Wednesday, December 12, 2012

A small closet = BIG opportunity!

A recent move and closet down sizing has prompted Patti to reexamine her wardrobe and making the most of what she has.  
Believe it or don't, I have less closet space in our modern condo than in our historical cottage! Ohs noes, I shall have to edit the wardrobe yet some more. And the old one-in, one-out rule will still apply unless I can find a way to freeze-dry my clothing and then just add hot water to revive it! (Remember freeze-dried coffee? So cool at the time).  (source)
While initially, a smaller closet may seem cause for some serious concern; there is a pretty bright silver lining! How much of what we have in our closets are we really over the moon about?  Can we open the door to our wardrobes and smile at what we see there?  And the biggest question:  How much of what's in there do we actually wear?

The reality is that it's better to have 10 things that you LOVE to wear and feel fabulous in than 50 items that are uninspiring.  

So, on that note, when I came across this dress at a recent yard sale, I was all set to list it in my store.  Not believing it would fit, but curious, I tried it on and WOW!  I just love it....the shape, the black & white scheme, the pattern....all of it makes for a piece that makes me smile grin!


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I initially tried it on as a dress and MAN!  was that thing short!  At least for me!  And while my husband does love my legs and loves for me to show them, I just don't think I'd be comfortable risking showing sooooo much more!

Paired here with J Crew leggings and flats, it feels very gamine (something I'm really not!).  

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And shown here with my favorite black leather skirt (thrifted) and suede boots that I got in a recent swap with my daughter, I changed it up a bit by pairing it with a thin leather belt (thrifted).

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For years now, I've been saying that I could make an entire wardrobe out of black and white and still keep it interesting.  Pieces like this make it easy!

And I just can't help but mention that I don't have $5 in this whole outfit! 

 The skirt was thrifted at a church clothing drive that I helped with and I paid $1 for the dress at a yard sale about a month ago.  The details on it are amazing....truly a boutique piece!



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Friday, December 7, 2012

Favorite look of the week

Do you know Jeeda?  She blogs at Swoon and I always enjoy her style!  She seems to marry an over the top piece with aplomb and elegance by grounding it with something seemingly pedestrian.  In my favorite look this week, it's this sweater with the sequined shoulders....which actually comes across quite wearable with these great fitting jeans and neutral heel.  And can one ever go wrong with a classic Gucci bag?




Another thing I really appreciate about Jeeda's style is her judicious use of accessories.  Often, in blogging and for the sake of an eye catching photo, we'll really pile on the accessories....necklaces, eleventy million bracelets (an arm ORGY!), scarves, anklets, bags, layers and more.  But Jeeda wears eye catching pieces that really negate the need for excessive accessorization.  I love that, because to be honest, I get claustrophobic rather easily; even from my own clothes!

And finally, Jeeda seems like just such a nice person!  Do you ever come across someone's blog and after some brief interaction think, "We would have the BEST time together if we ever met in person!".  That's how I imagine Jeeda.  I've never met her and only had the briefest of exchanges with her via our blogs, but I just feel like she's my kind of gal!  A woman who is so striking in her appearance as to almost be intimidating, but so warm in her communication as to be your new best friend!

And if you're doing any Christmas shopping this weekend, please check out Terri's  eBay offerings as well as Bella's treasures!  I'd be tickled to death if you checked mine out as well!


 Happy Weekend and God bless us everyone!!


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Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Same dress.....different day



In yesterday's post, I wore this thrifted dress as a long top over black leggings and boots.  Today, I wanted to show another way that I wore this within the past couple of weeks.  

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Worn with a slip (this dress is REALLY sheer!), an ivory scarf from my husband and my Nine West high heel boots....

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On my way out, I threw on a dark wash denim jacket that I've had for about 10 years!  It's still fabulous!!

I can also picture wearing this as a dress again with my over the knee black boots and a black tuxedo jacket.  A perfect date outfit!

It's so much fun to come up with different ways to wear a piece that I love!


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Monday, December 3, 2012

Sunday morning...

Posting from my iPad, sitting at Starbucks with my sweet baby. I put this together this morning and my husband was so smitten with it, HE said, "I need to take a picture of you when we get outside." Well okay!!

And sticking with my ever dominant thrifting theme, the dress/blouse is thrifted. My pants, which are barely visible are J.Crew. I bought them almost 3 years ago and paid $80 for them which, for me, is an incredible splurge! However, the fit is so perfect and they look exactly the same wash after wash, that it hardly feels like a splurge at all. And I can use them in so many different looks, that I think I could wear them every day for a week and not look the same at all! I may have to try that!

More and more, I'm committed to not jumping on trends or filling up my closet with a bunch of "stuff". Given the recent tragedy in Bangladesh, this also seems to be a socially conscious approach as well.

The boots belong to my daughter. I traded her a pair of her grandmother's flat heeled vintage black boots for these. Both pair now seem to be in the more appropriate domiciles!

The jacket is Doncaster Tanner and passed down to me from a good friend. This is the first time I'm wearing it and it seems to look great with long blousey tops underneath.



Linking up with Patti on Visible Monday!

And please please take a look at Bella's post on "Shop Second Hand First" and consider making the pledge.  I'm so glad I've taken that pledge at the beginning of 2011 and shocked myself by making only 2 retail clothing purchases that entire year.  This year, I don't think I've made more than 2 or 3 either and you know what, it's actually been really easy!