Seemingly Serendipitous Style

Earrings by Dottir

The scarf in my hair perfectly captures all of the colors in my outfit in a fun paint splatter design. 

I did not buy the scarf with this outfit in mind, but when I got dressed and started looking for a scarf to put in my hair, it seemed as though it was always meant to be.

People often ask me if I bought certain perfectly matching items together and let me tell you, that is never the case. I hardly ever shop for full outfits. Instead, I pick out individual pieces that I know will fit in with the rest of my wardrobe. It makes shopping and dressing a lot easier when you have taken the time to define your personal style. For me that means identifying my preferred silhouettes, color palette and fabrics and only incorporating items that fit within those guidelines.

I have found Anuschka Rees' blog to be a great resource in how to define my personal style.

Just Add a Beret

Ooh la la, of course I wore a beret with this outfit. How could I not?

However, I did not draw on a little mustache even though I should have.

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.

Irish You Were Here

Kelly green is my color and I love going all out for St Patrick's Day. This year, I paired this new to me sporty vintage t-shirt with my mother in-law's vintage Verndale letter jacket because of course they are the exact same color. The outfit wouldn't be complete without pants, so I wore some and they're orange. You might be familiar with these pants if you've been following my blog since the beginning. Today, they finally gave up the ghost. Let's have a moment of silence for my favorite cords. 

Maybe I can patch them?

I had a very fun St Patrick's day hanging out with my best friends. How was yours?

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!

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.

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.

Old Toddler

Old Gem Vintage

This look is very reminiscent of how I dressed in my early 20s. I would regularly pair men's vintage button ups with a shrunken cardigan and cuffed straight leg jeans. I also used to be obsessed with mary janes, however, in my early 20s, I would have worn this outfit with combat boots for a little extra kick. 

It's funny, I used to worry about getting stuck in a style rut. When I was 24, I was concerned that I would never outgrow my penchant for pigtails, babydoll dresses and knee high socks and that I would turn into some weird old lady who dresses like a toddler. These are the types of things that I worry about. 

Turns out, I grew out of pigtails because I realized that short hair suits me much better and the rest of my childlike style habits still exist, but I'm good at mixing them in with more age appropriate looks. I'm also fully aware of myself when I dress in a way that used to be my calling card, but I have since moved on from, like today. Hopefully that means that my style will continue to evolve as I age and I can stop worrying so much about my sartorial future.

Mom Jeans

Liz

Say what you will about mom jeans, but whoa are they comfy. They have become my regular weekend wear and I also think I look kinda great in them. Who knows, maybe I'll look back on this in 10 years and say "What was I thinking?!" In the meantime I'll enjoy them while they're cool.

Closet Orphan

I've been trying for some time to successfully style this top and finally it came to me. It doesn't work as a top. Not on me anyway. It works much better layered over a dress so it looks like a peplum skirt. I love finding new uses for closet orphans.

Ethereal Style

Liz

There is something ethereal about this outfit that really makes me smile. Maybe it's the moonstone earrings or the pearly silk scarf or the delicate pink quartz necklace or the flowy nature of this dress. Or maybe it's all of those things combined with a natural pink and cream color palette. 

You guys, this one really floats my boat.

V is for Velvet

This vintage velvet dress always elicits compliments. It is the most supple shade of purple and perfect for a cold and gray Valentines Day. Thanks for the love, Loves!

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

Head Scarf

Dottir

Some days my hair just looks a mess. Sometimes it's because I took a shower the night before and slept on it funny. Other times it's because I tried a new styling technique that did not go according to plan. Whatever the reason, my coiffure isn't always coiffed and on those days I opt for a head scarf. This was one of those days and I think this was one of those outfits that came together perfectly

Favorite Winter Dress

Dottir

Lula

This dress is insane. It's basically a full body sweater so it's super cozy and warm, but it's also knit with metallic gold thread, so it's fancy? It's not terribly flattering either. It's bulky and the white and gold shades wash out my complexion, but when we hit this part of winter, all I want is this dress.

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.