Breaking the Silence

Remember when I used to blog??

Sadly, shortly after our great trip to the Northwest last month, I was taking daily outfit photos and dropped our camera for the second time.  The lens yet again got stuck and this time, it was irreparable.  Well, not totally irreparable, but expensive enough to make it not worth it.  We’re a bit in limbo at the moment as we want to purchase an SLR, but can’t quite justify the expense and yet don’t want to plop down the $200 for the ELPH again as well. 

I do have a borrowed one at the moment….so here are some old photos from the last *gulp* near month…

September 14, 2010

white pintuck tunic—H&M
glenplaid shorts--Banana Republic, retail days
gold flats--Target
filigree earrings--Express, remixed

September 16, 2010

chambray shirt—H&M
purple satin skirt--Limited, remixed
big brown belt--Banana, remixed
brown wedges--Payless, remixed

September 21, 2010

lace top—Forever 21, remixed
gray pants--Banana Republic, retail days
black peeptoe flats--Madden Girl via DSW, remixed

September 22, 2010

blue patterned dress—BCBG, thrifted
putty cardigan--J.Crew, remixed
gold flats--Target, remixed
gray sparkle headband--J.Crew, remixed
teardrop necklace--Limited, remixed

 

September 26, 2010

black & white dress—Anthropologie, remixed
gold flats--Target, remixed
yellow beads--Limited, remixed

September 27, 2010

gray molded & melded tee—Anthropologie, remixed
black capris--NY&Co, remixed
black wedges--Madden Girl via DSW, remixed
pink earrings--10,000 Villages, remixed

September 28, 2010

paisley top—Tucker for Target
gray ruffle vest--H&M, remixed
trouser jeans--Banana Republic, remixed

September 29, 2010

pink cardigan—Banana Republic, remixed
blue lace cami--Banana Republic, remixed
jeans--Joe's Provacateur via ebay, remixed
pearls--Forever 21, remixed
brown wedges--Payless, remixed

October 3, 2010

brocade pencil skirt—Tucker for Target
white ruffle tank--Gap, remixed
navy blazer--LOFT, remixed
beige pumps--Madden Girl via DSW, remixed

October 5, 2010

blue plaid shirt—Gap, remixed
gray skirt--H&M, remixed
brown plaid wellies--Banana Republic, remixed
red snowflake socks--J.Crew, remixed
beaded belt--Anthropologie, new!
mother-of-pearl earrings--Sarasota gift shop, remixed

As you can see, I’ve done a bit of shopping lately (shhh….) .  Several of the pieces I wore in these outfits were new, including the Tucker for Target top and skirt, the chambray shirt from H&M, and this gorgeous beaded belt from Anthro.  LOVE.

Holy Knees, Batman

September 8, 2010

green tube top—Hollister, old
pink cropped cardigan--Express, remixed
distressed boyfriend khakis--American Eagle, remixed
strappy brown wedges--Banana, remixed
"approaching dusk necklace"--Anthropologie, sale

Happy Hump Day, everybody!

After looking at these pictures this morning, I actually wore the cardigan unbuttoned all day, but was constantly tugging on the top to keep it up.  Not comfy.  And I suppose that holes in the knees are less than appropriate for work, but I was feeling the pegged-pants-with-loose-top-and-pretty-necklace look. 

I love this new necklace (also part of my gifts-to-self from the Anthro sale section last month)!  It’s actually long and has the clusters of beads hanging down either side, but I decided to double loop it to fill the space left by the strapless top.   So pretty and delicate and I think it will be versatile with the two different lengths!

I’ve got a hot date tonight with the a/c on full blast, a heating pad on my belly, and some nutella on whatever I can find in the pantry. :)  Have a great one!

Bye Bye Summer

September 7, 2010

white flower top—Francesca’s, remixed
pin-striped blazer--Limited, remixed
black walking shorts--Limited, remixed
green metallic headband--J.Crew, remixed
earrings--Target, remixed
red-striped wedges--TOMS, remixed

Well, summer may officially be over, but it’s still in the mid-eighties up here and I’m still wearing shorts and my TOMS! 

As much as I’m sure you enjoy viewing my bath towel on the closet door, I need to start paying attention to my backgrounds in indoor photos.  Sorry about that!

I need to confess something: don’t get too excited; it’s not very juicy.  My body has undergone some crazy changes since I turned 29 (or more slowly without my noticing) and many of the items in my closet suddenly don’t fit properly or at all.  I’d been getting incredibly frustrated planning to wear certain things only to find out that they didn’t fit the next morning when I put them on and I was sick of the frustration as well as about feeling unhappy about my body.  So, this weekend, I took control.  I mercilessly tore through my closet and pulled out anything that I either wasn’t wearing lately or that I knew didn’t fit right now and put them in two giant bins.  There’s no pressure to give them away or sell them right now, but my closet currently consists only of items I can and want to wear and I’m liberated from the pressure of too many choices (that aren’t so in actuality).

These shorts are an item that was super baggy for so long and that now fit well so I’ve been wearing them a lot the last week.  Plus, they might only have a couple of weeks left so I want to get all of the wear out of them I can!

Thanks for listening to my rant and nonsense chatter and visiting my Gospel of Style, as always!  :)

Semi-Professional

August 24, 2010

black & green sweater—LOFT, remixed
silver pants--Limited, remixed
patent mary janes--J.Crew, remixed

It was raining again today and so we’re still stuck with indoor photos.  For whatever reason, I wasn’t happy with any of the ones I took this afternoon, so here’s the best of the worst.  :)

With the rain, I wasn’t up for my rubber flats again or my wellies, so I went with patent pumps, which are basically waterproof anyway.  I put on pants that aren’t capris or shorts for the first time in….months?!  It was so strange, but I felt very professional all day with my pants and collar & cuffs.  Plus, these shoes are comfortable enough for walking from my car, taking the dog out, and running errands.  All that and a pop of pink patent peep-toe (say that three times fast!)?  Yes, please.

Post-Challenge Blues Already?

August 4, 2010

sleeveless sweater—Ann Taylor, old
white chinos--J.Crew, remixed
big brown belt--Banana, remixed
silver t-straps--J.Crew, remixed
leaf earrings--10,000 Villages, remixed

I really had no idea what to wear the day after the 30 for 30 ended so I made a list of things I wanted to wear again.  Admittedly, it was a short, random list, so we’ll see how far that gets me.  This top was on that list—it’s at least five years old but I hadn’t worn it yet this summer. 

I like the neutrals trend and the ease of pairing them together for hot, hot days like we’ve had all summer.  Wearing white just makes me feel cooler. 

Heat Wave

shoulder-tie tank--Limited
black walking shorts--Limited
red peeptoe slingbacks--Madden Girl via DSW.com, remixed
earrings--Forever 21

Friends: it is 90 degrees in New England today.  In May.  Last June, we had highs in the 50s and rain everyday.  And yet, there are (well-loved) members of my family who deny climate change.  *sigh*
I feel bare and pale in these photos!  It always feels strange to re-reveal flesh after long winters and while I’m usually most traumatized over my legs, I’ve begun to love and accept them over the last few months.  Going bare-shouldered to work, however,  feels strange.  Granted, it is senior week, which means in all likelihood there’s no one around the office and no visitors are likely to pop by unexpected.  And I still feel fairly professional in walking shorts and heels.  But seriously, it’s HOT and I just want to be at the beach since they’re still free until they officially open this weekend.




I have an admittedly casual job where the dress code matters little to none.  In fact, I’m often noted for dressing up so much and especially for my shoe choice (and sheer quantity).  I always try to dress up and look semi-modest for liturgies and more professional meetings and events, but I also wear jeans often and in the summer, when I’m in and out, I might even be seen in shorts or running clothes.  Besides, on service trips and retreats, we’re all in grungy clothes or sweats whether we’re students or staff, so it really runs the gamut.

What kinds of things are off limits for you at work?  Is there a dress code or expected “look?”

Dressing My Best--Day 2!

When I made my top five list of my favorite body features,  I had a couple of outfits in mind, but this was not one of them. :)

black petals cardigan, LOFT sale, remixed

brown sequined tank--NY&Co

black zippered capris--NY&Co

blue double-buckle belt--Old Navy clearance, remixed

black pointy flats--DSW, remixed

However, a few things happened to bring this outfit together today...

#1  It was really cold.  Like high in the upper 40s cold.  In May.

#2  I wanted to wear my new capris and tank--more on that in a minute

#3  By process of elimination, I decided to dress to emphasize another favorite part: my petite frame.

I've been "small" my whole life.  Pretty much, that means I've been short and proportional.  As much as I like wearing heels and am often jealous of those who never have to hem pants, I really do love my petite figure, short limbs and all. 

Wearing capri pants might not seem like the most obvious way to show that off, but I thought I could sneak in Dressing My Best AND my new clothes by doing a monochrome black look, with skinny pants and pointy flats.  Besides, both these pants and the tank were FIFTY PERCENT OFF.  Thanks crazy NY & Co. sales!!

J.Crew circa 2007

green cords--J.Crew, old

brown liberty-print shirt--J.Crew, old

taupe cardigan--Limited

blue suede flats--Chinese Laundry via Macy's clearance, remixed

I thought I was finished with Operation Wear It or Lose It, but these pants really do fall into the category of used-to-love-but-are-now-outdated-but-I-still-can't-give-them-up.  I really do feel like I'm party of a J.Crew catalogue from around 2006-7 since both the liberty-print blouse and the pants are from there during that time frame.  It was also FREEZING today with crazy high winds despite the sunshine. 

The Trouble with Capris

navy striped tank--American Eagle

beige cardigan--J.Crew

pink capris--Old Navy

brown wedges--Payless, remixed

shell necklace--handmade by a friend

earrings--American Eagle

What a week...I've been working and attending Census training every night this week from 5-9pm, so needless to say it's been a looonnggg one.  My work week is over and only two more days of [paid] Census training!  Plus, it's actually been kind of interesting and fun, even it means I haven't gotten ANYTHING else done this week (e.g. running, blogging...etc.).

It was also Day 3 of Operation Wear It or Lose It!  I went through about five outfits this morning and tossed several more things into the donation pile, including a mini trench and red pants (I know...why did it take this long??).  This pink capris were salvaged.  They're about seven years old and terribly faded, but I couldn't seme to get rid of them in previous years.  I have a real love-hate relationship with capri pants.  I'm short, with thicker legs, so ankle-length pants are not exactly my most flattering look.  I don't think they're flattering on most people, actually, unless they're just under the knee.  So, I cuffed these to make them a little shorter but I can accept the fact that they're still not super attractive.  As my husband said, "They can't all be home runs."

Thoughts on capri pants?  Can anyone under 5'8" pull them off well?

In reality, they would have gone into the "Lose It" pile, but I love the giant button on the fly.  I don't know why or what it is about this button, but it's big and playful and I love it.

I know it's only been three days, so I probably shouldn't make any large proclamations about this "experiment," but I've actually been a bit humbled to wear old stuff I never wear anymore.  It's shown me how much really is in my closet and that I can feel good in things that aren't brand new or super-of-the-moment (although I'd much rather be in the latter, honestly).  I only have a couple of things left on the list, but I plan to do this at the end of the summer as well before I pack everything away again.

OWIOLI Updates:

Items Worn: 5

Items Donated: 4