Sunday, July 14, 2013

January. JANUARY?!

Wow, y'all. I didn't realize quite how bad it had gotten. I haven't updated the blog since JANUARY. Sigh.

Well, every school year, I set new goals for myself, and I will add "Be better about keeping up with the blog" to my list for 2013-2014. I will try to be more reasonable about not expecting myself to update daily, and I will try to force myself to do a quick update (at least) once a week. Feel free to hold me accountable.

All of that to say, we are turning back the clocks (and calendars) to January 28-30. (No, I'm not going to try to do too many outfits all at once here. Just a few at a time.)

January 28:



This shirt was a great purchase for my wardrobe. It is part-trendy and part-classic. The mint green and navy blue combination is a bit of a trend right now, as are the polka dots, but I have nothing against picking up trends (I talked about trends here). However, a collared button-down blouse is a classic wardrobe piece, and these colors, while currently more "hot" than they might be at other times, they'll never be explicitly UNfashionable.

I paired the blouse with a navy cardigan, keeping in line with the mint+navy color combo, and neutral pants (white skinnies). Because the collared blouse and clean-cut pants kept the outfit looking appropriately neat and professional, I opted for casual navy loafers instead of dressier shoes.

Overall, I was very happy with this outfit. It's pretty similar to this one, which I also loved, so I think I've found another "formula" that works for me. ("Formulas" = types of clothing pieces that you really like when paired together. For example, I love the "skinnies+boots" formula, as should be obvious in this blog.)

January 29:



Oh, look! Skinnies and boots! While the bottom half of this outfit is completely unsurprising and old-news for us here on this blog, there are a couple things I really like about the top half. The blouse under the sweater adds a nice spot of color near my face, the multi-strand necklace elongates the neckline, and the flower pin makes the sweater more interesting and more dressy. I actually really liked using that flower there, and I think I need to start considering pins/brooches more often as a way to accessorize plain tops in my outfits.

January 30:


 
While I do like this outfit, there isn't really anything all that interesting about it for the purposes of blogging. One thing I will say is that satiny jewel-toned shirts are a must have for a lady's wardrobe. Not too many, but a few great pieces really add class to any outfit.

On that note, here are some great tops I've found online recently:

 1. The Limited - available here
2. Kohl's - available here
3. Etsy - available here
4. Kohl's - available here

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Now leave a comment and tell me how much you've missed Daily Dress-Up!

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

The Return of the Blog

Get excited, y'all, because new posts are coming. I have so many outfits to share from the last months of school, plus my EUROPEAN VACATION outfits. So much good stuff. Seriously.

For now, numerous people have been tossing this post around on Facebook, and I think it is great, so I wanted to share it. I talk a lot about dressing modestly here, but I try to keep my discussion within similar frameworks to Ms. Evans's, so I think her ideas are right on.

Okay, more soon - I promise!

Sunday, January 27, 2013

I Still Wear Clothes

Want to see the clothes I've been wearing?

Work clothes:

Like.

Eh.

Like.

Love! 

 Like.

Dislike.

Like.


Love!

Eh.

Love!

Like.

Love!

Dislike.

Eh.

 Love!

Casual clothes:
Like.

Like.

Love!
Love!

Do you agree or disagree with my assessments?

Thursday, January 10, 2013

This is Me

And then, in the midst of it all, there is this:


There has always been this, there will always be this. And sometimes it seems there will only be this.

I can hide this, disguise this, suppress or subdue this, pretend to the world that I'm not dealing with this.

But some days, this is all there is, and it sits like a boulder on top of my chest when all that I want is to take a deep breath but the breathing won't come and the rock is still there and I'm losing my focus and fighting for air and I can't help the feeling that this? 


Is unfair.

_______________________________

It would be a lie to say that everything is fine, but everything is also not awful. I am at a very low point right now, but there is good news: I know that it will pass. I will get through the low, and I will feel "normal" again. I do not at all believe that things will always be this way; I know things will get better. Until they do, I will wait. But I will not wait silently.

When I wait silently, I begin to crumble, slowly, from the inside out. The weight of the silence becomes too much and my soul feels crushed beneath it. Is it so wrong, then, to share a burden? Is it wrong for students to know that their teachers hurt sometimes, that we struggle with our brokenness, that we do not, in the school of life, have all the answers? I think not. I hope not. And if it is, perhaps, in this case, I am perfectly willing to be wrong.

This is the burden I carry, day by day. It is heavy, but heavy burdens, when shared, feel bearable.

Thank you for sharing mine.

Saturday, January 5, 2013

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! :)

Friday, December 28, 2012

I Am, In Fact, Alive

So then, I was all, "Oh, I'm so busy with soccer, that's why I don't update the blog." And then it was vacation, so I should have been posting, right? Right, but I didn't. I took a vacation instead. So sue me.

Here's how December's work clothing finished up:




I was quite happy with this outfit, simple as it was. I chose the top specifically for the color because I had just colored my hair (darker brown with red highlights) and wanted to bring out the color. The combo of reddish hair, green shirt, and my fair skin is pretty good (if I do say so myself), and the green shirt especially made my eyes look greener.





Here we see evidence of what I've told a great many people - I DO repeat outfits. (I've just never really repeated them at work.) This is actually the same outfit I wore to Thanksgiving dinner with Aymie (Miss Smith) and her family, and I wore it again a few weeks later to work. Why repeat it? Because I really liked it! It was both comfortable and cute, which was (and is) an ideal combination.




LOL - me and sweater vests. Together forever.




I finally brought back Maxi Dress Friday! I know you were all missing it, especially in light of the Skinnies-and-Boots Everyday phenomenon. This might be my favorite maxi dress - simple black, also seen here - and I love it with the pretty cardigan and wide belt.





This is probably one of my favorite outfits of this whole school year. I bought this dress for my birthday dinner last year (which was ORANGE themed), and I solved the "sleeveless" problem with a cute bow-top. The high leg warmers above the boots continues the cuteness factor, and I just love the whole look.




I don't know why these pictures came out so weirdly-lit, but we'll just go with it. Sweater vests, again, become a running theme, and this time with the secondary argyle motif. I have serious love connections with fashion trends sometimes.




This outfit was better in theory than it was in execution, but I haven't decided what would have made it better. I just think something would have...




Last, but not least, was the "jeans day" outfit for the final day before break. We were encouraged to wear Christmas sweaters, but I don't actually have any, so I went with a Christmas-colored sweater in bright green. Then I added my cute holiday headband with a red velvet bow, on which I received many compliments.

And to all of you, my lovelies, I wish you a belated merry Christmas and a happy new year! I'll be back soon (no, REALLY) with some non-work outfits. :)