New Apartment, Old Clothes

Waah, I let my blog lay completely fallow for the last several months. Needless today, many things have happened. Let's start by looking at pics of my outfits against a backdrop of 'new apartment scenery:'

Here we are in the new bedroom:

Top: AE Outfitters | Pants: Forever 21 | Shoes: Urban Outfitters | Belt: from Maine

Top: UO bunny sweatshirt, green shirt from TJ Maxx | Skirt: J.Crew | Shoes: AE Outfitters (right), Calvin Klein (left)

Ok, let's go to the kitchen:

Shirt: made in Vietnam | Sweater: Target | Skirt: Ann Taylor |  Shoes: Bandolino

As you can see, our kitchen boasts improved cabinetry and a bag of rice. My Kitchenaid approves. This kitchen is at least 3 times roomier than our old one.

And lastly, we will hang out in the living room:

Shirt: H&M | Jeans: Lucky | Shoes: INC from Macy's

And with that succinct tour, I'm back!

Studded Pumps for Weekend Traipsing

I wore my Lola Cruz pumps outside the apartment for the first time over the weekend.  At first I was cautious because I didn't want any harm to befall them. But after about 3 minutes, I had all these errands to complete so I went on my way as if I was not wearing new shoes, clippity clopping through the cityscape. And nothing bad happened. Yay.

Sweater: J.Crew | Pants: J.Crew | Shoes: Lola Cruz

That's a lot of yellow furniture in the background! Stay tuned for my reupholstering adventure.

Out with the Cold, In with the New

Actually, this will mostly be dedicated to the "out with the cold" part. As in, I am not ready to share anything new today. After such a long hiatus in posting, I'm going to have to ease myself back into things. Otherwise I might get blogger-shock and not post again for another 2 months.

First on the agenda, we have what I wore 2-- possibly 3-- months ago!

Top: American Eagle Outfitters | Cardigan: Express | Pants: J.Crew | Boots: Hunter | Necklace: thrifted
The necklace is a seashell and reminds me of Ursula from Little Mermaid.

Top: made in Vietnam | Dress: J.Crew | Boots: Macy's

Here I am showing off a new star bracelet which I actually haven't taken off since the time of this photo.
Otherwise I am wearing a random assortment of Talbots, Loft, and H&M.

This was a moment of sartorial eureka for me so I am including extra photos.

Top: Urban Outfitters dress worn as a top | Cardigan: Gap | Skirt: J.Crew | Necklace: Target | Belt: F12
The shoes I got for $5 from Famous Footwear, huzzah!

  

There, I made a return to posting! In the next few days I will try to summarize my adventures from the last 2 months in visual format. If I made a preview slideshow, it would include, but not be limited to: mousse, anime, the MICU, scallops, taxes, and most importantly: new apartment!

Target Melinda Wedges and Sparklies

OMG, my hair has been utter ridiculousness lately. Should I list the woes that befell it? 1) In the spring of last year, literally half of my hair fell out after my thyroid died. Luckily I started out with tons of hair to begin with so it did not look obvious. It was extremely awkward when I went for my wedding hair trial appointment and my hairstylist kept having to shake my hair off his mousse-y hands...OY. 2) Then the baby hairs started to come back. By Christmastime, the baby hairs were so dense they  looked like I was attempting to have bangs but doing a really lame job (see picture to right). At least I did a somewhat nice job curling it. 3) I was forced to cut bangs deliberately, which was absolutely NOT in the plan. 4) Now in the dead of wintertime, my hair is super staticky and gets tangled like crazy. I get arm cramps trying to brush it out all the time! But conditioner makes it all greasy. What should I do??

So now, I have bangs, unruly hair, and another necklace from Forever 21! Fun, fun, fun. Necklaces are great for distracting a viewer from one's slovenly coif. 

Top: from Vietnam | Sweatshirt: J.Crew | Pants: Forever 21 | Shoes: Target

Remember when I ranted and raved about these Target wedges in teal suede and proceeded to wear them with everything I own? Turns out, the red wedges embody the same magical ability to look good with everything!

Pros: comfy, flattering, go with everything. Cons: comes in too many colors. Must. Buy. All.

Casual Weekend French Hen

A quick recap of a recent weekend outfit. I recently thought I wouldn't be able to fit the French Hen Sweater over long sleeves, but aha! I did.

Sweater: J.Crew | Top: J.Crew | Jeans: Lucky | Belt: LOFT | Shoes: unknown!

Anyway, I have no further comments besides general remarks about the bitter wintry clime.

I sort of love bow belts so I now have three: this one from LOFT, one from J.Crew (debuted here), and my first bow belt which was from Gap sort of broke but I have devised a makeshift repair out of velcro pieces.  I did not say it was pretty.

In case you didn't get a good look at my new bow belt.

Different Iterations of Neutral

I've been camouflaging to match the weather/how I feel about said weather.  Thus, one may find me in grey, tan, beige tones. Gone are the days of jewel tones. Enter: Neutrals.

Ok, ok, I exaggerate about my greige sentiments toward the weather. But seriously, I love these pants, this shirt, those shoes, and that sweater. They go well with everything else I own, so why not put them all together even if I was trying to match stripes with checkers with leopard?

Shirt: J.Crew | last seen here

Sweater: gift from my aunt

Pants: H&M | last seen here

Belt: J.Crew

Shoes: Fashion Bug

These days I am rotating through Rheumatology. Tonight I will settle the score between me and Behcet's disease. I have managed to survive 3 years without ever really knowing what this entity entails. I hope my reading activity will prove as much fun as putting together an all-neutral outfit. 

Chambray to Work, Chambray to Play

When I decided it was ok to wear chambray to work, I sealed the deal by topping it with a gaudy necklace.

I suppose I took a rather roundabout approach to dressing that day. Typically, chambray shirts are worn to tone down overly dressy bottoms.  Sparkly baubles, conversely, spruce up casual clothing.  So what did I want to achieve? Dressy or casual? We may never know. Oy, my brain hurts trying to understand why I dressed this way.

Well, you see, there's more to it. I started out wearing boring work trousers.  Happily, my day ended early, catapulting me into my beloved Pixie Pants. There was something odd about wearing skinny ponte black pants with black socks (as though I was wearing no pants!) that I felt the need to don my Hunter boots instead of those cute bow flats. Plus, it was slushy outside.

 Shirt: J.Crew Factory | Turtleneck: NY&Co | Blazer: old | Pants: J.Crew | Necklace: Forever 21 | Earrings: Thrifted | Sunglases: via TJ Maxx | Boots: Hunter

Boots last seen here

Pixie pants last seen here, here

I am quite impressed with the necklaces Forever 21 has rolled out recently. In addition to this pink one, I found myself interested in its mint counterpart as well...I will proceed to stalk it over the next few weeks for signs of price reduction..

Lumberjack + No. 2 Pencil Skirt

This year, I resolve to accessorize better--more deliberately and creatively.  Starting small, I rummaged through the jewelry that I've forgotten about and looped this Forever 21 necklace into my lumberjack outfit.

Shirt: Old Navy | Skirt: J.Crew | Shoes: Target | Earrings: via Francesca's | Necklace: Forever 21

Oops, I forgot to wear a fun bracelet or rings.  I usually overlook hand jewelry because of years and years of playing the piano. Even now when I sit down at the piano, I take my wedding ring off because it keeps banging against the keys.  You know, when Herr Beethoven gets stormy, better pack up your bangles and rings, lest he unleash his musical fury upon ye.

I am very happy with my J.Crew skirt after letting out the hem.  You can still see the old hem because I can't seem to iron that out completely.  Oh well, serves as a reminder of the inch of length that I gained, muwahaha!  More outfits with the J.Crew No. 2 skirt in heather acorn here, here.

J.Crew French Hen Meets Oliver Twist

 I snagged the J.Crew French Hen sweater during a transient pop-back in size XXS. Cluck! or perhaps Clutch! It is so out of stock now that the link to the product no longer exists. This sweater has transgressed into ebay existence, which is kind of like an afterlife.

Sweater: J.Crew | Pants: H&M | Shoes: Target

I am wearing it with a T-shirt underneath so I am rather well-protected from the itch of the wool. The arms of this sweater are strangely tight, therefore I doubt that I could layer a long-sleeved shirt underneath.  But other than that I have no complaints.

The print of these H&M pants evoke Dickensian England to me. I should wear them with a sweater vest and a Sherlock Holmes sleuth cap.

Some details I like about these pants, including the back pockets (mockets), the subtle stitching.  I also like the ankle zippers, which can be seen in another photo.

I've had really good luck with pants from H&M.  These pants are a size 4 and fit with enough room in the hips to be comfortable all day. I usually opt for size 4 in H&M pants for this reason. Did I fail to mention that these pants were only $15? My H&M purchases usually ring in under $20...

I've been searching high and low over the last several months for a neutral colored top that is not white or black.  I found this turtleneck at H&M along with the pant friends.  I believe this color is best described as greige (beige + grey) and I hope to wear it with everything henceforth.

1. Shoes: Blink via Zappos
2. Shoes: Steve Madden

Blazer: Forever 21 | Shoes: Banana Republic
this outfit may involve just a few too many zippers

In summary, I now own Oliver Twist pants and a Hen sweater:

1. In the H&M dressing room.  I did not elect to buy this top even though it is also greige.
2. Greige from top to bottom!
3. Pink works well with greige.
4. So does baby blue. Blazer: Talbots
5. Cluck cluck.

In the future, I would like to devote a post to all of the clothes and accessories I own that feature animals. Stay tuned!

I Love my J.Crew Sterling Skirt! And Hunter Boots!

The other day, I stepped out into the wintry frost thusly:

Sweater: Valerie Stevens cashmere | Skirt: J.Crew | Scarf: Burberry | Vest: BB Dakota | Boots: Hunter

I am very happy with this purchase! From the fit, to the texture of the wool, to the 'sheer minty' color which is subtly heathered...I just want to eat this skirt.  It constantly reminds me of ice cream.

Thanks for all the skirts, J.Crew!
Sterling Double Serge Wool Sheer Mint | Perfect Pencil Double Serge Wool (old) | No. 2 Pencil Double 
Serge Wool Hthr Acorn | No. 2 Feather Paisley

A quick note on the Hunter boots--I got them at Nordstrom Rack for much less than original price. They are the Champery boots, which boast a sleek wedge atop a comfy platform. They had a patchy film of white stuff on them which I was slightly sad about. Luckily, the omnipotence of the internet intervened and I learned about rubber blooming.  Apparently, rubber is a sentient being, reacting to harsh external climes by extruding its waxy component (bloom) to the surface in an attempt to protect itself. As creepy as it is to don a living breathing thing on my legs, I pushed onwards, determined to get rid of the bloom. A helpful thread on the purse forum discusses the utility of using oil vs. some special product costing $$ to polish the boots. Therefore, oil it was! Incidentally this oil was leftover from making sufganiyot.  Now my boots are shiny and bloom-free. Another Chanukah miracle!

J.Crew Boucle Dress-Up

I recently acquired this dress in size regular 00 during the 30% off craziness after Thanksgiving.  Not surprisingly, it was unacceptably loose on my torso (no pics of this spectacle exist, sorry). Conversely, it fit so perfectly through the waist and hips and was so awesomely tweedlicious, that I decided to permanently maim (alter) it, sabotaging any attempts Reasonable Quyen could have made to return it.  "But I've never owned a boucle dress before," rationalized I.  Then I proceeded to take up the shoulders by 1.25 inches.  I wish I took photos of the whole gory process where the innards of those shoulder straps were vulnerably exposed.

Finished product:

Hey, not too bad for a simpleton.

After alterations:

While the torso of the dress is still too wide, imagine how awkward it was with an extra 1.25 inches of shoulder strap billowing ridiculously about. Perhaps the petite 00 would fit better on my curiously narrow torso.  On the other hand, I purposely ordered the dress in regular sizing instead of petite because I did not want the hem too short, reminiscent of the debacle with the pencil skirts.  And of course, look at how this hem hit above my knees...I shudder to speculate that a petite dress may have hit mid-thigh! Hem hem. Despite the hem hitting above the knee, I do believe the proportions look appropriate on me, given that I am only 5'4" and not 6'4" like the J.Crew models.  Though, I can't help but wonder why the dress is so much slimmer and longer on the model in the stock photo. Did they make her a special long, skinny, and tapered dress?



Loose torsos aside, this dress is lovingly constructed and portends numerous layering and accessorizing possibilities.  Here are a few ideas:

I wouldn't have been able to layer all those shirts beneath if the torso of the dress weren't loose!

1. Sweater: Valerie Stevens Cashmere | Boots: Etienne Aigner
2. Shirt: Limited | Belt: Forever 21 | Shoes: from Vietnam
3. Dress by itself | Shoes: Etienne Aigner

1. Dress looks fine on its own as long as I hold my arms down!
2. Top: Sisley | Belt: J.Crew | Boots: Etienne Aigner
3. Shirt: from Vietnam | necklace: Target | Shoes: Urban Outfitters

1. Jacket: Talbots | Belt: Express | Shoes: Sears
2. Repeat outfit #3 above
3. Shirt: H&M | Necklace: UO | Belt: J.Crew | Boots: from Madrid

Future experiments:
- layering with navy or wearing navy accents
- cardigan
- layering with short-sleeved blouses

The possibilities are endless when you have a solid boucle dress!

Pencils Come From Pennsylvania

Pencil Skirt Galore!

I love me a good pencil skirt! But lately, I've been droning on and on about skirt length, knee caps, and the proverbial flats-heels difference. Let's explore those feelings.

These spreads from the J.Crew Aug 2012 (right) and Sept 2012 (left) Style Guides showcase the inspiration behind my celebration of all skirts pencil!

The No. 2 Pencil Skirt (left), as worn by this unrealistically tall model, fits ideally for a slimming and lengthening look:
sits at waist, hits at knee. Boom.
The heather acorn Sterling Skirt (right) looks lovely paired with camel hues.

The ideal skirt length undergoes peri-patellar variation from season to season. For example, J.Crew put out some long pencil skirts last spring that hit below the knee.  The ideal skirt length also depends on the wearer's height, and whether said height has received boosting by high-heeled footwear. Skirting with long lengths = teetering on edge of danger, as in too-long a skirt can make one's legs appear short and stubby. A good skirt length also probably depends on one's torso:legs ratio, but that is just getting too technical!

Top row: my shorter skirts hit above the knee
Bottom row: my longer skirts mostly hit mid-knee
I tried to standardize the pictures by selecting those in which I am wearing ~2.5" heels. You're welcome.
Skirt Casting:
TOP Vietnam | Anthro Just Right | Anthro Paisley Paths | J.Crew Pencil (2011) | J.Crew Feathered Paisley
BOTTOM Vietnam | Anthro San Pedro | Target | Anthro Trenchcoat | Zara

Wow, I sure own a lot of pencil skirts! And the above smattering doesn't even include my new acquisitions. 

And now, the adventurous installment of my post...altering my J.Crew pencil skirt in the wee hours of the night!!

I let out the hem by an inch. The back pleat was especially tricky, but nothing that some heavy-handed ironing can't fix!

Comparing with the sterling skirt, which used to be the same exact length.
When worn, the pencil skirt actually drops much lower than the sterling skirt since it has a wider waist and sits lower.

 Here it is in person...only 1 inch longer than before, but I am immensely pleased with the results, especially when wearing heels :) In the following series, I compare the altered skirt (left and right) to a pre-alteration photo (center):

With heels
Middle picture = BEFORE: skirt hits above knee, blocks off  middle 3rd of body awkwardly, makes me look short, defeating the purpose of wearing heels.
AFTER: looks much more lengthening/slimming! Just like the disproportionately tall J.Crew model!

With flats
Middle picture = BEFORE: looks alright, I suppose.
AFTER: still looks good even with flats. Extra skirt length did not compromise illusion of leg length. Win!
The back pleats look pretty good, not like some amateur tore apart the seams and hand-sewed them back or anything...

And there you have it, a diatribe all about pencil skirts. Kind of like the time I described my views on jeans.