Retrying mixed patterns

Squeaky is trying her hand at a fashion blog... she has so much great stuff it's a crime not to post! The first post is up, so stop by from time to time!

I'm retrying an outfit I wasn't sure about because I'm wondering whether the change in hairstyle will affect whether the outfit "works". Today:



Here's a flashback to my first attempt:



Does the haircut make a difference, or is this outfit deranged?

Squeaky and I went to a jewelry making workshop at the library... it was very, very basic. But I did pick up a cute bracelet that perfectly matched today's outfit:



I'll save the one I made for another day... Squeaky's was prettier anyway.

I'm also wondering if the change in hairstyle means I need bigger earrings. I feel like these got a bit lost at times:

OK, my Photobucket is getting tempramental, so I can't post those now :(

Top: via TJ Maxx
Jacket: Amanda Smith via consignment shop
Pants: Lane Bryant
Earrings: JC Penney
Bracelet: fundraiser for the American Cancer Society

Reespekt Mah Authoritah!

Do you have a certain outfit (or several) that makes you feel more businesslike, chic, and confident than usual? This is one of mine:



The only thing missing was the authoritative clacking of proper shoe heels... I'm still in Crocs from the surgeries. Once I'm in proper shoes again... watch out!

OK, not the greatest photo of me yesterday, but it doesn't change the feeling throught the day. I'm still getting tons of compliments on the new hairdo, and I always get compliments on my beautiful glass pendant:



I tossed on unremarkable white gold earrings, but I don't think I have a photo of them. They're very simple, and don't clash with the necklace.

I'm still a little impressed I wore something other than my brown nubby "Monday pants"... dubbed so because I can often skip ironing altogether on oversleeping Mondays. But I was up in time to iron my navy ones! I know... some would say I should do my ironing the night before. But that's just "crazy talk"!

Top: VanHuesen outlet
Jacket: Kasper via consignment shop
Pants: Lane Bryant, baby
Earrings (not shown): Marshall Field's
Collar: gift from Mom
Pendant: gift from Baby Sis

Happy day!

I attended a LEGAL lesbian wedding today (New York state is starting to catch up with the civilized world)... with a "tacky tropical" theme... it was so touching, especially as the happy couple has been together twelve years waiting for their union to be legal. It was hosted in a friend's lovely old home, with a local Justice of the Peace/friend officiating, with love and friendship all around. And lots of tacky Hawaiian shirts, even on the brides!

I didn't have anything that would work, so Squeaky and I did a little shopping last night and found something perfect:



The maxi-dress is strapless, so I have the top to cover up my bra. I wasn't able to get a good pic of the outfit for the blog, so the mirror shot will have to do. But here's a better closeup of the fabrics:



And we found these fabulous earrings:



I finally have an occasion to wear my fish hook necklace for the first time in ages. I carved it myself when I was in New Zealand... it's a traditional Maori symbol:



And threw on my wood bead necklace as a bracelet this time:



I'm not sure if I should post photos of the wedding, but I will show you the table centerpiece... apparently it was done by a friend of the happy couple, with flowers from her own garden:



Edited to add: I posted this outfit in "Visible Monday" because I got a lot of compliments on it at the wedding!

Top: Fresh of LA via Burlington
Dress: Mlle Gabrielle via Burlington
Earrings: via Burlington
Flip-flops: Walmart
Braclet: gift from an ex
Necklace: made by meo

I'm a copycat

Got up way too early for a Saturday because some of the Junior League members were volunteering at a charity race. We were there to pass out water. So I broke out the JL tee for the event:



I hate regular T-shirts. I hate all the extra fabric floating around my waist, when the fit around the bust and hips is much closer. So I took inspiration from oomph's post with a little trick:



Yep, I used a regular old rubber band to bring the waist in. I love this concept, I just need to work on the execution.

Guess who I saw running? One of the local judges... the woman who always looks so put-together and professional. And tiny. Itty-bitty. And me wearing too-tight cheap yoga pants clinging to every extra cookie lodged onto my thighs. Shoot me.

Top: Junior League
Pants: Old Navy
Earings: Premier Designs
Crocs again

Goofing around

Just messing around with the camera.



This is me on Friday, on webcam with a client at the jail. I took a photo of my section of the computer screen. My clients in jail aren't wearing anything blog-worthy, I swear.

Day 1 with my "adjusted" cut

I went back to the salon after work yesterday to get the cut tweaked a bit... it was a bit too "curly bob" for my taste. I'm LOVING it today:



LOL the lighting in Hubby's office makes me look like a corpse! But my hair looks good! Hubby doesn't hate it since the "adjustment", which is great because I can have the low-maintainance look and please Hubby. Win-win!



Now it's "vaguely rocking"... anyone remember where that line came from?

The curls are freeeeee:



It's going to take getting used to... but I'm starting to like it. I bid my formal goodbye to my hair as I mailed it away today:



So for the "fashion question" today... should I get rid of the band at the bottom of this top?

I picked these earrings because of the vaguely Indian designs in the top could go well. But I forgot about the silver buttons on the blouse, and the mismatch is bugging me:



Top: Freeda's castoff Jacklyn Smith
Pants: the "I give up" stretchy pants because everything else is dirty
Earrings: Fashion Bug

The fashionista's tonsure

There are photos in this post... just bear with my self-indulgent ruminations for a moment, please!

Awhile back, I saw Chris Rock's documentary "Good Hair" , about various aspects of the "Black hair" industry. It was fascinating for many reasons, but the segment about the use of hair shaven from Hindu pilgrims at temples in India is then transported to the U.S. and sold for use as extensions... largely in salons catering to African-American clientele... really captured my attention. Particularly when rapper/actress Eve was expressing her happiness that the hair in her weave had been "prayed over".

I knew about the tonsure of Christian monks on the crown of the head, the traditional cropping of Christian nuns' hair, the shaved heads of Buddhist monks and nuns, and even that some men shave their heads for the Hadj... but not about this Hindu rite that has become so profitable for so many.

The common thread (as I read the Wikipedia entry linked) is sacrifice or transition to another stage. As I've pointed out in this blog before, my hair made a rather sudden transition from bone-straight to curly a little over a year ago. I haven't had a haircut in almost a year, because I was having the two foot surgeries, and figured I would wait until I was past those challenges. Much easier to just put it up.

So I'm post-surgeries, my hair texture changed dramatically, and I recently turned 40. A 3-for-1 special on transitions, I suppose. So for my "Fashionista's Tonsure"... a sacrifice! I'd heard of hair donation, of course, but the idea began to really grow on me (ugh- totally unintentional pun!) as I realized how long my hair had grown to, and how I hated the weird ripples on the back of my head when I'm supposed to have long straight layers.



I'd also been feeling that I really wanted to donate my hair once, and I love the thought of someone else getting some use out of it. The donation seemed a great way to mark the start of my '40s (slightly belated), along with my other transitions lately. So I've given up on that concept of long layers for the time being, and I've gone in a radically different direction. First, the cut the day after the blowout:



Note the layers in back:



Then see what it did when I let it go all curly:



Hubby and Stinky are a bit weirded out by the curls.



I went back to the salon for a few "adjustments" to the haircut, because the curls turned the "layered cut" into a "bob". I'll post the adjusted 'do tomorrow....

Note: There is some controversy over "Locks of Love" because some of the shorter hair is sold to offset costs, and the wigs aren't necessarily "free" to the recipient. They are sold at a deep discount, I believe on a sliding scale. And my hair best fit the needs of this organization rather than some of the others (they accept colored but not bleached hair). Since I gave a 12" tail, I'm pretty certain at least some of it will benefit the intended type of recipient.

What is going on with Photobucket?

Somehow, I've been logged off as of yesterday. My password doesn't work. When I try to reset my password... it cycles right back to the reset password page!

So no posts until I can get this fixed.

Help!!!

Unlazy weekend

I actually wore real clothes each day! No pajama days this weekend... busy, busy!

Friday date night was karaoke, which I've really missed doing:



I really wanted to break out my new trouser jeans I bought on clearance for $15 pre-surgery. I love them, but I need to get the waist taken in a bit... so I wore the long shirt to disguise the gaping waistline. But who could resist this fabric:



Stinky dressed up for his cute teenage blonde babysitter- he's so handsome- just like his daddy!:



Before we got all dressed up Friday evening, Stinky and I installed the roof racks and loaded up the kayaks in hopes of Saturday fun:



So Saturday's outfit was with lake fun in mind:



Hubby thought 30% chance of rain was too much... rrrr.... and Sunday was much worse so no kayaking this weekend! Remind me to disregard his opinion on this subject in the future... a reliable source tells me it barely rained at the lake on Saturday!

So we went to the museum instead, and I tossed this necklace on for a little flair:



Which left traces on my shirt:



Here's a little preview to temp you art-lovers to mosey on over here for a blogger meetup (especially you, Shybiker!):



Yeah... that's Chihuly!

Sunday night was dinner out with Hubby. Since I knew the restaurant is freezing (but delicious) I used the excuse to break out my long-sleeved blue beauties:



This top is fitting more smoothly... last time I wore it there was a little bulge at the waist!

Miracle earrings

Yesterday was another day hustling out to drop Stinky at day camp then I was off to early court: I managed to pull myself together:



What I really like about this top is I feel dignified... and like my neck is longer and more graceful than reality:



I heart these clearance earrings:



They were about $2, and match 3 of my shirts perfectly! Score! I just keep finding more and more uses for these earrings I grabbed on a whim. I love it when that happens!

And they add to the feeling of greater grace as I feel them softly tapping against myneck.

Top: Lane Bryant
Jacket: via Tallman's in Painted Post, NY
Pants: Lane Bryant
Earrings: Fashion Bug

A bit of a cheat....

Because I didn't have time to get a photo Wednesday, so I pulled this older one of the outfit:



It was a scheduled office day, without court, so id decided to wear my "princess" top. And my darling necklace I haven't been able to get a decent photo of:



So why am I posting old photos of a repeat outfit?

I didn't have earrings that go well with the top an necklace. Nothing looked right. So during lunch, I walked over to a tschocke shope which sent me to a brand-new little shop that is barely opened. I explained my conundrum, and the second pair of earrings the lady pulled out:



Sold!

I love the color, and I think the shape of the bead echoes the necklace nicely. And I love that it is complementarily delicate. Once I had those earrings in, I felt like a pretty princess. In Crocs.

Top: via Stein Mart
Pants: Lane Bryant
Necklace: gift from Mom
Earrings: via Where the Heart Is, in Bath, NY

Does this work?

I thought I'd try to not look like a newspaper Tuesday:



So I used my blue/green necklace rather than a red one... is it weird?



Or does it work?

Top: via Stein Mart
Pants: Lane Bryant
Necklace: Fashion Bug
Earrings: Corning Museum of Glass

Oh yeah... forgot to get a pic on Monday. It was a mistake anyway. I may recreate the look just for a blog pic. Soley for your amusement!

Friend Friday: Location Influences Fashion

Still horribly sick... you don't want to see me or hear any details. Trust me.

But at least it's "Friend Friday", so here's a little content for my blog today, anyway:

1. What part of the world do you blog from?

From a small town in a rural part of upstate New York.

2. If you had to describe the overall mode of dress for where you live what would you say?

The town I live in is a good bit more upscale than the town I work in, certainly. Which leads to an interesting dichotomy- especially given that they are only 20 miles apart.

Where I live: pretty yuppie/professional with a little arty/funky tossed in now and then. It is a headquarters for a large corporation, so there are plenty of professionals around. There is also a small arts scene.

Where I work: a lot of badly-dressed civil servants and shabby/poor public- at least what I see during my workdays. Then again, I have a government job serving the poor in the county seat.

3. Do you fit in with the status quo around you or do you break the mold?

I certainly try to break the mold at work! Some days with more success than others, admittedly. I think I mostly fit in where I live.

4. If you have lived or traveled to another part of the country/world did your clothing choices evolve?

Of course! I got hooked on scarves in France... you actually need the neck coverage in Paris because the wind hits you right in the neck! I think I shed a little "American tackiness" through my travels, which also accompanied my evolution from student/DJ to practicing attorney.

I always loved clothing and accessories from other cultures... the trick is to give a sartorial nod without wearing a costume. If anything, I under-do accessories in general rather than risk tackiness by over-doing it.

5. If you had to describe your style by naming a specific city, what would you be?

Chicago or San Francisco. All-season, practical, classic clothing and accessories with little twists and details to perk up the look without going too nuts. I don't have time or patience for garb that impedes my movement (ie: tight/short skirts, high heels, etc.). I need to be taken seriously, but dread perception as dull and dowdy.

More challenges with my new clothes

I've worn this top a couple times since I purchased it a couple months ago:



But never tried it with a jacket. Hmmmm... it looked weird because it was so much longer than the jacket, so I tucked it in:



Tried a "blouson" look. Voila!



However, it was woefully insufficient for five hours straight in a freezing courtroom. It was an absolute zoo in there! (This is Wednesday's outfit, I felt rotten Thursday night, and left work midday)

Top: via Stein Mart
Jacket: via Tallman's
Pants: Lane Bryant

One of these things is not like the other...

...one of these things is not the same.... Remember that ditty from "Sesame Street"? Yesterday's outfit:



FAIL. I'm having a tough time figuring out what jacket I can wear with this top... which is new and that I love:



This is proving challenging... as can be verified by a gander at my previous attempt at a top/jacket pairing, questionable at best, despite a perfect match on the colors:



See? So the plaid AND the beige don't work! But this top is so preeety! I'm going to have to poke around my closet and see what I can come up with.

Top: via TJ Maxx
Beige jacket: Talbot's Petite
Plaid jacket: Amanda Smith via consignment shop
Pants: Lane Bryant

Brutal Monday

The first day on my *new* office hours schedule... a half hour earlier every day. Obviously, NOT my idea. I'm starting to wish I were a morning person... and they've irritated me my entire life!

I suppose I did alright in my sleep-deprived state:



I would show a shot of me in my jacket. But it's in the car, I worked over eleven hours today, my poor feet are screaming at me, in in my PJs with a couple drinks on an empty stomach... so I ain't movin'! It's beige, I've posted it a zillion times.



At least I wore different jewelry than I normally do with this top....



Top: Croft and Barrow via Goodwill
Pants: Lane Bryant
Necklace: Ann Taylor outlet
Earrings: Fashion Bug