Dislike!

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

 

sweater -- Erika & Co. (thrifted)

tank -- Flying Colors (Kmart)

pants -- Fashion Bug Stretch 

clogs -- Dansko

I had been looking forward to wearing this sweater jacket since I got it. I was originally going to wear it with a skirt, and I was going to pair it with a red tank and red stockings, but then I had to run a bunch of errands before work, and honestly, I just didn't feel like wearing tights or stockings again today. I still wanted to wear it though -- so I thought it would look fine with a pair of brown pants.

Unfortunately, it didn't. The outfit was a big fail. The sweater jacket was big and baggy -- no shape whatsoever. It was probably at least a size too big for me, if not two sizes too big. My pants were baggy around my hips -- not that I wanted to have my pants be skin tight, but coupled with this jacket -- together, well they just did nothing for me.

And then my hair. What on earth happened to my hair (you can see what I'm talking about in the picture below -- that horn that I have on the side of my head)? This was just a bad, bad day for me. Very disappointing, but then that is one of the reasons why I am trying to take my picture every day. I am trying hard to assess my appearance -- be objective about it -- figure out what looks good on me and what kind of an impression I'm making on the people around me.

Here is another picture of me wearing the same pants a few months ago.

One up note -- I did like my necklace. The necklace is a piece of fused glass that my mom had made several years ago. I thought it really picked up the orange in my tank really nice.

Indecision

Monday, February 7, 2011

 shirt --Pointelle (thrifted)

skirt -- AK Anne Klein

boots --

Today was one of those days where I couldn't make a decision on what to wear. I knew that I wanted to wear this top to work today, but that was about the only thing that I did know. I didn't know if I wanted to wear a skirt or pants -- I finally decided on a skirt. But that it was which black skirt did I want to wear with it? Then it was, did I want to wear boots or shoes or ankle boots?* And then I had to decide on what jewelry I was going to wear.

I wanted to wear the shirt because I have been wanting to wear clothes that are a bit more colorful. In the end, I should have just scrapped the top and worn something else entirely, because I ended up being uncomfortable the entire day. I'm not sure how I feel about the top -- I really liked it when I got it, but I can't help thinking that it's what I would call an "old lady" shirt -- something that my grandma would have worn. But hey, I'm getting to be the age of my grandma, so maybe that shouldn't be so surprising that I gravitated toward the top in the store. You know what they say, "If the shoe fits, wear it." In my case though, it's if the shirt fits, and is colorful, wear it.

The top was viscose -- I never even heard of that type of material before. Answers.com describes viscose as a type of rayon, which is similar to cotton and silk. It's a man-made fiber made from purified cellulose, somewhere in between a natural fibers, like cotton, wool and silk, and artificial ones that are synthesised out of petrochemicals like nylon and polyester. Hmm. That's kind of interesting.The fabric did have a different feel to it.

Anyway, I did get several compliments on how I looked today -- I think everybody is tired of the cold and gray, overcast days and were happy to see somebody wearing something with a little color in it. 

*I actually brought an extra skirt and an extra pair of shoes to work today. What did I think I was going to do? Change clothes once I got to work?

Frankenstein

Friday, February 4, 2011

shirt -- White Stag

pants -- The Limited (thrifted)

shoes -- Dansko (left behind)

I call the shoes that I'm wearing in this picture my Frankenstein shoes, because they're so big and clunky. I feel like I go clomp, clomp, clomp and that I tower over everybody* when I walk around in them -- sort of how I envision Frankenstein. But the similarity ends there, because they are super comfortable shoes. They are also very warm shoes -- they are a bit too big for me, so I can wear heavy socks with them. When I was packing for Europe last winter, these shoes made the cut, and I wore them almost every day, traipsing around Brussels.

They are Danskos, and I'm not sure where I got them from. I didn't buy them, even though the Dansko outlet is a few miles from my house and even though I'm a huge Dansko fan. I'm pretty sure that one of the students who rented a room in my house left them behind when she moved out, and like the scavenger that I am, I kept them. I'm glad that she left them. I wear them a lot, with jeans and mostly in the winter, when big clunky shoes don't look so silly.  

I am a huge scavenger -- between trying to save money and trying to save the Earth, I try to reuse and repurpose as many things as I can. I'm always looking for new ideas on how to reuse things. I love to shop at garage sales, yard sales, thrift stores, secondhand stores, flea markets, and so on. I use Freecycle, and I've even been known to pick up things that were sitting out on the curb. 

I used to be somewhat embarrassed by that -- but lately it seems that my habits or tendencies are being embraced by more and more people. I've even come across new words being coined -- trashion (a fancy way of saying fashionable trash) and upcycled (a fancy way of saying recycling your trash into something that can be used again). I don't know if this is because of the economy, because more people are becoming more environmentally conscious, or because the Internet has given us a way to become more socially acceptable -- you know, there's more power in numbers. For whatever reason, it's pretty cool.

*I'm only 5'4", so even with my Frankenstein shoes on, I still don't tower over anybody!

Unforgiving

Thursday, February 2, 2010

shirt -- Delia's

camisole -- Route 66 (Kmart)

pants -- Josephine Chaus

belt -- Levi's (thrifted)

shoes -- Thom McKan (Kmart)

My pictures are being taken at the end of a long day at work (10:30 pm) by my wonderful friend and coworker. And after having stared at paper copy and computer screens for 8 hours, I'm tired, and he's tired. And because a camera is unforgiving -- it captures my tired eyes, my worn-out looks, and clothes that are too tight -- it can be really hard to get a picture that I like, especially at the end of the night. 

And yet, my friend never seems to mind when I say, "Ewww ... that picture is horrible! Can you take another one?" And he will keep taking pictures until I'm happy. 

Tonight was a case in point.* Here is just part of what he has to put up with ... 

"Ok. How should I stand?"

"How about if you look off to the side? Put your foot a little bit behind you."

"I look fat."

"No you don't."

"Can you take another?"

"Stand up straight now."

"I closed my eyes."

"Stand up straight."

"I look tired."

"No you don't."

"Wait, I'm not ready."

He never seems to get mad or frustrated with me, no matter how much I whine or complain. And believe me, I do whine and complain, and then I whine and complain some more.

And yet, even at the end of a long night, when we are both exhausted, he has taken some of the best pictures of me that I have ever seen. I think a big part of it is because he doesn't get mad, and I'm able to relax. He also doesn't make me feel silly or stupid -- no judgment. And that makes a world of difference when I'm having my picture taken, a time when I feel so incredibly vulnerable. 

I am incredibly lucky to have found such a good friend. Take care of your friends -- they are hard to find.  

*I was exhausted tonight -- every time, I tried to look at the camera, my eyes started to cross. If my eyes weren't crossing, then they were closed. If my eyes looked ok, then I wasn't standing up straight enough, and my stomach rolls were showing. 

Chuck's Chicks AKA Charlie's Angels

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

I love my shoes!

sweater -- Jaclyn Smith Studio (Kmart)

skirt -- Moda Intl (Victoria's Secrets)

boots -- White Mountain (thrifted)
bracelet / necklace -- thrifted

Once again, I wasn't feeling particularly inspired when it came to deciding what to wear to work today. I ended up going with this knit cardigan/tank* (it's actually one piece) and pairing it with a black knit skirt. The blacks didn't match exactly, but I was pretty sure that nobody was going to call the color police on me. It's been very dark and dreary out lately, and I think my wardrobe choices are reflecting that a bit. Regardless, I was actually quite pleased with how the pictures turned out.

I ended up liking my whole look, and even though both pieces (the cardigan and the skirt) have been in my closet for ages, I did wear it a bit differently. The shoes -- I think they're called ankle boots, in particular, were quite a departure for me. I really like the way they look. In the past, I would have worn either a pair of black clogs or a different pair of black clogs. Clogs are super, super comfortable, and I still wear them a lot, especially if I'm going to be on my feet for awhile, but now I've started to go a little shoe crazy. I've bought boots, and peep toes, and more boots, and heels, and ...

The other change was jazzing it up with some jewelery. With the black neckline, you'd think it would have been easy to pick out a necklace to wear, but I ended up trying on a few before deciding on two different black hematite necklaces and a multistrand silver serpentine. I should have just worn the hematite, because the other just ended up tucked inside my shirt the whole day.

I love the look and feel of black hematite -- it's cold and shiny and smooth. It also appeals to me because -- wonder of wonders, it's a mineral! Just what an ex-geophysicist like me would like. 

*I got the cardigan years ago at Kmart. It was part of the Jaclyn Smith clothing line -- hence, the Chuck's Chick title for this post. I've been pleasantly surprised at how well it has held up over the years (and I do mean years). It still looks relatively new, with no pilling of the knit, and it's very comfortable.

Paper Bag

Monday, January 31, 2011

shirt -- Rayna Morgan

jumper -- R & K Originals

tights -- L'eggs

clogs -- Sanita

This outfit is a pretty typical one for me, or I should say it "was" pretty typical for me. It had all the elements of the type of clothes that I gravitated toward -- no color and no shape. 

I pulled it out of my closet today because I needed to get out of the house in a hurry (I had a ton of errands to run before work*), and I didn't have time to agonize over what I was going to wear. So I ended up wearing something that was familiar to me. It was easy. It was comfortable. And I knew that it looked good on me. 

Or did it? 

I see the picture now, and I think that I look drab -- I look like I'm wearing a paper bag. And I actually dressed it up today, compared to how I would have worn it in the past, by adding a bunch of jewelry. And boy, am I glad that I did. I'm not sure what else I could have done to jazz this up a bit.

Hmmm ... this picture really makes me think. 

*One of today's errands was to pick up a bag of neckties that somebody was giving away on Freecycle. I was so excited when the person told me that I could have them. The person warned me that some of these ties were downright ugly. No matter -- the uglier the better for what I wanted them for. And boy did I luck out! I got a bag full of the greatest multi-colored ties (there were even two Jerry Garcia ties in the bag) -- just perfect for making a vest like Iman's I can't wait to see if I can make something that looks half as good as hers! 

How cool are they?! You can see more of Iman's tie vests on her blog at Mishaps and Miracles.

Chuckies!

"Don't get the kind that slip and slide!
    Get the kind with the STAR on the side!"

 

Okay. These pictures are silly -- my photographer (aka my co-worker) said that if I was going to wear athletic shoes, I had to have an athletic pose, so I ran with that sentiment*, and had some fun with the pictures. 

*I can't believe that I can still throw my leg up that high!

 shirt -- Old Market Road

pants -- London Jean (Victoria's Secret)

shoes -- Converse All Star

For my birthday this year, I treated myself to a pair of black high-top Chuck Taylor Converse sneakers. I had been wanting a pair for awhile, and I finally splurged on them. I couldn't believe that I actually wanted a pair -- when I was in high school, I had a pair of mustard yellow low knock offs. And boy did I ever hate them! They were so incredibly ugly, especially that white rubber part on the toe of the shoe. Adding insult to injury -- they never ever seemed to wear out.


Why on Earth did I want a pair so badly now that I'm a big girl, if I hated them so much when I was a kid? I do know that I have a lot of fun when I wear them. And, the guys at work get a big kick out of them when I wear them. In fact, one guy actually comes around just about every day to check out my footwear and gives me a thumbs up or a thumbs down. My Chuckies are a definite thumbs up!

Purple Plaid

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

sweater -- Jeanne Pierre (no clue where it came from)

pants -- no boundaries (again, no clue)

shoes -- Dansko

A year ago, if somebody had told me that I would be wearing purple plaid pants to work, I would have said, "No way -- you're crazy." Well, I did, and they're not -- crazy, that is. I may be, but that's a story for another day! I wore purple plaid pants to work today, and I am glad that I did, and I was very comfortable.*

One of the reasons for me doing this blog was so that I could weed through my wardrobe and figure out what to keep and what to get rid of, and to try out different ways of wearing my clothes. I was in such a rut -- always wearing the exact same thing, the exact same way. Well, with my purple plaid pants, I think I am definitely breaking out of that rut.

I must have tried on half a dozen different tops before I settled on this one -- I kept looking for something in red, but that just wasn't working. I tried gray -- but my gray tops were more like sweatshirts, and didn't go at all. Then I tried a black sweater and let it hang loose -- nope, that didn't work either. I finally just tucked the sweater in, and that I was ok with.

I think I'll keep the pants, but I'm going to be on the lookout for a different top for them ... a thrifting here I come.

*I had lost a ring that I wore on my thumb at work the day before. Somebody found it, and gave it to our receptionist. The receptionist was asking all the women, trying to find out whose ring it was -- and one of my co-workers said that it was probably mine. She told me that when she saw it was a thumb ring, she knew it had to be mine because I was about the only woman in the office who would wear one. I took that as a compliment. 

And now here's a close-up of my sparkly shoes ... How cool are they? I love, love, love them!

Outside My Comfort Zone

Monday, January 24, 2011

 

dress -- Old Navy / tank -- Old Navy

scarf -- JCPenney

tights -- Target / boots -- Diba (thrifted)

earrings -- Silverworks / gift

bracelet -- Fair Trade

rings -- family / DIY gift / mood ring (Washington DC)

Wow ... Today, I was wearing clothes outside my comfort zone. Purple tights and a scarf! Yikes. I kind of felt like I belonged in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory* with the purple tights. Anyway,
I really like the way colored tights look with a skirt or a dress, and so I've been wanting to try to find a way to wear them. I got the tights at Target -- they have a great selection of colors at a fairly decent price -- and the color was a perfect match to a tank that I already had. 

I added the scarf at the last minute. I like the "idea" of scarves -- they look dressy and elegant, but on everybody else. So, to be honest, I took the scarf off when I got to work, and then put it back on for the picture! I'm just not comfortable wearing a scarf inside, and I find them to be kind of annoying. To me, a scarf is something that belongs around your neck when you're outside, and it's cold.  

I'm not sure if this outfit was a hit or a miss, and I can't put my finger on what's making me hesitate. I liked all the pieces individually, but did the sum of the pieces add up to less? I guess I'm wondering if I went a little bit overboard with both the scarf and the tights. Maybe the color of the tights was just a bit too bright for me? I wonder if I would have liked it more if the color was a bit more muted.

*In Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Violet Beauregarde was one of the five children who found a golden ticket to the Chocolate Factory. She ignores Willy's rules during the tour, and grabs a piece of chewing gum in the Inventing Room. When she chews the gum, she turns blue and inflates like a giant blueberry. The Oompa Loompas have to roll her to the Juicing Room to squeeze the juice out of her. At the end of the movie, when Charlie is leaving the chocolate factory, he sees Violet and she's all blue. Funny that I didn't think of Avatar, when I thought about being blue.

Here's a few other ways that I've worn this scarf.

Nefertiti

Thursday, January 20, 2011

shirt -- Nefertiti Collection (old, I think I got it at Marshalls)

skirt -- Eddie Bauer (old)

tights --L'eggs
boots - Nomad (thrifted)
earrings -- Silverworks

necklace -- can't remember (children's?)

bracelet -- thrifted
rings -- pearl ring (family) / mood ring (Washington DC) / black and silver ring (JCPenney)

I wasn't feeling too inspired about getting ready for work today. I opened my closet, and started going through my clothes -- one by one, hoping something would jump out at me. For some reason, this top popped out. I bought it many years ago, when I was just newly divorced. I don't remember now why I bought it -- it wasn't something that I would typically wear, and it was somewhat out of my comfort zone. But I really liked it when I tried it on, and it gave me a good feeling -- I felt good about me. And that feeling was reinforced when I wore it to work, because my co-worker (who I never really got along with) told me that he saw me as being confident. Wow! That was a huge shock to hear. And now whenever I see this shirt, that's what I think of. Did I need that shot of confidence today?

Nefertiti was the Queen of Egypt, and has been called the most beautiful woman in the world. Very apropos label for this top, if I say so myself!

In My Closet

What I wore on Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Sweater Dress

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

From My Closet

Friday, January 14, 2011

From My Closet

Thursday, January 13, 2011

From My Closet

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

shirt, Trnka

sweater, hand-knit (Norway)

jeggings, 17/21 exclusive denim

shoes,

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

 

dress, Mossimo (Target)

belt, 

sweater, Old Navy

From My Closet

Monday, January 10, 2011

 

shirt, Dia

pants, 

belt,

boots,

necklace, 

bracelet

Friday, January 7, 2010

shirt, 

pants, 

belt,

shoes,

necklace

Thursday, January 6, 2011

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sweater,
skirt, Express (old)
shoes, Thom McKan
necklace, don't remember

In My Closet

What I wore to work on Tuesday, January 4, 2011

 shirt, Gap stretch

pants, London Jean (Victoria Secret)

clogs, Thom McAn

bracelets, stolen from my kids' toy box -- how cool are they?

In my Closet

Daily Outfit January 2, 2010