March, 2012

OOTD — 13 Comments
29
Mar 12

OOTD: With a little help from my friends

Anyone that knows me well, knows that my Wednesday nights are usually booked. Why?

Knit night.

Around 2002, I got the urge to spin my own yarn after browsing some of the amazing examples of fiber art (knitting, crochet, spinning, weaving, etc) at craftster.org. But spinning your own yarn is kind of silly if you can’t use it, so I taught myself to knit.

Oversimplifying, but you get the picture. Or not.

OOTD: With a little help from my friends

“Dress” – New Look Inspire, UK24
Jeggings – Old Navy, 28
Blazer – Torrid, 4
Belt – Old Navy, 3x
Flats – Clarks
Flower pin & necklace – Both vintage, my grandma’s
Ring – Evans

When I moved into the area, I used Ravelry and found an amazing group of people (women and men!) to sit and knit with on Wednesday nights. And I’ve been going on and off for almost four years.

My knitting and ultimately finishing projects has dwindled to a pathetic number (especially for the amount of yarn I own) but I still enjoy the company. We’ve had large and small groups, moved locations and even had our share of drama but I’m so glad for the friendships that I’ve made over the years.

It is a great way for me to change gears and work on something creative, which I’ve stopped doing outside of school work. I’m hoping that changes soon. I did a lot of knitting (for a change) in Texas, so there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

OOTD: With a little help from my friends

Today, Dianne helped me take outfit pictures again. She’s been kind enough to be my photographer on a few occasions! As someone who isn’t normally behind a camera… she sure knows how to boss me around! ;)

Too bad we only got a couple of shots before my camera stopped working… because someone forgot to charge the battery and I left the spare at home. Oops!

This New Look dress is so short! It is actually the twin of this dress. I love them both but have almost exclusively worn them with jeggings. The black and white dress got worn once (in the dark, to the movies… and maybe the grocery store?) with leggings.

In the pictures, it doesn’t look so bad… but trust me – they are you-can-see-my-ladyparts-if-i-move-an-inch short. I have no qualms with wearing short skirts – but I like to keep some things to myself, you know?

Any crafters out there? What do you make/do? If you aren’t, is there a craft you’re interested in learning?

P.S. Déjà vu – I might have asked that before… ;)

Challenges / Five Take / OOTD — 10 Comments
26
Mar 12

Five Take: Casual

Casual outfits are my bread and butter. Typically, when I go somewhere that isn’t an errand like the post office or grocery store… I put in a little more effort – you know, outfits worth posting. Hanging out with friends, new exciting things, heck – even classes. Yeah, I’m weird like that I’ll “dress up” for school.

Five Take: Casual

Top – Avenue, 26/28
Cardigan – Old Navy, 3x
Jeggings – Old Navy, 28
Flats – Clarks
Necklace – Grandmother’s
Ring – Evans

Lately I’m on a downward spiral of ALL CASUAL, ALL THE TIME – this has happened before. Comfortable clothing, usually in the form of jersey tops, skirts and dresses. Done. Maybe a pair of jeggings or a cardigan – but that’s getting on the fancy side (both which appear in this outfit). My casual outfits tend to lack accessories as well – make-up too. Make-up takes effort and time.

Having “casual” be the theme for this week’s Five Take was perfect! I’m still adjusting to being back at home and cleaning up some things that got out of control while I was away.

One reason why I default to casual clothing is that I absolutely cannot wear “good” clothes when I’m at home because they get ruined, even when I’m on my best behavior. The two cannot co-exist. When I get home, I change. If I leave again? I change. I have a feeling I would have been really good at changing for different activities “back in the day”. Morning dress? Riding habit? Afternoon tea? Dinner attire? You bet.

Doing laundry would have been a nightmare.

Five Take: Casual

This outfit is what I wore to catch up with my mom, have dinner and do a bit of window shopping. Later that night, we dyed our hair! I changed, of course.

After seeing some of the last outfit pictures from Texas (to be posted soon!) and seeing my hair in the bathroom mirror (aka super mirror), I absolutely couldn’t go any longer without having my hair dyed. It was bad, real bad. Ombre might be a thing but dishpan brown to auburn? Not so much.

Still debating on how I should get my hair cut. It needs a trim, at the very least. I’d like something “different” but haven’t quite figured out what that is.

I’m kicking myself for not taking off this cardigan in the sunshine – the top has some neat, sparkly shoulder embellishments. But don’t let that sunshine fool you! It was a break in the clouds, in reality it was somewhere in the low 60′s and breezy.

When it comes to fashion blogs, I really love the inclusion of casual outfits. Not everything has to be completely planned out, styled and posed. Sometimes things work, sometimes they don’t.

Personally, I think it is really important to include both when it comes to cataloging my sartorial journey and as a form of activism. Looking back at past outfits, I love to see how my style has evolved. I prefer to see the “whole picture”, not the curated version – but I know everybody has their own opinion. What do you think?

Don’t forget to visit the others and see their casual outfits!

Claire – A Monkey Fatshionista
Rebecca – The Plus Side of Me
Gina – Fat Fit Fine
Becky – The Ramblings of Mrs BeBe

OOTD — 10 Comments
21
Mar 12

OOTD: Standing in the street

This is my view right now:

Waiting at the airport

With three hours until my flight boards, I decided to write a blog post. Yes, I’m at the airport. I’m finally going home after (over) a month away!

There have been a couple of big storms going through Texas the last few days. Two days ago they were cancelling a lot of DFW flights… this evening there is a 30% chance of thunderstorms, so hopefully things will go in my favor.

I’d like to sleep in my bed, not the airport.

Anyway, to the outfit! I wore this the first week of my trip… back in February. Nothing exciting. Just bright! No surprises there…

OOTD: Standng in the street

Heart print top – Old Navy, XXL
Skirt – JIBRI, custom sized
Leggings – Torrid, 4
Cardigan – Merona, 2, secondhand.
Belt – Roaman’s
Necklace & bracelet – F21
Boots – Fitzwell, “Syrup” via 6pm.com

For this trip, I packed some of my basics, a few cute tops, bottoms and a few statement pieces, so I could remix things easily. Three weeks in, I was asked if I had worn anything twice (I had). Not too shabby! Right?

There were several things I didn’t end up wearing – a few t-shirts, a sundress, etc. I was unsure how to pack for this time of year because I’ve only been in Texas when it is HOT.

I love this JIBRI skirt a lot – the color, the style, the cut but it isn’t holding up. After wearing it a handful of times and washing it once (yup, I do that), the stitching is coming apart. I was hoping it would be one of my spring/summer staples but I’ll have to do some repairs first.

OOTD: Standng in the street

Uh oh, flight delay announcements coming over the loud speaker. Cross your fingers for mine to be on time!

Challenges / Five Take / OOTD — 17 Comments
13
Mar 12

Five Take: 1990s

Some of my best memories are from the 1990s. Best fashion? Not so much. For Five Take last week, our task was to create an outfit with a 1990s theme. If I was at home, I would share the tragic fashion choices I was subjected to (thanks Mom!) and also chose for myself. Awkward vests, bike shorts and over-sized screen print t-shirts to name a few… Then there were the haircuts and perms (yup) on top of that.

I’ll have to dig out those gems to share with you all another time. It is worth the wait!

While planning for my trip out of state, I was determined to participate in Five Take – even while 2000 miles away from my closet. It has been tough. Don’t get me wrong, I can get along fine with a smaller selection… but I often create my outfits with one item, and build from there.

Some of the challenges are easier than others, but a few are more “involved” or outside my typical style. Neither situation works well with packing for an extended trip.

In a nod to 90s fashion, I chose to combine bright, eye-searing color, floral print and a vest.

Five Take: 1990s

Dress – Old Navy, size 24, here.
Tights – Avenue, ancient
Vest – Kohl’s
Boots – Fitzwell, “Syrup” via 6pm.com
Jacket – INC, Macy’s, 24/26

I’m no stranger to bright colors or floral prints but the vest is still on the fence. It recently made an appearance in another Five Take outfit. This chartreuse is almost too bright – even for me. It IS that bright in reality. Does looking at these pictures make your eyes hurt? I said eye-searing! I wasn’t kidding.

Five Take: 1990s

This season (and last), several items in the Old Navy plus line are running big, I mean 2-3 sizes big. I’ve ordered a couple summer dresses over the last few months and have to keep returning them for a few sizes down. Their sizing is wonky on good days. This is just ridiculous!

Bitching aside, it still benefits some of us! If you’re tall, the maxi dresses might be worth checking out – they are super long this season. As a size 28/30, I’m having to go 2-3 sizes down in dress sizes and wearing a 2/3x in everything else.

Five Take: 1990s

I’m slowly getting back into the swing of things – posting, reading, commenting. My Google Reader is out of control!

Don’t forget to flash back to the 1990s with the others!

Claire – A Monkey Fatshionista
Rebecca – The Plus Side of Me
Gina – Fat Fit Fine
Becky – The Ramblings of Mrs BeBe

What are your best and worst 1990s fashion memories?

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