After wasting spending time watching reruns of My Name is Earl on Hulu, I was inspired to dress like Jamie Pressly’s character who, let’s be honest, is a l’il trashy. Trashy can be fun when it’s done right, though! Let’s take a look at some of the key elements:

1 & 2 “A-line” Tank top Shown: American Apparel 2. Hanes
To keep it simple, go for the ol’ standby classic: a ribbed cotton wifebeater. If you don’t like the idea of wearing such violent-sounding clothing, try to find something that looks like it was procured at an impromptu roadside biker rally. I picked up my combination tie-dye/bald eagle flyin’ atcha duck! ribbed tank top from a mall in New Jersey. ‘Nuff said.

Bonus points: Tube top or bikini top–anything that opens the possibility of “accidentally” exposing boobs.

3. “Gold” accessories Shown: earrings, girlprops.com
You can’t go wrong with a cheap gold accessory in this case, so I say doorknocker earrings for the win! You could also try hoops the size of a small foreign car–as long as they’re not real gold. Because really, what would be the point then?

Bonus points: Wear a several pairs of said oversized earrings.

4. Cutoffs Shown: Ksubi, LaGarconne
I made my denim cutoffs from an old pair of jeans–my “8th grade jeans” to be exact. I remember roaming the halls of WWMS thinking I was hot stuff when I wore those jeans, but eventually I, er…”outgrew” them. Not to worry! A few rough measurements and handy pair of scissors took care of that in less than two minutes. You can buy ‘em or do it yourself–they’ll fray and fade nicely after a few washings.

Bonus points: Cut the leg higher than the bottom of the pocket lining for a Britney pre-comeback look.

Note: If you stop here, you’ll probably fall into “trailer” side of this look, which just so happens to be all over the runways right now so score! If you prefer to add a bit of chic, keep going.

5. Add a cover up Shown: Lux, Urban Outfitters
I know I said the point was to show skin, but limiting the exposed skin to one body part (legs, shoulders, back, etc.) will keep you from getting arrested while standing on the corner waiting for your bus. I chose a black open cardigan because it’s easy to put on and remove. For when I get hot, not to fool the cops! Jeez…

Bonus points: Wear a well-cut designer piece like Nini.

6 & 7 Keep the remaining accessories sleek Shown: Belle by Sigerson Morrison sandals, Shopbop; Michael Michael Kors belt, Bluefly
A simple black belt with a gold buckle, strappy black sandals, a vintage cuff…I wore these because black leather is always trailer-appropriate, but also because of the streamlined silhouettes. In this case, too many accessories can look busy and distracting.

To achieve style harmony you must balance the trailer and the chic, grasshopper.

Do you ever get inspiration from unusual places? What are your tips for mixing seemingly disparate styles?

Read these, too:
Fashion Math
Style: Like the Boys
What I Would Wear if I Had a British Sugar Daddy

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I know what you’re thinking:  Tamia, didn’t you already take ridiculously self-indulgent photos in this outfit?

Ah, but no, grasshopper. This is yet another jumpsuit I picked up during a thrift shopping adventure. One that sat lonely and unused in the trunk of my car until I rescued it in a half-hearted attempt at reorganization.

Jumpsuit, vintage; belt and sunglasses, Gucci; sandals, Ash; bracelets and earrings from a craft fair.

The similarity of the pieces is a total coincidence given that they were purchased on separate occasions, but I’ve decided I kind of like having both as an option!

Loss
On a sadder note, yesterday was a really crap day: losing both Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson on the same day was really just too much. Both idols in their own right, Michael was obviously an inspiration to me (and many others) in so many ways. I had MJ posters on my walls, jewelry plastered with his likeness (Jheri Curl and all), and a sparkly glove or two for good measure.

His music has been the soundtrack to my life! I remember seeing the Moonwalk for the first time on the Motown 25 special–it was like magic!–and everyone trying to do it the next day.

I remember being haunted by my fuzzily child-like comprehension of the Billie Jean video–not really knowing what it meant, but not completely misunderstanding it either.

I remember being straight up terrified at the Thriller video (even though I wanted to be Ola Raye)–MJ turning into a zombie? Not my Michael! I would jump off my parent’s bed and run from the room as soon as the werewolf howled at the beginning of the song!

I remember watching  Moonwalker (especially the Smooth Criminal video) at slumber parties and playing around with my uncles and cousins at family gatherings trying to do that “extreme lean.”

There’s so much more–I mean the man’s musical catalog spans decades and his videos used to premiere on network TV at prime time!–but a part of me can’t help but feel like a little piece of my childhood is gone forever. RIP Michael.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfQhdBpCFCA&feature=channel_page]

Read these, too:
Work Style: Take Flight
Shopping: Romper Room
Inspiration: Michael Jackson

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I’m not really a math person. As a left-brained creative type, reading, spelling, and language have always been my favorite subjects. However, due to my anal-retentive control freak tendencies and a maniacal need for organization, I do appreciate formulas–as long as they don’t involve numbers.

This translates to my wardrobe accordingly: I like coming up with easy-to-understand combinations–recipes, if you will–for putting clothes together. For instance, trousers + fitted tee + blazer, or this pencil skirt + print blouse + cardigan + boots combo. It makes it simple to get dressed, but still leaves room to have fun with accessories (woo-hoo!) for interest.

Fashion Math really comes in handy when I’m deciding what to wear to work in the morning, especially since mai brane duz not wurk rite before 9am. Today’s equation was inspired by BOY by Band of Outsiders, and is really easy to pull off:

As with real equations, you can use different variables and get the same answer–in this case, the answer is looking good! Another plus (get it? Plus?) is that you probably already have most of these items in your closet, and if not, it’s easy to find inexpensive substitutes:

Left column: Shirt, American Apparel; Blazer, Urban Outfitters; Chinos, J. Crew; Shoes, Net-a-Porter  Middle column: Shirt, Old Navy; Blazer, Pixie Market; Chinos, Bluefly; Heels, Steve Madden Right column: Shirt La Garconne; Blazer, asos; Chinos, Urban Outfitters; Heels, Zappos

How do you get dressed? Do you have a process or do you just throw caution to the wind every day?

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Sometimes I want to be like the boys. No, not in the smelly-feet-raggedy-drawers-don’t-clean-up-after-yourself way. I mean in the important way: wardrobe wise, of course. It’s not a new idea: women have been “borrowing” men’s clothing for years to great effect: Think of silver screen stars Marlene Dietrich and Katharine Hepburn draping themselves in men’s suiting, the iconic movie wardrobe of Diane Keaton in Annie Hall, and the laid-back glamour of Yves St. Laurent’s le smoking. Even the boys themselves provide inspiration (’bout time): at the top of my mind are the smooth operators of the Rat Pack and Wall Street’s unabashedly power hungry Gordon Gekko. A dash of menswear-inspired tailoring (because tailoring is crucial) looks professional, adds contrast to more feminine pieces, and can be especially fun to wear when assuming a character.  Key pieces include oxford shirts, tailored trousers, and men’s accessories:

1. Boy’s shirt, Old Navy 2. Silk tie, Krimson by Kwame 3. Trousers, Victoria’s Secret 4. Boy’s blazer, Ralph Lauren  5. Raffia fedora, Hats in the Belfry

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