Professor of Equestrian Sciences

So, this outfit sort of looks like something a Professor of Equestrian Sciences might wear for the last class before winter break:

In other words, it doesn't look like spring.  But, in my defense, it doesn't feel like spring in Oregon right now either.  It is cold, it is wet and layers are definitely necessary.  Are Christmas-y layers necessary?  Probably not, but they're happening anyway, aren't they?

The answer is yes, yes they are.

Actually, I think it's just the blouse that throws this look into Christmas territory.  At least that's what my sister says; she swears it's covered in snowflakes.  But, it's not; they're little flowers:

Not the most spring-like flowers, but flowers all the same.  So, at least I'm a seasonally appropriate Professor of Equestrian Sciences.

And, I'm also a participant in The Citizen Rosebud's #SECONDHANDFIRST Link Party.  The entire top half of my outfit, the professorial half, if you will, is thrifted.  The jacket, the blouse, the lady-tie and the lion pin, are all from secondhand shops.

To see what thrifted goodies others are wearing, please do stop by Citizen Rosebud.  And if you're a second-hand shopper, make sure you link up too!

And have a happy Friday, All!

Gracey

Link Party Reminder and February's Books

I think I'm a bit late with this, but I wanted to remind everyone that my Literary Stylings Link Party will be held next Tuesday and you're all in invited to link up with a look inspired by whatever it is you read this month.

Now, let's talk about what I read this month.

The Flame Throwers, by Rachel Kushner

This book was only okay for me.  I absolutely loved some parts, but the others were just not as good and, for me, that brought the whole book down.  I think part of the problem was that I wasn't able to connect with any of the characters; not with the main character, Reno, or anyone else.  So, I wasn't very invested in what happened to them.  And, if I'm honest, I'm not even sure what did happen to them; I was lost for the final part of the book.  Has anyone else read this book?  What did you think?


Geek Love, by Katherine Dunn

There is not much I can say about this book that I didn't share in this post.  But, I will say, again, that I highly recommend this book.  I think it's weird and creepy and fascinating and so very, very good.


The Good Thief, by Hannah Tinti

I think this book could be considered YA although it's not marketed that way, but I like it.  I'm not quite through, but so far it's very interesting and is definitely keeping my attention.  I especially love the characters; there are some great ones in here.  From the orphan Ren, to Mrs. Sands, to Dolly (a murderer with a woman's name), I kind of love everyone.  It's not the most thought-provoking book in the world, unlike the other two I read, but it's good and I'd recommend this one as well.

As I already posted a look inspired by Geek Love and I just can't care that much about The Flame Throwers, I'll probably end up wearing something inspired by The Good Thief on Tuesday.  But, we'll see.

Happy Thursday, All!

Gracey

Finally Flats

I have to admit I'm jealous of those bloggers who spend their winter months in adorable flats and stylish pumps.  It's rare that I get to wear anything but boots from October through March, what with all the lovely Oregon sunshine (it's really rain, they just try to make it sound good).  But, today, it didn't rain and it wasn't freezing cold, so I finally got to wear flats:

And, of course, I reached for my leopard flats.  They're one of my favorite pairs because they're leopard, they're comfortable and they're snug enough for bike riding:

Note to those of you who want to bike commute, flats are good, but only if they fit snugly.  I lost one of mine in an intersection once and it was horrible.  I had to watch as cars drove over it and then dash out, in a single shoe, to get it.  True story.  Luckily, it wasn't hit, but trust me, snug flats are better than loose.


Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

Shop the Look

 Gap Real Straight jeans (I cropped mine myself)

Similar striped tee

Old Navy cardigan

Similar mustard infinity scarf

Similar leopard flats

2014 Oscar Predictions

I'm not much of a movie buff, so I'm not even going to try to predict which actor is going to win an Oscar.  I haven't even seen all of the nominated movies this year!  But, I have seen slides of most of the shows from the Paris, London, New York and Milan fashion shows, so I thought it might be fun to predict which dresses will show up on the Oscar red carpet!

Naeem Khan

In my opinion, Naeem Khan had one of the most red-carpet-worthy shows for 2014 RTW and I think we'll see a lot of him on the red carpet.  Here are some of my favorites:

Prints are rare on the red carpet and even more so on the Oscar red carpet, but I'd love to see someone like Sandra Bullock (Gravity) or Julie Delpy (Before Midnight).  Or even Jennifer Garner (Dallas Buyers Club).

This lavender gown may be a little casual for the Oscar red carpet, but that's why I think Meryl Streep (August: Osage County) might give it a shot.  And the color is so pretty!

Anne Hathaway will be there presenting for Best Actor and I think she'd look stunning in this.

This dress would work for any number of stars.  I'd like it for Julia Roberts (August: Osage County), but she'd probably throw a turtleneck underneath.  So, maybe Jessica Chastain?  Or Zoe Saldana?  I'm not sure, but I'd be surprised if we didn't see it.

This is one of several dresses I have picked out for Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave).  She can wear anything and I'd love her in this.  I'd also love to see Zoe Saldana in this.

Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine) would look stunning in this.  She often wears an open back and I love how unique this is.

Dior

I wasn't a fan of the last two Dior shows; the Spring RTW had weird boob patches and the Couture show had these dresses: 

However, Dior also has Jennifer Lawrence and Marion Cotillard under contract so while  Marion will probably get something gorgeous, poor Jennifer Lawrence will probably end up in one these.  Maybe lined, maybe not.

Kaufmanfranco

I love both of these silvery gowns from Kaufmanfranco and would love to see Julie Delpy in the first one and Amy Adams (American Hustle) in the second.  Adams is totally into 70s cleavage right now so this dress is perfect.

Elie Saab

Like Naeem Khan, Elie Saab put forth some stunning red carpet dresses this season; here are my favorites of his:

I find this dress a bit on the twee side, but I think that someone will definitely wear it.  Jennifer Garner, maybe?

This dress obviously needs to be lined, but then I could see this one on Helen Mirren or maybe Kate Winslet.

Margo Robbie (Wolf of Wall Street) would look amazing in either of these.

Again, Margo Robbie.  I don't know if she wears red, but I think she could and should.

Jenny Packham

I was really impressed with the Jenny Packham show from London and I think there's a chance we could see quite a bit of her on the red carpet, possibly including some of these looks:

I think the navy blue is a shoe-in; someone will wear that.  I think it'd be great on Sandra Bullock or Helen Mirren.  The orange dress is a long shot, but I think Lupita would knock it out of the park if it were full length like the navy.  And the last dress would work for Amy Adams or Jessica Chastain; I'd love a redhead in it.

Grab Bag

This next group are designers that aren't necessarily red carpet designers and therefore had fewer Oscar-worthy offerings.  But, they had some:

Those first two are Carmen Marc Valvo and I'd love to see either one on Anne Hathaway.

I also love this Chanel Haute Couture for Anne Hathaway.  But I'd also like it for Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine).

This lavender gown is Armani Prive and if Cate Blanchett wore this I would be in heaven.

I don't think Julia Roberts wears a lot of red, but I think she'd look great in this Bibhu Mohapatra dress.  The lines of the bodice kind of remind me of the black and white dress she was wearing when she won.

The Wild Cards

I don't think any of these next picks are likely to come to fruition, but man, I wish they would!

People don't often go this big or this bold on the red carpet, but I'd love someone to show up in this Oscar de la Renta; Lupita would look smashing in this color and it'd be an interesting departure for her, silhouette-wise.

This dress is Ulyana Sergeenko and I would give my left arm for Tilda Swinton (SWINTON!) to show up in this.  She's really the only one who could or should.

This is also Ulyana Sergeenko and it would be amazing and perfect on Angelina Jolie.  It's totally sexy-Maleficent.  

Yes, the red carpet does need more capes and I adore this Blumarine dress and cape combination.  Just make the dress full length and I don't care who wears it!

And there you have it, folks.  My Oscar predictions for 2014.  What about you, Reader Friends?  Do you have any Oscar predictions?

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Note: all images via New York Magazine "The Cut"

T3: Geek Love's Rose Garden

The other day I was invited by M, at My Closet Catalogue, to participate in Thoughtful Third Thursday (T3), which is a new link party.  The idea is to create a post about what you're currently reading, including a quote or synopsis and an outfit based on the quote/synopsis.  As you can see, I'm a bit late with my post, but I figure better late than never.

I am reading Geek Love, by Katherine Dunn, which is about a family where the children were purposely bred, by their parents, to be "circus freaks" to work in the family's traveling circus.  And it's amazing.  Here is my inspiration quote:

"Please, Papa," I begged, "tell us the Rose Garden."

...

"It was in Oregon, up in Portland, which they call the Rose City, though I never got in gear to do anything about it until a year or so later when we we were stuck in Fort Lauderdale."

He had been restless one day, troubled by business boondoggles.  He drove up into a park on a hillside and got out for a walk.  "You could see for miles from up there.  And there was a big rose garden with arbors and trellises and fountains.  The paths were brick and wound in and out."  He sat on a step leading from one terrace to another and stared listlessly at the experimental roses.  "It was a test garden, and the colors were... designed.  Striped and layered.  Once color inside the petal and another color outside."

...

The roses started him thinking, how the oddity of them was beautiful and how that oddity was contrived to give them value.  "It just struck me - clear and complete all at once - no long figuring about it."  He realized that children could be designed.  "And I thought to myself, now that would be a rose garden worthy of a man's interest."

And here is my outfit, inspired by that quote:

I thought the blue and purple roses on my dress, with their jade stems, were a good representation of what designer roses might look like:

And, not for nothing, but I also have jade stems today:

In addition to my dress (vintage, thrifted) and my jade tights (Target), I also wore a vintage wool blazer (thrifted), black ankle boots (BC Footwear) and an animal print belt (thrifted).  The belt is there because I can't resist the combination of animal and floral and because the traveling circus has big cats as well as home-grown "freaks."

As I mentioned, I'm linking up with My Closet Catalogue for T3, but also to Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style.  Thank you to M and Patti for hosting!


Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

Tunic, My Heinie

No, really, I'd like to introduce this tunic to my heinie because I'm pretty sure they haven't met:

Seriously, one of the most frustrating things about being tall is that shirts are crop-tops (gross), tunics are shirts and dresses are tunics.  Tunics are (supposedly) great because you can just throw them on with leggings and go.  But, I can't.  Not unless I want to wear leggings as pants (I will never).

No, instead, I have to layer my "tunic" over a "dress" that's actually just a tunic on me.  Happily, I like to layer:

Tunic: Old Navy  Dress: LOFT  Scarf: Gifted  Leggings: HUE  Boots: Born "Mabel"

But still, if I could find a tunic that wanted to spend quality time covering all my bottom and not just grazing the top half, that would be super.


Happy Friday, All!

Gracey

Shop the Look

Similar  (sort of) tunic

Similar striped tunic/dress

Similar scarf

Exact HUE leggings (my fave)

Born "Mabel" boots

Pinned It and Did It: Mustard

I have a strange affinity for mustard.  I know it's a color a lot of people shy away from, but I'm drawn to it for some reason.  So, of course, when I saw this Pin, it was one I wanted to try:

Image via Pinterest

And try it, I did:

Skirt & Sweater: thrifted  Cowl: Nordstrom  Boots: MICHAEL Michael Kors

All in all, I think it looks pretty good.  I went with a gray, cable knit cowl instead of fur, but I think the addition of the gray works.

Really, the only thing I think is missing, is texture.  The Pinsperation picture has a fabulous mix of leather, fur and that high-textured sweater.  I tried to add some texture with my scarf and the leather boots, but I think if I did it again, I'd also wear a sweater with a more interesting weave instead of a smooth weave:

In the end though, I really do like this look and I'm happy to be linking up to Style Journey's Pinned It and Did It link party with it.

Happy Thursday, All!

Gracey

Shop the Look

Similar mustard sweater

Similar midi skirt

Exact boots

High-texture gray cowl

Wind-in-the-Hair

I'm honestly not sure if this outfit works:

Dress: vintage, thrifted  Cardigan: Ann Taylor, thrifted  Tights: Hue  Boots: Enzo Angolini  Necklace: LOFT

I mean, there is A LOT going on.  Floral and micro-leopard and blue and green and yellow and boots and smiles.

But, what I do know works is this wind-in-the-hair shot:

Right?  Totally.  Now I'm just trying to figure out which of my friends I can get to follow me around with a wind machine.  Or maybe I  can bribe my nephews to do it; I bet they'd do it for some LEGOs.  Those kids love LEGOs.

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

Shop the Look

Blue floral dress

Animal print cardigan

Similar necklace

Skinny blue belt

Olive tights

Similar boots

Trend, Trend, Go Away

I'm off work today, so I thought I'd spend some time ranting about some things.  I know I don't necessarily pay as much attention to trends as I maybe should, what with being a blogger and all.  But, I'm mostly aware of trends and I have some I like (plaid!) and some that I hate (see below).  Today we're talking about trends that I just wish would go away.


Overalls

Listen; I'm not talking about regular overalls.  I wore them in the 90s and they're fine and if another generation wants to struggle with styling a shapeless piece of clothing, more power to them.  You kids want to have to get fully undressed just to pee?  Knock yourselves out.

No, what I'm talking about are the newfangled overalls the fashion world is trying to make happen:

Overall Trends by fashionforgiantsblog featuring ASOS

Seriously, you guys, stop trying to make fetch happen.  I mean, let's talk about these.  First up, we have skinny overalls.  I'm not sure why the hell this is a thing but it needs to stop.  I think it's currently considered a fringe trend, but if it goes mainstream, it will make me all shouty and angry.  I mean, who is this flattering on? 

Don't even get me started on the sweat pant overalls.  I can tell you who those are flattering on. No one.  No one ever.

And the faux leather short-alls?  I have no words.  Well, actually, I have two: dominatrix lederhosen.



Message/Graphic Tops

Here's the what, folks.  I'm not saying you have to wear plain tees, sweaters or sweatshirts.  I have graphic tees.  I'm just saying that it's gotten out of control.  I mean, look at these:

Graphic by fashionforgiantsblog featuring a striped sweater

Wish List.  What does that even signify?  Why the hell is that something anyone would want on a sweater?  Do you write your wish list on the stripes on the arms?  Are you on someone else's wish list?  Do the kids today have a different meaning for "wish list"; am I not cool enough to get it?

And the "Super Rich" sweater; really?  Is this really how to inform the world of your great wealth?  Ugh.  I just can't.

Oh, how can I forget the "Sorry for Partying" tee?  Is this something people say?  It reminds me of something Spicoli would say; is that why it's a thing?  Did they remake Fast Times at Ridgemont High?  God, I hope not.

But, for me the piece that started it all is the Creme de la Creme sweatshirt.  That shit is just so douche-y to me; I'm glad you have a high self-esteem but that may be taking it too far.

In fact, I find this whole trend douche-y.  It's the equivalent of the stupid trucker cap trend, or Ed Hardy, or YOLO; basically, these shirts are Ed Hardy YOLO  trucker caps.  Yuck.



Ugly Effing Shoes

I hate ugly shoes.  I know there are conditions that force people into wearing special, orthopedic shoes and I know that those shoes can often be unattractive.  I'm not talking about those shoes; those shoes make perfect sense.  No.  I'm talking about shoes that are ugly for the sake of being ugly.  I'm talking about these:

The Flat Shoe Trend by fashionforgiantsblog featuring spiked sandals

Are they comfortable?  It's possible.  But, I honestly don't believe the designers were trying to make a comfortable shoe.  No, I believe that Marc Jacobs, Miuccia Prada, Isabel Marant and Celine's Phoebe Philo are in all in some sort of club where they have a bet who can get people to pay the most for the ugliest shoes.  Or, they've all been body-snatched by aliens who are trying to get us to wear ugly shoes so that we leave our cute shoes in the closet where they can be beamed into space to act as currency on the planet Zarlon X without our noticing.  I mean, it just has to be one or the other, right?

What about you, Reader Friends?  Are there any trends you want to go away?

xoxo,

Gracey