when did i become switzerland?

a long time ago(the 90s) in a land called missouri, i was sort of a flashy dresser. gimme a hooha if you remember me wearing these pants:

i wore these to school on the first day of my junior year of high school. and endured a lot of grief for it. but i loved these pants. i'm surprised they still fit. especially since i remember eating cereal for every meal for a week just to ensure a generous fit. i loved clothes that created a stir. anything "vintage" or bought from a thrift store or costumey or completely wild made it into my wardrobe. lots and lots of polyester. it was a hot couple of years. flash forward to now and my style is completely different. no polyester(loathe it) and lots and lots of black and lots of neutrals.
when did i become switzerland? but, the 70s and vintagey influences are still there. just quieter. more adult. more grown up and 30.

from the past week:

loose menswear style clothing. loose is a must here in alabama. since the humidity is constant and the heat starts at 8am, any prolonged clothing contact to the skin is unbearable. it's hard to tell, but the shirt is striped and the pants are a gray and yellow glen plaid. a subtle mixing of patterns. golfer chic.

from the sabbath. the 80s ruled on Sunday. tie neck blouse, pompadour hair, cap toe pumps, lunchlady blue dress. and a blingity blang cocktail ring.

the queen of non-color. gray and dark gray and white and and silver. a whiter shade of pale. but i was so happy and so comfortable in this. a far cry from my bellbottoms of the 90s.

my version of t shirt and jeans. before i hated simple t shirt and jeans outfits. so boring. now i love the simplicity of it, the joy of a soft t shirt and perfect V neck. simple pleasures.

a closey of the t shirt since my picture is SO unbelievable blurry. i'm think blurry is just my photojournalistic style.
from the gap. it was a lovematch. a supersoft white V-neck t-shirt with a print reminiscent of edgar degas or toulouse lautrec(how's that for name dropping?). some of my faves rolled into one. heaven!

good in"vest"ment

good in"vest"ment and the power of three-
my husband and i have discussed at length why certain things cannot be called investments. he says that an investment should only increase in value. clothes, therefore, almost never can be investments. rarely would an item of clothing increase in value. they are considered expenditures.
also, i have a personal style equation that 3 pieces make an outfit look more complete. i am always happier with a look when there are 3 pieces coordinating.
i happened upon this gray knit vest a few weeks ago whilst i was grocery shopping. it's a wa*mart miley cyrus max azria special. it was $3. that's a price i can't turn down. especially when it was five steps away from the frozen vegetables i was looking at. it's like it jumped into my cart of it's own volition. it was meant to be.
i thought it was a no big deal purchase, and then it jumped into 3 outfits in one week.
first off, open over a concert t-shirt(purchased for $1!) and wide leg jeans. slightly boho.

and then it found itself paired with my easter blouse and my jcrew boyfriend jeans.

and then sunday morning i was recovering from being a little ill on saturday(excuse my face) and it just jumped onto this dress. there was no thought whatsoever. just like magic.
so, while this vest hasn't technically increased in value, it's such an amazing piece and i am so happy that i would have paid at least 3 times what i did because i like it that much, a whopping $9!!! i'm no financial guru. but that just makes good sense to me. and 3 simple outfits were made more interesting because of the power of 3 pieces.

also, i busted out my summer purse, which i was more than a little excited about. a little krazy glue and it was good as new. i love a white purse. and white sunglasses. hurray for spring. or as we say in alabama, hurray for summer for the next 9 months. and then we will have winter for 2 weeks.

and in honesty, this is what this picture looks like pre-edit:

blogging and parenting mix like oil and vinegar on a salad. good together, but not always pretty.

my gym bag, dirty dishes, naked baby. all in a days work.

and another shot from today:

the outfit is pretty tame, but i really think it goes well with the ankle breaking toy cars all over the floor. no secrets here. this really is my glamorous life. (and yes, those are vines painted on my ceiling. don't blame me. it's a rental until our house sells.)

finally, i love dresses. and i think my kitchen was actually clean that day. and now i am just bragging.

watch your feet

hints being dropped.

a few weeks ago my mom sent me an email entitled, "30 great years!" my first thought was, "who has been married 30 years?" or "is someone's 30th birthday coming up that i forgot about?" in actuality, someone is turning 30. me. ME! i've been trying not to dwell on it. i'm not COMPLETELY dreading it, just trying to not think about for fear that it might actually happen. 3 is my favorite number, but the zero chasing it scares me. for no real reason. i've enjoyed being "older". just because i am 15 in my mind doesn't mean adultishness doesn't suit me. anywhooo, the point of the email from my mother was to ask what i wanted for my forthcoming birthday. and i've thought about it and it's a few things beside my usual request for clothes, shoes and a couple hours at the library by myself to catch up on all the tabloids. i compiled a list of dream gifts from my first 30 years.

1. peaches and cream barbie. is there a better barbie doll than this?

she's got the bling, the boa and the barrette. a fashion dynasty.



2. the barbie dream house. my jealously runneth o'er. i was blessed with the barbie townhouse, but i always always coveted the dream house, complete with above ground pool.

i did have the barbie RV. but it was always weird playing with it since i didn't have an AARP barbie.

3. a 1988 grand am. when i was 8, i thought this was the kewl-ist car EVER. i wanted so desperately to be a teenager and to be able to cruise noland road in this little roadster. i never completely got over it. in high school, my BF's little brother drove an old blue one and my heart would always skip a beat when i saw it.

4. big, gigantic hair extensions, only slightly tacky(it's possible!). i remember in the 2nd grade i would draw self-portraits with massive amounts of long, long, wavy hair and earrings the size of madagascar.

not like this:

more like this, almost like a football helmet/halo of hair:

5. a gone with the wind costume. or two.

one for daily wear:

and one for my birthday party:

6. a sequin leotard. or two. when i was about 4 i was playing dress up at a friend's house and she had a bright orange, ruffle and sequin dance costume complete with turban and feather. HEAVEN! i wore it all day and then hid my clothes so that i could wear it home to my house. the best idea i ever had.

for the grocery store:

or this one for a special birthday performance:

and what will my special birthday performance include? no clue. perhaps running in high heels? fastest person to fall asleep at any given time? those are my two big talents.

7. the wonder years complete box set. one of my favorite shows of all time. BUTTHEAD! i actually found this on the internet for $23. does that seem unbelievably cheap to anyone else?

8. fingerless lace gloves. one of my favorite looks from the 80s. plus, i really do need some weightlifting gloves and these lovelies can pull double duty.

9. a dream job once a week at banana republic. banana republic has been one of my favorite stores for years. since i am so calm, cool and sophisticated, just like BR. i would love to get a part time job dressing windows. or folding sweaters. or just trying things on.

what about you???

skirt issues

easter sunday i wanted something new to wear, but i didn't want to break the bank. i bought a fun little t-shirt at forever 21 for $15.50. mostly because i needed change to ride the carousel with scarlett. though i am not a pink person, it worked out nicely. the material has a nice stretchy, slightly silky feel.

i paired it with a silver skirt because i wanted to match scarlett's silver easter dress.

a fun look, except that i am holding my waistband where i wish it would sit, high on my natural waist. i think that fit is more flattering on me.


this is where the skirt sits naturally. even thomas thought it looked off. schlumpy. my words, not his.

a closey of the details:

i felt so very carie in this shirt. so jcrew.

legs glorious legs

everyone has at least one great feature. i really like my calves. and that's probably why i love high heels and knee length skirts. they accentuate my positive. i don't even care that i am pale; i'm avoiding cancer and premature aging. i don't care that my feet can hurt occasionally from wearing heels too long. it's worth it. i feel confident and happy. heels and a skirt can change my whole attitude. it's part of my recipe for happiness in my appearance:

big hair+high heels+freshly shaved legs=HOLLA!

am i so dorky that i still say holla?

fave item- pleated full green leaf print skirt from target purchased for $4. i feel mod and modern at the same time in large graphic prints.

what's your favorite feature? what feature do you secretly love? i secretly love my gray hair. not really, but i do hope that it grows in like stacy london's gray streak.

not excited

about this look making a comeback. really not excited. avert your gaze because it is going to be at wal*mart(natch), amusement parks, tire stores, restaurants, the lake and movie theaters. ALL SUMMER LONG. no one should wear this. this top is a headband and these "overalls" or not-so-overalls look painful. i am sure that no doctor could condone the wearing of these.

and you know who will wear this? teenage girls and moms who wish they were teenage girls and moms of teenage girls who wish they were still teenage girls. i shall dub this outfit, the "stretch mark magnifier". even if you are not a prude, you will want to throw a blanket over this fashion and modesty debacle. she might as well be wearing an ace bandage. at least that serves a purpose. this outfit screams, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ME! I CAN'T MAKE GOOD DECISIONS! OBVIOUSLY, SINCE I PUT THIS MONSTROSITY ON!" but probably without the word monstrosity since i can't imagine a wearer of this outfit having any kind of diploma.

the end.

back in black

remember a while back when i asked your opinion on which dress to get for my sister's wedding?

i ended up ordering the deep V martin + osa dress first and i LOVED it. that is until my husband said it looked too casual and too big on me. and that meant a lot coming from big T. his comments are usually the opposite. so, i took his words to heart and ordered cleopatra from shabby apple. i liked it. i wish i could say that i loved it. it was fun and pretty, but i didn't like the material used. it felt too much like a t-shirt. so, in short. martin + osa was the right fabric, wrong cut and shabby apple was okay cut, cheap material. and a little too see through as evidenced by the photo below. but that's my fault for not picking a black slip.

the only good shot of the front, and it's not a good picture of anything else:

nice and drapey, but i still pine for martin + osa. darn. and now they are all sold out. because i really need another black dress. really. i simply will never have enough.

old house new house

old picture taking spot:

fave item- last year's easter dress. bought from chadwicks. so cheap. so cute. plus i had a 40% off coupon. either i am getting older or chadwicks is getting cuter.
ps- are easter dresses a big deal to you? they are to me. did you get a new one when you were little or do you still try and get a new dress now that you are an adult? this year may be a bit tight, but i am still going to try and squeeze a new easter dress into the budget. for tradition!

new picture taking spot:
fave item- new impressionist style floral flats from target. got them for 10 bucks. love them. they have a rubber sole and everything.

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