Flat Pleats Are Good Pleats

Today I'm wearing one of my favorite silhouettes:

The pleated midi.


Pleats can be hard to wear, and so can midi skirts, but I still love this style of skirt.  If you love them too, I recommend looking for flat pleats, like those on this skirt:

Flat pleats help keep the volume down, which is important because too much volume in a skirt can make it look like you're smuggling throw pillows on your hips.  Even if you *are* smuggling throw pillows, you don't want to look like it because that's not very sneaky and smugglers need to be sneaky. #wordtothewise


I paired my flat-pleated skirt with a textured sweater:

Because everything is better with texture.


So, what did we learn today?

Skirt: thrifted vintage (similar)
Sweater: Nordstrom (cute option)  Sandals: Kork-Ease (similar)

We learned that smugglers need to be sneaky, everything is better with texture, and flat pleats are good pleats.  All important things.

Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

Fuzzy Stripes

Stripes are great:

But, do you know what are even better than stripes?  Fuzzy stripes:

I mean, really.  What beats a sweater that allows you to rub your own belly for comfort on a rough day?  The answer is, obviously, nothing.



Because fuzzy stripes are the best stripes:

Sweater: LOFT  Skirt: thrifted vintage (similar)
Tights: Spanx  Boots: Franco Sarto "Eminent"

Bar none.


Happy Monday, All!  And don't forget to link up tomorrow for Literary Stylings!

Gracey

Psychedelic Poppies

So, as it turns out, faux leather is not great in humidity.  I wore this shirt anyway:

I wore it both because I like it and, because it was the only thing I could find to go with this skirt.  I thrifted this skirt months ago, but have struggled in finding anything to wear with it.  It seems like I could wear any color and it'd work, but so far that hasn't been the case.


But, I think this top works.  It has a different texture than the skirt and therefore doesn't read as a clashing or mismatched black:

The top also works well with the sandals:

Top: LOFT (similar) (peplum version)  Skirt: thrifted
Earrings: Lil' Gypsy Vintage (similar)  Sandals: Steve Madden (similar)

And both the top and the sandals add a nice edge to what could otherwise be a fairly stodgy skirt.  You know, as stodgy as psychedelically-colored poppies can be.


Happy Monday, All!  Or, rather, Happy Visible Monday; I'm linking up my psychedelic poppies over at Patti's today!

xoxo,

Gracey

Spring-Like

We had a few days of quite spring-like weather here in PA the past couple of days so I took the opportunity to wear a couple of new pieces I received from Long Tall Sally:

Both the jacket and the shoes are some of Long Tall Sally's latest spring offerings and they were perfect for the warmer weather.

Although I am a size 14, LTS runs a little large, so I ordered the jacket in size 12 and it fits perfectly.  I definitely recommend going down a size.  I ordered my usual size, 10 and I'd say they fit true-to-size.  They are also pretty comfortable and I recommend them unless you're going to be doing a lot of walking; they don't have any arch support.  I wore them for running errands but caution against wearing them for actual running.


The jacket is the Textured Biker Jacket in Flame and the texture really is wonderful:

And the shoes are the Iris Cut Out Printed Ballerina and I love that they're a strong, graphic print.  I've been looking for a pair of black and white printed shoes for quite some time now, so I was thrilled to get these.


I paired the jacket and the shoes with a striped shirt, skinny jeans and green stud earrings:

Shirt: Banana Republic (similar)  Jeans: Gap
Earrings: Kate Spade New York

Why green earrings?  Well, because sometimes the best colors are complimentary colors.  I didn't make that up either; that's Science, Folks.


Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

Waking Up a Winter Wardrobe

The other day, Angie, of You Look Fab, listed her four ways to liven up a winter wardrobe and it got me to thinking about how I like to wake up my winter wardrobe.  Especially now when the days tend to be short, dark and cold.

Sparkle and Shine

A couple of years ago I was firmly against daytime shine.  I liked to save my sequins for special occasions and couldn’t figure out how to incorporate them into my every day wardrobe.  This winter I’m all about daytime shine; incorporating sequins, rhinestones and metallic into my every day looks.  Whether you wear a little, or a lot, daytime shine is a great way to beat the winter blahs.

Nine West "Darbie" boots

Gap tee

Gap glitter belt

Brights

Angie advocated bright coats and accessories in her list, but I’m advocating brights in general.  I love wearing brightly colored pants, sweaters and yes, accessories, during the winter.  Even when it’s freezing out, brights bring a smile to my face.

Banana Republic Blue Bow Skirt
Gap legging cords
 Banana Republic colorblock scarf

Texture 

This time a year, you’re probably wearing a lot of knits.  I know I am.  And I know that can get boring.  But, if you look for texturally interesting pieces, it can alleviate some of that boredom.  Honeycomb, cable knit and popcorn stitching can all add interest to basic knit pieces.  Fuzzy sweaters are also a great option in a delightfully 80s way.

Eyelash Plaid Cardigan

Echo open stitch infinity scarf

Kyi Kyi Pom Pom Hat

New Neutrals

Black is a very present neutral in my winter wardrobe.  But, I also like to mix things up with new neutrals.  This year I’ve been wearing a lot of navy and gray but I also think camel, cream or even olive could work as a winter neutral.  

 Gap legging cords

Leith infinity scarf
Banana Republic Plaid Fringe Scarf

What about you, Reader Friends?  How do you wake up your winter wardrobe?

xoxo,

Gracey

Black on Black on Black

The lovely Fashionista Next Door has challenged us to wear all black as part of Style Me Friday.  And y'all?  This was crazy hard for me.

That's right, I had trouble putting together leggings and a tunic.

The thing is, I don't wear black from head-to-toe.  I pretty much have to have a pop of color; scarf, earrings, something.  Or something shiny.  I had to force myself to back away from my Foxxy Anubis brooch this morning.

However, I (sometimes) like a good challenge so I bit the bullet and resisted the urge to add color or shine, depending instead on different textures to (hopefully) add interest to my monochromatic look.

I, apparently, also wanted to show how it was possible to wear head-to-toe black and not look sleek and cool.

But, enough about my enduring fluffiness.  Let's get back to the texture:

Yes, my sweater is texturally interesting.  And yes, I do have to make that face when providing a close-up of this tunic. Rules is rules, folks.


Happy Friday, All!

Gracey

Textural Interest

One of the more difficult things for me is working different textures into an outfit.  As with most things, the textures that appeal most to me are not subtle.  I don’t just want texture, I want TEXTURE.  I want big, chunky sweaters and fur and the odd feather or seven.

Unfortunately, when you get into the bolder textures, they can add bulk to an outfit.  This can be problematic for everyone, but we larger women, especially, are told to stick to sleek knits for their slimming effect.  God forbid we look bigger than we are, or even our actual size; the oft preached goal is to appear smaller. 

Well, as I often do, I’ve thrown that rule aside.  This time in favor of some texture:

But, I’m not a complete fashion heathen, so I’ve tried to compromise.  My delightfully fuzzy vest (Design History) has a fairly slim cut and so adds texture without adding too much bulk.  The sheer blouse (Liberty Loves via Nordstrom Rack) under the vest and the slim cut of the skirt (vintage via Goodwill) also add texture without bulk.  I added a bit of leather with the boots (Born Crown “Sosie” via Nordstrom) and metal with the cuff (thrifted via Goodwill), all of which combine to create textural interest. 

 

At least that’s what I’m going with.

Happy Thursday, Everyone!  And Happy Valentine’s Day!

Gracey