Worky-Work, Busy Bee!

I've hit a dilemma: most of my tights are toast. Runs in them, big snags where they've rubbed on boots, big holes where I've put my fingers through them. But do I really want to buy a bunch more tights now? Maybe just some black ones...there aren't many left in the stores.

Anyway, this dilemma led me to wear pants today:
I know! I never wear pants. I don't really like them much. I do like these ones, though - of course, they are from Esprit, source of the best-fitting pants for me.

Preppy is not one of my usual looks, so I threw on the heavy chain necklace, and the bigass belt:

And my green shoes!

The stuff:

The shoes are more green in daylight - they never quite photograph well. And who's that over by the earrings? It's Johnny Big Hands!

Okay, so he's not actually 1" tall - I measured and he's 1 3/8" tall:

Blurry, sorry.

If you're interested, click here for some figures that I've painted (and a few earlier ones that I like) since I started doing this blog (there are a few pages if you click through, including shots of our painting area, which is on my right when I'm on the computer). You can see the process and how much work goes into them. I've painted about 2,500 in the last 13 years or so - my painting has slowed down a lot in the last 5 years. I used to paint about one a week. We have display cases of them all over the house.

What can I say, I'm a geek!

Vest (Esprit), shirt (Pink Martini, consignment), pants (Esprit), shoes (Hilary Radley, consignment), necklace (Nine West, gift from Cindy), belt (Plum).

Office Uniform

Black pinstriped vest (Oxmo), blue shirt (Plum), plaid skirt (consignment, Jacob), t-strap heels (consignment, JonesWear), white stone and silver necklace & earrings.
If I had to pick a uniform to wear to the office every day, it would be a variation on this theme: shirt, vest, pencil skirt, shoes, jewelry. I've done this look in a variety of ways, sometimes changing to a sweater vest or the boob vest, sometimes with a white shirt or a red shirt or another colour, and the skirt is sometimes black or grey or brown (but usually a neutral), then sass it up with the shoes and the jewelry. Can't go wrong.

I'm not even sure what drove me to put this outfit together; none of the pieces on their own are all that special (except the shoes, which I love).

I wanted to share my creepy bouquet that L gave me yesterday. As you know, it's been a craptastic week at work, and he is always so thoughtful in getting me some flowers when he knows I've had a bad day. About a year ago, he started buying these "Nightmare Before Christmas" bouquets:
I love the mix of light green, purple and grey - and thistles! I don't even know what those other weird flower things are - they look totally alien. Here's a close-up of some of them, and the great vase I put them in (a handmade wedding gift - I love monsters, gargoyles and this lovely scary fairy).
And this is for Carollyne, who wanted a close-up of my hair.
Of course, it's not as good as it was before I walked to work, worked all day then walked home (in the wind). And I do have a bit of a crazy look in my eye...

Red and Black Preppy

Red blouse (H&M, NYC), black sweater vest (Esprit), black cotton skirt with red and white paisley design (Mac & Jac, Dots), black patent slingbacks (Naturalizer), triple hoop silver earrings.
Not a terribly exciting outfit, but it is Monday. I like the fit of this skirt - the tulip shape has a lot of movement at the bottom when I walk. I fancy that it makes my bum look good, hee hee. The skirt is pretty limited to what goes with it: black, white or red. Huh. That's it. Rather dull, really.

Off to painting class!

Preppy Plaid

Denim month is over - for me, at least. I'm sick of wearing denim and being casual every day. I have too many nice clothes - I want to wear them!

White shirt (Plum), black sweater vest (Esprit), plaid skirt (Jacob, consignment), baby blue suede belt (gift from Ruth), blue peep-toe wedge shoes (Seychelles, Winners), white glass and silver chain necklace and white stone and silver earrings (Plum).Killer outfit - I was really pleased with this. The photo does not do it justice. Anyway, yes, I quit - I gave up on the stupid Denim Month after 2 weeks. I am pathetic.

On to the clothes: I hate white shirts. They always require ironing and yet, they always look rumpled. But you have to have one in your wardrobe. All of my clothes have to be folded up, packed to work in my backpack (because I walk 35 minutes to work every day, except Friday, which is "no exercise day"). I change in the bathroom at work, and then at the end of the day, they get folded back up in my backpack and I carry them home again, at which point I change back into my work outfit for my picture. This is why I look vaguely pissed off in most of my pictures.

Anyway, I buy a white shirt every couple of years, wear it until the pits turn yellow, then buy a new one. I stretch out the life by wearing it under things like sweater vests.

I actually wanted to wear this skirt - a great consignment find at $18 (love the pockets!). It has a thin blue strip that matches the belt. And the jewelry just picks out the white and the grey and it goes and well, I just felt great.

Love the shoes. Here's the obligatory close up:One of my favourite pairs - I love the peep toe (although I had to do an emergency 60 second nail polish pedi this morning in my office so that my bare toenails wouldn't show). Love the heel - it's a wedge, but it's actually super thin, so that from the back it looks like I'm wearing a stiletto. I got these at the same time as the two-tone brown peep-toe, at Winners last fall. I think both pairs together were around $40 - a total steal. I get so much wear out of these.