Month: May 2015

I Feel Summer

Skirt, Anthropologie (thrifted); top, necklace & shoes, Old Navy; bag, Coach (vintage, eBay)
Skirt, Anthropologie (thrifted); top, necklace & shoes, Old Navy; bag, Coach (vintage, eBay)

This top was an impulse buy during an impulse trip to Old Navy. My casual wardrobe doesn’t really need any additions, so I try to stay away from Old Navy, where cute unnecessary things always seem to call out to me. Perhaps “impulse buy” is not exactly appropriate in this case; I bought the top on a whim, that’s true, but it was a whim motivated by my inability to find a decent striped top. I thought this might be a good option for my wardrobe, albeit not your typical striped top. And whaddya know? It’s pretty much perfect.

stripes + florals = groundbreaking #sarcasm
stripes + florals = groundbreaking #sarcasm
bare legs, barely believe it
bare legs, barely believe it

The greyish blue colour and chambray-like material are a perfect fit with my summer clothes, especially my floral print Anthro skirts. The cut is not figure-flattering per se, but it is loose and floaty which is nice for summer. (It’s almost a trapeze-like style). The length is a bit odd; not quite cropped, and not quite regular length. It makes tucking in a bit more challenging, but it does give me an opportunity to experiment with different silhouettes. I usually love accentuating my waist, but I’m also drawn to these looser silhouettes these days. I don’t know if I’m alone in this, but that tends to happen whenever I lose some weight; it might sound counterintuitive to play with volume in those circumstances, but I’m actually more adventurous (confident?) with my outfit formulas.

TL;DR This was a cute outfit, and the first time I bared my legs this year. SUMMER IS COMING!!!

wind effect!
wind effect!
action shot!
action shot!

Paisley Princess

Skirt, Zara; top, Loft (via eBay); shoes, Ivanka Trump; bag, MbMJ (via eBay)
Skirt, Zara; top, Loft (via eBay); shoes, Ivanka Trump; bag, MbMJ (via eBay)

I don’t have much to say about this outfit, save that it was probably a little too princess-y for the office, but I liked it anyway. I tried toning it down by removing the sparkly necklace from the equation, but the result felt a little, um, bare so I put it back on. It’s kind of difficult to accessorize a print this busy, but I think this necklace actually does a pretty good job.

this skirt is so pretty
this skirt is so pretty

I still adore this Zara midi skirt, and have never regretted paying full retail price for it. The shape is so pretty! And, let’s be real, incredibly flattering. Considering that a midi hemline can be tricky on the vertically (somewhat) challenged, that’s a huge bonus. I do still struggle to find the right kind of topper to go with it, since so many of my blazers are on the long and/or slouchy side, but it’s almost summer now which means the struggle can wait a few months. #TheStruggleIsReal

necklace, J. Crew Factory
necklace, J. Crew Factory

Oh look, close-up of mah joolz. Sometimes, the Crewlet really hits it out of the ballpark. It almost makes up for all the other times when I end up with loose rhinestones after 2 wears. #TskTsk #StillGonnaGoBackForMore #NeverLearn

no twirling at the office, sigh
no twirling at the office, sigh

Repeat Offender

Jeans AE; blazer, Elie Tahari; top, Gap Outlet; necklace, J. Crew; shoes, Ferragamo; bag, YSL
Jeans AE; blazer, Elie Tahari; top, Gap Outlet; necklace, J. Crew; shoes, Ferragamo; bag, YSL

I’m breaking a cardinal rule of fashion blogging by showing an outfit I’ve worn before. The. Exact. Same. Outfit. Give or take the shoes and bag. And I’m giving it to you in photo overload to boot. Here’s hoping you guys have short attention spans, or forgiving hearts.

The truth is that I rarely re-wear the exact outfit (unless we’re talking about dresses), and I blame the blog for that. I’ve been (style) blogging for 5 years now (omg, that’s equal parts impressive and embarrassing), and I got into the habit early on of mixing things up to “keep things interesting”. Don’t get me wrong: I use the same outfit formulas over and over, but I usually try to switch up the pieces every time. And it’s fine. That’s part of the creative aspect of dressing up that I love.

stuck on repeat
stuck on repeat
still looking good
still looking good

But you know what? I’m getting to a point where, if I find an outfit that really, truly works for me, I just want to … keep wearing it, without changing a single damn thing. Groundbreaking, I know. It doesn’t make for good blog fodder, no doubt, but I feel like it’s actually an achievement. After all, the goal of all that experimenting was to hone in on and refine my style, right?

Call it mission accomplished.

#FashunBloggerPose #Mandatory
#FashunBloggerPose #Mandatory
OK, we're done
OK, we’re done