Hemming and Hawing

Works Cited
shirt: c/o little ocean annie vintage
skirt, belt: thrifted
tights, sweater: j crew
boots: indigo (clarks)

I found this belt and skirt on my prodigal visit to the Goodwill yesterday. I love the look of wool pencil skirts, but they are pretty expensive if you buy them new at retail stores. Luckily, I've had incredible luck finding vintage wool pencil skirts in great condition for about $3 apiece at the thrift store. This skirt was half off ($1.50) and I spent about 20 minutes last night hemming it from dowdy-below-the-knee-length to a more flattering length. In short: it was another pretty awesome find.
P.S. If you like vintage and you're looking for something sparkly for New Year's Eve, Annie has a few covetable sequined pieces in her shop right now (Annie, you're the best!). xo

Happy 4th of July Weekend!

Works Cited
obama tee: gift from my mom
skirt: i made it
belt: uo
flats: old navy

I don't consider myself a particularly patriotic person, but I have to confess I love a holiday that includes fireworks, barbecue, and a lot of time outside; plus, it gives me an excuse to wear my Obama shirt.



S. did a little feature on me at Academichic today, and I laughed when I saw the compilation of my signature outfits--tee shirt and high-waisted skirt--and realized I was wearing the same thing again today. I hope it doesn't get too repetitive, but it's been a busy week, so I find myself gravitating to pieces I know will flatter. Today, I wanted to do red, white, and blue in slightly more subtle ways--an orangey-red patterned shoe, and chambray for my blue.



Are you doing Kendi's 30 for 30 challenge starting next week? I am, and I'm already excited to see what other people come up with! Have a terrific weekend and see you on Monday.

P.S. Last chance to win a printed bag from mengseldesigns!

Checked

Works Cited
top: thrifted
skirt: i made it
belt: mommed
sandals: steve madden via dsw

While everyone else on earth seems to be suffering with crippling heat, around here, the weather is pretty much perfect. 70's, sunny, and dry--so I wanted to wear this button-up that I thrifted a while back. I was excited about this outfit in theory, and in practice it's not too bad either. I know mixing patterns isn't for everyone (Christopher, for one, hates it), but I like the simplicity of red and white checks with red and white flowers.



On two unrelated notes, my toe is feeling lots better--thank you for those of you who asked! I still can't really put it into close-toed shoes, but the swelling has gone down lots, thank goodness.

Also, Anne-Marie mentioned the problem of these kind of sandals producing cankles yesterday. I don't think I am free of the cankle-making curses of gladiator sandals, but I'm throwing caution and the appearance of slender ankles to the wind today, because these shoes are comfy and don't make my toe ache. But I'd say sadly, yes, gladiators do seem to provoke the appearance of cankles on even the thinnest of ankles. Whether or not that stops you from wearing them is another matter...are you ever wary of clothing items that might not flatter, even if you like them?

Good as New

Works Cited
dress: banana republic
belt: mommed
sandals: birkenstock
earrings: f21

This morning I felt a little crafty and dug this dress out of my closet. My mom bought it for me in 2003 for my high school graduation and despite wearing it many times since, I've let it languish in my closet for the last three years. I love the way it fits and I love white in the summer, but the length was a little dowdy (especially because I can't wear heels right now).



But an hour, a pair of scissors, and a little white thread later (oh yeah, and a pair of shoes and a comb), and I think this dress is coming out of retirement. I'm always amazed by what a little hemming can do--I can't believe how much new life it breathed into this old dress. I would even wear this to teach with a cardigan and a pair of flats.

If at first you don't succeed...

So this morning I came out of my bedroom and heard those words that every girlfriend longs to hear: "Oh, Tania, you're not really going to wear that, are you?" Well, actually, I was. After seeing these two items hanging closely in my closet, I thought this little pattern mixing would look great. I also liked the slightly different silhouette than my usual tee and high-waisted skirt. So I was defiant of Christopher's verdict, until I saw the photos:



They sent me running back to my closet and left Christopher feeling very smug this morning.
Although I luuurrrved the combination in theory, I think the skirt's pattern is just a little too bold to be mixed with this particular shirt. Maybe a patterned shirt in a darker color (like navy) wouldn't have been so Magic Eye-inducing. Anyway, this is what I ended up in, feeling much more like myself:

Works Cited
skirt: i made it (how to make your own)
belt: j crew (gift from sister)
button-up: courtesy of little ocean annie
teal tee: forever 21
shoes: thrifted

Though I don't often post about the outfits that get left on the cutting room floor, I know this is the kind of thing that happens to a lot of people after the get in front of a friend, a mirror, or a camera. But I guess this is how we end up spending 3276 hours of our lives getting ready for the day, huh?

P.S. Last day to enter to win a Shabby Apple dress...

Sneakers and Sunhats

Works Cited
skirt: i made it
belt: uo
gray tee: old navy
red sneakers: courtesy of keds
hat: target

This is from yesterday--a simple, summery outfit for a day of reading and errands. I'm trying to pare things down for summer, and I'm liking simple combinations of tees and skirts, or just dresses and flats. I am also still head over heels for these keds--so classic and comfortable and I feel like they go with just about everything.

I am super pale and burn easily, so I've been on the lookout for a big summer hat to shade my Irish skin from the sun. Yesterday, I finally found this giant floppy sunhat, which I love even though it's a bit ridiculous. Of course, I wore immediately even though it didn't exactly go with the outfit.



So this last picture is for my mom, who worries about me getting sunburned. Don't worry, mommala! Check out this hat!

Pretty Patterns

Works Cited
skirt: i made it
pink tee: gap
wedges: clarks
earrings: forever 21

This weekend, I went into some kind of sewing frenzy after finding some great patterns in the clearance section of the fabric store (including this one, which I'm crazy about). I also made up a tutorial, which I'll finally post later this week, on how to make a covered elastic waist skirt.



Don't mind the bruises on my knees--I took a break from being a studious monk and went out dancing on Friday night. Let's just say I'm not the most graceful dancer...



P.S. Thank you for all your wonderful sweet comments on Friday--they meant more to me than I can say. I wish I could give each of you a great big hug! And after all my hair-love, I went and cut it over the weekend--it feels so short and cool for summer!

P.P.S. Today's the last day to enter the giveaway to win an Etienne Aigner bag...