Geriatric

Beefy and I are totally turning into old people. We got up at 6 am (on a Saturday!) to grocery shop and then headed out to look for birds. Next thing you know, we’ll be lunching at Golden Corral and talking about how easy young folks have it these days.


Jacket, Allen B. Turtleneck, Target. Skirt, Converse One Star. Leggings, Danskin. Legwarmers, Sock Dreams. Boots, Matisse. Hat, Nine West. Sunglasses, Betsey Johnson. Gloves, Mossimo. Bag, Allstate Leather (gift).

Actually, I have a horror of buffets, so you’ll never find us at Golden Corral. But I do like to talk about what life was like before cell phones and the internet.


Photos by Beefy Muchacho.

Geo

I love regular, repeating patterns. When I finally show you pictures of my new house’s decor, you’ll see my love for polygons and angles. Until then, I bring you an outfit of geometric shapes.


Jacket, Allen B. Dress (worn as a blouse), Branna San Francisco (thrifted). Skirt, Harve Benard (consignment). Tights, Urban Outfitters. Boots, Rampage. Sunglasses, Girl Props. Necklace, Anthropologie. Brooch, thrifted. Rings, gift, thrifted, and vintage.


Photos by Beefy Muchacho.

Lovers' Quarrel

Don’t you hate it when you hang out with a couple and they involve you in their disagreement? You’ve been invited over for dinner and the next thing you know you’re being asked to take sides in an argument over the placement of wall décor. (Yeah, we did that to our guests last Thursday AND last Friday.)

Well, I wouldn’t want WIW2D readers to miss out on the fun. Here’s your chance to take sides in an ongoing disagreement between Beefy and myself:

Beefy prefers to take dramatic photos of my outfits in direct, frontal sunlight. He likes the high-contrast results and the way the colors look in the sun. I prefer being lit from the side or back in direct sunlight to better capture the colors and details of the outfit. Complete shade, although boring, provides the truest, clearest outfit photos.

Direct, frontal sunlight can result in good photos, but it takes careful monitoring of the camera settings and my poses to yield usable results. It’s tricky.

Our first set of photos were shot in direct sunlight with a wide open aperture, but low ISO. Still the light overwhelmed the sensors, resulting in overexposed images with “leaky” edges. I asked that Beefy retake the photos in the shade and he agreed only if I post the original pictures as well and ask my readers which they’d rather see.


Jacket, Esley. Turtleneck, Mossimo. Blouse, Sans Souci. Skirt, Outlander. Shoes, Libby Edelman. Sunglasses, Betsey Johnson. Necklace pendants, Epcot Morroco (tassel) and thrifted (arrowheads). Bag, Fossil (gift).

I chose a shade photo to lead the entry. Below, are the shade vs sun photos.

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Photos by Beefy Muchacho.

Country Lane

I thought it appropriate that I photographed this English country look in the “country.” Once again, I’m thankful that my new work schedule and locality permits fun locations and DAYLIGHT even in January.


Jacket, Urban Behavior, swap (embellished with tassels by me). Blouse, J Crew. Dress, Bitten. Tights, Hue. Boots, Rampage. Earrings, Claire’s. Sunglasses, Target. Brooch, vintage. Bag, Fossil (gift).


When I wore a similar outfit a few winters ago, I had to photograph it from my bathroom. Yesterday (okay, 2010) and today:

December Purchases

My weekly sales routing takes me past tons of great shopping. Some of my customers even carry clothing and accessories in their salons! Therefore, it took a remarkable amount of willpower to only make two purchases in December.

Sequels
I’ve lost my receipt, but I estimate I spent about $70 on these two items.

1. Harve Benard mod skirt.
2. Tri Collections plaid poncho.


December total: $70.00

Total spending for the year: $1493.14.

I spent $1540 in 2011 and $1701 in 2010 (with the same goal of $1200 all three years). As a result of having a budget, I’ve gotten better at keeping my purchases in check, but $100/month is still tough. For 2013, I’m increasing my budget to $120 a month. I decided on the new limit based on monthly budget recommendations, my current income, and the importance of appearance in my new job (in the beauty industry). If $1440 had been my yearly budget for 2012, I would have been very close!

Nothing New

Lately, I’ve been revisiting old combinations. Living in a new place, my old outfits seem fresh again.


Jacket, Forever 21 (overdyed). Sweater and leggings, Mossimo. Dress, Jams World (thrifted). Socks, Sock Dreams. Boots, Vince Camuto. Sunglasses, Target. Fur collar and necklace, heirlooms. Bag, H&M.

This outfit is a combination of these two old ensembles:




Photos by Beefy Muchacho with Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 35 mm 1:1.8G lens.

For the Birds

Beefy is a fan of The Big Year, so I bought him binoculars and a couple of bird guides for Christmas. After excitedly identifying house finches, yellow-beaked magpies, dark-eyed juncos, and northern flickers in our yard, we were ready for a real birding expedition. We headed to the Cosumnes River Preserve. There, we saw American coots, sandhill cranes, great egrets, Canada geese, a northern harrier, a great blue heron, northern shovelers, turkey vultures, and teals (blue-winged, green-winged, and cinnamon)!


Sweater, Banana Republic (thrifted and gifted). Tunic, Wet Seal (thrifted). Blouse, Sans Souci. Leggings, Reebok. Boots, Madden Girl. Sunglasses, Target. Earrings, Monica D. Gloves, Bebe. Bag, H&M



Photos by Beefy Muchacho with Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 50 mm 1:1.4G lens (except the photo of the Great Blue Heron…I took that one).

Houseguests

We had our first guests today. Not just guests…overnight guests! I spent the day frantically cleaning and finishing the last of the decorating. I chose an outfit I could prep in and then add a few pieces (the cardigan, boots, and jewelry) to receive company.


Sweater, INC. Tee, Jones New York (thrifted). Skirt, No Boundaries (thrifted). Tights, Target. Boots, Style & Co (thrifted). Sunglasses, Girlprops. Necklace, thrifted.


Photos by Beefy Muchacho with Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 50 mm 1:1.4G lens.

Drowned

In search of a picture of the inferior sweater I mentioned in my last post, I was reminded of one of my favorite outfits, worn last October. I swapped out the shirt and boots and bag, added a jacket and hat, and rewore it today.


Jacket, H&M (thrifted). Sweater, Energie (thrifted). Shirt, Sans Souci. Tunic, Urban Behavior (swap). Leggings, Reebock. Boots, Matisse. Hat, Target. Sunglasses, Betsey Johnson. Nekclace, thrifted. Bag, H&M.

Last October:


Last time I wore this outfit, I had just left a great swim practice. It’s fitting that I wore it again on a day that seemed underwater. It’s been raining forever and we awoke to thick fog this morning. The American River, behind me, is swollen with runoff. I’ve been missing my swim workouts, but, at this rate, I won’t need to join a pool to get my swim on.