Boxy Silhouette

If you follow me on Instagram, you may already be familiar with some of these outfit drawings as well as drawings from blogs that I have yet to post. In an effort to get myself back into the swing of things, I made it a point to post something every day during the month of December and label it with the hashtag #31daysofstyle. So far I've managed to keep it up and I don't feel overwhelmed about it. This is a good thing and hopefully this exercise will be the thing that will change my habits and make blogging a more regular activity.

I've been highlighting a few silhouettes that I wear on the regular. This is what I call the boxy/mini or the boxy/slim. It's usually a boxy high collared top paired with a very short or slim fitting skirt. I like the juxtaposition between the legginess and volume that this silhouette creates.

My Sister's Closet

This look was a good idea in theory, but it just didn't turn out quite right. The material of the top and the skirt are rather heavy and kind of bulky and they did not play well together. While the colors looked stunning together, I was constantly adjusting my clothes because of the friction that these two fabrics created. I think that this top would work better with a lightweight pleated tennis skirt, but I don't have anything like that.

Poppy

I'm playing with a lot of layers here to achieve this casual and studious look. I feel like I should have drawn in a stack of books under one of my arms. Maybe it's the color scheme of bright red, mustard yellow and light denim that reminds me of school. Whatever it is, it make me want to go to the library.

Handmade by Kristina

This bodycon dress from LulaRoe is so much fun and pretty versatile. I can easily dress it up or down. I can wear it by itself, layer it with jackets or vests or wear it as a skirt like I'm doing here. I'm really happy that it matches this sweater that I wear all the time.

I Like You

Here's that sweater again. I wish I had more of them in different colors like black or white, but I'm glad that the one I have is yellow. Yellow goes with everything and I've worn this sweater in innumerable outfit combinations since I got it at a very good clothing exchange

I love this sweater just as much as the yellow one, but I don't wear it as often. This is an around the house or weekend low key hang sweater. It's incredibly warm and kind of delicate so I never wear it to work where I do a lot of physical activity and regularly catch myself on merchandising hooks or protruding corners. I would ruin this sweater in an instant at work. A lot of people don't see me wearing this sweater on the regular, but during the colder months, I'm almost always wearing it when I'm at home. I had a mostly event free weekend and I wore this sweater everyday on top of boxy mini dresses with tall wool socks or leg warmers and I knew the meaning of hygge.

Ode to Pattern Mixing

I love clothing with fun patterns. I also love to mix patterns when building outfits. Not everyone knows how to do this successfully. I'm not even sure if I know how to do this successfully, but I do know how to dress fearlessly and through trial and error I am able to achieve some bold and successful combinations.

My Sister's Closet

This outfit might be slightly ridiculous, but I love it. This was when I was unapologetically wearing scarves in my hair a la Little Edie. If your hair can't make you feel glamorous, cover it up with something that does. This is why I love hats and scarves. I haven't gotten into wigs, but If I had the funds to buy natural looking wigs, I would be all over it.

Urban Archaeology

Here's a fun dress from the 80s that has been altered to fit like a babydoll dress. I love the print. It's like hounds tooth meets Three Men and a Baby. Seriously, wasn't their apartment like an 80s bachelor's wet dream? I'm not an 80s bachelor, but I'm into it.

Go Vintage

7 months later and I still can't decide if this print mix works or not. The dress and sweater are the same colors, one of my favorite combos, kelly green and navy blue. The two different prints are variations of each other. In theory, I think this looks good, but in reality it kind of gives me a headache, which is a bummer because I have yet to find a successful outfit for this cropped vintage sweater that I love so much.

Lula Vintage

I Like You

This dress is so unique and classic at the same time. I bought it this fall and have been having fun pairing it with different shirts underneath. This was my first attempt at styling the dress after I bought it. I played up the western vibe that the piping on the chest suggests. I think this dress will be really versatile because it also has an East Asian vibe that is hidden under my shirt collar and the dress is overall kind of nautical. You'll be seeing more fun combos with this dress in the future.

I love that it was still warm enough in October to wear this incredible linen dress that I bought at a vintage clothing store in Portland. Obviously, I have mixed emotions about global warming.

Who Knew I Liked Blue?

I've never been fond of the color blue. I've always considered it to be the most boring of colors, besides South Dakota beige, of course. However, I've noticed that blue has been creeping into my daily wear more and more lately. This is partly because I've been wearing a lot more denim and chambray, and also because I've discovered that blue looks great with my hair, which is currently dyed bright red/orange.

Giant penny earrings from I Like You

I think it's in my DNA to love the look of denim on denim, or the Canadian tuxedo, if you will.

Some people think it's tacky, but it reminds me of my dad and makes me feel strong. I'm gonna keep wearing it, fashion faux pas be damned.

Earrings made by Kristina

Navy and sea glass. This is a beautiful color combination.

Earrings from Poppy

The first day that I wore these chambray overalls, the side zipper split open in the middle. The only way I could get out of my pants, was to cut them off of myself. This experience really enhanced my fear of getting trapped in a jumpsuit when I really have to pee. Thanks a lot fashion.

Earrings made by Liz

Batik skirt from Aviena

Teal is a shade of blue that has never been far from my heart. I've always considered teal to be closer to green than blue so I've been wearing head to toe teal ensembles for awhile now. Nothing new here. 

A Familiar Silhouette

Ever since midi skirts came back into favour, this has been a go to silhouette for me. I love a midi skirt, in any cut, but I especially love a midi-length pencil skirt. There's something so sleek about it. It's sexy and modest at the same time. I know not everyone is comfortable wearing this look, but if you have long legs, I recommend you give it a try.

Dottir

LaLunette

Here's a blast from the past. Can you believe I haven't posted anything since May? Time flies when you're having fun or whatever. 

This vintage jumper has seen better days. It buttons all the way up the front and most of the button holes are wrecked or the fabric where the buttons are secured is wrecked. Either way it's kinda wrecked and held together with safety pins. In fact most of my clothes are held together in some fashion by safety pins. 

Since the election, there is a new movement of wearing a safety pin to show support for the vulnerable. I've worn one on my lapel, like the masses do, but mostly what I'm thinking is, this is going to come in handy when my skirt inevitably rips up the back seam. All I'm saying is, I've always worn safety pins, not as a political statement or as an accessory, but as a useful tool. So, if you're ever in need of a safety pin or an ally, I'm your girl.

UP6 Vintage

Poppy

Here's a vest that I thought I'd wear more often than I do. I'll have to work on getting that back into rotation now that it's layering season again.

So, I bought this dress from UP6 when they were having their moving sale. I also bought a crazy Saved By the Bell era yellow and black stripey cropped jacket that I have yet to make work. This was during my black and yellow phase that I'm still really into. Anyway, the day that I wore this dress, I went over to a friend's house to hang out and when I walked in the door, everyone pointed at me with mouths agape. This was not the greeting that I was expecting. Apparently, my friend Jeanette had gone to the sale that same day, tried on this dress and seriously contemplated buying it. This is my friend who I have never seen wearing anything other than jeans and a hoodie. When I heard this story, all I wanted to do was take the dress off and offer it to her because in my opinion, there's nothing better than a super cute dress that makes you feel like you're wearing jeans and a hoodie. Actually, it's even better because it's basically a calf length t-shirt and you don't have to wear pants...and isn't that the American dream?

I Like You

New favorite outfit for sure. Serioulsy, if this whowhatwear line from Target keeps pumping out midi-length pencil skirts with my name all over them, I'm going to have to stop going to Target. Maybe that's a good idea anyway.

Clothing Dilemmas and a New Dress

This dress is from my last visit to Sioux Falls. There's a new vintage store downtown and they were having a sale. Buy 2, get 1 free. Of course I found 3 gorgeous garments to take home for way less money than I would have spent in the cities.

I bought this jacket at Lula. At the time, there was a dress with it. The dress was kind of hideous and it did not fit. I asked if I could buy the jacket separately and was denied. She said that it's rare to find vintage separates like this still paired together and did not want to break them up. Respectfully, but disrespectfully, I bought the set. It was no loss to me because I've worn the jacket enough times to offset the cost of buying a dress that I would never wear. However, it was a loss to the vintage fashion community because I ended up consigning the dress alone without it's pair. Years later, while walking down the street, I spied the dress in the window of a different vintage clothing store (not the one I consigned it at). I guess the lady at Lula was right because without it's jacket, this orphan dress keeps getting passed from store to consumer to store and that's my fault. While I felt bad about it at first, I've made peace with my choices because dresses don't have feelings.

This is a crop top that I've been trying to figure out how to style. We all know that I'm into crop tops, but I generally wear them fitted. This one is all loosey goosey and makes me uncomfortable when paired with a skirt, like I'm Christine Ricci in Black Snake Moan. I honestly don't understand the physics of her boob/shirt situation.

Here, I paired it with a fitted Maxi dress. Very cute and comfortable, but too hot for late July.

Incorporating My New Duds

After my clothing exchange, I was so excited about all of my new clothes, that I immediately found them homes in my closet. Then I thought, these clothes have been incorporated into my closet, but I need to incorporate them into my daily wardrobe before I forget that I have them. I decided that everyday I will wear a different clothing exchange item or two and make them work with my current wardrobe. So, here it is, three weeks of "new" clothes.

You may have noticed that Sundays are missing. That's because Sunday (and sometimes Saturday) is my lazy day and I spend most of the day in my pajamas.

There are some items that haven't gotten worn yet because they're not of this season and there are some items that have been worn frequently. I think my favorites from the exchange are the western  sweater, the ombre chambray shirt and the skinny jeans. This is very surprising because these are items that have never been a part of my personal style. Again, this is why I endorse the clothing exchange.

Winona Style

Back in October, I was in a play in Winona, MN.  It was a prohibition play set in 1922 and I played the singer in the speakeasy.  No lines, thank god.  It was a great experience and my costume was fabulous.

I spent the week at my in-law's house and while I was there I took the time to draw my outfits.  After the play, I was too busy with whatever it was that I was busy with and never got around to posting these drawings.  So, here they are now.

Wednesday

This sweater dress is too small for me, but it does not stop me from wearing it because despite being too small, it's absolutely perfect.  I wear it as a tunic and usually pair it with a jacket so you can't tell how short the sleeves are.

Thursday

Love this tank top.  I enjoy buying t-shirts at rock concerts, but it's rare that they become a staple in my wardrobe.  This one is in very heavy rotation.

That sweater has seen better days.  It's a vintage letter sweater that belonged to my best friend in high school.  She ended up giving it to me and since then I've replaced all of the buttons (mis-matched, of course) and sewn up the armpits several times.  If I want it to be around much longer, I've got to learn how to patch pits.

Friday

Opening night of my play.

Saturday

The colors in this dress are, in reality, a lot more subdued than they are in this drawing.  Even though I pointed that out, I still think that this outfit is a bit much.

The Bootleg Blues

Here is my costume for the play, The Bootleg Blues.  Instead of utilizing the costume designer for the play, I found this dress by utilizing a costume designer here in the cities.  It's a sheer dress covered in black and gold beading that you wear over a white slip.  While the dress is drool-worthy, it's completely annoying to wear.  It hung too low and the straps kept falling off my shoulders.  I fixed this by wearing this shawl and a gigantic and uber-heavy beaded necklace.  I was also constantly afraid of snagging it on something and covering the floor with beads.  I love the look of 1920s fashion, but find it too fussy in practice.

And here, for the first time on this blog, an actual picture of myself...on the set of The Bootleg Blues.

Going for: Simplicity

Monday

Similar top - My Sister's Closet

Similar skirt - Target

Ballet flats

Similar necklace

Similar studs - Claire's

This forever 21 top looks like a a bustier layered over a white shell, but it's all one piece that zips up in the back.  The shape of the pencil skirt says business, but the ponte fabric says comfort.  All day, I was told that I looked so fancy, but I was really wearing the simplest outfit I've worn in awhile.  This is my thing.  I make cheap fashion look expensive...at least I try.

Tuesday

Similar dress - My Sister's Closet

Heels

Similar earrings - Savers

I've been waiting for some time to wear this dress.  I bought it this summer, and the color is very summery, but it's long sleeved and polyester.  Too hot for July.  The print is tulips, which I always associate with Spring.  I was thinking that I would have to wait until April to wear it because it's not very autumnal.  Fortunately we had a couple cool days this week and I took my opportunity.  I'm really diggin' it.  

Note to self: I bet it would look really good with some brown boots.

Wednesday

Similar tunic

Pants

Heels - Schuler Shoes

Earrings

Here's another minimalist outfit that I enjoy.  This might be a new thing for me.  I like it.

This tunic is actually a dress that is too small for me.  I've been trying to figure out what to pair with it and I find that these slim columnist pants work pretty well.  And the shoes.

Thursday

Similar jumper - My Sister's Closet

Similar dress - Target

Similar sandals - DSW

Similar glasses - The Spectacle Shoppe

Earrings

Similar belt

Ok, so I'm thinking that I'll dress up as Janine from Ghostbusters for Halloween and wear exactly this.  I seriously love Annie Potts.

Also, this jumper is covered in a really intense olive, chartreuse, coral, turquoise, yellow, and black paisley print and I could not muster the gumption required to recreate it.  Please forgive.

Friday

Similar dress - My Sister's Closet

Shoes

Similar earrings - Urban Outfitters

This is the dress that ripped down the side the first time I wore it.  Today, one of the side seams of the lining came undone.  The top layer of this vintage dress is in really great condition, but the lining that attaches to the skirt is falling apart.  I'm gonna have to get that replaced, because I don't want to have to mend it every time I wear it.  Bummer.
Also, I take back what I said about drop waist dresses.  This one is working for me.

Tuesday

Dress - Savers

Similar tights - Target

Boots
Similar earrings - I Like You

Labor day has passed, but I still want to wear white.  I know that's not really a rule anymore, but still, it sticks.  I think it has something to do with the final scene in Serial Mom.  It's funny the things you hold onto.  Anyhoo! Here's my fall interpretation of the white summer dress.  I think it's working, mainly because of the boots.  How amazing are these boots?! The answer is very.

Blonde hair makes me look better in Summer clothes.

Monday

Similar dress - My Sister's Closet

Similar sandals - DSW

Similar glasses - The Spectacle Shoppe

Similar earrings - My Sister's Closet

This dress, these glasses.  What else could you want?

Tuesday

Similar top - Lula

Similar skirt - Mighty Swell Vintage

Shoes - Urban Outfitters

Similar earrings

This skirt is 100% linen and the care instruction tag says "guaranteed to wrinkle."  I love that.  Obviously it's going to wrinkle, that's what linen does.
Also, this shell is pretty spectacular.  I have a hard time drawing it so you'll have to just trust me.  
Did I mention the shoes?  Maybe I didn't have to.

Wednesday

Similar top - Target

Similar pants - Target

Sandals - DSW

Similar earrings

Similar belt/headband

So, this headband is actually a belt from the dress that I wore on Friday.  Strangely, the dress fits me just right, while the belt is only long enough to fit around my head.  How does that work?

Thursday

Similar top - Dale's

Similar pants - Dale's

Sandals - DSW

Similar earrings - BNOX

Dale's Dale's Dale's

Friday

Similar dress - My Sister's Closet

Shoes

Similar earrings - Patina

Similar belt - Savers

Here's the aforementioned dress.  I wore this to a wedding of a childhood friend.  The wedding was in SD and I brought three different dress options with me because I wasn't sure how fancy to dress.  I chose this one because it was the most casual out of all three.  Thank goodness I went for this over sequins.  Let's just say that I probably could have worn jean shorts and that would have been fine.

Monday

Similar shirt - I Like You
Similar pants - Forever 21
Similar flip flops - Target
Similar earrings

This shirt is really quite fluorescent.  I almost feel bad for other people's eyes when I wear it.