WIW: black Friday & Thanksgiving

What did I wear to work on Black Friday? All black! Appropriate, yes? I don't usually wear head-to-toe black, but no one asked me who died, so I guess it doesn't look as odd as I thought it might.
Also showing here my casual Thanksgiving outfit; we spent the day at home and had some family over for breakfast. And my outfit for the day before that, also a day at home.

The outfits:
1-3 (worn to work): black midi dress (made by me); black flocked jean jacket with faux fur collar (Luii); black patterned stockings; black tall boots (Pikolinos); black long coat (Gallery); black satchel (Elliott Lucca, Olvera). This is the dress I wore here, and I think I did a better job with it this time; I incorporated some of your suggestions. I felt more comfortable in this outfit and happier with it.

4-5 (worn at home, for Thanksgiving): teal skinny corduroys (Kut from the Kloth, Diana); black, gray, teal, and taupe abstract-bubble print knit tee (made by me); long charcoal cardigan (Halogen); pewter leather cutout belt (Fossil); pewter metallic suede hightops (Paul Green).

6-7 (worn for a day off & out to breakfast): dark boyfriend jeans (Kut from the Kloth, Catherine); mixed-print tee (made by me); olive quilted jacket with knit sleeves (Blue Willie); pewter leather cutout belt (Fossil); taupe nubuck booties (Paul Green, Jano); taupe shoulder bag (Aunts & Uncles).
8: switched to an old charcoal ruffled sweater (Beyond Threads) for hanging out at home. I was thinking of donating this sweater, as I don't wear it anymore. But it was comfy to wear for the afternoon at home. What do you think? Keep or pass on?

Thoughts and suggestions welcome!  Thanks for looking

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WIW: chocolate and raspberries

Okay, it's more like chocolate and wine, but this color combination reminds me of chocolate and raspberries, flavors I find very yummy together. I'm really happy in this outfit, as I love the feel of every piece, and I like the look of all of them together. This is probably about as arty as I like to go in one outfit. Does it work for you?

The outfit (worn to work): wine silk high-low hem blouse in (Eileen Fisher); brown wool cropped, tapered slouchy pants (made by me); mocha and wine knit shoulder cozy (handknit, from a local boutique); brown metallic booties (Donald J. Pliner); taupe trench (Calvin Klein); taupe shoulder bag (Aunts & Uncles).

Oh, and I turned up the cuffs on the sleeves after the photos. They're more comfortable that way, when I'm not layering a sweater over them.

Thoughts and suggestions welcome, as always! Thanks for looking.

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WIW: black & a little bling

These slouchy skinny pants are some of my favorites. They have front pocket flaps with shiny studs, eyelets, and rhinestones that can be worn out or tucked into the welt pockets. Usually I wear them tucked away, for just a sliver of shine that peeks out in movement. Today I wore them out for the full bling effect, and at the last minute I decided to add a blingy necklace too. Angie has described my style as "moody, arty, draped glam" (MAD Glam), and I think these blingy elements brought out my glam today.

The outfit (worn to work): slouchy skinny black cargo pants (Mos Mosh); black, gray, and white hatchy print tee (made by me); black boiled wool bomber with faux leather sleeves (Halogen); black flat booties (Munro, Lexie); blingy necklace and tiny crystal earrings; taupe trench (Calvin Klein); taupe shoulder bag (Aunts & Uncles).
I liked this outfit, as it combines some of my favorite things: the pants, the jacket, the boots, and earrings my husband gave me.

I tried some closeups, and they didn't come out all that great. But maybe you get the idea. :)

Thanks for looking! Any comments and suggestions are welcome.

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WIW: new pants & another cold-neck sweater

I made another pair of pants from the pattern I used for the cropped brown ones I wore recently, which some of you liked on me (shown here in outfit 1). I am wearing the new ones in outfit 1 below. I lengthened the pants this time around, but not quite enough to be full length (due to the amount of fabric I was working with). I'm unsure of whether this length really works. I've worn them twice, regardless. I could shorten them, or I could try facing the hem to get another inch in length (not sure that would be enough to be worthwhile), or I could leave them alone. Your thoughts?

In the second outfit, I'm wearing a sweater, new this season from NAS, the neckline of which, I've discovered, dips down low enough in back (especially as the sweater rides back on my shoulders, annoyingly) that it leaves my neck cold. I have the same problem with this sweater, which I was ready to purge until you talked me out of it. Again, I tried the scarf-as-under-layer trick, which Vicki wears so nonchalantly. Once I got home from errands today and got my photos taken, I could not get changed fast enough! The scarf slid forward every several seconds, exposing the back of my neck to chilly air. Brrr! And every several seconds, I would tug everything into place again. I barely got the photo taken without re-adjusting it. Note to self: Either leave that look to Vicki, or I will save it for sweaters that don't require extra back-of-neck-coverage from the scarf!

The outfits:
1-3 (worn to work): sage wool slouchy pants (made by me); gray silk placket-front blouse (Vince); mauve and gray print wool fleece cap-sleeved sweatshirt (made by me); taupe trench (Calvin Klein); taupe hobo bag (Aunts & Uncles); taupe nubuck booties (Paul Green, Jano).

4-5 and 8 (worn for a day off): fuchsia cashmere shirt-tail tunic (Halogen); fringed scarf with blues, purples, greens (Nordstrom); medium wash skinny ankle jeans (Lucky, Charlotte Rail); gray moto boots (Frye); taupe trench and bag as above.

6-7 (what I changed to): swapped out the scarf for an eggplant and sand micro houndstooth check cowl-neck pullover blouse (made by me) under the cashmere tunic. Much more comfortable!

I welcome your thoughts and suggestions! Thanks for looking.

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WIW: wine hues

Angie's post today about variety got me thinking about how much I change in my dressing from day to day. I do like variety. Sometimes it feels like I'm repeating a lot, because I'll get stuck on a concept or an item. It's not the kind of repeating that may be very obvious to others, though. Today I ended up reaching for a burgundy vest after having worn a red and black cardigan the day before that looks like a merlot shade. I think it was a subconscious link to yesterday's outfit by color. And perhaps the ombre plaid peasant top today was inspired by my ombre plaid coat yesterday; who knows? And yesterday's outfit incorporated the same black tee I had worn the day before--just because I didn't want to wear a clean shirt to the hairdresser, where it would ultimately get covered in little hair clippings. And then I kept the shirt on the rest of the day, anyway!

The outfits:
1-2 (worn for a day off and haircut): dark boyfriend jeans (Kut from the Kloth, Catherine); black long sleeved crew-neck tee (Caslon); red and black wool knit shawl-front cardigan (made by me); black belt with pewter ornate buckle (Bed Stu); flat black booties (Munro, Lexie); black, gray, beige, and ivory ombre plaid double-breasted coat (Michael Kors); black and brown snake print cross-body bag (Aimee Kestenberg); black knit gloves (Jeanne Simmons).

4-5 (worn to work): charcoal skinny ankle pants (Classiques Entier, City Weave Ankle Pants); maroon, gray, and black ombre plaid wool gauze peasant top (made by me); maroon chunky knit, cabled sweater vest (Caslon); espresso moto boots (Miu Miu). No photo of the coat, but I wore my Michael Kors trench and carried my taupe Aunts & Uncles hobo bag.

I welcome your thoughts and suggestions! Thanks for looking.

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WIW: sweaters & boots

I'm catching up with a few outfit posts here. The daily theme this past week has been staying warm during some unseasonably chilly weather.

The outfits:
1 (worn to work in the evening): brown long sleeved tee (Caslon) under handknit boxy blue-green sweater with mismatched, uneven buttons (Amy Brill); cropped wool pants with tapered legs (made by me); taupe nubuck booties (Paul Green, Jano). I wore the same thing earlier in the day, before work, with jeans instead of the wool pants.

2 (worn to work): black and white wool tweed pants (Classiques Entier); reptile print silk tee in blues, greens, and black on ivory (made by me); black boiled wool bomber jacket with faux leather sleeves (Halogen); black booties (Munro, Grace).

3-4 (worn to work): black and silver knit lantern-hem dress (Comfy USA); black shredded-knit cocoon shrug (made by me); black distressed suede boots (Donald J. Pliner, Devi); black long coat (Gallery); purple hobo bag (Kate Spade).

5-7 (worn for a day off and out to dinner and a movie): black skinny jeans (Eileen Fisher); black and gray abstract starry print tee (made by me); sage merino boyfriend cardigan (Halogen); black belt with brushed silver buckle; olive distressed suede boots (Donald J. Pliner, Devi); brown and gray wool coat with back pleat (made by me); taupe shoulder bag (Aunts & Uncles).

8-9 (worn for a day off): black skinny jeans (Eileen Fisher); black tee (Caslon) under black, tan, and brown animal-print fuzzy cardigan (Free People); tan belt with brushed silver buckle (Trafalgar); key pendant on brown leather; black distressed suede boots (Donald J. Pliner, Devi).

I felt better wearing some of these outfits than I feel about the photos of them. Isn't that often the case? I will say that outfit 5-7 is my favorite of the bunch. It was an outfit of favorite items that I felt happy wearing.

I welcome any thoughts or suggestions for improvement. Thanks for looking!

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WIW: fluid sweater and bootcut jeans

I'm so excited to finally wear the bootcut jeans I got during Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. They languished for a while, awaiting hemming. (I really procrastinate on hemming and other alterations. I'd rather sew a whole garment from scratch than alter something!) Today is perfect for them: a day off and cool but dry, sunny weather.

The outfit, worn for a day off:
Bootcut jeans (Hudson, Beth baby bootcut); wine ("dark tulip") high-low wool sweater with a patterned weave (Eileen Fisher) over black and red bias plaid t-shirt (made by me); black belt with ornate silver buckle (Bed Stu); taupe nubuck booties (Paul Green, Jano); brown and gray wool coat (made by me); taupe shoulder bag (Aunts & Uncles). Also new teal and amethyst specs.

Suggestions and thoughts are welcome! Thanks for looking.

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New specs

I loved Angie's post on "four shortcuts to a more current style." Since I wear glasses every day, I wanted to be sure mine were current and reflect my individual style. I decided to swap out one pair that I wasn't wearing. They weren't dated, but I just didn't reach for them, or I'd put them on and then change to a different pair.

Here are the new glasses I chose (1-3): teal on the sides with amethyst over the teal on the front, by Face a Face. I love them! I feel the shape, size, and color suit me so well. They feel integral to my features, rather than something I'm adding on to my face, if that makes sense. Do you agree?

For reference, here are the others I'll keep in rotation:
4: round brown and metal by Kenneth Cole. These are/were my go-to glasses, easy to wear, blend with my features and coloring.
5: brown metal frames with crystal sides (sorry I didn't get a shot of the sides), by Caviar. These are my dress-up glasses or the ones I wear when I want a more minimal look.
6: small cat-eye in eggplant, by Kala. These are my oldest but I still like them. I feel they give me a kind of prissy look, perhaps.

And the ones I am replacing:
7: tortoise and green by Michael Kors. I plan to turn them into sunglasses.

Thanks for looking!

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WIW: casual pants & short boots

When I saw today's post, I thought it was the kind of formula I like to wear. In fact, I was planning to wear a version of it today. Instead of a fluid pullover sweater, I substituted an arty tee and boyfriend cardigan. Of course, that meant I had to add a belt, which was one of the fussy things Angie avoided for her client.

I like this outfit. It feels like me, it's comfortable to wear, I love the colors. It's fun to get out my wool coat again, and the fedora is a fun addition. There are not many hats I like on me, but this style seems to work. I already had this hat in charcoal from a year or two ago, and although I don't wear it often, when I saw it in teal recently, I thought it would be fun to have. It almost feels like a wild card, but perhaps it's not, since I already had one like it.

The outfit, worn for a day off:
Teal corduroy skinnies (Kut from the Kloth, Diana); mixed print long sleeved tee in teals, browns and taupes (made by me); oatmeal merino wool boyfriend cardigan (Halogen); brown belt with brass buckle (B-low the Belt); espresso brown moto boots (Miu Miu); brown and gray wool coat (made by me); teal wool asymmetrical fedora (Asian Eye); black and brown snakeskin print cross-body bag (Aimee Kestenberg); antique gold with teal and brown beads earrings and necklace.

Comments and suggestions welcome! Thanks for looking.

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WIW: skirt blues

I wanted to wear this blue, crinkle-knit skirt today. I was bound and determined to wear it for some reason. I tried it on with several different tops and some jackets, before finally settling on this combination, mostly out of fatigue, though I did feel I was kind of on the right track with the boxy top.
I like the idea of wearing comfy, casual skirts like this one. But I always have trouble figuring out what to put with them. (I think I've written this post multiple times!) I feel they veer into frumpy territory very quickly.

The outfit, worn to work:
Blue crinkle knit four-panel skirt (made by me); charcoal merino pullover (Eileen Fisher); black distressed suede boots (Donald Pliner, Devi); multi-color glass bead necklace (Dabby Reid) and red glass bead earrings; red and black narrow leather bracelet; black packable coat (Cole Haan); blue, green, and black scarf; black and brown snakeskin print crossbody bag (Aimee Kestenberg).

Your advice? What could I do better? What did I do well? Suggestions and thoughts are welcome. Thanks for looking.

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