"Wear it again"

We've all got them. Dresses purchased for a certain event, which we wore once, and then shoved in the back of the closet, and never thought about again.

The other morning while suffering from Can't Get Dressed Syndrome, I decided to play dress-up for a little while. I suppose deep down, I'm still a five year old in love with the idea of digging through trunks of my Mother's old dresses in the attic.

Only this time I dove into the back of my closet -- the real, actual back. I have a second clothing rod behind the main one, that I use for storing costumes and dresses I don't wear but won't get rid of (like my prom gown) and then these little numbers.

So this is my attempt at remixing my semi-formal one hit wonders:

My cousin's wedding, 2003 - Silk brocade halter

See my matching shawl and bag? I made those. Why did I think that was a good idea?

 

The Rundown

Dress Macys - Cardigan Kohls - Necklace Avon - Shoes Thrifted Payless - Hat Kohls - Bracelet The cavernous jewelry box

Easter, 2006 - Strapless turquoise dress

Found out this doesn't fit my bust anymore, so if not wearing it four years wasn't enough of a reason to get rid of it...

The Rundown

Dress Liz Claiborne - Cardigan H&M - Shoes Madden Girl - Belt Gap - Necklaces Kohls and Etsy - Ring Express

Christmas Eve 2002 and 2005 - Strapless velvet embossed iridescent taffeta 

While searching for a photo, I found out I actually wore this twice. Both times on Christmas Eve, and I didn't have a decent shot of me in the dress in either year.

The Rundown

Dress Windsor - Blazer MaxMara - Shoes Simply Vera - Fedora Market in Italy - Necklace Made by Me - Belt Steve Madden

I'll admit, I had a lot of fun styling these dresses, but I still don't think I'll find an occasion to wear them.

Summer Whites

I can't believe it's a whole week into July. I almost feel like I don't deserve to lament this as I spent my long weekend doing pretty much nothing. Reading, catching up on True Blood, standing in front of the fan on the highest setting as a short refuge from the heat. Which actually hit 100°.

I wanted to create a white look, and started off with the white capris and ruffle top. Then I added my sheer lace trimmed tunic. I stick to my theory that adding enough leather to an outfit can keep it casual and grounded - hence the braided belt, sandals and bag. Plus some chains for good measure.

Definitely something I'd wear on a date (haha, that's a good one). Not really a good look for the office though. So I swapped the tunic for this olive jacket and added more chains. Even still, dress code is really lax in my office.

I decided to wear both my layered chain necklaces, because I couldn't choose which I liked better and this way I feel like I had a legitimate reason for buying two similar necklaces.

I love this jacket. It's by Free People, but I found it at TJMaxx. They have some of the best clothes because there is always so much detail. The fabric actually has a floral pattern in the weave and the lining is so gorgeous. I may have bought it just for that alone.

My new iPhone finally came today. Bad press be damned, I'm still excited -- it's not like I really use it to make phone calls anyway. It will be so awesome to have a faster internet connection, especially for my on the go blog reading. My first generation iPhone is very depressed though. It does not understand how I could just replace it after all the times we've shared, countries we've visited, photos we've taken...
I think I'm too damn sentimental about inanimate objects. It's not a surprise I have too much clutter. Everything I own has feelings!

The Rundown

Top and Capris TJMaxx - Jacket Free People - Sandals Nine West - Bag Shop in Italy - Ring Kohls - Necklaces Gap and Kohls - Belt Thrifted

Don't for get to enter my lace jewelry giveaway!

Dressed like a million bucks with my all blue Chucks

One of my coworkers asked me if I was paying homage to Snoop Dogg with my 'all blue Chucks'. I stared blankly, I had no idea. So I looked it up, the song is Lodi Dodi, and I borrowed the title from it. I don't really care for much rap, but I can appreciate this particular verse.

I finished up June with my last Lucky inspired look. Unlike Lucky suggests, I don't think that a white sneaker is ideal, even a white converse. For me, a white sneaker with a skirt makes you look like one of the women who commute to office jobs and wear sneakers on the street with their sensible heels tucked away in a shopping bag. Most of those women wear very athletic white sneakers, and I think they just look so silly.

White sneakers could work with trousers, or shorts or jeans, of course, but not a skirt. Cream, I think I could wear with a skirt however.

I should put cream converse on my list. Cream Chucks make me think of the Tenth Doctor on Doctor Who. I loved him so much. And I pretty much attribute my interest in Converse in the first place to him. Before that, the only person I knew with them was my good friend Abbey, who rocked middle school in a pair of bright red high tops.

But I love how the Tenth Doctor wore them with his pinstriped suits, and occasionally he'd be seen in tux, sporting a black pair - proving their true versatility, day to evening, casual to formal...

 Look how cute! I'm going to be good and only put one photo (you know I secretly want to put 20) of the gorgeous David Tennant and his Chucks - they were in fact, his.

Another part of Lucky's look I had issues with was the wide striped shirt. Not the stripes themselves, but the actual shirt. Horizontal stripes + wideness = extreme wideness. Sure, the model looks okay, but I didn't think there was enough balance in that look for me.

The Rundown

Skirt (which is a dress) Kohls - Top Gap - Turquoise Converse customized by me and gifted by Abbey - Necklaces Etsy

I realized after wearing this, that a skirt with sneakers was not a look I hadn't yet tried. I did it in Italy. Twice. And I think my blue skirt with the floral cardi and black converse is way cuter than Lucky's suggestion.

So here is Lydia's How-To Wear a Skirt and Sneakers:

• Choose a short, full mini skirt. You need a lot of leg to work with a flat shoe, and anything like a pencil skirt would make it look like you were running to the office.
• Keep the top close fitting to balance out the fullness of the skirt.
• Make sure your sneaker is non-athletic and looks deliberate. No one should think your cute shoes got stolen at a party and this all the hostess could supply you with.

Now you are perfect ;)

Oh hey, this is my 200th post. Cool.

June Lucky Checklist

Lucky is the only magazine I currently subscribe to. I used to get Vogue, but my Vogue dreams so rarely came true, and they took up so much darn space that I just let it run out.

Lucky however, is very attainable. When each new issue comes I like to save it for a Saturday morning when I can sit in the sunny part of the house and sip my coffee and look through it. Back to front (since I always like what is in the back more than the front) littering it with the little 'yes' stickers.

June was a particularly good month, there were tons of looks I wanted to try and items I wanted to acquire. June is nearly over, so I thought I'd share everything I loved, and everything I actually did/bought.

On this page, I love the black and white dress. As a result, I ended up with both this zigzag skirt, and this dress:

Yup. I bought it. You'll see it later this week.

I wanted both blazers on this page, and the bright floral shorts! I went to Ami Club Wear to check out the blazer, since it was only $27, and I was super turned off by their photo:

Sorry, that's just awful. Incidentally people liked it, as it is sold out. I got my really nice Gap blazer anyway. Plus, I'd rather have a wool/poly blend than a rayon/poly blend.

I was also disappointed by the looks of the k-mart blazer on their website, and I don't have a k-mart anywhere near me to check out, so I'll be looking for a white blazer else where. Anyone know where there is a good one?

The floral shorts are $64 at Miss Me, and I was hoping to find something for a little less. Still looking.

I love lace, and the necklace, bracelet and earrings were very appealing to me because they had the "I could do that" factor.

A fringe benefit of dedicating the better part of five years to costume making is that I have piles of left overs. Three of my costumes involved lots of lace appliques and I would go around thrifting wedding gowns and other dresses for $15 and harvesting all the lace. I sort of felt like a butcher, but trust me, they were ugly.

Maybe I went overboard. Anyone interested in a lace jewelry giveaway?

I wanted those oxfords. I wanted them now! (and by now, I mean the beginning of May, when this issue arrived at my door.) I went to GbyGuess.com and found no oxfords. I kept checking. No oxfords. I decided to email Lucky, surely they would know. I got a prompt reply"

Fine. I can wait. June comes. No shoes... No shoes! I finally decide to email Guess. Another prompt reply:

ARG. Patience is a virtue. I suppose. But I wanted to wear that outfit, since I totally could put it together. Since that's not happening until the fall,  I wore this instead:

More blazers. I spotted this super 90's bright yellow silk blazer by Anne Klein II. I surgically removed the shoulder pads. But I'm not sure. I don't know that I can pull of such a big, bold blazer. I decided to style it just like in Lucky.

What do you think? 

ps. this look is about a million times too hot for summer.

I love this cosmos dress. But at almost $400, it's not going to happen for me. Instead, I picked apart the elements of the look and made my own from what was in my closet.

Strapless dress with uneven hemline: check.
Metallic flat sandal: check.
Gold cuff bracelet: check.
Something shiny: check.

Still on the list:

I still have three more precious June days, so there.

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Pile on the Pepper

I've never felt that layering jewelry was something I could do well. So today was a bit of an experiment, perhaps a bit over the top, but not in an outlandish kind of way.

I started out safe - two necklaces, one long, one short. I've done this combination before, only this time with two unique and bold pieces - the rhinestone carrot, and the pocket watch.

Then I went on to bracelets, three of them, a silver cuff, a gold cuff, and an orange bangle. Each is fairly ornate - again pieces that don't necessarily need any accompaniment.

Since I really wanted to layer it on, I twisted two skinny studded belts together, adding even more orange to the outfit.

And to top it off, my layered ring, also featuring orange stones, and the fedora. Why not, who doesn't love a fedora?

It seemed like a wise idea to keep my canvas otherwise neutral, so I chose a denim skirt and a white top. I don't really own any plain white tops, so the huge flower applique is about as sublet as I've got. Haha.

I tried to think of some rules for layering, but every one I could come up with, I broke; such as layering in the same color metal, or layering small dainty necklaces or thin bracelets. But who says fashion needs rules anyway?

The Rundown

Skirt Gap - Top Gap - Sandals Ciao Bella - Fedora Market in Italy - Carrot Necklace Betsy Johnson - Pocket Watch Necklace Etsy - Gold Bracelet Avon - Orange Bracelet Kohls - Silver Bracelet NY&Co. - Ring Lia Sophia - Belts Gap

Rundown (get it?)

Excuse the goofy face!

Layering lace tops

I found myself a purple lace top at TJMaxx for $16 the other day, and since it was down pouring this morning and I was not going to even attempt to go out; I thought I would spend some time experimenting with layering the top.

Subtle Pattern

A navy tank with polka dots is a bit more interesting than black, but still pretty tame.

Neon

A much bolder statement, and it really showcases the lace pattern.

Under a vest

I wanted to be daring and try it without a cammi. I thought putting a belt over the vest would be a good way to establish that this vest isn't going anywhere.

Under a strapless dress

I was thinking it would be a fun way to dress-up something more causal, but this dress was begging to be paired with it. (You want to know something awful? I've had this dress for three years and haven't worn it yet. I really like it with this top though, and I need to wear it, pronto!)

Under a romper

I like experimenting with really causal pieces to see if I can't turn them into something I'd wear to an evening out. Maybe not 'fancy restaurant' appropriate, but perhaps an outdoor bar, on a tropical island...

And today

Under a mustard cammi and a vest!

Lace top TJMaxx - Denim vest TJMaxx - Mustard cammi Macy's - Grey cords J.Crew -  Bronze wedges Unlisted - Necklace Aldo

And now some lace tops you could call you own:

Purple short sleeve, Urban Outfitters - $38

Grey racerback, Mod Cloth - $50

Black short sleeve, ASOS - $25

Black long sleeve, Urban Outfitters - $28

Peach short sleeve, Forever 21 - $19.80

Burgundy tank, Forever 21 - $9.80