Almost, But Not Quite

Today I'm wearing another almost, but not quite, red, white and blue outfit:

I mean, make no mistake, this outfit has red, it has white, and it has blue.



Hell, it even has stripes:

But, instead of patriot-appropriate stars, I went with trees.  And some sort of scenery of something or other.  Look, I don't know, it's confusing.



The point is that, yes, at first glance, you see the striped top and the blue in the skirt and you might start humming a little Star-Spangled Banner:

Top: Nordstrom Rack (similar)
Skirt: gifted vintage  Sandals: Camper (similar)

But, then you take another look at the skirt, and the humming dies down as you realize that this outfit really isn't that patriotic after all.  Almost, but not quite.


Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

Blue Green

I was trying to figure out if these pants are blue or green:

And then I realized that the answer is "yes."


So, I paired them with some blue and some green and some blue green:

Shirt: Gap  Blazer: LOFT (this year's version)
Pants: LOFT  Scarf: gifted (similar)  Boots: Ivanka Trump (similar)

Because what else would you wear with yes-colored pants?


Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

Flared and Mohair(ed)

My jeans are flared.  My jacket is mohair(ed):

And this color combination is a little weird:

Maybe more than a little weird.  But, weird in a good way, I think.



Or, maybe not.  Maybe just weird in a weird way.  Something about it still appeals to me though:

Blouse: Target  Cardigan: LOFT
Jacket: vintage, gifted  Jeans: Gap  Boots: Franco Sarto "Eminent"

Happy Friday, All!

Gracey

Shocking Pink

This dress is one my favorites to wear during the winter:

The color is just the best for gray days.  And when paired with gray accessories:

Also, even though it only has three-quarter sleeves, it's very warm and made even warmer with the addition of a wool scarf:

But, mostly, I just love the shocking pink color:

Dress: thrifted vintage (similar)  Scarf: thrifted or gifted
Belt: J.Crew  Tights: HUE (similar)  Boots: Circa Joan & David  (similar)

And, of course, by shocking, I mean shockingly good.


Happy Friday, All!

Gracey

Feeling Plummy

I was feeling rather plummy the other day:

And yes, it's too cold for open-toed shoes.  But, as I'm sure you know, when you're feeling plummy, that feeling doesn't end at your feet.


So, of course I had to pair my plum pants with plum shoes:

I also added a sweater that doesn't match, but goes really really well:

And then there's the scarf; I don't think it contains the color of the pants or the sweater, but it still serves to tie the two together:

Pants: LOFT  Sweater: LOFT
Scarf: sister gifted (similar)  Shoes: Franco Sarto (similar)

Prints are just the best for that, aren't they?

Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

Eyelet and Culottes

Figure flattery is not a very high priority for me when getting dressed, but lately it's been even lower on the list.  Instead I've been playing with proportion and volume.

Friday it was proportion, today it's volume:

And by volume, I mean these fabulously voluminous culottes:

Ordinarily, I'd wear them with something tucked or fitted; anything to define my waist.


But, the fact of the matter is, you don't always have to define your waist.  Sometimes it's okay to wear high-volume culottes and pair it with a cropped top:

And waist be damned.


It's also okay to add in some cage sandals because they're your favorite and you can't-stop-won't-stop wearing them:

Top: Banana Republic  Culottes: gifted vintage (similar)
Sandals: Steve Madden (similar)  Necklace: c/o Happiness Boutique  Earrings: Kate Spade New York

Trust me, it's okay.


Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

Literary Stylings #21: The City of Falling Angels

As I mentioned on Thursday, I absolutely loved The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt:

The main focus of the book is the fire in the famous Venetian opera house, La Fenice.  But, in writing about the fire, Berendt is, somehow, also able to gain entree into famous Venetian palazzos as well as into the Murano glass studio of the famous Archimede Seguso, and gets the dirt on the Save Venice Foundation.  Like his book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (also great), Berendt digs into the inner workings of a proud city and a proud people.  And it is fantastic.


It's also the inspiration behind today's outfit:

Now, this skirt wasn't maybe the best choice given the trees in the print.  Apparently Venice doesn't have trees because it's man-made stone and brick.  Hard to grow trees in that.


But, I still maintain that the print has a sort of old-world feel to it:

Top: LOFT  Skirt: gifted vintage
Sandals: FRYE (similar, vegan option)

And the colors are sort of indicative of the sea and the canals and the yellow in the sky reminds me of eye-witness accounts of the Fenice fire from the book.


What about you, Reader Friends?  Were you inspired by any of your July books?  If so, please link up below!

An InLinkz Link-up

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Literary Stylings #17: In Zanesville

Although I really, really enjoyed all of the books I read last month (seriously, I recommend them all), I was most sartorially inspired by In Zanesville, by Jo Ann Beard:

As I said on Sunday, this book was absolutely wonderful.  I didn't grow up in Indiana in the 70s, but this book made me wish I had, if only to be friends with the two main characters.  Seriously, the narrator, and her best friend, Flea, were the type of girls I absolutely would have wanted to be friends with in high school.  They bond over corny jokes, favorite words and clothes.


In fact, clothing is so important to them that they take what has to be the worst babysitting job ever (EVER!) over the summer in order to put clothes on layaway for the school year.  And what did they put on layaway?  Oh, just awesome items like culottes and sweater vests:

I mean, if any book were tailor-made for me for this challenge, it's this one.  I love culottes and sweater vests!


Although, I think the colors on my sweater vest are more 80s than 70s:

Wrong decade or no, I'm just happy to have read this book and happy it inspired this outfit:

And now it's your turn, Reader Friends.  If you've got an outfit to share, please link up below:

An InLinkz Link-up

Happy Tuesday, 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

Spring Transition

This is what I wear when it's cold but sunny so that I want to stay bundled up but also want to wear spring colors:

Jacket: vintage, gifted  Sweater: LOFT (similar)
Skirt: vintage, thrifted (similar, splurge)  Tights: ASSETS
Boots: Nine West "Hissyfit"

I'm still in tights and booties, but they're open-weave tights and completely impractical booties.  And I'm still in a black skirt, but I paired it with a floral print and a pink jacket.

I figure the floral sweater is a good middle ground for early spring.  It's a floral, but it's also a sweater.  And even though it's a dark floral, the little pops of pink tie in nicely with my pink jacket.


Basically, this outfit lets me feel a little like spring, but without freezing to death:

I think that's the core logic behind any good spring outfit; spring-y and no frostbite.


Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

Maybe Marsala

I think my scarf may be the Pantone 2015 Color of the Year, Marsala:

Maybe.  I wasn't too keen on that color when they announced it, so I didn't pay too much attention to what color it actually is.  But, there is a good chance it's the color of my scarf.


I wore the scarf with a peachy sweater and suede boots.  I know, suede, in spring.  And they've basically become my go-to shoe.  Of course, that wouldn't have been the case in Oregon, but it rains a lot less here so I can wear suede boots with abandon.  With abandon, I tell you!


And so I do:

Sweater: thrifted (similar, similar) Scarf: vintage, gifted
Jeans: Gap Stretch & Recovery Legging Jeans
Boots: Lucky Brand (save, splurge)

And I do even though they're a funny, reddish cognac, which isn't the most spring-like color.  But so far they've worked with my attempts at spring-like outfits.  I especially like them with this silk scarf sent to me by my sister:

I figure the scarf helps tie in the boots and it's a pretty floral, which is always appropriate for spring:

Earrings: Vintage  Scarf: vintage, gifted
(similar on Etsy here, here, and here)

Especially a pretty floral in what may be Marsala which makes it appropriate and on-trend.  Maybe.


Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

In the Pink

Although I usually avoid wearing pink around Valentine's Day, I couldn't resist pairing my fuzzy pink jacket with my new sweater vest:

Jacket: Vintage, gifted  Vest: Nordstrom  Turtleneck: Gap
Skirt: Thrifted  Tights: SPANX  Boots: Naya (similar)

It's just so pink and fuzzy:

And the sweater vest is pretty cool too:

The open sides and the high/low hem make it both modern and versatile.  And because it's a mock turtleneck, I can layer it over a standard turtleneck.  So, you know, that's a win-win for my turtleneck-loving self.


Happy Friday, All!

Gracey