Revolver

I bought this dress on my trip to Minneapolis, and I was really excited to style it in a work outfit. I'm sure it could be worn as a cocktail dress, but I like it better as part of a more casual look. It's another example of an item whose details are best appreciated in daylight hours, because a lot of that great shaping wouldn't be noticeable at night.

To make the dress look more casual I went with bare legs and boots, a look I love to play around with especially in the fall. The cognac color of the boots and bag gave it a slightly western vibe, to which I added the cute revolver necklace, another of my Minnesota purchases. The solid brass pendant has a nice heft to it, and the barrel even spins around for an extra realistic effect. I wish the trigger moved, although it's not like I'd be able to get my finger in there to move it anyway.






I bought the necklace the morning I was flying out, and Sal commented that I'd better put it in my checked baggage or else TSA might try to confiscate it. To my amusement when I got home, I noticed that my checked bag had actually been opened and searched, I guess because of the pendant, since everything else in there was just clothes. I guess this necklace doesn't make for a very good travel accessory.

Dress: Adrianna Papell
Necklace: Defy
Bag: Lucky Brand
Boots: from Scoop in Copenhagen
Bracelet: Leslie Danzis

Neglected

For this outfit I hauled out a couple of items that have been long neglected in my wardrobe. I've had both the pants and the boots for ages, but for some reason they just don't get used that much. The boots are tough for me because they have a long pointy toe, something I'm not terribly comfortable with because I feel like it makes my size 9 feet look gargantuan. However, under pants they work really well because that same pointy toe elongates my legs, especially when the boots match the pants as well as they do here.

The top is another purchase from my Minnesota trip. My hotel was right down the street from Saks Off Fifth, where I spent a couple of hours one morning snapping up a few great deals. Between the discounted prices, an extra discount for being on the mailing list, and no sales tax on clothes, I cleaned up.

Cardigan: Max Studio
Top: Calvin Klein
Pants: Liquid
Boots: Jo Ghost (you can get a closer view of them here)
Bag: Boktier

Neutral Mix

Many of the new (or new to me) items that I brought home from my trip to Minnesota serendipitously worked really well together, so I threw as many of them as I could into this outfit. In addition to the shopping that we did, Sal and I also did a bit of clothes swapping, so I came home with quite a haul. The pants, necklace, and several of the bangles are all things Sal sent me home with, and the open weave sweater and cardigan were purchases. That Sal must be a mind-reader; I searched high and low all last summer for the perfect pair of white jeans, and I never did find them. These are precisely the pair I would have bought, and they fit beautifully.

This outfit illustrates a philosophy of mine: the more neutral shades you mix together, the less they all have to match with one another. In this outfit the only non-black colors that truly match are the gray in the cardigan and the gray boots. Besides those I have a true brown (in the cardigan), a gray-brown (the open weave sweater), bright white pants, off white (in the cardigan), a black tank and jewelry, and both silver and brass bangles. In writing it seems like it would be a mess, but the different neutral tones work together to create texture and depth.

Notice how the hint of black peeking out at the hem of the sweater works as an intense background that makes the texture pop and creates a nice strong contrast at the margin between the sweater and the pants. Black shoes would have been very obvious, however I thought the gray ones picked up the grayish undertones of the sweater, even when I wasn't wearing the cardigan.

This is one of my favorite outfits I've put together recently; it felt put-together but also relaxed. Note to self though: do not wear a spiky ring with an open weave sweater; I had a close call with a snag that could easily have ruined my day.

Sweater: Eileen Fischer via Optiz
Necklace, bangles, pants: gifts from Sal
Boots: Bronx
Cardigan: 5/48, via Saks Off Fifth

Low Key

This dress mainly gets worn on weekends because it's so casual, but this outfit was perfect for a low key Friday when not as many people are in the office and we rarely have meetings. I definitely wouldn't wear the dress to work without layering something over it, because it has spaghetti straps which I don't think are appropriate for any office environment, even one as casual as mine.

The shoes are the result of a months-long search for the perfect black wedges. I wanted something with little embellishment, a 1-2 inch height, and rounded toes. I must've ordered 5 or 6 pairs from Zappos, but only these fit the bill and all the rest went back. Gotta love Zappos for having free shipping both ways. 


Dress: Athleta
Cardigan: All Saints
Shoes: Cole Haan

Thank You Gift

For the first time all winter it got cold enough to wear this boiled wool tunic. The boots have also been suffering from neglect, so I was happy to trot them out again for what may be the last time until December.

The pretty scarf was a thank you gift from one of my former employees, who I wrote a letter of recommendation for to help her get into a graduate program. Wasn't that sweet? Not to mention that it perfectly suits my style and is incredibly soft and comfortable. For me though, the best gift of all was seeing her get accepted to the program and start down what I'm sure will be a really successful path for her. Hands down the best thing about managing people is helping them develop their careers. It's also gratifying to see that despite the fact that Americans are getting ruder, and their kids are getting brattier, there are still young people out there who have great manners.

Tunic: Promod
Pants: Club Monaco
Boots: Bos and Co.

Duster

I found this funky sheer zebra duster at a thrift store near my mom's house a few months ago when I was up there to visit. It was actually a dress when in combination with the long black liner that came with it, but I much prefer it this way. I made a couple of modifications: I hemmed it from straight across to the tapered hem you see here, and I added a pleat in the back to give it some shape at the waist. It was quite the boxy 90's shape before.

This was a perfect outfit for our gorgeous fall weather. It was warm enough outside to bare a little skin, but not quite warm enough to expose all the limbs in their entirety. Boots and socks and bare legs was just the thing.

Duster: thrifted
Dress: Max Studio
Belt: Lazarro
Boots: from Scoop in Copenhagen
Bag: Lucky

Resilient

Here's another black and yellow combo, this time with brown as the intervening color. The belt serves as the transition piece that makes the brown and black work together; note how the antique brass hardware on the belt is in essence a repetition of the brown. I often deploy brass accessories in place of a true brown.

The cords are still hanging in there, and have proven to be more resilient than I imagined. I'm still feeling pretty lazy with regard to putting together really creative outfits, so I've been defaulting to pants quite often. Having a casual, non-denim pair in my wardrobe allows me to add a little variety.


Black top: Asos
Scarf: Forever 21
Belt: Chico's, thrifted
Bracelet: Leslie Danzis
Cords: Marlowe
Shoes: Fly London

Black and Brown

Wow, a few days slipped by since my last post and I hardly noticed. My life is a whirlwind of activity right now, let me tell you. But I've got some exciting things cooking, which hopefully I can share with you soon.

I thought this outfit was a virtual repeat of an older one, but when I looked back at the original I saw that it actually has several differences; in fact the only commonalities are the tunic and cardigan, everything else was swapped out. The overall look is still the same though, with the fitted pants and boots under the longer layers. I think this version works a bit better than the original one.

This is such an easy look to wear; the long layers provide more than enough waistband overlap so I don't end up tugging and readjusting my shirt, the boots are rugged and comfortable, and everything is stretchy and non-constrictive. The boots really bring everything together, since they have panels of both black and brown.


Tunic: Anthropologie
Tank: Forever 21
Cardigan: Anthropologie
Belt: Red Dress Shoppe
Necklace: Wendy Brandes
Bracelet: a gift from Mom
Ponte knit pants: Club Monaco
Boots: Timberland Boot Co.

Ho-Hum

This was one of my ho-hum outfits from when I was still sick (I'm feeling better now). I've noticed that when I'm sick I tend to wear pants more often, probably because it's less work than dealing with tights and slips and all that. If we lived somewhere hot I'm sure it would be just the opposite; throw on a sundress and some sandals, and you're good to go. Out here it's almost never warm enough for that, so pants are the easier option because there are no additional leg coverings that need to be selected.

At any rate it provided the impetus to wear these cords again, which as you may recall are down to their last few wears. A careful examination of the nap proved them to be still wearable for probably a few more times yet. Next time I hope it's actual inspiration, and not illness, that brings them out again.

Top: Max Studio
Cardigan: Anthropologie
Necklace: Foxy
Cords: Marlowe
Shoes: Art Shoes

Sheriff

I found these adorable espadrilles on sale at DSW; they fulfilled my quest for a pair of espadrilles and also for a pair of olive green shoes. Two wardrobe holes filled with a single item! And yes, I paired them with my obi belt, with its perfectly matched olive fabric AND brown leather. And of course I mixed all that with the perfectly matched olive and brown necklace, and the perfectly matched olive dress and brown blazer. Because although Sal is still the undisputed mayor of Matchy-Matchytown, I've declared myself the sheriff. Let me know if you wish to be deputized.

Dress: Red Dress Shoppe
Necklace: Foxy
Blazer: La Redoute
Belt: Audra Jean
Espadrilles: DSW brand

Cropping Up

Well, I warned you that these cropped pants would be, er, cropping up again soon. A weekend had intervened after the last wearing of them, I was at a different conference, and since aside from me there was virtually no overlap in attendance among my colleagues, I figured no one would be the wiser if I wore them again. This time I paired them with an equestrian styled blazer and leopard print blouse. The open-top shoes with bare feet proved to be the absolute wrong thing to wear for the soggy day it turned out to be, but other than that it was a great semi-professional outfit to wear on the first day of a conference.

I feel like red shoes would've looked better with this outfit, but I was lacking the correct red shoes to do the job, so I stuck with taupe. I did go with red earrings though.

Top: Forever 21
Blazer: Karen Millen
Pants: Cynthia Steffe
Shoes: John Fluevog

Giddy

For day 2 of conferencing I figured I couldn't go wrong with my Helmut Lang blazer. Originally I intended to wear this blazer with the All Saints dress I posted yesterday, but sadly the proportions aren't right; the blazer is just a little too long in front for the dress. Thankfully these cropped pants had just arrived via Gilt, and the sunny weather that day offered the perfect chance to try them out. They're really comfortable, and the pale beige color means they match my skin tone and thus don't shorten my legs. Expect to see a lot more of these pants -- and surprisingly soon, too.

If I look extra happy here, it's for two reasons: Jess was in town, and I was spending my workday in San Francisco. If it isn't already obvious, let me just state for the record that I am giddy with love for the city I live in. It never gets old for me; all the interesting things to do, amazing restaurants to try out, beautiful scenery, and most of all the people. Not a day goes by that I'm not filled with pride and gratitude to be a part of this unique and special place. I love it SO MUCH!!




Ahem. As I was saying... After I got home from the conference, I dressed the outfit down by swapping out my jacket, shoes, and necklace. Georgie was there to supervise.





Black blazer: Helmut Lang
Top: Ann Taylor
Pants: Cynthia Steffe
Sandals: Kors Michael Kors
Military jacket: French Kiss
Flats: Fly London

Sandals Week

If only the weather still looked like this; it's gotten cold and rainy since these photos were taken. But as you can see from the last several outfits, I took full advantage of the stretch of warm weather and bared my legs, arms and feet. It was Sandals Week in the Bay Area.

In keeping with my new seasonally-appropriate dressing policy, my plan for this spring and summer is to wear the crap out of all my sandals, even on days where it might be a little on the chilly side. Then when the weather turns colder I'll pack them up in a box and store them out of sight, just as I recently did with all my heavy sweaters, woolen items, and insulated boots. That way I won't have to spend half the year looking wistfully at all those pretty shoes and being sorry I can't wear them.

Dress: Forla Paris
Scarf: Duke et Duchesse
Vest: Forever 21
Harness: Audra Jean
Shoes: Joy Chen

Formula

This outfit is sort of a repeat, as I've worn this dress/tights/shoes combo a couple times before, but the colors just go so well together that whenever I pull this dress out I'm stumped to come up with a better formula. Sometimes there's just no messing with a good thing.

Since the middle panel of this dress is a see-through lace mesh, I always need to cover the midriff in order to wear it to work. This time I used the blazer to cover most of it, and filled in the rest with the scarf. It was fairly cool that day, so the velvet blazer and tights kept me warm, while the sandals and bright colors made it seasonally appropriate.

The outdoor location is the patio just off our dining room (which really isn't a dining room so much as a hatmaking studio). You've actually seen this location before, but it was with the ugly blue building next door in the background. I much prefer this angle.

Dress: Betsey Johnson
Scarf: vintage
Blazer: Victoria M. Ortiz
Tights: Foot Traffic
Sandals: John Fluevog

In Full Swing

Over the weekend I put together a few days' worth of outfits and recruited Mark to take some photos outside, just to mix things up a little. As you can see, spring is in full swing according to most of the plants, although the bougainvillea seems to disagree; it's half-heartedly putting forth a few small leaves, but seems content to hibernate a little longer until it warms up. I can't really say that I blame it.

For this outfit I kept it springy with the pale pink and off-white skirts, even though with all the layering it was designed with cool weather in mind. It was also the perfect vehicle for this fab new harness that Mark made. Actually I 'ordered' it from him; he had this very pretty caramel-colored, smooth leather in his stash and I thought it would look great for spring and summer in a lightweight harness style. This harness is the basic "Jane Doe" style, with straps that are thinner than the original. This strikes me as being a great option if you've been wanting to try out the harness trend, but don't want to look too edgy or bondage-y. The color reminds me of some of the leather accessories seen in Lanvin's SS11 RTW line.

Tank Top, pink skirt: Anthropologie
Jacket: French Kiss, thrifted
Harness: Audra Jean
Tulle skirt: Noa Noa
Tights: Hue
Shoes: John Fluevog

Death Throes

These cords have maybe one or two more wears left in them, and then they'll have to go; the nap is starting to look worn. If you've been reading this blog for awhile you might recall the tale of the Elie Tahari cords and my embarrassing blue butt experience. That sounds like a great premise for a children's story, doesn't it? Elie Tahari and the Blue-Butted Blogger. Believe me, that story did not have a happy ending. I'll chuck this pair before they ever get that bad.

What's interesting though is that I've had these cords for several years now and they suddenly look very current again, because of the flared legs. Which just goes to show that some clothes can survive the ups and downs of different trends; I wore them even through the skinny-jean trend, but now they fit in perfectly with the styles that are in the stores. And that actually kind of sucks, considering they're in their final death throes just as flared legs are coming back into style. Perhaps I should've shelved them during the skinny jean years. Come to think of it, I'd probably still have those Elie Taharis too, if I hadn't rendered them unwearable by overuse.




Cream shirt: All Saints
Yellow cardigan: Solemio
Scarf: vintage, from Red Light
Cords: Marlowe
Belt: Audra Jean
Shoes: Saks Fifth Avenue