aida's closet

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

03.15.2012 [thu]

Worn to: Walgreens, work

Tee, necklace: Target
Sweater: Ann Taylor (outlet)
Blazer: H&M
Shorts: Hinge (via Nordstrom)
Tights: Forever 21
Boots: Not Rated “Boystown” (via heels.com)
Hoop earrings: GNW (via Fred Meyer)
Watch: Fossil (gift)
Scarf: Dress Barn
Coat: Worthington (via JCPenney)
Purse: Michael Kors

Thoughts:
Today’s post is full of good stuff! As I said, I’ve been busy crafting away in preparation of re-opening my Etsy shop and am hoping this will happen in the next two weeks. So today I wanted to share a little preview of what I’ve been working on:

Aren’t they pretty? These little cuties will soon be earrings, and I’m also working on creating some nail polishes to sell as well. I’ll be sharing a manicure with one of the polishes I’m most excited about with you tomorrow!

Also, I fixed a bug that was preventing the tags from showing on all the posts in yesterday’s big update. ALSO also, a big backlog outfit post update with the full Neutrals Week Challenge, and a manicure with my first handmade polish.

Behind the outfit:
Today’s outfit was formed using my outfit formula derived from this outfit way back in January; I’m definitely looking at other ways to interpret this formula for spring! Instead of orange for the bright color, today I chose teal. I did actually try orange first: I have a new bright orange blazer hanging in my closet (you’ll see it soon, I can’t wait to wear it!), but it made the top have look seasonally confused with the bottom half so I chose this darker jacket instead.

I actually started with the shorts today, then looked back through the outfits I’ve worn with them for some ideas. After seeing that I’ve only worn these boots once with them, I wanted to pair them again. The taupe tee was hanging up after being washed, and seeing it made the January formula pop into my head; the rest of the outfit came together pretty quickly from there. I used the same sweater as last time (and the same boots, for that matter), then chose gray tights to add another dose of gray, though, if I had it, I’d have preferred a lighter gray pair.

As I said above, I then tried my orange blazer but it was too bright so I went with this teal blazer instead. I knew I’d be taking my blazer off inside (those layers are surprisingly warm!) so I decided to add a necklace with more gray in it; it also makes the non-blazer version nicely neutral, which I think is fun. And lastly, for the outerwear I chose my leopard scarf that has brown in it to pick up on the boots; it also adds some extra interest since it’s printed.

WORDS: View comments 3/15/12 Filed under: #black wool coat #brown tall wedged slouchy boots #chain with gray pearls necklace #charcoal plaid wool shorts #gray sweater tights #leopard scarf #navy mini tote bag #silver hoops #silver watch #taupe long sleeve tee #teal knit blazer #winter white turtleneck sweater

02.02.2012 [thu]

Worn to: work, dinner @ Ivars

Sweater: GAP
Jacket: Zara
Shorts: Hinge (via Nordstrom)
Tights: Forever 21
Heels: Kohls
Hoop earrings: GNW (via Fred Meyer)
Watch: Anne Klein (gift)
Coat: Calvin Klein (via Wilson’s Leather)
Purse: Coach (gift)

Thoughts:
We all have “bad xyz” days. On those days instead of trying to hide those parts, sometimes the best option is, in fact, to give those parts a little extra love. Wrap the “bad” in flattering clothing, and watch how a “bad xyz” day turns into a “good xyz” day. Sometimes we just need to show off a little, and that’s okay.

Behind the outfit:
Well this outfit didn’t start anywhere near where it ended up. I originally had an outfit planned with my olive twill skinnies, but when I put them on I found they were too snug. So I decided to instead come up with an outfit that showed off my legs, instead of moping and feeling like they’re too large (they’re really not).

Enter winter shorts! I haven’t been wearing these shorts as much as I envisioned when I bought them during NAS back in July, but after today’s outfit and how much happier they made me feel they have definitely solidified my feeling of their awesomeness in my wardrobe. I chose these sweater tights because the fine gauge makes them look very smooth while still being quite warm. Previously, I have only worn these shorts with tall boots, but since today is a “show off my legs” day I wanted to wear pumps instead. I chose this gray houndstooth pair to keep the contrast low against the tights (the low contrast coupled with the heel make my legs look super long, and who doesn’t love that?), and print is always fun in footwear. Plus I love the little buckles ^^

I decided on the jacket before the top; I liked the tweedy texture with the wool shorts, the ink blue looks cool with charcoal, and the gold threads are also fun. So since the bottom half is dark AND the jacket is dark, I wanted to add a lighter top. I was hesitant about this sweater because the knit is very similar in gauge to the tights, but ultimately I decided that that actually worked in the sweater’s favor since it’s a somewhat springy piece. Simple mixed silver/gold jewelry finishes the look off. I LOVE how it turned out, and have to say that it turned my mood around wonderfully.

WORDS: View comments 2/2/12 Filed under: #black and white tweed wool coat #charcoal plaid wool shorts #cream with navy striped top boatneck sweater #gold and silver watch #gold mini satchel #gray houndstooth pumps #gray sweater tights #ink blue tweed moto jacket #silver hoops #~observations

12.03.2011 [sat]

Worn to: drive down to Portland, Holiday Alefest, Kelly’s Olympian to regroup, Deschutes Brewery for dinner, Ground Kontrol for arcade fun