Ebb and Flow

It's interesting how items seem to ebb and flow in my wardrobe. There are things I've had in there untouched for ages and ages, and then suddenly I find myself wearing them all the time again. Such is the case with this bright pink flower clip; I think last week was the first time it's seen the light of day in at least a year, and now here I am wearing it again just a few days later. Such is the hazard of having a huge wardrobe: you often can't keep track of everything in it.

The clip started out life as a pin on a flirty cocktail dress. I thought it had way more potential as a clip, so I took the pin backing off and attached the flower to a hair clip. This way I can wear it in my hair or attach it to clothing, including the original dress. In this outfit, the folds of the skirt created the perfect spot to attach the clip, because it looks like the flower is the attachment point for the drape of fabric.

This outfit was carefully designed to prevent the dreaded 'floating in space' effect that can happen when you wear a bright top over a solid black skirt or pants. First, I chose gray tights over black ones to bring some value contrast and depth to the bottom half of the outfit, rather than letting it be stark black the whole way down. Next, I used the pink flower and burgundy pettipants to add some color to the skirt. Finally, I blended some black into the top of the outfit by layering the black t-shirt underneath the pink top.

Many people think of a bright top with a black skirt or pants as a no-brainer combination, but in reality it's one of the toughest looks to pull off. Black isn't a very well-mannered neutral; it contrasts sharply against most everything else and can easily sap the vibrancy from your outfit, so it's important that the black makes sense with the other color. Here, I brought my bright colors into the bottom half of the outfit and the black into the top. Thus the skirt is no longer just a black skirt, but a pink, burgundy, and black one, because the flower, pettipants and skirt can be considered as one piece. In this way black is used as a vehicle with which to highlight brighter colors rather than allowing it to work against them.

Top and skirt: Attila Designs
Belt: Red Dress Shoppe
Black shirt: H&M
Pettipants: Glam Garb by Gunlis
Boots: All Black

Belting for Proportion

Here's a similar belt trick to the one I showed yesterday, this time with an empire cut top. In this case the top is quite flattering by itself because of the way the drape of the fabric follows my figure, but for this outfit I needed to bring more emphasis to the waist in order to change the proportions of the outfit. Without the belt, the length of the top made my lower half look truncated. The belt brings some contrast to the top half and divides up the long stretch of black; it also relates the top half of the outfit to the bottom.

I thought the green shoes were a fun and unexpected splash of summery color. Since the recent cold weather necessitates leg coverings, I'm trying to compensate by bringing in other seasonal pieces such as open-toed shoes. The fresh green color is also a way to brighten up the somber maroon and black.

Top: Max Studio
Belt, skirt: Sunhee Moon
Leggings: Sock Dreams
Shoes: Gabriella Rocha

Symbiosis

This dress always requires at least one additional layer in order for me to wear it, since the top is way too low-cut for work, or really for anywhere. But the cut is precisely what makes it great for showing off a detailed neckline, such as the one on this cute little ruffled shirt. So here we have a case of perfect symbiosis: the dress hides the rest of the otherwise ordinary t-shirt, while the t-shirt hides all sorts of things that would be revealed by the dress.

The other modification I made to this dress was to use this wide obi-style belt to move my waistline down a little. The dress is a classic empire cut, with the smallest part just under the bust, and pleated out from there. This, however, is not my best cut, because the smallest part of me is not around my ribcage, but at my natural waist. Adding the belt extends that smallest section of the dress, flattening the pleats down until they're beyond my smallest section.

All of this discussion of my obi trick has served to remind me that I've been incredibly remiss in directing you to the guest post about belts that I wrote for Sal's wonderful blog. She asked me to write it many months ago and it was posted at the beginning of June. Oops.

I should also mention that these are another of the new pairs of shoes I brought home from my Seattle visit the week before last. I had seriously considered this exact shoe last year when I was searching for a pair of brown mary janes, but given the price and my inexperience with the brand I opted not to buy them online. When I spotted them in the shoe store and was able to try them on in person, of course I couldn't resist. And since I no longer needed a pair of brown mary janes, the fact that they also come in burgundy sealed the deal.

Shirt: H&M
Dress: Crystal Candy
Obi: Sunhee Moon
Shoes: Naot

Cydwoq Shoes

I'm back from a fantastic weekend in Austin, Texas. Despite the fact that we were wholly unprepared for how hot, and particularly how humid it was, Laura and I had a great time. Austin is a fun city with tons of live music, and unbeknownst to us we also happened to plan our visit the same weekend as a huge biker rally, which was quite a spectacle to behold. We stayed right in the heart of downtown and walked everywhere, and though it was draining because of the heat, my feet were at least well taken care of thanks to this new pair of Cydwoq shoes.
Coincidentally, the awesome Husband Mike did a post recently about Cydwoq shoes over on Sal's blog, and here they are getting featured on my blog as well. You may remember that Sal and Mike came to San Francisco a few months ago, and while they were here they told Mark and I about these fantastic shoes. Mark recently bought this pair, and has gone on about their comfort so many times that I finally resolved to get some for myself.

You might not guess, given the frequency with which I wear heels, that I actually suffer from a lot of problems with my feet (no doubt from wearing all those heels). For years now I've been searching for the perfect pair of super-comfy walking shoes, particularly ones that I can easily take with me when I travel, which is when my foot woes tend to afflict me the most. I wanted flat or low-heeled shoes that could be worn with jeans or skirts. Oh, and I also wanted them to be small and lightweight for easy packing. Miraculously, these Cydwoqs meet all my requirements. After wearing them several times now, I still can't get my head around the fact that I have no foot pain even after hours of walking.

I like how the crackle texture of the shoes accents the snakeskin pattern of the minidress. Though the shoes are quite a casual cut, I think the gold finish gives them just the right amount of dressiness to wear with skirts. Cheap they are most definitely not, but I have a feeling these shoes are going to be well worth the investment.





Hat: Noa Noa
Black drape-neck shirt: Sunhee Moon
Dress: thrifted
Belt: Sunhee Moon
Leggings: Sock Dreams
Shoes: Cydwoq
Jewelery: Betsey Johnson

Transformations

This outfit underwent several transformations before I finally settled on this one, but the ultimate outcome of the whole exercise was the decision that this skirt is just not right for my skin tone. The print is cute, but the color of the background somehow manages to be both obnoxiously garish and intensely bland on me at the same time. If it weren't for the leggings acting as a barrier between my pale complexion and the mint blue skirt, the outfit would have looked truly terrible. Thus, back to the thrift store it goes. I've only worn it one other time, but since it was originally a thrifted purchase anyway it comes in at about $1.75 per wear, and I can live with that.

The necklace, however, is totally a keeper. I bought it in Prague a couple years ago and wore it a few times before I broke one of the stones loose by dropping it. I set it aside in a box of things that needed repair and forgot all about it until a few weeks ago. All it took was a little epoxy and the necklace is as good as new. Because of where the pendant hangs it's a little challenging to wear with certain tops, but it makes a very strong statement with its large size and art nouveau style.

Top: Ann Taylor
Belt: Audra Jean
Cardigan: La Redoute
Skirt: thrifted
Leggings: Nouvella
Shoes: Seychelles

Rainbow

Ah, at long last -- a comment from one of my coworkers today. I was told that amidst 'a sea of gray and black' I was 'a rainbow.' How lovely! At least one of those nerds notices.
:-p

Today I used the rich burgundy color as a way of toning down the brighter colors. This bubblegum pink skirt has a tendency to look too juvenile if I don't add some modifying elements, and with the graphic tee I was dangerously close to crossing into age-inappropriate territory. At the last minute I also threw in the scarf as another way to make the overall look more mature.

It occurred to me that today's outfit would do quite well for the contest I've got going this month. So far I have a few willing participants but no actual entries; I'm assuming you're all going to take most of the month to plan your outfit and will spring it on me near the deadline. Don't wait too long though! Get your photos in by the end of the month for a chance to win a handmade hat, which coincidentally would match perfectly with the outfit I have on today.

Scarf: vintage
T-Shirt: Gama Go
Cardigan: American Eagle
Skirt: Lemon Twist
Socks: Sock Dreams
Shoes: Sofft

One Skirt 3 Ways: Day 1

This is the first of the 3 outfits I put together for Jane's One Skirt 3 Ways challenge. I chose this tulle skirt because it's among the most versatile in my wardrobe. Though Jane was kind enough to change her original rules and allow the challenge-takers to wear the three outfits during a 2-week period, I decided I'll wear mine 3 days in a row because it really pushes my boundaries. Given that limitation, I think I was extra creative in coming up with three looks that are different enough that perhaps my coworkers won't notice the fact that I'm wearing the same damn thing over and over.

Maroon top: INC
Orange top: LA Made
Scarf: Promod
Belt: Red Dress Shoppe
Skirt: Noa Noa
Tights: Hue
Shoes: Steve Madden

It's a Wrap

This recently-thrifted skirt just came back from cleaners, who took about a foot off the length for me. As much as I adore plaid, that big an expanse of it was a look that's way more school marm than I could deal with. Not that school marms can't be hot, mind you, it's just not a look I really know how to work. The skirt is great except that since it's a wrap style, it has the unfortunate habit of flying right open in the slightest breeze. I'll have to figure out a good way of securing it without impeding my walking too much.

The lightweight, loosely-knit sweater was unearthed during the closet purge, and is making an appearance on the blog for the first time, though I've owned it for years. The knit is so loose that the sweater is essentially see-through, so I added this argyle vest for some much-needed coverage. I like how it shows a hint of skin just below the cowl neck of the sweater.

In order to add a little color variation and avoid being too matchy, I chose these gray tights instead of black ones. They tie in nicely with the gray accents in the vest, and keep the overall look lighter than black tights would have. Plus these tights add an additional pattern into the mix here, which I think is more interesting than a solid color.

Hat: Monsoon
Sweater: Free People
Vest: A. Byer
Obi Belt: Sunhee Moon
Skirt: Charter Club (thrifted)
Tights: Hue (a gift from my little sister)
Shoes: Fly London (a gift from Mark)

Holiday Parties

Mark is finally making an appearance on my blog today. On Saturday we had a 'pre-party' gathering and 2 holiday parties to go to; one for my work and one thrown by some friends of Mark's. These were our outfits for the evening's festivities.

I found this dress in a little shop in the Marais district of Paris. The wrap part is removable, but I think it looks cuter with it on. The wrap is made of boiled wool, as is the back panel of the skirt. It's a very unusual design, and I'm happy I finally got to wear it. Because the dress is dark brown with thin black stripes in the pattern, it goes really well with these ecru-trimmed black boots by John Fluevog. Mark's outfit features this fantastic vest we found at a store in the Haight called Ceiba. His shoes are also by John Fluevog.

Both of our hats are my own creations. In fact, I whipped up Mark's derby hat on Friday night, and trimmed it on Saturday morning. Mine was made during my recent millinery workshop, although since that time I redid the trimming on it. The hats got a lot of attention at all the parties we attended.

Butterfly

I love the look of the butterfly sleeves on this blouse, but I rarely wear it because I don't much like the way it hides my figure. Today I tried belting it under this obi belt, which I think improved the shape. It took a lot of adjusting to get just enough fabric tucked in without getting too bulky around the waist, but thankfully the obi kept everything in place once I finally got it just right.

The bottommost layer is a full length charcoal gray slip, topped with the butterfly blouse from Sisley and skirt and obi belt by Sunhee Moon. The shoes are BCBG Girls and the pocketwatch pendant is from a flea market. The dog is some sort of pit mix and is named Georgie. Since she was rescued and I got her from a foster family, is that the equivalent of being thrifted?

Steampunk

This is as close as I'll ever get to a steampunk anything. I really liked all the nifty stuff people were creating when the trend first broke, but after seeing a steampunk mouse, steampunk wedding cake topper, steampunk laptop, steampunk vibrator... ok, maybe I made that last one up. But you get the idea. I was quickly burnt out on it and even the cool outfits people were sporting just didn't ring my bell anymore. However I found this cute and only-slightly-steampunk vest (from a company called Steam Trunk, no less) a few weeks ago when Mark and I were window shopping in the Haight.

The quality of the vest is excellent, and it looks equally good buttoned up or worn open like this. Today I paired it with a button-down, sheer top from Anne Taylor to give it a more business-appropriate look, and added a polka-dot camisole underneath to add a little more depth. The cords are by Marlow, and the belt is thrifted. The belt was originally too big, but my clever boy Mark shortened it for me, which actually involved cutting out a couple inches of leather and stitching it back together. How awesome is a guy that can sew?

On to the shoes. These shoes mark the beginning of a self-imposed moratorium on shoe buying for the rest of the year. In fact, I'm placing a moratorium on all clothes shopping for the rest of the year, with a couple of important caveats: thrifted items are fine if I find something really great, and during my upcoming (in October) trip to Europe, all bets are off. Clothes purchased while traveling count as souvenirs. Plus, I'm going to be in Paris for part of the trip -- how can I not shop while I'm in Paris??

The shoes are by Jo Ghost and were originally $481, which is a little too rich for my blood. However, I found them on Amazon for $105, and since there was only one pair left in my size, and since with the cute little metallic skulls and brass rivets these shoes appeared to have been specially designed just for me, and... well of course I just had to have them. The end.