Literary Stylings #16: Hidden

As I said last week, Hidden, by Paul Jaskunas, was really the only book I read last month that I liked:

As it's entirely too cold to be running about in a wet nightie sans undercrackers, I decided to base my look not on the cover, but on a passage from the book.

I recall we had a cold November.  There were snow flurries, and the flakes were a reminder of a secret the world was trying to tell me about myself.  The colder it became, the more I wanted to feel beautiful.  I bought pleated skirts, snug dresses, tights, and open-neck blouses.  I wore jewelry and perfume to sustain myself.

And here is my outfit:

As you can see, my skirt has a few pleats in it and I paired it with tights and an open-neck blouse.  I'm also wearing both jewelry and perfume:

Earrings: Moorea Seal   Necklace: c/o Onecklace

Although the above passage inspired my look, I can't really relate to it.  Here the cold just makes me want to wear more and more layers.  I don't care if I feel beautiful or not, I'm all about feeling warm.  However, I do think this is an important passage in the book because I'm not sure she, the main character, Maggie Duke, is telling the truth.  I think she wanted to feel beautiful, but not because of the cold.

This book is very interesting because you never really know what the truth is.  In it, Maggie is attacked and nearly killed and her identification of her attacker based on her memories from that night get him sent to jail.  But, then you find out that perhaps her memories of that night are not, in fact, true and maybe he didn't do.  Maggie goes back through her memories of the time leading up to the attack as well as the attack itself and as she does so, you start to doubt her a little bit.  Not just about the attack, but about everything.

You never really do find out what happened to Maggie that night, or rather, the author provides a couple of different options.  It all depends on if you believe Maggie or not and you're definitely given reason not to.  Just as you're given reason not to believe the other characters in the book.

Again, this really was an interesting book and a good mystery.  And, as an added bonus, it produced an outfit I like:

Blouse: LOFT  Skirt: thrifted vintage  Blazer: Gap (similar)
Tights: SPANX  Booties: Splendid

Win-win.

And now, it's your turn.  Are you winning with your literary-inspired looks from last month's reads?  If so, don't forget to link up below!

An InLinkz Link-up

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Literary Stylings #14: Russian Winter

I've decided to base today's look off of the book Russian Winter, by Daphne Kalotay:

As I said in Saturday's post, this book took me some time to get into.  And, today, as I was preparing this post, I realized why.  It's because I don't like the main character very much. The main character is Nina Revskaya, formerly a star of the Bolshoi Ballet in Stalinist Russia who later defected to the United States. And I think she's supposed to be the protagonist, but I didn't ever find myself rooting for her.  

Like everyone else living in Russia at that time, Nina and her friends had to watch everything they said and did.  Artists, especially, during this time were required to use their art to promote the beliefs of the State and if they didn't, or if they were Jewish, they were sent for "re-education."  And I thought the author did a wonderful job of taking the reader back in time.  But she didn't do a great job of making me care for Nina.

Seriously, you'd think someone who had to endure the rigors of post-World War II and fleeing her homeland would be more sympathetic, but not Nina.  She is easily one of the most selfish characters I've ever read about.  It's especially jarring given how unselfish the other characters in the book are.  The only person in the novel I found as terrible as Nina was her mother-in-law and, unlike Nina, she has reason to be terrible!

So, yes, the protagonist is more of an antagonist, but if you can get past that, the book really is interesting.  The descriptions of the lives of the artists in Communist Russia is absolutely fascinating.  And it's a pretty good mystery as well; Nina is keeping secrets she doesn't even realize she knows, making for a good read.

And the story makes for a pretty cozy outfit:

In Oregon I worked with a Russian woman who said that Oregon was nice, but it didn't get cold enough to wear her furs and she missed wearing them.  Remembering that and the fact that the artists in the book were able to earn more than the standard citizens, I figured a vintage fur coat was appropriate.

I'm not sure exactly when Nina defected, but I figured wide-leg jeans and turtleneck were probably okay:

Coat: vintage, thrifted (similar)  Jeans: Gap (similar)
Sweater: Old Navy   Gloves: Target (similar)

I mean, we can pretend she defected in the 70s, right?  Sure, why not?!


Now, a big part of this book is the jewelry that Nina is auctioning off.  And a big part of the mystery surrounds the Baltic amber jewelry she brought out of Russia.  Unfortunately, I don't have any amber, Baltic or otherwise, so I made do with the largest "jewels" I have:

Earrings: Macy's (similar)

Since we're doing a bit of pretending with the post, we're just going to say these are jet, m'kay?  Great!  You all are the best!


And now it's your turn.  Are you wearing a book-inspired outfit?  If so, you can link up here:

An InLinkz Link-up

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Mustard and Leopard

On my last day in Oregon, I wore mustard and leopard.  Oh, and I added some polka dots too:

Leopard Coat: LOFT (similar, similar, similar)

Not only is this the outfit I wore on my last day of work on my last day in Oregon, it's also the last outfit my friend and photographer, Ferge, ever photographed for me.  She was so mad that I was leaving that she cut off my head:

But, even headless, it's still pretty darned cute, right?


I told you that I'd been on the hunt for oversized sweaters for Pennsylvania, right?  Well, they're great for the cold, but they're also great for pairing with short, flippy skirts:

Sweater: Handmade, thrifted (similar)   Skirt: Old Navy  Tights: Hue  Boots: Splendid (similar)

I don't generally wear short skirts, but I do love a short, flippy skirt.  (I like to pretend the extra volume makes up for the lack of length).  Especially when paired with an oversized sweater.


What about you, Reader Friends?  Is this a silhouette you'd wear?

Happy Thursday, All!

Gracey

The Leather Look

I am not wearing this today:

I wore this while I was still in Oregon and still had my very most favorite photographer friend Ferge to take my pictures.


No, today, I am sitting home watching the Pennsylvania weather decide if it wants to rain or snow.  Oh, goody, it's decided on snow.


But, that's enough talk about the weather.  Let's talk about the outfit:

Leggings: Long Tall Sally  Sweater: Free People  Boots: Splendid (similar)

I usually shy away from "leather look" leggings for a couple of reasons.  And both of those reasons are my thighs.  They like to stretch these types of leggings so far that the "leather" appears to crack.  But, these leggings, from Long Tall Sally, have so far proven to be resistant to my thighs' shenanigans.


Now, the sweater is not a "tall" sweater but you wouldn't know it to look at it:

Free People sweater via Nordstrom

Most over-sized sweaters are just "sized" on me, but this one is well and truly over-sized.  I can't imagine it on a less tall person; it must be a dress!


To lighten up my gloomy-but-cozy look, I added citron earrings:

Kate Spade New York earrings via Nordstrom

Because nothing cheers up a look like some neon citron.


Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Houndstooth for the Holidays

Remember last week when I talked about how impressed I was with Foxcroft’s new prints?  Well, I’m wearing another Foxcroft print today, and let me just tell you, I’m still impressed:

I love a big, bold print and this black and yellow houndstooth is just that.  Like the vintage royal print, this print has a throwback vibe that I’m absolutely loving.  

It’s a little 80s, a little 90s and lot wonderful:

Blouse: c/o Foxcroft  Skirt: Old Navy (similar longer)  Tights: Spanx   Boots: Splendid (similar)

Patterned shirts like this one are on Foxcroft’s Holiday Checklist as a must-have for the holiday closet and, I must say, I couldn't agree more.  Printed shirts are just so versatile.  Today I paired it with a simple skirt and tights:

But it’s also the perfect layering piece to add color, interest and throwback flare to winter outfits.

In fact, I'd say there is really only one con about this blouse.  And that is that the blouse's wrinkle-free crispness tends to highlight the fact that I should have ironed my wrinkle-full skirt but didn't because I prefer sleeping in to ironing.  It is otherwise perfect.

Also pretty perfect are the rest of Foxcroft's holiday must-haves; you can see the rest of the Holiday Checklist here.

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey


Please Note: Although this item was given to me in exchange for a review, all opinions expressed on this blog are my own.  And that means that if the top was not great (Bob) I'd tell you.  Promise. 

Love Shark

I think been it’s pretty well-documented how much I love this thrifted shark tee:

 

Tee: Thrifted  Skirt: ASOS  Boots: Splendid

Or maybe I just yell how much I love it whenever anyone gives it the side-eye.  Does yelling count as documentation?  Probably not, or my life would be the most well-documented ever!


Yelling versus actual, legitimate documentation aside, the other day I showed my affection by pairing the tee with some “love” earrings:

Old Navy earrings

In addition to the earrings, I also paired the tee with a skirt quilted in a scalloped pattern:

Heh.  I just realized that this outfit has an unintentional under-the-sea theme what with the shark tee and the fish-scale like skirt.  I think unintentional under-the-sea themed outfits are best, don’t you?

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Dots and Spots

All though I am a well-known fan of mixing leopard and stripes, I've found that polka dots also work really, really well with leopard spots.  Case in point:

For some, this combination may even work better than leopard and stripes because there is less disparity between the two prints, making the combination less jarring to the eye:

Polka dots: Thrifted Foxcroft   Leopard Spots: Target   Necklace: Juicy Couture

If you're trying pattern mixing for the first time, or prefer a harmonious mix as opposed to a clashing mix, leopard and polka dots, in a neutral color palette, may just do the trick.

I, personally, rather love it:

Top: Thrifted Foxcroft   Dress: Target  Belt: LOFT  Boots: Splendid

That isn't to say I'm giving up my old standard of leopard and stripes, but this was a successful departure for me and one I'd definitely like to try again.

Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

Shop the Look

Similar dress (here & here)

Similar top

Exact Splendid ankle boots

Similar necklace