Reader Mail

First, an apology to all those who have asked me questions in the comments section at various points and never been answered: I'm sorry.

What, did you expect a prolix-driven apology? I can be terse when needed.

At any rate, your moment is finally here, so get excited. Yes, it is time for Reader Mail, by which I mean "questions from the comments."

Let's go oldest-to-newest, shall we?

From my post about trends: "I really want a denim shirt! Where did you get yours?" (Andrea)

Well, sorry for not getting back to you sooner, Andrea! It might be useless now, but if not, I got mine from Target. In fact, I got two different chambray/denim shirts from Target recently. I can't find the exact one from that post online, but a very similar one can be found here. The other one, which you can see me wearing in the pic at left, is a little heavier and slightly darker wash, and that you can find at Target online here. I love them both!

On my catch-up post a few weeks ago, we got a few different questions, starting with: "Can we get a picture of just your closet(s)? Or a slideshow of what you have at your disposal? I'm having trouble estimating the volume of your wardrobe." (Ambrah Carlisle)

Well, that's a bit of a challenge. I really should take a photo of every single piece I own and assemble a virtual closet (you know, in my copious free time), but so far, I haven't done that. Here are some pics of my current storage options, and you'll see that even with all the storage I do have, I am woefully short on space.

This dresser is where the bulk of folded shirts and pants live. Sweaters life on top of the plastic shelves and in the top cube. Some skirts, shorts, and more pants live in the cube second from bottom, and the bottom holds all the denim pants, shorts, etc. Purses, for some reason, live in the third from the bottom, and hats are stacked on top.

This is my secondary dresser, which holds mostly workout clothes (t-shirts and sweat pants), leggings, and tights. You'll also see that I have two full hampers of dirty laundry waiting to be done, except that's necessary for equilibrium, since all drawers and closets are full right now, so I have no space for clean laundry to get put away. Also, enjoy a fake bird on my wall.

 Even my necklace storage is getting crowded.

Tee hee. I like shoes. A lot. This is only some of my shoes, too.

 Here is the main clothing closet, with dresses, skirts, blouses, etc. Note that there are more shoe racks on the ground, as well as shoes that don't even fit in the racks. The blue arrows are markers to give you a sense of how big the closet is with the following pics:

From the marker on the right to the end of the closet. (Also note the hanging shoe rack with, yes, more shoes.)

 From the marker on the left to the other end.

This is the coat closet in the living room, which also houses all my boots. The black arrow is another marker.

 From the marked hanger to the end of the closet. In the back there you'll see dance costumes and gowns.

So... yeah. I have a lot of clothing I guess.

Another question from that post: "You never seem very happy in your photos. Why is that?" (Emmeline Paolo)

Hrm, that's a tough one. There are a couple different answers, and the first is that I think I look less ugly when I'm not smiling. (Or I look more ugly when I am smiling, if you prefer it without the double-negatives.) I just prefer my face not smiling, I guess. I don't think I'm alone in this either - a guy I used to date once said, "You're pretty when you smile, but you're kind of gorgeous when you're miserable. I don't know how you do it." I suppose that's a compliment, but I told him not to make me miserable just to see the expression, kthxbai.

The second answer is that it feels awkward enough taking pictures using a tripod (the actual photography tool, not my cat) and a self-timer when I'm all alone in my apartment (except for the aforementioned cat); if I added smiling at the camera, I think I would feel even weirder. I'm not unhappy, though! Just... not smiling.

On a related note, however, I often laugh at my own expressions in the photos, and occasionally want to hold caption contests. Seriously,one of these days, I might do it.

Last from that same post: "I have a fun Christmas challenge: What's the tackiest ensemble you can produce, any single item of which would be pleasant and tasteful on its own?" (CHRISTOPHER SMIFF)

Dood, I don't think I could pick just one. Basically, take any combination of prints and put them together. Then take printed socks and put them with shoes that really shouldn't even be worn with socks at all, and finish it all off with a printed headband and printed handbag. So, basically, create a Printastrophe. (The word "printastrophe" and all related forms copyright Kari Doyle 2012.)

And finally, from our most recent post: "I LOVE the Thanksgiving dinner outfit. What tights are you wearing with it?" (Meghan)

A pair of light brown / dark tan tights I got from Target recently. I'm wearing the same ones in the outfit with my birthday-dinner-dress. The exact ones I bought are apparently no longer available, but these are very similar. Sadly, they've already developed a hole in the tow, so I'll have to do something about that...

Okay, that's it for this post, but the casual outfits post is in the works, I promise! :)