Sunday, October 19, 2008

Denim Wardrobe


Jacket, Wilson’s Leather. Bag, Bitten. Sweater, Body Central. Long-sleeved tee, Mossimo. Jeans, M Denim. Necklace, Enve Designs. Loafers, American Eagle for Payless.

Yup, I’m wearing the same pair of jeans again. I’m like that. I get fixated on one pair and wear them to death.

I don’t buy a lot of jeans. I’m puzzled by the constant magazine spreads on the latest in denim washes, fits, and designers. Are other people buying a pair each season? I suppose my lack of interest is due to my preference for skirts and the frowning upon jeans at the office. The jeans I do own tend to last for a long time. These are all the jeans I own:

Bootcut (not so chic, but my favorite)

Brands (left to right): Lucky, Gap, Dollhouse. (And the M jeans in the lead pictures)

White

Gap

Capri (not the most flattering, but great in the heat)

Metro 7 (Wal*Mart)

Straight Leg (my preference over skinny)

Brands (left to right): Express, Calvin Klein, Gap.

Trouser

Express

That’s it. I recently donated a pair Mossimo and a pair of Lucky (never pictured) jeans to the thrift store because I wore them even less than the rest of my denim. The Gap bootcut jeans have since been relegated to work (as in gardening, carpentry, painting, etc) pants and I should overdye the remaining Lucky jeans to reduce the unflattering faded finish on the thighs.

Looking through the responses to “how many pairs of jeans do you own” on youlookfab, I think my 10 pair put me close to the excessive camp. Still, I feel a little behind for some reason. What's in your denim wardrobe?

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Most Commented of Year Two

Thank you to all the readers who leave comments. As my readership has increased, so have the number of comments. Some are simply too kind and others are not so nice (I’ll save a special post for those!) Since I disabled anonymous comments though, even the critical comments have become constructive. I can’t tell you what a thrill it is when I check my mail and see a new comment waiting for me.

I give you the ten most commented outfits of Year Two:

Classy Lady, 6/10/2008. Twenty-six of you weighed in on this one, with love for the skirt, shoes, and bag. I don’t think of my style as classic, but when I dress that way (with a bit of a Kasmira twist, like the yellow shoes), you sure seem to like it!

Look At Me, 9/23/2008. This outfit is SO me. One, clashing patterns. Two, bright colors. Three, excessive matchiness. I don’t apologize for any of it.


New Yellow Shoes, 9/17/2008. I couldn’t go for long without yellow pumps. I held on to the old pair, bringing the decrepit heels out when I just couldn’t stand it, until I found a replacement. Not only were you happy to see the new yellow shoes enter my wardrobe, but you had lots of love for the purple and yellow combination in this outfit. The funny thing is, I said back in October 2007 that purple and mustard yellow look great together, but that I couldn’t wear these colors. Guess I changed my mind!

Holly Golightly, 9/19/2008. This is probably MY favorite outfit of Year 2. I felt so incredibly fabulous in it. Best of all, it was quite inexpensive. The dress was free, the shoes were from the 15 Dollar Store, and the purse was ancient (bought at the Camp Foster PX in Okinawa). The necklace was probably the most pricey item, at around $20 from Newport News.

Blue Shoes, 8/1/2008. Between the new (free) shoes and the picture of me from my hippie days (wearing blue, clog-style Birkenstocks), 21 readers had something to say. And did you notice I’m wearing this tulip skirt again? As I mentioned in the flickr recap, I rarely have a bad outfit day when I’m wearing it.

Mostly Cloudy, 7/8/2008. I found people to help me get in and out of the dress on this day. (I needed help with the zipper at midday, too, when changing for my workout.)

Summer Mixers: Purple and Spice, 6/2/2008. And the hate mail begins. I posted this outfit before I disabled anonymous comments. Anonymous did not like the green shoes or the color mix, but I have not a single regret about this outfit. I liked it then, I like it now, and some of you liked it too! Each June, In Style does an outfit spread featuring color combinations that fit a summery theme. This was the second June in which I used it as an inspiration. I hope the magazine continues the feature, because I will certainly continue to use it as an inspiration.

Tribal, 7/23/2008. This outfit ushered in a whole new era of pattern mixing for me. I’d always had trouble wearing my obi belts because I thought I had to pair them with an otherwise simple, and pattern-less, outfit. Once I got over that, my belts came out to play more often.

Jeweled, 2/1/2008. Of the nineteen comments, a couple were off track (asking for advice on a job interview outfit and notifying me that my picture was all over a forum thread on women wearing plaid). The rest of you, though, responded with enthusiasm for the color combination. It’s one I’ve repeated more than once.

Arctic Circle, 2/28/2008. Anyone remember Cathie Reed? This is just one of many outfits she left me hate mail on. She only visited for a few days before the rest of you scared her off. Many thanks to those readers who left comments in my defense. Although I appreciate constructive criticism, I can’t say I miss her much!

These results are skewed towards the latter half of Year Two, probably due to increased readership. (My readers tripled over the course of the year.) However, since the flickr favorites seemed to all fall in the first half of the year, I figure that, betwixt the two, you get a good sampling of the most exciting outfits of Year Two.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Mini Tweed

Cardigan, Moda International. Coral shirt, Ann Taylor. Tweedy mini, Willi Smith (thrifted and altered). Boots, Nine West. Necklace, Urban Outfitters.

I’m with Fashion Me Fabulous on loving English tweeds. I found this heavy tweed wrap skirt at Goodwill. It was too “mini” for work, so I adjusted the buttons so that it sat at the top of my hips, rather than at my waist. If you think it’s short now, you should have seen it before I move the buttons 5 inches. I’m left with just enough of an overlap to stay decent when I sit down. Of course, I also wore a slip for insurance.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Liberry

Leather jacket, Wilson’s. Blouse, Jovovich Hawk for Target. Long-sleeved tee, Forever 21. Jeans, M Denim. Wedge loafers, American Eagle for Payless.

Headed to the library again to pick up holds and return the books I’ve finished. I’m going through reading material at a sick pace. Any more suggestions from my readers? I’ve just started the Uglies series.

I think I like this blouse better in the cooler months, when I can use it as a layering piece.

The Blues

Vest, H&M. Blouse and bracelets, Forever 21. Cami, Charlotte Russe. Skirt, Tulle. Peeptoe pumps, Charles David. Bag, Wilson’s Leather. Brooch, thrifted.


When I was young, my favorite color was blue. I claimed the color because it was the color of my eyes. I still like blue, and it’s a good color on me, but it is no longer my favorite. I don’t think I could pick just one any more! In fact, when I’m presented with color choices for an item of clothing in the store, I nearly drive myself crazy deciding on a shade. Today, though, it’s all about the blue.

(And about the star print galoshes that I finally had an excuse to wear!)

Most Interesting of Year Two

Flickr tells me which of my photos are most interesting, based on a complicated algorithm that factors in “favorites,” views, and comments. These were my 10 most interesting outfits of Year 2. (I screened out the three outfits that made it into the interesting category simply because I had the word “schoolgirl” in the title. Perverts!)

Flight Attendant, 10/22/07. There was lots of love for the scarf and skirt from my flickr friends. In fact, you’ll see the skirt once more in this lineup. It seems to have inspired some of my best outfits.

Man Tie, 11/12/07. Here’s that skirt again! The tie started a bit of a gender debate. The crossdressers (I have a strong transvestite following on flickr), noted how much more acceptable it is for a woman to dress like a man than vice versa. (More on the transvestites: I’ve actually received mail and comments asking if I am actually a man. No, I’m not. The military made sure of that before they let me in. Seriously, they take a peek at everyone’s private bits as a part of the screening process.)

Chicago Day 1, 11/15/07. The jacket and the hat were hits!

Chicago Day 2, 11/16/07. I guess this was a stylish trip (and month)! Perhaps fishnets weren’t the most appropriate legwear for an interviewing trip, but I didn’t receive any counseling for wearing them. I’m looking forward to trying new combinations with the dress this fall and winter.

New Booty Skirt, 1/3/08. I get a fair number of hits each week from people searching “booty skirt.” I hope I don’t leave them disappointed! This skirt replaced my old booty skirt. Every girl needs one!

Indian Skirt Again, 11/27/07. This was my most successful outfit featuring the troublesome Indian wrap skirt.


Abby and Tony’s Wedding, 4/19/08. This was a special occasion dress; I bought it specifically to attend my friends’ wedding. Because I’m thrifty, I’ve since made it work for the office as well.

Interview Navy, 1/8/08. I wore this outfit as a part of Navy Week in January. I did a regular theme weeks for awhile. There was navy week, green week, "touch of sun" week, and Big Belts and Brights week. I need to bring theme week back to WIW2D!

New Shoes, 12/17/07. This is just a cheapo swing jacket from the junior section of Wal*Mart, but I love it and my flickr friends did too! Because it’s super warm, I’m still waiting for things to cool off enough for me to break it out again.

Military Chic, 1/16/08. Please don’t take this as excessive vanity, but a perfect stranger stopped in her tracks and just gushed about my outfit when she spotted me wearing this in the cafeteria last January. I was so embarrassed that I forgot to grab my tea dope (cream and Splenda) before I hightailed it back to my desk. IRL, compliments make me horribly uncomfortable.

Evidently, I haven’t worn anything interesting since April. (Damn you, flickr!)

Next up, I’ll tell you what outfits my blog readers found most “interesting.” Unfortunately, I’ll have to do that complex math myself, so it might take awhile.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

I Hate Pants

Blazer, Charlotte Russe (overdyed by me). Cowl-neck tank, Ann Taylor (thrifted). Skirt, Talbots (thrifted). Headband and bracelet, Forever 21. Pumps, Pulse. Bag, Prague (thrifted)


Or maybe I just hate THESE pants. Or maybe just THESE pants on ME. I’m currently too plump to be comfortable in them. I’m glad I had time to change my clothes (and retake my picture) before I left the house this morning. Otherwise, I would have been hating my pants all day.


I flipped the lead picture so that I could give my pants the stink eye.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Black Lace

Lace blouse, Newport News. Purple cami and rose bracelet, Forever 21. Skirt, USMC Service uniform (altered). Pumps, Delicious. Bag, Naturalizer (thrifted and vintage).

Some people say that black lace is cheap and tacky. I don’t care; I still like it.

I wore this skirt and blouse together once before. I like the combo better with the purple tank than the pink.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Black and White Monday

Flutter-sleeved sweater, Ann Taylor. Zebra dress, Jones New York. Belt, little boy’s section of some department store. Slingbacks, Audrey Brooke. Watch, Louis Arden.


I was tickled to see that Work With What You’ve Got had a Black and White Monday too! However, she added a splash of color with her bag, while I carried my black and white purse. (I forgot to get a picture of the purse with the outfit today. The link will take you to a close-up, but older, shot of the handbag. I’m also carrying it in one of the below pictures.)

Today’s is my favorite way I’ve worn this dress so far. I like it even better than the ensemble with the pink obi.