What I wore today: 11/10/2013 (Roaring)

Last Sunday, we had our all-store holiday meeting. The theme was The Great Gatsby, and we were encouraged to dress up as little or as much as we wanted to suit the theme.

I usually jump at the opportunity to create a costume, but my enthusiasm for putting on fishnets and a fringy dress wavers greatly when it gets cold outside. So, instead of a full-blown flapper costume, I decided to put together a fall outfit that incorporated a 1920s silhouette with the general coziness of tights and boots. I think the ties on this dress are meant to be tide tighter to create a waist, but I like wearing it baggier for more casual 1920s-esque silhouette.

Aren't these boots the greatest? Frye made a limited-edition run back in '09, and I eBay stalked them for three years to no avail. Then the same style just showed up, out of the blue, at Urban Outfitters (where I happen to get a 40% discount!) It was a great moment in the life of a shopper.

I hadn't allowed myself to buy any brown-leather knee-high boots even though my faux-leather ones were absolutely falling apart. No, I wanted the Frye ones and I was going to hold out until I found them. I was going to drop several hundred dollars on them, wear them for the rest of my life, replace their soles when needed, and never buy another pair of brown-leather knee-high boots again. That was the plan. The plan took years of discipline, but the payoff was great.

Listen to me, "years of discipline." I make shopping sound like Kill Bill.

Green tie-waiste dress - Maeve, Anthropologie (old)

Brown tights - Pure and Good, Anthropologie

Lace-up Melissa riding boots - Frye, Urban Outfitters

Burgundy wool cloche hat - Urban Outfitters (old)

Leopard brocade swing coat - Forever 21 (old) last seen here

What I wore today: 09/02/2013 (Looking Like a Picnic)

I wore this gingham dress on Labor Day to celebrate the end of summer. The blue gingham always makes me think of Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, but Ryan's reaction to the dress was that I looked like a picnic blanket. "But in a good way," he promised.

I just read Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates, which is this wonderful novel about Marilyn Monroe, and I think reading about her put me in the mood to wear a wiggle dress. Although my hourglass body type is best suited to sexy, fitted silhouettes, I am usually drawn to a more boyish, gamine look. But, on occasion, a girl still wants to get her wiggle on.

FIY, that's not a real tattoo; it's just something I drew on myself. I'm digging trying out temporary tattoos lately to get an idea of what a real tattoo would look like.

Blue gingham wiggle dress - Ruche

Leopard horsehair skinny belt - Anthropologie

Vintage jellies - thrifted

What I wore today: 11/29/2012 (Layer it on me!)

This fall, I've been doing a lot of layering sleeveless dresses over button-downs (see here and here), but today, it occurred to me that the same idea would work well with my leather peplum top. I kept the rest of the look simple and neutral, adding some saddle oxfords and a leopard-print belt as secondary points of interest. What do you think? How are you layering button-downs this season?

"Vegan leather" peplum top - Urban Outfitters

Gingham flannel shirt - Eddie Bauer

Mini skirt - thrifted

Saddle oxfords - vintage

Leopard-print horsehair belt - Anthropologie

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What I wore today: 11/04/2012 (Black and Tan)

Truth time: Approximately 30 seconds after taking these photos, I tripped on my flatforms and, in my (thankfully successful) efforts to save my camera, ended up skinning the ever-loving-beJESUS out of both my knees and completely ruining these tights. They are now both shredded and bloodstained. They have been put to rest with highest honors.

So, the truth is that, for most of the day, I wore different, much less cute, tights. But I still had to share my intentioned outfit for the day. I like the idea of taking a simple black-and-tan color palette and executing it throughout my outfit (belt, shoes, tights). The tights, a favorite, will be replaced, mark my words. I can't live in a world without punctuation tights!

"They look like your legs are cursing," was Ryan's reaction when he first saw them. Ohhhhhhhh, how I want them back!

For now, though, my legs are cursing out loud and uncensored. I seriously wrecked my knees. Ouch. 

 

Patent leather flatforms - Jeffrey Campbell, Free People
Punctuation tights - American Apparel 
1990s black velvet mini dress - thrifted
Leopard print horsehair belt - Anthropologie
"Sparked Agate Collar" Peter-Pan-collar necklace - Anthrpologie
Studded-bottom bag - eBay

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What I wore today 09/13/2012 (Windy City)

Ryan and I just got back from an incredible trip to Chicago. I'll post soon with lots of photos, but for now, here's one of the outfits I wore while we were there.

I do love a subtle pop of leopard print against a bright, saturated color like kelly green. Don't you? 

I definitely need to order some replacement tights. I love this magenta color so much that I can't stop wearing them, even though the holes look really bad at this point. 

This teal velvet blazer is definitely a favorite piece for me. See this post for better photos of it and the amazing story behind how it came into my life.

Quilted leather boots - Corso Como

Magenta tights - We Love Colors

Kelly green jersey dress - clothing swap

Calf-hair leopard belt - Anthropologie

Teal velvet blazer - thrifted

Studded-bottom bag - eBay

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What I wore today: 12/31/2011 (New Year's Eve)

Taking inspiration from unusual ways of wearing sequin skirts, I paired this new gold sequin mini skirt with my trusty chambray shirt for New Year's.

Ryan and I kept things low key. We walked down a few blocks to a neighborhood bar for their champagne toast and then visited a couple others before turning in. It was one the the most spontaneous and laid-back New Year's Eves we've ever had and it was the most fun.

I hope you and yours enjoyed ringing in 2012 as much as we did. What did you wear?

Gold sequin mini skirt - Victoria's Secret

Chambray shirt - The Limited (last seen here and here)

Wool tights - online tights shop

Quilted flats - Modcloth (last seen here and here)

Sequin bag - Nordstrom Rack

Leopard brocade coat - Forever 21

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