Wardrobe Challenge Week - Day 4

Today's outfit:
Kept it simple (no belt! ha!), and just played with colour and texture today. I actually really liked this outfit and would probably wear it again. Today was the first day that people noticed that I was repeating things I'd worn earlier this week (the skirt is rather distinctive).

The pieces:

Aqua turtleneck
Floral skirt

Brown boots

Gold hoop earrings

Brown/gold necklace

Red bracelet.

Sweater (Smart Set), skirt (Mexx), boots (Roberto Vianni), necklace & bracelet (Plum), gold hoop earrings (gift).

Wardrobe Challenge Week - Day 3

I am starting to get sick of this belt. And these accessories. And the shoes.

I'm still good with the clothes, but am predicting that as of Friday, I will be quite thoroughly tired of everything I've worn all week.

Anyway, today!

This is the brown dress that I wore out for dinner the other night, only worn to look like a skirt, with the coral sweater over top. Comfy and it looks all right. I'm starting to crave other colours...and black!

The pieces:
Boots!

The Dreaded Belt, which is making an appearance one more time.

The brown/gold necklace.

I never really get tired of gold hoops. My really big ones used to be a signature thing for me - I wore them with everything.

The brown dress. A lovely dress - it will be great for traveling. Worth the $24.

And the coral sweater. Great colour.

Dress (no tag, consignment), sweater (Esprit), belt (Plum), boots (Roberto Vianni), necklace (Plum), earrings (gift).

Wardrobe Challenge Week - Day 2

Today's outfit:
I was pleased with this overall. I do love the greeny-turquoise of this sweater.

Today's outfit pieces:

Turquoise turtleneck sweater:

Brown plaid pants:

Brown suit jacket:

Gold shoes:Brown belt: Gold hoop earrings: Turquoise/red/brown/gold necklace:
Jacket (Kenzie), pants (Vero Moda), sweater (Smart Set), shoes (Aerosoles), belt (Plum), gold hoops (gift), necklace (Plum).

Wardrobe Challenge Week - Day: Evening

Adding to the technical difficulty overall, I had an evening event to go to: dinner out with another couple. Fun and drinking ensued, but one must look fabulous. But what to do?

A dress is essential! Keep it nice and simple with some pretty shoes:Add a few accessories for visual interest: The hoop earrings again.
A funky turquoise, red stone, brown stone necklace strung with gold thread.

The red bracelet again:

Top it with a lovely deep purple satin raincoat:

This camera - colour does not show up well, my apologies!

And here I am ready to socialize:

And a shot of me in the coat:

Non-wardrobe challenge item: nude fishnets.

"But Sheila, where's your purse?" Ha! I didn't carry one - I stuffed my ID and credit/debit cards in one pocket and lipgloss and keys in another. You don't need a purse!

Dress (unknown, consignment), shoes (Aerosoles, NYC), necklace, bracelet (Plum), raincoat (London Fog), gold hoop earrings.

Wardrobe Challenge Week - Day 1: Daytime

Okay, I spent a lot of time coordinating my outfits this week - it involved spreadsheets and lists and finally....6 total outfits. And really, I think I could have made more outfits, easy-peasy. This would make a good travel list of clothes. Throw in a few more accessories, another pair of shoes, maybe one or two more items - and I could last 2 weeks, maybe. even. more.

Still, it feels weird to not have the novelty of new clothing items every day (not that all my clothes are new, but you know where I'm headed with this, right? Right!).

Onwards!

Accessories:
My favourite brown leather boots!
The Most Excellent Brown Belt. The classic gold hoop earrings - they'll be worn all week.

The faux wood and gold necklace.

The red bead bracelet.

The clothing items:

The turquoise silk/cotton cardi.

The very versatile floral skirt.

And voila! The ensemble for Day 1:

The lighting at home is not the same as it is at work. At home, the turquoise goes very well with the skirt, but at work, where we have buzzing overhead lighting, the turquoise does not match. This is okay as long as you don't point it out to anyone.

Overall, I'm pleased with the outfit. Note that I doubled the necklace around my neck to make it shorter (oh yes, you'll be seeing a lot of it this week).

Cardigan (I.N.C.), skirt (Mexx), boots (Roberto Vianni), belt (Plum), necklace & bracelet (Plum), gold hoops (gift).

Wardrobe Challenge Week! Here's the Wardrobe

Okay, I've spent hours going through my closet, readying myself for Jane's Wardrobe Challenge! This is going to be hard, especially since I rarely wear the same outfit twice, much less the same items multiple times in one week.

I decided to go with some of my favourite colour combinations: brown, coral and turquoise with gold accents. There will be NO BLACK all week.

Clothing/shoes (10 items only):
1. Brown dress (unknown brand, consignment)
2. Brown plaid pants (Vero Moda)
3. Floral skirt (Mexx)
4. Turquoise turtleneck (Smart Set)
5. Coral sweater (Esprit)
6. Turquoise cardigan (I.N.C.)
7. Denim vest (Bisou Bisou, consignment)
8. Brown jacket (Kensie)
9. Gold shoes (Aerosoles)
10. Brown boots (Roberto Vianni)

Accessories (5 items only):
1. Brown belt
2. Gold hoop earrings
3. Wood/gold necklace
4. Turquoise/red/brown/gold necklace
5. Red bead bracelet

Coat (1 only):
Purple raincoat (London Fog)

Bag (1 only):
Leopard rocker chick bag (Betsyville, Betsy Johnson)

Underwear and hosiery do not count; neither do the clothes I wear to walk to and from work; neither does my knapsack that I use while walking; and neither do my scarf, gloves or hat that I may require during said walking.

All that stuff is essential and I'm not giving up a piece of clothing or a necklace so that I can stop my fingers from turning blue. It's only 3 degrees in the mornings (that's in the mid/high 30s for you Americans) - too cold! I will also be wearing scarf/gloves with my coat when I go out on Monday night, and on Friday (when I don't walk to work).

I am including an extra outfit to make this extra challenging: we're going out for dinner with my best friend and her man to a chi-chi restaurant on Monday night. However, I am NOT including the formal event we are attending on Friday night, as it calls for a long gown. No way could I work that!

Deep breath: here goes!

Purple Velvet

I've had this purple velvet blazer for nearly a year, but I almost never wear it. It's an angled double-breasted style, so it can't be worn unbuttoned. I do love the rich deep purple (which doesn't show up in this picture very well at all. Grr. This is what I get for having a cheap camera...but it's better than no camera. Take my word for it - this is rich purple!
That's my new skirt that I got last weekend. It's that nice faux suede; washable, light and comfortable. I used to have a long-ish skirt in this colour but gave it to Elaine...and wouldn't you know, she was wearing it today! With a purple patterned top! Too funny.

The scarf is one of my treasures. I liberated it from...my dad, back in about 1985-86. I used to wear it in my hair or tied at my neck (either draped or doubled around again so it made sort of a collar). Dad was in a dance band back in the 60s and they all wore matching outfits (hee), and this was part of his "uniform".

A close-up:
It's so soft and pretty. I love all the colours in it - it goes with anything. My dad died over 11 years ago, and I always feel close to him when I wear something of his. *smile*

Forgive the hair - I forgot my mousse today, ha!

Blazer (Jacob), cami (not visible, InWear), skirt (Marc D'Alcy), boots (Roberto Vianni), scarf (Dad's, vintage), big gold hoop earrings.

Mellow Yellow

There is something about yellow that I love. Right off the bat, I can think of a ton of yellow clothing items that I've owned over the years:
- dress trimmed with daisies (c. 1972)
- halter top and matching shorts (c. 1976)
- belted blouse (c. 1982)
- polo shirt (c. 1984)
- cropped leg cotton overalls (c. 1984)
- pumps (c. 1985)
- oversized shaker knit sweater (c. 1985) - worn with the pumps and stirrup pants, ha!
- dropped waist t-shirt dress (c. 1985)
- swirl print yellow sheath dress (c. 2002)
- raincoat (c. 2006)

And now I own a yellow:
- cardigan (I actually have 2)
- sweater
- satin blouse
- patent clutch
- patent strappy sandals
- silk skirt
This is the sweater - $16.99 plus an extra 30% off - score! This outfit also features Celia's skirt, my first time wearing black fishnets to the office (ooh), and my newish skinny belt.

I love wearing grey and yellow together because it gives me the opportunity to wear Grandma J's Anne Klein necklace.

See, Anne Klein:

Probably early 80s. Doesn't the sweater have a nice heathered texture?

Sweater (Kersh), blouse (Vero Moda), skirt (Mexx, gift from Celia), tights (Hue), shoes (Wild Diva), belt (Expressions), necklace (Anne Klein, Grandma J's), rhinestone earrings.

Blue Monday

I had a wee shopping trip on the weekend, so as usual, this week's outfits will feature the new things. I'm off on Thursday and Friday, so there won't be any Work Outfits those days. Although it isn't Thanksgiving up in Canada, I am a passionate NFL football fan, so I'm sitting home and watching TV all day. Yee haw!

Right. Enough of that. Found this top on the clearance rack at the Bay for $17.99 plus 40% off. The regular price was $99.00. Crazy!
I wore the velvet blazer done up all day, since the top is rather drapey without some waist definition. I'll probably do it with a belt at some point.

I like the "faux necklace" look of the decoration. A close-up:

I love those shoes, too.

Blazer (RW & Co.), top (Nygard Collection), pants (Vero Moda), shoes (Seychelles), gold filigree earrings.

Casual Friday - Red Boots

Okay, you know you have a lot of clothes when you forget you own things. Aside from the red boots (which I "found" when I cleaned out my closet a few weeks back), I totally forgot about this lovely black cashmere sweater!
I thought I'd go simple and classic with the pop of the red boots and the punch of the purple leather belt.

Since I walk 45 minutes each way to work Monday to Thursday, I don't wear most of my outerwear very often. This is my treasured red cashmere coat and my fuzzy hat. It was supposed to be really windy today.

A shot of the boots:

And a shot of the accessories. I paid around $30 for this belt and it was REALLY discounted. I got it in a very expensive store (naturally I made a bee-line for the sale section). It's by Brave Leather, a Canadian company. It's a very stiff leather, and so the purple colour has cracked quite a bit since I've owned it (about 3 years).

My mom's "I bought it from some hippie in the 70s" choker.

Happy weekend!

Sweater (Expression), jeans (Esprit), belt (Brave Belts), boots (Pino Ferri), choker (vintage, Mom's), gold hoop earrings. Coat (Planet), scarf (gift from Mom, London), hat (?, consignment).

A Pop of Purple

This is the outfit I've been looking forward to wearing the most all week. When I found this dress last spring, I knew that even though it seemed really dressy because of the beaded neckline, it would be a good work dress, if worn with a bit of flare. I haven't worn it for a few months...but I know I've worn it twice before, though.
I like it with the turtleneck. My legs are the Pop of Purple, of course - and stripey too!

A shot of the lovely neckline and the great bracelet:

My only complaint: these were not control top tights. I had Saggy Crotch Syndrome all day.

Dress (Kensie), turtleneck (Smart Set), tights (?), shoes (JLo), bracelet (Le Chateau), black stone/silver earrings.

All About the Colour

Every so often when I'm choosing the week's outfits, my eye lights on an item and I think, "I haven't worn this for a while. I need to wear this!" The acid yellow (if you want to get technical, it's called zinc chromate) cardigan was The Thing I Had to Wear.

I also hadn't worn my new teal blue cami yet, and hey, didn't that look like a great colour combo? What bottom do they go with? Why, my go-to skirt, old Mrs. Tweedy. And let's throw in some red shoes (but a muted red, to go with the other muted, not-quite bright colours), and an orange necklace, shall we?
Could have been a dog's breakfast, but I lucked out. I was freezing all day, though. Must remember: long sleeves in Fall/Winter, Sheila!

The shoes are going to get replaced at some point. They are just a smidge too big and I tend to step out of them when I'm wearing them.

Heh, I was being circled by the sharks while doing my picture:
Feed us!

A shot of the accessories:

A good look at the tweed skirt too. See all the nice colours in there?

Cardigan (Jacob), camisole (RW & Co.), skirt (Kenzie), belt (Plum), shoes (Le Chateau), necklace & earrings (Plum), nylons (Hue).