionable, fascinating collections and most of the time you can tell who they belong to without even looking at the name on the tape.

**Not an uncommon reaction between the two of us. We have overlapping styles and often fall in love with the same pieces. It's a constant compromise between us.


Blazer, Buffalo Exchange
Cure Tee, Buffalo Exchange
Pettipants, Amazon
Shoes, Dansko
Isabella Wolf Necklace, Wendy Brandes

I'm Free, To Do What I Want, Any Old Time

Elissa gave me this tank a while back (during TxSCC!) and I said I would wear it with a tank top and pettipants. But after finding this amazing bandeau for 5 bucks at the Nordstrom Rack, I took it one step further...



A year ago I would never have had the body confidence to wear this, but I've lived and learned a lot in that year.



It reminds me a bit of an old fashioned bathing suit! It's bare without being over the top and it's really fun. I seem to dress for fun a lot these days.



It was a big hit at work. I can't think of higher praise to be honest, than when my co-workers like something. They are just as obsessed with sartorial choices as I am, and when they love something it always makes me grin from ear to ear!

Also, sometimes I wear a lot of rings. And by sometimes, I mean MOST times.





P.S. Good luck to sweet Kendi and all her friends embarking on the latest 30x30 re-mix! Can't wait to see what you guys do this go round!

Tank, Free People, gift from Elissa
Bandeau, Nordstrom Rack
Pettipants, Underworks via Amazon.com
Shoes, Nordstrom Rack

You've Caught Me And You Know Why

I have a couple new pairs of jeans that are flares, and I'm really excited about them being back on trend, but on the flip-side, I hope the jegging never dies. I know it's an unpopular thing to say among the trendy and cool, but I never claimed to be trendy or cool! I still hate the word..."jegging"...it's kind of gross to be honest. But I love the actual pant.



I bought two pair of these grey tie dye leggings when they were in stores and I'm already wishing I had bought a couple more for safe keeping. They are such a go to item for me.



And I love the new swingy tanks like this that are everywhere right now. Because I love my tight pants, I am always on the lookout for flattering but forgiving things to wear on top.



What's your favorite jean shape right now? I feel like pretty much anything goes! skinny, bootcut, flare, high waisted, wide legged, low waisted...I'd love a pair of high wasited wide leg myself! I've no idea how I'd style them but I'm sure I'd figure it out!




Tank, Buffalo Exchange
Jeans, Target
Clogs, Amazon
Bangles, Buffalo Exchange
Necklace, self made with charm from etsy.

Don’t You Hear The Laughter On The Way Down?

I am not 100% sure how I feel about what I am wearing today. Part of that is due to lack of planning. How often do you plan your outfits? Do you try them on or just lay them out? I do both, but I prefer when I have time to try them on. Because sometimes it doesn’t look right when you get it all together. Like today, I planned an outfit last night and did not try it on. When I got it all on today it was TOO MUCH. And I had about 5 minutes to change, resulting in an outfit I don’t love just yet. I might when I see the pictures, you know how it is.

I go through phases, sometimes I don’t plan at all for months, but for a while now, I have been planning 2-3 outfits ahead of time for a 5 day period. That seems to be working most of the time. I like to have a couple days open, because some of my best outfits come together when I am low on time, like this…



I put this together in about five minutes and I loved it. The proportions on it are great.



I have trouble styling that nylon jacket, but I’ve managed a couple of pretty good parings lately. I got it when it was the “Deal of the Day” on Target.com, and I think I paid all of $15 for it, shipped. Nice, huh? But hard to style. I am up for the challenge though!



Jacket, Target.com
Blouse, Liberty of London for Target
Denin Leggings, ANA at JCPenny
Boots, Matisse via Zappos

Brand New Clothes And A Big Fat Place On Your Rock And Roll TV

I. Love. This. Outfit.



I know that the Some People are all worked up and upset over the return of 90s fashions, but not me. I’m totally down with floral, flannel and clogs. I wore this on a Saturday with knee high black socks and clogs, but for work I felt tights more appropriate.



I got this dress at a thrift store a while back and it was floor length. I was like “Look, Nathan, we can hem it.” He said “I don’t think that is going to be as easy as you think it is.” But you know I had to try. The thing is…I can’t sew.

I mean, at all. I no longer remember how many times I broke a machine in college. It was eventually suggested that maybe I costume shows using rented pieces, or thrifted. Maybe not so much with the sewing when I was costuming…



But still. I wasn’t GOING to sew, see I was going to use Stitch Witch. And I did. And well, I sort of miscalculated, and now it’s more of a long top, or a tunic than a dress, but I did do it. So not AS easy as I thought, true. But it is shorter, and the hem is straight, and it did hold. So there’s that. So I threw on a lace skirt, a little number I refer to as my “Kyla” skirt, and if you take a look at her blog I think you might be able to figure out why…



Overall I’m happy with the outcome. I prefer the additional layer of the lace aesthetically anyway. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Flannel, thrifted by Nathan
Dress, thrifted and shortened by me
Skirt, Target
Tights, Target
Clogs, White Mountain via Amazon.com
Bag, Nordstrom Rack
Necklace, Wendy Brandes Jewelry

She’s Instantly More Pretty and More Interesting Than Me

Ok. Here is the thing. I know there is a Black Out Challenge on, or at least, there was when I wore this outfit. I was not participating, but I swear, I was not trying to be a punk. What I was being was really lazy.



It’s not my best effort. It’s boring. And I think it’s actually a great example of why a Black Out Challenge is such a good idea. I didn’t feel bad in this outfit, but I sure didn’t feel my best.



The tassel on the back of that necklace seemed like such a good idea when I made it, and I do still love the aesthetic of it, but that thing basically ends up in front tangled up with the rest of the necklace most of the time.



I will say this, I was comfortable at least. This was basically the same as wearing PJs to the office.



I forget where I got that adorable mustache ring. If I weren’t so lazy, I’d look it up, but I AM.



Nathan found this at a thrift store for a buck fifty or something. I love it. I hope that all it needs is a new battery (yes, I wore a non functioning watch all day). The battery is a 396. We have looked at CVS, Target, Wal-Mart and Office Depot. No luck. I know they sell them at the Swatch store, but the Swatch store is in the mall. I used to love the mall, but now it’s just like, a big shrine to things I want and cannot afford. It give me hives just thinking about it so I am avoiding going there. It’s not looking like I am going to get out of it if I want the watch to function though. BOO.

Tee, AA
Trousers, Forever XXI
Belt, Target
Bag, LUSH, secondhand
Necklaces, self made
watch, Swatch, thrifted
Shoes, White Mountain via Amazon.com

Whip It, Whip It Good.

Awww. Crackers! I found these pants Saturday for 7 bucks off the sale rack at Forever XXI. 7 bucks is about what I have to spend and I am desperate for black pants so I picked them up. They are a bit long and had some odd motocross type detailing at the knees, but I figured I could rock them. Now that I see them in the harsh light of day they just look really ill fitting. Baggy all around. Nuts.



It’s not quite tragic, but it’s not good either. And having them tailored would cost more than I paid for them*.



To be honest, I’ll probably just keep wearing them because I am really low on options at this point**. I’m sure they will work better paired with a longer shirt to hide all that bulgy mess. Or I hope so at least!



Oh my gosh. So we moved to a new suite (again!) at work and it is freezing in here all the time. We have 3 thermostats, and all the dials are shoved as far over as we can get them, but the AC just won’t quit. We even blocked off all the vents, but we can still hear it behind there, rushing, trying to get at us and freeze us to death. My hands ache it’s so cold! I’m drinking my green tea hot instead of iced! In MAY!



So basically I still need a jacket pretty much every day. I’ve got a blanket I can wear at my desk, and a ratty old company sweatshirt I cut open to make into a cardigan, but both of them leave fuzz all over everything so I try and avoid using them unless I have to. I know my boss has complained to the building management and asked them to take a look at it and I sure do hope they get it fixed before I end up with frostbite and out on workman’s comp!

*Tailoring is a great thing, and I am an advocate, but it can also be expensive.

**I know several of you suggested thrifting and I can’t remember if I ever responded. I am totally in agreement that it’s a great option when you are broke, but you have to have time. And for something like dress pants, perhaps considerable time, and I just find I have very little lately!

Jacket, Forever XXI
Tee, American Apparel
Pants, Forever XXI
Clogs, White Mountain via Amazon.com
Necklace, self made

Sure I Know It’s Apocalypse, But Can’t It Wait Till I Kiss Your Lips

(I know I skipped “Struggle to Fit Into Your Skinny Pants” last Friday. I did so for a multitude of personal and messy reasons that I won’t go into here, but I apologize, and I’ll be back to that this Friday)



I am in kind of a “situation” with the bottom half of my wardrobe. I have one plain black skirt. One pair of black pants, and that’s about it. Oh, jeans, but Monday- Thursday those do me no good. My black denim leggings have finally reached a point where they are worn out enough they are not fit for work wear and I just have not managed to replace them yet. I know some of you have suggested thrifting and I am willing to give that a try, but so far I have not had the time to do so (the time you have to put into thrifting to find one decent pair of well fitting work pants, in my experience, is substantial. I might get lucky and find a pair first stop, but I’m not counting on it.)



So I’m mostly looking at wearing dresses right now, and I do love dresses, but I also get tired of the same ones pretty quick. In Fall and Winter it’s so much easier for me to trick them up. Different jacket, different tights, over the knee socks, all kinds of things. In Spring and Summer I find it harder, but I am willing to see what I can do.



Today I wanted to carry this bag from Morocco, because I don’t carry it as often as I’d like. That’s sort of what brought the whole situation to light, because I had a really hard time styling this with a dress. In fact, as you can see, I didn’t. I went with the one black skirt. The bag just seems to have so much to say on its own and I didn’t want to drown it out with a floral or other print.

How do you trick up your dresses in Summer? Outside of shoes and jewelry, what am I not tapping into?

Tee, American Apparel
Skirt, Target
Clogs, White Mountain via Amazon
Bag, Morocco, via Laura C
Necklace, self made from thrift store and craft store parts