Marion

Tuxedo shirt, Daytrip. Linen-blend vest, Old Navy. Linen-blend skirt, B Moss (thrifted). Peeptoe pumps, Mossimo. Earrings, Panagea.

You may disagree, but today’s outfit makes me feel like Marion Ravenwood from Raiders of the Lost Ark.



The red blouse reminds me of Marion’s harem pants in the Cairo scene. The vest looks very “new Marion” (this is a production photo from the latest Indiana Jones film). And the skirt and shoes have a vibe not unlike the skirted suit she wears in the final scene. I would have loved to have been married in the white dress she wears in the film; I ended up in something similar. I’m looking forward to the new movie. I plan on dressing up as suggested by Miss Cedar and I’m drinking tons of Dr. Pepper in an attempt to win the trip.

An alternate view of today’s outfit and detail of the earrings (so NOT Marion, but I love them):

Faux Bow

I wear a lot of belts and I often wear them at the waist or even around my ribcage. If the belt isn’t fairly small, I’m left with excess strap flapping about. In the past, I’ve secured the excess using doublestick tape, paperclips, binder clips, or the clip on my work badge. If you are wearing a belt with a prong-less buckle, a chic way to deal with the excess length is to pull it back through to form a faux bow.

1. Place the belt at the desired point on your waist and pull the strap through the buckle.

2. Hold the strap taut by grasping it halfway along its length and begin to rethread the end of the strap through the buckle. (Keeping the strap taut will improve with practice.)

3. Leave the loop of strap outside of the buckle. This forms one half of the “bow.”

4. Continue threading the end of the strap through buckle.

5. Adjust the free end and the loop to be about the same size and smooth the “knot” framed by the buckle.

The result is more bow-like when the strap is wider than the buckle (as is the case here), so that the strap flares on either side. Although it isn’t as pretty, you can still use this trick with belts that have equally sized buckles and straps (like my newly swapped gold belt.)

(I learned this trick by studying the way a mannequin was styled at Charlotte Russe.)

Should Never Be Seen

Cardigan, Gap. Circle print dress, Max Studio. Multistrand beaded necklace, World Market. Embellished scarf, TJ Maxx. Boots, Nine West. Gold belt, via swap.

Mike thinks it’s entertaining to mock me as I pose for my photos. He pretends he’s Zoolander and strikes crazy poses behind the camera, making it hard for me to keep a straight face. His antics have earned him a guest spot on my blog today. Let’s see…outfit details….his shorts are from Old Navy and his hat is a hideous souvenir from the last time he visited his alma mater. Who knows where the rest of his ensemble came from.

On with the main event…

I love mixing these shades of blue and green. Last time I wore them together, Sue Kennedy remarked how wrong her mother had been when she said, “blue and green should never be seen.” I can’t claim that I came up with this novel color pairing on my own. I was inspired by Kelley over a year ago:



The first time I saw her pairing of blue-green and yellow-green I thought it garish. The combination grew on me, though, and I tried it a few times myself:



Details of the jewelry, scarf, and belt. (Expect more, later today, on how I deal with excess strap length on this style of belt.)

Major

Striped blazer, Mossimo. Coral blouse, Worthington. Lace-edged skirt, my USMC Service uniform (altered). Belt with leaf closure, H&M. Fishnet tights, No Boundaries. Patent slingbacks, Audrey Brooke. Cinnabar earrings, Into the Fray.

Today it was raining so I took the pictures in the house. My usual spots in the guest room are inaccessible because we’ve moved all the books in there while we paint our bookcases. The other parts of the house just seemed too dark. I’m unhappy with this photo, but it was the best I could manage. I really have been spoiled by the great outdoor light. I should have just nutted up and took the pictures in the rain, with my umbrella.

The rain also made impossible grilling the steaks we’ve been marinated since Sunday night. Instead, I made hotdogs on the George Forman Grill. I didn’t mind because I LOVE hotdogs. My favorite brand and variety is Hebrew National Reduced Fat Beef Franks. They are the best low fat hotdogs I’ve ever eaten…and I’ve tried nearly every “healthy” frank on the market. Even better, is the brand’s tagline: “We Answer to a Higher Authority.” Mike likes his dogs with spicy mustard, but I’ve recently been experimenting with Indian condiments. Both mint chutney (the East Indian variety) and hot mango pickle are incredible with a beef frank.

Enough with hotdogs and rain and on to Mike’s reaction to this outfit: “Hello, Colonel!” (in response to my belt’s clasp). The golden leaves bear a resemblance to officer insignia, although gold leaves are worn by Majors, not Colonels. I suppose “Hello, Major!” wouldn’t have been as funny. Or maybe he was just leveling me again.

Pearl Anniversary

LBD, London Times. Green earrings, Body Central. Red bag, Target (via swap). Floral shoes, Miss Me.

We attended a surprise 30-year anniversary party tonight. The traditional 30-year gift is pearls, but my friend Karen got three big diamonds instead. She wasn’t complaining!

Mike and I have been doing the traditional gifts for our anniversary. Number four is fruit or flowers. I’d be happy with flowers, but I don’t know what to get Mike. I’ll have to get creative.



Edited on 5/1 to add shoe close-up:

Gabby's

Denim jacket, Forever 21. Crochet-top dress, Moth. Yellow belt, Xhilaration. Yellow pumps, Victoria Spenser. Earrings, World Market.



This was a bit overly casual for work (I always feel uncomfortable when I show this much leg at the office), but I swapped the pumps out for my red, patent, peep-toe flats and felt perfectly dressed for dinner at Gabby’s. I love the food there and don’t know why we don’t go more often. (I didn’t get a picture of the red shoes with the outfit. The shoe image is actually a crop from an old post.)

Brown Eyes Blue

White cardigan, Express. Sheer navy shirt, Forever 21. Suede skirt, Isaac Mizrahi for Target. Woven leather belt, Wilson's. Brass bracelet, World Market. Wooden bracelet, via swap. Brown peeptoe shoes, Antonio Melani. Moth earrings, Claire’s. Feathered clip, 100 Yen Store.

This outfit was so boring that I couldn’t think of a good title. I’m stealing Hillary’s habit of naming entries after songs for today. My eyes aren’t really blue (or brown). They are more of a greenish-gray.

What Julie Wore Today

Hi, blogosphere. I'm Kasmira's friend Julie. I usually write a blog about food but since Kasmira so generously reviewed a restaurant for my blog, we thought we'd do What Julie Wore Today.

Of course, we pick the one day where I didn't really pick the outfit. The dress is from Forever Yours Bridal, which is sold by Bridal and Formal. This dress was a long time coming: I was the model for all of the bridesmaids (we decided that my size 10-12 frame was "average") and I think I tried on seventy dresses at two stores. This was the winner, after some drama with an unnamed store that ended up in the saleslady crying. Anywho. The dress is actually pretty comfortable and fairly flattering. I know Mike tells Kasmira that there's to be no cleavage on the internet, but my boyfriend doesn't have the same rules. Thank goodness.

The hair was done by Lindy at Aveda Frederic's Institute. The students at this school are awesome-- my hair is normally stick straight and those curls lasted for two days. I now understand why women used to go to the hairstylist once a week for a shampoo and set. Enough hairspray, and it's not going anywhere.

I picked up the shoes the day before the wedding at DSW. They are Capparas, and are not dyed-to-match. They were on clearance and coincidentally an exact match. Practically miraculous, really, and I bought another dress at goodwill that should match the shoes! Yay.

The earrings were worn in my wedding. I think they're now my official wedding earrings. For the record, I'm no longer married, but the earrings live on.

Sheer

Cropped jacket, No Boundaries. Sheer black tank, Mossimo. Black lace overlay cami (beneath sheer tank), Halogen. Floral skirt, A Byer. Sandals, Gianni Bini. Leaf buckle belt, H&M. Faux pearl cuff, Forever 21. Drop earrings, Xhilaration.

I kind of love sheer clothing. I’ll admit I used to go to the club in a transparent black cami over just a black bra, but my use of filmy garments is less trashy these days. I’ve got five or six gauzy blouses in varying colors and three unlined lace tops. I have so much fun with the layering possibilities. I add layers under or over or both to introduce more color and texture to an outfit. I’ve raved about this sheer black tank before and I still find it surprisingly versatile. This skirt is lined, but the first few inches above the hem are not and I love the way light shines through.



Thank you to A Beautiful Abode for featuring me and my home In The Trenches!

Red Blobster

Green jacket, London Jean. Tartan sundress, Frederick’s of Hollywood. Navy patent belt, The Limited. Navy patent sandals with big-ass heel, Forever 21.

Cincinnati is the furthest I’ve ever lived from the ocean. I miss it and I’ve been craving seafood lately. We went to Red Lobster tonight for my seaside fix.

Mike and I have “special” names for most of the places we visit. It started in Japan because we were just plain illiterate and had to make up some sort of name to refer to our favorite restaurants. The game continues stateside. Kroger is “Kroginator,” Applebee’s is “Appledonk's,” and Red Lobster is “Red Blobster.” That’s because if you eat too many of those Cheddar Bay Biscuits, you will become a Blob. (Which, incidentally, was one of my favorite movies growing up.) Pizza Hut is similarly renamed “Pizza Butt.”

While my meal tasted good (I opted for the non-blobby Roasted Tilapia in a Bag), I dreamt about vomiting all night and woke up ready to do so this morning. I don’t think I’ll be eating there again any time soon.



Before the nausea

If I Were a Teacher

Pinstriped vest, H&M. White shirt, Gap. Rust skirt, Eddie Rodriguez. Leopard print wedges, Steven by Steve Madden. Watch pendant, Victoria’s Secret. Gold watch, Raymond Weil. Leather belt, thrifted. Brown clutch, Andre (thrifted and vintage).


Holy Timepiece Overkill, eh, Batman?

Here’s a little known fact: I came to Cincinnati with my dusty Biology B.S. and shiny new M.Ed. with the intent of teaching highschool science. Unfortunately, the district was in a hiring freeze and I had less than two months to find full time work so that Mike would qualify for in-state tuition at UC. The corporate world offered me a job first.

If I had become a teacher, this is the sort of outfit I can imagine myself wearing. Modest, quirky, upscale casual. Have you seen Miss Guided? I only caught two episodes, but I LOVE Becky’s outfits. I could have copied every one.

The shoes, closer:

Yes, I have veiny feet. I need In Touch to doctor my photos.

Empire Waisted

Pale yellow cardigan, Mossimo. Geometric print dress, Max Studio. Leafy branch necklace, Urban Outfitters. Black pumps, Bandolino.

Some people really hate empire waists and baby-doll silhouettes, but they work for me. I always feel taller with a visually raised waist. I especially like empire waists like this one – where the below-bosom cinching extends down the ribcage a few inches.

I’m totally out of ideas on how to style this dress. I’ve worn it the following ways:



What do you suggest I pair it with next?

By the way, I really appreciated the suggestions on what to wear with my brown and white floral skirt. I’m pairing it with my sheer, aqua, tie-neck shirt next week!