Kiss, Kiss

After Friday's all black challenge, I felt a return to color was in order:

I'm not saying this is better than head-to-toe black, but it's definitely more me.  I'm, somehow, more comfortable in an indigo dress and bright red, kiss print scarf than I am in black on black on black.

That's probably due to the kiss print scarf.  Kiss print scarves make everything better:

Tasha "Hot Kiss" Scarf via Nordstrom

Or, at the very least, they make me smile.

And it's not as if I'm banishing black from my wardrobe all together.  No, I just prefer it in smaller doses, like tights and a belt with an otherwise colorful look:

Dress: thrifted  Belt: Nine West, similar  Scarf: Tasha via Nordstrom  Booties: Nine West, similar

What about you, Reader Friends?  Are you more comfortable in color or in neutrals?

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

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

Fresh for Fall � Tasseled Scarves

Adding a scarf to your fall wardrobe is probably not the most ground-breaking suggestion I�ve ever made.  But wait.  I�m not done.  What I�m actually suggesting is adding a tasseled scarf to your fall wardrobe.

What�s that?  Mind blown?  Yeah, I figured as much.  

Seriously though, while scarves for fall may not seem fresh or new, tasseled scarves do feel new.  Everyone owns printed scarves and fringed scarves and printed scarves with fringe.  Adding a tasseled scarf to your wardrobe adds interest and an injection of �now� for the new season.

Below are some tasseled scarves that I think would be fabulous additions to any fall look.

Anthropologie �Scotia� Tasseled Scarf

Scotia scarf (image via Anthropologie)

This scarf has everything, in the best possible way; stripes, subtle sequins and multicolored tassels in a palette that will work all year round.

Mango TOUCH Printed Tasseled Scarf

Mango TOUCH print scarf (image via mango.com)

Obviously you�re going to need a scarf with orange in it for fall.  Obviously.

Muk Luks Guatemalan Tasseled Scarf

Muk Luks scarf (image via Amazon.com)

This scarf is cool.  Like you picked this scarf up in a market in the Andes cool.  And the color palette is gorgeous.

The Limited Tasseled Infinity Scarves

Both of these scarves make me very happy; you really can�t go wrong with leopard or plaid for fall. 

Anthropologie Tradewinds Tassel Scarf

Tradewinds Tassel Scarf (Image via Anthropologie)

Not interested in putting a riot of colors near your face?  Then, for you, I recommend this Anthropologie scarf.  The palette is subtle and sophisticated but not boring.

Michael Stars Hummingbird Tasseled Scarf

Hummingbird scarf (image via Nieman Marcus)

Come on, folks; it�s hummingbirds and tassels.  Hummingbirds.  And.  Tassels.  �Nough said.

So, what do you think, Reader Friends?  Are you a fan of tasseled scarves?

Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

Mad for Plaid

If you follow me on Pinterest, you know that I've been pinning the heck out of plaid looks for this fall.  I have, so far, resisted the urge to run out and buy/thrift a bunch of plaid but I'm no longer able resist wearing the plaid items I already own.  Like this plaid skirt:

I thrifted this skirt a couple of years ago but, apparently I wasn't that in to plaid a couple of years ago because I rarely wore it.  I'm planning on making amends for that this fall because I am currently absolutely mad for plaid.

Today I wore the skirt (similar) with a chambray shirt (Caslon, similar), my much-loved Born Crown riding boots (similar) and a vintage ram belt.

I finished the look off with a ball-tasseled (basseled?) scarf (LOFT, similar):

What about you, Reader Friends?  Are you mad for plaid?

Happy Friday, All!

Gracey

Perfect 10 Remix Recap

From the 9th to the 19th of September, I participated in Coffee and Cardigans, Perfect 10 Remix Challenge and it actually went pretty well.  I was concerned because I don't do well with these sorts of challenges; I'm usually pretty fickle about what I wear.  But this time I was able to select and actually stick with ten items of clothes for ten days.

What I didn't do very well was wear all of the items equally.  For example, I wore one pair of shoes, my Rieker huaraches, nine out of ten days, essentially ignoring my yellow platform sandals.  I also wore my striped Vince Camuto quite a bit and probably could have actually worn it more.

Here are my favorite outfits from the challenge:

As you can see, they all include my Rieker shoes and three out of the four include my striped skirt.  What can I say, I like to be comfortable, which both of those pieces are.

In truth though, I'd say I liked every outfit I wore during the challenge.  I was worried that my choices were kind of boring, but they really worked for me and I don't think I would have changed any of them.

Again, thank you all for reading along.  And a big thanks to Callie for hosting this challenge; it was nice to do one that was manageable and didn't make me cry for the rest of my wardrobe.

Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

Day 7: Alien Fox & Miss Sassypants

So, I think this is actually Day 8�s outfit, but I didn�t wear anything other than work-around-home clothes on Day 7 so we�re calling this Day 7:

Jeans: Old Navy   Top: Caslon via Nordstrom  Shoes: Rieker

It is also the outfit I wore to see my blogger friend Rinda, of Miss Sassypants:

She was in town for work but we got to spend a few hours eating and shopping and talking and laughing.  And you guys?  She is amazing.  She is gorgeous, funny, willing to do the running man in public, super talented and believes there is no merit to high-waist short-shorts.  So, she's, you know, basically a genius.

I had a ton of fun shopping with Rinda, and one of the stores we stopped in was a packed-to-the-brim vintage shop that had a lot of crazy amazing stuff.  I especially liked a lot of their brooches but I was completely enamored with this one:

I call it my alien fox brooch but I guess it could just be a "stylized fox" brooch.  Nah, that's boring.  It's an alien fox brooch commissioned by an alien visitor to our planet to commemorate their favorite pet (alien) fox.  Yes, I have decided.

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

Day 5 & 6: Stripes on the Bottom, Stripes on the Top

For Day 5 of the Perfect 10 Challenge, I wore stripes on the bottom, pairing my Day 1 skirt with my Day 2 shirt:

In addition to the striped skirt (Vince Camuto via Nordstrom) and the navy tee (Gap, similar), I also wore my Rieker shoes (thrifted, exact), my braided belt (thrifted, similar) and studded cuffs (Nordstrom).  And I added a large scarf (LOFT, similar) for a little extra warmth on the morning bike ride.

 

And for Day 6, I wore stripes on the top, wearing my Day 1 tee for my jeans' first outing:

I know, I know, this is nothing groundbreaking, but it was just a weekend outfit for running errands and going to the movies.  In addition to the tee (Old Navy, similar) and jeans (Old Navy Mid-Rise Rock Star Skinnies), I added my Rieker shoes (thrifted, exact) and studded cuffs (Nordstrom).

Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

 

Olive, Orange and Leopard

The weather has taken a turn for the worst here in Oregon.  Thunder and lightning, torrential rains and, gasp, layers.  Today's layers are olive, orange and leopard:

I'm not super excited about being forced into wearing layers, but I liked the mix of olive (thrifted jacket), orange (Old Navy top and Nine West flats) with leopard in this look.  I also added Gap Real Straight Skimmers and a Nordstrom studded bracelet. 

I think maybe my jacket is a bit boxy for my shape, but otherwise I liked this look.  I may try to thrift a more fitted one, but it's hard to find something that is both fitted and casual and I bought this jacket specifically to fill a casual niche.  Also, I'm kind of lazy so unless a more-fitted-but-still-casual olive jacket throws itself into my Goodwill cart, this one will just have to do.

So, to sum up, it rained, I wore layers and those layers included a somewhat ill-fitting but still mostly acceptable jacket.  And that makes me wonder, how important is fit to you, Dearest Reader Fans?  Do you purchase not-quite-right items to fill a gap or is fit paramount in your wardrobe?

Happy Friday, All!

Gracey

The Yellow

I really liked this outfit and I think it's the yellow:

Dress: Thrifted (similar)   Scarf: Nordstrom (similar)   Sandals: Ella Moss via Piperlime (similar color)   Cuff: Street vendor (similar)

It's one of those things that may not make sense originally, but I think it works.  I mean, I love yellow with gray and with turquoise so adding a bit to an outfit that's predominately gray and turquoise really does make sense.  Also, my friend Ferge hates the yellow (it confuses her) so I'm pretty sure it was the right choice.

That's right, folks.  There's a tip for getting dressed in the morning: wear what your friends hate.

Happy  Friday, Everyone!

Gracey

My Hair Was Too Tall

Please to let me explain.

My friend Kathy complained that my hair was too tall in these pictures and that she had to either cut off my hair or my hands to get a good torso shot.  We compromised with this pose:

You see, I'm both crouching and raising my arms to make the photo easier to take. So, yeah, that happened.

To see the actual outfit and my normal(ish) face, come visit me at Already Pretty - my outfit post is over there today.

Happy Thursday, All!

Gracey

Proper Deployment

Sometimes I covet things not because they are solidly in my style wheelhouse, but rather because I wish they were in my style wheelhouse because they look so cool and chic on everyone else and I'd like to grow up to be cool and chic someday too.  Things like anoraks. 

I love how they look on other women, adding just the right bit of casual chic to an outfit. But, the thing is, they don't work like that on me. I seem to have some sort of anti-cool anorak-disorder (AC/AD, not to be confused with AC/DC, whom I adore) that keeps me from being able to wear them properly. 

But, today, I think perhaps I've finally mastered proper deployment of the anorak:

I mean, it looks kind of cool and almost chic paired with my black and gray stripes (Target) and colorful skirt (Plato's Closet), right?  And it does work with the boots (thrifted via Goodwill) and bright scarf (gifted by the very chic and cool, Ana), doesn't it? 

Honestly, I think this is as close to proper anorak deployment as I'm ever going to get, so I'm going to go ahead and check it off.

Happy Friday, All!

Gracey

Watercolor and White

This weekend I received a gorgeous watercolor-print scarf from FRAAS:

It is the Mystical Waters scarf, in turquoise, and it�s great.  It�s actually pretty big (40 x 72 inches) and can be used as a wrap, but isn�t too bulky when tied as a scarf, which is how I wore it today:

I wanted to keep the focus on the scarf, so I kept the rest of the outfit neutral, pairing it with a gray tee (Target), trouser jeans (Banana Republic) and a white blazer (Banana Republic).  I also added a clear belt (v. old, Old Navy) and platform booties (Nine West via TJ Maxx).

I think the scarf adds just the right amount of color, texture and interest to the look.  It�s definitely a piece I can see myself wearing all spring and summer. 

If you�d like a FRAAS scarf of your own for the upcoming season, this particular scarf (Style 623949) can be ordered by calling 212-575-0191.  And other scarves are available at fraas.com and amazon.com.

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Shop the Look:

Similar trouser jeans (available in Tall)

Gray Target tee

Similar white blazer (available in Tall)

Similar clear belt

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Double Denim Rides Again

Get it?  Because I�m in double denim and a riding jacket.  You�re welcome.

Corny puns aside, I feel like a cattle baron�s widow in this outfit.  Like my husband was killed by outlaws and I have to manage our ranch and our 30,000 head of cattle myself.  This is what I�d wear in Abilene to negotiate a selling price for this year�s cattle:

Because, really, nothing says �shrewd negotiator� like a denim shirt (Caslon via Nordstrom) and denim skirt (thrifted) paired with a riding jacket (Ralph Lauren, thrifted).  I also added a studded belt (Michael Michael Kors via Nordstrom), goldenrod tights (Nordstrom), riding boots (Born Crown �Sosie� via Nordstrom), garnet-and-cameo earrings & an equestrian scarf (Echo, thrifted).

Happy Tuesday, Everyone!

Gracey

 

Happy Halloween

I didn't dress up for Halloween.  In fact, this is what I wore:

MIA "Roam," Image via Piperlime

I know it�s not very Halloween-y, being neither sexy (my sexy Bert and Ernie costume is at the cleaners) nor scary.  Well, not scary as long as you�re not chromophobic.  If you are, you�re probably terrified of my bright cobalt dress (Target).  Of course, if you�re chromophobic, you probably don�t read my blog.  But, in case you are and you do, maybe as a form of immersion therapy or something, I did tone the look down a bit with the blazer (J. Crew, swapped), the tights (Target), the scarf (c/o FRAAS) and the boots (MIA �Roam� via Piperlime).  Let it never be said that I�m not looking out for my chromophobic peeps.

Happy Wednesday, All.  And, yes, Happy Halloween.

Gracey

P.S. Chromophobia is a fear of bright colors.