Cobalt + Peach

InStyle magazine assured me in their latest issue that cobalt and peach are a good idea for spring.  So, I decided to give it a try:

And, I gotta tell you, if I hadn't read that article, I don't think I ever would have paired these two colors together.


Even after doing it, I'm still a little skeptical:

It's not that I think it looks bad, but my eyes are having a hard time adjusting to these two colors together.


I mean, cobalt and tangerine, sure.  But, cobalt and peach?  I'm just not sure that I'm one hundred percent sold on the idea:

Sweater: sold out Anthropologie (sort of similar here and here)
Pants: Gap (similar)  Shoes: v. old Corso Como (similar)

But, I'm glad I gave it a shot.  It's good to wander outside of your comfort zone sometimes.


Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

So Sunny, So Cold

Okay, I guess it's not really been cold here, maybe chilly.  But, it damn sure hasn't been warm and I've been forced into sweaters and coats even though it's nearly May.  Happily for me, I really like this coat:

Yes, it's more yellow, but it's also houndstooth:

And you really can't go wrong with vintage lemon yellow houndstooth:

It's just so perfect for spring.  Especially when paired with aqua skinnies and blue flats:

Coat: vintage  Sweater: LOFT (similar)
Jeans: Old Navy  Flats: Nine West (similar) (similar)

Yep, I highly recommend lemon yellow houndstooth to everyone for those sunny, chilly spring days.


Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

Pajama Day

My favorite thing about maxi dresses, especially knit ones, is how much they feel like pajamas:

They're not particularly flattering, at least not this one, but I'll be darned if they aren't comfortable.  Especially when paired with a cozy knit moto:

I didn't have "Pajama Day" in elementary school when I was younger, but my nieces and nephews have it and it seems like great fun.  Or, if not fun, then at least really, really comfortable.

Dress: Gap (similar)  Jacket: LOFT (similar)
Scarf: Old Navy (similar here, here or here)  Flats: Old Navy (similar)

Maybe they should have Pajama Day at work too.  I'd support that.  And afternoon naps.  I'd totally support naps.


Happy Friday, All!

Gracey

Spring Jeans and a Fox Locket

My wishlist for spring is pretty short.  In part because I don't really need anything and in part because a large portion of my budget is going to a new handbag.  I did, however, want some new skinnies in a spring color and found these from Old Navy:

Sweater: Old Navy (similar)  Jeans: Old Navy Rockstar
Shoes: Nine West (similar)

As you can see, they're a sort of robin's egg blue and they're exactly what I wanted.  And, as you can also see, they go with all the other spring colors!


I originally only thought to pair them with the citron sweater because I wanted to wear that sweater with my new fox locket:

Isn't it the cutest?!  My sister sent it to me with pictures of my sweet, big-headed nephews inside, and I love it!


So, where do the shoes come in?  Well, I just figured that the only thing to do for that much color is to add more color.  I think Coco Chanel or someone said something like that.


Happy Thursday, All!

Gracey

Brights and Stripes

For today's look, I paired brights with stripes:

Tee: Gap  Necklace: BaubleBar  Skirt: Nordstrom  Belt: Thrifted

And added a compliment of speckles just because:

Steve Madden "Vyperr" flats via Piperlime

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Get the Look

Similar striped skirt

Gap tee

Steve Madden flats

Similar necklace (here, here or here)

If you still need a BaubleBar invitation code for the first necklace, here is mine: 20210652

White Jean Wear-Ability

White jeans have a very limited window of wear-ability for me.  I can't wear them if it's raining or has rained in the past two days as any bit of moisture on the road gets flipped onto white jeans when I ride.  I also can't wear them during the suggested period of Memorial Day to Labor Day because it's too frickin' hot to wear jeans, of any color, during those months.  So, basically, my white jeans only come out a couple of times a year; when it's dry, but not too hot.

Like today:

Tee: LOFT  Jeans, Scarf & Belt: Old Navy  Sandals: Banana Republic

For today's look I paired my white jeans with a citron tee and an adorable hummingbird scarf because, as an Oregonian, I consider it my birthright to put a bird, any bird, on darned near everything.

And it's always worth it.  Always.

Outside of the weather cooperating, white jeans are pretty wearable for me.  I am prone to staining them, but a little OxyClean will usually take care of whatever foodstuffs I've dropped in my lap.  However, I've realized that for a lot of women, white jeans aren't that wearable, and not just because they like to partake in really, really messy burritos.  (Oh, wait, is that just me?  Okay then.)  

If you struggle with wearing white jeans, please, allow me to offer some completely unsolicited advice on the subject.

Look for a looser fit.  Some people advocate sizing up and if that works for you, that's definitely one way to get a looser fit.  Personally, I just bypassed the super-tight jeans for the more forgiving fit.  These are still a skinny cut, but it doesn't take third-party assistance to pull them on.

Look for thicker fabric.  A lot of the discomfort about white jeans is that you feel like everyone is seeing your everything.  If you go with a thicker jeans, that's less of an issue.

Wear nude panties.  Not white (not ever white).  Not hot pink.  Nude.  Even if your jeans have a sturdier fabrication, nude panties are best.

Pair with whatever you like.  Once you find the perfect pair of white jeans, you can wear them with whatever you like.  Any color, any print, any thing you want.  This is probably the best thing about white jeans, so have fun with it.

What about you, Reader Friends?  Do you wear white jeans?  If not, will the advice of a notorious burrito-dropper like myself change your mind?

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Get the Look

Old Navy Sweetheart jeans

LOFT sunwashed tee

Similar scarf (here or here)

Similar nude sandals

SIA: Erte: NEC

Today I'm participating in the SIA (Style Imitating Art) Challenge.  Here is the piece of art, as chosen by Salazar, of 14 Shades of Grey:

It is Spring Rain, by Erté.


And here is my interpretation:

It is, sadly, NEC (Not Even Close).

I really, really wanted to participate this week because I love the inspiration picture & I hadn't participated in awhile.  But, when I was going through my closet trying to put something together, I realized that I don't have any lavender (I settled for plum) and I only own two pieces in green and they are bright green and otherwise all wrong.

So, I went with what I had.  Navy, plum and aqua.  And orange.  Of course I had orange!

Skirt & Blouse: thrifted, vintage  Sweater: Target  Belt: LOFT  Shoes: Seychelles

I have to admit that I was pretty down about my outfit being NEC, but then I spent a couple hours with Jen from Librarian for Life and Style and she made it all better!

Thanks, Jen!  And thank you, Salazar, for hosting SIA this week!


Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

The Sweater Skirt Conundrum

I like sweater skirts because they allow a sleeker silhouette while still allowing me the ability to ride my bike or take the stairs or otherwise move in other-than-baby steps.  But I'll be damned if they don't show every single lump, bump and wrinkle!  It's a conundrum, I tell you, a conundrum.

And, apparently, between the tucked shirt, the tights, the slip for extra warmth/modesty and my body's natural contours, I have a lot of lumps, bumps and wrinkles going on:

Shirt: LOFT  Skirt: Thrifted  Boots: Splendid  Tights: SPANX

Which is too bad, because I otherwise really liked this outfit.  I love the combination of the cinnamon-colored skirt with the striped shirt.  And I love the combination of the black/aqua/coral necklace with this look:

BaubleBar necklace

I think the black plays nicely with the shirt, but that the coral also plays nicely with the skirt, being shades of orange and all.

So, I guess what I'm saying is that even with the lumps, bumps and wrinkles, I still love sweater skirts and I'd totally wear this outfit again.

Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

Summer Maxi

People swear that maxi skirts and dresses still keep you cool in hot weather.  I was skeptical (so much fabric!) but, I thought I'd give it a try today:

I paired my black maxi (Target (similar, tall available)) with a black and white striped tee (Old Navy (similar)) and brightly colored sandals (Ella Moss via Piperlime (similar color)).

I also added a braided belt (thrifted) and a vintage squash blossom necklace:

Via Lil' Gypsy Vintage (similar here)

And, I have to admit, wearing a maxi was pretty okay for most of the day.  Right up until I got on my bike to ride home.  Riding a bike in a maxi skirt is never great.  Riding a bike in a maxi skirt in 90+ weather is even less great. But, I will say that the maxi was a great choice for the air conditioned office; my legs often get chilled and they didn't at all today.

So, the final verdict?  Maxi's are pretty great for summer, as long as you're not trying to ride a bike in them:

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

The Silk Obsession

Over the past year or so, I’ve become obsessed with silk.  It started with a couple of silk blouses from Banana Republic and has resulted in my thrifting four silk tees, two tanks, a halter, four more blouses and a dress.  This is one of the silk tees:

This one makes me happy because it’s so very 80s and we all know I have an irrational fondness for the 80s.  But, c’mon, how can this print in these colors not make you happy?

I paired today’s happy silk tee (thrifted) with black cropped pants (Banana Republic), ankle-wrap wedges (Very Volatile via Nordstrom) and a turquoise-colored bead necklace (rummaged).  The tee really does make me happy and these pants are definitely a keeper.  I want to keep the shoes, but they are several seasons old now and the linen straps are beginning to fray.  I’ll try to repair them, but if not, they’ll be added to the list of items I need to replace.  (Because no shoe wardrobe is complete without ankle-wrap wedges). 

I will try to get through the rest of my seasonally-appropriate thrifted silk items within the next couple weeks, which should put me on track for finishing this expedition by August 1.

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Floral, Repeat Aqua and Red

I’ve been wearing a lot of separates lately in an attempt to get through my closet, and the Land of Nosh Opping, more quickly.  Unfortunately, I’ve not been great about wearing different separates, which pretty much defeats the purpose.  But, I can’t help it, this sweater goes with everything.  Well, two things at least; my floral pants and this floral skirt:

Sorry for the fuzzy picture; I have no idea what happened.

Looking at these pictures, I realized that this is a super matchy-matchy outfit for me.  As you may have noticed, matching isn’t really my thing, but I like this because aqua and red are on opposite sides of the color wheel so I feel like I’m still the sartorial rebel I pretend to be in my head.  Today’s rebellious outfit consists of a vintage floral skirt (Jantzen, thrifted), my apparent favorite aqua sweater (Target) and red cork-soled wedges (Nordstrom).

From this outfit, I’ll be keeping the skirt and the sweater (of course) but I’m going to get rid of the shoes.  I think they’re cute, but I don’t ever wear them because the strap slips down my heel when I walk and it drives me crazy.  Sorry cute red wedges, but you’re gone.

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

A New Record

I’m wearing pants two days in a row.  I think that may be a new record for me:

Today’s pants are cropped, floral Ralph Lauren (thrifted) with a crazy-high waist that makes me suspect that they may be from the late 80s or early 90s.  I paired them with an aqua sweater (Target) and yellow peep-toe mini-wedges (Me Too via Nordstrom).

Unlike yesterday’s actual pants, these cropped, colorful print pants are NOT perfectly serviceable and so will most likely not be cut from the team.  Also unlike yesterday's pants, I like these ones.  Really, the only reason I haven’t worn them before (I’ve had them about a month) is because they’re tough for me to style.  I don’t really do pastels, and we’ve established that I don’t really do pants, so pastel pants are quite a conundrum for me.

I think this outfit worked though and I have a couple more ideas so I’ve decided that these pants shall stay.  For now.

Happy Friday, Everyone!

Gracey

Coral Pop

So, apparently I really do love a high-waist, regardless of whether they love me or not (it’s a tumultuous relationship, to say the least).  I’m wearing one again today, this time in skirt form:

Last time I wore this skirt and sweater together, the lovely and fabulous Jodi, of Day2DayWear, suggested a pop of pink.  I didn’t have a pop of pink but I do have a pop of coral, which is a pinky-orange and so is practically the same thing, right?  True pink or pinky-orange, Jodi was right, I love the added color.

The coral pop comes both from my belt (Steve Madden via Ross) and my coral-and-Peruvian-jade earrings (2010 Crafty Wonderland purchase).  And I really do love the coral with both the aqua sweater (Target 2011) and the blue skirt (vintage, thrifted).  I also added a camel Mary Jane wedge (Corso Como via Piperlime) and a few bracelets.

Today’s Takeaway?  Everything is better with orange, be it pinky-orange, tangerine or traffic cone.  Trust me, I have a blog.

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

P.S. Thank you all for your kind words about my photos yesterday; I’m still all out of sorts but am taking the ostrich route to recovery.  It’s only a problem if you don’t like sand in your ears.

Call it Coral

Or tangerine.  Or just plain orange.  Whatever you call it, the color of this cardigan makes me happy:

And, as I’m still sick and work has gotten completely insane, I need all the happy I can get.  I also need all the inspiration I can get, which is why I basically copied this outfit from Angie over at Fashion Me Blog.  Because that’s just how I roll.

Based on Angie’s look, I layered a bright cardigan (Target) over a striped, long-sleeve tee (Gap) with skinny jeans (Gap Always Skinny), lace-up booties (Nine West via TJ Maxx) and a multi-colored scarf (Nordstrom).  Over all, I was a very happy copycat in this outfit.

And now for some rambling…

One.  Dear Writers, etc, of The Walking Dead: Really?  You guys are changing the rules now?  It’s not that I mind that you’re changing the rules; I just need you to be consistent about it.  Why Shane and Randall, but not Dale?  Hmmm?  I’m assuming you’re going to tie it all together in the season finale, but it you don’t, please know that I shall be very put out.

Two.  I’m going prom dress shopping for 80s prom this weekend with my friend Alex and I’m super excited!  I’m hoping to score something with a giant butt-bow.

Three.  Have a good weekend, everyone.  And if you’re going out for St. Patrick’s Day, be safe.

Finally, Happy Friday, All!

Gracey