Wednesday, November 27, 2013

dotty, new spots, and day eighteen

eighteen
[wearing]
coat: old navy (exactly)
pants: j.crew factory (exactly)
sweater: joie (exactly)
hat: target
boots: stuart weitzman
bag: banana republic
scarf: handknit

[three things]
1. i claimed that i didn't need any more winter coats, but then i posted about this spotted one, it went on sale, a promo code appeared in my inbox, and then bam! i bought another coat. it's definitely roomier and has more spots than my other coats which makes it a totally necessary purchase. (yyyyyeah, right.)  and i'm going to need some cheap thrills to get me through the winter this year.

2. stretchy ponte pants, tall boots, and a big sweater is definitely my holiday season uniform this year.

3.  it's gobble, gobble time!  a long weekend with family after some stressful days/weeks/months at work is just what we need.  happy thanksgiving, y'all!

eighteen

eighteen

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

dotty, suit time, and day seventeen

seventeen
[wearing]
suit: theory (similar)
shirt: h&m
bag: phillip lim for target
wedges: elie tahari

creative: instead of wearing a plain white dress shirt, i tend to mix things up by wearing a patterned shirt when it's suit time.
young: the wide leg style of these suit pants definitely looks more modern, but since i only own one suit, i decided not to go for a skinny pants one.
professional: dude, it's a suit.

seventeen


Monday, November 25, 2013

dotty, big stripes, and day sixteen

sixteen
[wearing]
cardigan: j.crew via thredup
big shirt: thrifted
pants: j.crew factory (exactly)
boots: stuart weitzman (similar)
bag: phillip lim for target

[three things]
1.  i was ridiculously comfortable in this combination of pieces.  it might not be the most professional get-up with the big untucked dress shirt, but when i'm just on the phone all day it really doesn't matter.

2. i am definitely all about the subtle pattern mix of the stripes and the texture of nubbley sweater.

3. i pretty much don't wear blue or collared shirts anymore, but for some reason this men's shirt that i thrifted three years ago keeps making appearances.  the sleeves look totally silly, but that's easily disguisable with some layers.

sixteen

Saturday, November 23, 2013

review: thredup

hi.
i've been totally amused by the online consignment store, thredup, lately so i thought i would gather up all my thoughts on it into a giant post.  i have both bought and sold on thredup and i keep getting sucked back into mindless scrolling through images whenever i get an email about getting a new credit.  and while i am talking about it, i want to issue an official big THANK YOU to everybody who has joined and ordered through my affiliate link.  it has resulted in polka dot packages greeting me when i get home from work.

october outfit, thredup review, selling on thredup
(j.crew wool cardigan via thredup)

tips for buysies
know yo sizes.  if you already have a rough guess of your sizing in certain brands (even if you've just tried on some pieces) it makes it a lot easier to figure out what if something will fit. for example, i know exactly what size i wear in theory suiting, j.crew dresses, and vince sweaters because i've tried a bajillion of them on in person and they are really consistent.  brands like h&m, gap, and old navy seem to have larger size ranges in my experience, so it's harder to predict how something will fit.

shop yo favorites.  rather than try out a new-to-you brand, stick with ones that you know what to expect in quality and fit.  when you search for a brand on the left sidebar, it adds it to your favorites so you can easily search for multiple brands at once.  there's a ridiculous amount of j.crew stuff listed (3,268 items when i'm writing this) so if all your most worn cardigans are j.crew, it's easy to find their cousins.

shop up/treat yo self.  since (almost) everything is pre-loved, it doesn't really make sense to buy anything that was cheaph-ish to begin with.  with target cartwheel coupons (or seriously, go to your local goodwill and hunt down the new target stock) you probably wouldn't be paying that much more for something like a merona sweater brand spankin' new.  and then you are getting all of it's washes!  anyway, my point is that you can find fancy pieces, that are normally out of your price range, down to reasonable numbers.  i recently bought a marc by marc jacobs robe with its tags for $28.99 that retails for $178.  i would never pay three digits for a robe, but for two digits i am totally game.  and it's really soft.

check the percentages.  acrylic blends are not your friend.  wool, silk, and cotton are usually good bets.  (this is a good strategy for thrifting too.) since you can't necessarily tell very much detail from the single photo thredup provides, fabric content is a good indicator of what you'll be getting.  for example, i hate angora.  it looks like a soft baby bunny, but then everything else within a fifty yard radius looks like that baby bunny shed its winter coat on it.  so i steer clear of angora.

go pantsless.  maybe it's just me, but i have to try on a whole lot of pants to find an amazing pair.  therefore buying them used online is probably not such a good idea.  also, there's a decent chance that the previous owner got them hemmed.  and that person might be six inches taller or shorter than you.  that's just not going to work out well.

october outfit
(j.crew ruffle shell via thredup)

tips for sellsies
okay, now for the flip side: the sellsies.  i really just straight up like having new clothes to wear.  and since i admit that, i also need to own up to needing to clear out older pieces to make room for new stuff in my closet.  i have consigned clothes in person before at plato's closet and buffalo exchange, and well, i just don't like it.  i've had mixed results and the waiting process is just bothersome to me.  the idea of mailing a (pre-paid shipping) bag of clothes and then magically getting paid for them sounded just grand.  i loaded up my first bag with an unfortunate fuzzy coat purchase and a bunch of other old clothes that were on their brand list.  the wait time was pretty long (five weeks), but i was warned about this when i requested the bag and when they recieved it.

you can see exactly what i got paid for here on thredup.  they accepted about half of what i sent in.  it did seem suspect to me that they accepted things like an old navy sweater that they valued at $5.49, but rejected a tags-attached zara dress and a pair of cole haan heels that were worn once.  there aren't very many zara items listed on the site, so maybe the brand is not on their clothes-sorter's radar.  i did not opt to pay to have my rejectables sent back (since i just wanted to clean out my closet and be done with it) but maybe that was a mistake since they are in no way accountable for what happens to them. overall, i think i got about the same deal as selling to a consignment store, but probably less than i would have on ebay.  yet both of those options involve a whole lot more of a time and effort.  anyway, i would definitely recommend reading all their rules and understanding what you are getting yourself into.  you'll get more money than you would if you just donated or swapped the clothes, but not as much as if you took the time to sell them individually.

alrighty, since i am usually pretty minimal with the words, that was like three months worth of them.  has anybody else had good or bad experience with thredup or other online consignment operations?

p.s. i was in no way, shape, or form compensated for this post.  i just wanted to put my two cents out there.  

Friday, November 22, 2013

dotty, a belted vest experiment, and day fifteen

day fifteen, dash dot dotty, theory printed silk dress, vest over dress, what to wear to, olive and black, tall boots outfits
[wearing]
dress: theory
vest: forever21 (similar)
boots: stuart weitzman
belt: j.crew factory (similar)
hat: target
bag: phillip lim for target (similar)

[three things]
1. i wear this dress pretty much every week to work, so it was an obvious choice for my remixing shenanigans.  it doesn't stick to tights, is thin enough to layer under jackets, and has a fun hemline.

2. i want to try belting this vest again, but maybe with a wider belt next time.  the thin gray belt gets lost a bit here.

3. i have quite a few things in my closet currently with fake pockets which always bothers me when i try to put my phone or something in a pocket that turns out to be just a flap.  this vest definitely does not cause such problems!

day fifteen

Thursday, November 21, 2013

dotty, backwards neon, and day fourteen

day fourteen
[wearing]
jacket: zara
backwards neon cardigan: target (exactly)
pants: j.crew factory (exactly)
boots: forever 21 (exactly)
bag: phillip lim for target
necklaces: light in the box and forever 21

day fourteen

day fourteen

[previously on] neon cardigan.
okay, so it's been paired with black a whole lot before, but never backwards!
neon cardi

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

dotty, spotted tweed, and day thirteen

day thirteen
[wearing]
dress: phillip lim for target
cardigan: j.crew via thredup (join here and save ten dollar-dollar-bills)
boots: forever21 (exactly)
necklaces: forever21+h&m

[three things]
1. this dress is just so fun and bright.  and it gets along well with my grandma cardigan!

2. i used to be much more adventurous with my tights colors (evidence here and here) and now that winter is setting in, maybe i should bust out my crazy tights box.

3. hmm...i've got no third today.  happy wednesday?  ever since that hump day camel commercial, a bunch of my co-workers feel the need to reenact it every.  single.  wednesday.  morning.  it has lost all funnies by this point.

day thirteen

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

dotty, repetition, and day twelve

day twelve
[wearing]
jacket: zara (similar)
shirt: h&m
polka dot pants: j.crew factory (exactly)
boots: stuart weitzman
bag: phillip lim for target
necklace: forever21

creative: pattern mixing!  stripes and snakeskin-ish print together!
young: the combination of a big top and skinny pants has a tendency to seem very young/casual to me, but simple boots and a structured jacket help lessen that.
professional: jacket layer, black boots, and a black bag.  you know, the usual 'round here.

day twelve


Monday, November 18, 2013

dotty, neon cuffs, and day eleven

day eleven, dash dot dotty, stuart weitzman pantalon boots, foldover leather boots, j.crew gigi pants, ponte pants, j.crew factory
[wearing]
coat: zara
hidden neon cardigan: target
print shirt: juicy couture (exactly)
pants: j.crew factory (exactly)
boots: stuart weitzman (similar)
cowl: handknit


[three things]
1. i am totally in heart with these boots.  rambling back story: a bunch of winters ago, i bought a pair of gray old navy boots that turned out to be the best cheap boots ever (seen here).  by last winter they were completely falling apart, so i attempted to replace them with what i thought was a similar black pair, also from old navy (seen here).  unfortunately, they were uncomfortable and poorly made.  this year i thought i might just stick with short boots since leather tall boots are a bit of an investment.  but then i was at nordstrom rack after work and the shoe aisles were blissfully cart-free, so i tried on a whole bunch of boots.  these are from a past season, so they were nicely marked down into my price range.  at first i wasn't sure about how the foldover detail creates some bunching, but that goes with the territory of soft pull-on boots.

2. i am so much happier with investment purchases in the long run, but it is still really hard for me to pull the trigger on big purchases.  i need a good mantra for this!

3. my winter coats are all freshly dry-cleaned and ready to go.  i'm on the lookout for a new winter hat to spice things up though.

day eleven

day eleven

day eleven

Saturday, November 16, 2013

wishlist: cozy coats

weekend wishlist_five
coats one, two, and three.

+
cuffed skinny jeans and an oversized coat are lookin' mighty nice these days.

Friday, November 15, 2013

dotty, vests, and day ten

day ten, thirty day remix, dash dot dotty, neutrals outfits for work, trench vest, animal print h and m top, j.crew pixie pants
[wearing]
shirt: h&m (similar)
vest: forever21
pants: j.crew factory (exactly)
scarf: souvenir
flats: old navy (exactly)

[three things]
1. all my j.crew factory almost-pants are just a wee bit too long.  i want them to hit more like these pants.  for some reason it doesn't bother me in the mirror, but does in photos.

2. friiiiiiday!  my co-worker crew has a fun-lunch and site tour planned for today to help spruce up what has been a kinda lame sauce week for all of us.

3. hot yoga when it's cold outside is the bestest.  my office is cold and our "vintage" apartment is drafty, so spending an hour at a muggy one-oh-five degrees is just amazing.

november outfit

november outfit

november outfit

Thursday, November 14, 2013

dotty, polka dot pants, and day nine

november outfit, how to wear a men's buttondown, fall layers, gigi pants
[wearing]
leather-sleeved jacket: zara (similar)
big shirt: thrifted
polka-dot pants: j.crew factory (exactly)
flats: old navy (exactly)
bag: phillip lim for target
cowl: handmade (etsy option)

[three things]
1. chicago in the fall.

2. okay, chicago in the fall when it's not raining/snowing and i'm not stuck in ridiculous traffic at 6:30 in the morning.

3. it kinda looks like my jacket has built-in gloves here.  why is that not a thing?  maybe i just need some mitten clips to make this happen.

november outfit

november outfit

[previously on] big shirt
november outfit

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

dotty, muted colors, and day eight

november outfit
[wearing]
dress: suzi chin (v-neck version)
cardigan: j.crew via thredup (similar)
vest: forever21 (exactly)
bag: phillip lim for target
boots: forever21 (exactly)

november outfit

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

dotty, a furry scarf, and day seven

november outfit
[wearing]
print dress: phillip lim for target
jacket: theory (exactly)
boots: stuart weitzman (similar)
scarf: christopher and banks
bag: phillip lim for target

creative: a colorful print!  since i seem to have picked almost all dark neutrals for my thirty/thirty, this dress is just a ray of sunshine.
young: yup, it's still animal print even if it's abstract and orange.
professional: suit jacket to the rescue!

find more posts like this one over here.

november outfit

november outfit

november outfit

Monday, November 11, 2013

dotty, cowl season, and day six

november outfit
[wearing]
palm sweater: joie (exactly)
dress underneath: theory
jacket: zara
cowl: handknit (similar on etsy)
boots: forever21 (exactly)
bag: phillip lim for target

[three things]
1. okay, now you can see that there is actually a palm tree on this sweater.  the photos from last week only showed a lil bit of it.

2. these boots, bag, and i have settled into a bit of a routine lately.  i tried to switch it up with my big red bag (seen here), but it just seemed to bulky and blobby.  i think it's going to be structured medium-sized bags from now on 'round here.

3. it's that time of the year again to bust out the big knits!  yes!

november outfit

november outfit

november outfit

Friday, November 8, 2013

dotty, silver accents, and day five

november outfit
[wearing]
sweatshirt: h&m
shirt underneath: h&m
pants: j.crew factory (exactly)
flats: old navy (exactly)
necklace: forever21 (exactly)
clutch: h&m

[three things]
1. i wore the birthday palm tree sweater the other day and here's is its cousin, the birthday fancy sweatshirt.  that boy did quite well with the giftsies this year.

2. i think i might just start wearing stretchy black pants and fancy flats every day to work.

3. who wants a weekend?  i do fo sho.

november outfit

november outfit

november outfit

shoes detail, cap toe flats, old navy pointed toe flats, steel toes

Thursday, November 7, 2013

dotty, chevron leopards, and day four

lim leopard dress, black with navy, pattern mixing outfit, chevrons and leopard, vest outfits, dash dot dotty, the vest or nothing
[wearing]
print dress: phillip lim for target
chevron cardigan: forever21 (similar)
trench vest: forever21 (similar)
fleece-lined tights: legale
boots: forever21 (exactly)
bag: phillip lim for target
necklace: stella and dot

[three things]
1. yay, patternz!

2. i included not one, but two vests in my remix lineup since i'm going to need my layer standbys to make this work.

3. i made a soup last weekend that was carrot-tomato-beef-red pepper-quinoa-tortellini.  this is the outfit equivalent of that.

lim leopard dress, black with navy, pattern mixing outfit, chevrons and leopard, vest outfits, dash dot dotty

lim leopard dress, black with navy, pattern mixing outfit, chevrons and leopard, vest outfits, dash dot dotty

lim leopard dress, black with navy, pattern mixing outfit, chevrons and leopard, vest outfits, dash dot dotty

[previously on] trench vest (and long hair!)
dash dot dotty