Sigh

Who can guess when I started coaching soccer? Because it lines up pretty closely to when I stopped posting here at the fashion blog. Sorry about that, loyal fans. Prepare to be bombarded with photos of what you've missed in the meantime...

Skinnies and Boots

I don't think much needs to be said about these outfits, because we all know most of the reasons I love skinnies and boots.

 I heart argyle. Who's with me?

 I love the color and the cut of this sweater, but I feel like I never find the right top to wear under it. This t-shirt wasn't a whole lot better than anything else I've tried.

I don't love this outfit. I untucked the shirt when I got to school and that made it better, but I still wish I'd done better.

Add a Blazer

I know, technically, these are still in the "skinnies and boots" category, but I feel like the main focus of the outfit is the blazer, so they should be in their own BLAZER category.

Miss Self suggested, and I agree, that this outfit would have worked better with a brooch of some kind. Next time...

This was my outfit for the Open House, aka "Impress the Parents Day."

Sweater Vests

Another "skinnies and boots," but also a non-skinnies outfit.

 I got my boot socks! Yay! Also, let's remember I love argyle.

Printed sweater vest (in the first outfit) demands a plain top, so a printed top wants a plain sweater vest, like this grey one.

Dresses

We'll start with the simple dress for work:

New Target sweater? Yes, please!

But then, we also have the fancy dress for the staff Christmas party:

I LOVE this dress, I LOVE my fascinator (that black half-hat), and I love the whole look that came together here. I felt beautiful, and I don't often, so that's a big deal.

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So... ? Say something! Welcome me back, or just say hello, or pick a favorite outfit, or... something! I've missed you all. :)

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!

New Boots

I mentioned in this post that I had started budgeting recently, and this had driven me to prioritize my clothing "wish list" a little more than I used to. With my October clothing budget, one of my major priorities was to get a new pair of brown/tan knee-high boots. The pair you can see here and here was beginning to get a little worn-out and scuffed, so I wanted to get a nice new pair, assuming I could find a good deal. I did, and here are my new boots in action:

I hadn't initially planned to wear these today, but it was so chilly this morning that I decided to debut the boots instead of going with the flats I'd intended to wear. These burgundy skinnies had only been worn once so far this year, which surprises me given how much I already love them. The blouse is a great favorite of mine - the cream is a warmer tone than a pure white, and the bow at the neckline is a nice embellishment.

For the sake of modesty - as in, not having my pants fall down to my ankles at a moment's notice - I added a tan braided belt. The necklace has brown, copper, and a light teal, and I liked that pop of a contrasting color with the rest of the outfit. Sometimes people who aren't very confident in their fashion choices get stuck thinking that everything in an outfit needs to match, but that's not true. As many fashion experts are fond of saying, "It doesn't have to match; it has to GO." And people who don't understand fashion are probably tempted to respond with something like, "What in the name of all things chic is that supposed to mean?" Basically, it means that you can bring in a new color, as long as it doesn't clash with the rest of the outfit - it doesn't need to match, it just has to not MISmatch.

So... what's the verdict on my new boots? Thumbs up? Or should I have prioritized them lower on my wish list?


Get the look for yourself:
Blouse - Target; similar here.
Skinnies - New York and Company; similar here.
Boots - Amazon.com, available here.
Belt - Target, available here.
Necklace - Target; similar here.

Make a Wish List

I am only a recent arrival at the "budgeting" party, meaning that until recently, I haven't been as responsible as I could have about planning my purchases/spending."How's it going?" you might ask. It's going well, except for that whole "not getting what I want when I want it" thing. I don't enjoy having to exercise self-restraint, let's just say.

Now that I've started setting some limits on my clothing spending, I've come to realize that I better also start prioritizing my clothing desires. I started using Polyvore to compile my planned purchases, so that as each month comes along, I can use the budgeted money on the pieces I want most. I admit that I enjoy looking at and trying out new trends, so often the pieces I hope to buy are pieces I've seen in magazines, on TV, on fashion blogs, etc. And thence springs today's blouse:

I was glad to find this on sale at New York and Company, because I'd been hoping to find something just like this for a while now. Since this blouse is really designed to look almost like a pajama shirt, I decided to pair it with wide-leg faux-denim trousers and a black vest to keep it looking professional. Because of the dark blue in the pants, black shoes really just didn't work, so I added a pop of color (you know how I love those!) with burgundy ankle boots.

The contrast trim at the color and cuffs would have been overshadowed by a necklace and/or bracelet, so I kept the jewelry limited to small gold teardrop hoop earrings only. I ended up being completely thrilled with how the outfit turned out, even though I went through several drafts before deciding to go with this version. Some mornings are like that, I think - you're completely ambivalent until suddenly you have no more time to spend choosing an outfit, so you say, "This'll have to do," and then, out of nowhere, you love it.

Of course, other mornings you love the outfit from the start, walk out the front door, and suddenly realize it hikes up in the back and it's too tight in the arms and you can't be totally sure, but you think it might be giving you love handles you did not have before leaving the house this morning.

Let's be grateful for the good days.


Get the look for yourself:
Blouse - New York and Company, available here.
Pants - New York and Company; similar here and here.
Vest - Gap; similar here.
Boots - Target; similar here.
Earrings - The Limited, available here.