Leftovers

When I did the capsule wardrobe last week I styled and photographed a sixth outfit that I didn't end up wearing (sometimes I like to have options). I decided to wear it today before it got too old (it feels almost insincere to post a photo that is nearly two weeks old).

Tonight I went to a makeover party and then out for a drink. Was home by midnight, sat on the couch to watch What Not To Wear, feel asleep 20 minutes in, and am now writing this post at 4 am.
Good Nite!

The Rundow

Dress Avon - Cardigan Gap - Tights Kohls - Shoes Areosoles

This is number five

Today wraps up the capsule wardrobe challenge with the blue dress again. I should have worn the black dress, but as I'm getting over this cold, I'm all about comfy. I do think it's starting to go away, as I drank coffee today. Whenever I get sick, I never want coffee, which is strange because normally I drink several cups a day.

I think I made a mistake of opting for this furry vest instead of another pair of shoes. I die going through the week with only two pairs of shoes. In an ideal week, I'd wear seven different pairs.

This weekend I want to go see "I Am Number Four", because I saw that preview with the Adele song and Quinn Fabray, and superpowers, and thought it was just my kind of movie.

The Rundown

Dress TJMaxx - Vest American Eagle - Shoes Areosoles - Necklace Avon

Today I hemmed my new pencil skirt, and when I tried it on again, I had to make an outfit. Sadly I won't be wearing this particular look until it warms up, so here is a little preview. I really love it.

The Shabby Apple Giveaway is open through Sunday!

V-Day Redux

Do you ever buy something with the thought that it would be great to wear on [insert holiday here]?

Buying things for specify holidays is silly. And it makes you no better than the women who wear those novelty printed mock turtleneck shirts on every holiday there is. 

Still, when I bought this scarf I thought, "this would be good to wear on Valentine's Day." Then I didn't wear it on Monday, so I'm wearing it today, just to make a point. It may be pink, covered in hearts and keys, but I can wear it all year long.

The Rundown

Sweater Thrifted Banana Republic - Cords J.Crew - Boots Steve Madden - Scarf American Eagle - Necklace Made by Me

This is day four of the The Small Fabric of My Life's Wardrobe Capsule Challenge.

Have you entered the Shabby Apple Giveaway yet? There is still time!

Options are limited

I always like to play chicken with my camera's battery. It refuses to tell me it's battery life in something useful like a percentage, so when it turns red and starts blinking, I like to see just how long I can use it before it decides to call it quits.
This time I got though all my weeks outfits, until this last one, when the battery went kaput after five frames. But two of them were in focus and they weren't horrible, so I called it a day.

And out of focus can be pretty too.

The Rundown

Sweater Dress Macys - Fringe Booties Steve Madden - Double Buckle Belt TJMaxx - Sweater Tights Gap

This is day three of the The Small Fabric of My Life's Wardrobe Capsule Challenge.

Have you entered the Shabby Apple Giveaway yet? There is still time!

Grey Leopard

I mentioned breifly yesterday that this week was The Small Fabric of My Life's five day Wardrobe Capsule Challenge. Which is a nice low-key challenge, with ten pieces and five accessories. It isn't a huge challenge to create five outfits from ten pieces; you could even go so far as to choose five different dresses and five different pairs of shoes; and this time I chose three dresses because I was feeling lazy and sick.

I was much more ambitious during the summer capsule challenge, where I remixed five pieces for seven days.

The Rundown

Sweater Dress TJMaxx - Leopard Cardigan Gap - Fringe Booties Steve Madden - Snake Belt Nine West

Be My {own} Valentine

Valentines are never easy for the single gal. Especially for those who are celebrating their sixth Valentine's Day alone. It's hard to see the day as anything more than a cruel reminder of your singleness.

I woke up this morning feeling sick, so I'd be lying if I said I wore this outfit for much more than ten minutes. But it is my V-Day outfit, and today is the start of The Small Fabric of My Life's five day Capsule Challenge; so I'm posting it anyway. I really spent the majority of my day in pjs, in bed with all my numerous single gal boyfriends.

Michael Weston. Used to be a spy. Knows how to wear a suit. Can pretty much do anything, including igniting the flames of my heart.

Chuck Bartowski. Computer geek who's best friend (portrayed by the next sexy man on my list) put the CIA's secrets into his head. Subsequently became a Spy. Knows how to rock a suit, but always stays true to his nerdyness with a pair of Chucks.

Niel Caffrey. Reformed criminal working for the FBI. Suits were made for him. Looks amazing in a fedora. Never gets hat hair (and has the most gorgeous hair ever). Also looks good in nothing at all.

Oh yes.
In addition to these amazing gentlemen, I have two other boyfriends; Mail Man and UPS Man. They bring me gifts from all my secret admirers (aka ME). I may have went a little overboard, but what can I say? I'm single and no one else is going to spoil me.

Seychelles Gypsy Sandal - $54

oh DEER! Dizzy Sandal - $30

Sweater and Chambray Tuxedo Shirt from the Gap, $30 and $21

Pencil skirt from Talbots, $24

The Rundown

Dress (as skirt) Avon - Sweater Thrifted Banana Republic - Tights TJMaxx - Necklace Avon - Shoes Areosoles

Oh well. Happy Valentines Day everyone!

I think I should probably do laundry today

Finally done with my challenges! The capsule wardrobe was pretty successful, I think I got seven unique looks out of five pieces of clothing.

Day Seven!

The wrap top again, now wrapped much tighter, and safety pinned at the top, just to be extra careful, since I couldn't wear a cammi underneath! Clearly I couldn't go without pattern, so I added the leopard scarf. As predicted, no one at work questioned any of my repeat clothes.

The Rundown

Skirt Made By Me - Top Arabella - Sandals Onex - Scarf Was my great aunts - Earrings Taken for Granite

Oh yeah... roundup photo:

To wrap up the Blackout Challenge, I wanted to do something bold and colorful and I had on this pink ruffled top and my turquoise frye sandals and then I went outside and it was 60 degrees! Where did my summer go?

Once I decided to change I had nothing but problems with everything I put on. Half my closet is now on my bed and I finally just decided to settle on the (insane?) combination of navy stripes, pale green seersucker and tie die. I was looking at the J.Crew catalog earlier, and if not for being under the J.Crew influence, I can't think of any other time when I'd think this combination would work.

The verdict is still out on these shorts. They are walking shorts that I cuffed until I liked the length. The standard length of shorts was feeling a bit too revealing, and the walking short length seemed to overwhelming on my figure, so I compromised.

For some reason, the khaki shorts make me think of what a gym teacher would wear if she were trying to get dressed for a formal event.

The Rundown

Top Gap - Blazer Free People - Shorts Gap - Bag Big Buddha - Necklace Etsy - Sandals Nine West

I am feeling the need to shop so badly... I spent three hours looking on Amazon and DSW and Piperlime for shoes last night, and I wanted to buy about 100 pairs. I also started lusting after lenses for my camera, I now desperately need a wide angle lens for $700 and a telephoto lens for $500... and have you ever noticed how easy Amazon makes it for you to buy stuff? One click and you're done... I'm worried my impulsive fingertips might stray... maybe I should just go binge on some chocolate?

Don't forget to enter my giveaway! 

Something looks familiar

Breezing through day six of the Capsule Wardrobe, and day three of the Blackout, are you sure you don't want me to wear these same five items all next week too?

Day Five

This look is brought to you by Abbey, the person who gifted me both the boots and the belt. Thanks love! By the way, the belt no longer smells like fish.

I think this is my first time wearing boots in the summer, but I think these perforated suede beauties make the transition quite well. I also kind of love how everyone is making big statments with tying off or looping long belt ends, and I've actually got it buckled through one of the punches in the design and not in a proper hole.

Wearing both the boot and the scarf makes me feel super European, but lets be honest, I didn't have it draped so artfully over my shoulder while I was at work, no I had it wrapped around me like a blanket  to keep from freezing in the A/C.

The Rundown

Dress Simply Vera - Boots Chinese Laundry - Belt Gap - Scarf Market in Italy - Bracelet Etsy

Day Six (because five would have been too easy)

I like that I made it all the way to day six before bringing out my fifth item, this brown wrap top. I'd have to say that were it not for the challenge and my need to make this dress look as different as possible that I would never have paired the two; and I quite like them together.

You will, however, be seeing this top again tomorrow. I wanted to keep everything evenly spaced out, but I messed up, so the top is going on two consecutive days. I doubt anyone at work will say anything.

The Rundown

Dress Avon - Top Arabella - Sandals Nine West - Earrings Taken for Granite

Don't forget to enter my giveaway!

Now with even more style challenge

I was way off about the dates of the wardrobe capsule challenge. Not entirely my fault, as it was a typo on one of Jane's posts. So rather than being an eight day challenge it actually started Monday and was meant to be just five days! I've just decided to do seven, because I like the challenge. Or I'm crazy, as my sister said, when I told her what I was doing. The conversation went something like this:
Sister: Didn't you wear that romper the other day?
Me: Yeah, but I'm doing a challenge and only wearing five things this week.
Sister: WHAT? You're recycling outfits??
Me: *silence and a smirk*
Me: We actually call it remixing.
Sister: When you say 'we', you mean people on the internet, don't you.

But this is coming from the girl who thinks that an entire month needs to pass before wearing the same top again. Which is why she is constantly raiding my closet, and its becoming quite a source of exasperation for me.

Day Three

My second dress, also a print (because a solid would just be boring, hahah.) Keeping things very simple to deal with the heat. Barely there sandals, two tiny necklaces and my twisty belt, since without it the dress is a bit shapeless. Even then, I only wore it to go out of the house. While I was hanging around, I embraced it's loose moo-mooness.

The Rundown

Dress Avon - Sandals Unlisted - Belt Thrifted - Necklaces Etsy

Day Four

The romper makes it's second appearance, this time as a top! I don't mind it as a top at all, save for the fact that wearing a skirt over it transforms the skirt into a skort - an item I have not worn since middle school and really never cared to encounter again. That aside I think the two work well together.

The Rundown

Romper NY&Co. Skirt Made by Me - Wedges Macys - Earrings Kohls - Necklace Lia Sophia - Belt Thrifted

Also, since Already Pretty is doing a week (five day) challenge of not wearing any black, and my items aren't black (patterns are okay as long as black isn't the main color, so I think my dress is okay) I figured I might as well do that too!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway!

Capsule Wardrobe Style Challenge - update

With only one day left of the capsule wardrobe challenge, I think I'm doing quite well!

For Tuesday's look, I remixed the grey wrap cardigan, this time tucking it into the waistband of the skirt. Three new items were worn, the black lace skirt, red pumps, and studded belt. I was going to just wear navy tights, but I switched to teal to give my outfit more color, and because I love red and teal/turquoise together so much!

Today the grey skirt, yellow flats, and studded belt were remixed and the red polka dot cardigan and heart scarf were introduced. I love playing with color and pattern - I didn't want to play this challenge in the safe zone with loads of black.

A few lessons learned this morning:
- Mixing patterns is fine, as long as one is dominant and one is recessive. Trying to wear polka dots, hearts, yellow shoes and burgundy zig-zag fishnets is too much!
- Indecision wastes too much time. I rearranged my scarf about ten times before going out the door. Just commit to something!
- The application of waterproof black eyeliner should not be rushed, or you shall end up with waterproof black smudges all over your eyelids and subsequently, fingers.

So, final challenge outfit tomorrow, and I already have it all planned out ;)

Capsule Wardrobe Style Challenge

Late last night I happened to find my way to the blog The Small Fabric of My Life, and saw that there was a capsule wardrobe contest - starting March first. I of course instantly decided I needed to participate.

The contest rules are simple, choose ten items of clothing and shoes, and five accessories, and use only those pieces to make five days of outfits.

Since I had already unknowingly committed to a dress, cardigan, flats and two pieces of jewelery, I spent the next few hours scrutinizing my closet and trying to pick the rest of my items. It took me until midnight - but I did it!

So for clothing I've got:
1 Dress - TJMaxx
1 Cammi - Gap
2 Skirts, Black Lace and Banded Grey - TJMaxx
3 Cardigans, Floral - Gap, Red - TJMaxx, Grey - Avon
3 Pairs of shoes, Black, Kenneth Cole, Red - Nine West, Yellow - Mia

And accessories:
1 Purse - Jessica Simpson
1 Scarf - Avon
1 Necklace - Gap
1 Bracelet - Aldo
1 Belt - Gap

Monday's Oufit

Tuesday's Outfit

My daily outfits will be posted on Flickr, and I'll do a post on Friday to sum them all up!

On an unrelated note, do many of you get 'creepers' hanging around your blogs or Flickr photostreams leaving comments that make you feel uncomfortable? I feel like my Flickr account has been infested by them and, while I delete them, they have been making me really unhappy. Almost to the point where I want to delete the whole account. If anyone wants to talk about this, send me an email.