Pleats and Stripes

Two things I have a lot of: stripes and pleated skirts.  Sometimes I like to wear them together:

And sometimes I like to wear those pleats and stripes with vests and ankle boots:

Although lately it feels as though I'm wearing this vest with everything.  And now that fall is officially here, I am definitely going to start wearing ankle boots with everything.


Like with these pleats and stripes:

Skirt: thrifted vintage (similar) (similar)  Tee: Gap
Vest: Old Navy (similar)  Earrings: handmade (similar)  Boots: Sole Society "Romy"

Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

Literary Stylings # 22: Transmission

As I said last week, I really, really enjoyed reading two books last month; Child 44 and Transmission.  However, I went with Transmission for my inspiration because Child 44 takes place during the Russian winter and it's entirely too hot to pull out the furs.


Transmission, on the other hand, takes place, at least for a bit, in India:

In fact, two of the main characters, Arjun, an American-bound computer geek, and Leela, Bollywood's latest "it girl" are Indian.  And even when these two leave their homelands to write code in America or make movies in Scotland, India is still referenced.


And that's what I tried to do with this outfit.  I tried to reference India:

Although, to be fair, the print on the dress isn't really Indian, but more Far Eastern:

Still, a girl does what she can when inspired by literature.  And what I could do was this:

Dress: thrifted (similar, similar plain)  Pants: LOFT (save, splurge)
Shoes: FRYE (similar)  Necklace: Sole Society (similar)

What about you, Reader Friends?  Were you sartorially inspired by any literature last month?  If so, please link your looks up below!

An InLinkz Link-up

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey


P.S. If you haven't yet entered my Jamberry giveaway, you can do so here!

Big Ol' Blogger

I took a bit of a risk with this outfit, pairing a voluminous cape with a voluminous circle skirt:

The prevailing logic is that you're supposed to pair bulky pieces with slim pieces, but, I just didn't feel like it.  I wanted to wear my big ol' cape with a big ol' skirt and I didn't give a heck if it made me look like a big ol' blogger.

And, honestly, I just don't think it's that bad.  I felt great in this outfit.


With or without the cape, this outfit is just right up my sartorial alley:

I mean, it's a vintage circle skirt, a vintage cape and a turtleneck:

Cape: vintage, thrifted (save, splurge)  Turtleneck: LL Bean, thrifted (similar)
Belt: Michael Kors (similar)   Skirt: vintage, thrifted (similar)
Boots: Sole Society

So, yeah, if this is what a big ol' blogger looks like, I'll be that.  I'll be that all day long.


Happy Thursday, All!

Gracey

Photo Negative

I wore this outfit the other day, when the rain first started:

Sweater: LOFT  Skirt: Macys  Boots: Sole Society "Romy"

And, in looking at the pictures, I realized that this skirt and this sweater look like negatives of each other:

I'd like to tell you that was my intention, but it was, in fact, just a happy accident.  The truth is it's not cold enough to wear "real" sweaters yet, so I'm wearing open-weave sweaters.


And blue boots:

I'm wearing blue boots.


Some of you have already seen these on Instagram; I posted them the day I actually wore them.  And, I actually tagged them wrong; they're not from Splendid, but rather Sole Society.  Oops.

Either way, I still love them.  I'm a sucker for a blue shoe, blue boots included.  And these make me happy:

How about you, Reader Friends?  Are you enjoying boot weather yet?


Happy Thursday, All!

Gracey

Back in Black

The temperature finally dropped some here in Oregon and I was like "yes, I'm wearing black.  And layers.  I'm wearing black layers!" because apparently I'm overly ready for fall.  Not that this outfit is remotely fall-like:

But, it is black and it's layers and I was thrilled to be wearing it.

Not least because I love the sort of boho chic vibe of the duster (actually just a button-front dress worn open) and the necklace:

Boho chic is one of those aesthetics that I love but that I don't do very well.  I'm afraid I'm a little more straight-laced than the  style requires.

Still, I think this is pretty close.  Or at least as close as I'm probably going to get:

And I'll take that.

Happy Thursday, All!

Gracey

Get the Look

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

Long Tall Tunic

Hello All!  Sorry about my extended absence last week.  Life got in the way of blogging, as it's sometimes wont to do, but I am back now.

Back, and wearing clothes.  Specifically, I'm wearing this new tunic courtesy of Long Tall Sally:

I'm also wearing my Sole Society fringe necklace because I figured the print on this top can handle a heavy-duty necklace:

And now for a word on Long Tall Sally.  I tend to stick with the "tall" brands that I know, like Gap, LOFT and Old Navy, even though I know there are other options out there.  Options such as Long Tall Sally.  I had heard of them, of course, but I wasn't sure how they fit and I wasn't sure I wanted to go through the hassle of finding out.

Well, folks, I got lucky because Long Tall Sally actually contacted me and offered me a couple of pieces from their new collection.  And, even luckier still, it fits pretty well.  I ordered a US size 14 and this tunic isn't too large, but it'd definitely a generous cut.  If you are between sizes, I would recommend sizing down.  The same if you prefer a slimmer cut.

The best part about Long Tall Sally though is the length.  They don't make clothes for somewhat tall women, they make clothes for legitimately tall women.  I mean, look at the length on this tunic:

It is truly tunic length on me and, as I've whined about before, that is a pretty rare thing in today's market where showing your bum appears to be the new black.

So, if you haven't tried Long Tall Sally, I highly recommend them, especially if you're 5'10" or over.  And, now that they've combined with Barefoot Tess, they have both a great selection of clothes and shoes for tall women!

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Get the Look

Long Tall Sally kaftan

Similar cropped pants

Sole Society necklace

Similar Franco Sarto sandals

The Chicest Chain Gang

Although I tend to wear outfits made of items that "go" rather than match, I actually have a soft spot in my heart for head-to-toe matching.  I just think it's kind of cool.  I do NOT think front pleats are cool, but this outfit may have changed my mind:

Are the front pleats attractive?  Hell no, they aren't, but I promise you, I would wear this outfit every day if I thought you all wouldn't notice.

Because, to me, it's just that great:

I mean, I know it doesn't seem like my usual style; not only does it match and have front pleats, it has no color.  But, what it lacks in color, it makes up in fringe:

Baroque Fringe Necklace via Sole Society

And you all know I'm a sucker for some fringe.

And this necklace?  It has fringe in spades.  I don't often run out and buy things featured on other blogs, because they don't come in tall, but when I saw this necklace on Oomph, I knew I had to have it.  It's plenty long for a tall girl and helps alleviate the pain I feel about not being able to find a similar vintage piece (like Jen's).

You know what is vintage though?  This outfit.  And I got both pieces from Goodwill for $7.99.  Also, interestingly enough, it's a petite, which I love because I think the pants are the perfect length to show of my navy sandals:

Pants & top: thrifted vintage   Sandals: Enzo Angiolini

That's right, folks, I only paid eight bucks for this awesome, slightly-institutional-looking outfit. Trust me, you usually have to pay much, much more to look as though you may have escaped from the chicest damn chain gang ever.

Happy Friday, All!

Gracey

What I Learned at Blogwarts: Layering

So, it turns out that Blogwarts is totally a real thing and they let me audit a class on layering.  Since many of you indicated on Wednesday’s post that you also have trouble layering dresses and blouses, so I thought I’d share what I learned.

Let’s talk first about the dress.

It should be a heavier-weight fabric.  I, personally, prefer ponte, a tightly-woven and therefore, heavier knit.

It should not be skin tight.  Especially in your curvier areas.  As I mentioned Wednesday, I went with a fit and flare dress because it gave me extra room around the thighs which is where I need it.

It should be structured (but not tight).  A more structured silhouette will help keep the look sleek.  A fit and flare dress, for example, will look sleeker layered over a blouse than a sack dress.

Now for the blouse.

Unlike the dress, the blouse should be lightweight.  Sheer blouses are very good for layering because they add very little bulk, especially under a heavier knit.

Like the dress, the blouse should be fitted.  This is especially important if the blouse is not sheer; a fitted blouse will help keep the bulk down.  Gap has some very cute fitted/shrunken boyfriend button-downs that I think would work.  They are available in Tall as well.

I also love the Caslon shirts from Nordstrom for this concept.  They don’t come in “Tall” but tend to have long-enough sleeves and are well-fitted.

For some suggestions on what to layer how, I created some Polyvore sets, all featuring the Mossimo Fit and Flare Ponte Knit dress from Target which is the same dress I wore in my post Wednesday.

Mossimo dress, Ruche "Giselle" Pleated Necktie blouse &Lulu's d'Orsay flats

Mossimo dress, Modcloth "First Class Cabin" blouse & "Both Feet on the Playground" flats

Mossimo dress, Nordstrom Caslon shirt, Sole Society booties

A couple more tips.

If you can't find a bow blouse you like, you can always add a lady-tie to your look.

Belts are your friends; a wide belt, especially, can help keep the volume down.

And, if you're still not looking as sleek as you like, try this trick from Franziska at Franish; she's a genius.


So, what do you think, Reader Friends?  Would you try any of these looks?


Happy Friday, Everyone!

Gracey


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