Daily Outfit - Jen - 01/08/11

So, the other day I mentioned that I wore an outfit that my husband was crazy about without my even trying. In fact, I was going for comfort (i.e. wear a dress so that I can eat like crap and not feel uncomfortable in the belly area). I tried to wear a variation of that and failed. Sometimes you can't beat the original.

My mom was raving about this outfit, also. Just going on and on about what a "fashionist" I am. I was caught off-guard considering that the praise was coming from a woman who has very assertively declared that I have "no fashion style" for the greater part of my life. I guess I did plum good. Get it?! Like the color. I am on a roll.

Sweater: Old Navy

Dress: Old Navy

Snitch Necklace: Gift (Thanks, Jess!)

Tablet Necklace: Gift (Thanks, Misti!)

Tights: Aritzia

Boots: Target

Daily Outfit - Jen - 12/27/10

This is obviously not the way I typically dress, but given that I didn't have to go to work today, I thought I should experiment. For the sake of comfort during our drive to Houston yesterday, I wore a cotton dress with tights, a sweater, and boots. Apparently Jarod thought that outfit was a huge hit, so I tried to build on it today. I didn't get the same reaction that I did with yesterday's outfit, but it's fun to play!

Sweater: Martin + Osa

Tunic/dress: Target

Belt: Gap

Tights: Aritzia

Boots: Target

Necklace: Gift (Thanks, Misti!)

Daily Outfit - Kate - 10/21/10

Man, I really wish these pictures had turned out better.



I LOVED this outfit. If I were to go for a tromp in the moors, this is what I would wear.

Sadly, as I am lacking in moors to tromp in, I just wore it to work.

Loved the way this plaid looked against the bright green, and how the whole thing had a very vintage-y, rural English sort of feel to it. In a perfect world it would've been the skirt wearing the plaid rather than the shirt, and the cardigan would've been a bit looser and less trendy. But hey, I'll take what I can get.

Skirt: GAP
Boots: LLBean
Shirt: NY&Co, 2010
Cardi: Target, spring 2010
Belt: thrifted
Earrings: mum

Daily Outfit - Kate - 10/5/10

I had high hopes for this outfit.

I was going for "sweet but edgy", "fall transitional", and "obscenely comfortable".



Alas, it was not meant to be. What I ended up with was "confused", "too warm" and "itchy and tights-ickiness."

FAIL.

Sweater: Old Navy
Turtleneck tee: thrifted
Scarf: thrifted
Skirt: thrifted, originally Delia*s
Tights: Target?
Boots: 704b, via DSW
Bracelet: thrifted, via Mom
Earrings: Mom

Daily OUtfit - Kate - 7/8/10

Before I show you yesterday's outfit, just let me disclaimer that it's *so* much prettier in person. Promise. But I got caught in a torrential downpour on my way home from work, so the skirt is soaked and my hair exploded &etc &etc. So take my word for it on this'n, ok?

OK.



I love that little lacy thrifted tank top, and the muted steel blue color works so well with the vibrant purple of that skirt. If I were just hanging out I would've gone cardigan-less, but methinks that spaghetti straps + a shelf bra are just a wee bit inappropriate for work, eh? (or at least, where I work).



I always love this necklace anyway, but I think that the colors really worked with yesterday's outfit! Really tied the whole thing together.

You know what ELSE tied it together?


Oh c'mon you knew I was gonna do that! :-D Tattoo is healing nicely :-)

Skirt: Talbots, via TJMaxx
Tank: thrifted
Cardigan: Target
Necklace: mumsie
Earrings: Twisted Silver
Wedge sandals: super old. Payless? Maybe?

Daily Outfit - Kate - 7/2/10

FRIDAY!



In honor of the occasion, today I shall wear pants.


Jeans: Levi's 518s
Tee: superold (I wore it in our first - crappy - round of engagement pics, so spring 2006 at least)
Cardigan: Target, early spring 2010
Sandals: Born, via TJMaxx
Earrings: MOM!
Bracelet: Tiffany's

Daily Outfit - Kate - 7/1/10

It's a one picture sorta day today:


I always love this pencil skirt 'till about 2pm, and then I want nothing more than to tear it off my body and retreat to the comfy world of pyjama pants. But 'till 2, it's great.

Skirt: Old Navy
Cardigan: Target, spring 2010
Tee: Old Navy, 2008ish
Shoes: Naturalizer, winter 2009
Belt: F21
Earrings: MOM!
Ring: booth at Maple Leaf

Daily Outfit - Kate - 6/24/10

I have banished Stumpy McStumperson! And changed my name to Longleggy McLongleggyson.



THURSDAY OUTFIT WIN.

I really enjoyed this black + brown + greenishblue color combo.



I think "making a neutral look like a non-neutral" may be my favorite new game.



Buttondown: LLBean
Cami: thrifted
Skirt: GAP
Necklace + earrings: mumsie
Flats: Born, 2008

Daily Outfit - Kate - 6/21/10

If you think I look unusually fresh and lively today, there's a reason.



You see, it was nearly 100* in St. Louis today, and I suspected (rightly so) that two bike rides in these surface-of-the-sun temperatures would place my skin tone somewhere past "healthy glow" and into "disgusting" territory. And let's not even talk about the bicycle grease on the leg, or the sweaty pits or the limp hair. Let's just...NOT.

So anyway. I took my outfit pictures before work today. Craziness, I know!



I'm all the time thinking, "Why don't I wear these shoes?" And then about twice a year I pull them out and put them on and within 5 minutes say "OH. THAT'S WHY."

Skirt: Marshall's, 2005
Tee: GAP outlet, summer 2008(?)
Cardigan: Target, Spring 2009
Wedges: Payless, circa 2004
Ring: booth at Maple Leaf
Earrings: MOM

Daily Outfit - Kate - 6/18/10

FRIDAY!!!! I'm so glad to see you! I thought you'd never get here!

Let's be in love forever.



I'm realizing only now that the unifying theme of this outfit is "ridiculously old". I've had the overshirt since I was about 13 or 14 (it was one of my first "grown up" shirts!), the tee since 2006ish, and the skirt since 2007. Same for the shoes. OLD OLD OLD OLD OLD.

That makes me happy :-)



Shirt: WalMart, circa 1999ish?
Tee: garage sale, circa 2006
Skirt: Levi's, from Goody's, 2007
Shoes: Dillards, 2007ish
Cuff: Fair Ophelia designs, Strange Folk Festival 2009
Earrings: mumsie

Daily Outfit - Jen - 6/16/10

Oh, man. Today I wore these pink and green Gap tanks, because I was doing manual labor in a warehouse all day. I'll probably wear the same thing tomorrow, because I'll be doing the same thing tomorrow. Good times.

This is my gorgeous little sister who turned 24, today. She's wearing good genes.

Daily Outfit - Kate - 6/3/10

This is what I wore for an evening at the Shakespeare Festival with the women of Jeff's family (guess they're my family too :-P):



Nice and light and summery, huh? :-)

And look! I have a photo helper!



What wonderful assistance she provides.

Look! She even helped me frame the shot!


I just think she likes being in the spotlight, actually.


Skirt, tee, and cardigan: Target
Shoes: Privo!
Earrings: Mom :-)
Dog: Humane Society of MO

Daily Outfit - Kate - 5/24/10

I am seriously on the fence about this top:



On the one hand - YAYPRETTYCOLORANDINTERESTINGSHAPE!

On the other hand - ICK.

Ya know what I mean?



So what do you think, dear readers?

Pros: nice color. fun texture (the stripes are actually part of the knit). cute little puffy sleeves. good length.

Cons: looks like a maternity top. gapes and sags most unappealingly. sorta 2003-esque.

Top: Kohls, 2007ish
Tank: thrifted, originally Old Navy
Skirt: GAP
Sandals: Privo, summer 2009
Necklace and earrings: my one and only mother

Daily Outfit - Kate - 5/5/10

I tried for a longlonglong time to come up with something witty to accompany this outfit:


Something funny; something insightful; something interesting.

I got nuthin'.



Happy Wednesday, y'all.

Skirt: American Eagle, 2005
Cardigan: Target, spring 2010
Tee: garage sale in 2006-ish
Flats: Dillards, 2007-ish
Necklace, earrings: Mi madre
Ring: MacroSun

Daily Outfit - Kate - 4/19/10

Yesterday was another first for me - first time wearing a scarf as a belt!



Definitely a beginner's attempt, right? This is one of three scarves I thrifted last weekend in Kansas City, and I broke my "wash thrifted stuff before wearing" rule just for it - I figured there were enough other layers between me and the scarf to protect me from the ickies ;-)

Anyway, I LOVE this scarf.



But I think it would've worked better if it were just a bit wider, don't you? It's a relatively small square, so I had to roll it rather tightly to prevent it from going all loosey-goosey on me.



I love that necklace :-)

Dress: Old Navy
Skirt: thrifted, originally The Limited
Shoes: Softspots
Scarf-as-belt: thrifted, vintage
Necklace: mummy
Earrings: Twisted Silver

PS>See, Mom? My head DOES turn the other way! :-D

Daily Outfit - Kate - 3/31/10

This is the debut of another Sarasota thrifting find - that awesome embellished skirt!

<3



It makes me happy. (My roots, however, do not. MOM!!!!)



I think I'm a complete convert to the joys of full skirts. So preeeetty! And flooooofy!

An altogether happy and pretty outfit. I felt so nice all day! I also sort of liked how I combined colors here - I don't know much about color theory, but I sure do know how to look at a multicolored item and coordinate an outfit by pairing it with other items of those colors! :-D



Lurve.



Skirt: thrifted
Tee: GAP, eons ago
Cardigan: Sears, circa 2000
Flats: Michelle D (Dillards), 2006 or 2007
Ring: MacroSun
Earrings: gift
Necklace: vintage hand-me-down from Mom

Daily Outfit - Kate - 3/25/10

We were rushing this evening, so the photos are even crappier than usual. But that's OK, because this outfit was the epitome of laziness and comfort :-)



I originally put it together to wear with this new shawl I knitted, but then once I got it all on I realized - I really needed a darker color up at my neck. So I subbed in *another* shawl I knitted.

It's rough being me, you know.

Especially when I'm having a BAD FREAKING HAIR DAY.



Ever have days when you just want to cut your bangs OFF? Yes. Me too.

Cardigan: Old Navy, 2007 or 2008
Tee: GAP, 2008
Skirt: LLBean
Boots: LLBean
Shawl: pattern - Ishbel; yarn - Buffalo Gold Lux Lace
Earrings: mummy
Ring: Maple Leaf festival fall 2009

Daily Outfit - Kate - 3/24/10

I'm feeling ornery today.



Even so, I'm rather proud of this outfit. I've had this skirt since high school and I've always worn it one way - with my old teal button-down and strappy black sandals. This was the first time ever - EVER - that I've worn it with anything else. I'm branching out! And it doesn't totally suck!

Oh, and check out the belt - that's one of my Sarasota finds! I'm madly in love with the color :-)



Also, it's official. I *must* find a fair replacement for this cardigan. It's what I really wanted to wear with today's outfit, but I've gotten to the point where I "save" it more worthy days. So I wore the pictured cardigan instead, which I don't like nearly as well. ::sigh::

What do you think? Is it stupid to "save" my favorite items? Even if they're raggedy 10-year-old white cardigans?

I kinda like the tone-on-tone necklace, by the way. It added a little texture to the outfit, I think, without a whole bunch of color discordance.



Button-down: Sears, summer 2008
Cardigan: Francesca's Collections, summer 2009
Skirt: really freaking old. Originally Kohls, maybe?
Boots: Born, winter 2008/2009
Necklace: Ummm...Kohls?
Ring: MacroSun

PS>What's the verdict on boots-without-tights? Acceptable springtime wear, or kinda trashy? Hopefully the former.

Daily Outfit - Kate - 3/3/10

This outfit is completely, 100% dedicated to my mom. I've no doubt that if Mom and I were to have a Freaky Friday, she'd put on this exact outfit. And she'd probably also have my tattoo removed and spend a lot of time being jealous of my perky 34B-never-breastfed-a-baby boobs.



Know why else this is dedicated to my mom? Because that super cute black shirt was hers :-) She wore it in college, I think, and I found it in her closet a few years back. I took it, and now it is mine and I <3 it (forgot to take a picture of the side view, but that's what really makes it - the back is longer than the front; a very Victorian silhouette - and it's got a cute little tie, too :-) ). I know Mom also loves these shoeties, because ever since I got mine she's been on a quest for her own pair!

But that's not the only vintage-via-Mom piece in this outfit - the necklace was hers, too:


It's so simple and perfect, isn't it? Just white gold and diamond chips. I love wearing it with big earrings, when I still want to have a necklace but not overwhelm the outfit.

magenta shirt: thrifted, originally Target
black top: vintage, via Mom
skirt: Old Navy, summer 2009
tights: Filene's Basement
shoes: Nine West, via Macy's
earrings: Mom-made
necklace: vintage, via Mom

Daily Outfit - Kate - 2/18/10

Still now sure how I feel about today's outfit, honestly. I think my opinion of it may be marred by my growing hatred of these body-segmenting tights. I also don't feel like the layers transitioned as it smoothly as the last time I tried this trick - I don't think it was as noticeable in person, but in photos you can definitely see the waistline of my skirt.

THAT SAID, I love the theory of this outfit - the plaid peeking out below the dress, the contrast between the prim dress vs the preppy plaid vs the rustic cowboy boots. And this dress? OMG LOVE IT SO MUCH. It fits me perfectly and I'm finally seeing the light re: empire waists. It's all about finding the *right* empire-waisted garment. Consider my eyes opened.


And also? The details on this dress are fabulous. I've always liked the fit and fabrics from BCBG, and I'm so happy to have found another piece that fit within my budget (hint: Nordstrom Rack price + 75% off clearance = gettin' there)

Oh, and the earrings were a totally impulse, last-minute decision as I was dashing out the door this morning, but I love how they worked. I adore them but don't wear them often enough because they're relatively large. But I love the style and the color just makes me happy in my heart whenever I see them. Plus they're incredibly lightweight and comfortable. They really should get rotated in more...


Dress: BCBG, via Nordstrom Rack
Skirt: F21
Tights: Target
Boots: Ariat, via Zappos
Earrings: Mamma mia
Bracelet: very old