Posts tagged: metallic slouchy safari bag
![01.26.2012 [thu]Adjacent colors week: blue-green/blue
Worn to: work, dinner @ Mukilteo Lodge, Darrin over for Archer
Sweater: ExpressBlazer: H&MCamisole: AéropostaleJeans: Empyre (via Zumiez)Heels, circles necklace, watch: TargetHoop earrings: GNW (via Fred Meyer)Key necklace: giftPearls: Plato’s ClosetCoat: Worthington (via JCPenney)Scarf: Forever 21Purse: thrifted
Thoughts:Adjacent color experiment day four! This is the color pairing I was second most excited about. So moody! And oceany! And my favorite colors! It was a bit more jarring in person; the sweater is 100% cool and 100% unmuted, so the somewhat green and somewhat muted blazer was just a little off but I liked the juxtaposition.
I broke out this new blazer early; I bought it back in December at the YLF meetup for spring (it’s 3/4 sleeved), but it’s made of a semi-heavy knit material so it felt fine for the cool temperature today. I cannot wait to wear it with some warmer weather outfits!
(P.S. If I thought about this jacket before I could’ve actually paired it with my mallard green turtleneck for a proper green/green-blue tertiary pairing yesterday. But then I couldn’t wear it today. So I’ll just keep that pairing in mind and wear in the future!)
Behind the outfit:I wasn’t happy with what I picked out for this color combo when I was planning the pairings last week; initially I had the same sweater with a teal tank underneath, but the pairing felt too subtle. Then this blazer popped into my head and I realized it would be perfect! Even though it’s a spring blazer, I’m going to go ahead and leave it in my closet and start wearing it early (too excited to put it away again).
My first plan was to wear my black skinny jeans, but since it’s not wet out today I decided instead to wear my baggy flared jeans. Plus I love wearing blazers with flared jeans, so that worked nicely! I liked the idea of keeping bits of black in the outfit to keep it from looking too springy, so I wore this silver dotted black camisole, black pumps, and my black watch.
I wanted to play up the 70s side of the outfit in an 80s way (is that a thing?) so I knew I wanted to layer some necklaces. Just didn’t know which. I started with the pearls, and was initially using my black set but they felt a little too heavy so I switched to this lighter set. I tried pairing, like, every long necklace I have (and I have quite a few) before finally settling on this one. I also tried knotting the pearls a few different ways but liked the simplicity of the plain loop. Then on a whim I decided I also wanted a short necklace to really make the neckline crazy (6 layers!) so I added this little key necklace. I love how the layered necklaces turned out!](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzj2j7kSDX1r584afo1_1280.jpg)
01.26.2012 [thu]
Adjacent colors week: blue-green/blue
Worn to: work, dinner @ Mukilteo Lodge, Darrin over for Archer
Sweater: Express
Blazer: H&M
Camisole: Aéropostale
Jeans: Empyre (via Zumiez)
Heels, circles necklace, watch: Target
Hoop earrings: GNW (via Fred Meyer)
Key necklace: gift
Pearls: Plato’s Closet
Coat: Worthington (via JCPenney)
Scarf: Forever 21
Purse: thrifted
Thoughts:
Adjacent color experiment day four! This is the color pairing I was second most excited about. So moody! And oceany! And my favorite colors! It was a bit more jarring in person; the sweater is 100% cool and 100% unmuted, so the somewhat green and somewhat muted blazer was just a little off but I liked the juxtaposition.
I broke out this new blazer early; I bought it back in December at the YLF meetup for spring (it’s 3/4 sleeved), but it’s made of a semi-heavy knit material so it felt fine for the cool temperature today. I cannot wait to wear it with some warmer weather outfits!
(P.S. If I thought about this jacket before I could’ve actually paired it with my mallard green turtleneck for a proper green/green-blue tertiary pairing yesterday. But then I couldn’t wear it today. So I’ll just keep that pairing in mind and wear in the future!)
Behind the outfit:
I wasn’t happy with what I picked out for this color combo when I was planning the pairings last week; initially I had the same sweater with a teal tank underneath, but the pairing felt too subtle. Then this blazer popped into my head and I realized it would be perfect! Even though it’s a spring blazer, I’m going to go ahead and leave it in my closet and start wearing it early (too excited to put it away again).
My first plan was to wear my black skinny jeans, but since it’s not wet out today I decided instead to wear my baggy flared jeans. Plus I love wearing blazers with flared jeans, so that worked nicely! I liked the idea of keeping bits of black in the outfit to keep it from looking too springy, so I wore this silver dotted black camisole, black pumps, and my black watch.
I wanted to play up the 70s side of the outfit in an 80s way (is that a thing?) so I knew I wanted to layer some necklaces. Just didn’t know which. I started with the pearls, and was initially using my black set but they felt a little too heavy so I switched to this lighter set. I tried pairing, like, every long necklace I have (and I have quite a few) before finally settling on this one. I also tried knotting the pearls a few different ways but liked the simplicity of the plain loop. Then on a whim I decided I also wanted a short necklace to really make the neckline crazy (6 layers!) so I added this little key necklace. I love how the layered necklaces turned out!
![01.25.2012 [wed]Adjacent colors week: yellow-green/blue-green (skips over adjacent to next tone)
Worn to: shopping with my sister (Target, Plato’s Closet, Nordstrom Rack), work
Sweater: GAPBlouse: JCrewShorts: Hinge (via Nordstrom)Tights: LOFTBoots: Cole Haan “Air Whitley” (via Nordstrom)Hoop earrings: GNW (via Fred Meyer)Watch: Timex (via Target)Coat: Blanc Noir (via Nordstrom Rack)Purse: thrifted
Thoughts:Adjacent color experiment day three! This was actually the layering that inspired the whole idea, even though this pairing skips over the adjacent tone; ideally it would be yellow-green/green or green/blue-green but I couldn’t find a way to make it work with my winter-appropriate clothing. And after editing the photos I realized that the buttons on the blouse’s pockets that show through the sweater are in an, erhm, unfortunate location -_-
And another unfortunate thing: while shopping with my sister today the seam on the upper left arm of my coat tore open! I was literally just standing and waiting while she was trying stuff on and the tweed just, kind of, fell apart. I”M SO VERY BUMMED. I was really enjoying having a somewhat colorful outerwear option, but back to Nordstrom Rack the coat goes *sniff*
The good news is I picked up two gorgeous silky scarves that I am excited about for spring!
Behind the outfit:This is the only outfit I had fully picked out at the start of the week; tops, bottoms, boots, and all. I liked the idea of pairing the somewhat androgynous top half with a flirty-yet-still-menswearish bottom so I chose these winter shorts (though a flirty skirt could be fun in the future, too). Love the vibe!
I also liked the idea of playing up the textural interest in this outfit so I chose sweater tights instead of my first idea, plain black opaque tights; any of my boots would add to this, but I picked these because I liked the ruggedness contrasted with the silk (and of course their being black keeps the leg line nice and long). So texturally the outfit ends up with two different fine knits, silk, wool, microfiber, and leather. Fun!](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzj2hztGzK1r584afo1_1280.jpg)
01.25.2012 [wed]
Adjacent colors week: yellow-green/blue-green
(skips over adjacent to next tone)
Worn to: shopping with my sister (Target, Plato’s Closet, Nordstrom Rack), work
Sweater: GAP
Blouse: JCrew
Shorts: Hinge (via Nordstrom)
Tights: LOFT
Boots: Cole Haan “Air Whitley” (via Nordstrom)
Hoop earrings: GNW (via Fred Meyer)
Watch: Timex (via Target)
Coat: Blanc Noir (via Nordstrom Rack)
Purse: thrifted
Thoughts:
Adjacent color experiment day three! This was actually the layering that inspired the whole idea, even though this pairing skips over the adjacent tone; ideally it would be yellow-green/green or green/blue-green but I couldn’t find a way to make it work with my winter-appropriate clothing. And after editing the photos I realized that the buttons on the blouse’s pockets that show through the sweater are in an, erhm, unfortunate location -_-
And another unfortunate thing: while shopping with my sister today the seam on the upper left arm of my coat tore open! I was literally just standing and waiting while she was trying stuff on and the tweed just, kind of, fell apart. I”M SO VERY BUMMED. I was really enjoying having a somewhat colorful outerwear option, but back to Nordstrom Rack the coat goes *sniff*
The good news is I picked up two gorgeous silky scarves that I am excited about for spring!
Behind the outfit:
This is the only outfit I had fully picked out at the start of the week; tops, bottoms, boots, and all. I liked the idea of pairing the somewhat androgynous top half with a flirty-yet-still-menswearish bottom so I chose these winter shorts (though a flirty skirt could be fun in the future, too). Love the vibe!
I also liked the idea of playing up the textural interest in this outfit so I chose sweater tights instead of my first idea, plain black opaque tights; any of my boots would add to this, but I picked these because I liked the ruggedness contrasted with the silk (and of course their being black keeps the leg line nice and long). So texturally the outfit ends up with two different fine knits, silk, wool, microfiber, and leather. Fun!
![12.06.2011 [tue]
Worn to: pharmacy, work
[[MORE]] Sweater: giftBlouse: Converse (via Target)Jeans, necklace: TargetHeels: Target “Pearce”Pearl earrings: anniversary gift60” silver chain: Michael’sCoat: Worthington (via JCPenney)Purse: thrifted
Behind the outfit:Still feeling bit by the JCrew bug! The pullover sweater layered over a denim/chambray blouse came right out of the catalog (love it!), though something brighter would be fun too. All my favorite outfits in the catalog I was browsing the other night have cropped/rolled jeans, no socks, and heels. While cute, it is just far too cold out to go sans socks, so I thought I’d try to recreate the same vibe with socks. It was a fun experiment!
Initially I had black jeans and shoes with black semi-sheer textured socks, but the effect just wasn’t the same as the sockless looks I liked in the catalog (nice and leg lengthening, though). After that I switched to light jeans, but the contrast from the black socks was too high. This outfit has a preppy vibe so I thought I’d play that up by changing into argyle socks (which plays the prep up even further by matching the sweater); the black helps bookend my hair, and the purple bits lighten the darkness between the jeans and shoes. I decided to go with these gray heels to help mitigate some of the leg shortening caused by the contrast of the socks since they gray continues after the brief dark break (and, of course, the heel height). And lastly, I added the long necklaces for additional vertical lines.
I also took photos of the look with the jeans unrolled and scrunched like normal for comparison. It’s definitely less leg shortening this way, but I think the rolled jeans has a fun vibe. What do you guys think, socks+rolled jeans (above) or socks+scrunched jeans (below)?](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ly387yeaV61r584afo1_1280.jpg)
![12.05.2011 [mon]
Worn to: dinner with my husband (Kosta’s)
[[MORE]] Tee: JCrew (outlet)Cardigan: Eddie BauerJeans: Empyre (via Zumiez)Boots: Forever 21Hoop earrings: GNW (via Fred Meyer)Watch: Fossil (gift)Coat: Calvin Klein (via Wilson’s Leather)Purse: thrifted
Thoughts:Since I’ve been behind on getting my outfits posted up here I haven’t really been reflecting on what I’ve been wearing. The result? I feel like I’m in a slump, but when I look at the photos on my camera or on the site they look good (it’s kind of weird). Part of the problem is my self-imposed “no repeats” rule; it feels like I’m working a little too hard to not repeat, so I think I’m going to relax a bit on that rule (hope you all don’t mind the occasional repeat!). The other part has to do with my wardrobe not being where I want it (reflected upon recently), but that doesn’t mean that I can’t enjoy styling what I do have while I work on improving my wardrobe. After all, fashion should be fun!
Behind the outfit:I must say I am really enjoying JCrew’s bright colors and layerings this season, especially the tonal color pairings. While flipping through a JCrew catalog last night I saw the particularly appealing layering below, and based today’s outfit around it. I do have a white/navy striped tee, but this orange tee was next to the gray cardigan on the shelf and I thought they looked fun together. I know a lot of people don’t like to pair orange with black because it feels too Halloween-y, but adding another neutral, in this case gray, can help mitigate that effect. (Kitty says hi!)](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ly2l7yKfIG1r584afo1_1280.jpg)
![11.23.2011 [wed]
Worn to: furniture store, Lowes, Fred Meyer, Target, Boston’s for dinner
[[MORE]] Sweater: GAPScarf: Dress BarnJeans: GAP “Real Straight”Boots: Madden Girl (via Victoria’s Secret)Hoop earrings: GNW (via Fred Meyer)Coat: Weatherproof (gift)Purse: thrifted
Thoughts: Ahhhh I am feeling much less stressed about Thanksgiving! Today we went and got a great coffee table and floor lamp, and also hit up Target and Fred Meyer for some pretty decorative things. The front room is looking good!
Anyway… After not using this camera for a couple months, I must say that I forgot how rosy the photos with this camera are! That or my eyes see things more yellowy. I wanted to leave some of the background in today’s photo because look how pretty the leaves are!
Behind the outfit:The last couple riding-styled outfits I’ve worn have had a lot of structural integrity, so today I felt like doing a softer riding inspired look. Started with the jeans and boots; these straight leg jeans are a bit too relaxed to tuck into boots, so I definitely need to get a slim pair for that. I was in an earthy, slouchy mood, and this sweater is great for those days. I chose this scarf to add a dash of Autumnal color as well as sparkle, and the tissue weight combined with it being oversized adds to the relaxed vibe of the outfit.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lx6273ms7m1r584afo1_1280.jpg)
![11.22.2011 [tue]
Worn to: furniture stores, Kenmore Camera, work, Diamond Knot for dinner
[[MORE]] Blouse: Calvin Klein (outlet)Blazer: Trouvé (via Nordstrom)Jeans, purse: thriftedBoots: Not Rated “Boystown” (via heels.com)Hoop earrings: GNW (via Fred Meyer)Necklace, shades: Forever 21Watch: Anne Klein (gift)
Thoughts:OK I know it’s not wardrobe related but I’m excited: Before work my husband and I stopped by the first two furniture shops we went to on Saturday and we found a great red couch, and after work went to the one store that had the perfect couch set but only one and bought the one *breath* So hooray we have our couches! One red, one charcoal, AND we got a fancy end table:
Obviously the room isn’t complete but it’s a good starting point. At the least we need to get a table and a light in the next day or two, but I’m hopeful we’ll find a rug too (need one that’s red and white/gray/black to tie the two couches together).
I also stopped by the camera shop to pick up my other camera; I’d broken the lens (back in September) and it was being repaired. So happy to finally have it back! Aaaand back to clothes ^^
Behind the outfit:This is one of my favorite outfits ever! I’ve been wanting to put together an outfit around this jean+boot pairing for a while now. Since those two elements are a bit rocker-y, I decided to keep the other elements more classic. I think red+camel is a great classic color combination, and keeping my recent wardrobe direction observations in mind I decided to wear my white button-up blouse which also nicely lightens up the rich colors. I also really like the camel with the brown, “going” without “matching”. I went with an over-the-top pearl necklace over a simpler strand, or even a pendant, because I like the classic-element(pearls)-in-non-classic-styling with this outfit.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lx60y1EEfD1r584afo1_1280.jpg)
![11.15.2011 [tue]Formula for soft 70s fur: soft blouse + fur vest + flared jeans + boots/heels
Worn to: work
[[MORE]] Blouse: LC Lauren Conrad (via Kohls)Vest: Ann TaylorJeans: Empyre (via Zumiez)Heeled booties: Forever 21Hoop earrings: GNW (via Fred Meyer)Watch: Fossil (gift)Trench: Banana Republic (via YLF swap)Scarf: TargetPurse: thrifted
Thoughts: You guys, I love this outfit! I had tried this vest and top together last Tuesday and decided it was too casual for the type group, but I still wanted to wear it in an outfit. So glad I did! Definitely one of my favorites recently, and clearly shows me how much I want more soft blouses in my wardrobe; I love the dose of glam this flowy blouse coupled with the faux fur gives (though the vest is decidedly casual due to the chunky knit).
Behind the outfit:This 70s inspired outfit follows a formula I’ve been dying to wear since last fall: soft blouse + fur vest + flared jeans + boots/heels. I’ve never worn it before because I’ve only just in the last month (finally) bought my furry vests; and as I have just this year started wearing soft blouses, I only have a couple of them. I pulled this blouse from my summer wardrobe, so it wasn’t quite warm enough for the season but really I just wanted to give it a try. Definitely reinspired to improve my blouse wardrobe.
I also like how the romantic blouse looks paired with the sportier vest; fun juxtaposition. Plus I rarely wear blush tones, though I am drawn to peachy shades. This outfit is certainly softer and girlier than what I usually wear, and I think the flared jeans add to that; for some reason I’m picturing that skinnies would look tougher. I left the jewelry minimal to play up the softness (no necklace makes it especially soft, because of the exposed skin).
Lastly, I haven’t really talked about it on the blog much but I change my lip color daily to match my outfits (I’ll do a post about it soon!). Since today’s outfit is soft and pink, I went with a matching soft pink gloss which really completes the whole look.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lwfbf2XlJ31r584afo1_1280.jpg)
11.15.2011 [tue]
Formula for soft 70s fur: soft blouse + fur vest + flared jeans + boots/heels
Worn to: work
![11.08.2011 [tue]
Worn to: work, UW Bookstore, Type Tuesday
[[MORE]] Tee, chain necklace: TargetBlazer: H&MJeans: Empyre (via Zumiez)Heels: KohlsHoop earrings: GNW (via Fred Meyer)Pearls: Plato’s ClosetWatch: Fossil (gift)Trench: Banana Republic (via YLF swap)Shades: Forever 21Purse: thrifted
Thoughts: Well whatever trouble I thought I was having yesterday, I had it double today.Today’s missing item: soft blouses. Just like the ghost tunic from yesterday, this is certainly not the first time and actually I have been trying to find a few great soft blouses since March with no luck. I know most people have trouble with pants/jeans but man I have the most trouble with blouses! I must be trying on all the wrong styles.
Behind the outfit:The first Tuesday of each month I attend an informal gathering of local type enthusiasts (typographers, font designers, graphic artists, teachers, etc.); I generally try not to dress overly casual, and always aim for a smarter look because who knows when a business opportunity will present itself!
After lamenting the soft blouses I don’t have I decided if I was going to wear a tee (the pub we meet at is too warm for a sweater) I at least wanted to wear one in a color and print that I love, and happily this one also has shape to it. I initially grabbed my black skinnies but between the fact that it wasn’t raining and that I didn’t feel like dressing darkly, I swapped to my baggy flared jeans. To dress them up a bit I tried on ALL of my jackets and selected this blazer because it adds lightness to the outfit (also, interesting proportions!), then added these houndstooth heels to echo the gray. After trying several necklaces, I couldn’t decide between these two so I just wore both :)
And, you know, I’m really happy with how this turned out. Actually I love it! I think the last two days’ frustrations will ultimately lead to good insight.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lus67bsZQ81r584afo1_1280.jpg)
![11.07.2011 [mon]
Worn to: work, Nordstrom to scope out purses, out for tacos with my husband
[[MORE]] Dress: LuLu*s (gift)Belt, jeans: Forever 21Booties: Nine West (outlet)Scarf: JCPenneyPearl earrings: anniversary giftWatch: Timex (via Target)Coat: Calvin Klein (via Wilson’s Leather)Purse: thrifted
Thoughts: Well it’s a bit unusual for the start of November, but I had to pull out my heaviest winter coat today! It’s about 10 degrees cooler than normal (I don’t think we topped 45F today), and definitely cold enough to make me want a warmer coat.
After work today I stopped by Nordstrom to check out a few purses that Angie from YLF recommended from the Half Yearly Sale. I thought it’d be an easy decision; one (#1 on the list) I was unable to find though the website insisted they had it in stock, and the other two I was completely undecided over which I liked more (#6, both versions). I ended up leaving empty handed, but I think I’m going to order all three to try on at home.
Behind the outfit:So this morning I stared at my closet a good while before finally getting dressed, was feeling quite uninspired (boo Mondays!). I ended up determining the problem was that I was in the mood to wear a tunic but just don’t have many (2 or 3?), and today I was really craving a tunic with some bright color. This isn’t the first time that craving has come up, so… duly noted.
I have primarily worn this particular tunic/dress with leggings+boots in the fall/winter, or layered over another skirt in the spring/summer. Today I wanted to try pairing with denim, so I pulled out these rarely-worn zippered jeggings. I tried on several pairs of shoes (cheetah booties, gray wool pumps, red pumps, charcoal booties…) before settling on this pair of ankle booties, and then added the sparkly belt because I felt like the outfit still “needed something”. I pulled out this scarf to wear with the coat, but on a whim tried it with the outfit and there it stayed. And of course the new orange-coral lip tint which I really loved with the red scarf (normally I’d have worn red). I’m actually quite pleased with how the outfit turned out regardless of how uninspired I felt initially, which of course cheered me up. But I know a bright colorful tunic would have cheered me up even more!](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_luqemrobXr1r584afo1_r1_1280.jpg)
11.07.2011 [mon]
Worn to: work, Nordstrom to scope out purses, out for tacos with my husband
![11.05.2011 [sat]
Worn to: breakfast out with my husband (The Vintage), then my sister and her boyfriend came over and we went to the Mukilteo Lodge to watch the Husky game, and afterwards back to our house for some TV
[[MORE]] Plaid shirt: HollisterCamisole: (no idea)Cardigan: Eddie BauerVest: Old NavyJeans: GAP “Real Straight”Boots: Target “Kaiala”Hoop earrings: GNW (via Fred Meyer)Watch: Timex (via Target)Purse: thrifted
Thoughts: An extra casual weekend look, I guess I’m feeling extra Cascadian today. The colors! The layering! The Eddie Bauer! Borderline gear and far more rugged than the day called for, but I still like it.
Behind the outfit:I’ve had the layering shown in this blog post in mind for months now. Yes I know it’s a men’s fashion blog (and one of the few style blogs I frequent), but who am I to argue with where inspiration comes from? :) I love how it looks with the denim jacket, too, and plan to try that sometime; it’ll certainly turn out less rugged than the way I wore it today.
I like the effect of the layering, but I think darker jeans would have stepped this up just the right amount; this medium wash is just too fitting with the almost-over-the-top casual top half. Actually, I’d like to replace this pair with a darker wash straight leg pair, period. I’m just not feeling this neither-here-nor-there-medium-blue wash anymore, unless it’s on a killer jean with a unique cut and perfect fit. Unfortunately, this pair is neither.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_luh4g0Ihbs1r584afo1_1280.jpg)
11.05.2011 [sat]
Worn to: breakfast out with my husband (The Vintage), then my sister and her boyfriend came over and we went to the Mukilteo Lodge to watch the Husky game, and afterwards back to our house for some TV
