Tweaks

This was one of those cases where having a daily wardrobe blog can be so helpful; I simply went back through my recent posts and found a comfortable outfit that I really liked, and quickly tweaked it into a new outfit by changing to a different colored tank and swapping the scarf and jewelry to match. This was my baby shower attending outfit. I wanted something relaxed and casual that still looked put together, and the weather was warm and breezy, but likely to get chillier as the day progressed. The light layers were warm but not overly so, and the scarf could be removed and replaced as needed. The stretchy garments made it easy to load up on all sorts of yummy food; this was carefully planned, since I knew that the baby shower's host is a caterer. She made all sorts of children's book-themed food, such as tobiko-topped braised pork belly for Green Eggs and Ham, and wild mushroom ragout for Where the Wild Things Are.

The only thing this outfit couldn't do is save me from all the horrific pregnancy and childbirth talk. I really, really didn't need to know those things. I dearly wish I could un-know them.

Top: Asos
Skirt: Anthropologie
Scarf: Rapsodia (Argentina)
Shoes: Fly London

Weekend Casual

This was a casual weekend outfit, created for a day of going to the farmer's market and later running errands down on the peninsula. As it turned out, this was the first day of our mini heat wave, so I quickly shed both the scarf and the cardigan, leaving just the tank top underneath.

The tank top, by the way, is just a basic one, but I LOVE it. It's nice and soft, very stretchy, with no annoying shelf bra built in and an extra long length, which means it more than covers my midriff when I have on low rise jeans. The best part? It cost $2.80, and is still available in multiple colors at Forever 21.


Scarf: Duke et Duchesse
Tank: F21
Cardigan: All Saints
Jeans: Lucky
Boots: Morgan, vintage

Bonus adorable dog photo: Georgie keeping watch over her domain.

Weekend Casual

Several readers have inquired about my weekend/after work outfits, so I thought I'd show you a few of them in one post. As I hope to convince you, dressing down needn't mean dressing slovenly. Though many of my casual outfits are built around jeans and comfy shoes, they also tend to include the same sorts of accessories, color combinations, and other details that make my work wear interesting and uniquely me. They also generally look neat and fitted, with plenty of the layering strategies you're used to seeing from me. Shown above is a typical outfit that I'd throw on after work when I'm heading over to Mark's place or going to meet friends for a casual evening out. Starting with a pair of jeans and a comfy, long tunic, I added a hat and scarf for some visual interest, layered on armwarmers and a cropped hoodie for warmth, and chose a funky but functional pair of shoes to complete the look.

Hat: San Diego Hat Co. -- Scarf: Banana Republic -- Tunic: H&M -- Hoodie: Kersh -- Arm Warmers: Sock Dreams -- Jeans: Acne -- Shoes: 21 Sport





This outfit is really basic, being built around jeans and a sweater. But with this one I've brought in a little color with the purple sweater and boots, as well as adding some sparkle with the sequined scarf. An outfit like this is a great way to throw on something in a hurry that's easy, comfy, and still looks put together. Because the sweater is a loose, lacy knit, it adds a bit of sheer texture to the outfit.

I very frequently add scarves to my casual outfits to boost the style. To me they add an element of sophistication without looking too fussy.

Sweater: Free People
Scarf: Urban Outfitters
Jeans: Acne
Shoes: Cydwoq













Here's an even more relaxed look, with faded jeans and sneakers this time. But rather than wearing a plain t-shirt I chose this soft drapey cowl neck shirt instead, which adds a bit of visual interest at the neckline. The other thing I did here was to use several different shades of purple, creating richness and depth. Since I usually don't bother with a lot of jewelery on the weekends, I use layers of color to make my outfits more interesting. Between the soft cowl, the chunky sweater, the jeans and the sneakers, I definitely look comfortable here, but the outfit still gives the impression of being carefully put together.



Cowl: thrifted
Sweater: BB Dakota
Jeans: Lucky Brand
Sneakers: Simple













Finally, here are some outfits you've seen before that I've either transitioned directly from work to an evening out, or worn out on an evening or weekend and then decided to turn into a work outfit later. Notice that all of these outfits are comprised of comfortable pieces, good walking shoes, and not too many layers that require frequent adjusting. That's because when I go out, I usually walk to wherever I'm going and don't often stay in one place the whole time; thus, comfort and ease are key. Boots are my most frequently worn after-hours shoe because they don't slip around or otherwise bother my feet even on steep hills, and I try to avoid tight-fitting belts when I go out because bar stools and restaurant chairs rarely keep my posture as straight as my office chair does, which means that anything squeezing my middle is going to be digging in by the end of the night.

Weekend Wear: Daytime College Reunion

Over the weekend Mark and I attended his college theater reunion, and this is what we wore. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the two of us together, but this is the next best thing. I like how we sort of match but not quite.

I just loved this outfit on Mark. The combination of the vintage blazer, the tuxedo-stripe jeans by Heathen, and the funky John Fluevog shoes looked so modern and imaginitive. He thrifted this blazer for a few bucks, and I think it looks great on him.

I'm wearing another new dress from All Saints, which is making its first appearance on the blog today. The print on this dress is stunning; a delicate and very detailed collage of snakes, skulls, and various flora in shaded blue, gray, and black. It's called the Seven Curses dress and it sort of reminds me of a cross between old tattoos and black magic voodoo imagery. The fabric of the dress is fairly sheer, so I wore it over a short tulle skirt, which I actually had to pull down quite low over my hips in order to make it peek out at the hem. The leggings gave the elastic band of the skirt something to stick to and stay in place.

I topped off the outfit with my newly-customized military jacket, which has quickly become a staple in my wardrobe. This time of year it's great for taking the chill off without being cumbersome to carry around while I'm inside. Expect to see more of this jacket soon; I also included it in a work outfit last week that still has yet to be posted.

My outfit:

T-shirt: H&M

Dress: All Saints

Belt: Red Dress Shoppe

Skirt: Forever 21

Leggings: Kersh

Boots: Dr. Martens

Jacket: Forever 21

Going South

Mark and I are taking off for the weekend to head south for a weekend of wine tasting, beer tasting, and general fun with some friends. In my absence I thought I'd share a couple of outfit photos from a recent 80's night we attended at the Cat Club with our friend Tom.

Those New Rock boots I'm wearing have about a 3 or 4-inch platform. They're not very easy to dance in (especially since they're actually Mark's and are a couple sizes too big), but they definitely fit the goth look I was going for. Ironically, I didn't even really need to use very much white makeup in order to achieve that corpse-like complexion. Tom really stole the show that night with his Adam Ant "Dandy Highwayman" outfit. I think the sideburns really make the look.

I hope all my friends here in the US enjoy the long weekend. Happy Memorial Day everyone, and I'll see you next week!

Pirate

On Saturday I had 2 events to attend, for which I wore variations on the same outfit. First up was a birthday party for Mark, a wonderful, adorable guy I just started seeing a couple of weeks ago. We really seem to click and I'm super excited about the whole thing, and well, he's probably going to read this so perhaps I shouldn't say too much. Trust me, he's awesome, and I'll undoubtedly be mentioning him again. Anyway, this is what I wore to his party. I wanted to look cute without being overly dressed up, so I put together this combo of jeans and mixed neutrals, with a few accessories to add some flash.

The black drape-neck top is from Sunhee Moon and the khaki top is by Susina. The scarf is Banana Republic, the jeans are Lucky, and the shoes are by Bobbi Blu. I paired the striped shoes with some zigzag socks for a little fun pattern mixing. The belt is a dark brown faux-croc, which added another mix of patterns with the scarf draped alongside.

Next up was an engagement dinner party for my best friend Laura, who's appeared on this blog before. The bride and groom-to-be took the entire wedding party to dinner at a very nice Vietnamese restaurant in the SoMa neighborhood, so I needed something dressier than jeans. First I tried just swapping the jeans for a skirt and adding some fun patterned stockings, but I felt that the flats were still too casual, so I traded them for boots.




























I adore these boots from Modern Vintage. They were ridiculously expensive and a splurge I didn't really need to make, however I've gotten a lot of use out of them and they're remarkably comfortable. I just love the cuffed tops; they remind me of pirate boots. Also of note with this outfit was the fact that the tops of the stockings had a little touch of purple, and although nobody could see them, I like the fact that they matched with the purple under-layer of the skirt.