Don’t Be Sweatin’ What I Do, Cause I’m Gonna Be Just Fine

Tags

black buckle boots, black lace applique tank, black leggings, ivory button cardigan, rose necklace, Salt 'N' Pepa

Hallo! I said that in my best Heidi Klum impersonation. Could you tell? No. Okay. Nevermind.

My apologies for the lack of posts this week. It’s been kind of a weird one and I haven’t really had the energy to post. I put most of my effort into the very first post over at All The Pretty Dresses and then the rest just kind of got away from me.  Not to mention all the stuff I have keeping me occupied. I’ve been in a sort of personal lockdown for various reasons and kept busy with lots of reading, movie watching and also sneaking in some TV. I am determined to finish the last season of “Lost” one of these days. I will find out what is going on with that island if it’s the last thing I do! But I suspect I’ll be finding my stride again here shortly. Finding what works and what doesn’t as far as balancing both these blogs.

I’m off this afternoon to complete another item from the list, and I’ll have my first book/movie/album post up over the weekend. In the meantime, for this space…it be outfit time!

 

Is anybody else elated that the groundhog did NOT see his shadow this year? I think that is like a first ever occurrence for as long as I can remember. I was able return my pistol and ammunition to Wal-Mart and cancel my trip to Punxsutawney, which left me with significantly more free time and I’ve been celebrating ever since.

But apparently Colorado hasn’t gotten the memo yet, because it’s been just ridiculously cold. Like, three pairs of leggings cold. That’s how I measure temps anymore – how many pairs of leggings I require, in order to stay warm. Yesterday was one of those days. But once the proper number of layers had been applied I enjoyed putting together the rest of this outfit. Lately, I’ve been really drawn to black and white looks. I’m not sure what that’s about. Black and white has an endless number of connotations – good and evil, Yin and Yang, salt and pepper, day and night. The list goes on. I have my ideas about what black and white means to me, but mostly I just also like how it looks.

I’m excited to show off a few new items too. This lace tank that I bought with leftover Christmas gift cards at work and my new cardigan. A funny story about this cardi. I scooped in up while in L.A. (also excited that I can now show you stuff that I bought on my trip!) I had nearly made it out of a store that I’d never been in before, some teenie bopper F21-esque shop of which the name now escapes me. And I was just about to leave with merely a bracelet, when I spotted the sweater. I had been coveting something studded since seeing a girl in a cute studded cardigan the night prior. Though I’m not sure how buttons equated studs in my mind, I just really liked the bunches of brass buttons on this thing. I thought it a score and a great price, so I bought it. Done and done.

WELL. A couple of days later, back home in my store, I was straightening a rounder of sweaters when I spotted it. It was the same exact sweater! And what’s worse, these sweaters have been in my store since before Christmas. I’d seen them and folded them and straightened them plenty of times but never paid them any mind. I laughed it off and said, well I think mine has more buttons anyway. Counted the buttons. Nope same number of buttons. So I said, well it is a slightly different brand after all. Checked the label – nope. Same brand. I’m not sure what the moral of this story is, other than I can be a bit of an airhead sometimes. And also, that this sweater rocks. The end.

Sweater – L.A. boutique
Lace Applique Tank – Work
Leggings – Work, Work and Work
Necklace – Work
Boots – c/o Wanted Shoes

Title courtesy of Salt ‘N’ Pepa – “None of Your Business”

All The Songs That She Used to Sing

Tags

black buckle boots, black cowl neck belted sweater, black crochet flyaway, black rhinestone earrings, grey leggings, Sugar Ray

G’Night everybody! Oh wait. That’s backwards. I guess I still have to provide some “content” in here, don’t I? Alright, I guess.

Actually, I was hoping you could provide me with some content. See you told me all about your Christmas presents, and I dug it ever so much. Now I’m actually dying to hear about your New Year’s Resolutions! Tell them to me! Well, that is if you feel comfortable sharing. New Year’s Resolutions are fascinating to me. Why we resolve and what we resolve each year. That is good stuff right there. But actually, I used to be superstitious against resolutions. It’s not that I’m against having aspirations for oneself. It’s just always seemed to me that the surest way to fail at something is to resolve to do it. I think about all those years I resolved to be more organized…to watch more old movies… to stop eating frosting by the tub… stop posting Facebook status updates about wanting to taser 12-year-old girls that shop at my store… oh sorry. I just made that last resolution just now. So I can’t say whether or not it will be a success. If tomorrow goes anything like today, I kinda doubt it.

Then again, this blog and this project actually started as a resolution. And look how that turned out! Knock on wood of course. Barring severe bodily injury in the next couple of days that would prevent me from getting dressed/taking pictures/posting. Hell, if I ended up next to death and hospitalized I would still rock the paper gown and talk my mom through logging into WordPress. That’s how determined I am to finish. But I think it’s safe to say this is one year I broke the curse.  So now I’m thinking on resolutions again but I doubt I’ll be making any. The new blog is also goal-oriented and I’d say it’s a bit more ambitious that your average on-stop-shop New Year’s resolution. We’ll leave it at that for now.

Here’s something you don’t see a terrible lot of me doing, which is wearing almost all black. Why am I in all black? Well, I’m mourning of course. Mourning the end of this project and daily blogging. Okay, not really. I just felt like wearing all black. It’s actually the color I feel most comfortable in. I really love it. I almost can’t express what a change this year has been for me to wear so much color. I’ve enjoyed every moment of it, and learned a lot. But not dressing in black by default was actually something I have had to work out. So while I’m relatively at peace with color now, I still have black days, and today I chose to indulge.

Part of the reason for my indulgence? Why it’s another new shirt! Something else I didn’t do a lot of this year was buy very many new new items. Lots of thrifted stuff, sure. But all-told, I really only went and splurged brand new clothes on two occasions. So now I have these new shirts that I bought myself for Christmas and I’m being kind of geeky about it. Bust it out! Style it up! Even these earrings are new. Oh baubly goodness! Merry Christmas to me!

In fact, I guess you could say I’m finally getting around to one of my early fashion resolutions for the year which was to Stop Saving the Good Stuff. It only took me all year to cease with the hoarding behavior. But here within the safety of the last week of the project, I feel pretty safely that I’m not going to run out of outfits. Maybe. I still don’t know what I’m wearing for the next two days. Fingers crossed though!

Belted Top – Work
Leggings – Work
Earrings – 5.7.9
Flyaway – 5.7.9
Boots – c/o Wanted Shoes

Title courtesy of Sugar Ray – “When It’s Over”

And It Leaves Me Nothing but Blisters

Tags

black buckle boots, black leggings, black tunic tank, Katy Perry, military vest, red long sleeve basic tee, white rouched tank

Happy Saturday, my happy friends! Was that a cheesy enough greeting? I declare, I am trying to keep things lighthearted. Anything to quell the Christmas crazies from working in retail-land. I swear today I was so tired I was losing hand-eye coordination while performing basic tasks. But alas. Only two more weeks to go.

In the meantime, let us celebrate the final eve of our THEME WEEK. Sad day, that this is the last day of the last theme week in our Closet365 Project. I’m not big on goodbyes though. Or hugs. So this is where we high five and say “it’s been real.”

Ahem. Music.

Indeed. For our final/finale theme week, I have chosen to celebrate the Christmas season by creating outfits based on “The Nutcracker.” Using only what’s in my wardrobe, I’ve enjoyed challenging myself to make everyday wearable outfits while still giving a nod to the costume and character. We have one last role to play. Whomever could it be?

Word. It’s the one and only Nutcracker Prince! Our title role. Afterall, we couldn’t have a Nutcracker series without the very star of the show. Looking at images of the original costumery, I am blown away by the massive headpieces these poor guys have to don to play the part. And well, I love you guys and all, but there are certain lengths I just don’t go to. My version is a bit more practical.

Okay. This is probably my favorite outfit of the bunch. Or maybe a close tie with the Spanish Dancer. I love this one because it’s easy and super comfortable. But still sharp looking and maybe a little regal for good measure.

It’s luck that military detailing is so very en vogue these days. I had several options to deck out my Nutcracker look. In the end, I chose my vest because it’s my very favorite. One of my favorite pieces that I own, actually. So much so, that when a button popped off mid-morning, I busted out my sewing kit at work and mended it. There aren’t many items of clothing that I would do that for. But anything for you, vest! I love you, I do!

It’s unexpected, favoring this outfit. Of all the frills and accoutrements of the past week, of all the bright colors and layers and giant headbands. The diva-esque detailing and princessness. In the end, it’s the good old leggings and boots look that I can settle into. I may be a bit of a prince after all.

Red Long Sleeve – Work
Black Tank – Work
White Rouched Tank – Work
Leggings – Work
Vest – F21
Boots – c/o Wanted Shoes

Title courtesy of Katy Perry – “One of the Boys”

They Say That Things Just Cannot Grow, Beneath the Winter Snow

Tags

black and white beaded necklace, black buckle boots, black leggings, black long sleeve, blue cardigan, blue polka dot scarf, Sara Barielles and Ingrid Michaelson, white rouched tank

Do you guys ever play around on Pandora? I know it’s a fairly cliché way to go about cultivating your musical taste and it’s by no means failsafe. It’s so the antithesis to indie music love. But lately I am digging the heck out of it. I’ve discovered a handful of great new groups, which is perfect because I don’t really have the time to go out and find new music anymore. Another site I love is StereoMood, where it picks the music for your based on your inclinations. Unfortunately there is no station for “Looking for a nice wall to bang my head against.” But it does offer a number of legitimate options for angsty days.

Lately I’ve been feeling way too angst-ridden about a number of things but I am doing my best to stay focused. I went to yoga today for the first time in about two weeks and the instructor often reminds us to “reconnect with [our] intention” throughout the practice. The intention is completely up to the individual and it’s just a way to get through the hour. But I like to think this works in life too. As the project is nearing completion I am trying to realign with the original goal – to wear a different outfit every day for a year and have fun doing it. Enough stressing about pulling out all the stops and further, I have to stop stressing about what happens next and just enjoy the ride. Feel free to remind me of this at any point in the next 39 days. I may need it.

Apparently fun is another way of saying “style rut” I’m wearing the same leggings and boots as yesterday! Tsk tsk! But today I guess that’s okay as I changed up as much elsewhere, as I possibly could. I have to admit that lately, my only real objective is warmth. The weather just isn’t letting up and when it’s cold, I tend to care less and less about what I wear in favor of just not freezing. Layers layers and more layers.

This outfit was actually semi-inspired by a friend that I met for coffee this morning. She was wearing a black and white scarf with a blue sweater and I loved the color combo. I played around with the scheme for myself and this is what I came up with. Style stalking sometimes pays good dividends. Because as similar as it may be to other incarnations this week, I am still wholly pleased with this look.

Depending on the barometer tomorrow I may try and rock a dress. Or I may try and set a new record for most days in a row wearing black leggings and boots. Stay tuned to find out!

Blue Cardigan – Charlotte Russe
Black Leggings – Work
Black Long Sleeve – Work
White Rouched Tank – Work
Boots – Work
Scarf- Work
Necklace – Work

Title courtesy of Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson – “Winter Song”

Just Made a Million, Got Another Million on My Schedule

Tags

black basic long sleeve, black buckle boots, black leggings, bling bee necklace, chambrey button down, wide black belt, Wiz Khalifa, yellow and grey striped cardigan

Evening y’all. Did everyone have a good weekend? Did you do any Christmas shopping yet? I had a few customers today who were already working down the list. I can’t say I’m that ahead of the game. I love giving Christmas gifts. Love wrapping them and watching my loved ones reactions when they open them. BUT. I hate shopping for them. I usually get so busy this time of year, shilling all the goodies to other people. And then I forget to do my own shopping. I am ashamed to admit I have been that guy, who jumps on Amazon at the last minute (God I love online shopping!) and spring for the fast shipping because I waited too long for standard shipping to suffice. Oops.

I have a pretty small list this year, so I should just bite the bullet and get cracking. After all, I saw my first Christmas lights on my block tonight. There are 33 days until Christmas and 40 days left in the project. I also really love countdowns.

It’s not for lack of clothing options to choose from but I have been having a terrible time putting myself together lately. Call it a creative rut of sorts, but I just stare at my piles of clothes most mornings lately and feel braindead. I guess 325 previous mixes will take it out of you a little.

My concern is that I feel like I’ve already worn a variation of this number many times throughout the years. It’s just these elements that I tend to gravitate toward – leggings, boots and button downs. For what it’s worth though, this is only the second showing of this stripey cardigan all year. I like this sweater because for some reason it reminds me of Harry Potter. Have you guys seen the movie yet? I haven’t. I really only made it through the first couple of movies and then we had to turn them off because The Husband was all stop making fun of the actors. That’s not cool. You’re ruining the movie. Etc. But yeah. Love the books. Not so enthralled with the quality caliber of Daniel Radcliffe and Co. Do they get better as the cast grows up?

But anyway. I had fun donning my Potter sweater again. I’m still undecided about whether it’s me or not. I am still slogging through the clothing sorting process and I’m not sure this one is a keeper. I don’t hate. I just don’t love it either. The colors are fun, but the sleeves are way too long and it’s otherwise kind of boring to me. As always, your input is more that welcome.

Sweater – F21
Button Down – Max Rave
Black Long Sleeve – Work
Black Leggings – Work
Boots – Work
Belt – Stolen off a shirt
Necklace – F21 

Title courtesy of Wiz Khalifa – “Black and Yellow”

I’ve No Use For Your Protocol

Tags

black buckle boots, black leggings, military vest, plain white tee, skull scarf, Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Shhh. Listen. Hear that? That manic high-pitched buzzing? That sounds sort of like the violin solo from “Devil Went Down to Georgia”? That’s the sound that coffee makes in my brain. Oh joyful noise.

We didn’t get much time to talk about it yesterday, but I was indeed reunited with my BFF yesterday, after a long long Lenten season without. It was pretty much as glorious as could be expected. Starting with a skinny vanilla latte and on to an iced Americano, coffee and I wasted no time in becoming reacquainted. This morning I made the perfect batch of Sumatra at home and it was as if nothing had changed.

I’m pretty proud of myself for making it 40+ days. For the record, I didn’t cheat a single time. Not on days when I was tired and stressed and I missed the polite hum of productivity surging through my veins. Not when I almost bought a coffee-flavored yogurt because I missed the taste. Not even when my store shares a ventilation system with the mall coffee shop and I could smell it wafting in every morning. Nope not even then. In fact, I didn’t even go in said coffee shop until a few days before the end of my fast. I bought a cup of tea then, and I explained my absence to the barista. She applauded my efforts and promised to make me a big fatty espresso tomorrow when we’re both working. I’m excited.

 

So that’s my story. Pretty simple outfit today. It’s always a little tough getting back into the swing of things after a theme week. Themes require a bit more pre-planning but they can be nice in that they allow me a respite from standing in my closet feeling clueless on a given morning. Or afternoon. Today was also the curse of the day off, and I didn’t get dressed for real until about two.

The military vest, I decided, doesn’t get nearly enough play. It’s badass. So today, I decided to run with that fact. Today I went with more of a Zapatista approach. It’s a bit of a stretch mixing politics and fashion, but when the two mingle, I couldn’t be happier. For the life of me, I don’t know if it gets any better than the video for “Run This Town.” (Even though I can’t stand Rihanna and I think she ruins what could have been a beautiful trifecta.) 

Personally, I am endlessly fascinated with revolutions and revolutionaries. I was easily the most attentive student in my modern political theory class. Something which probably troubled my professor. Especially when I handed in essays relating the theories of Herbert Marcuse to my stiletto shoes. But whatever. With the right scarf and enough coffee, I could totally head up the revolution. I really believe that.

Plain White Tee – Work
Military Vest – F21
Leggings – Work
Skull Scarf – 5.7.9
Buckle Boots – Work

Title courtesy of Sophie Ellis-Bextor – “If I Can’t Dance”

p.s. In case you missed it earlier today, my giveaway announcement is here. Go enter!

I Could Swear That We Were Through

Tags

Amy Winehouse, black and grey plaid scarf, black basic long sleeve tee, black buckle boots, black leggings, turquoise tunic sweater

I woke up this morning to a big old fresh pile of snow and more on the way. To which I was like, really Colorado? REALLY?!

And then Colorado was like, yeah bitch. Deal with it.

I did my best. While my car thawed out, I burned an Amy Winehouse mix and then I went to work. Amy Winehouse fills a nice niche. The part where it should be spring but it’s snowy and miserable out. Mostly “Back to Black.” Once the thaw begins, I roll down my windows and listen to “Frank.” Which could be any time now. ANY TIME NOW, COLORADO.

Long story short, it totally sabotaged my outfit plans. And it does not bode well for my First Day of Spring outfit that I’ve been waiting patiently to wear. I am a sad panda right now.

Now, I am used to putting together my outfits on the fly. But stupidly, I had sort of mentally packed away the boots and sweaters. I threw this together very last minute. The only upside is that I did get to try this color combo that I recently admired at Time Enough for Drums. Her version is far more funky than mine, but something about the turquoise contrast with the scarf really struck me. Enough to make me pick up this similarly colored tunic. To be honest, given the other items it was housed with, I think it’s supposed to be a swim cover. Irony. Oh yeah.

 Turquoise Tunic – Thrifted
Black long sleeve – Work
Leggings – Work
Boots – Work
Necklaces – Work
Scarf – Work

Title courtesy of Amy Winehouse – “Me and Mr. Jones (Fuckery)”

We’ll Bake a Blue Cake

Tags

black buckle boots, black mini skirt, bright eyes, brown leggings, chartreuse cardigan, cream pin dot blouse

Hey everybody. Today is a special day. Today is my mommy’s birthday!

My mom is one of my favorite people. And I don’t like a whole lot of people, so… do with that what you will. I got my sense of humor from her, and my love of music among many other things. My mom was the first person to ever take me shopping for clothes and is still enabling me to this day with thrifting trips and phone calls to let me know when it’s 99 cent sweater day at Arc. Which is how I acquired part today’s outfit.

My mom is not only an avid reader of this blog, but of the comment section as well. So feel free to wish her happy birthday below. Trust me, she will read it. Happy Birthday Mom! I love you.

Lovely day we are having here, despite a brief snow last night. Because my mother’s birthday is the first day of the month, and mine the last, we have always taken note of how the month begins weather-wise. Will it be in like a lamb and out like a lion or vice versa? Guess I get to be the lion this year. Bummer.

So much pressure getting dressed the first of the month. I feel like I have to set the tone for the days to come. I must have thrown around ten different outfits this morning. Literally threw them. My closet, office and bathroom are a mess right now. I settled on this one for a bit of springyness. As I mentioned, this sweater is thrifted from the big sweater sale. I’ve been wanting a little chartreuse in my wardrobe, so this was perfect. It also inspired me to play around with textures and colors a little,  mostly working off the colors of the scarf. I got this scarf in the dollar section at Target. Does anyone else get sucked into that section every time? It’s stupid.

Black mini skirt – Max Rave
Sweater – Thrifted
Blouse – Work
Belt – Work
Leggings - Work
Boots – 5.7.9
Scarf – Target

Title courtesy of Bright Eyes – “True Blue”

Turn the Clock to Zero, Sister

Tags

black beaded necklace, black buckle boots, blue grey stripe sweater dress, grey leggings, shell earrings, Sting

Well, I wanted to get this up early to assure you that I have not abandoned this blog for a life of yoga pants and hoodies. Although that sounds quaint and delightful, I do enjoy getting dressed every day and leading an otherwise productive life. Starting today.

I am still feeling a little worn and icky but it’s only a GD cold, so I have to get better at some point, right?

One of my employees said to me the other day (the day I was wearing this) – I like how you just take all of these shirts and turn them into dresses. Yep. Pretty much. It’s one of the very few perks to being mini Jenny. And this sweater dress is no exception. I’m probably the wrong person to ask if this was intended to be a dress or a sweater because to me, if it touches at least mid-thigh, it’s a dress. Throw some leggings on kid, and you’re good to go.  

I was thinking of taking this dress to Plato’s tomorrow along with some other stuff. I’ve gotten plenty of use out of it in the past and I don’t see myself being able to remix it very easily. But now that I’m wearing it and remembering how much I love it, I may not be able to part with it. I dig the weird foldy neckline. Also the rarity of flattering horizontal stripes. Opinions welcome. Especially if you can think of other ways it could be worn.

Sweater dress – 5.7.9
Grey leggings – Work
Necklace – Work
Shell earrings – The Icing
Boots – Work

Title courtesy of Sting – “Brand New Day”

Our Rise Against the Years and Years and Years

Tags

black and white flannel, black buckle boots, black leggings, Bush, dark grey long sleeve basic tee, sliver ring necklace

It’s here! Our household got pretty excited for 90s week this morning! Jamming out to the 90s station with some Goo Goo Dolls, No Doubt, Boyz II Men and the rest of the gang. I remember the first time the husband and I saw a commercial for one of those compilation albums and it was all music from our formative years. Oh, God. We exclaimed. We’re old now.

I was never super into the grunge look. I was in fifth or sixth grade when the whole thing really took off. I had a crush on a boy who wore heavy metal t-shirts, and one of my closest friends went dark on me but I was always too prissy to join them. I stuck to my stirrup pants and velvet. And Blossom hats.

But the music was another story. I was instantly drawn to it. I had a secret collection of the “hard” stuff, which I ordered in secret from the BMG music club. Although my parents were pretty hip, I was convinced I’d be in trouble for listening to music with a parental advisory label on it. My collection of cassettes – Nirvana, Beck, Soundgarden, etc. were ferreted away on a secret shelf in my closet. I listened to my Walkman in the dark and then switched back to Amy Grant and Ace of Base so as not to arouse suspicion. Crap. I am so busted now.

 

Check my pensive Angela Chase hair muss here.

Since flannel and plaids have come back, this was sort of a no-brainer. Funnily enough, these shirts have been sitting on my clearance rack for weeks but today while wearing mine, I sold four. Another victory for the 90s! I’ll give this outfit one thing – it was super comfortable. My other thought upon dressing was that it’s no wonder I spent the decade thinking I was so fat. Nineties silhouettes are horrible. The circle necklace is the closest thing I could find to the jewelry of my youth. I used to wear all kinds of stupid symbols as accessories. If it had a peace sign, an Ankh or a Ying Yang and you could buy it at Claire’s, I owned it. I thought I was being deep.

 In an ideal world, this outfit would be completed by big black combat boots. I had some once. But today, my slouchy buckle boots will just have to fill in where nostalgia has failed me.

Long sleeve tee – Work
Flannel – Work
Leggings – 5.7.9
Boots – Work
Necklace – Claire’s

Title courtesy of Bush – “Machinehead”