Teal Abyss

So, the color of these pants is Teal Abyss:

And that kind of makes me laugh because it's an awfully dramatic name for a pants color.  It reminds me of this movie (oooh, drama). But, I appreciate that LOFT went for the drama instead of just calling it "Dark Teal" or something boring like that.

I also appreciate that LOFT made these pants at all because they're kind of fabulous.  They have a fairly high, wide waistband, so they're super comfortable and they hold their shape pretty darned well.  Also, they're teal and I'm big on teal this fall:

 Best of all, they come in Tall; although not in this color anymore.  But, they do have limited offerings in Tall in other colors and you can still get Teal Abyss in regular lengths and I recommend them for everyone; giants and non-giants alike (just make sure you line dry them).

In addition to my teal abyss pants (LOFT), I also wore a mustard sweater (thrifted, similar (tall & plus available)), black pumps (Gentle Souls "Rhemsical") and a tassel necklace (Old Navy, similar).  I thought the tone of the pants worked well with the sweater and both colors seemed perfect for a clear but cool fall day.

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey 

Knotted

As you know, I love me a striped shirt; I even recommended them in my wardrobe workhorses post.  And this vertically striped shirt is definitely one of my favorites.  So, I was pretty excited to find another way to wear it; knotted at the bottom:

It's pretty over-sized so I usually wear it tucked, but today I undid the last button and tied it up.  I like that it alters the shape of the shirt into something more interesting than a straight-across hem.  ?

In addition to the striped shirt (vintage, thrifted), I am also wearing another of my recommended wardrobe workhorses; dark pants.  In this case, a pair of black twill skinnies (Simply Vera Vera Wang via Kohl's (similar here)).  I added a neutral statement necklace (c/o Maurice's) but colorful shoes (Nine West via TJ Maxx).

And I don't mean to be smug, but I'm pretty sure this outfit totally justifies the inclusion of these items on my list. 

Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

Short Pants, Tall Shoes

I'm really feeling this combination of loose, short pants, preferably printed and high-waisted, paired with a shorter top and tall shoes:

I might need to tweak the pieces a bit, but I feel like this is a silhouette I'll be wearing a lot this summer.  I guess it could use a bit more definition at the waist, but I don't know that I really want it.  I am trying to figure out how to wear looser pieces.  And even though this isn't quite right, I think it's the direction I want to go.

Happy Friday, All!

Gracey

True Blue

No, not the Madonna song*, the pants:

I have been looking for some summery skinnies as most of my skinnies are dark colors and/or corduroy.  I have a coral pair but wanted a pair in the blue/green family.  Unfortunately, all I could find were pastel colors.  I say unfortunately because my thighs hate pastel skinnies, and, to be honest, I don�t love them all that much either.  Happily, I was able to find these lovely true blue skinnies at JC Penney the other day:

And the color is perfect.  It�s summery without being pastel.  It pairs well with my favorite neutral, gray.  And it looks great with neon:

*Okay, fine, the Madonna song too:

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

Shop the Look:

jcp �Sophie� Perfect Skinnies 

jcp Slub Sweatshirt 

Coconuts �Casey� flat (also available in neon yellow)

** 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.

 

Why Not Try: Printed Pants

Like colored pants (or pants of color, if you prefer), printed pants can be a bit daunting, especially if you have bossy thighs.  For example, I�ve always liked the look, but my thighs were against it; they kept threatening to secede if I put them in a print.  But, finally, last summer we reached an agreement (The Printed Pants Accord of 2012?  Perhaps you�ve heard of it?  No?  Well, it�s totally a thing) and I started wearing printed pants.  And even my thighs had to admit they�re kind of fun. 

Happily, it looks like printed pants are going to continue to be on-trend for 2013 so I�m here to encourage you to try printed pants as well.  I think you�ll find that they�re easier to wear (even with mutinous thighs) than you thought.  

And, they�re pretty versatile.  They can be worn loose or tight.  They can be worn long or cropped.  You can choose a bold print or a more subdued print.  And they can be worn with neutrals, brights and, of course, other prints.

Here are some ways I�ve worn my printed pants:

Left: Tiny polka dots with paisley & leopard.          Right: Dark animal print with printed shirt.

Left: Vintage, checked pants with butterfly tunic.          Right: Floral pastel Ralph Lauren & gray.

And here are some of my favorite looks from Pinterest:

Left: This Time Tomorrow via Pinterest.           Right: Seersucker and Saddles via Pinterest

Left: Kayley Hyde via Pinterest               Right: Fashionablee Me via Pinterest

Love printed pants, but not sure where to find them?  Great news; they�re practically everywhere!  Because they are on-trend, many retailers are offering printed pant options, including in Tall and Plus sizes.  And, they�re also pretty easy to thrift; about half of my pairs are thrifted.

If thrifting isn�t your thing, here are some reasonably priced options that I�m currently loving:

Wit & Wisdom Indigo Floral Skinny - via Nordstrom

The Diva Skinny Ankle Pant - via Old Navy

Slim Cropped Print Pant - via Gap

Jessica Simpson "Kiss Me" Print Zip Ankle Pant - via Nordstrom

As you can see, there are many, many ways to wear a printed pant.  And many, many printed pants to choose from.  So, what do you say?  Will you be giving printed pants a try?

Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

** 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.

Lacy Gracey

True story, I was almost named Lacey.  My mom wanted to name me Lacey but my dad wanted to name me Grace after his Aunt Grace.  So, they compromised and called me Gracey.

Today though, I am also lacy (this one�s for you, Mom):

Last time I wore this necklace (Old Navy), I wore it with oxblood and there wasn�t enough contrast between the two so the necklace sort of got hidden.  Today though, I wore it with a lace sweatshirt (Macy�s) and you can finally see the detail.

In addition to the lace-on-lace, I also wore flame cords (Target), houndstooth shoes (Old Navy, thrifted via Goodwill) and added a little turquoise with earrings, bracelets and a belt (Target).

I love this belt:

And I love that today is Friday. 

Also, did you all know the Super Bowl is Sunday?  Somehow I missed that.  I don�t really watch NFL though (I tend to watch more college football (mostly for the helmets)) so, I don�t think I�ll be watching the game.  How about you, Reader Friends?  Any big plans for Super Bowl Sunday?

Happy Friday, All!

Gracey

Shop the Look:

Exact Target cords

Similar houndstooth shoes

Similar lace sweatshirt

Lace necklace

Exact Mossimo belt (Note: the belt is on clearance in stores for less than $4.00)

** 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.

Cruella

I can�t decide if these pants are oxblood or burgundy:

I think they�re probably burgundy because they seem to have more purple in them than oxblood does.  But, I�m calling them oxblood on the off chance that my readers expect me to be on the cutting edge of fashion.  I don�t think any of you do, but just in case, my pants are oxblood, not burgundy.  Tell your friends.

In addition to my oxblood cords (Banana Republic), I also wore a blue, collared shirt (thrifted) layered under a cream sweater (Liz Claiborne, thrifted) and houndstooth flats (Old Navy, thrifted).  Of course, by calling them oxblood and paring them with houndstooth, I feel like I'm a puppy capelet away from being Cruella De Vil.

Happy Friday, All!  Have a wonderful weekend!

Gracey

Easy, Colorful and Pants-y

It�s still Pants Weather here in Oregon, so I�m still wearing pants:

(Shop the Look**: Polka dot pants, I couldn't find a similar blouse, but I love the idea of using this striped scarf to create a similar look with a plain blouse, mustard cardigan and blue wedge sandals)

I wear these pants a lot.  I think they are, outside of a couple of pairs of shoes, the single item that I wore the most this summer.  Which is good.  I am trying to be more conscientious about buying clothes I willwear instead of clothes I could wear.  And I don�t just mean something I�ll wear once either; I want to have clothes that I can and will wear multiple times.

In addition to the oft-worn pants (LOFT), I also wore what�s rapidly become an oft-worn blouse (vintage via Vintage by the Pound).  I can�t seem to resist this blouse, because well, stripes and a bow, people, stripes and a bow.  I added a yellow cardigan (via my Mom), blue wedges (Franco Sarto, thrifted) and a few bracelets to complete the look.

And I liked it quite a bit; it was easy, colorful and pants-y; which is perfect for a Monday.  Especially this Monday.  I did master the Peter Pan in pole dancing class yesterday, but I am very sore and physically tired today.  Luckily I�m not back to working out until Jazzercise tomorrow.

How about you, Reader Friends?  How was your weekend?

Gracey

P.S. Sorry for the photo quality, we took them at a later time than usual and I was too tired (lazy) to figure out the lighting.


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

Pants Weather

I�ve been so busy lamenting the fact that it�s not yet sweater weather, that I forgot what kind of weather it is.  It�s pants weather, people:

Earring Close Up

Pants weather for me is the very small window where it�s not hot but it�s also not raining.  (I don�t like to wear pants or jeans in the rain because they take too long to dry after the morning commute).  And the weather right now is just perfect.

Is it white pants weather though?  Eh, not for some, maybe, but I�m good with it.  These particular white pants are Gap Always Skinny jeans and this is my first time wearing them on the blog.  I�d been looking for white jeans for a couple years, but they�re all so tight and see-through, that I couldn�t find a pair I liked.  And then I saw a tip on a blog (I wish I could remember which one) that suggested sizing up on skinny jeans for a more relaxed look.  

And I think it worked.  I like these jeans and I like them with this lemon-yellow silk tee (Dana Buchman, thrifted).  I also added gray snake platforms (Pierre Dumas �Chic-1� via Piperlime), a bead and chain necklace (Nordstrom, v. old), a thrifted cuff and vintage turquoise earrings.  Sure it seems a little summery, but I�m actually planning on wearing lemon yellow all fall, so we�re just going to pretend it�s a good transitional outfit.

Shop the Look**:

Gap Jeans

Similar blouse

Pierre Dumas shoes

Similar necklace

Similar earrings

As you may have noticed, I�ve added a new �Shop the Look� section to my posts.  I�ve had enough interest from readers in finding exact or similar pieces to what I wear, that I thought it might be a good idea to add this feature.  I want you to know that, that in adding this, I did become affiliated with a couple of monetizing networks, so clicking on the links could result in my being compensated.  You can read more about that on the Disclosure tab I added to my blog.  And, effective immediately, I will also include a disclosure statement on every post where clicking on the link could result in compensation for me.

Holy smokes, this was wordy, so I�m going to stop here and wish you all a Happy Thursday!

Gracey

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