dotty and some fall shorts

[wearing]
blouse: silk, vintage, thrifted, awesome (similar)
jacket: michael kors (exactly)
shorts: target
belt: forever21 (exactly)
tights: simply vera
oxfords: old navy (exactly)


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the shorts&tights combination extends shorts season and is perfect for bicycling.   
and burrito-sponsored music festivals are also good since we got our canadian indie rock fix for the season.

dotty and the soup scarf

[wearing]
dress: c/fan (similar)
cardigan: old navy (similar)
scarf: forever21 (similar)
headband: forever21 (similar)
tights: simply vera (exactly)
boots: vintage (similar)




[previously on] ochre scarf
i adore this shade of pea-soupy/dark mustard/yellow-green and i used to have tights that were a slightly greener hue, but they are no longer with us.  they did have a good run though.
anyway, i am SUPER excited about being able to wear scarves everyday again, so that i can return to my uniform.




and apparently i will look anywhere BUT at the camera.  

dash of the rock

as soon as i recovered from a few too many 30rock episodes and stopped saying this constantly, my boss started saying it ALL THE TIME.  

dotty, vested

[wearing]
trench vest: forever21 (exactly)
stripes: forever21 (similar)
pants: j.crew (exactly)
flats: cole haan (similar)

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while i have never stuck around anywhere to get any vesting percentage on my retirement, i did recently acquire a trench vest.  it's like a trench coat with all the style and none of the practicality of being an actual coat.

dotty and sockfords

[wearing]
moto: forever21
tie-neck blouse: thriftastic, bought during my polyester-things-with-bows phase
tube: forever21 (similar)
socks: target (similar)
oxfords: old navy (exactly)
arm gathering (not quite a party yet): forever21, thrifted, c/o inpink


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i had a shmergency (a shoe emergency) last week when these suckers decided to cut my toes.  luckily, i walk past oodles of chain retailers on my way to the train from work, so i stopped in to fix the problem.  i was going to just buy a pair of rubber flops, but decided to spend six times as much and get some shoes i could actually wear to work.  my co-workers might go to meetings in flops, but i'm not that flippant.  






so trashy.  it makes the alley more authentic.  

dotty gets talky

ok, blog. we need to have a little talk. over the course of the last two months i have bought nine pairs of shoes.  that is EIGHTEEN shoes.  this is way more new shoes than any dotty needs to acquire.  granted, i have all sorts of excuses for this: 
i started a new job! 
i didn't buy any work shoes while i was in grad school! 
i walk a bajillion times more now that i live in the city! 
all my flats were worn out or pinchy!  
i have no gray shoes!  
those purple patent shoes i used to wear all the time are silly!  
(see, i am super good at justifying over-buying.)

the point is that this mountain of shoes was accompianied by a mountain of new clothes. some of which are things that i really like and others i'm not even that crazy about. and then while sorting through my winter clothes last weekend i realized that i had amassed quite a collection of thrifted wool things while i was in grad school. and although i didn't spend very much money on these purchases, they were taking up a lot of closet space (and mental space). it became obvious that there was a problem.

now that i am over my excitement about returning to be the land of paychecks, i have decided (with the help of my very wise mother) to set a limit on how many pieces i buy each month. there will be a budget involved too, but the quantity is a much bigger challenge for me. so, instead of buying oodles of cheap things, i'm limited it to TWO pieces of clothing/shoes and one accessory per month. the idea is that i will consider my purchases more carefully and end up with a closet of pieces that i adore. my closet will always shifting to adjust to seasons, whims, and acquisitions; but i want to be more intentional about what gets through the door. 

so why is this important to the blog? well, um, it's a blog about what i wear. and because of this, it becomes partially a blog about shopping. i've read this complaint many times before: that blogging about clothes leads to an increase in shopping for clothes and following trends. i list where i buy things, which is, unintentionally, an encouragement to buy the same things. more importantly, (but perhaps less obvious) my blog is about remixing. i would like it to focus even more on how to combine the clothes that you already have into more and/or better combinations. (click on the "remixes" button over on my sidebar to see all my "previously on" posts that feature how i've worn a piece multiple times.)

phew! this is definitely my wordiest post ever, but i hope that it helps explain my intentions and such. 

dotty and a background bum

[wearing]
top: forever21 (similar)
skirt: the limited (similar)
boots: old navy (similar)
bracelets: c/o inpink, forever21 (exactly)
necklace: me-made


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there was a bum digging through trash cans in the alley, so i took my photos quickity-quick before he got to the trash can that my camera was on.  you can even see him in the dot photo in the back on the left.








[previously on] marled gray shirt

winter 2011, spring 2011 (x2), and summer 2011.