Neutrals

Yesterday's work outfit. Kind of a missy costume, but I was feeling it, especially the newly thrifted skirt, which I like to see as a late 1990's Prada print. I can't wait for bare-leg weather, though I guess that's going to mean shaving my legs. It's been what, five months? I keep hoping that one day I'll just look gone and it will be gone, like it will get the hint that it's not needed, or the friction from my pants will rub it off. No?

Blouse Envy

Still can't get enough...

Spinning

Today was one of those days where I felt like I spent way too much time running around looking for things that I couldn't find. Very frustrating. By lunchtime I felt like I needed a glass of wine! Usually I'm very organized, but there are things that are beyond my control. I got these shoes at the thrift store for five dollars and I love the black-on-black matte and shiny contrast. They're high enough that I wear flats when I'm just working in the workshop, and I think I put them on and took them off a couple of dozen times today!

the fading day

I had about fifteen minutes of actual daylight when I got home from work today - spring must be coming! I made this top a couple of years ago, but it's been languishing in the mend pile for ages. Of course, the mend took less than five minutes, and now it's back in rotation. I've been wondering about denim skirts for spring, but I hadn't figured out what looked right until Krista spotted this one at Value Village yesterday. Krista, if you're regretting passing on it, you can borrow it. I'm looking forward to wearing it with clogs when the aforementioned spring arrives.

New Shades

It's high time to implement some austerity measures on the home front. In my case that means no buying any new clothes, shoes, accessories. Thrifting is allowed, or I can sew it myself. I don't need anything! Of course, a little retail therapy is warranted after a hard week at work, so I found a loophole: makeup. I can't very well buy makeup at the thrift store, can I? Or make it? No. I'm going to work on getting in the habit of wearing lipstick more often. I like how it looks, and I just have to get over the mental block of thinking that it's somehow hard work, or high-maintenance. Yes, I have to bring it to work for touch ups, but that's not beyond my ability, surely.

The key is the right lipstick. Matte-y matte matte. I don't like shimmer or shine. And it's hard to find much selection in matte. I have a couple of good MAC shades, one from Joe Fresh, and I just bought a Sephora brand in kind of a bricky-berry, kind of like the bottom picture. We shall see... Last spring I hunted for a matte coral that I liked, but couldn't find one. It may just be that it's not a shade that suits me. The swatches in the middle pic below are Revlon: I might try the orange one.

glowy

I love these soft, springy pictures. This kind of theme pops up every so often in fashion editorials and it made me think about fashion's take on the simple, rural life, farming, and possibly religious sects. There's a funny irony in using the visual cues of simple living, purity and austerity to sell thousand dollar cashmere tops. I guess it goes to show that we don't need to look for any meaning in the images as long as they are pretty.

images from Vogue Germany, via fashiongonerogue

Look what I got!

I feel like I'm finally on my way to being legitimate fashion blogger - check out this scarf! I was lacking the excellent hand-made scarf, but here it is. My friend Marissa made it for me and it is so soft, and the perfect length, and the mustard yellow is divine. She knows me so well. It's helping me make peace with the gloomy weather.

It's been a lame week, other than the scarf. I've just been feeling blah and a little cranky, but I feel like that mood is starting to lift this evening. Karl made amazing chicken soup (hmm, chicken soup for my cranky soul?), and I'm looking forward to getting lots of sleep. I do have one lingering conundrum: I think my vitamins are making me puke. This happens with every brand of multi-vitamin I've tried except one. And I just bought a new bottle of them and I puked. Apparently I could be allergic to one of the zillions of things in the vitamin or the coating or the binder or, or... but I thought I had a brand that was OK. I hope it was just a random occurrence the other day, and I feel like I have to try again to be sure, but I'm really not looking forward to puking and having to go back to the pharmacy to ask for my money back. Anyway.

Love my scarf!!

Yes, my cat is boring.

If I could have a ludicrous pet it would be a hippopotamus. I love them. They just look so sweet and dozy. And yes, I've heard all though hoo-ha about the fact that they are the most deadly killer on earth or something, but maybe if you raised it up from a baby...

Shopping list

Despite the fact that I have a wardrobe overflowing with frills and silliness, I'm often stumped by the lack of basics. For the last couple of months, at least a couple of times a weeks, I wonder why I don't own a long sleeved t-shirt in a solid colour. I blame the fact that when I see these items in thrift stores - basically the only places I shop - I think they are boring, and they tend to be too worn out and faded to be presentable.

Tomorrow I will be at a mall, though. My budget is $20 and my wish list is as follows: ribbed, long sleeves, fitted but not too tight, modest neckline, solid colour, cotton or wool blend. I feel like that between Zara, the Gap, Old Navy, Forever 21 and maybe Superstore, this shouldn't be an unreasonable request. And if I find one and buy it and like it, I might buy another, because it seems like every morning, I wake up thinking that that's what I want to wear.

Such Great Heights

Up above the belly button this time, but the pants fit so perfectly, and the colour was so perfectly olive that I couldn't say no. I got a complement on them from a very stylish client at work and I didn't tell her I got them at Value Village - never sure how to handle that one. I also got this lovely lavender silk blouse with pretty pleats there this weekend.

Pretty Blouse

Isn't the white blouse above sweet? I like a white, semi-sheer blouse on someone else, but on me it's probably a formerly-white, now speckled with stains, semi-sheer blouse with not quite the right bra underneath. I guess I missed the resolution deadline; maybe next year.

Sketchbook Show

Remember I said that I was resolving to do more drawing? Well, I got a book called Picture This by Lynda Barry for Christmas and it's so inspiring. You might know her Marlys comics, and this is an illustrated book, but it's about how everyone can draw and how important it is, and how good it is for your creativity to draw, even if it's just little doodles. It's a good philosophy for me: sometimes I do worry that it's a waste of time or a waste of paper if I'm not really creating a great work of art. But I've felt very inspired to sit down almost every day, even if it's just for half an hour, and play around with paints or pens or a pencil. I don't think about it too much, just see where it goes; it's very relaxing and it feels great to be filling up an old sketchbook. These are just a few of my little doodles:

2011 Bridal Trends

Beautiful pictures of Julia Stegner, and a little inspiration... Something I can whip up at work with leftover lace scraps? Also, the veil as dress theory may be gaining some ground this year.

Oh well.

Man, today I just could not take get a good picture of myself! I was tired and my feet hurt, and I took a dozen or so before my patience wore out, and none of them were nice. Oh well. The olive green tank is mesh, which you can't really see. Again, oh well.



Really, the whole point is this awesome bracelet that Karl gave me for Christmas. I love it so much. He knows I'm crazy about turquoise jewelry and this is such a unique piece; it reminds me of a sea urchin. It's a little hard to tell, but the stone is set down inside: it's like a shadow-box setting.

Friday Face

I just spent over an hour looking at street style blogs and this was the only picture that really excited me, which is weird; I usually find lots. Maybe it's just that this girl has everything going on, from head to toe. If only it would stop raining here... Well, she's got that covered with the umbrella, just looks a little chilly to me!