Friday, September 17, 2010

Under My Umbrella-ella-ella.


  • Cami: Maurices (here)
  • Hoodie: Maurices
  • Skirt: Old Navy
  • Rain boots: Payless (here)
  • Bag: Target
  • Umbrella: Crabtree & Evelyn
  • Ribbon: from a spool of ribbon bought at Walmart

I don't always follow trends, but I do get inspired by them because cute trendy stuff shows up in stores. Well, okay, style blogging is changing that for me a little bit, but that's not my point. Some trends, like rain boots, end up making me want them all the more because I can't find something that works for me (well, in this case, by "work", I mean "fit"). So finally, I found this pair in my size, and *cough* 4 *cough* pairs of shoes later, my rain boots were safely in the mail. And the next day, I see this post by Kendi, and well, I thought "That's a pretty cute outfit and my boots will be here soon, I should try something like that!", but ultimately, the real credit for this outfit is a friend of mine who posted a complaint on Facebook a few days later. She was musing about the trend of all the people wearing rain boots with shorts and skirts, and pointing out that the water will just trickle down your legs into your boots. And I thought, "Hey, I was just thinking about wearing a something like that myself!" So for my friend, who I know is reading this post, I just want you to know, it was raining pretty hard, and I didn't get a single drop of water in my boots!

And yes, I'm outside!!! I do go out sometimes, this is actually my second trip outside since I started this blog (other trip is here even though I ended up not getting pictures outside). This is from yesterday: my wife had a surprise day off work, so we decided to do some shopping and meet up with some friends. I noted, to my surprising and unusual delight, that the weather report called for rain, so I was all about doing a quick change to get these pictures. And if nothing else, I promise I'll try to go outside again on Groundhog day to see if I see my shadow.

Okay, so yesterday Meli22 who is super cool and runs the totally rocking blog The Daily Insanity of a Fashion Addict asked some questions. And I have answers!

Is that your real hair, a wig, etc? How do you wear your hair when dressed this way vs. how do you wear your hair daily? Yes, this is my real hair you're seeing. I grew it out several years ago for many reasons, and one of them did include my interest in fashion. I didn't really accept this part of myself at the time, but hey, I was making progress. I almost always wear my hair up in a ponytail when I'm not dressed like this (also, I usually go without the ribbon too). In fact, this is one of the few times I've had my hair up for an outfit like this. A few months ago, in the search for a new hairdresser, I finally worked up the courage to ask for a slightly more interesting hair cut and got some layering put in, but alas, our most excellent hairdresser has found another job and left no forwarding address, so now I have to be courageous again. For special occasions, my wife helps me style my hair with a curling iron and other magical hair products (I'm still learning when it comes to hair and makeup!)

Okay, wow, if you're still here, I really appreciate it! Long post. Now no one will ask any more questions! Ack. Well, for the brave, ask away, I will still try to answer them! Okay, its also Friday (yay!), so I hope everyone has an absolutely wonderful weekend, and no rain (unless you want rain! I got my rain boots picture, so now its okay to be sunny with a slight chill so I can break out my other boots, tights I bought yesterday and everything else!). I'll be back with another post on Tuesday! And of course, my lovely (and patiently getting rained on) wife took the pictures (Hey, she got a box of chocolates too!).

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Orange (would go well with this).


  • Dress: Target
  • Cardigan: Torrid
  • Heels: Nine West via Amazon
  • Belt: Torrid
  • Necklace: Maurices

Okay, I'm starting to understand why other bloggers use dates for their titles. This dress is one of my rare finds from Target that I think actually works for me and fits right. It came with a narrow fabric belt in the same jewel tone that just didn't work for me, so I went with my standby wide belt. More belts are on the shopping list... so much for the less shopping! At least my shopping is more strategic these days. And I'm really having a lot of fun trying to share my wardrobe and making connections with everyone. The heels are also a dark purple, but I'm not sure shows through in the pictures. I'll be away from the computer off and on today, so I might be slow on comments, but I hope everyone has a great day! And if anyone has questions, I love questions! I will definitely try my best to answer them! As always, my beautiful wife took the pictures.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Rustic Office.


  • Yellow Cami: Maurices
  • Blazer: Maurices
  • Skirt: Maurices
  • Necklace: Maurices (similar here)
  • Sandals: Payless (here)

So, in spite of better judgement, I got some new shoes yesterday. Plural. I have actually been wanting a cute pair of rain boots for a while, and have had trouble finding them in my size, until Payless pulled through for me and a pair showed up on their website recently. And since they were doing buy one get one half off, obviously I had to buy some other pairs too. And since its not raining today, you get this outfit with one of the other pairs I ordered, but I just want everyone to know I'm prepared for the next rainy day. :) This skirt is actually one of my favorite skirts (I've had it about 3 years now), and when I saw this pair of sandals, I thought they would be perfect for this skirt (and a ton of other things too!). Yesterday, Lisa from Respect the Shoes (who has a seriously awesome blog, but I'm pretty sure everyone already knows that) asked some questions, and today, I have answers!

Who are you style icons? I actually don't really think I have any, and my knowledge of the larger world and industry of fashion is more limited than I would like, so about the only name that comes to mind is Tim Gunn. Now, I happen to think he seriously rocks, but he's not really an influence on my style (men's or women's clothing), at least in any way I'm aware of. A couple of my more stylish real life friends over the years have definitely left an impact though. I get a lot of ideas and influence from just seeing other people (including and especially style bloggers!) wearing things in creative ways, or I see something that just strikes me as something I like, and then I try it out myself. I'm definitely an advocate for being adventurous with fashion and just trying things to see if you like it. I've realized no one should ever be afraid of clothes.

How did you get into fashion? This is kinda hard for me to answer, and I'm still trying to fully understand it myself. I actually used to hate myself for my interest in fashion. I didn't even begin to understand my interest until the past 3 or 4 years. I guess one answer would be when I fell in love with a pair of my mom's pumps when I was about 5 or 6. I would have to say I was always a bit of an "artistic" child too, and I have always tried to find creative outlets in everything, but I was afraid of clothes and hyper aware of "girlie" things. I spent the next 20 or so years thinking I was seriously broken for liking women's clothes. As an adult I had a breakthrough when I realized that I should just wear what I like and that it meant nothing more or less other than I had an interest in women's fashions. Since then I have spent a lot of time learning what I like and don't like and how to talk about it. At first, I was very much like a lot of guys, and only knew that I liked something or didn't and didn't understand why, but I've learned a lot (and still have a lot to learn).

What are your fave shops? Well, since today's outfit is almost 100% Maurices, I have to say, its clearly a winner. I also enjoy Torrid, Payless, and Nine West a lot. I typically wear plus size clothing, and have a less common, larger shoe size. I know sizing can be a sensitive issue, and so I'm saying this because I hope it helps answer the question. Unfortunately, what this means is that there are some places that have clothes I find absolutely adorable but I just can't shop there due to sizing.

What's your fave kind of clothing (i.e., dresses, pants, skirts, etc.)? I have a serious addiction to shoes, especially colorful high heels, and tall boots. A lot of classic/retro dresses that my wife tells me are 50's and 60's inspired (I'm still sorting out eras in fashion). But I am a child of the 80's and I can definitely see that the occasional milder reinterpretation of the 80's catches my interest too. I am also a sucker for subtle feminine details. I'm not entirely sure I answered the right question here.

Well, I hope that wasn't too long! Thanks for reading. And I'm always up for more questions. And of course, my adorable wife took the pictures, as usual.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

With a bow on top.


  • Top: Maurices
  • Cardigan: Torrid
  • Skirt: Maurices
  • Shoes: Payless
  • Bag: Maurices

This outfit was another attempt at a more professional look. I think I succeeded. I also think this definitely looks better with the cardigan, but I really liked the sleeves on this top (its one piece with the vest part of it too) so I wanted to show what they looked like too. When I bought this top, I discovered how much I love interesting bow ties like this. I have no idea what the proper name for those are (the collar of the top has long strips of fabric on each side), but I enjoy them and need more. Okay, I don't need more clothes, but hypothetically speaking, if a half dozen more tops in this vein in interesting styles and colors showed up, I would find a place in my closet for them. I would also remind my wife that she doubted me when I bought this top, and how cute it actually turned out. I might get in trouble for posting that.

Anyway, back to the (not) shopping. One of my goals I've figured out for this blog is to try and go through everything in my closet and either try and wear it for an outfit post or decide it doesn't fit or doesn't look that great and put it in a thrift pile, and at least shop less. I won't promise no repeats, or remixes (In fact, I hope to do some), but I will try to go through everything I have. And actually doing this blog has helped me want to shop less (We will not discuss the new shoes I'm expecting in the mail today, or why I needed new shoes, at least until I get to post an outfit with them). I don't exactly wear my clothes outside that much, and this has given me an opportunity to talk about fashion with people who love it as much or more than I do. Oh yeah, I'm also open to attempting to answer questions on the blog, if anyone wants to ask them, I know I've answered some in comments, but I'll be more organized about it and have longer posts, also, I guess I'm getting more comfortable talking writing here. :) I realize this post is a little more talkative than usual, I hope that's okay. Thanks for listening! And of course, my excellent wife took the pictures! :)

Monday, September 13, 2010

Fit to be tie-dyed.


  • Top: Maurices
  • Jeans: Maurices
  • Kitten Heels: Nine West (here)

This is a simple and comfy outfit I've been thinking about that I wanted to try. The colors remind me of fall, and its finally starting to be cooler in the mornings here. And I need a simple and comfy outfit, today is another no fun day for me. But that's why I have this blog, its a happy creative place, so enough of that! I can't believe all the amazing wonderful people who have come by here and left a comment, but I definitely get a bit tongue tied when trying to figure out what to say. Ashley at Ashley Getting Dressed takes questions in her comments and answers them in the next post, so I think I may give that a try, if anyone wants to ask me something that is! I certainly don't want to talk about things that no one wants to hear about, so this way, I can talk about something only one person wants to hear about instead. :) And of course my awesome wife took the pictures.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Sock it to me.


  • Dress: Maurices (on clearance)
  • Cardigan: Old Navy
  • Belt: Torrid
  • Pumps: Payless
  • Socks: Target

Recently I've seen two bloggers make super cute and creative usage of socks. Collette of Statements in Fashion wore an awesome lacey pair of knee highs with peep toes and Amber's Notebook payed homage to Clarissa Explains it All. (And yes, I remember watching that show when I was in middle school...) And then during our Labor Day weekend shopping, I decided to check out socks at Target and found this pair. I also got this dress at Maurices on clearance for around $23. I've been thinking about it every time I've seen it in the store, the lowered price finally convinced me to buy it. I had a lot of fun putting this look together, but I have no idea how anyone is going to respond to this one. :) Honestly though, I'm amazed at how great the style bloggers are, I really didn't expect to get any readers when I started this. Actually, I had no idea what to expect, but everyone has been so amazingly wonderful. Oh yeah, in case its not clear from the picture, these peep toes have little cutouts with blue stitching highlighting everything. Today is shaping up to be a crazy one, so forgive me if I'm not fast on the comments! I also hope everyone has a great weekend! I'll be posting again on Monday. And of course, my wonderful wife took the pictures and provided input on the outfit.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Comfortable Colors.


  • Top: Maurices
  • Cardigan: Old Navy
  • Skinny Jeans: Z. Cavaricci from Torrid
  • Pumps: Payless
  • Necklaces: Maurices
  • Bracelets: Torrid
  • Messenger Bag: Target
  • Bag: Target

It was a rainy day here, so I protested with color. I realize that I have two different bags in this collection of pictures, but I wasn't sure how I felt about the color of the orange'ish one, and then I ended up liking the pose, so I kept it. The rain also cooled things down enough that I broke out the skinny jeans. Unfortunately today is a bit of a hectic busy day, but this outfit is super comfy. The top and the cardigan are really soft and warm and bright, so take that rain.