Traveling Scarf!

Kimberly's traveling scarf has arrived in San Francisco! Since it's been worn in so many creative ways already, I figured I'd have to throw in everything but the kitchen sink to try to keep up with all the stylish ladies before me. For this outfit I paired it with sapphire blue, red, gray, teal, and yes, a wee little bit of maroon for good measure.

Red, blue, and teal is a great combination that works really well with the pattern of this scarf. As I was assembling the outfit, it immediately struck me that the bright red of the belt matched perfectly with the scarf. Thus, I added the maroon pettipants as a way to bring a little bit more red tones into the outfit without looking overly matchy. The gray skirt and leggings worked as a neutral backdrop with which to make the brighter colors stand out.

Also included in the package with the scarf was a lovely surprise from the wonderful Katie. Magazines, little samples of beauty goodies, and even a ring pop?! You are too kind, Katie!

As it turned out, this outfit was perfectly suited for the blustery weather. It occurred to me during the day that a lot of people write about dressing for hot weather, or rainy weather, or cold weather, but hardly anyone writes about how to dress for wind, which we have a lot of where I work in South San Francisco. Here is my assessment of why this outfit was the ultimate wind-buster:

1. Since the dress is a wrap-style it has a tendency to fly open in the front, which of course is the worst for wind. But it's also the perfect summery item to wear this time of year, so I simply neutralized the peek-a-boo phenomenon by layering a skirt underneath. I further secured the dress by adding the sturdy elastic belt on top.

2. The skirt is a lightweight jersey material, which also flies around a lot in the wind. Just in case the skirt blew around, I had the pettipants there underneath to keep me covered.

3. The wind tends to be chilly, so I kept my legs warm (and kept the breeze from meandering up my skirt) by adding leggings. These cotton leggings are just perfect for adding a bit of warmth without being too much for the occasional moments when the wind dies down and it warms up.

4. Finally, I kept the scarf from blowing in my face by tying it in a neat bow. Take that, South San Francisco wind tunnel!

Dress: F21
Skirt: S
Pettipants: Glam Garb by Gunlis
Leggings: Noa Noa
Shoes: John Fluevog

A Few Days Too Early

This dress and these shoes are some of the spoils from last week's trip to Seattle; both were purchased at a shop called Pretty Parlor, which sells both vintage and new items. The dress is from a Seattle designer; the shoes are used but might as well be new, so light is the wear on them. Lately I've tried to steer clear of buying any more peep toe shoes because I often find myself thinking that they'd be perfectly comfortable if it weren't for the fact that my toes were squashed through the holes at the ends, but this pair is a delight to wear and has no such toe-mangling quality. I also love the fact that they look very 1940's despite being modern.

You might recognize the skirt from the outfit I posted yesterday. In this outfit I used it to add a little length to the hem of the dress, and to introduce a pattern mix. Since the dress isn't flared at the bottom, it causes the A-line skirt to bunch up and create a cute ruffle. It occurred to me later that I was just a few days too early in wearing this outfit, as it would make a great ensemble for the 4th of July.

Dress: Suzabelle
Belt: F21
Skirt: Target
Shoes: Faryl Robin

Floral Over Plaid

Here's another way of layering a sheer top for an office-appropriate and summer-friendly look. I like the way the skirt pattern just shows through the sheer top for an overlay of floral over plaid. For those of you who are fearful of pattern mixing, this is a great way to venture into it: choose two, 2-color patterns that have at least one color in common, and make sure one of the patterns is significantly simpler than the other. Of course I added yet another pattern here with the tights, but I could just as easily have worn solid gray tights if I were less adventurous.

Though there's no black in the skirt, the floral pattern of the top ties in with the blue plaid, while the gray t-shirt and tights make sort of a midway transition point between the navy and black. This was the third of my conference outfits and another day of wearing flat shoes, which is all I brought with me on my trip last week.

T-shirt: H&M
Sheer top: Noa Noa
Belt: Red Dress Shoppe
Skirt: Target
Tights: Hue
Shoes: Bobbi Blu

New Incarnation

These shoes arrived last week after I found them for a steal of a price on Amazon; they're by Fly London and are remarkably comfortable even though they're not broken in yet. I'd had my eye on them for awhile, but Fly London is a pricey brand and I was hoping to snag them once they went on sale. The timing couldn't have been better; I wanted to bring a few pairs of flats to this week's conference, and these arrived just in time to make the trip.

The minidress is another old 90's romper that I had turned into a dress at my local tailor's. I never wore it all that much as a romper, which I guess is why it still looks like new. Why I didn't get rid of it years ago is a mystery, but I'm glad I didn't because I think it's much cuter, and much more wearable, in this new incarnation. It's short enough that I'm not really comfortable wearing it alone, which is why I decided to layer the tulle skirt underneath. This is a fun way to give minidresses a completely different look, since the skirt gives the outfit a long, lean, 1920's flair.

Shrug: Noa Noa
Minidress: vintage 90's
Skirt: Noa Noa
Shoes: Fly London

Conference Wear

I'm at a biotech conference in Seattle this week, and this is the first of 3 days' worth of conference wear (I photographed the outfits at home when I was packing -- how organized is that?). I decided to bring nothing but flat shoes, since I knew I'd probably be doing a fair amount of walking. Not only that, but I wanted to have a bit of variety in my footwear selections, and flats pack a lot more compactly than heels and boots.

Ironically, since I was here over the weekend I spent a lot of time with my good friends Jess and Lisa, and of course the first thing we did was to go shopping and buy shoes. As impressively light as I packed to come here, I'll now have to check a bag on the way home because of the new pairs. Ah well, it was worth it -- no amount of fabulous online deals can beat shoe shopping in a real shoe store with your best girlfriends.

Top: thrifted
Belt: Red Dress Shoppe
Skirt: Anthropologie
Shoes: Bobbi Blu

Harness

This beautiful harness belt is one that Mark created recently for the Etsy shop. As soon as I tried it on I proclaimed that whomever tried to buy it would have to pry it from my cold, dead hands, until Mark assured me that he could simply make another one. Determined not to be foiled, I figured I'd better wear it straight away, just in case. Having secured my copy, I can assure you that this belt is in fact for sale, and you need not fear for your safety should you decide to order it.

The buckles on this belt are the same sort used in making halters for horses. By pairing the belt with the denim dress and boots, I played on the equestrian angle rather than taking this in a bondage-y direction, which might be crossing the line even in my anything-goes work environment. The belt is a deep chocolate brown, which pairs nicely with my well-worn riding boots. As a side note, the belt can also be made in black leather, with either nickel or antique brass hardware, and sized to order.

Ecru dress: Lady Language
Denim dress: thrifted
Pendant: Ice.com
Belt: Audra Jean
Boots: Bata

Summer Layers

I love the look of a sheer top over a button-down; it's one of my favorite ways to layer in the summer months without adding too much bulk. And as I've mentioned before, sheer garments add sexiness to an outfit even when they're only revealing areas that don't need to be covered anyway.

In this outfit, the sheer top is completely superfluous from a coverage point of view, and yet it brings a softness to the structured button-down and gives it a playful, lingerie sort of look. This is a great way to add a feminine touch to a even a conservative, corporate-worthy outfit. For more examples of sheer tops layered over button-downs, check out this post and this one.

Button-down: thrifted
Sheer top, belt: Red Dress Shoppe
Jeans: Dittos
Shoes: Born

Five in One

Oh, if only everything in my closet could be five garments in one. I'd only need to have, like, a hundred things! Check out this little flight suit carefully -- the arms come off, and the shorts come off, making it a full suit or a sleeveless one or a jacket or a vest. But the shorts can also be worn by themselves, for FIVE different options! The genius is astounding. I discovered this adorable suit at Five and Diamond a few months ago, and every time I stopped in I'd look at it and marvel at its adorableness. It wasn't until a couple of weekends ago that I actually got around to trying it on, and of course I was a goner once I did. The sales girl actually squealed when she saw how well it fit me. She's either truly genuine, or really, really good.

Flight suit (I'm not sure that's what it's really called, but that's what it looks like to me, and I don't think the proper word actually exists.): Shawna Hoffman
Shirt: Michael Stars
Tights: Noa Noa
Boots: Bata

Mr. T

When I had to put together this last-minute, assembled-in-the-morning outfit I resolved not to default to my standby blue and orange combo. Somehow I just couldn't let go of the orange though, so here it is paired with gray instead. In my own defense, it actually came about because I was wanting to layer a skirt under this dress, and this mod, circle-patterned skirt seemed like the perfect way to add a little springtime flair to the flat gray. Once I had those two pieces together the orange cardigan just made the most sense.

A found the necklace in a vintage store the last time I was in Seattle, but I have to admit I often don't know how to wear it. I'm no expert at rocking statement necklaces the way Sal is, so there have been several times I've tried to use it and thought it was just too much. I figured with the solid pieces it would stand out but not overwhelm, but just in case, I didn't wear any other jewelry lest I end up looking like Mr. T back in his A-Team days. Yeah, I know Mr. T wore gold, but still.

By the way, this skirt is actually a little too long to hit at the spot I wanted it to, so I actually wore a second elastic belt underneath the dress to hike the skirt up a little and keep it in place. This made for a very toasty midsection, but my skirt stayed put just above the knee.

Dress, belt: Red Dress Shoppe
Cardigan: e-klah
Skirt: I don't know; the label is gone
Boots: Mia

Morning Inspiration

I intended to wear this outfit as shown here on the left. I had it all put together and hanging in my closet, and had even photographed it in advance. But in the morning as I sipped my coffee and flipped through an interior design magazine, I happened to come upon some unexpected inspiration:

I was immediately struck by how beautiful the silver and light blue looked together, and vowed to make use of that combo as soon as possible. Thinking over the contents of my wardrobe, I realized that one of the only light blue items I own is the very dress I was intending to wear that day. As it turned out, I also happened to have a silver obi belt lying around, an item I made a few weeks ago for the Etsy shop but haven't yet posted. What would be the harm in giving it a test run before putting it up for sale? And so, the modified outfit was born:

Rather than wrap the belt around and tie it in the front, I thought it was better to tie it in a big bow in the back. The belt is actually reversible, with a silver and black floral pattern on the other side. It has some stretch to it and is quite comfortable to wear, I'm happy to report. Look for it in the shop soon!

Dress: Red Dress Shoppe
Silver Belt: Audra Jean
Black Belt: Red Dress Shoppe
Nude fishnets: Sock Dreams
Silver Shoes: Born
Black Shoes: BCBGirls