Guess What?! Culottes!!

Guess what?

If you guessed culottes, you're either very smart or very literate (both good things):

Because I am, in fact, wearing CULOTTES!!!!

Yes, this is the best picture I've ever taken.

Man, I love, love, love me some culottes.  When I was younger, I had a white pair with a rainbow embroidered across the pelvis and down the legs.  They were a bit of 70s heaven and because of them, I have always had a soft spot in my heart for culottes.


In fact, I've been looking to thrift a pair for the past year or so, but without any luck.  Happily my Mom is basically a thrifting goddess and found this pair for me:

They make me smirk with joy!

Now, don't get me wrong; I recognize that culottes aren't the most figure-flattering things in the world.  But, they're beyond great for bike riding and I feel slouchy and cool in them, as opposed to sloppy and plump.

And this particular pair not only makes me feel magically cool, they have both pockets and awesome buttons:

Man, I love these things.

What about you, Reader Friends?  Are you a fan of culottes?


Happy Thursday, All!

Gracey

Smile Brilliant!

Some time ago, the lovely folks at Smile Brilliant! contacted me about trying their at-home professional teeth whitening kit.  And, to be honest, I wasn't sure I wanted to try it.  You see, even though my smile is one of my favorite things about myself, I've always been hesitant to try teeth whitening due to my sensitive teeth.

But, the people at Smile Brilliant! aren't just lovely, they're smart.  Because they offer a desensitizing gel along with their whitening gel:

Image via smilebrilliant.com

That gel right there was a life-saver for my sensitive teeth.  I can attest, from personal experience, that it really does help to desensitize your teeth so that you can whiten them.  How do I know?  Well, I tried my first session without the desensitizing gel, you know, for science, and I paid the price.  I could only whiten my teeth for half an hour before it became painful and remained painful for the next day or so.

For my second session, I got smart and used the desensitizing gel before using the whitening gel:

Image via smilebrilliant.com

And it was perfect.  I was able to leave the whitening trays, customized to my mouth, in for an hour.  I probably could have left them in longer, but I wanted to limit how white my teeth got.  I've never been a fan of Chiclet-white teeth, so I only used the trays for a total of two hours over the course of a week.

The result?  Exactly what I wanted:

My teeth are whiter, but not ludicrously so.  (Well, obviously not, if they were ludicrous; they'd be plaid (my undying affection for whomever gets that reference)).  But, if you're into really, really white teeth, I have no doubt that Smile Brilliant! can provide that for you as well.  Again, I only used the trays for a total of two hours; if you want Chiclets, just leave the trays in longer.

If you're interested in professional teeth whitening at home, I highly recommend Smile Brilliant!  They offer their wonderful desensitizing gel and the custom trays at a fraction of the cost you'd pay to have your teeth professionally whitened.

Want more information?  Visit Smile Brilliant! and you can learn all about their products and even view a helpful video.

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

Double Cream

Double cream is hard to photograph, y'all.  In the sun my outfit is completely blown out, but the shade is a bit dark:

And then, to compound matters, at some point I made this face:

I think that might be my listening face, but it looks like I'm mad as hell.  I wasn't, but good luck convincing my face of that!


Eventually I got it together (stopped listening?) and quit looking as though I wanted to throttle someone:

Skirt: thrifted vintage  Blouse: LOFT  Sandals: Seychelles

But still, double cream is hard; it makes photography hard.  And, apparently, it makes listening hard.


Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

The Human Highlighter

I'm basically a human highlighter in this dress, but that doesn't stop me from wearing it:

It's just so comfortable.  And bright.  I mean, does it get any better than both bright and comfortable?  (Hint: the answer is no).

I did tone it down a little bit with my increasingly ubiquitous olive jacket:

Dress: Gap  Sandals: Target  Jacket: thrifted

I swear, I don't know why more people don't pair neon peach and olive together.  Pro Tip: Few things help lessen the human highlighter aspect of neon peach more than olive.  Of course, olive jacket or no, I'm still highly visible in this outfit & therefore am linking up to Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style.

Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

July Showers

It’s been raining a bit here in Oregon and instead of complaining, I decided to take the opportunity to carry my new plaid umbrella:

It’s vintage and it’s tiny but it’s also plaid and I think I love it.

I know I love how it looked with my polka dot dress & olive jacket:

Dress, Jacket & Umbrella: thrifted  Belt: LOFT  Boots: Nine West

It’s going to head back up into the 90s again this weekend, which makes me happy, but I’m also happy that Oregon is Oregon and I had a reason to carry an umbrella in July.  Because it’s plaid and I think I love it.

Happy Friday, All!

Gracey

Black and Summery

I know a lot of people wear black through summer and somehow manage to do so without dissolving into a puddle of sweat, but I am not one of those people.  Therefore, I tend to avoid wearing black during the warmer months.  That is, unless I thrift an irresistible skirt that manages to be both black and summery all at once:

What makes this skirt irresistible to me?  Well, although the print is kind of strange, I also find it oddly compelling:

Also, although it is nice and lightweight and therefore totally summer-appropriate (totally), I think the weird print will work well into fall as well.  I'd like to do better about having pieces that are good for multiple seasons. 

And, last, but certainly not least, this skirt lends itself to being paired with both black and brown and I'll be darned if I don't love mixed neutrals:

Hooray for mixed neutrals and summery black!


Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

Gracie the Gravedigger

I felt a little like Rosie the Riveter in this outfit:

Dress & Scarf: Thrifted  Sandals: Target

It's the combination of the red head-scarf and the denim dress, I guess.

Of course, I didn't notice until I was already at work and then it was too late; this was happening:

I think, too, that I didn't really think of Rosie the Riveter when I was putting on the scarf because I've always associated her with my sister, Rosey, and not with myself.

As far as a I know, there is no iconic women's role model doing a traditional man's job with my name.  Of course, if there were, it'd probably be Gracie the Gravedigger, or something equally glamorous.

Of course, the iconic figure would wear more sensible shoes, but it's summer and I like these.

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Orange Dots

This tank delights me to no end:

Those are orange dots.  No, not dots in the color of orange.  Dots that are, in fact, oranges:

Delightful, right?  I mean, for the most part; I did have quite a few people stare at my chest trying to puzzle out what they were seeing.  But, it was totally worth it to be in possession of a shirt where the dots are oranges.

Also delightful?  Everything in this outfit, minus the underpinnings, is either thrifted, gifted or won.  The tank and the skirt are both thrifted.  The watch was gifted by my beau and the bracelet was gifted by the lovely folks at RedEnvelope.  And I actually won the Jambu sandals from onlineshoes.com by voting for dash dot dotty in a contest they held!

Happy Friday, All!

Gracey

Get the Look

Similar fruit top (tank or tee)

Similar skirt (here or here)

Jambu "Glamour" sandals

RedEnvelope carnelian bracelet

MARC by Marc Jacobs watch

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale

As you may have heard, the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale starts tomorrow.  There are four things I almost always buy at the Sale.  SPANX 'Tight End' Tights, HUE Leggings, boots and jewelry.  The tights and leggings are winter basics for me, so it just makes sense to stock up at the lower prices.  I buy boots because they are also a winter staple for me; I don't wear flats or pumps during the winter, I wear boots.  And the jewelry because you can get some great pieces of Nordstrom-quality jewelry at great prices.

Above are my jewelry picks for this year's sale (see below for links).  I'm recommending the first necklace because I have a similar one and I've gotten a lot of wear out of it (you can see it here).  The House of Harlow necklace is one I've been contemplating for awhile now; it's a great way to add a little edge to a look.  The earrings are the prettiest plum and I want them (they also come in tangerine!).  I chose the top bracelet because I purchased two similar ones at last years sale & wear them constantly.  The other two I chose because whether you're preppy or edgy, these hinge bracelets are great for layering & you don't have to worry about them fitting over your giant hands!

My non-jewelry sale picks include:

• Trouve Sleeveless Wool Blend Jacket - A great price on a great layering piece.
• Caslon Zip Hem Tunic Sweater - Although I know this sweater mostly likely won't be proper tunic length on my giant self, I'm still tempted.
• Halogen Belted Cap Sleeve Pleat Dress - I know cap sleeves aren't the best for many arms, these look manageable to me.  And there are pleats!  And it comes in a lip print!
• Leith Metallic Rib Knit Slouchy Tank - I am a sucker for a metallic knit and this one is great.  You can layer it under a moto jacket or a blazer.
• Trouve Funnel Neck Scuba Top - I love the structure of this top and the curved hem is so flattering.
• Olive & Oak Bold Check Sweater - I imagine I'm going to be as mad for plaid this Fall as I was last so this bold plaid sweater would make me very, very happy.
• Kork-Ease 'Natalya' Demi Wedge Boot - These are them.  These are the boots.  They are blue and I am a noted sucker for a blue shoe.

What about you, Reader Friends?  What are your picks for the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale?

xoxo,

Gracey

T3: Snow

This week’s Thoughtful Third Thursday Challenge is to wear an outfit inspired by our favorite literary villain.  At first I thought Cruella De Vil because, let’s be honest, that woman is fly as hell.  I basically want to be her when I grow up, minus the puppy murdering but with the rage-y hair.  But, then I remembered President Snow, from The Hunger Games.

Y’all, I love me some President Snow.  I mean, I hate him, but he really is my favorite villain because he scares the crap out of me.  And I love it!  I’m like the hyenas in The Lion King when they like to whisper “Mufasa” to each other just for the frisson of fear that runs up their spines.

That’s the feeling I get when I think or read about President Snow!  A frisson of fear… and the feeling that I’m going to vomit when I imagine the smell of blood and roses.  I can’t even write this post without wrinkling up my nose and feeling a bit sick.  Now that is a good villain!

And that villain is the inspiration behind today’s look:

In the books, Collins doesn’t talk a lot about what President Snow wears, aside from the rose in his lapel, so I borrowed from the new Mockingjay trailer and dressed all in white.

With a rose in on my lapel:

As always, I want to thank Maricel at My Closet Catalogue and Selah at A Bibliophile’s Style for the T3 Link Party and this fun challenge!

Happy (Thoughtful Third) Thursday, All!

Gracey

Backwards

I'm not sure how it started, I'm sure I cribbed the idea from some blog or another, but I've become rather fond of wearing my belts backwards:

Top: LOFT  Skirt: Jones New York   Belt: Fossil   Shoes: Rieker, thrifted

So fond, in fact, that I can't even imagine wearing today's belt forward.  I mean, the front is some elastic and two snaps.  Who wants to see that?  I'm guessing no one.  And who am I to make people see things they don't want to see?  I'm not going to do that to my Reader Friends!

So a backwards belt it is:

This particular belt would probably benefit from more of a close up, but I'll just tell you that it's embroidered leather and it's too wide for many looks.  But, as you can see, it's perfect with this linen skirt that has, for some reason, the biggest belt loops ever:

It's like they were meant to be.


Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

 Get the Look

Similar LOFT tank

Similar embroidered belt (here or here)

Similar huarache shoes

Same Dress, Different Vest

I like to wear this dress with vests:

Dress: Gap  Vest: Piperlime  Sandals: Seychelles  Necklace: LOFT

Mostly because the dress is racer back and although the only summer-wear we've been cautioned against at work are cut-offs and tube tops, I have my doubts about the professionalism of a racer back dress.  So, I layer it with vests.

Last time it was a flowing cream vest.  Today it is this olive vest:

Speaking of this olive vest, I was worried that it was too short for my long-ish torso, but it works better on me than I'd hoped.  It also looks good with my chunky LOFT necklace:

I love the combination of olive and turquoise. And angel wings:

Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

Get the Look

Similar dress

Similar vest

Seychelles sandals

Similar necklace (save, splurge)

Similar earrings

Three Ways to Work a Too Short Maxi

When you are tall, things are often too short for you.  Sometimes those things are things you really, really like.  It's certainly better now than it was when I was growing up, but there's still a good chance that something you like isn't available in Tall.

So, what's a tall girl to do when she finds, oh, let's say a maxi dress, that she really, really likes but isn't available in Tall.  Well, what I do is buy that bad boy anyway, especially when it's a great price at Nordstrom Rack!  And then I figure out how to work it, too short or not.

Don't Sweat It
The easiest way to rock a too-short maxi is to not worry about it being too short.  Just throw on a big necklace and some flat sandals and no one will even notice your maxi isn't actually maxi length:

Do I look worried that my maxi is too short?  No, I look thrilled that my necklace is made of fringe.  And win.  It's fringed win.


Make Time for Tea
If my first suggestion made you think "But, Gracey, I'll notice it's not proper maxi length and I couldn't possibly go out of doors in a maxi dress that's not proper maxi length" then this next tip is for you.

Instead of flat sandals, go high.  Higher heels add more space between your hem and the ground, effectively making the dress appear to be tea length:

Tea?  Don't mind if I do.  I'll take it with some almond-coconut milk and honey if you please.


Make it a Midi
If you love the print on your too-short maxi but don't like either of the above suggestions, perhaps making the dress into a midi will work.  What's that?  You don't sew?  Me neither.  Which is why I came up with a no sew way to make it a midi.  By knotting both sides of my maxi, I can take the length up to midi territory:

This trick works best on thin fabric (my dress is rayon) and is maybe not the best if you need to escape from zombies or anything.  The tied sides definitely limit your ability to run.


Still prefer your maxi to be actual maxi length?  That's cool; I respect that and I'd therefore recommend Long Tall Sally (I like this one and this one) and Alloy (I like this one); both carry truly long maxi dresses.

Happy Monday Thursday, All!

Gracey

Get the Look

Similar too-short maxi (save or splurge)

Exact heeled sandals

Exact flat sandals

Similar fringe necklace