dotty picks her thirty

so, this is my third round of kendi's thirty for thirty challenge.
thirty items of clothing and shoes (accessories and coats don't count) remixed into thirty outfits. it's thirtytastic.
my first rounds are here and here. 

i'll be [wearing]
seven tops,
four sweaters,
four jackets,
one pair of jeans,
four skirts,
four dresses,
and four pairs of shoes.

yeah, that doesn't quite add up to thirty.   i have a few events in the next month that i'm not quite sure about what i'll be wearing to them.  anyway, the changes for this round are the addition of more color, more sweaters and jackets to stay warm, and three pairs of boots. 

dash of bracelets

[wearing]

boy's blazer: thrifted (similar, but for grownups)

skirt as skirt: thrifted (similar)

skirt as scarf: thrifted

sweater tights: target

desert boots: forever 21 (exactly)

bracelets: thrifted and a souvenir from florence

[going]

class and studio and such.
i think my actual scarves are getting jealous of these impostors. 

AND

it's friday!  this week's fbff is about technology...

1. What technology do you use in blogging? (computer, camera, video camera, tripod, etc...) 

my camera, bruce, is a nikon d40 that i use in conjunction with a tamron18-200mm lens, a dslr gorillapod, and a nikon remote.  my computer is a purple dell studio laptop. 
2. What computer and online technology do you use? (blogging system,
photo storage, photo editing tools, etc..) 

i use adobe bridge to preview photos, nikon camera raw editor and adobe photoshop cs4 to edit photos, adobe indesign cs4 to layout collages, flickr to host files, and blogger to blog. 
3. What is your process for taking pictures? 

i get dressed for the day. if i like my outfit, i'm not running late, and it's not raining, then i find a spot for my camera while my tea is heating.  typical places include my recycle cart, park benches, the trunk of my car, and a chair facing out my back door. 
4. When it comes to backdrops for your photos what do you consider? Do
you scout locations or shoot the same spot daily? 

ideally i would vary the location, but i'm rather frightened of strangers. when someone else is taking the photos for me i don't feel as silly posing in public places like an open lot or an alley.
5. If you could splurge and get one new piece of equipment what would
you be buying? 

i have yet to learn all the features of my camera (even though i've had it for two years) and am still elated about the new lens i got this summer, so i'm totally set for now. so, i would get a fancypants camera for the boy.  and he's had some particularly bad luck with point-and-shoots lately and whenever he's around he very kindly takes photos for me.  

dotty wears the pants

[wearing]

cocoon cardigan: forever21 (similar)

dress: pins&needles (similar)

jeans: forever21

boots: target (exactly)

earrings: forever21

[going]

to seminar all afternoon and then out for five guys for burgers.  
and i'm wearing a dress.  and pants.  at the same time. 

[previously on] cocoon cardigan

dash of feathers

ludwig text and the vector birds that appear in all my studio projects

dotty is done with winter

[wearing]
jacket: j. crew (similar)
skirt: forever21 (similar)
belt: thrifted (similar)
skirt as scarf: thrifted
sweater tights: target
boots: forever21 (exactly)
earrings: forever21 (exactly)

[going]
to studio.  reading, drawing, listening to 8tracks, being cold.  anyway, the boy gifted me this jacket two christmases ago and after getting passed over several times lately, it has finally made it's blog debut. 
and yeah, that's another skirt as a scarf. 
oh, you want to know how it's done?  just put a piece of clothing that meant to go on feet first on head first.  and then don't ever fix it.  that's it. 
(probs not such a good idea with tights or shoes)

dash of the weekend

[wearing]

sequins: lauren conrad (exactly)

belt: forever21

gray tights: target (similar)

cloud earrings: gift, etsy (similar)

[going]

to a legitimately surprising surprise party for a friend and then out dancing.  

this be-sequined dress is seriously shiny, but also feels a bit like a burlap sack.  

i guess it's over-sequined.  or maybe the perfect dress for a sack race. 

[wearing]

dress: joie (exactly)

cardigan: old navy (similar)

sweater tights: target

skinny belt: forever21

desert boots: forever21 (exactly)

earrings: forever21 (exactly)

[going]

to ikea to catch up with friends from undergrad for swedish lunch and cookie sheet shopping.  

and then we went back outside and it was freezing.  like really freezing.  i'm never going outside again.  i'll just stay inside and bake cookies. 

dotty wears a tee with dots

[wearing]

polka dots: thrifted (similar)

graphic tee: souvenir from firenze

cardigan: new york and company (similar)

scarf: forever21

sweater tights: target

boots: old navy

[going]
to class to discuss an article about facebook as infrastructure.  i am not kidding.  luckily, there's a sassy urban planner in the class that feels it necessary to disagree with everything.  it makes the three hours fly by. 

[previously on] gray cable-knit sweater

january 2010, february 2010, march 2009

dash of positivity

dotty finds a perfectly dotty-sized door

[wearing]

turquoise dress: daryl-k189 (similar)

moto jacket: forever21 (similar)

ochre scarf: forever21 (similar)

sweater tights: target

boots: old navy (similar)

[going]

book shopping, dress shopping, drink shopping. 

dash of a club collar

[wearing]

dress-ish: pins&needles (similar)

sweater tights: target

ice boots: forever21 (exactly)

[going]

cafe-sitting for some photo-editing, croissant-eating, and article-reading with the boy.  then out to the 'burbs for some pizza-making, record-listening, and balderdash-playing. 

dotty gets attacked by winter

[wearing]

jacket: gap (similar)

dress: joie, from boy (exactly)

skinnies: forever21

tundra boots: forever21 (exactly)

scarf, but really a skirt: thrifted (similar, as a skirt)

disk earrings: ny&co

hair: in a knot right on top of my head

p.s.

i had the need, the need for tweed.  

dotty answers some questions

i'm doing a little bit of FBFFing this week. apparently, that could also mean facebook friends forever.  anywho....

1. how do you determine what you will wear that day?

a lot of it is determined by my plans for the day.  for instance, if i am walking anywhere in the snow, there are going to be boots with rubber soles involved.  if i'm working on a project that involves a cnc router, a waterjet cutter, or a bandsaw i best be wearing pants.  other than that, i'll usually start with one thing that i want to wear and build an outfit around it.

2. do you plan outfits out in advance for a whole week, month, weekend?

nope, i am incapable of it.  i used to try and plan out a whole week of work outfits by setting them all out in my closet, but i don't think i ever made it past tuesday's planned outfit.

3. do you have any specific way of tracking outfits and items already worn so you don't repeat?

um, i have a blog!  in high school i kept a calendar of what i wore.  which is hilarious because no one would have noticed then (or now) if i wore the same thing every thursday or something like that.  

4. how do you discover new combinations of items in your closet? (trial try-ons?  hanging items together?)

for the thirty for thirty challenge, i reorganized my closet.  quite a few of my combinations arose from closet proximity. but really, i just try on pieces until an outfit comes to together that works for the day. 

5. to streamline the process for 2011 what is one new thing you can do to cut down your dressing time? 

i should pare down my closet to only things that i love.  that way it would (theoretically) take me less time to decide what to wear.

dotty ruffles up

[wearing]

black cardigan: old navy (exactly)

black ruffles: target (similar)

speckled shirt: club monaco (similar)

sweater tights: target (similar)

boots: ebay

[going]

to more classes.  in an attempt to take two decent cognates, i've been spending a ridiculous number of hours sitting through syllabus classes.  at least i've got some ruffles to keep me company. 

[previously on] gray knit cowl

dotty, similar.

[wearing]

lace skirt: target (similar)

chambray: thrifted (similar)

cardigan: target (similar)

sweater tights: target

midwest boots: forever21 (exactly)

dotty wears a boy's blazer

[wearing]

boy's size 10 blazer: thrifted, obvs. (similar)

red-speckled top: club monaco, gift from boy

mustard scarf: forever21 (similar)

purple jeans: forever21 (similar)

boots: old navy

p.s.

dear ten-year-old boy who previously owned this blazer, 

i had a great time at rebekah's bat mitzvah and at cousin polly's wedding with you.  

i didn't know that anyone wearing a tiny double-breasted blazer could tear up the dance floor like that.  mazel tov!

love and kisses,

dotty's new blazer

dotty goes to the river

[wearing]

grandma sweater: thrifted, obviously (similar)

dude shirt: thrifted

gray jeans: forever21 (similar)

metallic oxfords: forever21 (similar)

[going]

to school to pack up and move desks.