Tag archive for "style"
Casual, Personal Style, Vintage & Thrift finds
These black and gray checked shorts used to be black and gray checked teacher pants, but at 97 degrees and 142.784% humidity, it’s just too hot for all that. I cut ‘em, cuffed ‘em, and went about my business!
Shorts, thrifted; top, Forever21; booties, Jeffrey Campbell; no-name bag & earrings
Do you switch things up when the weather is just too hot to bear?
Forgive me interwebs, for I have slacked. It has been seven days since my last blog post.
This is what I’ve been doing:
So…what did I miss?
Personal Style, Vintage & Thrift finds
For some reason, wearing black and navy together makes one feel very French, n’est-ce pas? Really, I think that particular combination makes both (neutral, sometimes boring) colors more interesting. They’re both integral to my wardrobe palette.
These pants (a result of the lazy DIY, if you recall) are so cool and breezy–perfect for the hot and humid weather we’ve been having. I added some cognac-colored leather accessories and gold jewelry for interest.
Tank, H+M; pants, thrifted; shoes, Ash; belt, The Limited; bag, Coccinelle; leaf necklace, Forever21; tassel necklace, vintage.
Man, I love summer!
Fashion Shows, Personal Style, Shopping
Do you ever feel like you’re stuck in a style rut? You know, skirt + blouse, pants + cardigan, jeans + tee, blahblahblah boring. I hate that.
When I do feel that way, I look elsewhere for style inspiration–usually to my fellow bloggers or recent designer collections. I was procrastinating doing research and checking out some of my favorite blogs, when I came across a photo from Dries Van Noten‘s Spring 2010 collection.
I immediately remembered a sarong I received as a souvenir from a friend’s trip to Thailand and thought, “I can do (something similar to) that!”
I just added my trusty gray sweatshirt and some “exotic” accessories:
Elaborate earrings purchased as a direct result of my ongoing obsession with Indian bridal jewelry.
A combination of beaded African bracelets and a few wooden bracelets I picked up at the hair store. No, the hair store–the place where they sell weaves and wigs. Don’t underestimate the selection in those glass cases in the front of the shop, okay?
A beaded bag and nude shoes (Attention apparel manufacturers: light beige doesn’t equal “nude” for everyone.) I love the little gold elephants marching across the sarong.
Sunglasses I got on sale years ago. I’m surprised I still have them–I usually lose sunglasses within, like, a month of purchasing them.
It’s not a difficult look to replicate. The idea is to take a bunch of varying cultural influences, toss them together, and see what happens. Don’t be afraid to mix things up a bit!
1. J. Crew sweatshirt 2. Bracelets, Ainamoja.com 3. Skirt, Milliana.com 4. Chloe sunglasses, Aloha Rag 5. Earrings, Kaneesha.com 6. Rosegold heels, Shopbop.com
Sweatshirt, American Apparel; skirt, souvenir; earrings, Bombay Jewelry; shoes, Steve Madden; bracelets, random; purse, Miss Selfridge; sunglasses, Gucci.
By the way, bellydancing costume boutiques are my new favorite places to shop online.
Where do you find inspiration when you’re in a style rut?
Personal Style, Vintage & Thrift finds
Watching Casablanca last weekend put me in the mood for a little suit action–but with a feminine touch.
The lacy blouse is was a Gunne Sax-ish Little House on the Prairie dress I picked up at a thrift store a while ago, which wound up hanging out in my trunk (aka “storage”) for the better part of a year. I finally dug it out and attacked the dress with a pair of scissors in a half-hearted attempt to create a skirt and top I could wear separately. Except I cut through the back zipper. Oops.
This is why I don’t DIY.
Vintage blouse, clutch, necklace and heels; thrifted trousers; VS blazer
Have a great weekend!
Casual, Personal Style, Street Style, shoes
Personal Style, Vintage & Thrift finds
Based on this post about changing style direction from leather and studs to softer and more feminine, I decided to pull a few items from the back of the closet to see if I could reappropriate all the gray and black into something a bit more douce.
Dress, Victoria’s Secret; sweater, H&M; tights, Forever21; socks, American Apparel; belt, vintage; earrings, The Little Mahatma
I see lots of grays and taupes in my future…What do you think?
For the past several seasons, fashion has been all about tough-girl grunge chic, replete with biker-inspired leather and spikes. “We’re in a recession for chrissakes!” everyone exclaimed. Cue the shaggy hair, kohl-encircled eyes, and slashed and shredded clothing that looked like it barely survived the apocalypse; all finished off with four-inch platform stripper heels.
NYFW, Fall 2009
It makes me tired thinking about it, and I’m a pretty hardcore strong-willed bitchy type. Maintaining such a defensive stance is exhausting! Shoot, even Xena had her vulnerable moments.
All the leather and bleaching and shredding was fun for a while, but now I’m thinking it would be nice to feel pretty, instead of pretty tough. I’m ready for something softer, and while I’m not necessarily looking to drape myself in mountains of florals and bows and pastel ruffles (though it worked for Chloe Sevigny), it would be nice not to feel like I’m an armored truck heading into combat 24/7.
Soft and pretty on the red carpet at the 2010 Golden Globes
Light and feminine on the Resort ’10 runways
Some days, yes, I will be in Power Bitch mode just because sometimes I wake up in the takin’ names and kickin’ butt mindset. Other times, though, it would be nice to dress in a way that conveys more vulnerability–not necessarily weakness, but…openness. All the hardcore fashion feels a little closed off, which is understandable in times of hardship when you need increased protection from the uncertainties of life. While things are still pretty uncertain (when aren’t they?), I’m exhausted. I’m ready for a change in direction.
Um, let’s keep the stripper shoes, please.
Personal Style, Vintage & Thrift finds
Do you ever forget you own stuff? Sometimes I come across a blouse or a dress or a pair of shoes I forgot even existed, and a weird shameful/joyful feeling of discovery washes over me. On one hand, there’s the “Woo-hoo, more clothes! It’s like I went shopping!” feeling; on the other hand, I wonder why I get to have so much that I forget about it, when other people surely need more. Still trying to figure that out.
I came across a vintage velvet suit I got from a former co-worker when I was going through some random bags in my closet, and was immediately reminded of the black velvet looks on the runway at Chloe:
Hmm…I was hesitant at first, but I figured there was a way to make the Sassoon suit a bit more modern. Though I have an unreasonable aversion to suits (something about two-piece dressing doesn’t sit well with me), I figured if I wore the jacket and skirt separately I’d get more wear out of them and avoid looking completely retro.
I paired the skirt with a sparkly cardigan, lacy hose, and velvet heels.
Vintage cardigan, skirt, and heels; Hustler tights; thrifted belt.
I wore the jacket with high-waisted harem pants and vintage clip-on earrings. Damn, I have a lot of vintage!
Vintage jacket, ASOS trousers, vintage heels
Interestingly enough, the suit, cardigan, and heels all came from the same coworker. Thanks, Patti!
Walkin’ on velvet
Do you ever come across forgotten treasures? What do you do with them?
Hello, I'm Tamia. I like clothes, shoes, the interwebs, ice cream, design, dancing, pretending to know what I'm talking about, big cities, pretty pictures, technology, creative people, foreign languages, eating, typography, indie magazines, and telling people what to do. Not necessarily in that order.
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