Now You See Me

This morning I had work, to which I wear a uniform, so my clothing choice for most of the day wasn't particularly thrilling -- an American Tiger Martial Arts t-shirt and a pair of shorts and sandals (bare feet and kung fu pants for the actual time spent at work).

I spent my hours after work lazing around the house (mostly napping, to be perfectly honest) so I didn't feel the need to change. But boyfriend and I decided to see a movie this evening, and we haven't been out just the two of us in a while, so I opted for a slightly dressier look than my usual summer uniform of t-shirt and shorts. We ended up seeing Now You See Me, which turned out to be a thoroughly enjoyable summer movie, with some great acting from Mark Ruffalo.

The dress is from Tilly's. I bought it several summers ago (like...six maybe?), along with another dress that was the same in shape, but a completely different pattern. The other one didn't hold up well (one of the straps broke within days of buying it) but this one has lasted a long time. You can't tell from the photos, but it has pockets -- sometimes a bonus, like tonight, when I wasn't carrying a purse but wanted my chapstick, and sometimes an annoyance, when they get bunched up and cause cardigans to fall weird.

Speaking of, the cardigan is also several years old -- three or four probably. It has buttons most of the way up the front, but the bottom doesn't line up all that well when it's closed, so I usually wear it open. It is pretty much the perfect cardigan for summer -- short sleeved, light weight, and it goes with everything.

The shoes were purchased from Payless, I believe, also quite a while back. I don't wear them that often these days (they aren't the most comfortable pair of sandals I own) but Roxana, my sister, has taken to wearing them pretty regularly this summer. They match the print of my dress perfectly, even though I bought them at different times from different stores. I also have a straw fedora with a matching band -- again, purchased at a different store (Target) during a different summer. I rarely wear the three together; the effect is a little overwhelming.

My hair cut is new, courtesy of Angie Williams, homeschooling mom and hairstylist extraordinaire. It is so, so much more comfortable for summer. I love it being light and off my neck. It can't go into a ponytail, thanks to layers and my crazy thick hair, but it can still be tucked behind my ears, so it hasn't been a problem for teaching or working out. I love not having to put my hair up before I go run.

My necklace is a Delta Zeta (my sorority) lavaliere. It was a present from Daniel (AKA boyfriend) last Christmas. I love that it's silver, since I don't wear gold jewelry almost ever, and has a little sparkle but not too much. I'm not much of a jewelry girl, but I've worn this almost every day since I got it.

So there you have it. One summer date night outfit, all made up of several year old pieces. I love putting on a dress and knowing I've worn it a hundred times before. Not only do I enjoy remembering all the fun stuff I've done and cool places I've been in it, but I love that I got my moneys worth. This dress was about twenty bucks when I bought it, which means each time I wear it is basically costing me a few cents. Not bad.

A cool day in September

And I'm back! Been a few days. Not that I haven't been wearing adorable outfits since my last post, but I've been busily house-sitting, schooling and TV watching and haven't had a chance to update. So today I took a break from watching Buffy and got my awesome boyfriend to take some pictures for me.

Today is a little chilly, but I was expecting it to warm up later on in the day, so I opted for capri tights instead of footed ones. The tights came I believe from Target, a year or two ago (might be wrong about the store).  It's hard to tell in the pictures, but the bottoms of them have a band of lace that transitions from tight to skin a lot more smoothly than most tights.

The sneakers are also from Target. I love them. Comfy, casual, but black, which is always good to have. I own this particular pair of shoes in black, white and red/white/blue plaid, and I own a very similar pair from Payless that have comic book print on them. What can I say, I love sneakers. I wear sneakers with everything -- shorts, jeans, skirts, dresses, you name it, I've worn a pair of sneakers with it.

The socks were pulled out of my mom's drawer, so no clue on a brand or store there. I didn't think they were going to work (they're a little bit long, and have a pattern on them) but the pattern ended up complementing the lace nicely, so I rolled them down and went with it. I almost wore sandals, but the weather hasn't yet warmed up, so I'm glad I went with sneakers. 

You've seen the vest before -- I do really like it, and most of my outfits end up with some vest or other on top, especially in the Fall. Again, the lace on the vest ties in nicely with the lace on the tights, which I really like.

Where the dress/shirt came from, I don't know. I've had it forever (I think at one point it came down to my knees). It's comfy, though getting a little ragged these days and might need to be retired to Goodwill pretty soon. The materiel is thin, but it has long sleeves, so it's great for layering. The v neck is a little low for me though, so I threw on a CostCo camisole under it, which added to the layering effect.

I like this outfit because it can be styled a lot of different ways, just by changing the shoes. Put on sneakers, like I did, and it's very casual, ready for school or the mall. Put on a pair of heels and it's automatically dressed up, more theater or date appropriate. Since it has tights, you can even put on a pair of boots and make it warmer. Or of course you can take the shoes off entirely, as I very often end up doing.

It's also easy to add a scarf to this look since there isn't a lot going on up right around the neck. This also lends itself nicely to a necklace or two.

I like outfits that elongate my torso without shortening my legs too much. I love the length of this shirt, and I love that it's not too bulky. It's definitely warm enough for Fall in Orange County, and I can add a coat and scarf to it when it starts to get colder around here.

Thanks again to my awesome boyfriend for taking awesome photos. 

Jeggings -- no, really.

I've been pretty vocally anti-jeggings. I've mocked, I've teased, I've laughed. I've said things like, "Why don't you just wear skinny jeans?" and "Those are really just leggings, you aren't allowed to wear them as pants!"

But tonight I was at Kohl's with my parents. I was buying tights, to wear with my skirts, and I saw them. A pair of black jeggings. Just sitting there. Looking at me. Whispering things like, "If you wear me, you'll never have to squeeze into another pair of skinny jeans as long as you live." I couldn't help it -- I bought them. Only my mom was with me -- I could always beg her not to tell anyone.

When I got home, I peeled off the jeans I was already wearing and put on the jeggings. And I'll say it right now -- I was wrong. All the mean things I said about jeggings were just completely wrong. Not only are the most comfortable things I have ever put on, but they look absolutely adorable and fit into my boots beautifully, without any of the awkward tucking and folding that normally accompanies boots and jeans.

The only mean thing I have to say about them now is the name. Jeggings? Srsly?

So here's the first outfit of my new blog, complete with jeggings.

I don't know where the shirt came from, but it's long sleeved and ruched at the cuffs, sides and neck. I like the length and the slight off the shoulderness of it, as well as the fact that it's long sleeved (possibly the only long sleeved shirt I own).


I like long shirts -- anything that makes my torso longer is good by me.

 

The boots are new. I don't know the name of the store I got them -- it was a little hole in the way shoe place in the mall. I had been looking for ankle boots for a few weeks, and stumbled upon these (for a great price). I wanted lace ups, as opposed to zippers, but these were cute enough that I caved. I'm glad now that I did -- the ease of the zippers was worth it.

The black vest came from Kohl's (as much of my wardrobe did). I like the way the ruching on the vest and the shirt go well together, and the lace along the edge of the vest. This vest almost always makes me feel a little more put together -- I bought it for interpreting, but it's become a staple in my closet.

I love the slimming effect of the outfit in general. It makes me feel fashionable and actually dressed up, but still casual. Plus, the boots and jeggings are both extremely comfortable (seriously -- I think I could sleep in these pants), which makes the whole outfit that much more awesome. I don't wear things that are uncomfortable.

So I've caved. I love these jeggings, and far from leaving me feeling fat and cranky (like my skinny jeans do) I'm feeling slim and super comfy. You win jeggings.

You win.