Brown and Black

Before I get to answering the reader-submitted question from the last post, I'll show Monday's outfit:

The skirt is another Mrs. Toth hand-me-down, and I got tons of compliments on it through the day. I like that it is fitted around the waist and flares nicely at the ends. It could be worn with all sorts of different color combos, but for the debut, I kept it with simple black. For the chilly weather, I added a denim jacket:

We like?
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Okay, on the last post, an anonymous commenter asked the following question:

"When is it ok to wear black and brown and when is it not ok?"

The answer, honestly, is that there is no real answer. But I understand that that isn't really helpful. So here is the general rule by which I dress myself:

If it looks good, wear it.

Isn't that a horrifically annoying answer? But it's the accurate answer. If it works, then go with it - don't worry about what rules you might or might not be breaking. Generally, you're better off choosing browns that are on the lighter side, because if the colors are too close together, they're more likely to clash. Note the light brown sweater I wore Tuesday with black pants:

If the sweater were a darker brown, it would be too similar to the black in the pants. Same with the boots I wore in last week's "trendy" outfit - a nice tan color, rather than dark brown.

So there's your answer! And for good measure, here are some more pics from Tuesday, showcasing my brand new leopard-print flats, which had been on my wish list for a while now:

Happy Thanksgiving, friends! For right now, I am thankful for all of you, my readers, who keep making me feel like maybe my clothes are interesting to someone besides me. :)

On the Subject of Trends

Let's talk about trends, shall we? Different people have different opinions on trends, so what I'm saying should not be taken as "correct" in any way - it's merely my own personal opinion.

My outfit from Thursday is SUPER TRENDY. What do I mean by that? Well, I mean that it's a look that is very "in" right now - it's very popular and regarded as very "now" in the fashion world. Who decided it was "in"? I have no idea, but apparently, it is.

Why did I wear it? Because I really like it - I like the way it looks and I like the way it feels. But would I have bought it if it weren't trendy? Probably not, but not for the reason that you think. I didn't buy it because someone out there decided it was cool, and for whatever reason I decided it would make me "cool" to wear what other people liked. But I wouldn't have thought of buying a chambray shirt (that's that faux-denim style) and pairing it with these pieces if I hadn't seen it ALL OVER the internet over the past few months:

Just some of the many examples.

(Because of it, the chambray shirt had been on my "Wish List" for two months now.)

So am I being a fashion trend "follower"? Absolutely. Do I see a problem with that? No. First, as I already said, I'm not doing it BECAUSE it's trendy. I'm doing it because I like it, but I only discovered it because it was popular. If I didn't like it, I wouldn't do it just because it was trendy.

Second, nothing in this outfit is "trendy" in a way that will make it useless in one more season. Some trends are so unique that the pieces will become complete wastes of money within a few months, because they can't be worn once the trend has passed. But a chambray shirt will be a great staple piece, and the other pieces (black skinnies, tan boots) are pieces I already love and wear with great regularity.

Some people will never want to wear trendy pieces, because they thrive on being different from others and going against the grain. That's great if that works for them, but I've never felt that need for myself. I find that what is more important to me - whether it is in fashion, music, books, or whatever - is to make choices that I feel good about, regardless of how many others do or do not agree with my choices. I'm not going to pick something just because everyone likes it, but I'm also not going to stay away from it for that same reason.

If you're not a trend-follower, well, I hope you'll forgive my being one on this day.
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On a related note, I set a plan to wear maxi skirts/dresses every (non-jeans-day) Friday, and yes I just wasn't feeling it this past Friday. I'm not one to force myself to a routine to the point of suffering, so I went with skinnies and boots again, though at least I varied the boots and wore my black Uggs:

I might need to go to a skinnies-and-boots rehab center soon. Someone stage an intervention, quick!

Mild Variation

Well, if I'm gonna be stuck in a skinnies-and-boots rut, I figured I should at least start varying the boots in question, instead of wearing my tan ones every day. So yesterday's outfit brought back some well-loved favorites:

These boots are much less comfortable than my flat ones, but they're not explicitly uncomfortable either. The details at the side are cute, the material is a buttery faux-suede, and the color is a nice cream, which went well with my new Target sweater.

How's that variation striking you, oh loyal fans of mine?

Work and Play

Thursday's outfit had a bit of an equestrian vibe:

A button-down shirt with tan(ish) colored skinny pants tucked into tall riding-style boots is obviously an outfit that will lend itself to equestrian comparisons. But given they aren't actually riding boots, nor are they riding britches, nor would the shirt move all that well if I tried to ride in it... Well, it's just a school-day work outfit.

Still, that said, I like the outfit. There's nothing I can really say to add to why I like it that you don't already know, so I'll just leave it for you to admire. Consider it a pop quiz: 

Have you been paying enough attention to know what I love about each piece in this outfit?
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Sadly, I forgot to take pictures of my blue-and-gold outfit on Friday, so I can't share that with you. When I realized that, however, I felt like I should make an extra effort to take pics of my out-and-about outfit from today to make up for the loss.

Today's outings were very minimal, comprised only of a couple errands and some grading at Starbucks. The top is a pretty simple soft, stretchy striped (whoa, alliteration much?) t-shirt, and I paired it with dark-wash boot-cut jeans. The extra length in the jeans required a bit of a heel to avoid dragging the hem on the ground, so I wore my ankle boots.

The weather today called for a little extra warmth, so I added a scarf and sweater of plain black.

No jewelry required, I felt, beyond some simple studs in the ears. Overall, I was comfortable in the clothes, but still felt like I looked "put together" instead of sloppy. Because seriously, who actually wants to look sloppy, even on the weekends?

Hand-Me-Downs

I think many of us who have older siblings of the same gender (I have an older sister about three years older than I) grew up hating the concept of hand-me-downs. Like, really? I get her old unwanted clothes? Wow! That's so great! I really feel like a valued member of this family getting only what she doesn't fit into anymore. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

However, I'm pretty sure this is an unfair response. First, it negates how hard our parents are working to keep us clothed at all, which is kind of a lot of work when you think about it. Second, I think the vast majority of us were getting hand-me-downs that were still in good condition, so it's not like we were walking around with holes or huge mustard stains or anything. And third, it ignores how exciting clothes are when they're new to the person wearing them, even if they aren't new to the world as a whole.

My great and wonderful friend Miss Heaton I mean, Mrs. Toth recently cleaned out her closet and gave me some of her hand-me-downs. I love when she does that, because she's always got super cute stuff that's still in great condition, and I suddenly get new (FREE) clothes, like the skirt I wore today:

It fits well, and the color is a nice soft mix of light green and light blue. I decided to pair it with a long-sleeved black top with a square cowl neck. With the top and skirt both solid colors, I added some print in my charcoal gray tights, then finished off the outfit with ankle boots:

So do you have any friends who might be able to give you her (or his) hand-me-downs? If it starts to feel too unfair - like one of you is always giving and one is always receiving - you could arrange a clothing swap. Nothing like a quid pro quo to keep the friendship balanced. :)

Job > Blog

Well, I'm trying to get my job done these days, and that has required time away from the blog. I am sorry, but I'm sure you can all understand that work is pretty important stuff.

For today, I really just have pictures for you to enjoy, with minimal commentary.

1. With this plain black dress, it's all about the accessories, and on this day, I chose tan as the accessory color base:

2. Love this maxi dress, and love the color choices here, but I'm not entirely sure I love the way the lines worked out with the long sweater:

3. Hate this outfit. Completely. I was lazy and it showed:

4. Plain and simple, but I liked this one much better than yesterday:

What are your thoughts?