Went From Having Shabby Clothes, Crossing Over Abbey Roads

Tags

cream belt, cream rouched tunic top, ice blue scarf, Jay-Z, pink pearls, red print dress, tan pointed toe pumps

Oy, children. How are you today? Well my day was pretty unbelievable. Like literally, not to be believed. So rather than try and go into it, I’d rather just cut to the good stuff.

It is still THEME WEEK here in Closet365 land. All week I am hauling out a few of my favorite things. Namely, DRESSES! in celebration of a very special blog launch coming up! This week I’m taking the opportunity to introduce you to my new venture: ALLTHEPRETTYDRESSES.COM. My new baby is about to launch, but while we’ve got time to kill, I thought I’d introduce you to the new challenge one piece at a time. Or list, as the case may be.

So. I’ve already told you about my plan to read 100 great novels and watch 100 great movies before my 30th birthday. But did you know that I am also planning on listening to 100 great albums? Oh yes.  Over the course of the next two years, I’ll be working my way through the VH1 list of 100 greatest albums. The list is now up at the blog, so feel free to check it out. Fueled by the used section at Amazon.com and a few generous friends with CD burners, I’m going to finally listen to all those great classic artists I’ve always wanted to check out, but never really gotten to. Possibly because I was busy listening to too much age-inappropriate bubble gum pop. But whatever. Really, just whatever. It’s time to finally form a context for what makes truly great music. This is one of my favorite parts of the project. A new great album every week for the next two years. I think it’s going to be amazing.

Hey how about a dress?

It’s baaaaaack. How many of you guys remember this old thing? Clear back in April of last year, my theme week consisted of wearing this same dress all seven days in seven different stylings. You’d actually be amazed at how much you can diversify a garment like this. It was actually a lot of fun, save for the part where I got sick of wearing the same. dress. every. day. But since then, she hasn’t seen any action and I thought it to be a crying shame. Look how cute! I have to say this dress is one of my favorite thrifting finds, ever. Ten dollars at ARC, Fossil Brand, in new condition and just look. No. LOOK at the print. It’s simply awesome.

For today, I actually styled the dress an eighth way compared to the theme week versions. Nothing too new or exciting, but I added some cream accessories and a big old pop of blue to draw from the print. It was so weird yet awesome to be wearing my dress again. It brought back fond memories of early last year and of the project in general. Feels strange to say, but the Closet365 Project will live on in my heart for a long time. I learned so many small lessons and had so many fun day in and day out experiences because of it. Not to worry though. I carry my torch (and my dresses) on to the next big adventure.

Stay with me for the rest of the week as I style yet more of my favorite dresses and introduce you to the rest of All The Pretty Dresses! And hey! Don’t forget to enter the giveaway before Monday night!

Title courtesy of Jay-Z – “Beach Chair”

Please Blame it on the Son of the Morning, Thanks Again

Tags

black braided belt, black maryjane pumps, grey and black striped cardigan, Jay-Z, maroon skirt, white polo shirt

You guyyyyyys. If you thought I was whiny yesterday, just get a load of today. You see, I still don’t have hot water at my house. This would be day three and our apartment complex hasn’t so much as sent someone over to look at it. Truly awesome of them considering we literally just signed another lease with the property. That’s some great service right there. I suppose not bathing is alright for some people. But when you have a blog that requires you to look cute, or at the very least, clean on a regular basis, it becomes an issue. I’ll admit, I’m not a fan of showering. I mean I do it. Obviously. But it’s always my least favorite part of my day. I prefer bubble baths, which are sadly not very practical or for people over the age of six. Still, I got desperate enough today that I actually went to the gym and worked out. Just so that I could take a real shower. Irritated? Yeah, a little.

I did do something exciting this morning ,though! My mother-in-law and I went shopping at the fabric store and acquired all the makings for Outfit #365: The Grand Finale. I almost typed Grande just then. But my final outfit is not something you can order off the menu at Taco Bell, it’s actually pretty Fancy McFancerton. Or at least it will be. That’s all I can really tell you but I’m pretty stoked. Now I’m just going to need to find a fancy party to actually wear it to. Does anybody want to invite me to their New Year’s Eve party? Can you believe there are only three months left until 2011? We better get planning. I promise I will bring something edible, probably involving frosting. And also I will not do any embarrassing dances. Well, okay, maybe just one. But that’s it. I promise.

Moving on.

So apparently I am on a little bit of a sticky-fingered bent with my clothes lately. After borrowing all last week from magazines, I then stole this idea from Elaine of Clothed Much. Everything she does is so completely adorable, I only wish I could pull off more of her styles. But this was a look that I loved and had all the stuff for already. So how could I not? I didn’t even do much tweaking of my own. I forgot some of the details because I put mine together from vague memory. Now that I’m tracking back, I wish I had opted for the scoop neckline instead of my collar. Either way, I love her version and I’m not a bit disappointed in my own. It was a really nice look for a casual fall day.

Tomorrow I assure you that I will put together something completely of my own volition. The other night at the Muse concert, we were admiring all of the eclectic styles going on around us and I came up with the idea for the ultimate style blog. I would take pictures of people off the street and then use the pictures to create my own version. Like a hyrid of both street style and personal style blog. And call it IStoleYourLook.com. I am so NOT doing this, just so you know. Way too intimidating and too much work. But feel free to steal the idea. I mean, I’d read that blog. I’m just not willing to write it. I can be kind of lazy, sometimes.

Skirt – F21
Polo – Work
Striped Cardigan – Thrifted (Charlotte Russe)
Belt – Thrifted
Shoes – Payless

Title courtesy of Jay-Z – “Lucifer”

 

It Ain’t Where I Been, But Where I’m About To Go

Tags

black and grey pumps, fuschia tie tunic, grey and maroon floral skirt, Jay-Z, rose necklace

Well, I have very little to bring to the table today. Because as it turns out, that saying about all work and no play? Totally true. I have absolutely nothing interesting to report having done nothing but work as of late. Don’t worry, it will all be over soon. At least that’s what I keep telling myself.

I keep trying to think of ways to make the blog more interesting, because you guys seem to be dropping like flies in the comments section, and I feel terrible. With all the awareness that this will make me sound like a 7th grade girl I have to ask anyway - OMG why do you guys hate me?!

With seemingly a big case of apathy going around (and trust me, I am not immune) it would be really easy to just dress like a schlub this week. I often contemplate whether or not this blog is just a vanity project, (to which the answer is a resounding DUH). But sometimes, I think getting dressed up is an act of self-preservation. It’s a way of saying, yes this day may suck but I’m not going to give up before it even begins. I will conquer this day, and damnit, I will look cute doing it!

I woke up feeling less than enthusiastic this morning. I rolled out of bed groggy and kind of grumpy. Had a crappy run. Procrastinated on Facebook for about 20 minutes, just “liking” things. And then it was time to get dressed. Luckily, I did some brainstorming last week before things got too crazy and jotted down at least a vague plan for outfits this week. Rather than having to scramble, I just dressed according to plan. And amen for that plan, because as I soon as I was outfitted, I felt a strange twinge that felt something like optimism.

Perhaps against my default instincts, this outfit left me feeling flouncy and put-together. I feel like I just wore this skirt, since it appeared oh…six weeks ago. The Project seems to run on its own strange and elusive time scale. But anyway, since we last saw this skirt, the temperature has changed rather drastically and it now feels appropriate to pair it with a sleeveless top. I’ve had this tie-top for many years and I still love it. When it occurred to me that its fuchsia hue was similar to the reds and pinks in the skirt, I knew I had to introduce them.

Last but not least, I am happy to be reunited with my favorite big brown sunglasses. I am used to going through sunglasses at a rapid rate, which I why I always opt for cheap pairs. But I was uber disappointed when I busted the twin pair of these last week. I stepped on them in the middle of the night in our tent, while camping, and felt super sad that they died by my own hand. Or foot, as it were. I briefly considered finding a new brown pair to see me through the rest of the summer but when it just so happened that we still had the same style in stock, I simply re-bought them.

Wow. A entire paragraph about my sunglasses. Cool story, Jenny. And suddenly it dawns on me, why I get no comments…

Tie Top – Max Rave
White Boy Tank – F21
Skirt – Thrifted
Shoes – Target
Necklace – Work

Title courtesy of Jay-Z – “I Just Wanna Love You” 

Anticipation For Precipitation

Tags

black and white flannel, black disc earrings, black fitted dress, brown belt, brown knot pumps, Jay-Z, Rihanna, white polo

Greetings! I’ll be quick because I’m not at home. We booked it out of town last minute and headed to Denver. I have no idea what we’re even doing here other than we just needed to hit the city. I packed in about five minutes once the hotel was booked. I threw a dress in a bag a long with my running shoes and a small makeup bag. And four belts, two necklaces and some scarves. What? I need options.

One of the reasons we had to ditch out was the weather. More rainy gloriousness today. I took one look out the window this morning and promptly declared it an umbrella day. One of the other managers at the mall laughed at me for toting my umbrella on the brief walk over to the bank. But seriously, we don’t get a lot of umbrella days where I live. I was going to take advantage of it. Besides, about five minutes after she cajoled me for it, it started to rain hard. And who stayed dry and cute, while the rest of the mall made a mad dash in their soaked hoodies? Yeah. That’s right.

Today’s outfit was primarily inspired by this posted over at Fashion Therapist. Tabitha’s cute black and white look totally sparked a brainstorm on my part. I knew pretty much instantly how I wanted to re-create it, but for the most part our weather has been too nice for black and white flannel. Then today, amidst Seattle-esque conditions, I knew it was time to strike.

I am used to dressing up a little black dress, instead of dressing it down. Still, after a week of feeling so-so about my outfits, this is finally an outfit I really love. Probably one of my favorites this year. It came out way more chic than I initially envisioned. And more of a head-turner. I got a lot of attention from older dudes today, which was…weird. The gentleman just appreciate a nice feminine/masculine dichotomy, I’m sure. All that was missing was some folksy French jazz rendition of “Whatever Lola Wants.” Echoing faintly as I sauntered down the mall halls. I hate it when life fails to cooperate with the movie version in my head. Otherwise, it was a good day.

Polo – Work
Flannel – Work
Dress – F21
Belt – Work
Shoes – Thrifted (Candies)
Earrings – Wet Seal

Title courtesy of Rihanna (Featuring Jay-Z) – “Umbrella”

 

Work With The Kid

Tags

Beyonce, brown heeled boots, brown leggings, brown long sleeve basic tee, gold gypsy earrings, Jay-Z, peacock headband, tan crocheted tunic top

A day off! And with the husband, no less! About a month ago when I wore this outfit he said, “I really like that outfit….HEY… this sucks because now when I like your outfits I’ll never see them again.” He has been a big support of the project, otherwise. He even got me my own closet to work out of.

Did I tell you we moved? Maybe in passing? We moved within our apartment complex, just to a bigger space. We now have a real office, a better view and yes, my very own walk-in. Today marks the last of the unpacking and organizing and settling in. We learned the hard way: never move during the holidays, especially if you work them.

So this is for you darling, if you’re reading. (He’s not reading.)

 

A girl I know recently confessed to me that she has an addiction to headbands. And I was like, headbands? Really? I told her I didn’t need another addiction, as I already have one to scarves. She was like, oh I know someone who’s trying to get addicted to scarves! And I was like, yeah don’t start. It’s awful. She then proceeded to tell me about the various dealers she buys her headbands from and I really should have ended the conversation right there. Because a few days later? I bought this one.

Headband – Target
Earrings – Claire’s
Basic brown long sleeve tee- Work
Tan crocheted tunic top – Vanity ($1.99!)
Leggings – Work
Boots – 5.7.9 

Title courtesy of Beyoncé and Jay-Z - “’03 Bonnie and Clyde”

We Don’t Really Care What You Used to Say

Tags

countdown, giveaway, Jay-Z, launch party, New Year's, resolutions

 The Closet365 launches tomorrow!

I saved my favorite dress for New Year’s Eve. There’s a lot of flap about Rodarte for Target lately, and with good reason because it’s super fun stuff. But before there was Rodarte, there was Mizrahi. I am probably dating myself, but I once very much loved mid-90s Isaac Mizrahi and his fierce headbands. I loved him after he got grabby hands with Scarlett Johansson’s and I love him for designing this dress. It was given to me as a Christmas gift two years ago and this is the first time I‘ve had an excuse to wear it. I couldn’t think of a better occasion than the eve of 2010 and the start of my yearlong adventure.

 

Resolutions. I don’t make them. Or rather I didn’t in the past, because I feel like a surefire way to jinx your best intentions is to declare them on New Year’s Eve. I’m not cynical or anything.

But obviously, this blog is a resolution of sorts and thus I’ve kind of broken my own rule. The promise of 2010 has me all kinds of inspired. So to be clear, while I am still NOT making any New Year’s Resolutions, I do have a few fashion-related aspirations for myself (and this blog) that I’ll share. It seems like a good way to set the pace for the year to come. As follows:

• Take risks – in fashion, as in life, risks are occasionally worth taking. They may not always pay off, but at least I can say I tried. I’m not talking wearing Crocs or anything outrageous like that. Just go bolder and brighter.
• Wear color – I love color, but I’m often the last person wearing it. My closet is predominately grey, black and blue. This needs to change. Black can still be my favorite color, I just don’t need to wear it every day.
• Invest in quality pieces – this is something I really need help with. In the past, I’ve always been a quantity over quality kind of girl. Working in retail, getting discounted goods has made me notoriously cheap. And while a component of this project is sticking to a budget, it’s also about utilizing what I already have. Therefore I should be able to save my cash and splurge on some nice pieces. Maybe even the kind that don’t shrink and fade with every single wash!
• STOP SAVING IT – Another major pitfall of mine is that I buy the loveliest things and then I hold out on wearing them because I’m waiting for the right occasion. (see also: today’s dress) Why wait? It is a proven fact that dressing cute significantly improves my day, so from now on, who needs an occasion? I make my own occasions.
• Speaking of which, I will stop feeling silly about being overdressed. The sad fact of the matter is that I live in Colorado where people spend half of their life in a winter coat. The epitome of fashion in my town is a Kate Gosselin haircut and some North Face fleece. There are going to be many occasions where I’m going to stand out simply by accessorizing but damnit, I am going to stop apologizing for it. If I want to wear shiny things to the grocery store or heels to the campsite, no one is going to stop me.

So these are my un-resolutions. How about you? You have until midnight tonight to enter the giveaway by telling me your resolutions or your thoughts on them. I’m going out for sushi and then celebrating with pink cupcakes and San Pellegrino. I will draw and announce my winner when the ball drops. See you next year!

Title courtesy of Jay-Z – “Off That”