11 posts tagged “clothes”
I've been thinking about this lately, for some reason. What are my wardrobe staples?
The ones I've got:
10. Having said that, sometimes life requires a heel. These are mine. Took me forever to figure out how to walk in them, but I love the buckle and the not quite pointed toe.
The ones I need:
1. Pants. God, do I ever need pants, but they're such a pain in the ass to find a good fit for. I have a pair of Express Editor pants I wear a lot, and a few khakis that could frankly fit better that my mother sent me, but I really do need to get more pants.
2. A dress. Love, but can't afford, this one from Anthropologie.
I'm in what I'm coming to think of as my autumn/winter casual friday/weekend uniform: knee-length skirt, opaque tights, ballet flats or flat boots, t-shirt or sweater. Today it's a black corduroy skirt (yes, I do wear it a lot), black tights with a diamond texture, black ballet flats, and a silver threadless t-shirt. The temperatures are finally going to drop out here on the East Coast over the weekend, and I might have to retire the t-shirts and go back to the sweaters more often.
Threadless has been tempting me. They've got their t-shirts at $10 for the holidays, and I already took advantage of that for a couple of my friends, but I keep looking to see if there's anything I want too.
Yesterday, I was cooking and my outfit was nothing to write home about - blue jeans, classic bootcut, from the Gap and a navy blue Threadless t-shirt. Didn't go outside at all, though, so it didn't much matter.
Today I wore the same corduroy skirt from H&M that I was in on Wednesday, black textured tights, a silver Threadless tee, and black leather ballet flats. Very much weekend-wear, but I was only heading out to see a movie. Aside: Daniel Craig is quite possibly the best James Bond ever. Ever. Yes, even better than Sean Connery.
I got stopped on my way to work this morning and told by a jogger that she sees me every morning, and I always pull together the nicest outfits. I was surprised, because I woke up with a splitting headache and today's outfit was very much tossed together.
I'm wearing an ivory cowl-neck, cable-knit sweater from Deb (yes, the juniors shop) that I picked up a few years ago on clearance. A black corduroy skirt from H&M. A pair of heavy textured black tights from Ellen Tracy. Since I was walking I was in my Sketchers tennis shoes, but now I'm in a pair of Audrey Brooke black pumps with a cool buckle detail across the toe. That's it.
It's good to know I'm doing well even on my off days. :)
I tend to spam the What Are You Wearing? thread at Shiny Fashion Forums, so I figured I'd just do it here instead. Plus, today's outfit is an example of how inexpensive can look pretty good (not that I have any pictures to prove it! Moving along...)
I started with an ivory shirt with pintucks, a Peter Pan collar, and theoretically puffed sleeves (they're only puffed if you have arms like sticks). Paul & Joe for Target, $24 It's a little sheer, though, and it's cold, so I layered a red v-neck sweater over the top of that. H&M, $25 On the bottom are a simple pair of bootcut pants with stretch in British Khaki. St. John's Bay from JC Penney, $36. The shoes are the most expensive part of the outfit; I'm wearing my Sofft kiltie loafer pumps in bronze metallic, and they were $89. I blogged them earlier, so you can find a picture of those in an earlier post.
I've had the ivory shirt since summer, but hadn't worn it because I couldn't find a camisole I liked to wear under it, and the sleeves are rather tight. It works well as a layering piece, though; a snug sweater over the top makes me look less like I have lumberjack arms.
No accessories, because I was in a rush this morning, and hair and makeup is very simple. Hair's second day, and I just ran a brush through it and finger-combed it once I got to the office. Makeup is Maybelline Dream Mousse foundation, Sonia Kashuk powder, L'Oreal True Match blush, Maybelline Lash Discovery mascara, and Sonia Kashuk lip gloss.
All in all, though, I'm pleased with it, even though I look like a cross between my mother and a J. Crew ad.
My company usually chintzes out and has a holiday "lunch" or "dinner" and it's always at the same Italian restaurant. Graziella's is very good, but frankly I'm tired of eating there between the holidays and a dozen birthday lunches all year round. (Also, it's expensive, and my budget is tight. Stranglehold tight.)
Anyway, this year they've decided on an actual cocktail party at the hotel across the street. I'm shocked! I also have no idea what I'm going to wear.
I think mid-range department stores, especially in the US, get a bad rep. I was clothed at JC Penney's and Kohl's for most of my adolescence, and as a result they're not my first thought when it comes to clothes shopping now. And they do have a lot of clothes I'd categorize as Stuff My Mother Would Wear, clothes that can be very unhip, to say the least. But they each have their strong points. JC Penney's has had a diffusion collection from Nicole Miller and Bisou Bisou for a few years now. Kohl's has Chaps by Ralph Lauren, and their upcoming Vera by Vera Wang collections. And even outside these collections (especially outside for me personally, when it comes to Chaps, which is just a little bit too ranch-y for me), there's some great pieces. Take exhibit A:
Then there's this corduroy jacket. Now, look past the typical Your Mom's Catalog styling and model for a second, and look at the jacket itself. It's a really velvety-looking cord, in a warm cinnamon color. I might change the buttons, but I love the almost mandarin collar.
My second pick for Kohl's is this cashmere sweater. Some backstory: my brother got me a red turtleneck cashmere sweater from Bloomingdale's two years ago for Christmas, and its been a staple in my wardrobe ever since. At least until last week, when I wandered into the bathroom after work and discovered a large gaping hole at the elbow. I kind of screamed, and ever since I've been looking for a replacement that I can actually afford. This is one of the few I could, at $42, and it is 100% pure cashmere.
Walked over to Target today to look at cheap jewelry - found a pair of dangly earrings with semiclear bluish green stones for $6 - and wandered over to clothes to look at the new Behnaz Sarafpour collection. Didn't see anything in store that was me with the exception of the cropped tuxedo jacket that I decided against since I'd probably not wear it much anyway, but as I was working my way through the Mossimo section, I spotted a semisheer blouse in black and teal. I love teal, and the pattern was cute and somehow familiar, so I grabbed it.
It wasn't until I got to the checkout that I realized WHY it looked familiar - my grandmother had had at least two sunday dresses in the same small paisley pattern.
Oh well, it's still cute, and looks pretty good with a teal camisole and jeans.
The three skirts above are my top three choices on the website so far, and, yes, two of them are Isaac Mizrahi's. The first one that caught my eye was the Glen Plaid on the far right, but the one I'd be most likely to go for is the herringbone in the middle. A-line is my favorite skirt shape, and I like the inverted pleat in the center. The third skirt isn't available yet, but it's from Mossimo Black, and is available in black as well as gray. I picked gray, though, because its the big color this fall, and its my favorite neutral. Also, I have something like four black skirts already, which is more than enough for anyone. :)
The glen plaid and herringbone skirts each sell for $24.99, and the Mossimo skirt is a little less expensive at $19.99. None of them would break the bank, though.
Gemma posted Ten Tips to Dressing Better on Catwalk Queen. It's a good list, and I was pleased to see I follow *most* of them.
I'm still not one to spend much, even on basics, though I'm starting to save up for a nice bag to carry for several years, but I'm definitely not a slave to trends - leggings and skinny jeans? Not touching with a ten-foot pole - and I always buy clothes that fit. I don't always LIKE it; I'd love to have my pants size go down to a US 10 instead of 12, but I always buy my size. What's the point otherwise?
Have to admit though: I wear tennis shoes with skirts sometimes. I know it looks absolutely awful, but I've tried walking to work in heels and it is, quite simply, not a good idea. I do change them once I get to the office, though.
