How to Find Your Soulmate

I never knew that Kenny Rogers had a clothing line, but I'm really glad that he does. This shirt has a lot of extraneous snaps and it's amazing! Like, the front of the shirt has a pattern of just the outie half of the snap. I think that one day I will find a person wearing a Kenny Rogers shirt covered in innie snaps and we will become one.

Horse Feet

Jovy Rockey

People always get confused when I wear these legwarmers over my shoes. I think of it as makeshift spats. But, I get it, spats are confusing. Are they part of your shoes or are they part of your pants? OR are they an extension of your body?!? Do I have horse feet?

It's Friday, y'all and I'm feeling loopy. Have a great weekend!

These Boots Tho

Dottir

After over a year of loving on my brown Spring Step booties, I finally purchased the boots in black and guess what. They're amazing too!! This is my sixth pair of Spring Step shoes and I couldn't recomend them more. 

Apparent Denim Shortage

Necklace - The Artifakt

What is it with pants these days? Why are they all so short? I went on the Levi's website the other day looking for some nice, high-waisted flares and all I found was this.

What even is this? 

Is there some sort of denim shortage that I'm unaware of?

Despite my ranting, I really like this outfit with short pants. However, I might like it better with full-length pants. 

I've been struggling for awhile with how to wear this dress and I think I nailed it on the head with this outfit. Keeping it simple with a collarless shirt, minimal jewelry, and oxfords allowed the interesting detailing of this dress to be the main focus. I know it's hard to see the details in this drawing, but the dress is made out of heavy suiting material, cut like a wrap dress, with oversized front pockets and a large sash around the waist. It's really quite nice.

I assure you that this outfit was cute in person. This drawing is hideous. 

I was wearing navy blue tights with ivory, open-weave sweater tights over them and it was subtle and lovely; not crazy as indicated by this drawing. 

What's the Point?

I sat down to work on this blog post full of outfits from 2 months ago and I found the whole process to be excruciating. I just didn't want to do it. The thought of lugging my laptop, keyboard and mouse (it's a whole embarrassing setup) down to the scanner in the basement made my stomach turn and the thought that I was going to post outfits from November when it's almost February made me feel like a huge slacker.

I ended up taking photos of the sketches with my phone and I'm posting them even though they're old because I like these outfits and I wanted to share them.

The moral of the story is that I don't care anymore, but I still care so much.

It's confusing being me.

When the Victoria Bekham for Target line came out last Spring, I nearly crapped my pants with excitement. How could I resist all of those bright candy colors, bold floral designs and boxy 60s silhouettes? After trying on everything I could get my hands on, I went home with one black dress. First of all, everything was huge. I normally wear a large and found I was swimming in a medium. It was exhausting trying everything on multiple times because I couldn't figure out what size I should be wearing. I also thought that most items were overpriced for what they were: novelty/showy items that I'll probably wear once. I'm glad that I only bought the one dress because I love it and have worn it several times, in multiple seasons and I even incorporated it into a Halloween costume. 

No, I am not wearing that dress in this drawing, but I am wearing one of those boxy 60s inspired blouses that I chose not to buy at full price from Target. I found it at Everyday People this Fall and was not surprised how quickly these items were showing up in thrift shops. It's a very spring/summer top, so to make it more appropriate for Fall I wore it with school pride. This is pretty much the look I was rocking this Fall. Bright school/team colors worn with preppy flair. Rah rah, sis boom bah!

Dottir

I wore this sweater a lot this fall. I love it's full-on 80s appeal and that bright green color really fit in with my Fall 2017 look.

Dottir

Olive on olive. Boy, do I love olive...with gold. Oh yeah...

Ah hah! Another thrifted Victoria Bekham for Target shirt! I didn't buy this one for full price because I'm not really into collarless shirts. I have worn it successfully collarless, as it is, but I'm also a professional when it comes to layering, so many times you'll see me rocking it with another collared shirt underneath, like so.

Catching Up 4/4

This post is the last of my old outfit drawings and I'm excited to post more drawings soon that showcase my current style.

Handmade by Kristina

Poppy

I love these earring that I'm wearing! My friend Kristina made them out of shrink film, but they look like sea glass. They're super elegant and go with everything, especially this outfit.

Lula Vintage

This dress is one of those garments that has never lived up to it's imagined potential but I continue to hold on to it and wear it anyway. My main problem with it is that it's too tight in the bust. Every time I put it on, I have to get my husband to zip me into it and then I spend the entire day with a limited ability to breath. When I take it off, I exclaim "I'm free" and I vow never to wear the dress again. 

It is cute though...

Poppy

This one is a sure fire winner. I've gotta get this skirt back into rotation immediately.

Poppy

I don't know what crack I was smoking when I wrote that these vintage earrings came from Urban Outfitters, because they most certainly did not.

Lula Vintage

This all beige outfit reminds me of my Grandmother and I'm pretty sure I kept saying that all day while I was wearing it.

Catching Up 2/4

For the entire year of 2017, I've been tired. It seemed that all of the energy that I used to have for anything in my life was completely zapped and anything I had left was used in an effort to stay afloat. So here I am posting outfit drawings from nearly a year ago. Hey, they're still relevant, right?

The following outfits illustrate to me the feeling of hygge, which I try to embrace when all of the days are so damn cold and dark.

Poppy

Ooh, this sweater is lovely. It's very soft and warm and it's sweaters like these that make the winter months bearable.

Lula Vintage

Sorel boots and a gigantic sweater. Everything about this is bliss.

Blanket scarves...are those still a thing?

Liz Carlson Art & Illustration

I do believe that this day was crazy cold and that's why I wrapped my body in sweaters. All of the sweaters!

Lula Vintage

This outfit makes me wish I was at a ski lodge. I don't ski, but I do like to drink hot toddies by a fire.

Catching Up 1/4

For the entire year of 2017, I've been tired. It seemed that all of the energy that I used to have for anything in my life was completely zapped and anything I had left was used in an effort to stay afloat. So here I am posting outfit drawings from nearly a year ago. Hey, they're still relevant, right?

All of the outfits in this post are mainly colorless, which I find fitting, considering my state of mind.

This vest used to be a big shapeless tunic made out of flax or something. I had the sleeves removed and it's still big and shapeless, but I like it better this way.

Lalunette

One of my favorite winter outfits right here. I love everything about it. The layering, the black and tan color combo, the mixed materials, the proportions. 

10/10, would wear again.

Yes, yes yes! I want to wear this tomorrow!

Dottir

This is a very classic winter look for me. If I had a uniform, it'd look a lot like this.

This reminds me that this shirt has a rip in it that I need to mend. 

Thanks outfit drawing from my past! You're a real help!

Festive Holiday Style

Here's to layering! I love this white dress, but it's oh so summery and the neckline is a bit low for work-wear. To get around those two hurdles and wear this dress to work in December, I layered the dress with a sleeveless, mock-turtle neck swing dress that is the same length and voila! Instant coverage from the cold and the oglers. This is also a bold combination when it comes to pattern mixing. The red plaid combined with the star burst pattern is a lot to take in and my coworker said that I looked like Punky Brewster but I decided to take that as a compliment.

I wore this for a a performance with my choir at the Fitzgerald theater. This is the second time that I've worn this dress and the second time that the dress has ripped in the armpit. I was able to patch the tear up the first time, but it might be torn beyond repair at this point. I must have a larger upper body than the average 60s woman because this is where my close fitting vintage dresses always get torn. So sad.

I had been envisioning this outfit ever since I bought this skirt at My Sister's Closet last year. The skirt is made out of a heavyweight velvet fabric and the bottom half of the skirt is adorned with many embellishments. It's very lush and beautiful, but it's not entirely versatile. It's a winter party skirt and that's about all it is. This skirt reminds me how much I dislike ugly Christmas sweater parties because I don't want to wear ugly clothes to a party. Never have, never will. I want to wear this skirt, dammit! And I don't have many opportunities. While I still have not had the opportunity to wear this skirt to a Christmas party, I chose to wear it out to dinner with my in-laws and to see my husband perform with Nicholas David at the Pantages Theater and it was just lovely.

On this particular Sunday, my husband and I were invited to a number of Holiday parties. I know what you're thinking. "Why didn't you wear your damn skirt, Anna?" Well, I put the outfit with the skirt on and while I was still in my house, I couldn't stop shivering. It was so cold this weekend that the people of Minnesota were advised not to leave their homes. But we're hearty Minnesotans and we had plans, so I changed my outfit to what you see here and I think it's perfect. I've got on many layers of silk and wool and I even threw on a fur stole under my coat for extra warmth and glamour. In my opinion, this outfit was even better than my fantasy Christmas party outfit. It's still got the richness that the velvet skirt has, but it's warm and cozy and comfortable too.

This is what I wore on Christmas after spending the day cooking for my family. I thought it would be nice if we got dressed up and enjoyed the delicious beef tenderloin that I had prepared. My husband, however, had other ideas. I had to fight him tooth and nail to put pants on. This is my life, people.

I don't know why, but I always wear black on New Year's Eve. I also always wear a fur of some kind. And glitter! Lots and lots of sparkly glitter!

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. 

Yellow and Black? Like a Bumblebee?

I tend to gravitate towards a different set of colors each season and I've been feeling Yellow and Black this spring. I'm finding that only using the black, white, gray and yellow items in my closet this season, I am able to come up with multitudes of interesting and chic outfits. Here's a sampling of some from last week.

Similar jacket

The first night that I wore this look, it was a big hit and I've been recreating this silhouette ever since.  This combination of high-waisted, slim fitting pants, a tucked in blouse, and a cropped jacket really works for me. It's also a good way to utilize this amazing yellow and black plaid jacket that I scored at a garage sale last fall. 

Similar scarf  Mall of St Paul

I do believe that this scarf is what influenced this color combination in the first place. It's probably the best scarf that ever existed and I wish I had at least 4 more just like it. There's something about it that makes many of my ensembles look effortless and completely pulled together at the same time.

Similar vest

Ok, so this outfit does not include yellow, but it's a pretty good use of only black and white and it's an incredible example of my layering skills. This outfit consists of black leggings underneath a long-sleeved black slip dress underneath a short-sleeved sweater dress underneath a sleeveless, knee length vest and I've managed to avoid looking bulky or busy. Excuse me while I give myself a round of applause.

Sweater Weather

This sweater is the best thing to happen to my wardrobe in awhile. Seriously, I want 3 more just like it in case of emergencies...and that is hoarder mentality.

I don't normally gravitate towards 70s inspired outfits, but these pants were asking for it.

This is the second time I've sported this look and each time the reaction has been that I'm too put together...as if that's even a thing.

This dress is hounds tooth. In the past I've gone on and on about how I don't have the patience to draw hounds tooth. It's true and I apologize that I've denied you the full essence of this outfit.

February

I celebrated Valentine's Day early with my husband and this is what I wore to dinner. This skirt is from the who-what-wear collection for Target and I absolutely love it. I actually love the whole collection and I wanted to buy everything from it. Instead, I bought this one skirt and I think I chose wisely.

I acquired this blouse, skirt, and vest at the same clothing exchange from 3 different people and it's almost as if they were made for each other. I can't not wear them together.

New Favorite Outfit.

Here's that skirt again and a sweet new haircut. I told my stylist that she could have free reign over my hair this time and I love it. I'm calling it The Furlong.