Because

I wasn’t going to get dressed today, but I had call-backs for Enchanted April (I was not cast) and Joy called me to ask if I was ready to return her Purdy bags.


Dress, thrifted. Belt, H&M. Bag, Purdy. Boots, Dan Post. Earrings, self-made.

My friend Joy makes upcycled bags and wallets. This version, made from camouflage utilities, is my favorite. She takes custom requests, so if you have old cammies of your own, she can repurpose them as a satchel. This bag is not made from one of my uniforms. I was a Marine, not a Soldier.


Now, I am just Silly.

PUYV: Khaki & Olive "All Out"

Sweater and bangles, Body Central. Dress, Lani. Slingbacks, Linea Paolo. Bag, Target. Scarf, India.



Accent colors: pumpkin, pine, saffron, and wine.


In Style’s “all out” khaki and olive example
Once again, I’m drooling over In Style’s “all out” dress. It’s even got ball trim! But I like my dress too. . .perhaps there is pom-pom trim in its future.


Detail of the scarf and the bangles. I took the bracelets off when I got home and forgot to put them back on for pictures. But I did wear them with the outfit.


A previous Khaki & Olive “all out” look:

PUYV: Navy & White "Medium"

Skirt, Side x Side (thrifted, shortened, and embellished). Sweater, Forever 21. Blouse, Worthington. Peeptoes, Wet Seal. Bracelet and earrings, Target. Bag, Tommy Hilfiger. Scarf, Old Navy.


Accent colors: purple, kelly green, citron, and fuchsia.


In Style’s “medium” navy and white example
My external flash arrived yesterday! The diffuser, though, is still in the mail, so I’m bouncing the flash off of the ceiling. I still don’t have quite the look I’m after, but I’ll continue to fuss with the flash placement and camera settings. It’s tough being model and photographer (and stylist, copywriter, editor, etc.)


One immediate advantage of the bounced flash is that I can take indoor spinny pictures without that harsh “flash” look.
Previous Navy & White “medium” looks:

Brello

Sweater, Body Central. Skirt, Newport News. Pumps, Delicious. Silk scarf, flea market somewhere north of San Diego, CA. Sunnies, Hawaiian Tropic. Bag, Prague (thrifted). Leaf pendant (obscured by the scarf), thrifted.

Last time I wore brown and yellow, I received some amusing comments. The color combination reminded one person of M&Ms and someone else of something far less savory. Let’s hope the M&M (or even the public transit conductor) association won out today.

Safari Zebra

Zebra dress, Jones New York. Linen blazer, Forever 21. Sandals and bag, Franco Sarto. Wooden bangle, swap. Brass bangle, World Market. Necklace, Urban Outfitters. Earrings, Claire’s.

As I suggested to Fiona, brown is a fun accent for a black and white dress. A zebra-print dress conjures images of an African safari. Accessories in shades of brown and gold emphasize the ethnic feel and glam it up a bit.

To Match a Purse, Take Three

Cardigan, Mossimo. Dress, Max Studio. Anklestrap pumps, Miss Me. Nude fishnets, Vera Wang. Purse, Forever 21. Beads, Claire’s. Pendant, Urban Outfitters.

The title is a bit misleading. I wasn’t actually trying to create an outfit around this purse. I was trying to find a new way to wear this dress. I love the skirt half, but the top is so ugly that I’m always looking for a cover-up. This time, I topped it with the pale yellow cardigan. Then I started reached for my yellow pumps, but decided to be bold and wear my floral shoes instead. I liked the floral anklestrap pumps with my floral Forever 21 bag so much last time that I decided to repeat the pairing. Finally, I added some pink beads to tie the look together.


Some people have been curious as to how I take these spinning shots. Usually, I press the self-timer (10 second delay) or use the remote (2 second delay) and begin the spin a moment or two before the shutter closes, timing it so that my skirt is flared and my face is front at the “click.” As you can imagine this takes a few tries, but I’ve become quite good at the timing with practice. My new camera (digital SLR) can be set to take multiple shots as one holds the shutter button down, but this doesn’t work with the remote. Mike used this setting to take the Purple and Spice spins. We did this again today, but none of the shots turned out as well as my self-shot spin (at right). However, the below picture demonstrates that, even if the pictures don’t turn out well, the process is awfully fun:


P.S. I’m afraid I have disabled Anonymous comments. I tired of the drive-by shootings. If you’d like to fire insults (or otherwise), you’ll need to take a moment to register with Blogger.

Summer Mixers - Purple and Spice

I am delighted to announce another theme week! Like last June, I was inspired by the In Style summer palette section. Stand by for a week of “Summer Mixers.”

Oxford shirt, NY & Co. Dress (only skirt visible), Dublin (Ohio) Irish Festival. Peeptoe platforms, Wet Seal. Braided leather belt, Wilson’s Leather. Rose ring, Forever 21. Beads, Sonoma. Bag, Isaac Mizrahi for Target. Feathered hair clip, 100 Yen Store.

In Style inspiration page
I had to think long and hard about this one. This shirt is my only truly purple clothing item. I considered pairing it with an orange tee, cardigan, sweater vest, or jersey dress but rejected all those options (and it was just too hot for my orange sweater). I was staring at the dress on the In Style page, wishing I had something like it, when I remembered I had bought this dress at an Irish festival. I’ve only worn it once before because it’s too roomy on top and the skirt is too long. Now I’m considering having it turned into a shorter skirt.



It’s a shame that I so infrequently wear such a super swirling skirt.

Arctic Circle

Gray cardigan, Wet Seal. Green, circle-print dress, Max Studio. White blouse, Worthington. Yellow belt, Xhilaration. Gray tights, Merona. Gray slouchy boots, White Mountain. Green earrings, Body Central.

I call this my circle dress because the print is of interlocking rings. I normally only wear it in the warmer months, but, as usually happens this time of year, I’m tiring of my winter wardrobe and yearning to wear something springy. With a little layering, tights, and boots, the dress is warm enough for end-of-February wear.



One of the cyclically popular poses on Wardrobe Remix is the “holding the heel of your shoe” pose. I think it’s supposed to be sexy. I tried it, but it just looks like I stepped in some dog doo. I am very bad at “sexy.” I do “goofy” much better.



Congratulations to Cheri who correctly guessed that this is green and yellow week!

Volume on Volume

Click for a larger view

Innerwear (center and right): Black and white tweed trapeze jacket, Apostrophe. Orange dress, The Limited. Black tights, Danskin. Black patent maryjanes, Xhilaration. Cinnabar earrings, Into the Fray.
Outerwear (left): Velvet scarf, souvenir from Holland. Black velvet ruched gloves, TJ Maxx. Giant black bag, Wilson’s Leather. Roses umbrella, Skymall.

I wore a voluminous jacket over a voluminous dress, but I didn’t feel lost in fabric. I think the trick was that my ankles, calves, and wrists (my three slimmest features) were clearly visible. It also helps that the dress is swingy and clingy, so that my shape is defined when I move.

This is the giant black bag I take to work with me every day. It’s big enough to hold my gym clothes, lunch (as if I ever take lunch!), and all the other things I can’t live without while away from home. I bought it three years ago from the Wilson’s Leather Outlet. One of the leather handles tore this summer and I had both of them replaced at a luggage repair shop. Now it’s good as new!

Famous Dress

What’s a bored girl to do, all alone on a Friday night, after drinking two glasses of Vendage a Trois? Twirl, twirl, twirl (and document with photos).

Denim jacket, brown cami, and printed dress, Forever 21. Moth medallion necklace, Anthropologie. Embellished flip-flops, American Eagle.

Perhaps it means I’m a total dork, but I get really excited when I see an item of clothing I own featured in a magazine spread or a movie. Like when I was watching Season I of Heroes last week and (in the episode where she meets her mother) Claire was wearing my Takeout sweater! I had to pause the DVD, run up stairs, and wear the cardigan for the rest of the night, despite the fact that the house was near 80 degrees. I was similarly thrilled when this dress was pictures in a NY Times article about inexpensive dresses. However, I wouldn’t dare wear mine without a cami underneath!

(Picture from the NY Times article - just in case you couldn't access the page.)

Irish Dress

Orange and white sundress, vendor at the Dublin Ohio Irish Festival. Brown sandals, Franco Sarte. Brown beads, Kohl’s.

My souvenir from the Dublin Ohio Irish Festival doesn’t feature four-leaf clovers, Gaelic sayings, or leprechans. It isn’t even green. I picked this dress out of a rack of hideous tie-dyed numbers (which weren’t green, either) at one of the vendor booths. I had to add ribbon to the back to get a good fit around my ribs, but the results are worth it.

I drug a denim jacket around with me all day, in anticipation of frigid airconditioning at one of my stops, but it wasn’t necessary.

Obligatory skirt swirl photo: