I’m wearing my giraffe scarf again today, but sans the lion earrings. Because, thanks to Lone Star Casie, I found out that lions do, in fact, eat giraffes. The good news is that we’re still the top of the food chain. The bad news is that lions are sort of mean. Really, lions? Giraffes? So mean. But, I’m doing my part to save the giraffes by keeping my giraffes and lions on separate sides of the Serengeti (the Serengeti is what I call my accessories closet).
And now to the clothes:
Today I paired my giraffe scarf (Target) with a black sweater dress (Macy’s), black snakings (Target snake leggings), black knee-highs (Nordstrom) and black riding boots (Vince Camuto “Fantastic” via Nordstrom). I don’t often wear monochromatic outfits (What’s that? You noticed?), but I like the mix of textures between the dress, the leggings and the boots here. And, of course, I like the pop of pink.
My friend, Kathy, said I look old fashioned today. I suppose it was inevitable that someone would make that comment. After all, the majority of this outfit is vintage:
The floral dress is vintage from an antique mall in Albany, OR. The blazer is vintage Montgomery Ward from my thrifting trip with Kelsey (Hi, Kelsey!). And the cameo bracelet is vintage from an antique mall in Nashville, TN. I also added my vintage lion-head earrings, olive tights (Hue) and tasseled booties (Seychelles via Nordstrom).
I know the idea is to try to modernize vintage items, but I just didn’t care to today. Besides which, I rather like today’s outfit. In spite of the fact that it’s all matchy-matchy and muted tones, in addition to being old fashioned, it still feels like me. More than likely that's due to my adherence to this silhouette - my thighs and I like it best.
Or, maybe, I’m just old fashioned. (Probably not though).
On Oscar Sunday, Z, from Z Plus the World, sent me an email letting me know she’d tagged me for the “11 Things” post. I was super flattered and of course agreed to participate.
There are five rules:
1. Post these rules.
2. Post a photo of yourself and 11 random things.
3. Answer the questions set for you in the original post.
4. Create 11 new questions and tag people to answer them.
5. Go to their blog/twitter and tell them you’ve tagged them.
My Photo:
My Random Things:
1.As is evidenced by the picture above, I love to laugh. A lot, loudly and often at inappropriate times.
2.I’m also prone to saying inappropriate things – sometimes my filter just goes out the window and I blurt out stuff I maybe shouldn't. And then I laugh. Loudly.
3.I plan on being super crochety when I get old. I have no intention to be one of those “sweet old ladies.” I want to be one of those old ladies who don’t like anything because they don’t have too, damnit.
4.I also plan on wearing a plethora of caftans, turbans and necklaces, all together, when I get old. Like Angela Landsbury’s character in Death on the Nile:
This will be me. Minus the fake psychic powers. Probably.
5.This will be hard to believe, but I’m actually quite shy.
6.I can talk myself into pretty much anything.
7.I use my ability to talk myself into things to get over my shyness.
8.I am terrified of heights.
9.I like to (over)analyze things, which is why I think blogging is a good fit for me. I was already analyzing my outfits, why not do it in public? Yeah, well, it made sense at the time.
10.I curse a lot. I understand the thinking that people who curse only do so because they have a limited vocabulary, but I’ve decided that’s not true in my case. In my case, I just curse a lot.
11.I am sarcastic, but I’m happily sarcastic, not bitterly sarcastic. I’m convinced there is a difference.
Z’s questions:
What’s one specific piece of clothing you couldn’t live without?
I didn’t think that I had one, but then I remembered my coat. This coat:
I literally have no idea what my face is doing in this picture.
I wear it almost everyday, probably 8 months of
the year. It’s the absolute best for riding my bike in. This coat
is waterproof, it’s black so it doesn’t get dirty, the high collar helps keep
my neck warm and it has a zip-out lining for those really cold days. And,
it’s not just practical, it’s kind of cute with a nipped in waist and full
skirt.
What song do you think best describes your personality?
Grace Kelly by Mika, for what I think are obvious reasons:
How do you like to decorate your workspace?
Pretty minimally; I’d hate for my coworkers to
think they knew who I was as a person.
Where do you most often get your
inspiration from?
I am inspired by a lot of different things, including books, movies,
poetry, other blogs, nature, etc. How these different things inspire me may
be different, but they all inspire me in some way.
What would your ideal job be?
You know that job where you do nothing but sit around and read all day? Taking breaks only for great food and some shopping? Whatever that job is called, that would be my
ideal job; to do nothing. I think I'd excel
at doing nothing.
What is your favorite character from a
book?
This was a hard one for me because I often read books with characters
that aren’t exactly likeable.
But, then I remembered they don't need to be likeable to be my favorite. As long as they’re well-written and honest, because that’s what matters to me. In which case, my favorite character is the main
character, Sarah Blight, from Lynn McFall’s book “Dancer with Bruised Knees.”
What is your best memory from 2011?
One of my best memories from 2011
is being included in Sal’s Lovely Links my first week of blogging. She
called me a knockout and it was just such a boost to my blogging esteem.
I’d read Already Pretty for quite awhile and admire the heck out of Sal, so to
have one of my favorite bloggers do something so kind was just amazing.
What is the one city you would love to
live in?
Actually, Portland, Oregon.
I currently live about 45 minutes from Portland,
but it’s one of my all-time favorite cities. I love Oregon
immensely and don’t think I’d ever want to live anywhere else, at least not for
a long period of time, and in Oregon,
I’d choose Portland.
It’s not a large city, but I don’t love large cities. Portland
is just the right size for my tastes and it’s weird and sort of gritty and I
love that. And I love that it’s close to both the coast and the
mountains.
What is a hidden talent of yours?
I have no hidden talents.
In truth, I’m a pretty untalented individual. Except that I am really
good at reading. And sarcasm. Neither of those are hidden talents
though; if I’m not reading, I’m being sarcastic.
What is your least favorite chore?
Ugh. All of them.
But, if I have to choose one, I’d say dishes. I hate touching dirty
dishes; even just loading a dishwasher is pretty hateful to me.
What is one blog you really admire?
Forgive me, but I’m going to wax
poetic about Already
Pretty a bit more. Sal’s blog is so positive and well written and
helpful and she’s so nice and stylish and accessible that I can’t help but
admire them both. So, yeah, love Sal and love Already Pretty.
My Questions:
1.What is your guilty pleasure?
2.What place would you most like to visit?
3.If money was no object and you weren’t opposed to spending ridiculous amounts of money of fashion, which designer would you wear?
4.Fur. Yeah or nay?
5.Do you prefer the mountains or the ocean?
6.What are you most looking forward to in 2012?
7.What are your thoughts on zombies?
8.What is the worst book you’ve ever read and how far did you get before giving up?
9.Momentarily forgetting the lesson we learned in “Midnight in Paris,” if you could live during any era, what era would it be?
10.What’s one thing you wish you could do better?
11.What is your “signature dish?” (And will you share the recipe?)
The bloggers I’ve tagged are some that I’d love to know more about:
Alternately Titled: I’m Not Unoriginal, I’m Just Cold
Although, I will say that it’s not as cold as yesterday. We had rain instead of snow and ice last night, so that’s something. I am, however, wearing pretty much the same color combination as I wore on Wednesday:
In my defense, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is a saying for a reason. And, in my opinion, the combination of burgundy, olive and rust ain’t broke. Besides which, today’s burgundy and olive are different shades than Wednesday’s and surely that counts for something. (It is okay if I call you Shirley, right?)
Today I layered a deep olive dolman-sleeve sweater (a.n.a/JC Penney) over a deep burgundy turtleneck (Gap) and a tan striped tunic (Old Navy). I added skinny jeans tucked into riding boots (Born Crown “Sosie”) and a rust-hued paisley scarf (Target).
Okay, yes, fine, you caught me. I’m a little unoriginal; these are the same boots and scarf as Wednesday.
Also, this is a picture from today of me looking sly. It cracks me up so I thought I’d leave you with it:
And with wishes for a wonderful weekend, of course!
It’s still freezing here in Oregon today. I had to be extra careful riding in and extra bundled up for warmth. This, of course, meant more layers. But, unlike yesterday’s layers, today’s layers are not lacking for color:
Nope, today I went with hot pink to keep me warm. Okay, yes, it’s probably not the color. It’s probably the fact that this dress (thrifted) is vintage and is appropriately acrylic. Acrylic, like many unnatural fibers, will often keep you warmer than you want to be. But, not today; today I needed to be very warm and this dress did the trick.
Especially layered under a wool-blend striped blazer (Halogen via Nordstrom) and over a silk slip and tights. I added black boots (Vince Camuto “Fantastic” via Nordstrom), silver and turquoise earrings and a wide, black belt. Because I am envious of the wide-belt-wearing skills of Chelsea from Bright Side Dweller.
Color or fabrication, this hot pink dress totally kept me warm.
