Jun 25th - Outfit #25 - Bringing my "A" Game

It's the last week of June! This month has gone by so fast! I have actually managed to do an entire month of neutrals. The mind boggles. 

Anyway, I thought I ought to step it up this week; really put in an effort to make interesting outfits. Usually, I'll browse through my spreadsheet, and see what hasn't been worn and then try to put together outfits around those items. This month I say, "Meh" to that. There are a few things in my capsule that I just plain don't like and haven't worn. I'm just going to make some fun outfits.

Starting with this one!

I was aiming for a long over long less shaped look than I usually do, and think it worked well for that. It's not the most flattering shape on my body overall, but that's okay. Not every outfit has to be a "sexy secretary" or perfectly flattering.

This is my brown drapey cardi again (last worn here), and my sequined tunic top (last worn here, 2nd outfit). I didn't get a huge amount of wear out of the tunic, but I knew that going in. I still love it, and I'll keep it, even though it doesn't go with a lot - it's just unique enough to make the cut.

I'm wearing the high-waisted taupe pencil skirt again (last time here) - you'd never know it was high-waisted from this outfit!

It started out warm and sunny this morning and has degenerated into windy, cloudy and rainy, so I was really glad of the tights. They push this outfit over the top for me, particularly with my crazy-ass Fluevogs.

My legs are so pasty that if I don't wear a contrasting tight, you can barely see the shoes! I last wore these shoes here. I will be keeping them (duh), even though they are a 4" heel. They're just so spectacular...but not practical for a ton of wear.

Here's the bag portion of our program:

That's a vegan Mat & Nat bag that I bought on consignment a couple of years ago. I like the faux fur and the brass studs on the trim.

Lots o' hardware today:

The brass bracelet on the left is a keeper; the one on the right is in the giveaway pile, as it's starting to reveal its copper nature. The ring on my thumb drove me nuts and I moved it to my other hand's index finger. Can you see the ring on my other index finger? It's meant to look like a nail wrapped around.

Don't forget to check out Visible Monday at Patti's "Not Dead Yet Style"!

Cardigan (Alternative Apparel, thrifted), top (Dex), skirt (Bedo, thrifted), shoes (Listen Up O'Hara, Fluevogs), purse (Mat & Nat, consignment), rings and link bracelet (Club Monaco), other bracelet (Jacob), earrings (Plum).

Jun 24th - Outfit #24 - Sunday Brunch

Ah, where does the time go? Sunday already?

L and I walked to town, got groceries (we have them delivered, so they'll arrive some time after 4pm), and then went for brunch at a local burger joint. It was sunny and warm out - a nice contrast to the pouring rain of last night!

This is a simple look.

My leopard cardi (last worn here), a turquoise cami (not included in the capsule), and my white denim shorts (last worn here). My sandals (last worn here) weren't terribly practical for walking to and from town, but my feet are fine.

I switched to a smaller bag for our smaller outing.

 My genuine Coach bag, thrifted for $15.00 last fall.

I like the colours.

Cardigan (XXI, consignment), cami (Esprit), shorts (Contrast, thrifted), shoes (Kenneth Cole Reaction, consignment), earrings (Caracol), bag (Coach, thrifted).

Jun 23rd - Outfit #23 - Weekend Leopard

I have a few minutes before I have to dash off to catch my bus to WW - why not do my outfit post? One thing I've noticed about the capsule wardrobes (especially after I've worn each item once) is that my posts are much faster to write. It's easier to look up when I last wore an item (I can refer to my spreadsheet), and the posts are usually shorter.

Thusly!

I actually checked to see if I'd worn any of this stuff to a previous Saturday WW meeting - I've got a reputation to uphold as a fashion diva (ha!) so I want to make an impression with a new-ish look.

My leopard skirt pulls weekend duty (last worn here), my basic cream sweater (last seen here) pulls in the cream of the sandals (last worn here), and the brown t-shirt material cardi (last seen here) gives me a bit of extra warmth.

It also covers up the mondo yellow, green and brown bruise in the crook of my arm from giving blood last week. Ugh. I bruise like a banana.

My outerwear and purse (by request, Donna):

It poured rain all last night, and is still pretty overcast and wet out (although not presently raining), so I wanted to stay warm with my leather coat. The boob purse is looking at you...hee hee!

Jacket (Le Chateau, consignment), cardigan (Alternative Apparel, thrifted), sweater (Trina Turk, consignment), skirt (Club Monaco), shoes (Artisan by Clark's, consignment), purse (Hype, thrifted), necklace (handmade by Cat).

Jun 22nd - Outfit #22 - Casual Friday in the Rain

Happy Friday!

Before we get to the clothes portion of our program, some housekeeping:

Hello! To Kathryn and the Girls in St. Louis! To the dilemma of "How to stop a shoe fart?" they contributed, "a little bit of talcum powder sprinkled in the heel of the shoe will help those nasty sounds." Thank you! To all the helpful suggestions about my shoes, thanks! I will let you all know if anything makes the fart go away. Hee.

To Donna who asked to see my purses with my outfits, I'll start doing that, but I warn you it's pretty boring. I'm not really a bag person.

Well, now, let's move on. It rained most of today, which considerably dampened (pun intended) the spirits of most of the people I talked to today. Welcome to "June-uary" on the wet west coast.

But heck, I did shorts anyway!

This is my leopard blouse (last seen here) and my $5.00 white denim shorts (last worn here). I absolutely love these shorts - they are a nice thick (non-see through) denim, with just enough stretch to be comfortable to sit in without bagging out.

My feet were freezing on the way home - wet feet in sandals sucks!

I last wore the sandals here.

I am looking forward to a quiet weekend, aside from lunch out tomorrow. We have a few very busy months ahead, so these quiet nights are good for recharging my batteries. Have a great weekend!

Blouse (Express, consignment), shorts (Contrast, thrifted), shoes (Enzo Angiolini, consignment).

Jun 21st - Outfit #21 - Colour to the Rescue

I was dressed this morning and took one look in the mirror and thought, "Dang, I look so blah!" However, once I popped on this necklace, I felt so much better. Colour to the rescue!

I am finding that I'm jonesing for some colour in my clothes - not bad, I've last 3 weeks without blowing a gasket, heh heh. I will say, I am really looking forward to my (very) bright palette for July!

This is my leopard dress (last worn here, last outfit) with my brown drapey cardi (last seen here, 2nd outfit) tied loosely at the waist. I'm also wearing a black cami underneath for cleavage cover-up (not part of the capsule). The total cost of my dress and cardigan together is $13.00.

The red necklace just makes it, doesn't it? Here's a better picture.

My black pumps get worn again (last seen here). One of them has a heel fart when I walk - ha! Any home remedies for those?

Dress (Majora, thrifted), cardigan (Alternative Apparel, thrifted), cami (InWear), shoes (Guess), necklace (Plum).

Jun 20th - Outfit #20 - No Black Top

So, there is one item in my capsule that I haven't worn yet. I planned to wear it today, but it just didn't work at all. It's not even going to make an appearance unless I can figure out how to make it look okay. It's this top here (picture only link) that I last wore in July 2011. I also wore it the previous July 2010 (here).

It made me look like a priest with the jacket I'd planned to wear. I ended up having to change everything but the skirt and shoes. How did this top end up still in my wardrobe?

Anyway, here is my Smoking Lily swooshy skirt (last seen here, 2nd outfit), a burgundy cami (not part of the capsule), my cream tux jacket (last seen here) and my black sandals (last worn here).

I'm rather surprised that I've only worn this skirt twice so far this month - I love it!

I ended up quite liking this look. Happy first day of summer!

There was much swooshing of skirts today, I tell you.

I did my burgundy faux flower, and my crow Scrabble pin (getting some glare below - look here for a better picture).

Jacket (Club Monaco, consignment), cami (Jackpot), skirt (Smoking Lily, thrifted), shoes (Kenneth Cole Reaction, consignment), earrings (Le Chateau), flower (Roberta's Hats), crow pin (Raven's Rest Studio).


Vizzini was being really cute last night. He curled up on this stack of cushions on top of a low stool:

Like a little pasha.

Jun 19th - Outfit #19 - A Drop of Red

Today's outfit wasn't anything terribly exciting.

I did, however, get to wear this awesome swooshy skirt again! I last wore it here, and I loved it even more today, especially since I had lower heels on (last worn here) and could dash about, my skirt curling and bouncing around.

I'm not in love with this cardigan, though (last seen here, 2nd outfit). I don't think it will survive my closet this month.

It wraps around my waist too high, annoying me. 

I added a little red cami underneath it, and this cool necklace (close-up here) that I rarely wear. Coincidentally, I gave blood today. It's my 7th or 8th time; my company does regular blood drives so it's good incentive to keep up my donations. 

Cardigan (Noa Noa), cami (Ricki's), skirt (Y, thrifted), shoes (Enzo Angiolini, consignment), necklace (handmade).

Jun 18th - Outfit #18 - Disappointing Mom

I was chatting with my mom last night and she commented how much she liked my outfits lately: "Much less "out there" than your usual."

Well, Mom, I'm afraid I have to disappoint you. For one, I'll be back to colour (and all the craziness that ensues) in July. For another, just because I'm wearing neutrals doesn't mean I can't be "out there."

This outfit got a few double-takes, heh.

I'm wearing my second-to-last "fresh" item this month: this corset/bustier top. I've had it for over 4 years and have worn it many times, notably here (August 2008), here (October 2008), here (Feb 2009), here (August 2009), here (January 2010), here (for Hallowe'en 2010), here (December 2010), here (for the first day of my current job in March 2011), here (September 2011), here (last November 2011 for an art opening), and here (April 2012 for the Steam Con).

Wow, that's more than I thought! I've worn it a total of 11 times prior to today - it's a very versatile layering piece! Since I paid around $15 for it, I'm nearly down to $1 cost per wear. Not bad.

I'm also wearing my cream sweater (last seen here, 2nd outfit), and my high-waisted cream pencil skirt (last worn here).

The little socklets are new and they definitely raised a few eyebrows. I liked them, although this is a very different look for me. I definitely felt visible - so I'm doing Visible Monday at Patti's "Not Dead Yet Style"!

The shoes are of course my lovely Fluevog Listen Up Harlows (last seen here).

Stuff:

Rocker-ish accessories to keep the lacy socklets from looking too "little girl." 

Sweater (Trina Turk, consignment), corset top (Le Chateau, consignment), skirt (Bedo, thrifted), belt (Gap), shoes (Listen Up Harlow, Fluevogs), necklace (gift from Tina), bracelet (Jacob), earrings (gift from Megan), socklets (Filodoro).

Jun 17th - Outfit #17 - Green Accents

I met up with my writer friend, Kathryn, today for lunch. She's so very encouraging about my own writing, and it's good to touch base with her about it outside of our book club. 

Of course, I dressed up a bit for lunch.

I've changed my toenail polish from yellow to green, so expect green accents for at least the next week!

This is the second wear of my swing coat (last seen here), and more than ever, I'm convinced that this will be gone at the end of the month. I'm just not feelin' it.

The green top underneath is a camisole, so it isn't part of the capsule.

My fabulous sail pants make another appearance (last seen here). They were lovely for walking to and from town in, and made flapping noises. The shoes (last worn here) are as comfy as ever.

I'm also wearing balsa wood pop-art green hoop earrings. They also blew around in the wind. They are pre-blog, from about 7 years ago.

Jacket (Willi Smith, consignment), camisole (Smart Set), pants (Noa Noa), shoes (Enzo Angiolini, consignment), earrings (Le Chateau).

Jun 16th - Outfit #16 - Weekend Stripes

Happy Saturday! A quiet day for L and I, but we went for lunch, so that called for an outfit. 

L always dresses nice when we go out as well! Those are a lovely pair of sample Fluevogs he got several years ago.

Me, I'm doing some simple stuff: this striped top again (last seen here) and my white denim long shorts (last seen here, 1st outfit).

Also my black platform sandals for doing a bit of walking around (last worn here).

As I don't have a lot of casual stuff in my wardrobe this month, I donned my jean jacket.

Added a bunch of my punkish accessories (cuffs, silver earrings) and I was perfectly dressed for a diner brunch.

Jacket (Ann Taylor Loft), top (Finnegan's by Truworths, consignment), shorts (Contrast, thrifted), shoes (Kenneth Cole Reaction, consignment). 

Jun 15th - Outfit #15 - This or That - Yellow and Neutrals

Click to see the week's list at MeganMaeDaily.com - and visit the other participants!

Woo! Happy Friday! This has felt like a long week, so I am so glad it's over. Although blog-wise, it's been a lot of fun. A big THANK YOU to Megan Mae and Keely for hosting another amazingly fun fashion challenge! Please make sure you stop in and thank these awesome women, and also visit all the other cool chicks who participated in the challenge!

Today's "This or That: Trend" was pastel or neon. Yikes. Being in a neutrals-only capsule for June means I have to add colour via accessories. I'm not so much into the neon thing (I did it in the mid-80s, been there, done that, don't really care to repeat it), but I thought I could pull some pastels into the mix via accessories. I like that the "new pastels" are a little more vibrant than the baby-pale versions of the past. More saturated hues means they're more flattering on more skin tones, am I right?

Anyhoo, here we go.

I'm happy to have my blonde streak nice and big again!

I have only one more "fresh" item in this capsule that I haven't worn, now that I've finally worn this Tommy Hilfiger shirt. Stay tuned next week, as I'll definitely be including this last mystery item in an outfit!

I got this shirt not too long ago, back in October. It was last worn here in November. It was only $2.00 (yes, really!) in a thrift store, so my cost per wear is down to less than a dollar! That's awesome!

I'm wearing a shell-style cami under it (shell-style meaning the yellow top isn't t-shirt or poly knit, but is a woven fabric) to bring in some yellow as my pastel shade. The cami doesn't count as a capsule item.

These cream sail pants make another appearance (last seen here on Day 1).

I added my fruit bag and yellow silk scarf again to add another pop of pale yellow.

I'm wearing my pearlized cream flats again (last worn here, 2nd outfit, along with the same bag/scarf).

Someone came in for a sniff

For accessories, I'm wearing a gold leaf on a silver chain, gold hoop earrings, my Wendy B ring and the same silver snake ring I wore yesterday. Viva mixed metals!

Have a fabulous weekend, my gorgeous fellow bloggers and readers!

Shirt (Tommy Hilfiger, thrifted), cami (RW & Co., consignment), pants (Noa Noa), shoes (Artisan by Clark's, consignment).

Jun 14th - Outfit #14 - This or That - Black and Leopard

Click to see the week's list at MeganMaeDaily.com - and visit the other participants!

Another busy day - I just got back from getting my hair cut (and my blonde streak refreshed!), and I'm hungry and the wine is a-calling!

Today's "This or That: Trend" was coloured bottoms or printed bottoms. As I don't have any colour in June's capsule, I had to go for a printed bottom - and duh, of course I did leopard!

Another "fresh" item in this capsule, i.e. not worn yet item, is this brown satin blouse. I've had this blouse for oh, gosh, about 4 years. I think I last wore it here - there are links in that post going back to August 2009, but I'm pretty sure I've had it longer.

This is my second wear of my leopard skirt (last seen here).

It's a bit hard to see, but I'm wearing my black stomacher over the blouse, with a belt over that. I loved the brown blouse with the leopard skirt...but I didn't put any brown shoes in this capsule, so I had to pull in black (I'm also wearing a black camisole underneath the blouse) to go with the black shoes (last worn here).

Then I felt like I needed a lot of silver. Shiny, shiny!

I feel like a cowboy when I wear this belt! I added the feather and the snake ring. "There's a snake in my boot!"

Happy almost weekend!

Blouse and cami (Esprit), stomacher (InWear), skirt (Club Monaco), belt (thrifted), ring (80s vintage), feather (consignment).