latest and greatest

i was desperate for a break from packing and cleaning for the big move next wednesday. i thought a would post a bunch of outfits from the past 2ish weeks. i've been so busy i could simply label the pictures as to whether i had actually showered that day.(usually no!)hopefully by the time we get to alabama, it will be warm enough to start busting out the spring clothes. also, please note the room transformation. love it. makes selling the house easier, but makes leaving the house harder. i miss that 1992 border print like i miss a big zit.

fave item- besides the hanes t? the necklace that i made as a result of a relief society meeting. and i know skinny jeans are all the rage, but my heart beats quickly for a bell bottom or wide leg. and for classic rock.

fave item- deep v-neck t from target. $6. i need a new one. i love it over a button-up shirt.

fave item- white blouse with floral applique at neckline from the elle collection at kohl's. bought on clearance for $4 two christmases ago. one of my all time favorite white shirts. it deserves an award for being awesome.

fave item- i finally had an excuse to pile on the turquoise. we had our first house showing on this sunday and i couldn't even think to pull anything together so i grabbed old reliable here(black gap dress from 1999 heretofore to be referred to as old reliable or OR) and piled on the jewelry. it's my homage to ralph lauren. and my baby is so lucky to have a mama who loves to dress her in black too. thomas calls me his goth girlfriend, so scarlett must be my goth baby. after this we went and applied black eyeliner to our lips.

fave item- big white shell earrings. from wal*mart clearance for $2. thought they were perfectly tacky. but they remind me of summer and my personal style rule of never having to match or care about tackiness in summer. only 4 more months!

fave item- hanes t shirt. it was busy and this was a mismash of warm things. but i did attempt to do a modern hairstyle. lucky mag claims that the look of spring is a braided side pony. i tried it. and then i tried it again a few nights later. i think i may be too old. and i don't milk cows.

fave item- black sweater cape! like wearing a blanket.

fave item- blue button-up. i used to never wear button-up shirts, but this one has smitten me. i love it with black so much that i want write it creepy love notes with letters cut out from magazines.

fave item- rosette headband. i also thought i was too old for this look but scarlett won't wear it so i decided someone needed to. i hate waste. i added an extra rosette just to put it over the top.

fave item- yikes, this didn't photograph well. i am SURE it looked much better live. but from the looks of my face, i already knew it wasn't working. i did change the shoes to my gunmetal boots. the proportions are all wrong. thighs too big, waist too high. no gracias.

fave item- banana republic dress i bought for my golden birthday two years ago. silk. but too chill for winter so i had to add a longsleeve shirt so that i wouldn't freeze to death in church. the huge sleeves aren't conducive to cardigans.

fave item- cute little chambray shirt i found on the clearance rack at wal*mart. i'll pay 5 bucks for a trendy item from wal*mart any day.

a closer look:

and a word to the wise:

this picture is a prime example of bad proportions. this shirt, pants, boots combo chops me up like chop suey. you should never have 3 of the exact same porportions on your body like this. solution?
1. a more close fitting shirt, or a shirt that doesn't stop at the WIDEST part of my body. i can only imagine what i look like from the back.
or
2. wear non-boot shoes, perhaps something with a heel
or
3. a scarf or necklace or another longer layering piece to distract the eye
or
4. get back in bed, cry, and start over

spring into spring

though i am a committed lover of my personal color scheme, black, white and gray, occasionally i will start jonesing for some color. it is usually this time of year when all the missouri trees look like dry, split-endy hair and there is more ice and bone-chilling and soul-crushing gusts of wind than i can handle. that's when i need some color. not a lot. i could never do an all over full color outfit. i know my limits and what makes me happy in fashion. but lately, even my old stand-bys and not making the cut. i just want a few new items for my clothing repertoire to wear with all my black, white and gray pieces.
in no particular order.

1. the tiered skirt from down east basics in kiwi. i think this would look so great with so many of my gray items. but, it appears to have a drop waist style so i would probably buy it a size smaller so that i could wear it a little higher on my waist for a more current look. plus, it's jersey. BONUS. so if i want to leave it on the floor of my closet for 4 months and then pick it up and wear it on a whim, it will be wrinkle-free.


2. fitted sequin sweater from forever21. normally, blue and i run with different crowds. i just have never liked blue and i own only 1 blue thing in my closet, not counting denim. but, i really want to pair the sequins and that bright china blue with some of my black skirts. or open over a hanes t-shirt because i can't seem to get enough of them.




3. nautical stripe t-shirt from forever21. i don't buy the whole, "don't wear horizontal stripes EVER or you will look like a whale rule". i just don't. my rule is, "wear horizontal stripes if you darn well please and preferably if it's on a smaller part of your body". your posterior is never going to be a good place for stripes. but, we all had to suffer through that "juicy"-emblazoned-across-too-many-big-bums-ordeal of a few years ago and people throw fits about stripes? i digress. since i have been mistaken for a 13 year old boy, i can confidently wear stripes across my chest and not feel like a whale. plus, whatever this color is called(salmon, pale orange, bright peach, coral?), i love it and want to wear this with a high-waisted skirt in light blue. or peeking out from under a more serious blazer. or a dark, spaghetti strap dress.

4. beaded, paint stripey tunic from forever21. longsleeve gray t-shirt, cropped black pants a la audrey hepburn, ballet flats. done deal.

5. i am in love with this necklace tank from jc penney. but in coral, and that color is only available in stores. i could wear this with anything or nothing else. this shirt speaks for itself. i have a pair of bright yellow gladiator sandals that i think would love to be paired with this shirt and a pair of shorts and a gauzy tissue weight t-shirt.

6. i do believe these nude pumps from target will keep me from going over the edge until the trees starting blooming again. i love an all black outfit and a nude shoe. and i think they will be super adorable with a hanes t-shirt and rolled boyfriend jeans and a gigantic dramatic necklace once the weather warms up.

7. paint t-shirt from jcrew but they are hiding the link. worn over my pale blue pin stripe button up.

8. applique
t-shirt from jcrew. possibly with a black turtleneck? and a full skirt? and nude pumps?

9. necklace t-shirt from jcrew. but i am just torturing myself with this one. this was originally $152. and now it is sold out and only available on ebay. but i love it.

10. or this necklace t also from jcrew. also sold out. i am could have bought it a few months ago, but i told myself they would mark it down again. stupid stupid heidi.

a close up:

le sigh.



11. gray cardi from forever21. perhaps with the coral stripe t underneath?

12. graphic
pocket dress from target. my love of opaque black tights would have a field day with this one.

13. long sleeve red dress from target. i love the long sleeves. this dress looks more like a deep orange in real life. would look great with a long gold necklace and a tan. not that i advocate tanning. just an advocate of vitamin d. OR, nude fishnet tights and the nude pumps. holla!

14. d'orsay flats also from target. enough coverage to not look sloppy, enough foot nudity to show off by lime green toenail polish.

15. chambray shirt from old navy. it's like 1993 called and they want their shirt back. but i won't let them take it. black high waisted skirt, longsleeve white shirt underneath, layers and layers of colorful beaded necklaces, textured tights and sky high heels.

and on an unrelated note. i want these boots by cousin jessica. i saw some like them in the victoria's secret catalog last year and i almost died trying to get them but gave up because they aren't very practical. but i hate practicality and have reingnited my lust for them. i can't even explain it. love them.

outfits and the art of motorcycle maintenance

the new header makes this blog worth reading. thank you emily. you light up my life and keep me classy.

sometimes i feel like a week's worth of outfits have an unintentional theme. like one item of clothing keeps reappearing, or certain colors or a feeling keeps popping up. this week would be called "dressing and the art of motorcycle maintenance". not that i know anything about motorcycles. but i love black and boots and skulls.

fave items- i love these gunmetal colored boots. they were the first boots i purchased after we moved from savannah to KC.

dress was purchased at the gap in 1999 for $25. i have worn it at least a million times and it has made appearances at formal dinners, my wedding luncheon and while i was 8 months pregnant. a dream of a dress. never wrinkles. i could sleep in it and still look fresh.

metallic jacket purchased at target for $3.97.

note to self: foosball table adds ten pounds. right on the hips. additional note: move table.

fave item-black steve madden boots purchased on ebay for $60. regularly priced at $200.

but i really love everything in this outfit. this is what i would wear everyday if i could. black and gray and leather and my sparkly scarf.

2nd place fave item- white men's hanes t-shirt. pack of 5 for $9. i may dedicate a week of outfits to these shirts.

probably my fave outfit of the week
fave item- distressed boyfriend jeans. it was actually about 45 degrees one day and so i decided to show off the shapely ankles.



fave trend on me- i LOVE big cuffed jeans a la motorcyle/leave it to beaver/lumber jack style. i started wearing my pants like this 2 summers ago after i decided i hated all the lengths on my other jeans. and my new trend was born. i love it with high wedge sandals and flats. love it. amen.

fave item- goldenrod belt purchased for $1.97 at gap. actually purchased two of them with the intention of giving one to the first person who complimented me on wearing it.