What I wore today: 12/05/2012 (New Loves)

This outfit features two of my newest loves: the same $30-dollar Target sneakers wedges from this post now in black (because when a pair of shoes is only $30 and you find yourself wearing them nearly every day, a second pair isn't a bad idea) and this gorgeous Italian-made wool hat that I'd been coveting for a long time at work. Ryan thinks the hat looks like something Carly Simon would have worn in the '70s. 

Both items are instant wardrobe classics for me, and help to add interest to a simple androgynous outfit of neutrals for a walk to the library and a big bowl of udon soup around the corner from our apartment. I do love december evenings with my Ryan.

 

Sneaker wedges - Target

"Stevie" jeans - AG, Anthropologie

Striped tank - Gap

Blazer - The Limited

"Sweaterknit Rancher" hat - Anthropologie 

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What I wore today 10/06/2011 (Dandy)

Even though it's well into fall, I somehow ended up with nails that look like Easter eggs. Oh well. Still good colors if somewhat out of season.

I think I look a bit like a dandy today with my ruffled shirt and velvet blazer. Even though I often wear ultra-girly things, I do love looking a bit androgynous sometimes. (My thoughts on this dichotomy of style here.) There's something about wearing men's clothes that makes a women look even more womanly. Think Marlene Dietrich and Katharine Hepburn if you don't believe me.

The blazer I wore today is one of my most treasured pieces. Many years ago I saw Natalie Portman wearing a velvet blazer of about this color during an interview and I fell in love with it. I looked everywhere for one like it. I was willing to pay a hefty price and expected to. And then, one day, it showed up - the perfect size, color, and fabric - at a thrift store for a couple bucks. Amazing.

Velvet blazer - thrifted

Ruffled chambray shirt - The Limited

Straight-let jeans - Gap

Striped canvas lace-ups - Big Buddha (bought on this trip)

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What I wore today 09/15/2010

What I wore today 08/24/2010

Jekyll and Hyde fashion

Watching stylelikeu.com's videos (which I've been doing obsessively lately) has lead me to contemplate how I would describe my own sense of style. If I were interviewed, like the people in the videos, how would I explain the Death to the Pixies shirt hanging opposite the vintage sailor dress, the sleeveless denim jacket that I like to pair with floral dresses, the combat boots that share space on the closet floor with not one but two pairs of ballet-inspired shoes featuring pink satin ribbons that lace up my ankles (flats and espadrilles)?

But to me it makes perfect sense. I have a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde since of fashion. I love girly things like lace, pearls, and floral, but I also love androgynous things like men's vests, suspenders, and tuxedo shirts. To me, it's the mixing of these opposing aesthetic elements that creates and balance of yin and yang in my outfits. I like to temper a ruffly dress with a punky studded belt, and tone down the sexiness of a mini skirt by pairing it with Converse high tops.

Here are some examples:

Girly shoes and a short skirt are paired with a menswear vest.

An otherwise boyish outfit is made feminine with a floral skirt.

My boyfriend's jeans look ladylike when paired with a Chanel-inspired jacket and sparkly heels.

What I wore today 07/10/2010

Everything is thrifted but the socks and shoes.