Not falling down on the job yet, folks! Let's look at some February outfits, shall we?
February 4:
This is the most basic and straightforward way to "winterize" a summer dress: Add a long-sleeved shirt and leggings underneath it, and pair it all with boots. This dress is a particularly good one for adapting to winter because the colors are a bit darker/richer, with the deep blue and black trim. (Dresses with particularly bright, "sunny" colors are harder to wear in the winter, even paired with longer clothes underneath.) Overall, I enjoyed this look.
February 5:
This outfit, on the other hand, was a bit of a failure. It has some good elements, mostly in the colors, but it also has some problems. First, the white tee under the sweater has the wrong neckline; the sweater neckline really should be the uppermost line, because it's already somewhat high, and it has an interesting line to it anyway. If I were going to wear something underneath, it should have been a deeper V-neck to hide beneath the sweater.
Second, where is the necklace? Three really should be a long necklace here (or even two or three giving multiple strands) to visually add to the block color of the sweater. Without some kind of line to break it up, that color is a bit overwhelming, even though it is a nice burnt orange.
Lastly, the whole appearance is a bit trashed by the super-casual sneakers. Some nice brown boots would have been a much better choice, given that I'm a teacher, not a student, and am therefore supposed to look a bit more professional.
Sad, but true - this outfit just did NOT work.
February 6:
Okay, I know, I look like a waiter. Still, though, I kind of liked this look. It was... weird, funky, not "usual," and sometimes that is fun. It's definitely the kind of thing I can understand others disliking, but I don't really dress for them, so too bad!
February 8:
I like this one, but I wouldn't say I love it. It's just... skinnies and boots, like usual. When I see outfits like this, I think, "Why do I have a fashion blog? I wear the same thing all the time, just in slightly different versions..."
Why do I have this blog? What do you think?
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?
I have good news and bad news.
The Good News: I've been hoping to recreate this Pinterest pin for a while, and today's outfit was it:
I love Pinterest because it can give me some awesome ideas that are very easy to recreate with my own wardrobe. Sometimes pieces I might not have thought to put together, and sometimes just ways of putting them together I might not have considered. In this particular case, it's really the belting that I wouldn't have thought to do, but I really like how it changes the outfit:
I love the color of this skirt, and because it's such a rich statement color, it can be surrounded by neutral tones (white and gray, in this case) without getting washed out. The faux-floral detail on the sweater prevents it from feeling too plain, and the jewelry adds a little bit of "fancy" to an otherwise functional-looking outfit.
The Bad News: This outfit works much better in pictures than it does in real life. I don't mean that it didn't look good in real life when you looked at it - I'm pretty sure it looked quite nice to most people who saw me, although it is clearly designed for someone MUCH thinner (like the model in the picture). The problem was that the outfit just didn't move comfortably. The button-down shirt beneath the cardigan kept coming untucked, the belt didn't quite hit the skirt at the right place, and the sweater kept bunching up under the belt. Early in the day I opted to button the cardigan instead of leaving it open, but even that didn't fully solve the problems. I spent the vast majority of the day fidgeting with my clothes and feeling sloppy, and that is an abominable way to go through a Tuesday. (Or any day, really.)
So what did we learn from this experiment? Using photos from magazines and websites can be great for getting inspired and excited about new fashion possibilities, but they won't all translate to "real life" as well as we might hope. Some outfits are created to be captured by a camera, and never to be seen in motion, and those outfits we just admire and pass by.
Get the look for yourself:
Skirt - Target; similar here.
Shirt -Target; similar here.
Sweater - Old Navy; I can't find any similar sweaters, but you can create the look by adding a flower pin / brooch to any plain cardigan. I particularly like these three options.
Shoes - Payless; similar here.
Belt - hand-me-down; similar here.
Bracelet - Express, available here.
Earrings - New York and Company; similar here.
I can't lie - I am not a fan of Thursday's outfit:
Basically, I feel like I threw something together in a hurry because I was too tired to take the time to make something good. There is nothing wrong with the outfit, per se, it's just that there's nothing particularly great about it either, and that makes me sad.
The shirt is an individual piece that I really love. It's very versatile, well-cut (and therefore flattering), and comfortable. The slacks are a recent purchase from New York and Company, and I love the rich burgundy color.
So why don't I like them together? I feel like the proportions here are off. I really wish I'd tucked the shirt, although the front ruffle makes this a tough shirt to tuck smoothly. The untucked shirt makes my torso appear longer and my legs appear shorter - in case you didn't already know, that's basically the opposite of what we ladies are supposed to aim for. The black booties just don't do anything for the outfit, and in fact I feel like the color contrast between the black and the maroon is awkward for some reason.
So, yeah, this whole thing is... Well, it's not a failure, but I sure wouldn't count it as a success. I'd give myself a C-.
What grade do you give this?
Get the look for yourself:
No, actually, just don't.
