Shiny Casual Friday

I don't wear a lot of hats.  I have, what I believe, is an oddly shaped head with a large circumference and a bit of a point on top.  I am basically a phrenologists dream.  But, when I was contacted about trying a winter hat from the Dorfman Pacific Scala Collezione line, I thought I'd give it a shot.

And you guys?  I'm so glad I did; this hat is adorable:

It's boiled wool, so it's warm, but not itchy and it seems to fit my round, pointy head quite well.  As you can see, I chose charcoal, but this particular hat, the Cadet, comes in several colors, including black, burgundy, olive and camel:

I paired the hat with an embellished sweatshirt (LOFT), cuffed jeans (Lucky) and leopard flats (Nine West, similar) to recreate a look I found on Pinterest.  Here is the Pinspiration look:

Image via Pinterest

And here is my look:

Pretty darned close, I'd say.

Even if it's not, I finally did a look I pinned, so I get to link up to H&K Style Journey for their Pinned It and Did It series.  Yay me!

Happy Friday, All!

Gracey

Tight and Moody

This look is both tighter and moodier than I usually go:

Although, I think it really only seems tight to me because my boobs are in one of their bigger iterations right now and the shirt is both high-necked and stripe-y.  Also, I ate some donuts before I took these photos.  Note to self, tight stripes and donuts are not your friend. 

As for the color palette, it is moody, maybe a little grungy even, but I like the mix of the purple striped tee (Rebecca Beeson via bluefly) and the leopard skinnies (Old Navy Rock Star).  I also added a black cardigan (Old Navy) and charcoal boots (Gap) because when your outfit is feeling moody, it�s best to just go with it. 

Happy Friday, Everyone!  Have a fabulous weekend!

Gracey

Textural Interest

One of the more difficult things for me is working different textures into an outfit.  As with most things, the textures that appeal most to me are not subtle.  I don�t just want texture, I want TEXTURE.  I want big, chunky sweaters and fur and the odd feather or seven.

Unfortunately, when you get into the bolder textures, they can add bulk to an outfit.  This can be problematic for everyone, but we larger women, especially, are told to stick to sleek knits for their slimming effect.  God forbid we look bigger than we are, or even our actual size; the oft preached goal is to appear smaller. 

Well, as I often do, I�ve thrown that rule aside.  This time in favor of some texture:

But, I�m not a complete fashion heathen, so I�ve tried to compromise.  My delightfully fuzzy vest (Design History) has a fairly slim cut and so adds texture without adding too much bulk.  The sheer blouse (Liberty Loves via Nordstrom Rack) under the vest and the slim cut of the skirt (vintage via Goodwill) also add texture without bulk.  I added a bit of leather with the boots (Born Crown �Sosie� via Nordstrom) and metal with the cuff (thrifted via Goodwill), all of which combine to create textural interest. 

 

At least that�s what I�m going with.

Happy Thursday, Everyone!  And Happy Valentine�s Day!

Gracey

Mocha, Charcoal and Plaid

One of the looks I knew for certain I�d try this fall and winter was black with brown.  And then, the other day, my charcoal sweater ended up next to my brown skirt and I realized that I also needed to try graywith brown.  So, I did:

Specifically what I did was to pair that charcoal sweater (Tulle) with a mocha-colored midi-skirt (vintage, thrifted).  I added gray and black herringbone tights (HUE), black shooties (BC Shoes) and my plaid infinity scarf (DIY�d).

And I�m glad I tried it, because I liked it.  I think the look would have worked just as well with a black sweater, but I think the charcoal with the mocha is a little bit more unexpected.  And I think the plaid scarf was a little unexpected as well.  Well, maybe not on me as I wear this thing constantly, but in general terms of clothing combinations, I�m totally cutting edge.

Happy Wednesday, Everyone!  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Gracey

The Kindness of Strangers

It�s raining today in Oregon.  Because that�s what it does here.  And I support Oregon rain, but it can make it a little hard to take pictures.  Especially because I try to protect my photographer and camera as much as I can, while still taking outdoor pictures.  Today those efforts resulted in these pictures:

And then, an older gentleman coming into the building stopped to watch the proceedings and decided that my hair was being lost in my black umbrella and lent me his umbrella.  And thenhe helped position the umbrella so that the white was behind my head.  This picture is the result of the kindness of that stranger:

I personally found the whole thing hilarious, but a little surreal.  Which is not to say he�s wrong; you really can�t see me under my umbrella.  I guess maybe I should invest in a white polka dot umbrella for these gloomy days.

At this point I�m looking for anything to help cut through the gloom, like bright-ass shirts.  Which is why, on my last trip to Old Navy, I invested in more than one piece in this color.  Today I layered a citron tank (Old Navy) over a white tank (Target) and under a charcoal-striped cardigan (Old Navy).  In spite of my bright tank, it does still feel like winter here in Oregon, so I added black skinnies (Gap), black boots (Vince Camuto �Fantastic� via Nordstrom) and an infinity scarf (Steven Madden via Macys).

And with that, I want to wish you all a Happy Friday!  And have a wonderful weekend!

Gracey

Sweatshirt. Blazer.

This blazer is genius.  It�s a blazer that�s made of sweatshirt material.  Which makes it� what?  A swazer? Blazeshirt? Sweatzer?  Bleatshirt?  I don�t know, but I know I like it:

It is crazy comfortable and I sort of feel like I�m getting one over because I�m basically wearing jeans (Gap Real Straight) and a sweatshirt (J. Crew) to work today.  Sure I added a blouse (Old Navy), wedge boots (Kenneth Cole Reaction, v. old) and a red scarf, but that doesn�t change the fact that it�s still just jeans and a sweatshirt.  That�s right, folks, I�m totally sticking it to The Man today.  You�re witnessing antibiotic-induced rebellion at it�s finest. 

Happy Friday, Everyone!  And have a wonderful weekend!

Gracey

Comfy Cozy

Even though I was out sick on Monday, this has seemed like the longest week.  And very challenging, sartorially.  Basically, I�ve just been waiting for Friday so I could be comfy cozy:

Which is kind of funny because no one at my job cares what we wear.  People run around here in sweats and crocs on a daily basis.  I guess I just like to pretend we have more of a dress code than we do (or that we have one at all) and save my more casual outfits for Fridays. 

And I think that today�s casual outfit is one of my favorite.  I paired crimson skinny jeans (Old Navy �Rock Star�) with a charcoal sweater (wool, thrifted) layered over a cream and tan tunic (Old Navy).  I added cognac lace-up booties (Nine West via TJ Maxx) and a black and cream infinity scarf (Steve Madden via Macys) and really was comfy and cozy all day.

And that�s it for me until after Christmas.  I have Monday off, but I�ll be back on Tuesday. 

I hope everyone has an absolutely wonderful holiday, whatever holiday it is you celebrate!

Gracey

Freezing in Plaid

It has been absolutely freezing in Oregon lately.  And today, it was both freezing and windy.  Hence my looking all hunched and awkward in these photos:

But, I never claimed to be a model.  I don�t even play one on this blog.  So, let�s all ignore the dear-God-its-so-cold look in my eyes and focus on the clothes, shall we? 

Today I layered the heck out of my outfit in a mostly failed attempt to keep warm.  On the bottom, I layered a vintage wool plaid skirt (thrifted) over tights (Target) and layered socks over my tights.  On the top, I layered a charcoal wool cardigan (Tulle) over a cream cashmere short-sleeve sweater (Forte via Ideeli) which in turn was layered over a burgundy blouse (Target).  I topped the whole thing off with a studded belt (Michael Michael Kors via Nordstrom) and my Born Crown riding boots (�Sosie� via Nordstrom).

Happy Monday, Everyone!  I hope you�re all staying warm (or cool if you�re lucky enough to be experiencing summer right now).

Gracey

The Mildly Pink Skirt

"Mildly pink" is how one of my coworkers referred to this skirt when she saw this outfit this morning.  I�m pretty sure she was joking:

I know that some might argue that I shouldn�t swath the largest part of my body in hot pink silk, but my thighs said it was okay.  They even said that after they secede (yes, I have secessionist thighs) and become their own country they might include hot pink on their national flag.  What can I say?  My thighs and I love a good, eye-searing hot pink.

This particular hot pink delight is actually a dress; a very 80s dress with a very 80s bodice that I�m still not sure what to do with.  Until I figure it out though, I thought I could wear the dress (thrifted) as a skirt.  So I layered it under a charcoal wool sweater (thrifted) and added opaque black tights (Spanx via Nordstrom) and black wedge booties (Nine West �Peekaboo� via Piperlime).  I have to say that really like this dress as a skirt, so perhaps I�ll take the bodice off altogether?  We�ll see.

Also, and I find this amusing, the dress has a rose pattern woven in:

So 80s, so hilarious, so pink

Finally, because it's Thursday, I'm linked up to Spunky Chateau's Thursdays are for Thrifters Link Party.  Are you a thrifter?  If so, you should definitely join in.

Happy Thursday, Everyone!

Gracey