Free Garage Sale

A couple of years ago, I came across a garage sale where everything was free. The woman hosting the sale was a local performer who was just trying to clear out the clutter and oh my god, was her clutter fabulous! A huge chunk of the sale consisted of clothes and jewelry. Racks upon racks of dresses, coats, hats, wigs, costume jewelry, shoes, you name it. It was heaven and boy did I go home with a haul.

I've since considered doing the same type of thing. Just bring all of my clutter out to the curb for a weekend and host a free for all. It would definitely take a massive weight off of my shoulders, but at the same time I know I could make good money selling all of the vintage clothes that comprise a lot of my "clutter". 

That being said, I'm in the baby stages of planning a vintage sale. Stay tuned for more info.

Wine Red Is My Jam

I may have unconsciously made this wine red color the base of my spring palette. Here are some recent examples.

Dottir - Earrings

Lalunette - Necklace

I bought this embroidered, velvet skirt this winter at Bibelot's retirement sale for a very fair price and the vest was purchased recently at my new favorite consignment store, Encore. The vest is part of a set and came with a matching full midi skirt. They are silk and in pristine condition. I couldn't pass them up and I've worn both pieces quite a lot, though I'll probably never wear them together because it's too much fun to mix and match.

I wore this outfit all day and when I went out that night, I changed the pants out for a midi-length pencil skirt in (you guessed it) the same color. The skirt offered a little more warmth on a night when I knew I'd be chillin' outside and the sleek skirt elevated the look from day to night.

Zebra Cape for the Win

I bought this cape at an estate sale that I went to in early March. It is hand made and utterly fabulous. 

That same night, I had plans to go to a 90s themed party sponsored by zubaz and I decided that there was no better time than the present to wear this zebra cape.

It was a perfect topper for the 90s outfit I already had picked out and it made me feel like a Spice Girl. The party invitation claimed that there was going to be a costume contest, but nobody handed me a trophy, plaque or roses, so they must have canceled that part of the evening

Also, notice my zigzag part.

Deja Vu

This was my first attempt at styling these new plaid pants and I think I nailed it on the head. I've been drawn to this dark red/wine color lately and realized that so many of my recent acquisitions are this hue and that a lot of my current wardrobe compliments this color very well. The color that looks the best with it is forest green, which I wear a lot. There's also something about this combo that gives me a very slight feeling of Deja Vu. Anyone else feel it?

Blaze On!

Earrings by Liz

Here's an outfit to brighten your day! I've been wearing a lot of this orange blazer this spring and I love it's versatility. Yes, this bright red/orange color is a staple in my wardrobe, but I'm constantly surprised at how many outfits it compliments. Orange jackets for the win!

Best. Outfit. Ever.

I'm gonna have to work this look into the rotation because boy did I look slick! I've been trying to style this yellow shell since I bought it this summer, but nothing was ever quite right. It's because this shade of yellow does nothing for my complexion. By breaking it up with a shirt collar and a statement necklace, I'm able to distract from how pale yellow makes me look ill and draw attention to how amazing this necklace is. Seriously, it's rad. 

Garment Potential

I probably explain this every time I wear this skirt, but I'll say it again. This interesting and versatile skirt used to be a dress and when it was a dress, I didn't wear it very often. Now, I wear it frequently, during every season, and styled in many different ways. When I bought the dress, I loved it and knew it had potential. It took some time and a lot of guts to cut up a perfectly good garment, but once I made the alteration, I was so pleased with myself.

Cashmere Socks

Socks

These socks I'm wearing are literally the best thing I've ever encountered. I own 2 pairs and wish I had a dozen more. They're a lightweight cashmere crew sock with the softest most featheriest fur cuffs! I can't handle how comfy, cozy and cute they are!

A couple of years ago, I bought a pair of cashmere socks and ever since that first pair, I just can't get enough. I already had an obsession with socks and cashmere took it to a whole new level. I bought everyone in my office a pair of cashmere socks for Christmas just in case they had never had the pleasure. If you've never owned cashmere socks, do yourself a favor and get a pair.

Snow Day

Handmade by Kristina

Today, I got up at the regular time, took a shower, got dressed, went outside to start my car and said

"Nope".

I went to work every day during the Polar Vortex when half of my co-workers stayed home. I've been trudging through all of the snow for weeks and I finally came to my breaking point. When I stepped outside to ANOTHER blizzard, I just couldn't go through with it, so I stayed home. and nobody saw this cute outfit

Best Outfit Yet

This outfit was a real stunner! 

I received so many compliments that I was uncomfortably blushing all day.

The dress is a thick wool bodycon mock turtleneck number that emphasizes all the right things and downplays everything else. It's very subtle and elegant. I've only worn it a few times since I acquired it, but it's always a hit and it's warm!

This wrap is pretty spectacular. It's hard to capture it's loveliness in a drawing, but it's black sheer with black velvet edging and a metallic flocked floral print. My matching patina-ed earring and necklace set from Poppy helped to pull everything together. 

Also, these boots. Still amazing!

Polar Vortex

We had a very cold week here in Minnesota, so I thought I'd highlight some of the ways I managed not to freeze to death.

I've never worn this huge angora sweater outside of the house before, but I found it necessary on this extra cold day. Sometimes you just need to dress like a bear to feel safe.

Dottir

Ooh whee!

I've lived through all of the cold, mid-western winters that have occurred over the last 35 years, but I don't think I've ever been so afraid of the cold. I'm literally shaking in my boots. You guys, I know everyone is so sick of talking about the Polar Vortex, but it was terrible and I'm not happy about it.

One good thing that has come of all of these cold winters is that I'm very adept at layering. 

People always wonder why I wear skirts and dresses in the winter. I'm always way warmer in skirts than pants because I can easily add layers under a skirt.

Another abysmally cold day and fantastic feat of layering. Can I get another sweater under there? Certainly.

Honorable mention goes to this coat.

I wear it every time temperatures dip below zero

It's very ridiculous and at the same time very necessary.

Every time I put it on, I say "Don't worry, I've got my big coat" and then I do a little dance.

I'm sure by now, after all of the below zero days we've had this season, my friends and family are very sick of my coat announcements, but I don't really care. It's the only happiness I have. 

Earmuffs

These earmuffs have proven themselves invaluable this winter and I'm campaigning to bring earmuffs back.

They're super soft and warm. And they're incredibly cute, no doubt.

In my opinion, their best feature is their ability to muffle sound. I wear these at work when I need to concentrate. They were also a life saver during a social outing with a very loud talker when I had an excruciating headache and no escape.

Skewl Lewks

Dottir Jewelry

I got this sweet shirt at the Minneapolis Vintage Market from Old Gem Vintage. She drew me in with all of the gorgeous white silk and linen items that she had but I didn't walk away with any silk. I did, however, buy this shirt because it was so familiar yet so different at the same time. This 70s men's button up is so reminiscent of my past. I rocked a lot of these shirts in high school and college, but I've never seen a print like this before. The scales skewed my look toward academic. The only accessory I'm missing is an armload of books.

I Breathe Sparkles

I took a friend shopping to buy business casual basics for a new job. We went to Nu Look Consignment and found a lot of great classic pieces for her to mix and match. 

I, on the other hand, found these shiny genie pants and a sheer, gold sequin top (not pictured) for $20.00

Overall, I'd say it was a successful trip.

It's All About the Shoes

This is one of the best outfits I've worn in awhile. I love the color scheme and this 1940s meets 1980s silhouette is so very me. But most of all I love these shoes. They're the perfect color to compliment my wardrobe and they're incredibly comfortable. I've been wearing them almost non-stop since I bought them this winter. I long for another pair in black, just so that I never have to wear another pair of shoes again. 

OH MY GOD I LOVE THESE SHOES! 

They even look good tucked under skinny cut pants.

I always get a lot of compliments on this dress when I wear it, but I don't wear it very often. I wonder why. Probably because I never used to have these shoes.

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. 

Ode to Experimentation

The following outfits are experimental. While I love experimenting with clothes, it hardly ever results in a perfect outfit. Here are a few examples of what I consider to be flubs:

Dottir

I've had this sweater dress hanging in my closet for over a year now and this is the first time I've worn it. I find the design of this dress to be a little baffling. It's a heavy knit, turtle neck mini dress with cap sleeves. In what climate is this appropriate? I also find the bright orange color to be a little overbearing. Yeah, you heard me right. Overbearing.

I decided to try it out by layering the dress over my trusty, long-sleeved slip dress, some sweater tights and leg warmers. This worked out ok to keep me warm, but I think I overdid it with the colors. If I wear this dress again, I might swap in gray tights for the blue to tone it down a little. 

Lula

Here's another dress that I'm wearing for the first time. I like it a lot layered with this vest, but next time I should rethink the tights and shoes. These red tights were old, with busted out elastic and I spent the entire day pulling them up to my waist where they belong. They are now in the trash, so I have no choice but to wear different tights the next time I try this outfit. As for sandals in January...I don't know, we all make mistakes.

Jovy Rockey

How many turtlenecks are too many turtlenecks? I think the answer might be two.

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 3/4

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 show me embracing blue, a color that is under appreciated by me.

Dottir

Poppy

Half Pint

Hey! It's my Birthday! Happy Birthday to me (last year)!

I celebrated by going out for a nice civilized dinner with some friends and family and then turned the tables completely by forcing everyone into the Otter for some raucous karaoke. Good times.

Dottir

Poppy

Lalunette

necklace drawn, but not listed on drawing. (sorry Rose)

This dress is one of my favorites. It's very comfy. It's made of soft, stretchy fabric and the fact that it's a wrap makes it easy to wear. It's very pretty. I don't usually like floral prints or roses, but the color scheme on this dress is lovely enough to make up for it. It's versatile. I've worn it in every season. I've worn it casually and to fancy events. 

Long story short, this dress is amazing.

Ooh!! I love this one! Definitely gonna wear something like this again this Winter!

Dottir

Poppy

Handmade by Kristina

This post is just bursting with quality goods from two of my favorite stores. 

I know I've talked at length about how great I think Poppy is. They're a local boutique specializing in whimsical, wearable, on trend clothing and accessories. I can't go in there without buying something and I've never regretted a purchase that I've made.

Dottir is a jewelry maker and friend of mine who makes exquisitely unique jewelry made mainly out of brass, silver and leather. I wear her earrings often and always receive compliments. She does not have a physical store, but you can find her beautiful jewelry at the following places:

The Golden Rule

I Like You

Patina

Walker Shop

Dottir Shop (her website)

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.