Posts tagged: red.orange crossbody bag
04.22.2012 [sun]
Worn to: shopping @ outlets with Christine, dinner @ Joe’s w/Darrin, Ian, Jeff, and Christine
Dress: Banana Republic (outlet)
Jacket: GAP (thrifted)
Leggings: Victoria’s Secret
Oxfords: Bronx “Heat of Nite” (via Nordstrom)
Hoop earrings: GNW (via Fred Meyer)
Pendant: ASOS
Watch: Timex (via Target)
Purse: Kate Spade
Shades: Forever 21
Thoughts:
Today I went with a friend up to the outlet mall for a seasonal update of her work wardrobe, and we got her lots of great stuff! (I also got a few more spring purchases to round out my seasonal items: a striped summer dress, a floral pencil skirt, a sleeveless blouse, two summer sweaters, linen shorts, flat sandals, and two necklaces.) I love acting as a friend’s shopper, something I’ve done a few times usually for single occasions. Today was the largest wardrobe chunk I’ve helped a friend shop for, and I have to say I really enjoyed the whole process. We chatted for a bit a couple weeks ago regarding what she felt she needed, the styles she’s interested in, and the constraints of her work wardrobe. So when we went today we both had a pretty good idea of what we were looking for, and I was able to direct her to the best stores right up front; the two stores that I’d suggested as the best options (LOFT and Ann Taylor) initially got a bit of the stink eye, but we definitely found the most stuff at those two stores. And of course I did my best to be stubborn on only allowing items that fit and flattered. It was super fun to get to play pro stylist for a day!
Behind the outfit:
Comfortable, flexible, and easy to move-in/change-out-of was the order of the day. When I shop for myself, I like to wear pants because that’s what I’m wearing most of the time; whenever I shop in a skirt, I end up with shirts the wrong lengths. So my usual shopping uniform is a jeans, a tee, comfortable walking shoes, and a cross body bag.
Since I wasn’t planning on really “shopping” for myself, I decided that leggings would be best for today so that I could easily pop something on or off without using the dressing room if needed, and thus could focus more easily on helping my friend with HER trials. I have a severe lack of tunics, or dresses short enough to wear as tunics, so I was quite happy that I’d rediscovered this tee dress just a few days ago. Definitely still need a topper so I went with my denim jacket for super casualization (also the sleeves stay up nicely), though I did take it off a few times while shopping; in those cases I used my purse and strap to hold it so my hands could stay free. I decided to wear my oxfords as the comfy walking shoes because they play up the arty aspect of the outfit. And because I was happy to see the sun, my bright Kate Spade bag was an easy choice.
04.07.2012 [sat]
Worn to: Joe’s for Cristin’s birthday BBQ w/hubby and Joe, Brad, Cristin, Ian, Darrin, Jeff, Christine
Tee, jeans: Target
Blazer: H&M
Booties: Boutique 9 “Bailar” (via Amazon)
Hoop earrings: GNW (via Fred Meyer)
Necklace: Kenneth Cole (via Nordstrom Rack)
Watch: Timex (via Target)
Purse: Kate Spade
Shades: Forever 21
Thoughts:
Had a spot of warmer weather finally, so I decided to break out these new booties which are a perfect warm-but-not-hot shoe for Cascadian spring weather. I’ve been smitten with these since seeing Angie wear them last June, and couldn’t believe it when someone on YLF posted that they were on sale for only $50! On top of that, I had $15 left on an Amazon gift card so I actually got these beauties for $35. I’m still in shock! And of course in honor of the occasion, I did my toes up in a pretty muted purple which flashes pink in the sun.
UPDATE: Well. More on this tomorrow but I managed to step in dirty motor oil, just one half of one shoe. I don’t have high hopes for salvaging these lovelies, but was able to find a pair a half size larger, still at the $50. I’ve ordered them so hopefully they’re not too big (these were a hair snug, so I think it’ll be perfect). Sad.
Behind the outfit:
Today I was in the mood for something soft and light, and of course comfortable and casual enough for a BBQ. I had put this tee away for fall/winter in lieu of my gray and black striped tee, but decided today was as good a day as any to swap them for the season; I know the rest of the country goes batty for navy and white stripes even before spring arrives but, well, the weather just hasn’t felt right!
So this outfit started with the tee and the booties. The finer stripes of the tee make it more low contrast than graphic so I decided to wear my teal knit blazer to add some color, and because it’s knit it’s more appropriately casual for the BBQ. From there the gray jeans were an easy choice because I was in the mood to keep things low contrast, though I did think about wearing my black jeans as well (which I would probably prefer on a gloomier day).
Because I knew the blazer would likely come off at some point, I wanted to add a necklace to keep the look interesting with just the tee/jeans/booties. I tried a couple of my longer necklaces, but decided that I wanted something a bit bolder to really jazz the tee up. My coral beaded necklace didn’t quite feel right today; I was in a matchy-matchy mood so this blue one felt just right. White watch to add another dose of bright lightness, and then my bright red-orange purse for a shot of color in the other direction.
04.06.2012 [fri]
Worn to: work, double date w/Kindah and Michael (Tulalip Casino to see Brad Garett, dinner @ Bob’s Burgers, tv at our place)
Sweater: GAP
Belt, watch, earrings: Target
Jeans: Empyre (via Zumiez)
Boots: Miz Mooz “Flynn” (gift)
Trench: Banana Republic (via YLF swap)
Scarf: Steve Madden (via Nordstrom)
Purse: Kate Spade
Shades: Forever 21
Thoughts:
I felt great in this outfit, though felt under dressed at the comedy show. Maybe it had to do with the room being so fancy, or the ushers being in cocktail attire, but even though we were on the dressier end of the patron spectrum both my husband and I felt like we should’ve dressed much nicer!
Behind the outfit:
Yes I know I wore these boots only two days ago but after the comments I got yesterday, I just wanted to wear some of my favorite things today! And I really love how they look over my black skinnies, so I formed the outfit around that. I definitely prefer to have a good dose of lightness with this pairing, and today I was feeling like wearing something especially light so I chose this cream and navy sweater. It drapes really well, so I enjoy semi-tucking it and did so today. I added the coral skinny belt for a little pop of color, and also because I’m enjoying filling belt loops with slim belts these days. Gold earrings for added warmth, white watch for added brightness, and hair down to play into the outfit’s softness.
04.04.2012 [wed]
Worn to: work
Dress: Old Navy
Belt: Vans
Tights: DKNY (gift)
Boots: Miz Mooz “Flynn” (gift)
Earrings, watch: Target
Trench: Banana Republic (via YLF swap)
Scarf: Steve Madden (via Nordstrom)
Purse: Kate Spade
Shades: Forever 21
Thoughts:
While I’ve put away nearly all of my winter items, these nude boots are going to stay out until the last possible second! I’m guessing around mid-April; the color could certainly be used all year but, regardless of color, tall boots just don’t feel springy enough to me. I do see plenty of women wearing their tall boots all the way up until the start of summer around here because our springs are just ridiculously cold and wet. If it stays really cool I may leave them out until the end of the month, but we’ll see how the weather goes.
Behind the outfit:
In light of wearing some cooler weather items, today I wanted to wear this spring dress with my nude boots again while I can because I just love the combo! Not quite warm enough to skip the hose, so I wore my trusty nude fishnets. To lighten the look up I added an ivory studded belt and white watch, and there’s a small peek of white camisole as well. I thought about a necklace, but I think I’mm starting to feel a bit off them after wearing so many pendants this past winter. So instead I put my hair up and went with long dangly gold earrings!
(And because it’s much colder than that sun may lead you to think, I of course needed a coat. To keep it light, I added my taupe scarf which picks up on the light boots and helps to bookend them against the dark coat/hair. And the bright orange purse is just fun ^^)
04.03.2012 [tue]
Worn to: post office, work, grocery
Tissue turtleneck: JCrew (outlet)
Blazer: Express
Belt: Vans
Shorts: Hinge (via Nordstrom)
Tights, necklace, watch: Target
Boots: Forever 21
Pearl earrings, scarf: gifts
Trench: Banana Republic (via YLF swap)
Purse: Kate Spade
Thoughts:
I’m still trying to sneak in a few wears for some of my favorite fall pieces since the weather is still very mild. I warmed up to these shorts more and more as the season went on, and I’m pretty sure winter shorts have officially worked themselves into a staple role in my wardrobe. Now that we’re officially into April, I think I’m going to put them away until fall; I’m definitely going to miss them, though as I said a couple weeks ago I do have a silky pair waiting to come back out and play. I don’t really have a good transitional pair, that would definitely be something worth looking into either for this year or next.
Behind the outfit:
For their last outing of the season, I wanted to try pairing my wool winter shorts with patterned (but not textured) tights. It’s definitely cool enough today for a heavily layered look, so I decided to make the most of the opportunity. I started with the shorts/tights and quickly decided that these short boots would look a bit more transitional than a tall pair. That added some slouch, so I wanted to keep that going with the top.
When putting away wintery pieces a couple weeks ago I kept this tissue turtleneck (and its navy sibling) in my closet specifically for transitional outfit purposes, as I wore them both quite a lot last year at this time. Not really feeling them as much this year as standalone tops, and I don’t really like to layer turtlenecks under other tops. I’m sure that’s related to desire to slowly fade nearly all tees from my wardrobe, but I must say that these are simply starting feel a little sloppy on me.
Either way, I was in the mood to wear a gray top with this outfit, so I chose this top because it was closest to what I wanted (a gray blouse would most definitely get a ton of wear, I must get one!). I wasn’t too happy with it on its own, so instead of a fully slouchy outfit I decided to add some structure with a jacket. The dark colors were a little too moody and muddled so I added the ivory belt, white watch, and long silver necklace, and pushed my sleeves up when the jacket was off. I had the trench/scarf with me but ended up not wearing them even though it was cool enough to. And I really like how the orange bag (and orange/fuchsia nails) looked with the red blazer!
04.02.2012 [mon]
Worn to: work, tacos (ran into Joe, Brad, and Cristin & ate with them)
Blouse: JCrew
Vest: Forever 21 (via Buffalo Exchange)
Belt: vintage, thrifted
Jeans: DKNY (thrifted)
Booties, shades: Forever 21
Pearl earrings: anniversary gift
Necklace: thrifted
Watch: Timex (via Target)
Purse: Kate Spade
Thoughts:
Last week I put away my darker wash baggy flares for the season, and today I’m pulling out my light wash baggy flares for the season! This pair is FAR baggier than the other, which is perfect for warmer weather. I also wear these longer, so they have a ton of slouch at the hems. I know the world has been high on dark denim for a long time, but I have to say wearing faded denim in the spring and summer just feels perfect to me.
(And from here until fall you’ll probably see this backdrop a fair amount. When it’s actually sunny, my normal spot in the back yard gets lit way too harshly so I move up to my driveway and into the shade. Unfortunately the photos aren’t as crisp in the driveway but fret not, we still get plenty of overcast days for the normal, higher-quality back yard photos ^^)
Behind the outfit:
It’s still a wee bit cool (don’t let that sun fool you), so I thought I’d pull out the furry vest for today’s outfit and roll super 70s with it. I was a bit stuck on what top to wear, only knowing that I didn’t want to wear a sweater with the fur vest. I tried a couple different button-ups before this one popped into mind; it was sitting outside of my closet, folded up in a corner. Now that that is remedied, I plan to wear it more as it warms up!
Initially I had the blouse untucked, but since this little vest is super cropped the proportions weren’t quite right on me, though a normal cropped length would be fun for a short-over-long look. Once I tucked it in, I decided cognac accents would be a good warm/earthy touch (the blouse color has a LOT of yellow, though it’s a bit more green than it looks in the photo), so I chose a cognac belt and booties.
I debated whether to do a necklace or not, since I’ve got the vest, a collar, AND the belt showing since the top is tucked. But the look is already a bit maximal, so I decided to go with it and added this gold and pearl tassel necklace. I usually pull necklaces out under my collar, but today I left it tucked inside; I like the effect, though I’m not sure if it reads as more or less casual. Pearl earrings to match the necklace, white watch for spring, hair up so it’s not too costume-boho, and bright orange bag because I liked how it looks with the lime. The bag’s structure is also a nice contrast against the soft outfit.
03.29.2012 [thu]
Worn to: work
Tee: Aggrolites concert
Blazer: H&M
Pants: Max Rave
Boots: Forever 21
Hoop earrings: GNW (via Fred Meyer)
Watch: Timex (via Target)
Trench: Banana Republic (via YLF swap)
Scarf: Steve Madden (via Nordstrom)
Purse: Kate Spade
Thoughts:
When I was first working towards honing in on my style I wore the graphic tee+blazer combo quite a bit, but have moved away from that as the number of tees in my closet became drastically reduced. The graphic tees that have survived in my wardrobe are a handful of band tees, a Sturgis tee, and a couple printed/striped tees. I do still think that this is a fun casual look, though more weekend than work, especially when done with high contrast or strong graphic integrity. And it has a bit of sentimental value to me, because it takes me (way) back to my days of playing in a punk/ska band.
This outfit, dressing up a graphic tee, follows a pretty straightforward and versatile formula, and is a great casual option for those days you’re running errands: graphic tee + blazer + slim pants + boots/heels. The more graphic/high contrast the better for myself, but it works equally well with more subtle tonal shades.
(It was pouring, POURING rain when I went to take my photos today hence the goofy pose on the left. I just couldn’t get more than a couple snaps off!)
Behind the outfit:
Yesterday Joy over on YLF posted a great outfit sporting a graphic tee, and I was inspired to don something similar (isn’t her hair fabulous!?). Joy’s outfit had white on the bottom and denim for the jacket, but there’s no way I could wear white bottoms on such a rainy day so I swapped that and went with my white blazer and olive skinnies. I did consider wearing blue denim on the bottom (my straight leg jeans) but 1) with the rain I just had to wear boots, and for some reason I am still lacking a pair of blue denim skinnies, and 2) with these rather shapeless band tees I usually like to keep the bottom silhouette more slim, especially today with the slouchy boots. I thought about wearing my tall black boots instead of these, but it just felt too wintery with the white blazer.
To play up the graphic integrity I went with a bold orange lip and matching bright orange bag, and my white watch to add an additional white element. And for the outerwear, of course I had to add my new taupe bird print scarf! I also liked the neon nails with this as a tiny tiny shot of color, and those along with the slick pony add a fun 80s touch to the outfit.