November 30-for-30 Capsule

Again, you don’t see an outfit for every day of the month, but I wasn’t hiking during the missing days this month. I was either living in the garage (because the wood floors were being recoated) or I was unpacking until I (literally) passed out…all while wearing snuggly pants and a hoodie. No one wants to see that.

MVP: the green, Miz Mooz boots. They had the ability to turn any outfit into a traffic stopper. Every time I wore them, strangers would stop me to pay a compliment.

LVP (Least Valuable Player): my brown leopard skinnies. Yeah, I wore them. Once. On the day my household goods were delivered. But I was so exhausted after that process that I didn’t get a picture. And then I started living in the snuggly pants during my time off.

What I Missed: the rest of my hat collection. Especially on cold or rainy days.

I packed the 30 items (dresses, tops, bottoms, jackets, shoes, bags and a hat) in a box at the end of September. I also included free items: jewelry, scarves, tights, sunglasses, scarves, belts, pajamas, and workout wear. Beefy mailed the giant box to me at the end of October so I was ready to roll on November first. During the month, I swapped out a sweater with a holey armpit for a ruffled, leopard miniskirt and traded my blogoversary jacket for shorty cowboy boots with a fabric upper.

I love variety, so I wouldn’t have done a month long capsule (let alone two!) if it weren’t for extenuating circumstances (moving across the country). It was a useful exercise in planning and creativity, but I already practice those skills with my full wardrobe. The best learning I had from the experience is to accept a less than perfectly flattering outfit. If I had my whole closet to choose from, I would have traded out elements each day for a higher heel or a jacket with a more fitted waist or a shorter skirt. Without any alternatives, it was freeing to just accept the silhouette the day’s outfit had created and move on.

And speaking of moving on…I can’t wait to send these duds to the laundry pile (or cleaners) and pull some “new” things out of the moving boxes!

Rainsmart

I was rainsmart when I prepared for today. I carried an umbrella. I styled my hair in a humidity-friendly manner. I wore water-proof jacket and boots. And I planned to take my pictures under cover, in the Nut Tree covered bridge.


Jacket, H&M (thrifted). Shirt, Mossimo (thrifted). Dress, Muse (gift from a reader). Tights, Hue. Boots, Rampage. Umbrella, MOMA. Earrings, vintage. Necklace, Emily Lyn Design. Rings, Black Hills Gold and Puzzroll Rings. Watch, Raymond Weil. Bag, Fossil (gift).

Chinese Take-Out

This morning, when I drove by this Chinese take-out joint and noticed the murals, I had to take my outfit photos there. Technically, I was trespassing (I took the pictures in the covered, outdoor dining area), but my activities were harmless. Still, I beat a hasty retreat when the first worker showed up to start cooking for the lunchtime crowd. He gave me a long stare and probably took note of my license plate.


Jacket, thrifted. Shirt, Jones New York (thrifted). Skirt, Talbot’s. Boots, Miz Mooz. Necklace, thrifted. Bag, Fossil (gift).

As a criminal on the run, I didn’t get a chance to take detail photos. But I figure you’ve gotten a good look at my capsule items over the course of November.

Drowned Rat

I totally got rained on today. As in hair-plastered-to-my-head wet. My blow out was ruined and I had to face the rest of my customers with a frizzy, floofy bob. But I still got asked out on a date by the young man who watched me take these photos. So I guess didn’t look as much like a air-dried-drowned-rat as I imagined.


Shirt, Express (thrifted). Belt, Express. Skirt, Ann Taylor. Boots, Rampage. Earrings, Claire’s. Sunglasses, Betsey Johnson. Bag, Fossil (gift).

Oh, and, Beefy, I said, “No.”

Giddyup

I have an obsession with combining this dress with printed shirts (or jackets or cardigans) in the clashiest, ugliest way possible. And I did it again, today.


Dress, Mossimo. Shirt (actually a tunic), Wet Seal. Tights, We Love Colors. Boots, Rampage. Sunglasses, Betsey Johnson. Earrings, Claire’s. Bag, Fossil (gift).


My past fugly combos featuring this dress and a patterned top: