My Photographer is Back!

Black leopard-lined tuxedo jacket, Express. White snake boyfriend tee, RVCA. Dark wash skinny jeans, Rock and Republic. Black leather snap belt, Gap. Black jersey scarf, H&M. Turquoise ring, Old Town San Diego. Black leather boots w/ties, Aldo. Red beaded wire earrings and leather messenger bag, vintage.

It is so much easier to get outfit pics when there is someone there to make sure you are actually in the photograph and you don't have to schlep around a tripod that won't collapse--it's stuck in the extended position and I can't for the life of me get it to collapse. Jer thinks he'll be spending his five days off from work watching hockey, playing NHL 09 on his X Box, and monitoring his Fantasy Hockey League, but I've got other plans for him...

I managed to drag him to Old Navy yesterday to check out the 50% off all outerwear "Item of the Week" thing they have going on right now, and I was a little disappointed to say the least. Our Old Navy up here doesn't carry half of the styles that are available in bigger cities. Sigh... But I did see a sweet little lacy bib-front tank that would look splendid beneath the bling-buttoned cardigans they have in every color imaginable.

In other shopping news, I've narrowed down my shoe search and was pleasantly surprised to find that good ol' Aldo had quite a few open toe strappy numbers that might just work out. I'd like to thank everyone who gave suggestions on where to find some of the shoes I'd mentioned in previous posts, I checked every single one of them out. Morgan, you were spot on! I'll be in San Fransisco next week, hopefully stomping around in a pair of something fantastic.

Lastly, does anyone remember that clothing catalogue Delia's? You know, the one you probably got in the mail when you were 12? I somehow got on their mailing list again 10+ years later and I found those mustard yellow skinny jeans I was looking for! You can order them in over 20 different sizes and four different lengths (which is AMAZING for those of us 5'10" and up), not to mention the 15 different colors! Also, they come in denim and corduroy. What? Jackpot! I'm totally getting in on this.

Walkabout

Flower print chiffon top, feather earrings, and black ring, Forever 21. Cardigan and scarf, H &M. Woven leather belt and amazing stretch pants, vintage. Black leather boots w/buckles, Steve Madden. Sunglasses, Target.

Walking around the park with Jer and Taco. We stopped to take some pictures at the top of this hill. Rolling golden hills and California Oak trees. I've been taking pictures of this tree for years now.

Black Boots Red Nail Polish

Black nylon bomber, metal leaf necklace, and green wire ring, Forever 21. Green glass earrings, vintage. Black cardigan with black pearl buttons, Esprit. Feather skirt and random black tee, TJ Maxx. Green bangles, Styles. Black tights, Calvin Klein. Knee-highs, Nordstrom. Black riding boots, Nine West.

There must be something counter productive in wearing knee-highs to cover up because it had the effect of making the whole look more risque had I just worn tights. That and people were giving me weird looks at the grocery store, but that totally could have been because I was having a major static electricity problem with this skirt. Who knows...

Moving on, the black cardigan that I've layered under this bomber jacket is from way back in my freshman year of high school. My mom wouldn't let me go to the Homecoming dance wearing a spaghetti strap XOXO number by itself so she bought me this cardigan to cover my shoulders. I only rediscovered it a couple weeks ago when I was cleaning out my old closet at my parents house. I also found a silk snake skin print slip dress and a leather jacket that I'm pretty excited about.

Also, I'd like to thank Chicisimo and Weardrobe for featuring me again. I actually didn't know about it until people stopped by here and commented that they found me via Chicisimo and Weardrobe, so thank you to all the folks over there!

Gray Clouds Gray Boots

Betcha' can't tell which way the wind is blowing. This is my new favorite spot to take pictures. Usually there aren't very many people walking around so I don't feel like such a jack-ass taking pictures of myself, but that was not the case this time. It seemed like everybody and their mothers were out walking their dogs this day. There were landmines everywhere. I must have stepped in one without knowing because when I got home my little dog, Taco was particularly interested in my boots, which is strange because he's more of an open-toe slingback kind of dog...

Gray leather boots, vintage. Gray skinny jeans, Citizens of Humanity. Black nylon bomber jacket, silver necklace, black snake skin belt, and solid black ring, Forever 21. Silk short-sleeve crop top, vintage. Silver beaded thread earrings, Express circa 2000. Black and silver ring, vintage.

Orange You Glad I'm Not Wearing Skinny Jeans?

I was wearing this orange scarf one day during my administrative law class which was held in this huge lecture hall with at least a hundred other students when the professor stopped mid sentence and said, "Janet, that's a beautiful scarf, an amazing color." I think I mumbled some sort of thank you, but what I am sure of is that the pretty orange color did NOT complement the bright red color of my face as I watched 100 sets of eyes descend upon my scarf and I. I think about that professor every time I put on that scarf now.

Changing subjects now, I'm getting really fed up with the clothes in my closet. I'm getting to the point where I don't think I can get much more creative with what I have until I get just a few key pieces to add to the mix.

Here is my list:
1. A leopard (possibly faux-fur, but maybe just print) swing jacket
2. Colored skinny jeans, I'm thinking mustard
3. Open toe suede ankle booties, I'm picturing them in a light gray, surprise, surprise...
4. Over the knee leather boots (like I've mentioned before, it's easier said than done--I've been looking forever)
5. Black leather lace up ankle to mid calf high-heel boots
6. Pretty much anything with a chunky 3" plus heel

I'm going to end the list there for now because the shoe list should actually be a list of its own and it's endless. I'll keep you posted on how acquiring all this all goes down.

Black cropped trench jacket, Weekend Wearhouse. Orange fringe scarf, white banded jersey top, wrap-around leather belt, turquoise earrings and cocktail ring, Forever 21. Turquoise chain-link bracelet, vintage. Leggings, Styles. Button-up booties, Seychelles.

Ruffles and Lace

I was pretty excited to see that Marc Jacobs had a little ruffle action going on in the S/S' 10 ready-to-wear collection, come to think of it, there was a LOT of ruffle action. Ruffles on skirts, dresses, shirts, ruffled underwear as outerwear, a fanny pack, and what can only be described as ruffle scrunchies in the hair, oh my. I could definitely do without the latter two but it feels like anything is possible nowadays, so don't quote me on that...

Here I am getting my ruffle on under a bridge. It's a good thing some nimble tweaker didn't pop out of the cuts and steal my camera and tripod because there was no way I was going to be able to chase down some weirdo over masses of river rocks and broken glass in those sweet leather and lace cowboy boots. Although I probably would have tried...

Black chiffon ruffle bib top and beaded earrings, Forever 21. Taupe short-sleeve cardigan, Gap. 3-D brass bangle, Styles. Gray/purple skinny jeans, Lulu's. Black leather and lace ankle cowboy boots, vintage (Salvation Army, brand new for $8. Score!!!)

Feather and Black Leather

I'm noticing a pattern with regards to what I buy. I cannot stay away from feathers and black leather. I read somewhere that black leather was on its way out and my heart sank a little. On its way out? Not in my closet, thank you very much! (Picture me snapping my fingers side to side as I say that.) As for feathers, I've been picking up feathers since I was a wee child so that has more to do with a general fascination with feathers than fashion. It was a day full of disappointment; the lighting and weather was just not cooperating with me as evidenced in these photos. Who's idea was it to be 80 degrees in November???

Peacock feather w/turquoise necklace, Lulu's. Violet jersey tank and black plastic ring, Forever 21. Black cardigan, vintage. Gray wool shorts, Express. Black tights, Nordstrom. Black leather boots w/buckles, Steve Madden. Gold and coral earrings, vintage. Black leather drawstring purse, BCBG.

Menswear

A good friend of mine told me last week that she had this boyfriend button-up shirt but she didn't know how to wear the shirt or what to pair it with. She went on to tell me that she actually Googled the words "how to wear a boyfriend shirt" and landed on some lovely girl's blog. I'm not going to lie, I was a bit offended that she (who knows I have a blog dedicated to fashion) didn't call me for advice or at least refer to my blog. After I got done slapping her around for treason, we did eventually come up with an outfit that suited her needs without stepping too far out of her comfort zone. I took it a step further pairing the boyfriend shirt with a blazer and oxford heels. Keeping the shirt barely tucked in and the sleeves of the blazer casually scrunched up prevents the look from being to stiff, while the pointy toe and three inch heel on the oxfords keep the menswear look from being too androgynous.

So for future reference ALLI, this is one way to rock the boyfriend shirt.

Black blazer, boyfriend shirt, and multi-tiered chain necklace, Forever 21. Dark skinny jeans, Hudson. Seat belt chain mesh belt, Express (circa 2000.) White tank, Styles. Metal pin bracelet and earrings, I have no clue where I got them, I've had them since I was 14 and STILL love them. Black leather oxford heels, Ellen Tracy. Nail polish, Hot For Chocolate, Revlon.

Peachy

Still going strong with my plan to wear everything in my closet; this shiny peach monstrosity of a blouse was another impulse buy at a thrift store. I thought it was going to look Dynasty chic but it turned out to look just dy-NASTY. The ruffles around the neck and the flutter sleeve were a little out of control and way too reminiscent of Prince (or the artist formally known as? I don't even know...) I tried to tame it with a scarf and jean jacket but both the collar and cuffs kept busting out of there. I don't think this top with survive my closet downsizing.

I also wanted to thank Weardrobe again for featuring another post of mine on their site. Check it out if you guys haven't already!

Out of control peach ruffle top, vintage. Denim jacket, vintage Old Navy. Scarf and ring, Forever 21. Black leather woven belt, vintage courtesy of Mom. Black stovepipe jeans, True Religion. Black leather ankle boots, Aldo. Turquoise and gold chandelier earrings, Ralph Lauren. Gold aviator sunglasses, Ray-Ban.

Recycle, Reduce, Re-use.

Because of budget constraints, I am on a no-new-clothes-stint, forcing myself to wear everything in my closet starting with pieces that I've never worn. It can be fun to reincarnate and recycle pieces that you loved in the past, trying to make them current and fresh. This aquamarine flower cut-out top is a vintage piece I picked up during the summer but never got around to wearing until now. I think it might have been an old lady's beach cover-up in its past life (I swear it kind of smells like coconut and Virginia Slims.) Although on second thought, it does more exposing than covering up, hence the white cami underneath, so maybe not...

I also recycled these super light wash jeans, which I bought seven years ago and only wore them a few times. I had my mom help me rip the seams from the knees down and take in the flare to turn them into semi-skinny jeans. She thought it was too much work, and one calf is a little tighter than the other, but all-in-all I think it was worth it. The belt is a re-use vintage find too! Looks like I'm off to a good start.

Last, but definitely not least, Chicisimo-one of my favorite sites for street style-has featured my Miami Vice blazer outfit as one of the "Best Outfits of the Week" so if you haven't already voted, DO IT!!!

Aquamarine flower cut-out top and camel leather woven belt, vintage. Super light wash jeans, 7 For All Mankind. Strappy leather heels, Dolce Vita. Coral hoops and gemstone ring, Forever 21.