If I had the money and the space to collect and display art pieces, I think that I would buy a bunch of Vintage Vogs, put them on shelves, and light them artistically. These recently re-released Fluevogs are one the pairs of shoes I would buy. I could really never picture myself wearing them, but they are so sculptural, they really are a work of art. And most fine art sculptures cost more than $159, so when you look at it that way, they’re really a bargain.
I find that in style, as in all things in life, balance is key, and extreme in either direction is not so good.
For example, on one end of the spectrum you have the most dowdy woman ever. Never concerned about whether clothes fit or flatter, she wears whatever she has to cover up her body. For her, life is simply about getting by without getting noticed. She just wants to be comfortable. She doesn’t care if all her clothes are what she wore in the eighties. She sees no problem with wearing sweatpants to a nice restaurant. She’s been wearing the same hair style since she was 15. She never stops to look in a mirror because there’s nothing to see.
On the opposite side, you have the fashion victim. She endlessly reads up on all the latest fashion trends and couture. She spends all her money (and credit) to scoop up the latest trends, only to toss them once the season ends. She constantly frets about her appearance. She bears with insanely painful shoes for the sake of fitting in. She can’t bear the thought of putting something on from last season. The thought of buying clothes from Target or Old Navy appalls her. All her thoughts and conversations revolve around how to bring herself closer to style perfection.
Both of these views are extreme and unbalanced. Comfort is good, but it is also possible to be comfortable and wear things that flatter your body at the same time. Style is about learning what you love to wear. There’s nothing wrong with embracing trends, as long as they don’t control you. There is something wrong with putting yourself through physical, mental and financial anguish for the approval of others.
Usually most of my style inspiration comes from reading blogs and style magazines, as well as movies and images I see. Sometimes though, it comes from seeing someone in real life. That was the case with this outfit. There was a girl in one of my classes the other night that was wearing a camisole over a blouse, and I immediately sketched out the idea in my notebook. I kept thinking about how appealing it looked, how it is both classy and casual at the same time, and how it could help me get double use out of my camisoles. Thus, today’s outfit was born.
I admit that the layering does make me a bit warm when I’m outside, but honestly, I start sweating after about two minutes of being outside no matter what I’m wearing this time of year, so I might as well be stylish while I’m sweating. Today, I’m going thrifting, getting a haircut, and stopping by my local Anthropologie. I’m trying to focus on buying clothes that I could wear to interviews, although I’ll be looking for regular, everyday clothes as well.
I just got this necklace at Express the other day. I don’t usually like their jewelry, but this one perfectly fit the bill of something colorful, slightly chunky, and somewhat statement-y, which is exactly what I have been looking for. I’ve been wearing it almost constantly since I bought it.
Tee: Target (thrifted)
Cami: Old Navy
Capris: Erik Stewart (thrifted)
Shoes: Clarks Rime
Purse: Easy Spirit
Necklace: Express
Bangles: Jill Popowich
Earrings: June Designs
Also, I wanted to say thank you for all the kind and encouraging comments you gave the other day after I mentioned passing my exam! Now that I have finished my comprehensive exams, all I have left is two classes that I’m taking during the summer semester, and I’ll get my Master’s in Library Science. Since I also passed the Florida Teacher Certification Exam for media specialists last week, I can now start applying for positions. I’ll keep you posted.
Mary asked how I was going to celebrate passing all my exams, perhaps with some shoes. As a matter of fact, I just recently ordered a new pair of shoes as an early graduation present to myself, and they arrived in the mail on Wednesday. I’m trying to decide what their debut outfit will be, but here’s a sneak peek!
Back when I was 18, I wore a dress from Chadwicks when I was a bridesmaid in my cousin’s wedding. I hadn’t given the company much thought since then. Sure, I loved my dress, but I always associated them with formal wear. Lately though, I’ve noticed them popping up everywhere. When I saw the amazing French Jacket featured over at Fashionably Fab at 50 Plus, I knew I had to bop on over to their website. And I’m in love! Many of their garments are made with natural fibers, the color selection is amazing, the photography is eye-catching, and the prices are very affordable.
The Ruffle Cardigan in Blueberry $34.99 (on sale)
Sleeveless Color-block Tank in Cyan Blue Navy $19.99 (on sale)
Printed Sundress in Sour Lemon Navy $39.99
Scupltured Knit Sarong Skirt in Olive $19.99 (on sale)
Cotton Peplum Jacket in White $39.99
Just wanted to let everyone know that I passed my certification exam this morning! Yay!
And, the lovely Kirsten of Barking Dog Shoes featured me and my Malibrans today! So go check it out!
Last week, I finished up my comprehensive exam for my Library Science degree. Basically, I was given a choice of three topics, and had one week to write a well-researched 8 to 10 page paper. This meant lots of sitting in coffee shops while drinking vanilla lattes and reading research articles. Hence, most of the outfits I wore were what I consider “study chic”, very casual and comfortable. For some reason, this also meant wearing my favorite pair of jeans all week, which is weird because up until a few weeks ago, I was rarely wearing jeans at all. But with the discovery of the ability to peg and the loss of a couple pounds (which makes them not as painfully restricting as they were), I found myself wearing them constantly while studying.
I didn’t get very many outfit pictures, mainly because I was too busy frantically studying, but I did get a shot of one outfit that pretty well sums up my study uniform: pegged jeans, knit blouse, cardigan and sandals.
Today I’m taking the Florida Teacher Certification Exam, and if I’ll goes well, I’ll begin applying for media specialist positions within the next few weeks! Wish me luck!
Polo: Old Navy
Cardigan: Ann Taylor Loft
Jeans: Express
Sandals: Clarks Rime
Bag: Timbuk2
Earrings: June Designs
Bangle: Vintage
Orange seems to be a re-surging color lately – it seems like I keep seeing it on more and more stylish ladies. The vibrant shade of flame orange is the one I find myself the most drawn to. And I was pleasantly surprised to discover a large amount of flame orange accessories on Etsy, so this is a very edited list. Oh, and the other reason why I decided to create this list: I’m getting a certain pair of orange shoes in the mail in the next few days. Stay tuned!
Pendant Necklace with Vintage Orange Bakelite
Up in Flames Resin Bangle Hand-Cast
And So It Is – Fascinator or Wrist Cuff
Clementine Urban Luxe Necklace
Circle Earrings in Flame Orange
Nothing like finding a shoe that is the absolute polar opposite of my shoe lust last week, is there? Instead of a 5.5 inch stilleto, I’m craving a flat this week. Instead of a $335 price tag, this weeks shoes are only $35. But I think that both pairs of shoes of very sexy in their own way.
Kirsten at Barking Dog Shoes recently did a review on these beauties, and they’ve been on my mind ever since. A pair of Crocs that can actually be sexy? Comfort and style mixed into one? Sign me up please. And at such an amazing price tag, I could easily afford a pair without shattering my budget. I think you’ll be seeing these on my feet very soon.
Current State of My Closet
Inspired by Struggling to be Stylish‘s recent Friday challenge, I decided to count all the clothes in my closet. I figured this could be a useful exercise to find out exactly how much I have. I used similar guidelines to hers, with some slight tweaking.
I made sure to include:
But I excluded
Also, because I found one category for blouses too broad, I broke it down further. Blouses include button downs, woven blouses, polos and knit tops that are not tees (have embellishment, etc). Tees include long sleeve and short sleeve tees, crew necks, scoop necks, concert tees. Tanks and camis include all my tank tops, camisoles and sleeveless tops.
Here’s my personal closet breakdown:
I don’t think that these numbers are perfect, because I likely forgot to count at least something, but they really got me thinking more about my use of wardrobe space. Quantity wise, I own a good amount of clothes. Yet most days, it takes me awhile to put together an outfit. I end up wearing the same pieces over and over again, while other pieces are never worn because I either don’t like them or don’t have the right pieces to wear with them. All of this is leading up to what will be my closet inventory challenge. Over the next few weeks, I want to really analyze what I own – look at what works and what doesn’t. I’m going to photograph the different groups of items that I have. I’m going to deal with the issue of duplicates (how many black tees do I really need?). I’m going to find out which items I wear within a four-week period, then decide if the other items should stay or go. I’m going to revise my wardrobe gaps list and actually make myself shop only for those specific items. I’m going to clean out and organize my closet so I can actually find what I’m looking for.
Am I over-ambitious, trying to do this while finishing my final semester of grad school, hunting for jobs and managing my budget? Maybe. But I think that taking a good hard look at my wardrobe, starting with this inventory, will help me to shop for what I really need and create a wardrobe that I truly love (and that can fit in my limited space)
Stay tuned for more specifics of the wardrobe inventory challenge and feel free to follow along in your own closet.
I saw this over on Dress for the Best, who found it through Fashion After Forty, who found it through Couture Carrie, who saw it in In Style. Sound like a high school game of telephone? Perhaps. But still, I find surveys like this fun and entertaining, and this one has some particularly good questions in it. Feel free to copy and paste and try it out!
