Hoodie plus Blazer

A hoodie* worn under a blazer is one of my favorite casual looks on both men and women. It says: “I don’t care what I look like…but maybe I do.” It’s a little bit sporty and a little bit preppy.


Corduroy jacket, American Eagle. Cashmere hoodie, Juicy Couture (swap). Long-sleeved tee, Merona. Jeans, M Denim. Boots, Playhouse. Sunglasses, freebie.

I spend Saturday mornings at swim practice and, from there, go directly to the grocery store. While the weather was cold, I was living in a down jacket, fleece pants, and galoshes on the weekends. The streets are still sloppy, but this Saturday was one of the warmest we’ve had in weeks, so I tried to look a little more pulled together. The layers were warm, my cowboy boots** kept my feet dry in the slush, and the sunglasses disguised the marks 90 minutes of goggle-wearing leaves around my eyes***.

*And, yes, I still think hoodies on their own should be considered on par with athletic wear (okay for the house, okay for physical work, but not okay otherwise)…but wearing one under a blazer sharpens it up.

**My cowboy boots need replacing. Any suggestions on favorite brands?

***Seriously, after I get done swimming, my face frightens small children.

Changed My Mind

Crochet-top dress, Moth. Missoni-esque dress, Lipstick. Boots, Diba. Bag, Prague (thrifted). Earrings, Pangaea. (And I apologize to Pangaea Trading Company for misspelling its name so often. I knew there was an extra “a”, but I was sticking it in the wrong place.) Crazy expression, all me, baby.


The dress looks more green than blue in the photographs today, but I think that is just due to all the yellow light bouncing off the hallway walls. I think you get a better idea of the color looking at the last time I wore it.

New boots alert! I’ve been on the lookout for very tall, brown, casual boots for some time. I found these on endless.com. My favorite part about them is that they are fake suede. I know some people would be very disappointed to receive shoes not made out of genuine animal skin, but faux suede is one of my favorite materials. It’s warm, has great texture, and CAN GET WET! I can’t tell you how anxious I get even drinking water around my blue suede booties. (I am a very messy drinker.) Fake suede may not keep you feet dry in a rainstorm, but the shoes will dry again without a mark. My gray, slouchy boots by White Mountain (worn in the outfit below) are also imitation suede.

Now, you all know that I am a little OCD and plan my work week outfits on the weekend before, to include trying everything on and selecting a handbag. The outfit to the left was the original choice for today. When my new boots arrived earlier this week, though, I decided that I wanted to wear them today with a bit more casual ensemble. And I’m always up for a little bit of dress layering experimentation. What do you think? Should I have stuck with the original plan?

P.S. The blouse/dress layering was inspired by the way Londyn wore my dress.

Which Friday outfit do you like best?
	The one you wore
	The one you were gonna wear
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Damn Pants

Jacket, Odds ‘n Evens (thrifted). Shirt, The Limited. Trousers, Moda International. Lace-up pumps, Isaac Mizrahi for Target. Faux pearls, Newport News. Apple watch pendant, Forever 21.


My jewels.
Where are the feathers? Pinned to my coat. I attached my gothic cameo brooch (trimmed in feathers), to my wool coat this morning. I think it will stay there.


This is the last time I wear these pants. I like the idea of them: red/orange tweed, fitted through the hips, wide leg. However, they just aren’t flattering in reality. Buh-bye.

Double Your Feather

Cardigan, Gap. Blouse, Merona. Skirt, Willi Smith (thrifted and altered). Boots, Nine West. Earrings, Forever 21. Brooch, thrifted. Bag, World Market.

It’s sort of like a double-feather day because I’m wearing feathered earrings and a bag with a bird on it.


These earrings are really hard to photograph. You can see a better picture in my Because I Don’t Have a Car entry.

Be a Clown

Jacket, NY & Co. Blouse, Forever 21. Skirt, Moda International. Tights, Simply Vera. Peeptoes, Wet Seal. Faux-feather earrings. Ali’s Boutique.



A closer shot of the earrings and a truer representation of today’s colors.
These have been deemed my “clown shoes” by past commenters. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, and just “be a clown.”



Truthfully, clowns kind of scare me, but I do know two people who’ve been to clown school. As long as I don’t have to face them in their rubber noses and giant shoes, I’m okay.

Pete and Repeat

I guess I can’t get enough of a gimmick. We just started the February Recession Challenge and I’m also doing a theme week (Cerulean and Feathers) just for the heck of it. Blue-green is one of my favorite and most flattering colors, so I’ll wear it all week. I added the feathers just to make things interesting. For those of you not familiar with my theme weeks, they aren’t set intended to be for anyone other than myself, but you can play along if you like.

Blazer, FANG. Dress, London Times. Tights, Forever 21. Boots, Nine West. Headband, self-made. Purse, Payless.


Detail of the feathered headband I made…although all I did was glue a purchased feathered paddle to a headband I already owned.




This brooch came attached to the jacket.
Oh, look: same headband, blazer, boots, purse, and color scheme as an outfit I wore just a few weeks ago. I also wanted to repeat the earrings, but I couldn’t find them. I will repeat the shirt later this week as one of my cerulean items.

Make Your Own Brooch Results

The responses to the January Recession Challenge left me in awe of my readers’ creativity.

Kayleigh got crafty with buttons and then had the genius idea to repurpose broken jewelry bits and pendants as brooches.

Cat made three lovely brooches with a vintage vibe.

Lisa pinned her self-made sunflower brooch to a string of beads.

Deborah Lee took the challenge a step further and only used items she already owned. Her wire brooch creations are truly modern art.

Riange Creations went bananas with the glue gun. She glued pins to the back of silk flowers, felt pieces, holiday decorations, and other random bits for a variety of brooches.

Ian was inspired by Marc Jacobs.

Emily suggests the following “zero-effort” brooch construction: “take a safety pin and hook a clip-on earring over it. Put the pin on the inside with the little
bar of the pin on the outside for the earring to hook onto. . .it's not permanent, and then you can still use them as earrings later.”

Finally, I made a “gothic cameo” brooch.

Don’t forget to wear your new creation!

Recession Challenge: Notions and Trim

If you suspect most of What I Wore Today’s recession challenges will be of the crafty variety, you’re right, but I know you can handle it. Your responses to the January challenge proved that you are a crafty bunch! I’ll have a recap post up tout de suite with links and pictures to the DIY brooches.

February’s challenge is to add a little extra to an item in your wardrobe with a notion or trim. For example:
- Add a fun trim to the edge of a skirt
- Change out the buttons on a staid blazer to a set imprinted with skulls
- Punk up a t-shirt by adding zippers to the sleeves
- Iron on an appliqué

Depending on how you choose to embellish your item, little to no sewing skills are required. I’ve had good results attaching trim with Hem ‘n Trim. (It’s sold in the drapery department at Hancock Fabrics.) All you need are scissors and an iron to use the product. And anyone can sew a button on!

As you complete the challenge, either leave me a comment or send me an email. If you blog about your creation, send me the link. If you’re not a blogger, feel free to send a picture and/or description and I’ll include it in the final round-up at the end of the month.

Walking the Line

If you’d like to see examples of tasteful, business casual wear, I recommend that you visit Sheila’s or Londyn’s blog. If you want to see someone walking “a fine line of looking funky and cool and like a crazy bag lady,” then you’ve come to the right place!

Dress, Forever 21. Tights, We Love Colors. Lace-up pumps, Isaac Mizrahi for Target. Charm necklace, thrifted. Headband, Bitten.

Hopefully I’m on the funky and cool side of the line today…although I don’t mind looking like a crazy bag lady, either.

Edited to add: not that Sheila and Londyn aren't funky and cool, too! They just do it with more class than I do.

Corporate Stud

Jacket, Breakin’ Loose. Sweater, Body Central. Blouse, Worthington. Skirt, Tulle. Fishnet stockings, Simply Vera by Vera Wang. Studded pumps, Oh Deer! Bracelet, Bitten. Bag (pictured below), Tommy Hilfiger.


I’ve been on the hunt for navy dress shoes for ages. It seems like everything I found was horribly matronly. The studs and tall, spiky heel saved this pair from Boringville. Conversely, the navy color keeps the studs and height from being too sexy for the office.

Like a Bruise

Sweater, Forever 21. Dress, Sele. Tights, Chinese Laundry. Sandals, Nine West. Bracelet, Urban Outfitters. Belt, swap. (And wet hair - sigh.)

Whenever I wear black and purple together, I feel like I’m dressed as a giant bruise. You can’t see it, but my toenails are purple too! (From polish, not bruising.)


I just got this belt from a swap. The buckle has little bits of shell embedded in black enamel. It’s lovely!

Base Layer

Sweater, City Fur Co (vintage). Top, Moda International. Strapless dress, Newport News. Boots, Nine West. Necklace, thrifted. Clutch (pictured below), thrifted. Feathered headband, Forever 21.

This simple, strapless sheath from Newport News has been worn a lot, but I’ve never taken a picture of it alone until today. It’s a bit formfitting to wear on its own, but it makes a perfect base for subsequent layers. It’s a neutral color, doesn’t contribute much bulk, and provides a nice, slim silhouette for my bottom half.










Um…yeah, those are my bra straps in the first photo. Sorry. And you can check out the back of the black top here.
All the ways I’ve worn this dress…

(And it only cost $15!)