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Skeleton!

10/31/2014

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Classic skeletal wear

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Fall fabrics: grey flannel, tweed, & plaid shoes

10/26/2014

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Fabric shoes are often less expensive than leather. You may not have realized you wanted some of these until now :-)
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Fashion experiment: shirt tails untucked

10/19/2014

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Men can't easily leave their dress shirts untucked during the work week & get away with it. But can women? 

Everywhere I turn I'm seeing women with their shirts untucked underneath a sweater. Though it looks a little sloppy, I actually like the look because it connects an outfit--picks back up at the waist the color started at the collar. It's also, of course, comfortable & less constricting to leave your shirt untucked.

Here are some examples of this look from Banana Republic...
 
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From Banana Republic
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From Banana Republic
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From Banana Republic
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From Banana Republic
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From Banana Republic

It's a little strange to let your shirt hang down under a sweater. Could I make this look work for me? I gave it a try over the weekend. 

Here are the results:

It seems like a crewneck rather than a v-neck works better with this look, though I'm not sure why. It's also easier when your shirt tail isn't very long & the bottom edge on your sweater isn't very tight. 

Here it just looks like I threw a crewneck over a shirt, no big deal. It's easy for this look to work since my shirt tail isn't very long or curved. 

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A little tougher is putting a cardigan over an untucked shirt. I like it, though--I think it works. 
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Wear to work or just for play? Super soft, thin shirt, super soft old cashmere hoodie--feels great!
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Is this cheating? I tried a long untucked button-down with a long cardigan. Easy wear for the office?
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All the clothes in this post are old except for my new black pants >>
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GAP Ultra Skinny Pants, $59.95 minus 40%
I truly went into this experiment thinking there was no way I could leave my shirt untucked at work, but I'm glad I tried it because now I think I have a couple new outfits that are perfectly office-appropriate. 


Would you wear your shirt untucked for work?





You may also like...
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How to tuck in your shirt

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No money & nothing to wear

2 Comments

Shoe surgeries

10/16/2014

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I have recently completed my third shoe surgery, & for the most part, I would say the operations have been successful. 


Surgery #1: Removing the ruffle
The ruffle was pretty, but it just wasn't me. My son called them clown shoes before the surgery. I used sharp scissors.


Before
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Anthropologie Gem Chroma T-Straps, no longer available
After


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Surgery #2: Reducing the heel
These pumps were too high for me, so I had my husband saw off about a half inch, & then I had them re-soled. 

Warning: you may not want to try this one at home--or at least wear protective eyewear--there were literally sparks flying as my husband sawed down the heel!

Before
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Sole Society Isabelle, $69.95
After
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Surgery #3: Removing additional strap
These sandals are an easy height, style, & price. But I felt like the white strap cut off my leg & complicated the sandal, so I removed the strap with small sharp scissors. 

Before
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Sole Society Christine, $29.98
After
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Surgical procedures are a bit addictive. Why settle for anything that's not quite like you want it? So far, I have not compromised the integrity of the shoes--they're all wearable in their post-op state. Each surgery is a risk, & we have no insurance. 

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Gathered & pleated tops & tees

10/11/2014

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Gathers or pleats take an average tee to work & out to dinner. 


From Eddie Bauer
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Eddie Bauer Burnout Gathered Top, 4 colors, $39.99
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Eddie Bauer Burnout Gathered Top, 4 colors, $39.99
From Garnet Hill
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Garnet Hill Celine Knit Top, $9 minus 30% + free ship but only available in XL
From Boden
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Boden Pleat Detail Top, 7 colors, $30.24
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Boden Tuscany Top, 4 colors, $30.24
From Ann Taylor
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Ann Taylor Pleated Long Sleeve Top, $59 minus 40%
From Old Navy
From H&M
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Old Navy Women's Satin Boho Tops, 4 colors, $12
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H&M Jersey Top, powder beige or black, $29.95
Subtle pleats from French Connection
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French Connection Cherry Orchard Georgette Top, $128
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French Connection Anastasia Crepe Top, $68.60
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French Connection Polly Pleat Top, $30
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French Connect Romonov Posey Crepe Top, $88
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French Connection Hannah Crepe Round Neck Top, $108
From Wrap London
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Wrap London Jeane Blouse, $49
From Aventura Clothing
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Aventura Clothing Penny Top, $47
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Aventura Clothing, $62
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Aventura Clothing Sayna Shirt, $27.99
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It came apart in my hands...

10/7/2014

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Since the Lululemon Pantsgate Scandal, we know that poor quality items can be of any cost & come from stores of every reputation. It's more about how a company handles the problem when we point out the trouble. 

I confess I knew the Zara top below was not great quality when it arrived--it was already a little frayed along the collar & armholes--but I thought it'd be ok. My friend Rachel also mentioned that she won't buy anything from Zara because of its poor quality. 


But I loved the color of the top & I love Zara! I love Zara even though my blouse basically disintegrated in my hands after I'd worn & washed it only once. 

I contacted Zara & asked for a refund or store credit >>



Here's my email to Zara:

Subject: Faulty blouse 
RE: Order 89671002 

I washed this blouse carefully in the washer for the first time over the weekend. The seam under the arm came apart, & the button at the neck fell off. All edges are frayed. Will you accept it back for refund or credit? Many thanks for your help. 

The top before...
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Zara Printed Top, $19.99
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Zara asked for photos of the top in its current condition; here they are....

The top after one wash...
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Here's Zara's response to my request...
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I'm floored & disappointed. I feel my request was justified, don't you?
So the question is: would you continue to shop from Zara, or would you leave them forever?

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100% polyester

10/6/2014

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The other day driving along in the car, my husband pointed out that all of us were wearing polyester: my sons live in Champion athletic wear that's 100% polyester, my husband was wearing a Nike fleece pullover (the one you gave him, Karen--he wears it daily!), & I was wearing the burgundy sweatshirt below. All of their poly seemed cooler than mine--more high tech, more active--but we were all wearing polyester nevertheless. 

If you search the word "polyester" in Anthropologie's online site, 1,149 results come up. Search it at Sundance Catalog, & 287 results appear. Search Zara, & you'll find 2,872 poly items. Even at GAP, 1,585 items come up. Once shunned for its often-shiny, artificial texture, polyester has again come into its own over the past decade. 

I roamed through polyester tops & dresses in the store at Anthropologie last weekend & was surprised to see how easy it is to confuse silk with polyester. It seems like polyester should cost a fraction of the cost of polyester, but they are priced similarly. 

Variations on the theme Polyester is sometimes called crepe or chiffon. There's also "polyester cotton," "polyester silk," & "polyester velvet," all of which are not material mixes but different weaves of polyester that feel like cotton, silk, & velvet. And then there are all the athletic varieties--from high-tech, dry-fit fabrics down to good ole polar fleece.

The benefits of polyester are that it's strong & often super thin, & it doesn't wrinkle, making it the ideal fabric for layering, packing, & traveling. You can throw it in the wash, & it dries fast. Sometimes polyester is styled into sheer styles, which are pretty, cool, & feminine. It's become the norm for much athletic wear, jackets, vests. Polyester is vegan. 

The drawbacks of polyester are that it's almost impossible to remove stains from it, & if it snags, you can't repair it.
Polyester is humanmade from a chemical process; you are putting chemicals against your skin, & polyester may pollute the environment. Producing most fabrics requires a huge expense in production, water, & waste.  

I think poly's ok as long as you pair it with items made of other materials like cotton.

Do you own much polyester?
Here are some of items I wear regularly that are 100% poly...



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My 100% poly dress is from Francesca's. They have tons more like it at their online store www.francescas.com, all reasonably priced.
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This 100% poly dress is from Long Tall Sally.
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My sheer 100% polyester shirt is from Abercrombie & Fitch.
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J. Crew Factory Draped Sweatshirt, about $31 after discount
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This top (above) is also 100% poly.
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This sheer 100% polyester shirt is from Abercrombie & Fitch.
Here are just a few polyester picks from a couple stores...

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Anthropologie Droplets Dress, $158
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Anthropologie Esmat Pullover, $128
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Anthropologie Mayacamas Maxi Dress, $99.95
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Anthropologie Idoya Tunic, $98
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Anthropologie Chelan Dress, $178
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Banana Republic Zip-Front Dress, $130 minus 30%
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BR Monogram Chiffon Halter Dress, $130 minus 30%
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Victoria's Secret Two-pocket Boyfriend Shirt, $19.99
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Zara Seamed A-line Dress, $39.90
Have you noticed the popularity of polyester? Do you wear it or do you shun it?
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Flowers in her hair

10/2/2014

2 Comments

 
It was raining. It was cold. She was wearing a skimpy sundress, walking down the street holding hands--practically swinging hands--with a man shorter than she was. She was wearing a huge pink flower in her hair. My first thoughts: She's either crazy or in love. 
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Jeune Dame aux fleurs dans ses cheveux
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I've been thinking about what it means to adorn our hair with flowers ever since I saw that joyous couple skipping along through the rain. Since then, I've seen flowers in more girls' hair
--one little pansy in a teacher's hair, a rose in the hair of a woman at a wedding, a flower headband on a baby... I've decided it's more than ok to wear flowers in your hair; it's a necessity. 
It's not crazy to wear a flower in your hair. It may mean you're in love, & your lover may be the one to feed the flower delicately over your ear. You may be dancing around a bonfire in Hawaii. You may just be having a long day. 
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Nancy Stohlman, lead singer of Kinky Mink, & Katharyn Grant wear flowers in their hair. Photo by Kona Morris. Put some flowers in your hair & come out for Kinky Mink's Halloween show November 1st! More here: Kinky Mink on Facebook. 
It's a symbol of frivolity. Of carefree abandon. 

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Suzie claims this is how not to wear flowers--
I don't agree!
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I say to all of us out there (especially those who would think the girl in the rain must be mad) that we need to find a flower immediately to wear in our hair. Even better, find a flower you can put in someone else's hair. 

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Our mission: any time this weekend, wear a flower in your hair. My sister brought over a dozen white roses last weekend. I'll be wearing one in my hair & offering some to friends. 
2 Comments

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