Firecracker's Blog

My denim skirt isn't a traditional jean skirt, but it is a pencil skirt. It has layers across the front panel, sort of mermaid-style. I tried Angie's formula today and felt not exactly fab, but okay for a day of work. The ensembles give me something new to try, and that's fun, even when I come up with an outfit I might not want to repeat piece for piece.

The outfit (worn to work):
Denim layered pencil skirt (Tribal); silk reptile print tee in blues, green, black, and ivory (made by me); black boiled wool bomber with faux leather sleeves (Halogen); black loafers (Munro, Kimi); black leather satchel (Elliott Lucca, Olvera); blue stone teardrop earrings; indigo fishnets (Commando). I wore the bomber jacket as outerwear and took it off at work.

How might I tweak this outfit to make it one I'd want to wear next time?

Comments and suggestions are welcome! Thanks for looking.

I wore my distressed skinny boyfriend jeans yesterday and again today, before I had to change for work this evening. Today I covered them up more with a long cardigan, and I kind of liked keeping the showy pockets hidden for a change. I would not have tried on these jeans, let alone bought them, without the encouragement of the owner of the small boutique where I bought them. They have turned out to be one of my most comfortable pairs of jeans and real workhorses for casual dressing on my days off. I like good kinds of fashion surprises like these.

The outfits:
1-3 (worn for a day off): distressed skinny boyfriend jeans (Silver); taupe v-neck ruched slub-knit tee (Caslon); neutral toned scarf (Asian Eye); oatmeal 3/4-sleeved cardigan (Halogen); pewter leather cutout belt (Fossil); taupe metallic suede high-top sneakers (Paul Green); teal short trench coat (Ambition); taupe hobo bag (Aunts & Uncles).
4-5 (worn for a day off): same jeans, art nouveau print pieced tee in greens, taupe, ivory, and pink (made by me); taupe linen 3/4-sleeved long cardigan (Nic & Zoe); stone and cream leather belt (Annette Goertz); taupe metallic cutout peep-toe booties (Paul Green, Tacey).
6-8 (worn for work): same outfit, with a change to greenish-gray slouchy cropped pants, rolled (Annette Goertz) in place of the jeans.

Did I do okay on the pants roll in 6-8? I do not have an eye for PPL on crops. 

Thanks for looking! Any comments or suggestions are welcome.

Finally tried out the summer white and brown ensemble. I wore white jeans with a brown and white top. I'm not sure that I've ever worn this top with white jeans before, even though it seems an obvious pairing.

I tried two versions, one with metallic high-top sneakers and the other with brown metallic booties. I went with the booties. Which do you like better? 

The outfit, worn for a day off and piano lesson (1-3): white bootcut jeans (Lucky, Lola); white and brown wavy stripe knit cowl-neck top (made by me); brown belt (B-low the Belt); brown metallic booties (Donald J. Pliner), bright coral coat (Eddie Bauer, Christine Trench); brown and taupe croc-embossed tote (Brahmin).

Same outfit, different shoes (4-5): with metallic high-top sneakers (Paul Green).

Thanks for looking! I look forward to your comments and suggestions.

I tried a version of Angie's plaid shirt ensemble. My plaid shirt is an ombre plaid peasant blouse. Instead of a lace skirt, I wore one made of ruffled knit fabric.

The outfit (worn to work): burgundy, gray, and black ombre plaid wool gauze peasant blouse (made by me); ruffled-knit tube skirt (made by me); black sling-back Mary Janes (Think! Aida); black satchel (Elliott Lucca, Olvera); silver pave disk earrings (Lucky).

This outfit had a medium happiness factor. I like it the pieces, and I think I like them together, but the skirt isn't comfortable. I realize I need to make another one, or remake this one. The lining I put in it doesn't prevent it from being see-through, and so I have to wear a slip with it. And with the tight fit of the skirt, the slip bunches up repeatedly throughout the day--aaargh! That can definitely put a damper on one's outfit happiness, don't you think?

Thanks for looking! Thoughts and suggestions welcome!

Summer returned, and it's fun to come up with warm-weather outfits that are looking forward to fall.
Today I wore my Eileen Fisher knock-off skirt and left the inner ties undone, rather than drawing up the hem. (I debuted it here, with a couple of the ties done up.) I paired it with a top in some of my favorite moody colors that has 2/3-length sleeves--both the colors and sleeves are my nod to fall.
Yesterday I wore bootcut jeans in a dark wash, fully expecting to change into jeans cutoffs later in the day, but I ended up leaving on the full-length jeans all day. It was a dry day, perfect for bootcuts!

The outfits:
1-3 (worn to work, Sunday): Eileen Fisher knock-off flax linen 8-panel tie-up skirt (made by me); taupe, gray, and eggplant floral rayon knit ballet-neck, 2/3-sleeved tee (made by me); metallic cutout peep-toe booties (Paul Green, Tacey); silver pave disk earrings (Lucky); pewter leather band crystal-studded disk bracelet; taupe hobo bag (Aunts & Uncles).

4-6 (worn for a day off, Saturday): dark blue bootcut jeans (Lucky, Sweet Jean); navy and cream destroyed-stripe boxy tee (made by me); cream belt; cream platform sandals (Naot); stone hemp hooded zip jacket (Layers Squared); hammered silver layered hoop earrings; navy and tan satchel (Dooney & Bourke).

Any suggestions and thoughts are welcome! Thanks for looking.

You've seen this dress before. The cropped moto is new. I bought it at the end of spring on sale and finally broke it out today, after weather too warm to wear it this summer. I had been wanting a non-leather moto-style jacket for a while, and I thought this cropped version would be fun with a lot of outfits. So far, I'm finding it a little hard to style, though I think it will go nicely with dresses and flowy tops. Probably will pair well with my tunics. Your ideas or inspiration photos are welcome!

The outfit, worn to work: gray and black brushstroke print knit dress with drape pockets (made by me); black reversible cami (Shimera); cropped black denim moto (Free People); black sling-back Mary Janes (Think! Aida); black satchel (Elliott Lucca, Olvera); silver and brass necklace and earrings (Marjorie Baer).

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and styling suggestions, and thanks for looking!

I thought it would be fun to re-try an outfit I wore the day before yesterday, with a slightly different denim shirt. I could certainly change the outfit in other ways, but since I came to the conclusion that it was the shirt, specifically, that was the not-quite-me element, I thought I would test that theory by changing that one thing. And I hit upon the idea of trying my other denim shirt. I wondered if the subtle difference in fabric and style would be discernible in the overall look. I discovered this outfit feels better to me, and I am much more comfortable in it. The fabric is so much drapier. Not sure how different it looks. Perhaps you will be my judge?

The outfit, worn for a day off (1-3): white boyfriend jeans (Kut from the Kloth, Catherine); tencel denim popover shirt (Side Stitched); bright coral coat (Eddie Bauer, Christine Trench); denim ballet flats (AGL); tan belt (Trafalgar); navy and tan satchel (Dooney & Bourke); blue and white striped earrings (gift).

(4): I'll switch to cream flat sandals (Haflinger) later in the day. 

For comparison (5-7): the same outfit with different denim shirt (Caslon).

Lantana made a good suggestion on my post yesterday, that my metallic booties would go nicely with the denim shirt and white jeans. I agree and will wear that one sometime, too! Thanks, Lantana.

Thanks for looking! I welcome your thoughts.

Today I made a point of wearing favorite pieces, after yesterday's outfit that felt just slightly out of character. These jeans and cardigan are super comfy, and I like their laid-back style. The tee and sweater are among my favorite neutral shades: dark olive and taupe. I added a favorite belt and shoes. I almost added my olive coat but chose a bright one, to avoid adding yet another neutral and because it slides on easily over the sweater. I probably won't need the coat later in the day.

The outfit (worn for a day off and out to breakfast): skinny boyfriend distressed jeans (Silver, Lola Boyfriend Skinny); olive modal short-sleeved tee (Caslon); taupe and white cotton chunky hand-knit sweater (Amy Brill); pewter cutout belt (Fossil); bright coral coat (Eddie Bauer, Christine Trench); arty metal disk and greenish bead earrings; metallic cutout peep-toe booties (Paul Green, Tacey); taupe hobo bag (Aunts & Uncles).

Thoughts and suggestions welcome! Thanks for looking.

Today's outfit of white jeans and blue chambray button down shirt with tan belt and bright coat made me think of Ingunn. Looking at my photos, I think I don't channel Ingunn very successfully. Her looks are so polished, and I feel, I don't know--less polished or perhaps just lacking that little something special that she always adds. But I should say I didn't set out to channel Ingunn's style, I just thought of her once I had the outfit on. Ingunn, if you're reading this, I hope I haven't offended you by musing on your style here!

So anyway, I wonder if my idea of polished is a little less than polished. I recall a discussion of polished versus RATE style here on YLF--Angie asked which team we were on a few years ago--and I swear I answered that I was on team RATE, but I don't actually see an answer from me on that thread. Anyway, I think I'm probably not RATE. But I'm not really polished, either.

This outfit felt fine, regardless. It's not what I would call quintessentially "me," but I'm comfortable in. And I love the jeans--so glad I got them.

The outfit (worn Tuesday for a day off): white boyfriend jeans (Kut from the Kloth, Catherine); blue chambray shirt (Caslon); tan belt (Trafalgar); denim cap-toe ballet flats (AGL); navy and tan satchel (Dooney & Bourke); bright coral trench coat (Eddie Bauer, Christine Trench); blue and white striped earrings (gift).
A little detail. . . These jeans have a triple belt loop in center back, and I'm not crazy about it, for some reason. I've discovered I like the look better, if I just skip the middle belt loop!

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

A couple of work outfits here. Coincidentally, both feature raglan-sleeved tees made from the same pattern. The tee in the second outfit reflects an alteration to the pattern that added some fabric to the back in a pleat, giving it a swing shape. I really like both of these t-shirts, but the first one is especially fun to me. I always get compliments on it. These outfits feel like transitional dressing: wearing some summer pieces while leaning toward fall. I wore the jackets for the cool mornings, but didn't need them later in the day.

The outfits:

1-3 (worn to work Sunday): olive chinos with brass studs down the sides (Lucky); mixed-print raglan sleeve tee in purple, green, off-white, teal, red burnout print and charcoal and ivory stripe (made by me); stone and cream leather belt (Annette Goertz); brass and silver earrings and brass and silver bead bracelet (Lucky); stone hemp zip up hooded jacket (Layers Squared); gray platform sandals (DV by Dolce Vita); taupe hobo bag (Aunts & Uncles).

4-6 (worn to work Monday): stone linen trousers (NYDJ, Wylie); purple, ivory, and black mixed zebra print and striped raglan-sleeved swing tee (made by me); pewter leather cutout belt (Fossil); olive jacket (Laundry by Shelli Segal); taupe metallic suede high-top sneakers (Paul Green); taupe hobo bag (Aunts & Uncles).

Thanks for looking! All comments and suggestions welcome.