Psych

I guess I was just kidding about being back from my blog break, because I decided to take another week off. It's just so darn hard to care about what I wear when it's this cold outside. (For reference, "cold" to me is 30-40 degrees. I realize that many of you have to regularly deal with temperatures below zero, but I don't, so 30 degrees is pretty shocking.) When I wore this outfit yesterday to church and lunch, I was so cold I kept the coat on the whole time. At least my outfit looked kind of cute with the coat layered on top.

Sweater: Gap

Coat: Marks and Spencer

Skirt: vintage Pendleton, from an antiques show

Boots: DV by Dolce Vita from Piperlime

Necklace: Evidence Jewelry, won in a giveaway

Re-worn

This was the outfit I wore on Thanksgiving, but since we didn't get any photos of it then, I re-wore it yesterday to go bowling with my parents and youngest brother.

Tunic: American Apparel, thrifted from Crossroads Trading Co.

Cardigan: Cynthia Rowley from TJ Maxx

Jeans: Levi's

Boots: Aldo

Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx

Necklace: Dress Barn

Belt: thrifted

Bracelet: In Pink

Casual outfits

Every now and then when it's really cold or rainy outside, I just give up on my heels and skirts and tights, and turn to comfortable and super casual outfits. I rarely post those outfits on here, because I don't feel like they're very inspiring, but today I thought I'd do a round-up of casual outfits that I liked.

The first one is from earlier this year. It's a pretty typical dog-walking outfit for me (minus the jewelry, because who cares about jewelry when you're walking the dog at 7:30 in the morning in the rain?). The second outfit is from last weekend. I just got these hot pink running shoes, and pairing them with neon yellow and a bright pink jacket was probably overkill, but it made me happy. The third outfit is one I posted earlier this year (here), and while it was very casual, I really liked it and thought all the layers made it interesting.

Though these outfits look a lot different from the ones I normally show on the blog, they're actually what I'm usually wearing if I'm out running errands or walking to the library.

Shorts and a blazer

This was my first time wearing a shorts-and-blazer combo, and I loved it. I felt dressy and casual at the same time. I'm still amazed at the quality of this blazer. I got it at Forever 21, which as most of you know is notorious for producing garments that fall apart after a few wears. But I could tell when I picked it up in the store last fall that it was really well made, and that's why I was willing to spend $30 on it, which is a low price for a blazer but a high price for anything from Forever 21.

The top photo is a rare thing - a photo of me smiling with my teeth showing where I don't look like a huge dweeb. (Yes, I just used the word "dweeb." In my head, it's still the '90s.) I smile and laugh all the time (and have the wrinkles to prove it), but I'm never self-conscious about it unless I see a photo of myself flashing a toothy grin. Then I get all insecure and all I can think about are how gigantic my teeth look. It doesn't help that boys in elementary school made fun of my huge teeth, and that after Josh first met me he told his sister that I had really big teeth. (And then apparently he found it necessary to tell me that after we were married. I'd be offended, but he did, after all, marry me.) All that to say...it's actually kind of a big deal that I like the photo above. Now if only it didn't look like my eyebrows were missing...

Wrinkly boots! That's what I get for only paying $10 for them...

Striped sweater: H&M

High-waisted jean shorts: H&M, thrifted from Crossroads Trading Co.

Blazer: Forever 21

Tights: Forever 21

Brown shoes: TJ Maxx

Necklace: free from a family member

Bracelet: H&M

Hippie-ish

I felt very hippie-ish in this outfit, with the headband, loose top, and fur coat. (Faux fur, I might add. I'm sure real hippies would have never worn genuine fur.) Even though I have a style blog, at heart I'm still a jeans-and-t-shirts kind of girl. (As are most people who live in the Northwest. It's just the way we're bred.) Getting dressed up is fun, but if I'm running out the door to do some errands, or just lounging around the house, I'm almost always going to put on jeans and a t-shirt. So this outfit was nice in that it allowed me to wear those comfy clothes that I naturally gravitate towards (jeans and a baggy sweater), while still retaining some interesting elements (like the headband, coat, and heels).

Black sweater: free from my aunt

Brown faux fur coat: vintage, from an estate sale

Jeans: Levi's from Urban Outfitters

Brown boots: Union Bay from TJ Maxx

Headband: Forever 21

Brown belt: thrifted from Goodwill

Bracelet: In Pink

Lumberjack lady

What you can't see in the top photo is how rainy and windy it was when we took it - though you can definitely see the effects of the wind in the photo below. It was my own special Marilyn moment, and it was too funny not to include. (Plus, it would have felt weird to have a post with only one photo.)

I felt a bit like a lumberjack in this outfit, with the men's green wool shirt and thick socks, but the pearl necklace (which is hard to see in these photos) and the skirt felt very ladylike. Sometimes I appreciate how deceptive photography can be - in reality, this shirt (which was borrowed from Josh and was several sizes too big for me) made my upper body look fairly burly, but thankfully I don't look too brawny in these pictures.

Green shirt: borrowed from Josh (originally from Costco)

Red plaid circle skirt: vintage, from an antique show

Brown boots: TJ Maxx

Red hat: thrifted from Village Merchants

Pearl necklace: from my mom

Brown belt: thrifted from Goodwill

Retro

I felt a bit retro in this outfit - even though the style of the clothes are modern, the high-waist flare pants and billowy blouse remind me of the 70's. This color combination felt a bit unusual to me. It's not one I would have been immediately drawn to, but after a lot of experimentation it's what I ended up with.

My bangs are officially out of control, people. I decided to grow them out and so lately I've just been sweeping them to the side instead of letting them hang straight, but now I think I've reached the point where I just need to pin them back. The last time I tried to grow out my bangs was like five years ago, so I forgot how annoying it is!

Gray blouse: Anthropologie

Red corduroy pants: Anthropologie

Brown boots: TJ Maxx

Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx

Gold necklace: Evidence Jewelry, won in a giveaway

Brown belt: thrifted from Goodwill

Gray bracelet and hex nut bracelet: self-made

And just because, here is an insanely cute photo of Onyx snoozing on the couch...

Rushing around

Normally when I rush around trying to put together an outfit in five minutes, I don't like the way it turns out, but I felt very pleased with this rushed outfit. The hat added a nice touch of quirkiness, and it felt so nice to wear a skirt without tights! The weather was actually quite miserable the day I wore this (rainy and windy), but the temperature was pleasant, so I went with bare legs. And I'm not going to apologize for my pasty legs, because that's how I like 'em!

Blue sweater: Anthropologie

Skirt: Urban Outfitters

Brown boots: TJ Maxx

Men's hat: from my dad

Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx

Brown wood earrings: church craft fair

Brown belt: thrifted from Goodwill

Blue bracelet: B. Lee Designs, gift from my aunt

Love and leopard print

Even though I very much like red and pink together, I decided it would have been over the top to wear it on Valentine's Day, so this is what I wore instead. Because nothing says love like leopard print and a men's sweater vest.

Josh and I went out to lunch yesterday with some of his co-workers, and they made me play pool with them. I was so bad at it that there were times where I literally could not even hit the white ball that was an inch away from the cue stick. I may be classically trained at the piano, folks, but my hand-eye coordination fails me whenever I really just want to look cool. (Because isn't that what pool is all about? Who cares if you get balls in the holes, as long as you look cool while doing it.)

Leopard print blouse: thrifted from Goodwill

Brown men's sweater vest: from an estate sale

Jeans: Levi's from Urban Outfitters

Brown boots: TJ Maxx

Brown men's hat: gift from my dad, from a store in York, England

Gold owl necklace: Forever 21

Brown belt: thrifted from Goodwill

Gold bracelets: In Pink

Reality vs. Photography

This was one of those outfits that didn't really photograph as well as it looked in real life. I looked super cool, I swear! (Even with that crazy pointy red hat.) But I like to share even the outfit photos that I'm not wild about, because this is after all a personal style blog, not a showcase of My Best Outfits Ever - there are bound to be missteps as I experiment with my style. (Although I still don't consider this outfit a misstep. I consider the photos a misstep.)

I do like this red hat, weird as it is. From the side it looks like a pirate hat, but from the front it almost looks like a bowler hat. It's a fun way to add a touch of quirkiness to an otherwise simple outfit such as this one.

Floral top: Marshall's

Jeans: Gap

Camel-colored blazer: Forever 21

Brown boots: TJ Maxx

Red hat: gift from my mom, from ScanFair

Gold bracelet: In Pink

Spring is not on the way

Happy Groundhog Day! Regardless of whether Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow or not, I'm firmly convinced that winter is going to continue here for a few more months. I saw tons of bloggers on the east coast wearing outfits with bare legs in January (!), but here in Oregon bare legs weather is a good four months away. Still, I can't help but hope for spring and all the pretty flowers it brings, so when I saw this lovely floral top at H&M I just had to get it. I've been wanting to try the peplum trend even though I suspected it wouldn't look good with my wide hips - but it does! It's actually quite a flattering style on me as long as I wear something fitted on the bottom to balance out the flare of the shirt. (In case you don't know what a peplum is, it's the fabric at the bottom of this shirt that flares out over my hips. Skirts can also have a peplum; it would just be at the top instead of the bottom. I'm dying to try this peplum skirt, even though it's highly unlikely that it would look good on me.) Have any of you tried the peplum trend? How do you feel about it?

Floral peplum top: H&M

Camel-colored blazer: Forever 21

Jeans: Gap

Brown boots: TJ Maxx

Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx

Dragon necklace: purchased in China

Bracelets: In Pink

Traditions

Sundays are full of traditions. Over breakfast Josh and I drink some tea, and afterwards walk the dog together. Then we head to church, take outfit photos at a pretty nearby park, and visit Costco for our weekly cheap date. (We go on other dates to fancier places, of course! But you can't beat a $3 lunch.) We like to wander around Costco afterwards and usually end up buying something we don't need but think is really cool, like a ten-pound coffee table book about astronomy. After that Josh heads home to play video games, and I go to my grandma's house for afternoon coffee. She provides drinks and desserts, and she, my aunts, my mom, other various guests and I sit around and eat, drink, talk and laugh. (Very loudly. We are, above all, extremely enthusiastic in the way we talk, laugh, and live.) I'm not usually one for routines, but I look forward to Sundays every week because they're just so pleasant.

And yes, I wore this outfit on a Sunday. That's your connection between what I wrote and these photos. Obviously I didn't have anything to say about my outfit :)

Red top: free from a friend of my aunt

Red plaid circle skirt: vintage, from an antique show

Red trench coat: Calvin Klein from Costco

Brown men's hat: gift from my dad, from a shop in York, England
Gray infinity scarf: self-made

Gold necklace: Dress Barn

Brown belt: thrifted from Goodwill

Brown tights: Forever 21

Brown boots: TJ Maxx

Good hair day

I think it's safe to say that my hair has never looked as good in my whole life as it does in these photos. For those of you who can work magic with a curling iron or just have naturally awesome hair, it probably doesn't seem like a big deal. But I've kind of hated my hair my whole life. I don't really know how to do anything interesting with it, and even when I try to style it, it ends up in disaster. That's why in 90% of the photos on this blog, my hair is in a braid, bun or ponytail. This amazing hairstyle happened because I didn't wash my hair for two days and then wore my hair in a bun all morning before letting it down. I've done that before, so I don't know what magic ingredient was added that made my hair look so good this time.

Today's outfit reminds me a lot of this one I wore back in November - same pants, jacket and necklace, but with leopard print on my hat instead of my shoes. I feel like I wear these pants all the time. I went back and counted, and this is the seventh time I've worn them on the blog since the beginning of November. I can't help it, though - they're amazing. Normally I don't like anything that makes me look curvier than I actually am, but these pants do, and I'm alright with that.

Beige sweater: thrifted from Goodwill

Black faux leather jacket: Forever 21 brand from Jen Loves Kev's closet sale

Rust red corduroy pants: Anthropologie

Boots: Crossroads Trading Co.

Leopard print fedora: Albertus Swanepoel for Target

Gold necklace: Dress Barn

Cozy winter outfit

Saturday morning was full of errands, which is unusual for us. I definitely did not want to be running around on a dreary, cold, rainy morning in heels or a skirt, so I stuck with a simple, cozy winter outfit. I've seen other bloggers wear socks over their jeans, and even though it's a look I never would have thought of on my own, I think it's cute, and it definitely kept me warm. Continuing with my determination to try out styles that don't define my waist (like here and here), I decided to wear this shapeless blob of a sweater that is not in the least flattering, but is cozy and comfy. Some days I just want to feel comfortable instead of look as slim as possible, even if that means I look like I'm trying to disguise a pregnant belly under my sweater. (I'm not.)

I was on the fence about whether or not to post this outfit because it's so casual, but it was raining too hard yesterday to take different photos. How do you guys feel about fashion bloggers posting super casual outfits? I like it as long as it's only done once in a while - if all someone posts every day is jeans and a t-shirt, I'm going to lose interest quickly.

And yes, this is the third consecutive post in which I've worn this hat. I think it needs to be retired. Or else I just need to buy a different stocking cap.

White sweater: thrifted from Goodwill

Black turtleneck: Old Navy

Brown jacket: Marks and Spencer

Blue hat: H&M

Spider necklace: Bauble Bar

Jeans: Levi's from Urban Outfitters

Socks: Fred Meyer

Brown boots: Ether (on NW 23rd in Portland)

The case of the missing button

Yes, my blazer is missing a button. No, I did not realize it was gone until after I had taken these photos and it was too dark outside to take them again with a different blazer. I'm not sure how it happened. The last time I wore this blazer (here) all the buttons were intact. It's very possible that my dog ate it. The day we brought him home for the first time he charged into the house, pounced on one of Josh's slippers, and began chowing down on it. After a while (and a lot of Bitter Apple spray) he stopped chewing on our clothes, and we felt okay leaving them lying around. But the other night I discovered he had eaten the hook and eye closure right off one of my favorite skirts, so I find it highly likely that he ate my button too. This means we are now forced to put our clothes away in the closet once we're done wearing them instead of leaving them strewn about the floor, which I suppose is a good thing.

Yes, folks, this is basically a close-up of my boob. That's what happens when I'm forced to take pictures on my own without Josh's help.

Top: Marshall's

Pants: Anthropologie

Blazer: thrifted from William Temple House

Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx

Pink necklace: gift shop at Legacy Emanuel Hospital

Bracelets: In Pink

Burgundy, pink and...orange?

So my cardigan and my pants don't match - let's just get that out in the open now. They looked great together when tried on in my dimly-lit bedroom on an overcast afternoon, but once I got outside I realized that next to the burgundy and pink in the cardigan, the pants looked a lot more orange than I had previously thought. I don't, however, think they look too horrible together. There's something about the combo that almost works - but then again, there's something about the combo that's kind of "off." But I'm determined to share both my hits and my misses with you guys, so take from this outfit what you will. (And maybe what you take from it will be: "Don't ever wear an outfit like this." And that's okay.)

Turtleneck: Old Navy

Cardigan: free from a friend of my aunt

Pants: Anthropologie

Shoes: Crossroads Trading Co.

Scarf: Fred Meyer

Earrings: church craft sale

Necklace: Bauble Bar

Belt: thrifted

Baby, it's cold outside

It has turned cold here in Portland - so cold that it snowed in the West Hills a bit on Friday! I'm a big fan of snow because Portland isn't used to getting much of it, and when it snows more than a few inches, everything in the city practically shuts down. I kind of love it. Two years ago we got a foot and a half of snow at Christmastime, and Josh's classes were cancelled and I couldn't make it to work, so we would spend our days alternately holed up in the apartment with mugs of hot tea, or tramping through the knee-high snow up to Washington Park. I'm hoping for a big snowstorm like that this winter!

Taking these photos was miserable. Even when I had my gloves and scarf on (I took them off for the pictures) I was freezing. I've been piling on a lot more layers lately, but I think I'm going to have to start doubling up on tights, and I'm definitely going to get some knee-high brown boots - these shin-high boots just aren't cutting it anymore.

Turtleneck: Kohl's

Jacket: thrifted from Rerun

Skirt: Urban Outfitters

Tights: Forever 21

Boots: Ether (store on NW 23rd)

Hat: H&M

Necklace: self-made

Belt: thrifted from Goodwill