Experiment No 590

I’m combining themes today: Tights and Toes and The Red Hat Society Experiments. Oh, and I threw in some galoshes, too.

Dress, Forever 21. Belt and galoshes, Target. Tights, Apostrophe. Peeptoe flats, NY & Co. Coat, Bebe. Bag, Payless. Cuff, Hot Topic. Bangles, Deb.

Third Blogoversary

I’m starting Year Four of WhatIWore2Day. Today marks my third blogoversary.

Cardigan, Moda International. Lace blouse, Newport News. Skirt, Talbot’s. Fishnets, Simply Vera. Peeptoes, Mossimo. Earrings, import store. Bracelet, gift.

Each year, I put on the same outfit and stand in the same place to take my blogoversary photo. I attempt to replicate the pose and lighting. Last year, I mistakenly placed a hand on my hip. This year, silly me, I did not use the auto white balance setting on the camera and had to color correct in Photoshop to get a picture similar in tone to the others. The end result is a fascinating (to me, at least) parade through time.


Other than my blogoversary, I haven’t repeated a single outfit on this blog. I’ve become accustomed to outfit novelty and find it such a drag to pull out this tired ensemble each year. I allow myself to mix it up a little with accessories.

When I started this blog, the cardigan, blouse, and skirt were some of my favorite items. Naturally, my tastes have evolved and I don’t often wear any of these pieces. In fact, since my last blogoversary, I’ve worn the cardigan twice and the other pieces once each.

The cardigan (by Moda International aka Victoria’s Secret):

The blouse (by Newport News):

The skirt (by Talbot’s):

The shoes I wore for the very first picture have long ago expired. The Linea Paolo slingbacks I’m wearing for the next two photos are still in great condition, but I needed to wear peeptoes for this week’s Tights and Toes theme. I chose a pair with coloring close to the previous blogoversary shoes. You can’t see the nude fishnets in the lead photo, but a close up reveals the texture. I love the way the tan net looks over painted toes.

Thanks to all my readers, old and new, for visiting my site. I’m especially excited to have discovered so many other ladies with similar outfit diaries. (The number of style blogs I subscribe to through Google Reader is creeping up to 150!) The community of readers and bloggers is what keeps my interest in maintaining this blog. Here’s to Year Four!

Crazy Legs

I wish I could tell you the brand of these tights. I don’t know it*. I bought them at Macy’s last spring, along with my tattoo socks.

Jacket, Odds n’ Evens (thrifted). Dress, vintage, thrifted, and shortened (but not BEDAZZLED). Tights, Macy’s. Peep-toes, Bitten. Ring, Sin City. Earrings, Tristate Antique Market. Tote, Target. Handbag, Franco Sarto.


*Updated on 10/13 to tell you that Macy's is carrying these tights again this year and the brand is Stocking Diva.

Star Spangled Studs

I bought a Bedazzler. I know you think Bedazzlers are totally passé, but studs are totally hot and a Bedazzler is the easiest way to apply them. Frankly, the Bedazzler looks and feels like a piece of junk, but it works well and can even be a bit addictive.


Jacket, Forever 21. Dress, vintage, thrifted, shortened, and BEDAZZLED. Tights, Hue. Shoes, Delicious. Bangles, Girl Props. Clutch, Apt 9. Coat (pictured below), Bebe.


I apologize for the blurriness of the photos. We were losing the light, it was starting to rain, the wind was gusting, and I was navigating rubble in four-inch heels. These photos were taken in Eden Park, on, what I affectionately call, the Road to Nowhere:


This dress was horribly dowdy in its original state.


I could tell, though, after adding a belt and pinning up the length, that it had potential.


Thrifted (or swapped) clothing is my favorite for experimentation – shortening, dyeing, and, now, bedazzling. Later this month, I’ll show you a pair of thrifted capris turned shorts and bedazzled with cone studs. Nothing is safe from the Bedazzler! I’m eyeing more studs (and a size 60 plunger for 1/2 inch studs) on Kit Kraft right now.

Tights and Toes

Tights with open-toed shoes emerged as a fringe trend two years ago. I first tried it in November 2007 and it received mixed reviews. Two years later, as Angie says, our “eyes have adjusted” and the trend and has gone mainstream. I’m going to celebrate it with a week of Tights and Toes. Won’t you try it at least once this week?

Easiest ways to get on-board the tights and toes trend:

1. Pair nude fishnets with any open-toed shoe
2. Wear black tights with black shoes
3. Match your tights to your skirt or dress and add any color shoe

More tips on tights with open-toed shoes

My past Tights and Toes looks:


You can see that dark colored tights (e.g. purple) paired with black shoes is also a subtle look.
The second to last picture (appears to be sheer gray hose) is actually a pair of gray fishnet tights. Fishnets, unfortunately, photograph as unfashionable sheer hosiery.