Hearts and Raw Edges

This sweater used to have sleeves, but it looked ridiculous with sleeves so I hacked them off:

So now, instead of sleeves, I have raw edges:

And hearts.  Isn't it adorable, all covered in hearts?

Really, now that I got rid of those pesky sleeves, I love this sweater.  And I love it with my polka dot jeans, white button down and riding boots:

And, of course, with my heart necklace:

I figure if anything goes with hearts, it's more hearts.  Right?  That's a thing, pairing hearts with hearts?  Sure it is...

Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

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.

Stripes, Tights & Blazers

This is a summer dress.  It's not terribly thick, it is sleeveless with a racer back and it is so short it's practically un escandalo:

However, I attempted to make it fall appropriate by layering the dress (LOFT, similar) over tights (Spanx via Nordstrom) with boots (Born "Mabel") and a blazer (J. Crew, swapped, similar).  I also added studded bracelets (Nordstrom, exact) and a neon necklace.

I'm trying to get better about transitioning summer clothes to fall and winter with layers.  I layer a lot but I tend to pack up items I consider "summery" once fall comes and I don't see them again until the following spring.  On one hand, it's kind of nice because I'm always surprised at what I have stored in the garage.  On the other hand, I think my two-seasons-and-two-seasons-only approach to my clothes has resulted in my over-purchasing.  And that's the outcome I'm trying to fight with better cross-seasonal layering.

What about you, Reader Friends?  Do you switch your clothes out for the season or do you have items that work across the seasons?

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

Before the Rains Came

So, I'm not actually wearing this dress today:

Vintage RK Originals dress, Gap boots & Kate Spade New York earrings

Nor did I wear it yesterday as is usually the case.  No, I wore this before the rains came.  Over the weekend, Oregon remembered that it's Oregon and it has a responsibility to rain steadily from the first day of autumn through the last day of spring.  It's off to a great start.

But, enough about the weather.  Let's talk about the dress.  I think it's from the 60s and I think it's fabulous.

My favorite part is the studded trim:

Seriously, aren't those just the most ladylike little studs you've ever seen?

Happy Tuesday, 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 4: Yesterday�s Dress

For Day 4 of the Perfect 10 Remix Challenge, I�m re-wearing yesterday�s dress.  As a skirt:

I layered the dress (Bar III via Macys) under a sleeveless chambray shirt (Caslon via Nordstrom).  I added my Rieker shoes (thrifted, exact), some studded cuffs (Nordstrom) and finished the look with some delightfully shiny earrings (Robert Rose via Nordstrom).

Robert Rose "Fan-Glam" Earrings

I feel like the chambray shirt, the shoes and the cuffs have a dressed down, sort of tough vibe and that the rhinestone earrings are a fun juxtaposition. 

Happy Friday, Everyone!

Gracey

Day 3: White Heat

So, here�s the deal.  Last week Oregon�s weather was sort of crummy.  I complained and now it�s mid-90s.  I�m not saying that Mother Nature�s trying to punish me, but 95 in September feels a little vindictive.  Anywho, it�s hot.  Stupid hot.  Too hot for clothes, but public nudity is frowned upon (What�s that?  It�s illegal?  Good to know.), so I wore this:

I just couldn�t possibly manage anything more than a simple white dress (Bar III via Macys) and sandals (Enzo Angolini, similar) in this heat.  Heck, I couldn�t even manage a necklace!  But, that doesn�t mean I didn�t accessorize.  No, I used some brooches (similar fruit, similar blue, exact bee) in a cluster at my waist and some studs on my wrist (Nordstrom) to add some interest and a little color.

Hopefully it will cool off some tomorrow because I only have one simple white dress in my Perfect 10 and public nudity will most likely still be illegal.

Happy Thursday, All!

Gracey

Day 1: Sexy Beetlejuice

So, yesterday was the first day of the Perfect 10 Remix Challenge and this is what I wore:

I liked it, actually a lot, but it did feel a little "sexy Beetlejuice" to me.  I hesitate to call myself sexy, but this was definitely a lot more va-va-voom-y than I usually go.

Happily, the striped skirt is one of the most comfortable pieces of clothing I've ever worn.  It felt like I was wearing lounge wear all day and it was great for bike riding.  I think if I weren't so physically comfortable in this, being dressed like sexy Beetlejuice might have been mentally uncomfortable for me.  But, as it was, I kind of loved this:

In addition to my awesome striped skirt (Vince Camuto via Nordstrom, exact) I also wore my striped tee (Old Navy, similar), my latest thrifted espadrilles (Rieker, exact) and a braided belt (thrifted, similar).  By the way, these shoes are awesome.  I have never heard of this brand before I thrifted them, but they're crazy comfortable too, just like the skirt.

Oh my Gawd, y'all; I've figured out the key to comfort! Dress like sexy Beetlejuice!

Trust me, it totally works.


Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Citron and Gray

Citron and gray is one of those color combinations I really love:

And of course, citron and gray with turquoise is even better:

Blouse: Old Navy (similar, plus available)  Skirt: Gap  Sandals: Ella Moss (similar)  Belt: Old Navy (similar)

In other news, I continue to be thrilled by the presence of pockets in my clothes:

Thrilled, y'all.

Happy Wednesday, Reader Friends!

Gracey

Literary Stylings # 2: City of Dark Magic

Hello, and welcome to the second ever Literary Stylings Link Party and All-Around Good Time!  Today, I�m wearing a look inspired by the book City of Dark Magic, by Magnus Flyte:

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Image via www.goodreads.com

As I've mentioned before, this wasn�t my favorite book that I read in July (it was, in fact, sort of terrible) but I was inspired by the descriptions of Prague at night:

Skirt: thrifted Ralph Lauren  Blouse: LOFT  Wedges: Matiko via Ideeli

 

And I tried to channel that in my look, what with the dark colors and the added sparkle of my accessories:

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The photo above is supposed to be showing a close up of my accessories, but, mostly, I am just laughing my fool head off.  As I do.  I would, however, like to point out that I attached a rhinestone brooch to my necklace, a la Carrie at Petal by Petal and was super proud of myself.

Anyway, back to my outfit.  This is totally Prague at night, no? 

Dark.  Magical.  Yep.  Totally.

And now for your literary stylings!  Bloggers, you can link to your literature-inspired look here:

 

And, don�t forget, if you�re not a blogger, you can post your literature-inspired look on the Fashion for Giants Facebook page!

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

 
P.S. For those curious about City of Dark Magic, it�s not very good at all.  It�s kind of all over the place and there are ridiculous amounts of ridiculous, gratuitous sex.  And not even good sex, just silly, pointless sex.  So much so that it ruins the book.  Not that the book was above being ruined otherwise; the copious sex scenes are not the only parts of the story that are poorly written.

Summer Maxi

People swear that maxi skirts and dresses still keep you cool in hot weather.  I was skeptical (so much fabric!) but, I thought I'd give it a try today:

I paired my black maxi (Target (similar, tall available)) with a black and white striped tee (Old Navy (similar)) and brightly colored sandals (Ella Moss via Piperlime (similar color)).

I also added a braided belt (thrifted) and a vintage squash blossom necklace:

Via Lil' Gypsy Vintage (similar here)

And, I have to admit, wearing a maxi was pretty okay for most of the day.  Right up until I got on my bike to ride home.  Riding a bike in a maxi skirt is never great.  Riding a bike in a maxi skirt in 90+ weather is even less great. But, I will say that the maxi was a great choice for the air conditioned office; my legs often get chilled and they didn't at all today.

So, the final verdict?  Maxi's are pretty great for summer, as long as you're not trying to ride a bike in them:

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

Inspiration Monday: Olivia Palermo

Today, I�m joining up with Two Birds and countless others for Inspiration Monday.  Our inspiration today is Olivia Palermo:

 

 

I have to admit that I don�t really understand who she is or why she�s famous.  Is she famous?  I don�t think she has a sex tape, so probably not.  Anyway, what I do know about her is that she can definitely dress.  She always looks on trend without looking like she�s a slave to trends.  Take the above outfit as an example; she�s doing the �global chic� thing, but she�s doing it her way.

 

And here I am, doing it my way:

 

 

 I almost didn�t participate today because I don�t have a white dress (not for lack of trying though; I just canNOT find one I like).  And then I remembered that I have a white skirt (Ann Taylor) and a white shirt (Gap) so I wore those in lieu of a dress. 

 

I finished the look with some layered necklaces and some self-tasseled sandals (Jeffrey Campbell via Nordstrom):

 

 

 

I STILL want a white dress, dammit, but I think this�ll do in a pinch.

 

Happy Monday, All!

 

Gracey

Pink, White and Gold

Pink, white and gold is a pretty darned girlie combination.  And, in spite of my love of dresses, I don't really consider myself a girlie girl.  So, it's sort of a surprise, yes, even to me, that I ended up in this combination today:

But, for what it's worth, I consider this a sort of tough pink, white and gold:

Maybe it's the bits of black in the shoes (Seychelles "Mum" via Ideeli).  Or maybe it's the hot pink pants (Michael Kors) instead of a pale pink.  Or, maybe it's the cut of the blouse (Max & Mia via Nordstrom); I think the mixed media and raglan sleeves keep it from being too sweet.  The shape of the necklace (Nordstrom) is also not too terribly sweet.

Not that I have anything against sweet.  Donuts are sweet.  And I love donuts.

Happy Thursday, All!

Gracey