The Blossoms on the Trees Stir Up The Honeybees

Tags

Elvis Presley, pearl strands necklace, red polka dot dress, tan pointed toe pumps, white rouched tank

Um. Hi.

Well. No need to scold me. I will be the first to admit that I feel terrible for not posting much lately. The good news is that PANTSLESS LENT continues on in Jennytown. The bad news is that I’ve been positively awful about documenting it. What’s going on? Well. Lots of stuff. Lots and lots of stuff. Some good. Some bad. A lot in between. My best excuse is that I’ve given myself two weeks of laziness for my birthday. But really. Life has just been hugely distracting. Which is sometimes a welcome change from the blogging pace. But I assume, not a favorite thing for you, the reading.

So, this morning while still waking up, I edited some pictures from about a week and a half ago.

If it makes you feel any better. My real life is just as disorganized as my blogging lately. There is a tower of laundry in my room. My other blog sorely neglected. But at least while all this is going on, I still look dressy?

If anything, maybe we can blame Lent for my slacker ways. All this dressing up has me wanting to Go Out and Do Things! Which is always a lethal equation for not being a shut in and sitting at my computer tap, tap, tapping away. Yeah. That’s it. This is all the fault of Pantsless Lent!

In any event, I wore this cute polka dot dress out to work one morning not too long ago. The weather has been all over the place lately, but mostly lovely. So it was a joy to finally wear this dress all springy-like as opposed to the heavily layered version I did with it last winter. Polka dots really scream SPRING to me. Or maybe even summer. Either way. It’s impossible to feel contained when you’ve got a spring red polka dot dress on. As an added bonus, no one compared me to Minnie Mouse this time. Heck yes!

 Dress – Thrifted
Tank – Work
Necklace – 5.7.9
Shoes – Thrifted

Title courtesy of Elvis Presley – “Spring Fever”

No, I Just Couldn’t Help Myself

Tags

white rouched tank, brown bead necklace, brown tights, brown and red plaid skirt, navy long sleeve basic tee, owl earrings, Lily Allen, turquoise cocktail ring, teal round toe flats

Hola amigos! No I’m not really getting anywhere in my Spanish. My grasp of a secondary language remains illusive. But it’s still on my list for someday. I come to you today to address a couple of very important issues. Firstly: Don’t forget to enter the Shopbop Giveaway! It’s ends at midnight tonight. You know you want to win some dinero! Go enter!

Secondly. So. A handful of people are always asking me why I don’t smile in pictures. It’s true. I rarely rarely grin for the camera and there is a very logical reason for this: I am a gangster. And real gansta ass bitches don’t smile. It ruins our street cred. Shit bitches. I thought you knew?

No. There is another reason. One which I thought I would take a minute to address. And maybe a few of my fellow fashion bloggers can chime in on this. As you may or may not know, I take all of my own pictures for my blog using a very crappy digital camera on auto-timer and a tripod. In order to get 3-5 good images for a post, I take sometimes several hundred shots which I then sort through and edit out the best of the best. I am extremely, EXTREMELY self conscious about how I look in photos as it is, and very picky when selecting images. This process becomes even more tedious should I opt for a smile shot. Good smiling pictures are hard to come by and the process is significantly expedited by simply using the cliché “aloof fashion blogger” stance and the occasional smirk. This is the same reason I also wear big sunglasses with many of my outfits. It cuts out numerous wonky eye shots that happen in auto-timer mode. Due to blinking or looking astray at inopportune moments. So it’s an efficiency thing really and not an indication of my actual mood or character.

That said. I tried a little experiment earlier this week.

There! Are you happy now? I smiled. And it hurt. A lot. I once read that in some cultures and species, smiling is a defensive measure. Done to show aggression and intimidate potential predators. I, on the contrary, feel very exposed and vulnerable now. I think I still prefer smirking for reasons both practical and personal. But I hope I made a few people happy with my smile action this round. (Hi Grandma!)

Smiling and an outfit with colors? Why it must be spring fever! Indeed, I am finally feeling a bit more pep in my step as the warmer temps prevail. I tossed this outfit together the other day on a whim and then for the hell of it, added turquoise accents. Any excuse to bust out my new bling bling ring. Have I mentioned that 2011 is The Year of The Outlandish Cocktail Ring? Oh. Well it is.

It’s been awhile since I got creative with my color palette. I’m liking it, though. I have big plans to start utilizing the full spectrum any day now. Stay tuned. In any event I wish you all a wonderful weekend and please! Don’t forget to enter the giveaway! I will announce a winner mañana!

Long sleeve tee – Work
White rouched tank – Work
Skirt – Charlotte Russe
Tights – Wet Seal
Ring – F21
Necklace – The Icing
Shoes – Thrifted

Title courtesy of Lily Allen – “Smile”

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”

Your Rescue Squad is Too Exhausted

Tags

aqua long sleeve basic top, Bjork, blue grey trousers, brown and blue pinstripe jacket, brown studded pumps, teal bead triple strand, white rouched tank

Hi guys.

Today I’m not lying. This will be short. I had a horrible horrible day. Everything that could go wrong, pretty well did. And I’m not one to unload my liturgy of complaints here. No point in being a downer. Just going to keep it short and sweet and then go to my happy place. Candy corns. Big sunglasses. Sparkly things. Thick stacks of glossy magazines. Etc. Some people meditate on nature in times of stress. But hey. Whatever floats your boat.

I do hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

This is one from the Stuff I Haven’t Worn Yet files. This cute thrifted jacket won me over because I’m such a sucker for brown and blue together. Love it. The only reason I haven’t worn it yet is because I was having a hard time styling it. I love jackets but I often have a hard time with them porportion-wise. This one is no exception. It fits me small in the shoulders, as most jackets do, and looks a little off kilter with my baggy pants.

All in all, I kind of like the menswear effect that is happening here, due to the fit of the pieces. But I couldn’t very well leave well-enough alone and had to girlify this with bright teal accents. Particularly my favorite necklace.

As my great sorting project continues, I found myself piecing through cardigans and jackets last night. I kind of intended to pass on this jacket, just given the difficulty in styling it. But now that I’ve spent a day in it, it kind of grew on me. Parting is such sweet sorrow. I think my weeding is taking me forever, because I have so much love to give. Still, I have some objectives in mind for paring down The Goods. I still have a lot of work to do, but as always, I’ll keep you posted.

Jacket – Thrifted
Teal long sleeve – Work
Rouched white tank – Work
Pants – Thrifted
Shoes – Thrifted
Necklace – Wet Seal

Title courtesy of Bjork - “Army of Me”

You Were Right About The Stars

Tags

ivory and silver splatter bracelet, shell rose necklace, striped shirt dress, white rouched tank, white skirt, Wilco

Hi all. Happy Monday. How did the day treat you? Hey I’m talking to you! My Blackberry is lonely lately. I want you to comment and tell me about your day. Yes, you!

I myself don’t have much to report today, so I’ll keep it short and snappy. Outfit:

So this striped shirt dress has been my nemesis for a couple of weeks now. First I bought it and loved it. Then I took it home and tried to style it. With great difficulty. Just nothing was working the way I wanted it to. The length was playing tricks on me. It seemed too short to be a proper dress. Too long for shorts. Everything I tried layering with it up top looked great and I couldn’t decide between pieces, whereas everything I tried to layer on bottom looked wrong. To belt or not to belt? I was torn. It looked like this battle was going nowhere. I thought about returning it. But I would keep the shirt, I decided, because I had high hopes for pairing it with leggings in the fall.

Alas, I didn’t want to wait until the fall. I still had a crush on the shirt and I wanted to wear it, damnit. So I said, enough already shirt dress. Let’s do this. It took me a few more tries this morning but I finally decided to try it with a skirt. And that ended up being the key! Ironically, the skirt is shorter than the dress itself but somehow manages to fill in the gaps that I was finding irksome. Furthermore, it’s a skirt and thusly does not compromise the true nature of the garment – which is that of dress.

It was also a good day for jewelry. I wore this necklace last week, but felt it didn’t get quite enough due, while layered with another necklace. I love it so. You know what else I love? My bracelet. I have been severely neglecting my massive bangle bracelet collection. Something about bracelets not really photographing well, but enough is enough. Bangles are the best, and I was wrong to doubt their power. So the bangles are back. Dig?

Shirt Dress – 5.7.9
Rouched Tank – Work
Skirt – Max Rave
Wedges – Wet Seal
Bracelet – 5.7.9
Necklace – 5.7.9

Title courtesy of  Wilco – “Jesus, Etc.”

You Can Dance, Go and Carry On ‘Til The Night is Gone

Tags

Blue v-neck dress, gladiator sandals, Michael Buble, tan belt, white rouched tank

Happy Saturday! Welcome to the last day of Theme Week. Right about now is when we cue the slow song to let you know that Wedding Week is nearly over. All week I’ve been taking all the old dresses that I’ve bought and worn once to wedding and then restyling them for the every day.  It’s been a fun challenge for me. Not only getting to finally wear these dresses again but remixing them. I got to relive all the wedding memories that come with. AND I re-learned to sew. Sort of. Kind of. Not really. 

I don’t know that I’ll be attending any more weddings any time soon, but I now have complete faith in my old neurosis about buying a new dress for every wedding. Now that I know I can re-work these pieces, I feel justified in their purchase. Hurrah!

We have one last dress to play with today:

Last spring I flew down to Texas for a weekend wedding. The plan was that I would shop for a dress while there, but I brought my backup dress just in case. Lord knows no on in Texas would have seen any of the dresses I’d worn to Colorado weddings, but that was completely beside the point. There was a flaw however, in the plan. The flaw being that I was traveling to A Town Without Shopping. A year of living in West Texas should have taught be better, but somehow this slipped my mind. When I went to go hunt down a dress I combed the mall and all of my old standbys. I finally found this dress at Ross and thought I was on to something.

And I was. There are a lot of things I love about this dress. The color is amazing. The little ruffle makes a little Flamenco swish when I walk. The fit is perfect. There’s just one small problem which I failed to notice before I walked out the door with it – Hello Cleavage. There’s simply nowhere to hide in this dress. When I put in on shortly before the wedding I was horrified by how exposed I felt. Limited by my light packing skills, I had no choice but to rock the dress as is. I spent the rest of the night alternating between making inappropriate jokes about it and trying to strategically position myself to be less exposed. Which alas, never really worked. I felt sad for the dress, I really thought we had something. But I’m just not a vavoom kind of girl. My objective almost always, is to downplay my assets, not flaunt them. Luckily today, I had some options at my disposal.

White tank to the rescue. It fills in the gap perfectly and I feel a million times better with the extra coverage. Not to mention, I like the added bright accent.

As evening attire, the dress stands alone quite nicely, but it felt too formal for the daytime and to wear to work. This is where accessories come in handy. I decided to play with neutrals again, since the blue of the dress is so brilliant. I didn’t want to detract from it at all. I think, the unofficial motto of this theme week should be “If you liked it then you shoulda put a belt on it.” But whatever. Don’t knock the belt action. Belts just work, when nothing else does.

This re-vamped version of the dress feels very new and different. It feels a little bit catalouge to me, but a nice fresh spin on something that was otherwise just sitting in my closet. Cultivating its stale perfume scent and feeling ignored. The truth is, I never really stopped loving her. But I’m excited because, the future looks pretty bright too.

Dress – Ross
Belt – 5.7.9
Shoes – Thrifted
Earrings – Work

 Title courtesy of Michael Bublé – “Save The Last Dance For Me”

Go Ask Alice, I Think She’ll Know

Tags

black filagree necklace, black hairbow, black payless heels, blue sundress, Jefferson Airplane, white rouched tank, wide black belt

Oh hello.

Does today’s title remind you of that old book “Go Ask Alice”? Did anyone else ever read that? I think  I used to read that book every summer. As picky as I can be in my reading habits, I am a sucker for tragic and trashy memoirs. If you know of any, please let me know. As summer sets in, I’m in a reading mood and I could totally go for something dramatic and awful. Are there bipolar drug addicts? Reformed hookers with OCD? Sign me up! It’s always been my dream to write a memoir, but my life is so uninteresting by comparison. So instead, I read and live vicariously.

Come to mention it, I could really use some escapism right now. I’m at bit of an impasse with work this week. I’m sure it will pass, but every so often I get fed up with feeling abused and undervalued. Not to mention STILL fighting with broken-ass technology. It’s not good for the blood pressure. I could really use a vacation and I fear there is nothing on the horizon.

Speaking of down the rabbit hole. Apropos of nothing, today’s outfit totally reminds me of “Alice in Wonderland.” I thrifted this cute blue dress, but then promptly found it rather boring. I had to do something to dress it up and this is what came about. It started with the large black belt, which was necessary to make it look less maternity-like. Rouched tank to fill in where the bust is slightly small. And once it clicked, I had fun with it.

I have to say I never really identified with the Alice character. But as much as I enjoyed dressing like her today, I suddenly found myself likening people in the mall to the various characters. The awful fat redheaded troll who works at Journey’s and hates me? Red Queen. My finicky and impatient Fed Ex guy? Totally The White Rabbit. And so on.

I’ll take my adventures where I can get them. If that’s in my closet for now, so be it.

Dress – Thrifted
Tank – Work
Shoes – Payless
Hair Bow – Claire’s
Belt  – Stolen off a shirt
Necklace – Work

Title courtesy of Jefferson Airplane - “White Rabbit”

Noise Response, Applause and Hand Claps

Tags

Beck, blue and brown wood bead necklace, blue striped button down, brown maryjanes, brown wooden bangle, navy tights, white belted skirt, white rouched tank

I woke up this morning feeling slightly cranky. I couldn’t place what was bothering me. It’s been a long week, and I’m really only less than halfway through it. So maybe that was it. 

Then I remembered that amidst all the drama yesterday, I forgot something very important. Um. The USED BOOK SALE at the mall. Used book sales are a Big Deal to me. They happen only a few times a year, but it’s how I acquire most of my books. The husband hates them because he’s already always begging me to weed out my book shelves (plural). But I pretty much live for them. I even schedule myself to work the morning they open. The first rule of the used book sale, is that you get there early. The second is that you leave your dignity at home. 

 

 

Hardcore book nerds get to the sale as soon as it starts and they show no mercy. There will be some shoving. Some gnashing of teeth. You always leave a little worse for the wear, but with a big box of new books. I don’t know about where you live, but around here, you don’t attend a used book sale. You conquer it. So imagine my sadness, when I realized I missed the main event.

The thing that sprung me from my funk was my NEW SPRING COAT. It’s yellow and a little cupcakey, but guess what? I LOVE yellow and cupcakes. Don’t tell my winter jacket from the other day, but I think I may have to take another bride. It’s alright. I watch “Big Love.” I know the score. They’re going to be sister coats. We’re all going to be very happy together. 

I’m also fairly fond of my outfit today. Still in my white phase, I had to take this spring skirt for a test run. I’ve been borrowing the belt from it quite a bit, but today it was reunited with rightful owner. 

The tights are just hilarious to me. They came from a thrift store, but don’t worry, they were still new in package. The funny thing is that they were SO old. I bought them for a dollar but according to the original price sticker, they only cost $1.19 brand new from May D&F. If you are too young to know what May D&F is please don’t tell me. I got a birthday coming up and I’m not trying to hear that, see. Respect your elders. 

In any event, they’re frigging fantastic tights! Comfy. Warm. Perfect thickness and texture, no snagging, decent color. I am going to build a time machine and go back for some more. Anybody need anything from the early eighties, while I’m out? 

Blue pinstripe button down - 5.7.9
White rouched tank – Work
Skirt – Max Rave
Tights – Thrifted
Shoes – Payless 
Necklace – Wet Seal
Bracelet – can’t remember 

 Title courtesy of Beck – “Hell Yes”

Sometimes the Snow Comes Down in June

Tags

brown babydoll dress, brown graduated bead necklace, brown knee socks, Doc Martens, mustard cardigan, Vanessa Williams, white rouched tank

Don’t speak 90s week. Because I know what you’re thinking. And I don’t need your reasons.

I think this is where we say, it’s been real. I’ve spent the entire week paying homage to my favorite decade in fashion. We’ve explored the intricacies of the body suit and the scrunchie. Discussed my distaste for swing dancing and so much more. I am ready to go back to my normal wardrobe. Still, I’ve been waiting all week for my favorite item of all. Doc mothereffing Martens. Yeah.

I cannot explain my love for the Docs. They’re the shoe equivalent of dating someone off-type and falling for them hard. While I’d normally go for a sleek kitten heel or a strappy stiletto, the big old clunky Docs totally do it for me. Then and now. I had a few pairs in junior high and high school. They were my one splurge, but I don’t know what happened to them. I bought this pair on eBay recently out of pure nostalgic lust, but I have no problems working them in to my normal wardrobe.  

Marginally ugly, yet so amazing. This pair also came with a cute handwritten note from my eBay seller, wishing us well. You have no idea, seller. No idea.

So while it’s time to say peace out to this theme week, I will say that the 90s may return to the blog, at some point. If only because the husband said I can’t have a proper 90s week without overalls. We will see about that. For now I’m off to enjoy one last hurrah in my babydoll dress, my knee socks and my beloved Docs. Listening to the greatest music of all time. 

See you back here tomorrow, in the regular millenium.

Babydoll dress – F21
Mustard cardigan – Target
Rouched white tank – Work
Knee socks – Work
Necklace – The Icing
Doc Martens – eBay

Title courtesy of Vanessa Williams – “Saved the Best for Last”