Houndstooth and Harlequin

Today I've paired houndstooth with harlequin:

And, frankly, I'm surprised it took me this long to put these two together.

The houndstooth blouse (thrifted Jones New York, similar) is a natural fit with the harlequin sweater vest (thrifted vintage JG Hook, similar).  Thank goodness I found these two hanging out together in my closet or this may never have happened:

Can you imagine??!!

Really though, though, those two did the hard work. I just added a midi skirt (thrifted vintage, similar), tights (Spanx Tight End Tights) and ankle boots (Nine West "Darsy").  Oh, and my new favorite tiger diadem necklace (Hive and Honey via Piperlime):

It's not my fault it goes with everything.

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Black and Baroque

Aside from the unfortunate placement of some of the design elements, I rather like this Yves St. Clair vintage blouse:

Although I have a well-documented affection for scarf-print blouses from the 80s, I wasn�t sure about this one because it�s not very colorful.  But, I do love the pattern (baroque nipple shields aside) and really like it paired with black skinnies (a.n.a via JC Penney) and animal print wedges (80%20 via Piperlime). 

I also added a filigree heart necklace (Modcloth) that I think works well with the pattern of the blouse:

 

I know, it�s not terribly spring-y look, but as they say, if it�s not baroque, don�t fix it.  And, in my opinion, this outfit doesn�t need any fixing.

Happy Tuesday, Everyone!

Gracey

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

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

Silk, Wool & Silk-Lined Wool

Taking some of the awesome advice I received from yesterday�s post, I decided to forgo the jeans today and wear some warmer fabrics.  Specifically, silk, wool and silk-lined wool:

 

Instead of a cotton sweater, I wore a silk blouse (Jones New York via Goodwill) layered under a silk-lined wool jacket (vintage via Goodwill).  And, in lieu of jeans, I wore a sweater skirt (vintage via Goodwill) layered over bloomers and tights (Assets via Target) which were in turn layered over merino wool footless tights (Hue).  I also added wool socks, ankle boots (Nine West �Darsy�) and a belt (thrifted via Goodwill).

And, for the most part, it worked.  My feet are still cold, but I think that�s kind of their thing.  My torso is definitely warmer with the layers of silk and wool than with yesterday�s cotton sweater, even though it was a pretty dense knit.  I think I may also be warmer because of the pattern mixing going on; few things warm the cockles of my heart like pattern mixing:

Thank you all again for the tips on staying warm, with a special shout out to Secret Squirrel and her Nan; I tried the silk scarf layered under a knit scarf this morning and it was brilliant!

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Practicality

Yesterday, Carrie at Petal by Petal wore a dress that she said was probably the �most impractical� item in her closet (she looked gorgeous, btw).  And that got me to thinking about the practicality of my own wardrobe.

On one hand, I think that I have a very practical wardrobe.  Because I commute by bike, the majority of my closet is filled with clothes that are good for riding a bike in.  But, I will admit that practicality isn�t my only criteria when shopping.  Hell, sometimes it doesn�t even enter the picture.  However, for the most part, I try very hard to find items that are both good for riding and that make me happy.  Like this dress:

It�s printed, which makes me happy.  And it�s pleated, which is great for riding my bike (and makes me happy).  It also gets practicality points because of its versatility; last time I wore it, here, I paired it with sandals and a skinny belt.  This time I paired the dress (vintage, Goodwill) with tall, gray boots (Circa Joan & David �Ralco� via Piperlime), the same skinny belt (Gap) and a cuff (Goodwill).  And I think this is a piece that will work well into winter too.

On the other hand, I own some pretty impractical pieces too.  For example, as practical as my dress is, these boots are just the opposite:

They are suede, and light-colored suede at that.  I�ve treated them, of course, but unfortunately, even treated suede is no good during the Oregon winters, so these and my other suede shoes have a pretty small window of wear.   

I know I should probably stop buying impractical pieces, especially given that my window of wear is smaller than most because I do commute by bike.   But I just don�t think it�s in me to have a completely practical wardrobe.  The way I see it, it is entirely possible that I�ll need a mink-collared cape or a sequined dress some day and I like to be prepared.   Andpreparedness is very practical trait so, yes, I�d say I have a very practical wardrobe.  On both hands.

What about you, Reader Friends?  How practical, or impractical, is your closet?

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey