Bald patches

I'm so tired of buying black tights and having them disappoint me. Both pairs of black tights I bought at American Apparel ripped (one pair ripped the first day I wore it!), and this pair from Target that I'm wearing in these photos appear to have bald patches. (And you thought the title of this post was referring to my hair, didn't you?) I just want a pair of solid black tights that have an even tone and don't rip the moment I put them on - is that too much to ask of life?

Other than the tights issue, I loved this outfit. I'm glad I found an excuse to wear my giant fuzzy black hat in a way that doesn't make me look totally insane. (Unless it does, in which case I guess I'm not very self-aware.)

Top: Old Navy

Jacket: MICHAEL Michael Kors from Nordstrom Rack

Skirt: Forever 21 brand, thrifted from Crossroads Trading Co.

Tights: Target

Flats: ShoeMint

Hat and scarf: Fred Meyer

Necklace and earrings: free from my aunts

ScanFair

This is hardly an inspiring outfit, but man, it's been a long time since I last posted, so I thought I'd put it on here anyway. I wore this on Saturday to ScanFair, a festival put on by the Scandinavian Heritage Foundation in Portland every December. The women in my family have a tradition of attending every year, and buying each other Christmas presents there and eating delicious Scandinavian foods, like æbleskiver, and fruit soup and rice pudding.

I try not to pick on my appearance in blog photos too much, but today if I had a magic Photoshop wand that I could wave, I would fix the odd grimace/smile in the top photo (people were staring at me), my apparently missing eyebrows (they really don't show up well in photos), and the droopiness of the scarf (which is supposed to button neatly at the neck, but clearly didn't cooperate).

Striped blouse: Forever 21

Leather jacket: MICHAEL Michael Kors from Nordstrom Rack

Jeans: Levi's

Flats: ShoeMint

Necklace: Bauble Bar

Scarf: made by me

Musings on appearances

Wearing this maxi skirt was like wearing pajamas - it's soft and wonderfully stretchy. Over the past few weeks, due to a knee that gives out on me whenever I exercise and some medications that have left me bloated, I've packed on a few pounds in my belly, so I've been trying to wear clothes that make my midsection feel comfortable. And I have to admit, I've felt a little self-conscious about it. You can't really see any extra weight in my outfit photos from the past few weeks, but in person I look like I'm a few months pregnant. And I know it's pure vanity that it bugs me. I mean, who cares if I packed on a few pounds? And would it even matter if I had gained twenty pounds instead of five? No it would not, because my appearance really does not alter who I am inside - and that's the important part, right?

Yellow tank top: Gap

Black skirt: TJ Maxx

Black flats: Kathy flats from ShoeMint

Spider necklace: Bauble Bar

Yellow sash: came with a vintage dress

Hex nut bracelet: made by me

Striped shirt and red legs

Yes, I actually wore this outfit recently. I couldn't believe I had to wear a long-sleeved shirt and tights at the end of spring. This was only the third time I've worn these red tights. (The other two are here and here.) I have no trouble wearing bright shirts, pants and skirts, but I still can't figure out what to do with bright tights. Also, it doesn't help that they feel very Christmas-y, which makes it difficult to find anything appropriate to wear them with outside of winter.

Striped shirt: H&M

Faux leather skirt: H&M

Red tights: American Apparel

Black flats: Kathy flats from ShoeMint

Black necklace: Urban Outfitters

White bracelet: H&M

Gold watch: free from a family member

Stripes and circles

I love stripes and I love this skirt, so it's no surprise that I've worn a couple iterations of this outfit in the past (here and here), and will probably wear it again in the future.

I'm keeping it brief today because I'm still having headaches every time I sit at the computer. Ugh. I guess it's time for another visit to the eye doctor...

Striped top: thrifted

Color blocked skirt: Forever 21, thrifted from Crossroads Trading Co.

Black flats: Kathy flats from ShoeMint
Black purse: thrifted from Salvation Army

Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx

Gold necklace: Forever 21

Gold bracelet: In Pink

Summer dresses

Every year when summer rolls around, I realize that my closet is lacking in two things: lightweight dresses and tank tops. Sure, I could subsist on the handful of dresses and tank tops I own that are comfortable in 80-degree weather and hotter, but I like to have variety in my clothing. So this year I decided to be proactive and search for those items before the hot weather actually hits. This past weekend I found this fun striped sleeveless dress from Marshall's and another sleeveless dress (with stripes and flowers!) from Anthropologie. Hopefully next weekend I can find some tank tops (and not just your basic variety - I'd like nice tank tops that can be dressed up or down), and then I'll be set for summer!

Striped dress: Marshall's

Blue sweater: Anthropologie

Black flats: Kathy flats from ShoeMint

Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx

White flower necklace: gift shop on Oahu

Black belt: thrifted

Butterfly bracelet: In Pink

White bracelet: H&M

And, because I really appreciate it when people display official messages in cheeky ways, here's a funny sign from the park where we took these photos:

Trends

Sometimes I like trends, and sometimes I hate them. There are trends that I choose not to follow because I'm genuinely repulsed by them (like Twitter and Twilight mania). There are trends that I avoid just because there are too many people already interested in them (for example, I actually really wanted to watch the royal wedding last year, but didn't because too many people were obsessed with it). Then there are trends I adore and instantly embrace, like floral print pants. Now, I know floral prints have been around for centuries, but there's no denying that floral print pants are a big deal in fashion this year. I know there are some people who try to wear only classic clothes so they'll never look dated, but I think it'll be fun to look back on these photos in thirty years and say, "That must have been 2012, because that was the year I wore those floral pants at least once a week. I can't believe I wore something like that!" I don't mind the idea of this outfit looking ridiculous in a few decades, because I sure did have fun wearing it now, and I think that's the important thing.

Plus, I think the black lace top and black flats are pretty classic. I could see myself wearing them when I'm fifty. (Although honestly, I'll probably wear floral print pants when I'm fifty if they're back in style.)

Black lace top: Quincy top from StyleMint

Floral pants: H&M

Red coat: Calvin Klein from Costco

Black flats: Kathy flats from ShoeMint

Spider necklace: Bauble Bar

Black necklace: Urban Outfitters

Silver bracelet: In Pink

White bracelet: H&M

Funny face

I felt that I looked a bit like Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face (pictured below) in this outfit. Really, that's only because of the black leggings and black flats - the comparisons should end there. She looks infinitely more graceful in leggings and flats than I do, and was a much better actor than I am. (Although I can cry on command. But only when no one's watching.) This was my running-errands-while-sick outfit. One of the sucky things about being an adult is that when you're sick, there's not necessarily anyone around to take care of you, and you still have to do things like make yourself lunch and go to the DEQ because your car registration expired yesterday, even if your head feels like it's going to explode. After running errands I came home, put on my PJ's, and watched TV for the rest of the afternoon. Once Josh got home in the evening I put this outfit back on to snap a few photos, because I'm just that dedicated.

Orange tunic: American Apparel from Crossroads Trading Co.

Black turtleneck: Old Navy

Black leggings: Target

Black flats: Kathy flats from ShoeMint

Black belt: gift from my parents, from Uruguay

White bracelet: H&M
Blue bracelet: Charlotte Russe

Stripes and floral

Sometimes I'm surprised by the outfits Josh likes best. He said this was one of his favorites out of my recent outfits, and since he tends to like it best when I wear jeans and a t-shirt, I think that means he's finally coming around to my slightly offbeat styling of dressing. It only took four years.

I found these floral pants at H&M a few weeks ago. They make my already large hips look shockingly large, but they're such fun pants that I don't care what they do to my figure. Sometimes I just want to wear a piece of clothing because I like it, not because it flatters my body.

Striped shirt: Old Navy

Floral pants: H&M

Black flats: Kathy flats from ShoeMint

Red hat: Nine West, thrifted from Village Merchants

Spider necklace: Bauble Bar

Black flower bracelet: possibly "borrowed" from my mom

Simple outfit

I loved this outfit so much, and I'm a little sad that these photos didn't capture just how cute it felt to me. It was fairly simple, and I think that's why I liked it so much, because I very rarely wear simple outfits.

I'm really looking forward to the weekend. I've been sick all week, so I can't wait to lounge around tomorrow and maybe watch an entire season of Scrubs (I just started watching it on Netflix - it's hilarious) and drink a few pots of tea. Weekends are usually when I cram in all my social activities, but sometimes it's nice just to spend a Saturday doing absolutely nothing.

Beige sweater: thrifted

Denim skirt: Gap

Red trench coat: Calvin Klein from Costco

Black tights: American Apparel

Black flats: Kathy flats from ShoeMint

Leopard print hat: Albertus Swanepoel for Target

Gold necklace: Evidence Jewelry, won in a giveaway

Gold watch: free from a family member

Functional

I used to care much more about functionality than aesthetics when it came to clothes. If you had looked in my closet two years ago you would have found a lot of jeans, t-shirts, sweatshirts, flat shoes - and only one pair of heels. It wasn't that I disliked wearing skirts and dresses and things like that - I was just in a phase where I preferred everything I wore to be super functional. If you were to look at my closet now, it would look a lot different - I have thirteen pairs of heels (yes, I went and counted just for this), and a few dozen dresses and skirts. I'm very much into pretty clothes now - or at least clothes that look interesting - and it doesn't always matter if they're comfortable or not.

But recently I found myself wanting a nice pair of black flats. My old pair were wearing out and were no longer comfortable, and I wanted something cute to wear while running errands instead of just tennis shoes. Honestly, I kind of hated the idea of buying flats, because they almost never look as interesting as heels, and I am notoriously bad about buying sensible things when there are impractical things to tempt me instead. But I ordered a pair of these black flats from ShoeMint (a sister company to StyleMint, which I mentioned a few months ago). Considering that I didn't spend more than $10 on each of the flats I have in my closet, paying $64 for these was kind of painful. (They're $80 originally, but I had a discount code.) But dang, they're cute! And comfortable. I feel pretty proud of myself for actually spending my clothing money on something useful for once, instead of just buying another blouse or skirt that I don't really need.

Black shirt: Forever 21

Fuzzy black cardigan: gift from my aunt, from Macy's

Leopard print pants: thrifted from Salvation Army

Black flats: Kathy flats from ShoeMint

Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx

Gold necklace: Evidence Jewelry, won in a giveaway

Ring: free from my aunt

Bare arms, bare-ish legs

I wore this on Saturday when all the women in my family got together to make Swedish potato dumplings. It's a yearly tradition, and the thing I look forward to the most every February. (Who needs Valentine's Day when you have delicious meat-filled dumplings?) I couldn't believe that the weather was nice enough for me to be comfortable outside with bare arms and essentially bare legs! (Because let's be honest, sheer tights add absolutely no warmth to anyone's legs.)

My little cousin Moriah came outside with us when my mom took these photos, and wanted to pose with me. She's the cutest thing ever, so I included a few shots of her at the end! You can also see my real, toothy grin in one of those photos, which rarely makes an appearance on this blog :)

Floral shirt: Georgia by Stylemint
Black faux leather jacket: Forever 21 brand, from Jen Loves Kev's closet sale
Black scarf: Fred Meyer

Hot pink skirt: Zara

Heart tights: Asos

Black flats: Target

Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx

Black and peach necklace: free from aunt

Black necklace: Urban Outfitters

Ring: In Pink

Carbon copy

This outfit is practically identical to one I wore back in September, except my bangs look better now and I'm wearing different jewelry. These earrings were a gift from my mom last weekend. They're crazy and awesome and exactly what my jewelry collection was missing. I suspect that people really enjoy giving me gifts, because I always react so enthusiastically - gasping, wide eyes, exclamations of "This is awesome!" Getting these earrings was no different - I'm pretty sure I looked like a kid on Christmas morning when I was opening the package they were in.

I've been trying to get more comfortable wearing outfits that don't define my waist. Just because a defined waist is flattering on me doesn't mean it should be the only style I wear. It looks odd to not see a belt cinched at my waist in this photo, but I don't hate it, and I know it's good for me to step outside of my sartorial comfort zone.

Blue sweater: Anthropologie

Blue sheer blouse: free from my aunt

Hot pink skirt: Zara

Black tights: American Apparel

Black flats: Target

Silver earrings: gift from my mom

Flat footed

This is the sweater/skirt combination I wanted to wear two weeks ago with my polka dot tights and white wedges. I'm so glad I didn't - it definitely would have been overkill. But wearing this combination with black tights and shoes was just right. I very rarely wear flats, and I have to admit that my feet felt very happy in them. I am of course willing to suffer for fashion, but it's nice to give my feet a break every once in a while.

Sweater: Loft
Jacket: Forever 21 brand, from Jen Loves Kev's closet sale
Scarf: Fred Meyer

Skirt: Forever 21 brand, thrifted from Crossroads Trading Co.

Tights: Forever 21

Shoes: Target

Necklace: gift shop at Legacy Emanuel Hospital