Hello, Lovers

That is, in all honesty, what I purred to my boots today as I pulled them from their box.  It wasn’t exactly cold today, but it definitely wasn’t warm either.  And that was just enough of an excuse for me to pull out my much-loved, oft-worn, all-time-favorite boots:

I didn't realize my belt was wonkers until after the photos, but I can't say I'm surprised.

My affection for these boots cannot be overstated.  I've had them for a few years now and wear them almost constantly throughout the fall and winter and even much of the spring.  Oregon was slow to get warm this summer and though I railed against the continuing cold weather, I was secretly glad to have a reason to continue to wear my beloved boots.

And today, although I’m tempted to complain about our mere two months of not-very-hot summer weather, I’m mostly just excited to be able to wear these boots again.  I paired the boots (Born Crown “Sosie”) with grey leggings (Target) under a floral “dress” (Gap, thrifted) and a grey cardigan (525 America) along with a thin brown belt (Gap), my watch and a blue and white bracelet.

What about you all?  What item, new or an old favorite, are you excited to wear this fall?

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

P.S. Yesterday’s linen skirt wants to thank you all for your support – we’ll be staying together for a bit longer at least.  And I wanted to thank you all for your outfit ideas – I’ve already got another outfit planned with the blue booties!

Yesterday and Today

I am, once again, a day behind on my posting, so I’ve combined yesterday’s and today’s outfits into a single post to get caught up.

Yesterday it was sort of chilly much of the day and even a little misty in the morning so I took the opportunity to wear something with sleeves for the first time in what feels like ages:

I paired a tunic (Gibson via Nordstrom) with black skinnies (Gap) and black snub-nose mini-wedges (Jessica Simpson via Nordstrom).  I added hot pink drop earrings (street vendor) and probably should have added a bracelet or three, but I was running late.

Today was chilly again in the morning so I decided to break in one of the pairs of new shoes I bought for fall:

I love blue shoes.  I read somewhere that if you like red shoes, you have a fiery spirit.  Does my love of blue shoes mean that I have a damp spirit then?  If so, that’s okay – I’ll take a damp spirit if it comes with blue shoes.  Today I paired my new blue suede booties (Dolce Vita DV “Wyatt” via Nordstrom) with a tan linen skirt (Jones New York via Macy’s) and red and white striped tee (J. Crew Outlet).  I felt sort of sporty (spice) so I kept the accessories to a watch (for timing my sporty activities) and gold hoops (surely the sportiest of all earrings).

Although I love these shoes and all of the elements of this outfit individually, I’m not sure it works.  Or, rather, I’m not sure it works for me.  I don’t think I’m a very sporty gal in spite of having played three sports all through high school.  Or maybe it’s just this skirt – I don’t think I’ve ever styled it in a way I really liked.  I like the skirt itself, but I can’t seem to style it for anything.  I’d give it a couple more tries, though, before donating it. 

So, if anyone has any suggestions for styling the skirt or the booties (which are not on the chopping block, I just want to wear them every possible way), I’d love to hear them.

Happy Tuesday, Everyone!

Gracey

Bonus Footage: Mama Mia!

On Saturday, Alex and I went out to dinner at the Veritable Quandary in Portland and then to see Mama Mia.  It was an awesome evening - VQ is one of my all-time favorite restaurants.  It's so pretty and the food is soooooo good.  And Mama Mia was so much fun!  But, best of all?  Alex and I decided to dress in our finest 70s wear in honor of Abba.

I wore this:

I bought this handmade floral maxi dress at a thrift store months ago in the hopes that I might someday have a reason to wear it.  For Mama Mia, I paired it with black and gold bangles, black and gold platforms (rummaged), a black cocktail ring (Nordstrom) and vintage black leather clutch (thrifted). 

Oh, and big hair and big make up:

And Alex wore this:

It's fabulous, right?  I had actually loaned it to her for the show, but we decided that the teal color looked so good with her fair skin and fiery red hair that she should keep it.

If you're from the Portland area and have never been to Veritable Quandary, you should definitely try to go.  And you should definitely try to go during the summer and sit outside.  The outside seating area at VQ is just gorgeous.  We sat underneath an oak tree next to a hydrangea and a fuchsia hanging basket and it was just lovely:

I hope you all had a lovely weekend as well!

Gracey

Viva Los Orphans

I’m still in a “Holy crackers, it’s too hot and I can’t find anything to wear” sort of mood, in spite of the fact that we had a lovely thunderstorm last night which relieved at least a little of the heat.  When I’m in this mood, I’m completely dissatisfied with most of the clothes I usually love (except for these shoes, apparently) and find myself looking more towards my closet’s orphans.  Yesterday I wore an orphaned yellow skirt.  And today I’m wearing orphaned grey pants:

Yesterday’s orphan acquitted itself rather well, and I think today’s orphan is too.  These pants are years old and, like yesterday’s skirt, I think I’ve only worn them once.  Today though, I decided to pair the pants (Gap) with what appears to be my favorite white tank (Design History via Ross) and my increasingly ubiquitous blue platforms (MRKT via DSW).  I finished the look with some blue and white jewelry, including these earrings:

I didn't notice the rust before I posted this, but, I still like them.

I have no idea why I never wear these pants.  I even have a khaki version that I never wear either.  I think that they maybe used to be a little big for me?  Or I thought they did funny things to my thighs?  I don’t know.  They seem to be okay today though, so maybe I’ll give this pair another shot and maybe even try the khakis (maybe; they are khaki, after all).

I’ll end with my usual Friday advice: have a good weekend!  And also, try to stay cool and if you’re on the East Coast, stay safe!

Happy Friday, All!

Gracey

The Skirt Likes Leopard

Yesterday, Kelley, of Threads and Buttons, rescued one of her closet orphans and I remembered, “Hey, I have closet orphans – they might like to be rescued.”  This skirt is the orphan I decided to rescue today:

I actually have a great fondness for all of my closet orphans; I’m just not fond enough of them to wear them regularly.  This skirt is no exception; I like the color and the length and the fullness but I never wear it.  At first it was because it used to be a little big in the waist.  So, I took it in.  And I still never wore it.  But today?  Today the yellow linen skirt has been liberated.

I paired the skirt (thrifted Eileen Fisher) with a knotted white blouse (Banana Republic) and leopard mini-wedges (v. old via Ross) because the skirt hinted that it liked leopard.  I figured “who doesn’t” and added the leopard wedges and some bracelets (Mom-made) to tie them in.  And I liked it.  I just don’t know how versatile this skirt is going to be for me.  The skirt would like me to point out that the fact that I don’t have the imagination for multiple pairings isn’t it’s fault.  And that’s true – I should probably try harder before just giving up. 

To that end, how do you all think this skirt would look with grey?

Happy Thursday, Everyone!