Showing posts with label May. Show all posts
Showing posts with label May. Show all posts

Monday, December 12, 2016

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.


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.


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.


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.


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.

Sunday, December 11, 2016

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.


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.


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.


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.


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.

Friday, December 2, 2016

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.


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.


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?


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.

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Olive Leather Jacket

I scored this sweet jacket at Primrose Park almost for free with a 50% off sale and a gift certificate. I love being thrifty. The color is a beautiful shade of olive that works as a neutral and could go with almost any color. The leather is really soft and supple. I believe "buttery" is the term. The cut is vintage and futuristic at the same time. It's exquisite. So, I wore it as many times as I could before it got too hot to bear. The following are some examples of how I styled it. 

I wore this to the America concert at the Medina Entertainment Center
Don't ask.

I love that olive goes with everything, like cobalt and fluorescent red. Colors are neat.
Also, I wrote on this drawing that I bought this dress at ModCloth. This is a lie. I got it at Poppy.

Monday, June 1, 2015

Foxy Zebra


I asked my husband if it hurt to look at me when I got dressed this morning. He said no, but I think he thought it was a trick question.

Outfit Repeat


Because of the long weekend, I made the mistake of writing the date on this drawing incorrectly. Monday was the 25th, making Tuesday the 26th of May. However, I will admit that I wore this outfit two days in a row because I liked it that much. I wore it on Monday to see a movie and go to a barbecue and then I wore it to work the next day. So technically, I wrote the date correctly and gave away my secret.

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Versatile Crop Top!


I came up with this outfit in an effort to make this crop top work appropriate. Ta-da! 
It helps that I can pretty much wear whatever I want to work, like faux leather pants and crop tops.

Thursday, May 21, 2015

This Dress!


I freaking love this dress! I bought this a couple months ago and wear it all the time. So often that I'm really surprised that this is the first time it's been in an outfit drawing. Seriously, my husband has made the comment "are you gonna wear that everyday?" because sometimes I wear it everyday. I actually think it was supposed to be a maternity dress because it contains all of the qualities I love in maternity dresses. It's really long and simple and stretchy and comfy and it's unbelievably cute.

That Dress!


I picked this dress up at a clothing exchange because I thought it had potential. I liked the little yellow print and the huge 70s collar but thought is was ill-fitting and a bit frumpy. I wore it right away when I got it and you can see here how it fit before. After taking it in an inch and shortening it by a few more, I think it looks pretty great. Now I love this dress.

Sunday, May 17, 2015

Sporty Spice


This outfit makes me feel like Sporty Spice in the Winter.

We Are The Willows


This is the other side of my reversible wonder skirt and it goes perfectly with my new We Are The Willows t-shirt. Yay!
I got the shirt when I saw them last Sunday night at Bedlam Theatre. They performed, along with my choir, at the Voice: Songs for Those Who Are Silenced CD release show. This was the first time that I'd ever seen them live and they are quickly becoming one of my new favorite local bands. Check them out.

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Going Blonde for a Minute

As I put this post together, I realized that all of my outfits involve some combination of yellow, blue and white.  I do believe that I have acquired a new color scheme this spring.  While, last year I was exclusively wearing camel, orange, blazers, and oxfords, this year I'm light, springy, nautical, and YELLOW and I love it!

Monday
Similar sweater - Urban Outfitters

I don't normally buy things for full price at Urban Outfitters.  I think that while their clothes are on trend, the craftsmanship is questionable and the prices are too high.  I did, however, buy this sweater a few years ago at full price after a couple weeks of full on coveting and I have had no regrets about it.  While I don't wear it terribly often, it is one of the favorite tops in my wardrobe, mostly for the design.  It's relatively long, nautical (of course!), and the deep v-neck is mirrored in the back, making this sweater pretty dang sexy.  I think the reason it doesn't get worn that often is because it's a short sleeved sweater.  Too hot for summer, too cold for winter.  There are literally 2-4 weeks out of the Minnesota year that I can comfortably wear this little gem.

Sunday
Ah Mother's day!  I can't help myself from dressing up on holidays.  In my head, this is something that everyone does, but in reality, I'm the only one.  Oh well, maybe it was my goal to be the chicest lady at the nursing home.  In fact, that was my goal.  Once, as a fat, acne prone teenager visiting my Grandma in her nursing home, a cute old lady asked me if I was a model.  I was very flattered and have been trying to impress old ladies ever since.  It's actually not that hard.

Tuesday
Similar earrings

This is what I was going for back in April.  I really love this skirt.  It's so classic and flattering and all around wonderful.  If only I had the patience or cared enough to iron all of those pleats.  Alas, ironing is the worst.

Wednesday

I think I was in college when I bought this dress with big plans to alter it into something extraordinary.  I can't quite remember what it looked like then and I know that it sat in an "in-progress" sewing bag for years.  I almost threw it away many times.  After all of that, I think the only thing I changed were the sleeves that were probably long with cuffs.  And you know what?  This dress is and probably always was extraordinary.  The fabric is lightweight and slick, almost like silk, but obviously synthetic.  The print is really subtle and interesting, while the bright red collar is bold and screams 1980s waitress.  The skirt length and button up collar make it modest enough to wear to work, while still being eye-catching.  All in all, I'm glad I didn't toss it in some life cleansing fit, as I tend to do.

Thursday
Similar earrings - Everyday People

After many months of pinterest plans to get a cute pixie cut and dye it blonde, I finally went through with it.  I'll admit, I was a little scared of how it would turn out.  Will all of my hair fall out?  Will blonde hair make my pinkish complexion appear red?  Will I have more fun?  All valid concerns.
It turns out that I adore it and my biggest problem so far is dealing with all of the attention I'm getting from other people who also adore it.

Friday, May 30, 2014

When Sketchy Attire was truly sketchy

Since I've been a little lax on doing outfit drawings these past few weeks, I thought I'd show you some drawings from 1 year ago when this all started.  

Saturday
This was like my uniform last spring.

Sunday
Brrr.  I get cold just looking at this.  I can see how much I wanted it to be spring, but the temps were still too low to not wear all of these layers.

Tuesday
Ah ha! Eyebrows!  I knew I was missing something. 

 Wednesday
Basically the same outfit from Saturday.  Like I said, my uniform.

Thursday
This is when part of my hair was blonde for a minute.

Friday
That is the worst houndstooth I have ever attempted to draw.

Saturday
Ok, so I took the earrings off to interact with a 1 year old too because I'm not stupid.  They're just too cool not to include in my drawing.

 Sunday
Ahh, sunshine, music, food trucks, vodka camelback, Sunday evening hangover.  Grand Old Day!

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Has an orange leather jacket no limits?

Monday
Similar earrings - Savers

On Sunday, I imagined myself in this outfit, strolling through the Art Crawl in Lowertown St Paul. Too bad it rained all day and I never changed out of my pajamas...or even got out of bed.  It rained again on Monday, but I had to wear clothes and go to work so here it is.  It's a perfect outfit for a rainy Spring day.  If only I had drawn an umbrella.  What was I thinking, not drawing an umbrella?!

Tuesday

I started out with a completely different outfit.  I was going to wear a new to me vintage dress that I was busting at the seams to wear.  Literally.  Late for work, I got in my car and the side seam ripped all the way down from my armpit to my waist.  I ran inside, flung my ripped dress off and threw this trusty old jumper on.  Never has this jumper failed me.  If my house caught on fire, I would grab this and run.

Thursday
Similar earrings - I Like You

Surprise! I have yellow corduroys!  You weren't surprised were you?

Saturday
Similar earrings

I bought this sweet orange leather jacket almost 2 years ago because I thought that I needed it in my life.  Since then, I have been intimidated by it.  I tried wearing it a couple of times and just felt foolish and over the top, which is ridiculous.  I've worn way more over the top garments than an orange leather jacket.  So now, I've made it a point to try to include this jacket in as many outfits as possible until I feel comfortable wearing it.  Here is my first attempt.

Sunday
Similar belt - Savers
Similar earrings - My Sister's Closet


Sweet dress, right?  The best part is, it's reversible.  This is the what it looks like inside out.  

P.S. I wore the orange leather jacket today and felt a little weird about it, but I did receive a couple of compliments.

P.P.S. As it turns out, the orange leather jacket is working.  While catching up on reading a few blogs, I spotted myself like a celebrity in US Weekly.  The woman who took my picture for her blog a few weeks ago, unknowingly blogged about me again.  Clearly, she likes my style and again, I am very flattered.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014