Lucky Lamb

This outfit was directly inspired by an outfit that I saw in Lucky Magazine a couple of months ago.  And by a trick of Catherine�s at Not Dressed as Lamb:

A couple of months ago, Lucky suggested pairing a super-full skirt with a turtleneck layered under a printed shirt.  I knew immediately that I wanted to try to recreate the look but didn�t have a suitable skirt.  And then, a couple of weeks later, I found this skirt so I thought I�d give it a whirl:

And I love how it turned out.  In spite of it�s awkward length, this skirt has become one of my favorites to wear and today�s outfit is no exception.  I paired the skirt (Ralph Lauren via Goodwill) with a burgundy turtleneck (Gap) layered under a houndstooth shirt (vintage via Vintage by the Pound).  I also added a tie belt (DIY with belts from St. Vincent de Paul), tights (Hue via Nordstrom Rack), booties (Nine West Darsy) and a neon necklace (Target).

Although I do love the skirt, I was a bit iffy about the shirt.  It�s vintage and therefore has an appropriately crazy collar.  Which is where Catherine�s trick comes in; in this post here, she pins the collar of a shirt into a stand-up collar.  I did something similar with today�s shirt.  My collar wasn�t robust enough to pin behind my neck, so I folded the collar inside the shirt and used a stick pin to keep in place, creating a sort of mandarin collar:

And I think it worked.

So, thank you, Lucky.  And thank you, Catherine.  Also, a special thanks to my friend, Jeanne from I Dream of...{by Jeanne}.  She was with me when I bought this shirt and swore I could rock it.  Best enabler ever.

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Secretly Awesome

This sweater has a gold, snake print up the front, like it was slithered on by a giant, gold covered anaconda.  It�s pretty cool, but you can�t really see it in these photos:

Guess you�re just going to have to take my word for it.  Because heaven forbid I actually take a photo that shows detail.

In addition to my secretly awesome sweater (a.n.a via JC Penney), I also wore my very favorite pleated skirt (thrifted via Goodwill), tights (Hue via Nordstrom Rack), boots (Vince Camuto via Nordstrom) and my new favorite scarf (Betsey Johnson via Nordstrom).

I just realized that I wear an awful lot of snake.  I wonder if that means the Sorting Hat will put me in Slytherin when Hogwarts finally calls.  I hope not!

Happy Friday, Everyone!  Like most, I have a three-day weekend, so I�ll see you all on Tuesday!

Gracey

Shop the Look:

As similar a snake sweater as I could find

Similar black pleated skirt

Similar black boots

Betsey Johnson scarf (in cream)

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Stripes and an eShakti Review

According to most of the fashion magazines I read, stripes are in for spring.  And wouldn�t you know it, I wore stripes today:

When the lovely people at eShakti contacted me and asked me if I�d like to try a piece from their Pre-Spring/Resort Line, I jumped at the chance.  There were several pieces I loved (you can see them in this post) but I ultimately decided on this cream and blue striped knit dress: 

It�s my first knit piece from eShakti, and it�s pretty great.  It�s as soft and as cozy as pajamas, which is fabulous, but the lovely green belt, which came with the dress, also adds some structure.  I added a bit more structure, and some warmth (this dress is sleeveless) with a black blazer (Gap), charcoal herringbone tights (Hue) and ankle boots (Nine West �Darsy�). 

Really my only nit to pick, and it�s a small one, is that this is a LOT of dress.  The skirt is pleated, and therefore pretty full, and because the fabric is a nice, heavy knit, it can be a lot.  If I had it to do again, I�d probably order it a bit shorter to balance the weight of it.  This particular dress is currently out of stock, but if they re-stock and you do order it, I suggest ordering an above-the-knee length.

Happy Wednesday, Everyone!

Gracey

Shop the Look:

Similar striped eShakti dresses: this one is the same fabric, different cut and this one is the same dress in red/white stripes

Similar black Gap blazer

Nine West �Darsy� boots

Emerald green belt

** 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.

Harlequin and Hearts

I learned a lot from wearing this outfit today:

 

One, in spite of the neutral color palette, this outfit attracts a lot of attention.  From whispers of �look at those shoes� as I passed by, to concern that I was interviewing for a different job.  

Two, I am apparently considered by my peers to be more fashionable than professional; today�s outfit was described as �professional-fashionable� as opposed to my �usual fashionable-fashionable.�  I�ll take it.

Three, when worn over black tights, these shoes kind of look like the wedge high-top sneakers I�ve been trying to avoid.  Heh.

Four, this skirt is not great for bike riding.  It�s so full that the wind kept catching it and I looked like a giant crow or bat trying to ride a bike.  And, with my black coat, I also felt a little witchy.  My friends are always threatening to drive behind me blasting the Wicked Witch�s theme from The Wizard of Oz.  Today would have been a great day for that.

All that for what�s basically a very simple outfit.  It�s a harlequin sweater vest (vintage J. G. Hook via Goodwill) layered over a black turtleneck (Gap) with a black skirt (Ralph Lauren via Goodwill), black tights (Hue via Nordstrom Rack) and Matiko �Ella� wedges (Ideeli).  I also added a belt (vintage brass), earrings (gifted) and the titular hearts in the form of a heart necklace from ModCloth ( v. old).

And I think I liked it.  I think it�s unusual but I also think it�s kind of cool.  But, honestly, I don�t know; I�m having the hardest time dressing myself lately. 

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Indigo Girl

I�m not sure today�s photos are really doing this dress justice.  They�re skewing a little cobalt when, in truth, this dress is a lovely, deep indigo:

Not that there is anything wrong with cobalt.  I love cobalt.  But this dress is not cobalt, it�s indigo.  I think these photos show it a little bit better: 

Hmmph.  Maybe not.

But this photo definitely shows me doing The Duck Face Robot, which is a dance I made up this morning:

Ducks and robots aside, my dress is indigo, not cobalt.  And it�s vintage and warm (wool/acrylic blend) and has pockets, so it�s basically awesome.  In addition to my awesome dress of awesome indigo-ness, I also wore a turtleneck (Gap), tights (Hue via Macys) over which I wore OTK socks (Nordstrom), and suede boots (Naughty Monkey via Nordstrom).  I also added a studded belt (JC Penney) and neon pink studs (Kate Spade New York via Nordstrom). 

Also, if you don�t know who the Indigo Girls are, we may need to have a talk.  At the very least you should watch this video (to which you could dance The Duck Face Robot if you wanted):

You're welcome.

Happy Wednesday, All! 

Gracey