SIA: The Woman And Her Chair

This is the painting Salazar, of 14 Shades of Grey, chose for today's SIA Challenge:

Cecelia Beaux "After the Meeting"

And this is what I wore:

Yes, that's right, I am dressed as both the woman and her chair.

When I first saw this painting on 14 Shades of Grey, I was immediately drawn to the mix of the floral on the chair and the stripes on the woman.  I also love the the rich warm tones of the painting and wanted to incorporate all of those things into my outfit.

The result is a mix of stripes (Target shirt, Vince Camuto skirt), floral (handmade vintage coat-dress-thingy) and leopard (Nine West):

Yes, I know there is no leopard in the painting, but I'm pretty sure that woman sitting on that chair would have some leopard in her life.  She's seems like a bit of a bad-ass like that.

For more inspired looks, pop by Salazar's and take a gander!

And have a Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Oooh, I almost forgot.  I'm linking up to Visible Monday over at Not Dead Yet Style because I felt highly visible in this mix of prints and awesomeness.

The Pants Formerly Known as Oxblood

Last year at this time, these pants were my "oxblood" cords.  This fall, they are my "wine" cords:

Because, apparently, oxblood is out this year.  That's not to say this color is out.  No, if you added something in this color to your wardrobe last year, rest assured you can continue to wear it this fall and winter.  But, you will need to refer to it as wine, otherwise you'll look dated. Heaven forfend.

Today I paired my oxblood wine cords (Banana Republic, similar) with a peach sweater (thrifted, similar).  I added a pair of dark teal velvet flats (Old Navy, similar) and a wool floral scarf (gifted, similar) to tie it all together.

Or something like that. 

Remember, kids; wine, not oxblood.

And have a happy Tuesday,

Gracey

A Reprieve

We're having a reprieve from the rain for a few days and it is delightful.  It's still pretty cold in the mornings but the afternoons have been glorious.  So I took the opportunity to shed some layers:

I know, it's not a very fall-like palette but I actually really liked the skirt (Old Navy) with the gray sweater (JC Penney).  But the boots (Enzo Angolini via Nordstrom, similar), the boots are totally fall-like.  An effect I probably ruined with my pink and blue necklace (via Etsy shop, Nest of the Bluebird) and neon pink studs (Kate Spade New York).

Still, I'm sure I'll be back to fall colors once Oregon gets back to fall weather.

Happy Friday, All.  And have a lovely weekend!

Gracey

Day 8: Stripes and Floral

I think it�s safe to say that my striped Vince Camuto skirt is the MVP of this challenge as I wore it yet again for Day 8:

Well, co-MVP.  I�ve actually worn my Rieker shoes the absolute most during the Perfect 10 Remix Challenge and am wearing them again today:

I can�t help it.  The skirt and the shoes are the some of the most comfortable pieces of clothing in my entire wardrobe much less in this little mini-wardrobe.

In addition to my much-loved skirt (Nordstrom, plus available here) and apparently-favorite shoes (thrifted, exact), I also wore (finally!) my cropped floral jacket (vintage, thrifted).  It�s still too warm to really layer, so I just buttoned the jacket and wore it as a blouse.  I also added a belt (thrifted, similar), for a peplum effect, a chunky gold bracelet and red drop earrings (similar here).

My sister and Ferge didn�t like this outfit at all, stating that it was too much, but I, predictably, loved the combination of the busy floral and the bold stripes.  

Happy Thursday, All!

Gracey

Pretty Dress, Awkward Photos

My dress is pretty.  My photos are awkward:

In my defense, it started to rain when we were taking these which made me sort of hunch-y, but damn, yeah, that's awkward.

The dress really is pretty though, see?

 

 I love a bold floral and the bits of orange in this one make me very happy indeed.

Also making me happy?  The fact that aside from the bracelet (Nordstrom), everything in this outfit was thrifted (dress, shoes, belt) or gifted (necklace).

Happy Friday, All!

Gracey

Pink Stripes, Floral Pin

I wear my pink striped dress a lot during the summers.  And I usually pair it with equally summery shoes and accessories.  Today, however, I went a slightly darker route:

Dress: thrifted vintage  Belt: Gap  Sandals: thrifted

All so I could wear my black, lacquered floral pin:

Vintage, handpainted black lacquer brooch

Because, sometimes, all a girl wants is to wear pink stripes and a floral pin.

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

Sewing Savant and Possible Psychic

I love this dress:

Love the print, love the fit, love it. 

I mean, look at this thing.  It�s amazing:

It's perfect for swishing about, dramatic walks down spiral staircases, Mama Mia! viewings and casual summer parties.  I'd just add a white blazer for cool nights and I'd be set.  You can see it with a blazer at Everything Just So where the lovely Jill has included my pic with other party pics.

The best thing about this dress though?  It's handmade.  I�m always yelling about how much I love handmade vintage and this dress is a prime example why; it looks like it was made for me.  It wasn�t, of course, unless� Unless my 70s toddler-self sewed it for my future-self, at which point I should probably go on the next season of Project Runway because I�m clearly a sewing savant and possibly psychic!  

Happy Thursday, Everyone!

Gracey

What Would Gracey Wear?

To a wedding, I'd wear this:

Want to see more?  I'm guest-posting over at A Heart and Soul Story today so come on by and I'll tell you all about it!

And have a Happy Friday, All!

Gracey

How I Wear My Floral: With Stripes & A Little Shine

Today I am participating in the How I Wear My: Floral Challenge with Everything Just So and The Rich Life (on a Budget).

So, how do I wear my floral?  With stripes, a toucan and a bit of bling:

I started my look with my colorful floral skirt.  Which in turn started as a double-breasted, thrifted dress;  I hacked off the bodice to "make" it a skirt.  I then added a striped 3/4-sleeve tee (J Crew Factory Store) and ankle strap flats (Hive and Honey via Piperlime).  I finished off the look with a vintage toucan pin (gifted) and a vintage rhinestone bracelet.  Because sometimes a girl just wants a little shine:

And a tropical bird brooch.  Of course.

To see how others wear their floral, please to visit Jill (at Everything Just So) and Adrienne (The Rich Life (on a Budget)).

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Shop the Look
Similar floral skirt
Similar striped shirt
Similar ankle-strap flats (round toe or almond toe)
Similar vintage brooch

** Disclosure: Actions taken from the hyperlinks in this blog post may yield commission/compensation for the writer. Please see the Disclosure tab for more details.

Spring Remix

I wore this outfit earlier this year:

Today I remixed the look for spring:

I kept most of the pieces of the look intact, including the cropped pants (Vince Camuto via Nordstrom), the cap toe wedges (Bandolino via DSW) and the vintage coat (Maurice of Lansing via Goodwill).  But, instead of the turtleneck, I wore my new red, black and white graphic floral dress (Penelope in Red Rosie c/o Karina Dresses).

I love this dress.  Like my other Karina Dress, it's cut beautifully and the print makes me giddy:

I can't wait to remix it again for summer.

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Shop the Look:

Karina Sleeveless Penelope dress
Similar black cropped pants
Similar peep-toe wedge heels
Similar red vintage jackets (here & here)

** Disclosure: Actions taken from the hyperlinks in this blog post may yield commission/compensation for the writer. Please see the Disclosure tab for more details.

Buttons, Boots and Polka Nots

Today's outfit consists of buttons, boots and polka nots.  The polka nots are what brilliant reader, Aya, calls the pattern on my shirt (Eddie Bauer via Goodwill):

They look like polka dots, but they're not, so polka nots they are.  The buttons are on the skirt (thrifted via Goodwill) and the boots are my spring boots (Enzo Angolini "Saylem" via Nordstrom).  I told you that was a thing.

I love the button front on this skirt and, surprisingly, my thighs are okay with it too.  Usually button-front skirts tend to make my thighs Hulk out just to prove they can.  But, they stayed put today.  Thank goodness.

I also wore a woven belt (thrifted via Goodwill) and a lovely vintage apple pendant from Ally Hoot Vintage.  But, I forgot to get a close up.  You can see it here though.

Happy Friday, Everyone!

Gracey

Shop the Look:
Similar Eddie Bauer shirt (Tall & Plus available)
Similar button-front skirt
Exact Enzo Angolini "Saylem" boots
Exact apple pendant

** Disclosure: Actions taken from the hyperlinks in this blog post may yield commission/compensation for the writer. Please see the Disclosure tab for more details.

Bat-Wing Boobies

I love leopard print paired with floral print.  And I love leopard paired with blue.  So, pairing my leopard cardigan with this blue, floral dress is a combination that really probably should have occurred to me sooner.  But, better late than never, right?

I actually wasn�t sure the dress (vintage Anthony Richards) would work under the cardigan (Ann Taylor).  It has elbow-length sleeves and as much as I like a dress with sleeves, they aren�t always the easiest to layer.  At least not for me and my arms.  They tend to bunch and twist and generally make me angry.  But, I�m happy to say that I was not angry today; the cardigan is loose enough through the sleeves to fit easily over the sleeves of the dress.  

I also added my lighter-hued boots (Enzo Angolini "Saylem" via Nordstrom) because even though it�s been pouring rain, it still actually feels like spring here. 

That's right, I've decided these are my spring boots.  That I will wear year round.

Really, the only thing I wasn�t entirely happy about with this look was the belt (Old Navy).  I love the blue, but I think it�s too skinny.  The cardigan kept drooping over at the sides, giving me bat-wing boobies (you can see what I mean in the first two photos especially).  And nobody wants bat-wing boobies.  Probably.  I'm not going to claim to know everyone�s boob preferences.  So, suffice it to say that I don't want bat-wing boobies.

Happy Tuesday, All!  May it be free of strange breast shapes (unless, of course, that's your thing)!

Gracey

Rorschach Floral

Lovely blogger friend, Megan Mae, wore a wonderful watercolor floral blouse the other day and it reminded me that I had a watercolor floral blouse of my own somewhere deep in the recesses of my closet.  Found it.  Wore it:

Wore it, in fact, with a vintage blazer, gray skinnies and black heels.

Interestingly enough, this outfit is a pretty fair representation of our weather lately.  It was gorgeous for about a week, so our trees are blooming in pink and white, like my blazer and the background of the blouse.  But, the past few days it's been raining and gray like the flowers and the skinnies.

Of course, now that I look at it in photos, I think maybe they look less like flowers and a bit like Rorschach prints.  So we'll call it a Rorschach floral.

Happy Monday, Everyone!

Gracey

Poppies, Not Polka Dots

From far away, this shirt looks as if it�s printed with polka dots:

But, they�re poppies, not polka dots: 

Actually, maybe they�re not poppies.  I don�t know.  So, let�s just ignore the maybe-poppies and talk about the brooch cluster; it�s spring-themed!  See; there are flowers and an insect and a sort-of-nest.  Because nothing says spring like a sort-of-nest. 

I paired the not-polka-dot button-down (Eddie Bauer via Goodwill) and the brooch cluster (flowers via Goodwill, others via Lil Gypsy Vintage) with a marigold sweater vest (vintage Anne Klein II via Goodwill).  I love the red and blue print of the shirt with the golden color of the sweater vest.  I finished the look with dark skinnies (bandolino via Macys) and riding boots (Born Crown �Sosie� via Nordstrom).

As much as I would have loved to celebrate the fact that Spring has officially arrived with pastels and lightweight fabrics, it�s too cold here in Oregon for all that.  I had to make do with brights and a brooch cluster. 

Happy Thursday, All!  And Happy Spring!

Gracey

Whoops!  I almost forgot; my shirt, vest and brooches are all recycled fashion finds so I'm linked up to Recycled Fashion's link party today!

Shop the Look:

Similar button-down shirt

Similar dark skinny jeans (Tall ankle length)

Similar Born boots

Similar vintage sweater vest

Similar brooches (flowers, insect and nest)

** Disclosure: Actions taken from the hyperlinks in this blog post may yield commission/compensation for the writer. Please see the Disclosure tab for more details.

My Thighs Hate It

� but the rest of me loves it.  �It� being my new-to-me vintage tunic:

 

I do love it, but my thighs seriously hate it.  In fact, I can�t even button it all the way to the bottom without them threatening to Hulk out.  But, that�s okay, I just wore it over leggings with the bottom two buttons undone and my thighs stopped yelling about being suffocated in polyester.  They are so dramatic.

In addition to the tunic (vintage, gifted) and leggings (Target), I also wore boots (Enzo Angolini �Saylem� via Nordstrom) and another lady-tie (silk Brooks Brothers via St. Vincent Depaul).  Because it�s International Lady-Tie Week.  Okay, it�s not, but it should be.  Perhaps the next time my thighs are at the UN attempting to get recognized as an independent republic, I�ll float the idea past the General Assembly.  I can't imagine any country not supporting that proposal.

Enough about the lady-tie though, let�s get back to the tunic.  The fact of the matter is; I wasn�t going to allow my pouty, secessionist thighs to ruin this tunic for me.  I love this thing.  I love the crazy print:

And I love how it came to end up in my closet.   

This tunic was originally purchased by my fabulous friend, Jeanne, when we were shopping together at Vintage by the Pound.  I didn�t fight her for it because she was a guest in my city, but I did cast a lot of covetous looks in her direction.  And then, the other day, she mailed it to me out of the blue!  Needless to say, I was thrilled and Jeanne is awesome.

Happy Thursday, Everyone!  And Happy International Lady-Tie Week!

Gracey