The Trick to Keeping Thigh Highs Thigh High

Similar jumper - My Sister's Closet

Similar dress - Poppy

Fishnets

Stockings - Urban Outfitters

Boots

Similar belt

Similar earrings - Urban Outfitters

Similar necklace - Savers

Love thigh high stockings, but hate all the fuss it takes getting them to stay up?  Here's what I've discovered.  Layering them over another pair of tights creates enough friction to keep them up without the use of fussy garters.  Here, I've paired knit black thigh highs with nude fishnets.  I wore this all day and never had to mess around with pulling up my stockings.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

  

Daily Comic: January 4th 2015