An Old Outfit Can Learn New Tricks
Posted: June 2, 2015
Worn: December 11, 2013
Wearing these two tops together, with a varying bunch of other black clothing, has been one of the most important style combinations in my wardrobe in recent years, though the purple top is nearly worn out at this point. Several of the items from this post were previously worn together in one of my earliest posts. (Looking back, I feel a strong need to apologize for the shortcomings of my old camera!)
As I've said before, this necklace is made from half of a very tacky metal mesh halter top. This is, in point of fact, the other half from that which I photographed October 2nd & 23rd. I folded the edges of this one under and sewed them to a satin lining, giving it the rounded shape you see here. This is the context I expect to usually use it in, covering most, but not all, of the skin exposed by a very low neckline.
I experiment with eyeliner under my eyes occassionally, but I usually don't care for the results and give up on it for a few months. So I was rather surprised, editing this photoset, to find that it actually seems to work pretty well for me. Time to try it again, I suppose!
Lauren Ralph Lauren purple top from Macy's, 2008
BCX black wrap from Macy's, 2010
Grane black skirt from Macy's, 2012
We Love Colors black tights, 2011
Trifari black earrings from Sears, 2011
Sele black belt from Macy's, 2007 (came with skirt)
Black metal mesh neckerchief (originally halter top) from eBay, 2012
Indigo by Clarks "Proctor" black boots from Footwear Headquarters on Amazon.com
August "Blossom Story" black beret from Macy's, 2008
Third Verse, Same as the First Two
Posted: May 26, 2015
Worn: December 2, 2013
The outfits I wear each day are chosen somewhat with an eye toward who I'm going to be seeing. I try to arrange for the same people to see outfits across the full width of colors and styles that I wear and only repeat any given outfit around a person at rare intervals. This may sound awkward, but it really isn't. It's actually a great time saver in narrowing down what I should pull from my closet for the day.
Monteau "Coach Tour" dress in Spearmint from Modcloth.com, 2012
Love Story pink wrap from iBlue 25, 2011
H&M black belt, 2011
We Love Colors black tights, 2011
Franco Sarto black boots from Goodwill, 2013
August "Blossom Story" black beret from Macy's, 2008
M Style Lab pink earrings (originally part of necklace) from Macy's, 2010
Opi Nail Lacquer in Black Onyx from Amazon, 2013
Taking pictures for the blog on the other hand is much more affected by rain, wind, heat, and cold. (I don't much dress for the weather; I'm indoors almost anytime that I'm not seeking natural light for photography.) And it's affected by my availability during the diffuse evening light, when people like to have dinner and get together and play games and go to the theater and all sorts of things that are not outfit photography. So I take pictures when it's convenient and variety suffers. Three of the past four posts have featured Monteau Coach Tour dresses from Modcloth, And of course they're all worn with cardigan, belt, and tights, but that's just my style. Similarly, four out of five posts immediately prior to the recent hiatus featured my Pamela Mann chevron tights, which I excuse purely on the grounds of their awesomeness.
There are other examples in the archives if you care to look. And of course the most distinctive recurring overused feature of my style on the blog would have to be my black beret. Now I grant you that I do love it, but I wear it even more incessantly on the blog than in ordinary life in a determined and occasionally successful effort to hold my hair and especially my bangs in place against the wind.
The Sense to Come in Out of the Cold
Posted: May 19, 2015
Worn: November 13, 2013
It was bitterly cold out today, for Atlanta, probably about 45 degrees -- above the freezing point of water, but not above the freezing point of a Southerner. But I really wanted to do a photoshoot and I really didn't want to cover up the outfit with a coat, so I layered three tops.
I was still cold.
Style & Co. black long sleeve tee from Macy's, 2009
Michael Kors leopard print mock wrap from Macy's, 2010
BCX black wrap from Macy's, 2010
Grane black skirt from Macy's, 2012
Style & Co. black belt from Macy's, 2010
Leg Avenue leopard print tights from Fenvy on Amazon.com, 2011
Indigo by Clarks "Proctor" black boots from Footwear Headquarters on Amazon.com, 2011
August "Blossom Story" black beret from Macy's, 2008
Le Moda black cape with leopard trim from Cracker Barrel, 2011
Icing gold leaves earrings, 2011
Gold leaves necklace made from Icing and Michael's components, 2011
I'm very fond of these leopard print tights, but I rarely wear them, as I don't find that they go well with much. All of my leopard prints clash severly with one another, so I try to compensate by either wearing them on either separate occasions or separated by a wide spanse of something else.
I intended for the cap sleeves of the leopard print top to be entirely hidden by the short sleeve wrap over it. This didn't quite work out...
...especially in the back.
I'm in a new shooting location today - Atlanta's Springdale Park, part of a five park system laid out by famous 19th century landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.
I did bring heavier clothing. This cape is actually my go to item for when I know I'm going to be out in the cold for a while, because capes are fun and it's loose enough that I can pull into it like a turtle.
See how strongly the leopard prints clash!
Hue Shift
Posted: May 12, 2015
Worn: November 9, 2013
If I find a design I like, I usually buy it in two or three colors. This occasionally leads to entire outfits that differ mainly in color. If you compare this outfit to its immediate predecessor, the dress, cardigan, and earrings are otherwise identical, and the tights are the very same. But the look, I think, is somewhat different.
Like my other ribbed cardigan, I cut the front open after a decade of intermittant and declining use. This one, with the slightly less useful color, was actually the test case, before I risked ruining the other.
In retrospect,this outfit is surprisingly similar to one from this past April, when I previously wore this dress. My old standby white cardigan, which I have probably worn more times than piece of clothing, seems almost as blue as this one in the silvery shadowed light of dusk.
Monteau "Coach Tour" dress in Violet from Modcloth.com, 2012
Takeout light blue cardigan, originally sweater, from Macy's, 2003
We Love Colors navy tights, 2013
Annie "Tux" shoes in Purple Velvet from Zappos.com, 2012
Steve Madden brass links belt from Macy's, 2010
Purple earrings from eBay, 2012
