New uses for old things

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Diana

I’ve had this cardigan for a long time, but it never occurred to me until this week that it could work great tied up as well as loose. I like how the layering allowed the sleeve cuffs of the dress to peek out. The overall look here is really simple, but I was going for something a little more minimal this day, so I was really pleased with how it turned out.

Sometimes I find that dresses which work great on their own can be some of the most difficult pieces to style originally. It feels like there’s only so many combinations of cardigans and belts I can come up with. So I’m always really happy when inspiration strikes and I come up with something new. I’d put together a look like this with one of my longer drapey cardigans before, but never my short one.

Dress: V Fish (via Why Not Boutique)
Cardigan: Anthropologie (via eBay)
Shoes: Merrell Brios
Watch: Fossil
Earrings: Gifted

Anglophile

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Diana

There’s lots of different elements that influence my style. Lately one of my favorite inspirations has been 60′s English and French styles. I feel like the above outfit has a little bit of both, but it felt more British to me. The dress actually is British, so that should count for something.

I’ve never actually been to England, but it’s one of those places that I’d really love to visit one day. My grandfather was stationed there during WWII (in Bassingbourn, near London) so I’d especially love to visit the base he was at and the museum that’s there.

This beret always makes me happy when I wear it. I finished knitting it while waiting for a cab at LaGuardia during my trip to NYC several years ago. It always reminds me of how great that trip was. Not to mention the fact that it’s cute and warm.

Dress: Boden (via eBay)
Cardigan: J. Crew (via eBay)
Tights: HUE
Boots: Keen Bern Baby Bern
Watch: Fossil
Necklace: Wendy Brandes Little Woolf

Florida’s Two-Day Winter

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Diana

Every year in Florida, we never really have a “true” winter. Instead, we get sporadic days of weather below 50 degrees, after which the temperature will go back up to the 70s. Seriously. It’s 40 degrees outside as I’m writing this. Saturday is set to have a high of 74. So, when we actually get truly cold weather here, I milk it for all it’s worth. I break out one of my two coats, I resurrect my hand-knits, I wear cashmere and boots like crazy. Because I know that before we know it, winter will be gone from Florida again.

This is my, “I’m trying to smile even though I’m really cold” face

The key to days like today is lots and lots of layers. I layered wool knee socks over tights. I layered a slip, long sleeve tee, sleeveless dress and cashmere sweater for the rest. And then coat and scarf after that. Most Floridians, I’ve noticed, don’t get cold weather dressing. I see people trying to get by with hoodies or cotton turtlenecks. Everyone complains so much too. But it’s really fantastic if you’re prepared for it, and it doesn’t have to be expensive if you search for good winter pieces year round.

At first I thought about belting the sweater, but the dress has such a strong pattern that I really wanted to let it shine. By using the tie from the dress as a belt, I brought the attention back to the beautiful pattern.

How do you layer for winter? What’s your winter climate like?

Dress: Mlle Gabrielle (thrifted)
Sweater: J. Crew (via eBay)
Long sleeve tee: J. Crew Factory
Tights: HUE
Boots: Keen Bern Baby Bern
Watch: Fossil
Coat: Target (2008)
Scarf: Handknit by me

Last outfit of 2011

Posted on January 1, 2012 by Diana

Last week, it finally started getting cold again. Bear in mind that “cold” in Florida means below 60 degrees. Thus I was finally able to wear my boots again! I wore this for a day of running errands and enjoying my time off before going back to work on the 2nd. Looking at it now, I’m not so crazy about the proportions. I’m thinking maybe it’s just that longer hems don’t work as well with tall boots. Or maybe I needed a shoulder bag instead of a cross-body. Either way, I still enjoyed wearing the outfit.

I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe New Years. My boyfriend and I decided to stay home for this one, so he had some beer while I had some Jam Jar, and we watched old episodes of 30 Rock and classic 60′s Batman. It was the perfect, low key end to the year and a great way to welcome 2012.

Happy New Year!

Dress: Soprano (via Li da la )
Cardigan: J. Crew (via eBay)
Tights: HUE
Knee Socks: HUE
Boots: Keen Bern Baby Bern
Scarf: Boden
Bag: Angry, Young and Poor Bread Bag
Watch: Fossil Outlet
Earrings: JuneDesigns

It’s beginning to look a lot like…

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Diana

The last week before Christmas break, I challenged myself to wear red and green everyday without being tacky. I was also battling a cold that had me slipping into pj’s and going to bed the second I got home everyday, so unfortunately, this outfit is the only one I had enough energy to capture. Fortunately, it was my favorite, so it all evens out.

It’s not unusual to get compliments sometimes from people I work with. This was one of those rare, wonderful outfits that garnered compliments from total strangers. As I was leaving my dermatologist’s office, this cute little old lady stopped to tell me how much she loved my skirt. At the grocery store, a clerk commented on how I must be dressed up for something special. Thus, this skirt remains one of my all-time favorite second-hand finds.

Speaking of the dermatologist, I finally made myself go and find out what was making my lips peel and get irritated during the winter. Turns out, lip balm addicts like myself have a habit of licking their lips a lot, and in the winter, it dries them out to the point where lip balm stings and does more harm than good. My lips are better now thanks to some lotion my dermatologist gave me. She recommended that I switch to lip stick or lip gloss during the winter, since you’re less likely to lick it off. So here’s where I ask for your help: I’m a total lipstick noob. I’ve always been a diehard balm user, and I think I own maybe four tubes of lipstick (which I got for free in Clinique gift sets).

So here’s my questions:

How do I go about finding my perfect shade?
What’s your favorite shade of lipstick?
Do you use different shades of lipliner for different lipsticks, is there a one-shade-fits-all, or do you use it at all?

Tank: Target
Cardigan: J Crew (via eBay)
Skirt: Mix Noveau (via Revolve)
Shoes: Born Codder
Necklace: garage sale
Watch: Fossil outlet
Purse: Morelle Oyster

A neutral kind of day

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Diana

Okay, so I did in fact wear a very similar outfit last September. But hey, that was a year ago, and I have long hair and glasses now, so I think it’s just fine for me to post this version.

I had originally planned to put together a mustard and navy outfit. That is, until I realized that my favorite mustard cardi was in the wash. So I decided for lovely and elegant neutrals instead, with a pop of mustard in my bracelet.

I love how this little navy dress can work with just about everything. It really is a year-round staple for me. The fit is absolutely perfect, the navy color goes with everything (although I often wish I had it in brighter colors), the length is perfect for work. I can wear it alone in the summer, and layer it up in the winter. It’s definitely one of my best consigning finds yet.

Dress: Soprano (via Li da la )
Cardigan: J. Crew (via eBay)
Tights: HUE
Shoes: Dansko Sallys (courtesy of Dansko)
Belt: Vintage
Pearls: Coryell Design
Watch: Fossil
Bracelet: Vintage

Smiles go with… black accents

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Diana

Originally, this outfit got started as a way to mix black and cream. It soon turned into a colorful outfit with black accents instead. To me, black accents always make outfits look classier. This dress has seen better days; the color has faded and its started to pill a bit since I wear it constantly. But with a bright blue cashmere cardigan and lots of opaque black, it looks fantastic again.

This little blue cashmere cardigan was a Boden summer sale purchase. I can never afford full price cashmere, so I always wait until I can find it on sale or secondhand and then snatch it up. I have a feeling I’ll be wearing this little one a lot.

These gorgeous boots were my one Black Friday purchase this year. I’d saved up some money from selling some old shoes on eBay, and I’d had my eye on Keen’s Bern Baby Bern boots for months. When Piperlime had them on sale Black Friday, I decided to go for them and I’m so glad I did. I normally wear an 8 in Keens, but I size up to 8.5, and these fit perfectly. They’re super comfy, flattering, and my toes don’t feel cramped. They’re also dressier than most of my other boots, so they’re okay for work. My only complaint is that the soles don’t have much traction, but I never have to deal with ice, so it hasn’t been an issue for me.

Dress: Boden (via eBay)
Cardigan: Boden
Tights: HUE
Boots: Keen Bern Baby Bern
Purse: Morelle
Belt: Anthropologie
Watch: Fossil Outlet
Pearls: Vintage

“Whoa, that’s so…. girly.”

Posted on January 3, 2011 by Diana

Last year I did nothing for New Year’s Eve. This year, my boyfriend and I went out to a local restaurant and watched Dex Romweber Duo while ringing in the New Year. It was a bit pricey, but it was tons of fun. The weather here was really cold last week, but thankfully it warmed up for NYE. I did end up switching to tights before we left, but that was the only difference.

In the background you can see our “Chirstmas pole”. We didn’t have room for a tree in the house this year, so I wrapped lights around our pole in the living room to create some holiday spirit.

Dress: Boden
Cardigan: Fossil
Leggings: Target
Shoes: Fluevog Malibrans
Necklace: Vintage

Quote: Sucks to Be Me: The All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, Teen Vampire (maybe), by Kimberly Pauley

“Groove the night long”

Posted on May 31, 2010 by Diana

This outfit was my debut for my new black straight leg jeans. I’ve been wanting a pair of black straight leg jeans for a really long time, but for some reason it never occurred to me to check out Levis until last week. I did some research on their site before I went to the store so that I would have a good idea of which jeans I wanted to try on (Levis gives each cut a different number). The only one of my picks that was in the store was the 552, and they fit like a dream. The rise is not too high, but not too low, falling about an inch and a half below my belly button. They are a nice, inky black shade. The straight leg is flattering on my figure, and the hem is long enough for me to decide what length I would like them to be. In these pictures, I shortened the hem by 1″ with fashion tape, to see if I like the length. I’ve come to realize that, on days that I feel like wearing jeans, I also tend to feel like wearing flats. I’m not sure why – I guess maybe it’s a comfort thing. I think these jeans will definitely be a multi-season staple for me.

And did I mention that they’re 98% organic cotton, with a touch of spandex for a nice fit? I love that.

This outfit was a color experimentation of sorts. I really wanted to wear my fuchsia cardigan, but I also really wanted to wear my red Born Codders. Normally, I wouldn’t mix these two colors together, but when I added the red necklace, and kept everything else to simple black and white, it worked.

Never be afraid to try something different.

How are everyone’s Memorial Day weekends going? I’ve been working on some gardening, sewing, and reading. These three things do a fantastic weekend make.

Cardigan: Fossil
Blouse: Ann Taylor LOFT (thrifted)
Jeans: Levis 552
Shoes: Born Codders
Necklace: Garage sale
Earrings: June Designs

Quote: Bring on that Beat, by Rachel Isadora

I realize that I’m a few weeks late, but I’d like to say thank you to Dolly Features for giving me the Sunshine Award.

“People only need people”

Posted on March 29, 2010 by Diana

Sorry if I seemed really stressed out the other day. I am actually feeling really happy overall, and I’m gradually learning how to arrange my new schedule in a way that meets my needs.

I’m learning that the most important thing to me is to have meaningful relationships with other people. This includes family, my boyfriend, my in-real-life friends and my blog friends. Reading blogs used to stress me out, because I felt like I was always behind and never able to keep up. I recently culled my Google Reader down to my absolute favorite blogs and to the blogs of those who stop by here frequently. This is allowing me to focus my blog reading time on a few people (well okay, it’s still about 50 blogs, but that’s a lot less than what I was reading before). Now, I feel able to actually comment and cultivate relationships with other bloggers. My stats may have suffered for it, but I really don’t care.

On to the outfit: I was trying to find a way to make too-short dresses work at my new job. Then I realized that if I simply view them as tunics and wear them with leggings, they work just fine. Since the weather has officially become too warm for tights, I’m thinking about getting some new leggings from We Love Colors to expand my options.