Monday, January 26, 2015

Patterned Tights

Haircut - Moxie
Similar sweater - My Sister's Closet
Similar skirt - Haight Ashbury Vintage
Tights
Boots
Similar earrings - Poppy

Not too long ago, I read something about how to style tights.  It was helpful in most respects,  but it completely glossed over how to style patterned tights, saying "if you need advice on how to style patterned tights, you probably shouldn't be wearing them."  I get it.  It's a little tricky and hard to pull off, but I don't think it's beyond advice.
For me, the trick is to keep the rest of the outfit simple.  If your tights have a pattern on them, they will look best paired with solid colored clothing.  If your tights are a bright color, they will look best paired with neutral colored clothing.  
Also, I always try to make sure that the pattern on the tights matches the theme of the outfit.  This might work better for me than others because I tend to assign a theme to my outfits.  Today, I was 60s Studious, so my brown plaid tights were quite fitting.
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Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Black & White Tuesday

Tuesday
Dress
Similar jacket
Tights
Boots
Earrings - Poppy

I've been loving the black and white patterned dresses lately.  This one is new.  It's a bit on the body-hugging side, but it looks great paired with a blazer.  We'll see how many other ways I can style it in the coming months, I'm sure.  
I could not find anything online similar to the earrings that I'm wearing, but trust me, they're gorgeous.
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Monday, January 19, 2015

Catching up

Still playing catch up.  Here are some outfit sketches from October and November.

Monday

I love how this tunic matches these socks perfectly because I'm a nerd like that.

Tuesday

I call this outfit monochrome biker babe.

Wednesday

Ooh ooh!  This poncho is another fabulous find from Poppy.  I love it because I can feel like a big flat schlub, but still look super chic.  Also, it's reversible.  The other side is black with tan stripes.

Monday

At one time, these pants were the most expensive article of clothing that I owned.  They're really nice jeans and while I used to wear them all the time, I now find them completely uncomfortable.  I'm having a hard time with the idea of getting rid of them, but it might be how these pants end up. sad. 

Wednesday

I've been into white collars lately.  I tried it under this tried and true black dress, but found that it didn't quite work the way I had hoped.  Oh well, now I know.
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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.
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Sunday, January 4, 2015

Resolutions

I can't explain it without giving a bunch of excuses, but for some reason I can't maintain this blog during the Holiday season. My excuses include: new computer, no photoshop, busy schedule, full-on  holiday sale production mode, weekends spent out of town, etc, etc. 
Whatever my reason, I apologize for my absence. I don't make New Year resolutions,  but I'm trying to be better at keeping up with my projects. No promises, but this year I'm going to try to either do an outfit post or a comic everyday. 

Sunday
Sweater dress - Poppy
Similar slip dress - Poppy
Leggings
Boots
Similar earrings - Poppy

Guess what my new favorite store is?
If you said Poppy, you win the prize, which is to know about this store and get the chance to visit it yourself. 
The inventory is limited, but eclectic, ranging from mod to whimsical. The staff is friendly and helpful and the location is great. 
The dress that I'm wearing underneath the hounds tooth number is a spandex bodycon mini dress with two necklines (scoop or v-neck) and extra long sleeves. It is THE ultimate garment. Since I bought it in November, I've worn it at least once a week, if not more. I'm thinking about getting another for backup. It's extremely versital and ideal for layering, especially during the cold winter months. I can't imagine my life without it. 
The sweater dress is a new purchase and I absolutely love it. Today, I was cruel enough to wear it to a portrait party where anyone who dared to draw me had to endure the horror of rendering hounds tooth. We all know how I feel about hounds tooth. I love to wear it, but hate to draw it. It makes this whole sketchy attire thing quite difficult. 
  

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Daily Comic: January 4th 2015


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Sunday, September 28, 2014

Ode to Hats

I love wearing hats.  Hats can add so much to an outfit and they keep you warm when the temps start to drop.  If I'm a little chilly, I'll often times throw on a hat instead of another layer and that's all I need.  Hats can instantly make a bad hair day into a cute head day.  The facts are in.  Hats are great!
Even though I've always known that hats are great, it took me a really long time to feel comfortable wearing them.    
The downside to wearing hats is that they draw attention. Not a lot of women wear hats.  It's a novelty.  My husband loves hats and wears them all the time.  He doesn't get any extra attention for this because it's widely accepted for a dude to wear a baseball cap, driver's cap, or a fedora.  When a woman wears a hat other than a baseball cap it's suddenly seen as a statement and everyone has a comment to share.
Now, I could just wear baseball caps and quite my bitching, but that's just not my style.
I want to wear hats that are stylish and that make sense with the rest of my outfit.

I've spent several years coming up with an assortment of hats that I feel comfortable wearing in public.  This post is dedicated to some of those hats and how I work them into my everyday wardrobe.

Monday

 This is the first hat that I bought on my hat quest and I don't know what I would do without it.  It's incredibly versatile, fits perfectly, and is different without being obvious.  I know it's different because since I bought it, I have never seen another hat like this.  The weight, fabric and color are similar to a newsboy cap, but it doesn't have a bill, making it a beret.  I've never been terribly fond of newsboy caps on me.  For some reason, when I put them on I look like I'm trying too hard.  Apparently, all you have to do is remove the bill and magic happens.  If my house caught on fire, I would go back for this hat.

Tuesday
Similar earrings - Bibelot

I'm not sure how this gray beret fits into my life yet, because today is the first day that I've ever worn it.  I bought it several years ago at my favorite consignment shop because it was just so darn cute.  It's a classic wool beret.  Nothing fancy.  Nothing revolutionary.
The thing about classic berets is they are an icon for artists.  How lame is it for me, an artist, to wear a beret?  I don't know.  You tell me.
I like it with this outfit, but if I had more balls this morning, I would have sported this hat instead.  It's so much more fitting with my 90s inspired outfit I have going on.

This is my dilemma.  The beret is pretty unassuming.  I wore it most of the day and no one said anything except "cute hat".  Had I worn the navy blue wide brimmed feather adorned fedora that goes so much better with my outfit, I would have gotten a lot of second glances, a lot of comments and possibly some whispers.  Or maybe that's all in my head.

Wednesday
Earrings

This hat is new to me.  I bought it because when I tried it on, someone who had nothing to gain from my buying it said it was really cute on me.  It was inexpensive, so I thought, what the heck.  I'll give it a go even though I never wear hats like this.  I like it with this outfit.  With these pants, it gives me a golfer vibe and I'm into that.  The material is quite heavy and thick, so it might be more of a cold weather hat, making it not as versatile.

Thursday
Similar earrings - UP6
Hat - Urban Outfitters

I love love love this hat.  It is a bit odd and it draws attention, but this is one that I wear anyway.  It's just so darling.  I will say that I don't wear it "correctly".  The way that it is supposed to be worn is a little bit more asymmetrical than how I wear it.  I wear it so that the flat brim sits in front and the curved brim sits in back.  The way it was designed to be worn is for the flat brim to be on the side and the curved brim on the other side.  Trust, me, it doesn't look good that way.  I made it better.  You're welcome.

Friday

No hat today.  Too hot.  I am, however, wearing my skirt backwards.  No one said anything all day, so I think I got away with it.  The real front side has a covered zipper, pockets and belt loops.  I thought it was too bulky for the sleek look I was going for.  I've had this skirt forever.  It used to be a favorite, but I haven't worn it in years.  Maybe I'll start wearing it backwards and make a whole new skirt of it.
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