aida's closet

03.26.2012 [mon]

Worn to: Walgreens, work, tacos w/Kindah and Michael

Blouse: Old Navy
Blazer, scarf, booties, shades: Forever 21
Jeans: Empyre (via Zumiez)
Hoop earrings: GNW (via Fred Meyer)
Watch: Timex (via Target)
Purse: Coach (gift)

Thoughts:
I picked up some springy tinted lip balms today! After trying the Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in “Peach Parfait” (which I’ve been wearing as a slightly-more-pigmented-than-my-natural-lip color for a month or so now, wearing it today in fact), I decided to pick up a few other shades when I saw that they were buy one get one half off: red (“Candy Apple”), orange (“Tutti Frutti”), cream (“Creamsicle”), and light pink (“Strawberry Shortcake”). Hopefully I picked good shades for myself, I am still not entirely sure about which make-up colors suit me best. I’ll do a short review of these soon!

This is also the last time you’ll be seeing these flared jeans until fall comes back around. I have a thinner, baggier, lighter washed pair that I wear in spring/summer. I usually swap them when spring starts, but since the weather has been crummy I decided to wait an extra week. I started doing this last year and found it helps me keep my staple denim feeling fresh each season (not to mention last longer). Ideally I would also keep my light gray skinny jeans for spring/summer and swap to charcoal in the fall/winter, but I have yet to find a good charcoal pair. Maybe this year!

Behind the outfit:
This outfit was inspired by a great plaid+sequins look over on YLF, but as I don’t have any sequins I substituted in this scarf which has loads of sparkly silver threads running through it. I started with the golden gingham shirt, and since it’s still cold enough to need a topper (but not cold enough for a coat, yay!) I immediately got the idea to pair it with the orange blazer because, well, I just love adjacent color pairings. And bright colors make me happy.

From there I decided that the cheerful top would make a good seasonal send off for these jeans, plus the darker color helps keep things somewhat toned down (so does the neutral scarf, though its silver threads certainly don’t). I chose cognac booties and gold purse to pick up on the warm tones, my default spring watch in white for added lightness, and plain silver hoops because there is more than enough interest going on around my face already. Not a look for the color shy, but I felt super cheerful in this today!

WORDS: View comments 3/26/12 Filed under: #bright orange blazer #cognac heeled oxford booties #cream with silver fringed scarf #gold mini satchel #golden gingham button.up #oversized aviator shades #silver hoops #vintage wash baggy flared jeans #white oversized watch #~observations

03.25.2012 [sun]

Worn to: Brad/Cristin/Ian/Joe over after their ride, grocery

Sweater: LOFT
Jacket, jeans: Target
Oxfords: Bronx “Heat of Nite” (via Nordstrom)
Hoop earrings: GNW (via Fred Meyer)
Necklace, shades: Forever 21
Watch: Timex (via Target)
Scarf: Old Navy
Purse: Coach (gift)

Thoughts:
Somehow my sweater shrunk when I washed it a couple days ago! I have washed it several times before, always the same way, with cold water and air dried. I’m hoping I can gently stretch the slouch back into it but I don’t have high hopes for that working. I’ll have to experiment with the sweater to see how to make it work for me if I can’t get it to stretch back to its normal shape. Not sure how much I like this tighter fit, it really emphasizes the dolman sleeve which isn’t the best sleeve shape for my strong shoulder line (the looser body helped to mitigate that). Sad.

I wasn’t really planning on going anywhere or seeing anyone today, so I was in my PJs when our friends stopped by for a short visit after going out for a ride. I therefore threw this together quite quickly, and am pretty pleased with how it turned out! This is actually a take on my spring color palette formula, with the ivory and color (green) only in the scarf. That little formula has really been a great tool when I need a little outfit inspiration!

Backlogged outfits update: Feb 28th | Building An Outfit - 4 Stages | Mar 1st | Mar 3rd

WORDS: View comments 3/25/12 Filed under: #brown faux leather jacket #champagne sparkly dolman sleeve sweater #cream with navy green and tan circles scarf #gold mini satchel #gray distressed oxfords #gray skinny jeans #silver hoops #silver robot pendant #tortoiseshell oversized shades #white oversized watch

03.24.2012 [sat]

Worn to: ride to lunch (Z’s Burger)

Dress, earrings: Target
Heels: Apostrophe (via Sears)
Watch: Timex (via Target)
Purse: Coach (gift)
Riding gear - jeans: Shift, jacket: River Road, helmet: Scorpion, gloves: Fieldsheer

Thoughts:
We had a nice warm day today, though not as warm as I was hoping for. The weather man said it’d be 60F, but it only got to around 53F in my area. The dress with bare legs was a bit ambitious for the weather but it still felt good to wear, if a little chilly. I usually don’t start joining my husband on the motorcycle until it’s above 60F because my gear is all summery and perforated (lets lots of wind through), but David and I were just itching to be outside so we took the bike out to get burgers. I promise I nearly always wear riding boots, but the burger place is just a few miles from us so I decided to risk it and just wear my heels (pattern mixing!).

So. Motorcycle outfits are my biggest wardrobe challenge. For the first couple years, I was wearing tees and braiding my hair, and just felt super frumpy when we got to where we were going because the only change was that the gloves and helmet (sometimes jacket) came off. Last year I started wearing woven button-up shirts, tossing my hair up in my high pony, and swapping to cute shoes when off the bike, all of which helped dramatically. This year I am planning to replace my boots (not seen here, but they’re black mid-calf with a WIDE wide ankle and square toes; not cute) with something more stylish, and I’ve got my eye on a cognac wedged pair that I hope to buy soon. Next year I hope to replace my jacket with something smaller and more nipped in at the waist; this jacket is a bit large for me and I always feel like I’m swimming in it, but the quality is very good so I’ve been reluctant to replace it.

In addition to wearing woven tops, I’ve been wanting to try wearing dresses and was happy to get a chance to try today; once we get where we’re going, I can (theoretically) pop off the riding jeans and swap shoes and voila! No longer wearing gear. I took the earrings off during the ride (never wear them while riding after losing a diamond stud taking my helmet off to start the San Francisco trip last year *sniff*), then put them and my hair together once we got there. I think with a little practice I’ll be able to get those riding jeans on and off without needing to duck into a bathroom like I did today, but I have to say I’m really happy with how great this dress worked out for our short ride today!

Backlogged outfits update: Feb 24th | Feb 25th | Feb 27th | Feb 29th | March 4th (dirt biking)

Also, I added a formula for the transitional outfit from February 22nd.

And lastly, I added a cute video of my kitty to yesterday’s outfit post that I took after getting my outfit photos. I’ve been letting him outside with me while taking them this week, and he’s been loving it!

Off topic and for fun:
Did a bit of brewing in the evening (well, my husband did anyway!), an English Pale Ale. Should be nice and light for our (hopefully) upcoming warm spring weather.

WORDS: View comments 3/24/12 Filed under: #MOTO black perforated leather jacket #MOTO kevlar lined jeans #MOTO white helmet #MOTO white leather gloves #blue floral wrap dress #gold arabesque cutout earrings #gold mini satchel #snakeskin kitten heels #white oversized watch #~moto

03.23.2012 [fri]

Worn to: work, date night dinner @ Ivar’s (Mukilteo)

Dress: LOFT
Tights: Express
Flats: Kohls
Hoop earrings: GNW (via Fred Meyer)
Watch: Timex (via Target)
Trench: Banana Republic (via YLF swap)
Scarf: Target
Purse: Coach (gift)
Shades: Forever 21

Thoughts:
Ahhh I have really enjoyed seeing the sun this week! It’s supposed to be nice this weekend too, though I expect we’ll be back to gloomy rain shortly. Either way I’m feeling quite inspired for spring, and I made a couple seasonal purchases yesterday and today that I am really excited about which I’ll share over the weekend.

On the topic of shopping, these fun dotty tights are “new”, one of four pairs purchased back in November from Express. So glad that it’s finally starting to get warm enough to wear them! I may have mentioned before that one of my goals over fall/winter was to improve my hosiery collection because that’s when I wear them most, and while I did add two pairs of sweater tights (one charcoal, one black) my cool-weather options are still pretty limited; I really only wore those two pairs along with my gray fine gauge sweater tights all season, and having a few additional different pairs would really open up some styling options. The four spring pairs I ordered are going to be great for transitional outfits, though!

Backlogged outfits update: Feb 21st | Feb 22nd | Feb 23rd

Behind the outfit:
I’m still on a kick of trying to get a few wears out of my favorite cool-weather items before putting them away, so today I wanted to put together a transitional outfit with this sweater dress and I love how it turned out! My idea here was to create a gradient pattern mix, with the largest pattern on top (dress) to smallest on bottom (shoes).

I started with the dress, checked the weather forecast, and decided that it was a good day to break out spring tights (which, by the way, ended up being a very optimistic decision). After looking my options over, I was most excited to wear this dotty pair and then got the idea for the gradient. My patterned shoe options are limited, but I’d love to get a few more pairs. I debated between these flats and their similarly patterned heeled sisters and went with the flats since it’s date night and my husband prefers flats. I really like the vibe of the flats, it feels a bit more unexpected.

I tried a few belts and a few necklaces, but everything seemed to take away from the cool pattern mix gradient so I opted for simple accessorizing: white watch and white earrings, to keep things looking springy. It was warm enough to wear my trench, which I thought I’d lighten up with the gold purse and white/navy striped scarf. But looking back at it, the two are a bit mismatched in the outfit; I should’ve gone with either a white or black purse to keep things cool-toned OR a warmer toned scarf to match the warmth of the gold purse. Overall though, I’m really really happy with this cute little outfit!

And just for fun:
My outfit partner in crime on sunny days loves to roll in the grass!

WORDS: View comments 3/23/12 Filed under: #black and charcoal colorblock sweater dress #black sheer giant polka dot tights #black trench coat #gold mini satchel #gray houndstooth flats #oversized aviator shades #white and navy striped scarf #white metal hoops #white oversized watch

03.22.2012 [thu]

Worn to: Walgreens, work, gym

Tee: Old Navy
Denim jacket: GAP (thrifted)
Trousers: Express “Editor” (via YLF swap)
Booties: Matisse “Nugent” (via Zappos)
Earrings: Target
Necklaces: Calypso St. Barth for Target (coral), thrifted (gold & pearl)
Watch: Anne Klein (gift)
Purse: Coach (gift)
Shades: Forever 21

Thoughts:
On Monday when I was looking over my spring/summer stuff, I completely forgot about my knits! I have them in a different closet, and remembered about them this morning. It’s not a huge jackpot or anything, but there are a few cute things in there that I was happy to find. This tee is one of them. I love the color and the stripes, but unfortunately it’s just too sloppy looking to wear on its own; I would LOVE to find a similar soft, silky blouse to replace it!

I’m also totally happy it’s finally dry enough to bring out the wide legs! I love wearing them on milder days in spring and summer, they manage to be both breezy and warm. This pair is quite light (both color and fabrication) so I don’t wear them into the fall, but my denim pair I can wear all the way through to the start of winter if it’s dry enough.

Not sure if I’ve mentioned it before, but I am 5’3”. I know that most petites operate under the thought that they cannot wear wide legged pants because they’ll be swamped in the fabric. I feel this is untrue, but we do have to work a bit to find the right pair, and in general we have to pay extra attention to lengthening the leg line when wearing them. Some tips on finding and working your pair:

Look for a pair that’s fitted along your hips so you’re not hiding all of your shape (also helps minimize excess fabric). Personally I like pairs that are fitted (but not necessarily tight) through the hip and seat because it shows the perfect amount of shape while keeping the wide leg integrity.
A higher waist will give the illusion of a longer leg line. This can be accomplished through the pant itself, or by tucking in a top, belting a longer top at the waist, wearing a cropped jacket, etc.
The hems need to be just about on the ground. 1/4” above it, max. Any more than that and you immediately start to get a leg shortening, flood pant effect. (I also feel this way about any long loose hem, like bootcuts and flares)
Unless your legs are proportionately long on your body (mine are a little short), you really will need a bit of heel to make them work.

In addition, all the usual “make yourself look taller” tricks will work well with wide legs (adding vertical lines, keeping things low contrast, etc.). I used all of these tips today!

Behind the outfit:
This is yet another take on my current favorite spring color palette formula, with the addition of denim (that makes it three times this week, gotta chill on that eh?). I started with the trousers and tee; the trousers because I’ve been craving a new silhouette, and the tee because I wanted a light outfit base that followed my spring color palette without wearing my taupe tee two days in a row ^^

As I said above, this tee requires a jacket; blue denim isn’t in the color palette, but I liked how it helped make the trousers look more casual. I chose these cheetah wedges to provide the orange (next week I’m going to try this color palette with an accent color that’s not orange!) plus it’s a great subtle pattern mix with the striped top and lightly plaid pants. I tried a couple pendants, but wasn’t feeling it so I decided to go for a layered, maximal look to play up the breezy vibe of the trousers. This coral necklace was an easy first choice (more orange!), and I tried this gold and pearl tassel necklace on a whim to happy results. The final outfit has a great somewhat unexpected boho vibe (my hair helps with this too), which I really dig!

WORDS: View comments 3/22/12 Filed under: #brass pyramid stud earrings #cheetah wedge booties #coral multistrand beaded necklace #cream and tan striped long sleeve tee #gold and pearl tassel necklace #gold and silver watch #gold mini satchel #gray wide leg trousers #medium wash denim jacket #oversized aviator shades

03.21.2012 [wed]

Worn to: work, gym

Tee, watch: Target
Blazer: H&M
Scarf: Fred Meyer
Shorts: Hinge (via Nordstrom)
Tights: LOFT
Boots: Miz Mooz “Flynn” (gift)
Hoop earrings: GNW (via Fred Meyer)
Trench: Banana Republic (via YLF swap)
Purse: Coach (gift)
Shades: Forever 21

Thoughts:
Can I start by saying how much I love this outfit? I LOVE THIS OUTFIT SO MUCH. Even though my style covers a couple different ranges, I have to say I really feel like this embodies the essence of my style goals and the overarching “urban”-ness (though the warmer it gets, the more boho comes into my style). I hope I won’t be able to wear these boots and shorts much longer (because it’ll warm up please? *crosses fingers*) but I will definitely be wearing another variation or two of this before that happens! And, of course I can (and probably will) lose the tights and don shorter boots when it actually does warm up.

Second, LOOK it’s the sun for the second straight day! Again, if you’re in the Northern hemisphere and enjoying normal or ridiculously warm spring weather, feel free to chuckle. It’s about as warm as yesterday (so, not that warm), and because my spring/summer wardrobe is essentially the same barring a few sleeveless things, I am trying to focus on creating decidedly transitional outfits so I don’t get tired of my stuff from now until September. We’ll see how that goes though, I am straight up excited for spring.

Third, as much as I love how this scarf looks tied like this, because the silky material was so flippin’ slippery it just refused to stay put! For the photos here I have the ends loose and tucked under, muffler style, and later I tried knotting the ends too but then the knot kept sliding up into view. I think loose muffler worked better, and I just have to accept that I need to adjust the scarf as it slips.

Fourth, backlog update! Only 23 more to go ><

Backlogged outfits update: Feb 17th | Feb 18th | Feb 19th | Feb 20th

Behind the outfit:
I formed this outfit around the shorts, because I’m hoping I only have a couple more wears left before it warms up too much for them (but don’t worry, I have a silky pair ready to go for warmer weather!). I thought about what footwear I haven’t yet worn with them and wanted to try before they’re put away, and these boots came immediately to mind.

From there I wanted to keep the contrast low but dark, so I chose these gray sweater tights (sadly it’s still too cold for cutout or sheer tights). I wanted to add something light on top to balance the boots, and since I was in a matchy mood I went with a taupe tee. Then I realized that this outfit could follow my current favorite spring color palette formula (twice in one week? yes, I love it that much!). Looking over my jacket choices, I first tried my white blazer but it was blindingly bright against the muted tones of the outfit. So then I debated between my brown pleather jacket or this gray blazer, and ultimately decided the cropped/shrunken shape of this one looked much sharper with the outfit.

I usually wear pendants with something like this, but I’ve been dying to wear this new scarf! At first I was worried it’d be a bit too bright/dark for the fairly muted outfit, like the white blazer was, but happily it worked perfectly; the muted tee lets the scarf really POP and it brings all the attention right up to my face. I tied it my favorite style for these oversized square silk scarves, and I think this might be my most oversized scarf so the muffler tie really works wonderfully!

The outfit was a bit dark, even with the gray jacket, so I wanted to add white accessories to brighten it up a bit. I chose my white watch (this is my spring watch, by the way, so you’ll be seeing it lots and lots) and then added these big white hoops. It’s a pretty small dose of white, but I think it did the job nicely.

And for fun, a couple outtakes of me messing with the scarf ^^

WORDS: View comments 3/21/12 Filed under: #black trench coat #charcoal plaid wool shorts #charcoal ribbed sweater tights #gold mini satchel #gray cropped blazer #orange and black equestrian silk scarf #oversized aviator shades #taupe long sleeve tee #taupe tall heeled boots #white metal hoops #white oversized watch

03.20.2012 [tue]

Worn to: Walgreens, work, gym

Blouse, watch, scarf: Target
Sweater: Covington (via Sears)
Pants: Max Rave
Booties: Ciao Bella “Glorious” (via Sears)
Earrings: gift
Trench: Banana Republic (via YLF swap)
Purse: Coach (gift)
Shades: Forever 21

Thoughts:
You guys, it’s actually kind of warm today: it got up to FIFTY-TWO (if you’re in the Northern hemisphere and enjoying normal or ridiculously warm spring weather, feel free to chuckle at how not-really-warm that is)!! This morning I read Angie’s fabulous post “How to wear spring trends in winter weather”, and found myself nodding along at each tip. The list is full of things I do for spring/summer, period, regardless of temperature (I’d been thinking about writing something up about it, but Angie’s list is fab. Go read it!). Lightening up is the biggest thing for me, but since we have fairly mild summers and very wet springs lots of those other things remain relevant all through the season.

Somehow reading Angie’s post has inspired me to really kick up my style again; I feel like I’ve been rutting a bit, but I do think many of us get this feeling at the end of winter and summer. Bringing in a few fresh items has already helped tremendously; I am now even more excited to clear up my closet this weekend, and to make a list of what I hope to purchase over the season.

Backlogged outfits update: Feb 11th | Feb 12th (Valentine’s!) | 2012 Spring Trends (sick day, Feb 14th)

Behind the outfit:
Today’s outfit didn’t start anywhere near where it ended up! Last night I thought about building an outfit around a pair of old heeled loafers I’ve been itching to wear again, and so this morning I grabbed my flared jeans… But then totally changed my mind and felt like wearing these pants instead.

From there, I initially decided I didn’t want to wear a sweater as I feel that’s all I’ve been doing the last couple months, so I went to a reliable favorite pairing and put this chambray blouse on; love this muted base outfit, and hopefully you do too because I’ll probably wear it quite a bit! Then reality reminded me that it’s still not that warm and a sweater would probably still be a good idea. I’ve been really liking the cropped-over-long look since fall, but don’t really have any proper cropped sweaters so I thought I’d give this almost-cropped sweater a try with this outfit. And happily it works (though shorter would be a bit better)! To balance the final look, I added a couple other light elements with the cream booties and my white watch.

WORDS: View comments 3/20/12 Filed under: #black trench coat #chambray tab sleeve button.up #coral and tan dotty scarf #cream cable sweater #gold mini satchel #ivory ruched pointy booties #olive twill skinnies #oversized aviator shades #silver woven circle earrings #white oversized watch

03.19.2012 [mon]

Worn to: work, Kindah over to make earrings then out for tacos

Sweater: GAP
Blazer, necklace: Forever 21
Belt: thrifted
Jeans, boots, scarf: Target
Watch: Anne Klein (gift)
Purse: Coach (gift)

Thoughts:
Happy first day of spring! Unfortunately, here in the Pacific Northwest it had been feeling like anything but spring buuuuut happily this week the weather is showing signs of warming up! I wanted to officially move all my spring items back into my wardrobe (I already put away my heaviest winter stuff), but when I looked the items over I was a bit disappointed to find that everything was actually summer clothing (though most of them will work with light layers once it warms up further).

So I looked over what’s in my closet right now, and found that I’d apparently left my spring/fall transitional items in my wardrobe all through winter; there’s several light colored and light weight pieces in there that I haven’t been wearing, but would certainly wear during 60+ temps (short sleeve button-up shirts, drapey tees, soft blouses, short-sleeve/sleeveless dresses…). I’m sure this is part of why I’ve been feeling a bit of unhappiness with my wardrobe over winter; it’s hard to see through the seasonal clutter! I’m planning to sort everything out properly this weekend, and also make a list of the remaining spring items I hope to get over the season. Should be fun!

Behind the outfit:
In the spirit of spring, I’m debuting my new bright orange blazer! I bought this about 1.5 months ago from Forever 21, and it’s been impatiently waiting for warmer weather; it’s knit which makes it super duper comfortable, and I must say the quality is surprisingly good for the price ($27). Today I wanted to wear my current favorite spring color combo formula, brown/taupe/gray/cream/bright trendy color, with the orange blazer as the color accent; there’s no taupe here, but all the rest is there (side note, I think I’m going to come up with a couple other color combo formulas for this season, this one has been really handy!).

I initially thought about wearing my gray tissue turtleneck with these gray skinnies for the whole column of color thing and then wear my cream booties, but I felt like wearing something less muted for this, the first day of spring (though I’ll probably wear that other outfit soon!). So I swapped the gray top with this ivory sweater, because with the stripes it felt even springier. And then because it’s not really that warm yet (I was pretty optimistic in not wearing a coat outside), I chose browns for the boots, belt, and pendant to add some dark-but-not-too-dark to the outfit. The browns were much snappier in person (for example, the belt is a bright cognac), but unfortunately they look pretty dull in these photos.

WORDS: View comments 3/19/12 Filed under: #brass owl pendant #bright orange blazer #brown riding ankle boots #cognac x's belt #coral and tan dotty scarf #cream with navy stripes boatneck sweater #gold and silver watch #gold mini satchel #gray skinny jeans #~observations

03.17.2012 [sat]

Worn to: errands (Michaels Everett/Lynwood, PetSmart, Hobby Town USA)

Tee, jacket, earrings: Target
Jeans: Empyre (via Zumiez)
Boots: Miz Mooz “Flynn” (gift)
Necklace: YLF Secret Santa gift
Watch: Fossil (gift)
Scarf: thrifted
Purse: Coach (gift)

Thoughts:
Hope you’re all having a great weekend! Since I’ve been busy crafting for my Etsy shop, I am just starting to look over my spring wardrobe. For some reason it’s been hard to get inspired with our unseasonably cold weather, when usually this is when I go overboard with my dreams of sunny days. Part of the issue is that I actually like my spring/summer wardrobe MORE than my fall/winter wardrobe which isn’t good since fall is the dominant season where I live; on the plus side, I feel like I don’t have to do as much to get my spring/summer wardrobe ready to go. Deciding to lighten up for spring early has helped get me started thinking about what I do want to do, though, and I have made a few purchases already (some of which you’ve seen): loafers, watercolor printed blouse, bright orange blazer, teal blazer, a couple transitional dresses, and several bright, colorful printed scarves. In addition I also recently picked up a couple new lip colors which I plan to review soon!

Also, things are moving along nicely for my Etsy shop reopening, though there has been a bit of a setback regarding my handcrafted nail polishes which I hope to get sorted soon. In the meantime, I’ve got a few more pretty soon-to-be-earrings cab previews to share with you guys which I created last night:

That left one is one of my favorites, it’s got so much depth and color. For more, click here!

Behind the outfit:
Today I wanted something simple to run errands with. I started with the boots and jeans (love these two together!), then decided to sandwich the black with more taupe. After adding the tee, I knew I’d need a jacket since I don’t really like to wear plain tees on their own. I tried a couple of my jackets, and had almost decided to wear my ink blue tweed moto when I gave this brown jacket a try. And was totally digging the different shades of browns in the outfit, up to three with the jacket. I chose the brass pendant and earrings to add to the brown tones, and then in honor of St. Patrick’s day added a blue and green scarf for the outerwear (and of course my green nails) ^^

WORDS: View comments 3/17/12 Filed under: #taupe long sleeve tee #brown faux leather jacket #black skinny jeans #taupe tall heeled boots #brass pyramid stud earrings #brass charm necklace #silver watch #gold mini satchel #turquoise and green colorblocked scarf

03.16.2012 [fri]

Worn to: work, date night dinner @ The Majestic

Dress: Old Navy
Belt: thrifted
Tights: Forever 21
Booties: Nine West (outlet)
Earrings, scarf: Target
Watch: Timex (via Target)
Trench: Banana Republic (via YLF swap)
Purse: Michael Kors

Behind the outfit:
Today I wanted to find a way to transitionalize/winterize this dress (can’t wait to wear it bare legged if it ever warms up). The cut is easy to winterize, but since it’s a light jersey if I make the rest of the outfit too heavy it’s going to feel a little seasonally confused. So first I chose my finest gauge winter tights which, as an added bonus in this case, are gray; black would be much heavier looking, and I rather like the softer effect of the gray.

Instead of wearing tall boots, I decided to wear these ankle booties for several reasons primarily relating to the fact that the dress is midi length: the gray keeps them low contrast against the tights which lengthens the leg line as does the heel (especially useful with the midi length), the sleeker cut and peep toe makes them more springy looking, and I love how booties look with dresses ^^ Low contrast flats or pumps would also work here.

I don’t have a problem with the low neckline of this dress, but after winterizing the bottom half I decided to add the black camisole to help balance it. Since this dress has an elasticized waist which I generally like to cover with belts, I took the opportunity to add another dark element. After trying most of my belts I settled on this one, partially because it was one of the few that’s small enough to wear at my waist, and partially because I liked the toughness it added. I chose my black watch to keep with the dark accessories theme, and these gold dangly earrings to pick up on the brass from the belt.

WORDS: View comments 3/16/12 Filed under: #black dark faced watch #black trench coat #black with brass studs double strand belt #charcoal peep.toe heeled booties #coral and tan dotty scarf #gold arabesque cutout earrings #gray sweater tights #navy mini tote bag #purple and blue zigzag dress