Every Body Every Wear Thrift edition; A little bit Naut(ty) and Pattern Play

When EBEW posted that today would be thrift day, I had two conflicting thoughts.

First, "FABULOUS. This theme is SO ME. 3/4 of my wardrobe is thrifted. I have to remember to do this EBEW."

Then I thought, "oh. maybe it's not a special theme for me, since every outfit I wear incorporates thrifted pieces."

But of course I gotta do it! In fact, I've thought about hosting a reader feature of fashion bloggers wearing their thrifty outfits. But, I didn't know whether there would be enough interest.

On a side note, if you are interested in getting into thrifting, check out my Guide to Thrifting Shoes, and What to Wear While Thrifting posts for some tips.

Now, on to TWO EBEW themed outfits today. That's right, I gotta show some thrifting chops :)

EBEW Thrift Look#1: Professionally Nautical

I wore this earlier this week. The dress/jumper, jacket, and necklace are thrifted finds. I love the cute little anchors on this dress. And although bright colors are my usual playground, navy-colored clothes take up a large spot in my closet. In fact, I like navy more than black. Black washes me out and makes me look super goth with my pale skin and dark hair.

Not one to forgo color completely, I thought the pop of the red necklace was great compliment to the nautical feel of the outfit. The blazer made the flirty jumper more work appropriate. I also added a smidge of length by wearing a lace-fringed slip underneath.

For those of you not in Seattle, you may be confused by how I'm not getting heat stroke from the blazer and tall boots. Well, it's been rainy and chilly in Seattle this summer. So I've had to work on ways to dress summery-ish, but still stay warm :)

EBEW Look #2: Thrifty pattern play

When I thrifted this sweater, my husband was skeptical. In his mind there wasn't an outfit that could work with this pattern. So what did I do?

I paired the pattern with more pattern. duh.

Pattern + pattern = FUN. Y'all should definitely try it. Mixing patterns makes people think think you're some kind of style savvy chica... or something.

I used to be afraid of mixing patterns. I'd gaze at Anna Sui runway collections in awe, and wonder how she knew such intricate patterns could go together. How would I know what patterns would work together? Honestly, I never really thought through my tactics before jumping in, but I think I've picked up on a few tips. Tune back in over the next few days for a Pattern Primer Post (always loved me some alliteration).

In this outfit, I thrifted the dress, the sweater, the belt, the necklace, and the shoes. BAM! Yah, it's the blue plate special of outfits.

EBEW Look#1 Specs
Espada grey blazer sz 3 (thrifted $8)
Chunky red necklace (thrifted $4)
Xhilaration Juniors Swim Coverup Dress Anchor Print sz S (thrifted $4)
Anthro's Navy Garland Slip by Eloise sz S ($30)
White H&M divided t-shirt sz 8 ($8)
Brown Franco Sarto knee-high boots ($25)
Forever 21 Leatherette Bow Belt in dark brown ($3.80) sold out online, still available in stores

EBEW Look#2 Specs
Merona Collection Women's Printed Cardigan Sweater sz XS (thrifted $6)
Forever 21 patterned lace applique dress sz S (thrifted $6)
Butterfly locket necklace (thrifted $4)
blue skinny belt (thrifted 99 cents)
Forever 21 rosette hair clips ($1.50)
Seychelles brown pumps (thrifted $6)

EBEW - Florals!!

Last Everybody Everywear, I completely forgot about wearing a maxi dress. So this time when florals came up, I actually stuck it in my google calendar. And I set up reminders. Despite what you may think from this blog, I tend to pick out my outfits on the fly (and in a hurry) in the mornings... Well, maybe you can believe it, because here are definitely some duds. But I forgive me, lol.

That said, even though I knew I would be wearing florals, I didn't know what. When I picked up this Tracy Reese silk skirt at Goodwill, I knew it would be the 'floral' part of the ensemble. But I kinda threw together the other parts on a whim. In fact, looking back, I'm not even sure I like the Precious Materials Cardigan with the outfit. But maybe it's just that I like the green shirt underneath better.


Tungsten shows y'all his annoyed 'gimme some food' face

Not to be out done, Asha jumped on my tummy when taking shirt pics.. Whatcha sniffing Asha?

I wore my florals out for a pastry bloggy date with Sammie from Oui Sammie. She looked absolutely darling decked out in head-to-toe Anthro: Breezy Polkas Cardigan, De Chelley dress, and Spectator Espadrilles. Props to styling girlfriend! You looked so fab whereas I look... kinda like I have a mullet?! :D

See more pics from the meet up over here at Sammie's blog.

EBEW Florals OOTD
Tracy Reese silk beige floral skirt sz 6 altered to fit at the waist (thrifted $6) similar here, here
Anthro Dewpoint Blouse sz 0 ($20) similar here, here
Anthro Precious Materials Cardigan sz S ($60)
Brown Franco Sarto knee-high boots ($25) similar here
Anthro Three-beacons Belt sz S ($34) similar here

What I love right now...

1. New Patisseries in my hood


BTW, if you're in Seattle, the goat cheese and tomato tart at Ines Patisserie is delish.

2. Hubby learning to multitask


3. Walking/running with the Budzor


4. Surprise notes


5. Non-tight-wearing weather

6. The photography and tips at iheartfaces. (I learned how to create a watermark-specific brush in Photoshop! See below for results)

7. Grace Harbor Farms Guernsey Honey Yogurt. SO amazing. Apparently milk from Guernsey cows is sweeter and has more beta-carotene than other milk. All I know is that I had a bowl for dessert... Ev asked for a bite, and then proceeded to serve himself 3 bowls full.

(You can buy this in the Seattle area at these locations or through your Full Circle farms grocery box).

8. Mint green

I've found a new love of mint green (which I'll admit I always thought was turquoise-ish). This love played out in two of my outfits last week! Pardon the pic positioning as I didn't actually look at the pics before running out the door!

Tuesday


Wednesday

Yeah, so you're like 'where's the mint green?' And I'm all like, 'I got your mint green right huuuuuuurr....'

A BIG shout out to Kim at Anthroholic for posting about this Lauren Conrad trench at Kohl's, and for advising me on the fit!

I had never been to a Kohl's before. We didn't have any near me when I was growing up, and I never seem to come across them. It's also not like me to seek out a celebrity fashion line.

By the time I decided I wanted to try this coat, the coat had already sold out in smaller sizes online. I didn't even realize the smallest size in the line was a size 2! Calling around to the nearest Kohl's, I found the smallest size they had was a 4, which I thought might be too big on me. Also, since it's a celebrity line, I worried about the quality. So I gave up on buying it.

But this coat haunted me with it's beautiful unusual shade (for a trench coat) and feminine detail that didn't consist of ruffles at the hips (whih makes me look waaay wide). Finally, I asked Kim how she liked hers. When I heard the size 2 fit her well, I knew the 4 would fit ok since Kim seems to run smaller than me in Anthro clothes.

I was decently impressed with Lauren Conrad's line. I liked the styles of the items I saw at the store. I didn't try on anything else, since I was only there for the coat, but I really like this coat! The pretty flowery lining is a nice touch. And the fact that this detail carried over to line the pockets was a wonderful surprise. It's also the perfect weight for a Spring coat! I may keep an eye on her line in the future.



See the coat on Kim here.

Tuesday OOTD specs
Anna and Frank silk green shirt sz S (thrifted $4) similar here
H&M mustard yellow cardigan sz 6 ($20) similar here
Banana Republic cream wool mini skirt sz 2 (thrifted $) similar here
Banana Republic calf hair belt (thrifted $4) similar on sale here
grey tights
Brown Franco Sarto knee-high boots ($25) similar here

Wednesday OOTD specs
Lauren Conrad Trench Coat size 4 ($55) on ebay here, or similar here, here
Xhilaration lace cardigan sz M ($10) still available here for $10 and other colors for $7!
H&M big pocketed skirt sz XS ($15)
Anthropologie Tellicherry Belt ($15)
black Kirkland tank sz S ($6?)
black tights
black talbots t-strap pumps (thrifted $8?) similar here, here

Spring growth

Happy Spring everyone (in the Northern hemisphere)! Yesterday, I popped into my backyard and I noticed that things have started to grow. When the heck did that happen?

These are some mini daffodils I bought a few years ago to brighten up my office at school. When the flowers died back, I dug them out of their pot and stuck them in a corner of my yard. This is the second year they've popped up since relocation!

I planted three clematis last year, and one of them is already going crazy with regrowth and flowers!

I never noticed Euphorbia much until I moved to Seattle. But I love the plants architectural shape and the flowers look like a bijillion little alien space ships. So cool!

Hellebores make me so happy because they start "blooming" so early! They do really well on our back hill, so I've planted quite a few of them out there now. Ev doesn't like them that much tho, so I kept myself from buying more when I saw some gorgeous large ones at Costco yesterday.

It's funny, because I was out in the yard just two weeks ago, and I didn't see much going on back then. But now my peonies have pushed through the soil, and there's a ton of new growth everywhere. (of course, my allergies are starting to go haywire now too!)

Btw, it was definitely weird to pop out to the yard a couple weeks ago for a quick pic and not have Buddie running around me. But we pick him up next weekend! I can't wait to hug him!!!

If you're wondering 'what the heck is she staring at in this pic?' Well, so am I. I know there are lots of weeds back there. Think of that look as a look of dread... dreading having to go out there and dig up all those dandelion roots!

Weed staring OOTD Specs
J.Crew wool windowpane blazer Fall 2005 sz 4 (thrifted $5)
Loft striped 3/4 sleeve shirt ($4 thrifted)
Lisa Skinny Jeans by Fire Jeans sz 5 (thrifted $7)
Dr. Scholl's boots ($20)


In other news, I met up with fellow style-blogger and Seattle-ite, Oui Sammie, on St. Patrick's day. Sammie is such a sweetie, and she is just as gorgeous and stylish in person as she is on her blog. But we were both bad bloggers and forgot to take pics (we got really caught up chatting about Seattle, California, and life) :D

I hadn't planned on wearing green, but last minute I threw on this green dress. I hadn't ever winterized this dress before, and I'm not sure I was so successful this time.


St. Paddy's Day OOTD
BCBGMaxazaria green dress sz XSP (thrifted $7)
Martin & Osa Birch Rose silk tie-front top sz L ($15)
Ann Taylor Loft Cocoon Sweater sz XS ($25)
grey tights
Brown Franco Sarto knee-high boots

I'm Serious Business!

Tomorrow we leave with Budz to bring him out to the radiation center. It's going to be a six hour drive, and we'll be going through some snow and ice. I'm hoping everything goes smoothly, and Budz won't feel too cooped up in the car. It's really been hitting home that he's going to be gone for awhile. Evan and I keep pouncing on him with big hugs (and then our kitty Asha comes over and whines because she gets jealous when any other animal gets attention). :(

Friday I had the chance to talk about some of my new data. I wanted to look a bit more professional, but still have some character. So I put together this polyvore the night before as a destresser.

I think it ended up working! I am actually wearing my boots, which may seem silly because you can't see them, but because the weather has been so chilly in Seattle, I wanted to wear boots as an extra layer of warmth.

I got the Southern Season Blouse off ebay, knowing it might be too big for me... it is. But I still love it quite a lot. The embroidery on the sleeves and bottom is really interesting and lovely. And I really like the light woven texture of the fabric itself. I haven't decided whether to take it in, or whether I should see if anyone on EA would be interested in a trade for a smaller size. However, with a cardigan over the top, I can reign the extra shirty-ness in. But, I still get pretty embroidery peeking out the bottom.

I added a lace tank underneath the blouse for another extra layer of warmth. I'm all about layering for warmth. But I still FROZE at the bus stop while I got snowed on...

The blazer included also adds warmth, but professionalism for my talk. I kinda love it with the cardigan, because I almost feel like I'm wearing a three piece suit. The glasses just scream....
"I'm totez serrrriiooooouuuss biznessssss!"

j/k you guys. I didn't wear the glasses during my talk!

In other news, I bought my first punjabi suit! My friends are getting married next weekend in Portland, and their having a dance-off at their Sangeet the night before. They asked my bestie and me to be in one of the dances. FUN, right?

ok, but now I need to learn some choreography in this next week! It's a bhangra dance. I hope I'm not going to be the weak link in the dance group. Choreography (and dancing) are not my strengths.

And, Thursday the choreographer asked all the dancers to wear Indian clothing for the dance. But I didn't actually own any Indian clothing!!! And, the idea of trying to find an Indian outfit in short notice, especially one that I would likely have no other occasion to wear it to, was a bit worrisome.

Luckily I knew that I'd seen Indian clothing at Goodwill fairly often. I picked up three options including a 3-piece punjabi suit. It's a fairly simple one, but it actually fits me pretty well. I just might take up the tunic length to fall to my knees rather than past them.

ootd, "What rain?"

So I don't know if you're like this, but when I buy something to wear (jewelry, shoes, blouses, skirts, etc), I wanna wear it right away. It can be semi-problematic if I have bought several items none of which go together well :) But it's also problematic if you are someone who waits for the end of season sale. Are you going to buy those awesome leather sandals in January when it's raining and you can't wear them for 6 months? (okay, I admit I've done this when I find a good deal, lol, but still! You know what I'm talking about!)

Yes, so that was my dilemma this morning you see. Thanks to Jennifer at Myriad of Muses I was able to get the Burlingame, CA store to ship me Tracy Reese's Speckled Ink dress when it FINALLY went on sale! And it arrived yesterday!! Wheee! And...

it's raining.

and grey.

But, I still wanted to wear it of course. But, could I style this decidedly summer dress appropriately for fall and not freeze? I had hope! Goldenmeans styled it with a cardigan when she wore it!

So I say, "What rain? I don't see any rain or grey skies."



In addition to adding a cardi, I layered a slip under the dress and wore tall boots to keep me warm.



I also used Cat's (of Anthrosdottir) method of looping skinny belts!





OOTD Specs
Anthro's Speckled Ink Dress from Plenty by Tracy Reese sz XS (sale $80)
Anthro's Navy Garland Slip by Eloise sz S (sale $30)
One Step Up brown cropped and hooded cardigan (thrifted $5)
Brown Franco Sarto knee-high boots ($25)
White grommeted skinny belt (thrifted 99 cents)


So I ask you readers, do you wear things the day after you bought them? And, can you buy something knowing you won't be able to wear it for a while? Or in the words of Tim Gunn, do you just "make it work"? :)

ootd - Southward Stop Shirtdress

A few weeks ago, I tried on and bought the Southward Stop Shirtdress by Maeve

I loved the fit and the feel of this dress. The corduroy is super soft, and I love the toile look. All the little details, the ruffles at the sleeves, the diagonal seaming across the chest, the polka dot accents, the pockets, EVERYTHING! The size 2 fit me well in the dressing room. So I bought it. Bit the bullet. Bought an Anthro piece at full price!! aggh.

Dressing room pics


The economical thrifty girl in me pretty much screamed. Thankfully, there's ebay! That night I found the same dress and got it for $50 cheaper on ebay! Phew! much better. I received it in the mail yesterday. I didn't even steam it before deciding to wear it today (silly me, things always look better without wrinkles and laying flat)

I paired it with my Love by Design army green cardigan, Franco Sarto boots, and Three Beacons Belt



btw, I wonder how other fashion bloggers decide how to pose while taking their pics. Staring straight at the camera and smiling feels so family gathering/document-the-moment. But posing makes me feel really unnatural too. I ended up just walking around (the two foot area) with the camera remote in my hand doin' random things snapping pics every so often...