Blog, Interrupted

Houston, we have a problem. 

More accurately, instead of saying Houston I should say the name of our cable company. Our Internet is on the blink. 

It started about a week ago. I woul sporadically lose service but, after a few minutes, service would be restored. Then it became more frequent and I became more and more frustrated. 

Last Thursday night, I put up a post. It took me the entire evening to create a single post. The ENTIRE evening. I wanted to cry. Needless to say, I can't visit you, answer emails, or post anything until the cable company works us into their busy schedule. 

I am sitting in a restaurant right now, laboriously trying to type this on my phone.  Hopefully, our service  will be repaired quickly and I will be back in the blogging usiness.  Please don't forget about me until then!

Thrift Scores

 

 

In a previous post, I showed you some of my recent thrifting

finds. I had some requests to do another post like it.

 

Damn...go thrifting again?

 

OK. If you insist!

 

The booties that you see above are by Traffic and have never been worn. $5.95

 

 

 

American Living sweater $4.94

 

This is the line that Ralph Lauren designed for J.C. Penney

for 5 years. However, this collaboration ended last summer.

 

 

Alya sweater $4.94

Blue webbing belt $2.92

 

This sweater is incredibly light, making it a great weight

to wear into early spring. I was fortunate enough to find a

belt at the same Goodwill that is the perfect shade of blue

to give it an additional punch of color.

 

 

An Elizabeth and James dress for $5.95? Yes, please!

They retail for $350-$500!

 

 

Jones New York wool embroidered wool vest $2.92

 

I mentioned recently that I am a vest fanatic.

Here I am, feeding my addiction!

 

 

A.J. vest $2.92

 

This vintage gem is made from woven strips of suede. I might

 just have to pair this with my vintage suede skirt!

 

 

And these are the boots I'll wear with them!

 

Tony Lama cowboy boots $6.96

 

These boots are still available online for more than $200!!

Being from Texas, I love me some cowboy boots so I was

jumping up and down when I found these!

 

 

3 J Workshop embroidered shirt $4.94

 

This label is a division of the label Johnny Was.

These blouses retail for $200 and up!

 

 

Apt. 7 leather skirt $4.94

 

 

Ann Taylor Loft black/white houndstooth skirt $4.94

 

 

(No label) Velvet dress $5.95

 

I rarely wear dresses but I saw a glimpse of this burnout velvet sticking

out of a very crowded rack. When I saw the style, I knew

I had to try it on. It fit like it was made for me.

How could I say no?

 

 

Here is a closeup of the fabric and detailing.

 

I will have to wear something under it!

 

 

I found this gorgeous reversible velvet/satin wrap on the same visit.

 

$1.91!

 

 

Trina Turk top $4.94

 

Trina Turk tops generally sell between $200-$300!

 

 

Love the sleeve treatment!

 

 

Lux embroidered top $4.94

 

This top has just the boho vibe that I love for warmer weather.

 

My favorite part?

 

 

The oversized embroidered hood!

 

I can't wait to wear this.

 

Happy thrifting, ladies!



Urban Jungle

 

 

For 20 years, Mariuccia Mandelli featured a wild animal splashed

across each of her collections for Krizia.

 

 

 These novelty sweaters became highly coveted and

collected. This is the sweater that she created in 1981.

 

 

In 2009, Stella McCartney paid homage to these iconic

sweaters by bringing the trend back to life. Since then, animal

novelty sweaters have been popping up on street style blogs and

 designers have gone on to expand the look to other categories.

 

         Manish Arora                                   Kishimoto                            de Castelbajac   

 

 

That's why I was so excited to find this sweater at Goodwill

for $4.94! I have no idea how old it is and I really don't care.

 

it 

 

I have always been a sucker for animal prints so it 

was fun to embrace this take on them, especially since I

remember the Krizia sweaters but could never afford them.

 

 

This one, however, was definitely in my price range!

 

 

I paired the sweater with these pants that I found at T. J. Maxx.

The fabric is treated to look like distressed leather but it's not,

nor is it pleather.

 

 

Have you noticed that something is missing?

 

 

No cap!

 

I finally got my hair cut and colored for my nephew's wedding.

In the winter, I tend to forgo visits to the hairdresser because

I love to wear hats. But I thought that my "silver halo" (better

 known as grey roots) would not be appropriate at

the wedding so I took the plunge.

 

 

Because it was so cold, I added this grey wool coat. I love

the contrasting color on the cuff, collar, and trim. I also love the

hood, which we did not take a picture of.

 

Linking up at:

Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style

What I Wore Wednesdays at The Pleated Poppy 

 

Animal print sweater (no tag)--$4.94 Thrifted

Jolt black skinnies--$19.99

C/WS grey wool coat--$8.98 Thrifted

Franco Sarto black booties--$29 Marshall's

Hair cut & color--Priceless!



Vested Interest

 

 

I have a passion for vests.

 

I always have.

 

One of my fondest memories dates back to my childhood when

my father took me to the movies. It was just the two of us, a

very rare daddy-daughter date night. I wore a fringed chambray

vest that had different colored beads scattered across the fringe. I

clearly remember the sartorial thrill that I received from that vest.

 I felt a flower-power, hippie mojo I hadn't felt before. In my

young girl's mind, I was too cool for words.

 

As I grew older and my sartorial repertoire expanded, vests

were still never far from my heart.

 

In the 90's, they became my uniform. It's very hard for me to

wear just a top and a pair of pants. Living in south Georgia at

the time, it was usually too hot to wear a jacket so I would

reach for a vest. I felt that they added polish to whatever I

was wearing, whether it was casual shorts or a nice skirt.

 

But, I can be fickle. At some point, my love affair with

vests cooled and I donated most of my collection.

 

What the hell was I thinking?

 

 

Now that I am in the throes of my own personal tropical flashes,

regardless of the time of year, I am in need of in love with vests again!

 

 

I found this vest when we went to Orlando for Thanksgiving.

A new Burlington had just opened and it was packed with the

best selection I've ever seen. There was only one of these

faux fur vests left and I snapped it up! At $29.99,

it was too good to be true.

 

I love to wear black, head to toe. But when I do, I like to

vary textures to create dimension.

 

 

The polish of the faux leather cap...

 

 

The sparkle of the faceted necklace...

 

 

The sheen of the faux fur vest...

 

The sleek faux leather belt...

 

 

All set against the matte background of the black

 turtleneck and black jeggings.

 

My other favorite part of this outfit?

 

 

These booties!

 

They were marked down to $13 at Marshall's! Woo hoo!

 

So, be forewarned. I have lots of vests that I wear in warmer

weather. It won't be long before they start showing

up on these pages!

 

 

Black faux leather cap--$8.99 Burlington

Black earrings--Target?

Black faceted necklace--Forever 21

Joseph A black turtleneck--$16.99 Ross

Kristen Blake belted faux fur vest--$29.99 Burlington

XOXO black jeggings--$29 Fox's Designer Off Price

New York Transit black booties--$13 Marshall's

Brrr, Baby, Brrr!

 

 

I get rather frustrated at this time of year.

 

 

It's that in-between-seasons time when spring is beckoning but I'm

not through with my love affair with fall and winter clothes. I love

the richness of the fabrics and the luxe look of layering. The

oppressive heat of southern summers does not allow for either!

 

 Also, I get panicky because there are so many favorites

that never made it into rotation. This past winter has been

unseasonably warm, preventing me from wearing many of my

favorite coats, jackets, and sweaters. My employer also

keeps the thermostat way too high for my tastes, making it

even more difficult to indulge my passion for layers.

 

 

Then, just as it seemed that winter was just a rumor that

never came to pass, it suddenly got very cold. Down in

the 20's and 30's kind of cold. In March. Crazy! My poor,

confused tree that was starting to bud got a

very rude awakening!

 

So what's a blogger to do?

 

I see bloggers who have already jumped stiletto first

into spring with great gusto. I see them teetering around

in front of snowdrifts wearing nothing more than a

skimpy silk sheath and sky high strippy sandals.

 

 

Why?

 

This seems to be a phenomenon that is peculiar to

bloggers. Other forms of media don't do that. Magazines

 and retailers either shoot in a studio or transport the models

 and photographer to an appropriately warm location.

 

 

I get that bloggers can't do that.

 

But aren't these supposed to be platforms to show our

personal style and what we wear to work, to school, to play?

I highly doubt those bloggers are truly wearing those warm

weather ensembles in real life! Why not dress for now and

show us how you stay warm? There will be plenty of time

in the future once spring truly arrives!

If you live in a warm climate, then of course you should
show weather appropriate outfits.

 

But if you live where Old Man Winter still rules the thermometer
 and you feel compelled to jump start the spring season,
 at least shoot indoors!

 

 

You will continue to see me in warm layers until the weather

truly changes. Then, I will have to face the nightmare of switching

 out the contents of my closet, a job I truly detest!

 

 

Until then,this is how I dressed for wind chills in the 20's recently!

 

Partying at:
Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style
Monday Mingle at Glamamom
My Style, Your Style @ Lily among Thorns
 

Black D&Y military cap--$8.99 Ross

Style & Co. black turtleneck--$4.94 Thrifted

Wet Seal black puffy coat with hood--$8.98 Thrifted

Treasure Rock black cord skinnies--$29 Fox's Off Price Designer

Copper, gold, black metallic scarf--$9.99 Ross

Steve Madden leather belt--$2.92 Thrifted

Brown studded booties--$6.96 Thrifted

Brown bag--$20.99 Ross