coastal contacts, gifted, glasses, OOTD, polka dots, thrift, vintage

Dot-ing it and Dot-ing it and Dot-ing it well

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Photo bombed by Tang yet again


Top & Pants : Thrifted Cardigan: Vintage Boots: Gifted
        The weather has gotten colder in recent weeks, well not really “cold” as it’s normal temps for April, cold in the sense that we had highs in the 70’s just a few weeks ago. Anyway this “cold” snap has allowed me to show you some of the cold weather outfits I didn’t have the chance to Blog earlier this year. I’d been dying to debut this outfit for a while, I conceived of it while watching the Nate Berkus show last year. Nate had a fashion-y person on who put together an outfit using camel and polka-dots. While watching I though hey I have something like that! Unfortunately my lovely polka-dot shirt is a tad bit short and I was in need of high waisted jeans to pull off the look. Luckily I thrifted these pants a couple months ago and was finally able to live out my outfit in real life. I have to admit I’m pretty happy with how the outfit turned out. I got the top a year or so ago but haven’t really been able to wear it. It’s a bit short and it kind of has a peplum at the bottom. The shortness of the shirt means that the peplum hits at a rather unflattering place, on the tummy. So the best ways I’ve found to wear it is tucked in or under a cardigan/blazer. Despite it’s limitations I’m still in love with the shirt and will be wearing it a lot more this summer. I know you’re probably sick to death of this cardigan but I love it, so I can’t help adding it to outfits when it’s cold. It’s a perfect neutral color and it’s cashmere so it’s incredibly soft and warm. Every time I wear it I think I need to add more cashmere to my wardrobe. Anyway  I’ll try and do more outfits without the cardigan and if that doesn’t work I obviously won’t be sporting this cardi in the summer. 
         I wore this outfit to go pick up a copy of The Hunger Games from the library and check out some thrift stores. I finally got a super savers card, I tried to do it earlier but my printer wasn’t cooperating that day. Anyway I go to savers regularly so I might as well receive some of the benefits that go with the super savers card. I still haven’t seen the Hunger Games movie, but plan to soon. I just started the book, it’s a pretty easy read and think I’ll finish it soon. Oh and you may have noticed I got new glasses! I got these from Coastal Contacts. I wish the plastic part on top was a tad thicker but I like them.  I would definitely recommend Coastal, they have cute cheap glasses and if you order for the first time with them and put in the code FIRSTPAIRFREE they’ll give you a huge discount. My order also came speedily (in just a couple days) and shipping was free! I like that now I have more options with my eye-wear. I can wear my old glasses, these new ones or go with contacts whenever I want to change up my look.

colored pants, forever 21, gifted, OOTD, target, thrift

Bullseye

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Top, Pants, and Shoes: Target  Cardigan: Thrift (Thakoon for Target) Satchel: Thrift (originally Target)  Bracelets: gifted   Earrings: forever21

       Okay so enough lists lets get to the good stuff, I finally have an outfit post! Usually 99% of my outfit doesn’t come from one store, but in this outfit I seem to be a walking billboard for Target. It’s cool though I like Target, they’re a Minnesota company (Target HQ is in downtown Minneapolis) and they donate big time to local thrift stores, so really I can’t complain.
       I wore this Sunday to go to an estate sale and do some thrifting. After a week of cold weather and grey skies Sunday was sunny and warm, a welcome change. I had a whole outfit planned to wear that day but it was planned for a slightly colder day, so I changed it up a bit and went with this one. I bought the pants a couple weeks ago when the target gift card I got from my uncle for my birthday (last November) was finally burning a hole in my pocket. I didn’t expect to find anything but actually came away with two really lovely things. I recently fell for the colored pant trend so when I saw these I knew I had to get them. They’re supposed to be ankle length but since I’m a lowly 5’0 1/2  (5’1 if you like to round up) they’re just regular pant length on me. A lot of times pants that are made ankle length or capri look terrible on me because they either have an odd hem at the bottom or make me look even shorter. Thankfully with the skinny leg on these pants they don’t look odd on my short frame. The T-shirt is an oldie I got a couple years ago from Target that is really comfortable and slouchy. It wasn’t really warm enough to go without a cardigan so I threw this Thakoon for Target cardi I thrifted a couple years ago on to keep warm. I accessorized with Forever 21 earrings and these pastel bracelets I got a million years ago from my grandma that now are on trend, go figure. Anyway I really like how the outfit turned out and you’ll definitely be seeing more of these pants in future posts.

50's, 60's, Betty, Joan, Mad Men, OOTD, Peggy, Roger, style, TV

Mad for Mad Men

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Image Via AMC

If you like television like I like television, which is perhaps a bit too much, then you’re probably just as psyched for the return of Mad Men today. I didn’t actually start watching Mad Men until 2010, I’d heard so many good things about it and its style but just hadn’t put in the time to get into it. Anyway I totally got sucked in and quickly caught up on seasons 1-3. So, when I heard last year Mad Men wasn’t returning until 2012 I was bummed.  Though I tried to quell my thirst for the Drapers with sub-par 60’s dramas (*cough* Pan Am *cough*) there’s nothing like the real things, and I’m glad It’s finally back! So of course I had to do a Mad Men post in celebration of the 2 hour season premier tonight.
     
        Mad Men is pretty well known for it’s style so what better way to celebrate its return then through a post celebrating the style of it’s leading ladies.

Betty Draper

 First up is Betty Draper ex-wife of Don, disgruntled housewife, and WASP. In other words the ultimate 1950’s housewife. Mad Men is of course set in the 1960’s but Betty’s style is most definitely informed by 50’s fashion, including the classic 50’s circle skirt silhouette. When she’s not in a skirt or dress she goes full WASP in her classic equestrian chic look.
And of Course what would a Betty Draper post be without disheveled Betty.

Anyway here’s my take on Betty’s look. This is actually my Halloween costume from 2010 when I went as a 50’s housewife.  Betty’s look is very 50’s housewife with pearls, circle skirts, cardigans and heels. She is always dressed to the nines and never skips a beat, even when she’s sad Betty.

Cardigan and Skirt: Vintage  Shoes: Urban Outfitters  Necklace and Earrings: Target  Bracelet: Marshall Fields (before Macy’s took over)

Joan Holloway aka Joan Harris

 The second and probably most iconic look of all the female Mad Men Characters is Joan. Sassy, in charge and sexy Joan is the office Marilyn and always dresses the part. With Christina Hendircks’ fabulous curves Joan’s style is sleek, tailored and sexy. Joan is an ace at knowing what works for her body. Unafraid of color Joan’s look incorporates bold color with slim silhouettes that accentuate her tiny waist and lovely curves.

I have a couple looks that would work for Joan but I haven’t blogged them yet and want to save them for future posts. This entry from the skirt challenge, though, works equally as well.  What makes it very Joan to me is the pencil skirt, bold color and highlighted waist. When letting out your inner Joan highlighting your curves is of the utmost importance as is incorporating solid bright colors.
 Shirt and Skirt: Thrift Shoes: Urban Outfitters Necklace: Target

MARGARET ‘PEGGY’ OLSON

Finally we have Peggy the smart, modern, working girl carving out a place amongst the men at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. Peggy’s style is very 50’s school girl but seems to be evolving into a bit more of a mature style, with a few school girl touches. Despite being in her 20’s her style is fairly Juvenile. Peggy is often shown in more muted tones with bold, simple patterns and higher necklines.

Peggy’s style is the hardest to translate for me but I think this dress works well. Peggy doesn’t work as many brights solids as Joan but she’s sort of the middle point between Joan and Betty. Peggy incorporates both full and pencil skirts, bright and muted colors and a variety of patterns. Though it’s a tad brighter than Peggy’s general palate and the neckline is a bit lower then Peggy’s normal ware I think this dress works fairly well for a Peggy look and it’s also my OOTD for today. 
excuse the floors that need to be sanded

Dress: ASOS Scarf: Thrift Shoes: DSW  Bag: Thrift (originally from Target)  Scarf: Vintage
And just for shits n’ giggles I had to add a picture of my favorite male character and silver fox on the show, Roger Sterling. Le swoon. 
*all Images via google images and AMC
Whose style do you like the best? Which TV characters do you wish you had full closet access to?

gifted, kohls, OOTD, red wing, road trip, target, thrift, vintage

Spring is in the Air

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Shirt: Kohls  Cardigan & Scarf: Vintage  Tights: Target  Skirt: Thrifted (orginally target)   
Shoes: Gifted  Earrings: PLNDR

          It’s been increasingly warm these last few days in good ole Minnesota, which is incredibly rare. Last year round this time we still had a thick wall of snow. It seems though that the amazingly mild winter we’ve had is turning into an early spring (fingers crossed). Still it’s Minnesota and in an instant the weather can turn right back to cold and snowy. I got up early Sunday and my mom and I decided to go on a mini road trip. My bestie had just been on one herself to Maiden Rock, WI so I was semi-inspired by her trip and suggested Red Wing, a (semi) nearby town. We’d been to Red Wing a few years before and went to a pottery place (Red Wing is famous for shoes and pottery) and then pretty much left. We went a different more scenic route this time; possibly due to our GPS that seems to be fond of scenic byways instead of seemingly quicker routs. Either way we had a really nice drive and ended up in Red Wing. While there we gawked at some beautiful old houses in town and then went to a mallish place that had antique stores. I inherited a love of all things old from my mom so we browsed the three whole levels of antiques, ohhing and awwing at all the cool stuff. Most of the stuff was pottery and glass/table ware. Though those things are nice they’re not exactly things either of us really collect, so we left empty handed but with some serious eye strain (So. Much . Stuff). I didn’t take any pictures, though I did take my camera. I haven’t quite mastered the taking pictures all the time thing, which is one of my blogger weaknesses. Though I like to take pictures I also like to live in the moment and experience what I’m doing “in the now.” Sometimes I feel like you can get caught up trying to take pictures of the memories and not really experience it to the fullest. I’m working on trying to figure out a good balance and next road trip I’ll definitely take at least some pictures.
            Anyway since we were going out and it was nice out I decided to wear a “blog worthy” outfit. I’ve been dying to wear/blog this outfit since I got the skirt and figured I should seize the opportunity and go for it. In my original conception it had a collar necklace and my knee high black boots, but since we were going to a small town I decided to make it a bit more casual. I really like how the outfit turned out even though  I could have gone bare legged, it was that warm! But, I don’t really trust spring weather and sometimes the temperature in Minneapolis can differ drastically from the temperature in other towns so I erred on the side of caution and went with the tights. I totally love this outfit and you can definitely expect to see more of this skirt in the future.

OOTD, PLNDR, target, thrift, vintage

And I’m Back

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 Shirt and Jeans: Thrift  Cardigan: Vintage  Earrings: PLNDR Shoes: Target
Finally an outfit! I got my camera back last week but I was sick most of last week and didn’t exactly look or feel camera ready. Anyway I didn’t actually wear this outfit today I wore it in January/February during my forced hiatus. But, I liked it at the time and figured  I’d re-create it to get the outfit posting momentum back. Looking at the photos I’m not as in love with the outfit as I was when I first wore it, but it’s not too bad.

2012, ASOS, Happy New Year, NYE, OOTD, target, Urban Outfitters

Happy New Year!!!!

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via Google

        It’s officially 2012! Happy New Year!!!! I hope you all had a fabulous New Year’s Eve and aren’t too hungover today. I didn’t really write down any formal New Year’s Resolution, but one goal I have this year is to post more on the blog. 2012 will be my first full year of blogging and I want to post at least four times a month if not more.

Dress: Asos  Tights and Belt: Target  Shoes: Urban Outfitters

I rang in 2012 at a friends New Year’s Eve party then came home and watched Kathy Griffin and Anderson Cooper on CNN. All in all a pretty good NYE. I knew I’d probably wear this dress on New Year’s Eve if I did anything. Thankfully the party I went to had a dress code so I wasn’t terribly over dressed. I was probably the sparkliest person in attendance, but everyone likes sparkles right?  As I’ve mentioned I go this dress as a birthday present to myself back in November. It’s a tad too big, and I should probably get it tailored, but since I don’t really have the money to pony up for a tailor I just decided to belt it and call it a day. I think it looked pretty good in the end and I was able to ring in the new year pretty fashionably, always a plus.

costumes, estate sales, Halloween, minnie mouse, OOTD, spirit, target, thrift, walmart

Minnie Mouse NOT Mickey!

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Dress: Thrifted  Ears & Gloves: Spirit  Tights & Belt: Target  Socks: Walmart  Shoes: Mom’s from estate sale  Bow: old shirt 
           I’ve always loved Halloween, it’s my mom’s favorite holiday so it was always a big deal around my house as a kid. I always had a costume and some of my past favorites include: the yellow power ranger, princess Jazmin, a hippie, a witch, a genie and Velma from Scooby Doo. This year I was thinking of being a 70’s disco diva but since I didn’t want to rack up debt for a costume I decided to go with a costume I could build a little more economically. I got this dress at the thrift sore earlier this year and really like it. It’s handmade and I feel a little Minnie mouse every time I wear it, so I decided to go one step further and actually be Minnie mouse. I only had to buy ears, gloves and socks. Ironically I went to work Saturday and the “real” Minnie mouse was there posing with kids, it was fate. I had to work so I didn’t meet Minnie but it was funny to see her. I’m not much into the “sexy” Halloween costumes I can see it if you’re costume is Bettie Boop or a prostitute but sexy nemo, really? I just want to know who said “jee i’d really like to be sexy nemo but there’s no costume!” I don’t have anything against people that are into the sexy thing It’s just not me. Anyway, I didn’t really do anything for Halloween I handed out candy and watched Paranormal Activity (the first one). I didn’t find Paranormal Activity very scary and thought the ending was totally just, I got distracted from the bumps in the night by the boyfriends doucheyness.
           Anyway I did end up getting a job, it’s a seasonal job at the mall, but it could turn into a longer term job and I’m just happy to be making some money even though I may be re-unemployed in mid January. Anyway I have been wearing some cute things but haven’t gotten around to posting them. I’ll also make a post about some new things I’ll be buying now that I’m making some money. Anyway hope you had a fabulous Halloween! And, if you celebrate, have a great Día de los Muertos/ All Saints day!

DSW, Enid, forever 21, Ghost World, Icon, Inspiration, OOTD, skirt a day challenge, thrift, vintage

Day 10: Copy Cat

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Bowling Shirt: Vintage  Skirt: love 21(forever 21)  Shoes: DSW  Bag: market in Ecuador Earrings: thrift

             And so we meet the last day of the skirt challenge. I’m excited. I have to say I’m glad I took the challenge, it made me really think about the skirts in my wardrobe and how to style them, but I’m also glad it’s over. Now I can post pants and dresses!! Get ready. Anyway I had a hard time thinking of an icon/designer look I wanted to copy. But this morning when I woke up, at a ridiculously early hour, I suddenly had it, Enid from Ghost World! I’ve loved the movie Ghost World since I first watched it in middle school and have even read one of the comic the story is based on. While watching it I totally fell in love with Enid. Not only is she a busty four-eyes but she’s funny, sarcastic and had a great sense of style. I was totally in love with everything Enid especially her clothes and room decor. When it comes to style icons most of mine have pretty edgy/funky style. I’d say my style is classic with a little bit of funk, so I always look to celebrities and other style icons with funky/edgier taste to get ideas on how to incorporate their look into mine. I think Enid’s look has three basic qualities: Vintage, color and pattern. Her style is an eclectic mix of 70’s punk and 60’s mod that I’m just in love with and is reasonably on trend. Peter pan collars, plaid, leather jackets, skinny jeans, funky t-shirts, docs and mod inspired clothing are all things you can pick up in almost any retail or thrift store right now.

Enid’s different looks from the movie

             So when I decided to choose Enid as my style icon I googled her to check out some of the outfits from the movie. I found the pictures I was looking for but I also found out that British designer Luella did a spring/summer 2008 collection of Enid inspired clothes. I checked out the runway show online and was even more inspired! I definitely have at least 3 Enid inspired looks besides this one that I’ll be posting soon. I think one of the great things about Enid’s style is the incorporation of t-shirts. As my style has evolved I’ve found it harder to incorporate crew neck t-shirts into my wardrobe stylishly. As someone whose pretty busty and has a rather short neck I tend to veer away from them, but I have a ton of cool crew neck t-shirts that I’ve gotten from school etc. that I’d love to incorporate into my wardrobe. Luckily Enid is an avid fan of the crew neck t-shirt and gives totally amazing inspiration on how to rock a crew neck.

Some of my favorite looks from Luella’s SS 2008 Enid inspired collection.

          On to the outfit! Enid wears a lot of cool graphic skirts, like the green one on the movie poster, but I don’t really have any that compare. Instead of copying Enid’s style I went with an outfit inspired by it. To me a main component of Enid style is vintage. A year or so ago I found this vintage bowling shirt in a pile of my mom’s vintage clothes. I knew it was cool but I didn’t really know how to style it. Then today I knew Enid’s style would work effortlessly with this top. In my dream world I would have paired it with a more graphic printed skirt, maybe something in a plaid, but I don’t have any plaid skirts so I opted for this magenta skirt that appeals to Enid’s use of bright colors.  If I went 100% Enid on this outfit I would have added my leather Jacked and Docs but it’s was an unseasonably hot day, 70 degrees, and I haven’t broken my Docs in yet. The last time I wore them it took them less than 10 minutes to tear apart my heels. Anyway when the weather cools off I’ll definitely do more Enid inspired looks and post them here. In the mean time I’ll be looking for more cool t-shirts, patterned skirts, big nerdy glasses, mod inspired clothes and more vintage, to really amp up the Enid-spiration. Lastly here’s a video of the opening to Ghost World, I can’t get this song or there urge to dance around to it out of my mind!

DSW, OOTD, skirt a day challenge, target

Day 9: To the beach

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Dress, leggings and Belt: Target   Shoes:DSW  Cardigan: Vintage

      OK so I have to admit i’ve been stalling on this one for awhile. Partly because I don’t go the beach much and partly because it’s Fall and dressing like i’m going to the beach sounds cold. So this outfit is more what i’d wear to the beach today, October 1, 2011. I’m also cheating a little since technically this is a dress and not a skirt. But, it’s dress that’s made to look like a skirt, I have a belt and cardigan on so it looks more like seperates and finally if I was going to the beach i’d probably wear a dress anyway so I would only have to deal with one item.
         I wore this dress to go check out an antique/vintage sale in north Minneapolis. The sale was cool, there were some pretty cool items and good prices but nothing, that I could afford, really grabbed me. There were these cool mid century 60’s lamps that I really liked but they were $145.00 and though worth it a little too expensive for me. I took these pictures in my backyard in an attempt at getting better quality photos and better light. For some reason all the ones I liked are a little silly and all are at various locations in an attempt to find the best place with the best sun. I’ll probably try and take more photos outside, weather permitting, since you can’t beat that natural light.
           Anyway I got this dress two years ago at target after deciding I needed more dresses in my life. I’m pretty on the fence about the dress that looks like a skirt and top thing though. I like this dress but I think a lot of this style of dresses can look kind of cheap. I don’t like the look of the elastic band so I always try to dress it up with a more interesting belt and generally when I look at these dresses I like the bottom more than the top and would rather they had just made the skirt. I suppose I could cut off the top but it just seems like such a waste. I do though like both the top and bottom to this dress. The top is a nice coral color and the fabric of the skirt reminds me of a dress I had in the 90’s. The cropped camel cardigan is 100% cashmere and vintage. I’m totally in love with this cardigan. Not only is it extremely warm it’s neutral so I can, and do , wear it with everything. Prepare to see this piece a lot because I like to add it to a lot of outfits in the Fall/winter months.
          So I still don’t know what I’m gonna do for the last part of the skirt challenge but I’m gonna do some googling and hopefully have the final skirt challenge outfit for you tomorrow.

cats, DSW, OOTD, skirt a day challenge, thrift

DAY 8: Casual

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gratuitous cute cat picture
detail of the skirt pattern
Top and Skirt: Thrift  Belt: Target  Shoes: DSW 
             This is probably one of my favorite outfits of the whole skirt challenge. I’ve worn this outfit, as is and in a variety of different incarnations, way more than I should have since getting the skirt. I got this skirt two weeks ago in Eau Claire, WI when my mom and I randomly took a mini road trip to the Leinenkugel Brewery in Chippewa Falls, WI. Despite it being early September, all the Halloween stuff was out and of course that means the vintage rack, that usually is pretty lack luster in the Savers I usually frequent, was stuffed. I found this skirt there, it’s navy blue with little yellow stars on it. Surprisingly it’s super on trend, it’s not only a midi skirt it also has one of the trendy prints of the season, stars. At first I was going to pair it with the bright yellow shirt I wore for the color block challenge but I just wasn’t feeling being that bright. So I paired it with this lovely grey t-shirt that I paid a little too much for at Unique Thrift Store, but loved too much to not get it. I like the color and the fact that it has some interesting texture/pattern to it, something that makes it a little more interesting than your regular grey t-shirt.
             I wore this outfit to go to an Estate Sale in Austin, MN. I had seen a sale online and it looked like it had pretty good stuff  and my mom and I are always up for a mini road trips, as long as the weathers nice, so we got up early and went. It took about two or so hours to get to Austin and well we probably won’t be going back. We went to the Estate sale and everything was ridiculously overpriced. We came on the last day of the Sale so everything was 50% off but there was still a lot of stuff despite the fact that it was the third day of the sale. I found some clothes I was interested including a black 80’s dress with a sequin embellished neckline. But, when we went to check out the lady told me, very rudely, that instead of being $2.50 the dress would be $20.00 because it was embellished. Turns out the rack where I had gotten the dress had other 80’s embellished sequin tops and that dress and instead of originally being $5.00 like the rest of the stuff on the rack they were $40.00 or so because of the embellishment. The problem? they’re ugly 80’s sequin shirts! They’re not in style and only some people are really interested in wearing them in a sort of ironic-y fashion. I have a similar old lady 80’s sequin cardigan that I bought at the Salvation Army for like $3.00.  Needless to say the prices were ridiculous and I wouldn’t be surprised if they still had a bunch of stuff left over after the sale ended. Anyway after that we explored Austin a bit, which kinda smells like Ham/Spam due to the Hormel plant near by. The town was ok and we ended up stopping for lunch at a Mexican Restaurant that was nice. But after that we decided to split. The lovely interactions we had with the ladies at the sale left a bad taste in our mouths so we left and went back home. When we got back we went to another Estate sale in a town closer to home and found some really cool stuff which we ended up paying a total of $40.00 for on the last day of the sale, way less then we would have spent at the sale in Austina and for way better stuff. Guess we won’ be going to anymore Estate sales in Austin.