OOTD: Rainforest Morning

I've been looking to get this dress for something like 2 years.  Green is my absolute favorite color and when I saw the vibrant pattern that is the Rainforest Morning dress I was awestruck.  I ended up losing the game of chicken when it went on sale because they went fast and I ended up missing out.

Well, that's all changed now, thanks to one of the lovely ladies on the Effortless Anthropologie Trade Market.  And here we are!  With fancy tights to boot. 

 
Outfit Details
Dress: Anthropologie Rainforest Morning Dress
Shoes: Anthropologie Open Space Wedges
Belt: Anthropologie Looping Lanes Belt
Tights: Anthropologie
Necklace: Betsey Johnson


 

So exciting!  Thanks for stopping by!

OOTD: Giant Skirt

I picked up this midi skirt from my local Crossroads because I wasn't sure if was completely bought into the trend.  And really, there are only 2 ways to go when you want to experiment with a trend.  1. Go to a local thrift store.  2.  Go to Forever 21.  Yes, those are the only two options in my mind.  Adding another would be a much too complicated decision tree.  (Oh wow, it's apparently way too early for my brain to be working properly).

In any case, I'm still not sure how I feel about midi skirts.  I reach a whopping 5 feet on the height-o-meter, so cutting into my lower legs with a skirt isn't exactly the best way to look taller.  One thing for sure -- I'm ONLY wearing heels with a skirt of this length.

 
Outfit Details
Top: Anthropologie Wildest Dreams Top
Cardigan: J Crew Cashmere Cardigan
Skirt: Anthropologie via Crossroads
Shoes: Anthropologie Friday After Five Heels
Belt: Anthropologie Looping Lanes Belt
Scarf: FCUK

 

In other news, I totally fat fingered the title of these photos in Flickr.  I usually call them the same name as my blog post, but in this case, it came out "Gianqt Skiet".  I think that sounds like a name for a mosquito king.   I'm going with it.

Thanks for stopping by!

OOTD: Violet, Violet and More Violet

I don't know why, but violet sounds so much more elegant than purple. Maybe because I associated purple with a certain dinosaur. Or maybe because purple reminds me of grape flavored things and I don't like grape flavored things. Artificially flavored, I mean. Because grapes themselves are delicious and so are their liquid, fermented version. (Eh? Ehhhh?)

In any case, I went with tone on tone for today's clothing selection. The sweater on the sweater skirt was kinda bulky, but it created an hour glass shape, so I guess I'm ok with it. Yay for larger than normal hips to create a small waist!

 
Outfit Details
Top: Sisley (via friend's closet)
Skirt: Anthropologie Violet Vibrations Skirt
Shoes: Uggs via DSW
Belt: Forever 21
Necklace: Therapy Boutique
 

It's getting all chilly up in here, so warmth is of utmost importance!  That and I love the season where you can layer everything -- which is pretty much the next 6 months in the Bay Area since we don't get snow or anything.  Boo on lack of snow, but yay on not having to punch your iced over car just to get inside in subzero weather.  Seriously, I do NOT miss that.  

Anyway, thanks for stopping by!

OOTD: Faux Sleeves

There are so many weird things about this outfit.  Denim on denim, open toed shoes in cold weather, long fair isle gloves with no finger tips -- but I think it works! 

 
Outfit Details
Shirt: Target
Tank: J Crew Starburst Tank
Jeans: AG Angelina Jeans
Shoes: MIA
Scarf: French Connection
Gloves: Forever 21



 

I picked up my little faux sleeves at Forever 21 while looking for a dress to modify as my PACMAN ghost costume.  You would think they would be rather useless without the fingers, but quite frankly, they keep my hands warm on the train while allowing me to use my iPhone and Macbook!  And I get to participate in the fair isle trend without having to get one of those weirdsoawkwardthey'refashionable sweaters.  Win win!

Thanks for stopping by!

OOTD: Paparazzi + Halloween Weekend

This post is brought to you by get outta my face paparazzi!  my loving BF taking pictures of me in public while I'm pretending to walk.

 
Outfit Details
Dress: Boutique in Chinatown
Cardigan: B.P via Nordstrom
Shoes: Modcloth Patently Polished Heel
Scarf: J Crew Silk Driving Scarf
Sunglasses: Maui Jim

This past weekend was a fun filled, hectic one spent in Los Angeles with some friends.  The schedule was something like this:

• Friday 11pm: Pick up BF from football game, commence drive
• Saturday 4am: Arrive at friend's house in LA
• Saturday 12pm: Eat at Urth Cafe (ehhhh? Entourage fans anyone?) 
• Saturday 1:30pm: Go to Santa Monica Beach/Promenade.  Shop
• Saturday 3:30pm: Nap on Santa Monica Beach
• Saturday 5:30pm: Eat at Father's Office (mmm..sweet potato fries) 
• Saturday 7pm: Power nap, fix PACMAN costumes
• Saturday 9pm: Go to Halloween party
• Sunday 2am: Partied out, go to sleep
• Sunday 10am: Go to LA Amazing Race.  Boys vs. Girls! 
• Sunday 2:30pm: Amazing Race complete.  Girls rule, boys drool! Yay for free beer!
• Sunday 4pm: Eat Korean BBQ
• Sunday 6:30pm: Drive home
• Monday 12:30am: Get home, sleep x.x

 We did get some power naps in, but man, I'm tired just looking at the schedule. So now we just go to pictures!

 
Mmm...short ribs.

 
BF just chilling and trying to be cool

 
Longest walk to the beach ever.


 
pre-sunset!

 
*chomp*

 
We all dressed as PACMAN ghosts and built a PACMAN out of cardboard, glue, paper and felt. We obviously didn't do our homework because PACMAN only chomps on navy blue ghosts with squiggle mouths!


 
Look at the fun costumes!

 
Our friends as two of the breakdancing crew Jabbawockeez.

  
Girls won the Amazing Race!  HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. 

Hope you enjoyed the recap!  Thanks for stopping by!

to look for: Outfit Inspiration

This blogging thing has been going on for me for about 10 months and I'm pretty proud of my accomplishment so far.  If only because I totally annihilated my BF at our initial bet of "Who can blog/do P90X longer?"  And some personal fulfillment stuff.  I guess.  

In any case, I thought it would be neat to do a post on where the inspiration for the different outfits I post come from.  Some days it's been a breeze and others not as much so.  But no matter what, I tend to draw from the sources below.   So, without further adieu, here is the:

to look for: Style - Outfit Inspirations

1. Other Bloggers: The web is just a veritable treasure trove when trying to work out your personal style.  Do a search on fashion bloggers.  Scroll through some blogs, see who's style you like.  Rinse. Lather. Repeat.  I like to find a handful that I like and then dig through their blogroll to find more (yes, I do have one too -- check out the left side of my blog).  If you like their taste in clothing, you'd probably like their taste in bloggers.  Then save their pictures to your computer or Pinterest and try not to be a creeper about it.  (j/k.  If you're a creeper, I'm a creeper too.  I guess we could start a creeper club). 
2. Magazines: I'm a reader (paper and Kindle thankyouverymuch), but oh man, do I love my brain candy in the form of magazines!  A smorgasbord of colors, outfits, narratives about what's in style.  My personal favorites are Lucky, marie claire, People Style Watch and InStyle.   
3. Catalogs: Yes, seriously.  If I love the vibe of a particular store, I make sure to take a look at their catalogs on a semi regular basis.  Same reason I look through magazines, really.  I tend to like the ones from Anthropologie, J Crew, Madewell, and Mango.  
4. Look Books: Similar to catalogs, but not exactly!  I frequent a lot of the ones that are web based, especially from smaller retailers.  In addition to the stores listed in the catalogs above, good look books can be found at Club Monaco, Ruche, Zara and Modcloth. 
5. Pinterest:  I want Pinterest to mate with my fashion blog and make fashion-y babies.   Seriously, I use this to look at things I've pinned in the past or just to surf what others have pinned, and it's a great way to get outfit ideas at the drop of a hat. Need an invite?  I got 'em, just let me know. 
6. Polyvore: Oh this amazing app.  If you haven't been there, you need to check it out!  Fashionistas abound clip images from around the web and put together collages with total outfits.  AND you can do it yourself!  It's a pretty amazing art making tool in its own right.  Lots and lots of inspiration here. 
7. TV: Uh, HELLO Project Runway!  Or whatever else floats your boat -- What Not To Wear, America's Next Top Model, Sex and the City -- so many shows with fashion in the forefront.  Not to mention ladies who have relatable personalities to boot!  Well...maybe not on Top Model.  You can always mute the TV though, no one's judging. 
8. Art - I'm pretty sure this is how top line designers get their ideas too.  Paintings, sculpture, metalwork -- all of these can inspire an outfit.  Jewelry can give an outfit a whole new twist.  Prints can give you new ideas of colors that match you may have never thought of (hot pink and yellow?  Awesome!).  Sculpture shapes may help you think of a silhouette you may want to create.  The sky's the limit!
9. Single article of clothing - even a single article of clothing can serve as inspiration for an entire outfit!  I acquired a Chevron patterned A-line skirt through a swap a few months ago and I immediately envisioned a Madmen era outfit.  Some Chucks next to a mini skirt could give you the idea to go glam grunge.  Go ahead. Pick a piece that speaks to you and build your outfit around it. 

Now, there are going to be days when all of these inspirations fail me and others where I can't change my clothes fast enough.  So,  how do I keep a consistent flow of outfits going?

1. Blog-specific notebooks:  I'm a writer more than a "typer".  I don't know what it is.  Possibly because I can type almost as quickly as I think and I can mull over my thoughts better when I write.  But I always keep a tiny notebook (I like Moleskines)  handy so I can write down outfits when the inspiration hits. This is also a good place to track blog ideas in general. 
2. Pinterest: This is an AWESOME way of keeping track of fashion inspiration.  I have a board dedicated to style inspiration (inspiringly called, you guessed it, "my Style Pinboard).  Whenever I find things on websites that call out to me, I just pin it!  Btw, if you need an invite, I can totally hook you up.  I'm just a baller that way.  If you just want to follow me (stalker!), you can find me under "Thessa B". 
3. Post-it marked magazines: This works not as well.  But sometimes, I'll look through an old magazine for the 2nd or 3rd time and find notes.  And viola! Inspiration.  
4. Inspiration Boards: Nothing like an old standby.  I recently acquired an X-acto knife for the communal PACMAN costume, and now I'm going to use it to cleanly cut pages out of mags and what not!  It's fun to look at these in current and past seasons.  

What do you do to get inspiration for getting dressed day to day?   What do you think of these ideas? Share in the comments!

Thanks for stopping by!

OOTD: Splotches

Wow it's been a crazy couple of weeks!  I'm still recovering, so I'll just let the outfit speak for itself for the most part.  

 
Outfit Details
Dress: Gap
Cardigan: Anthropologie Wind and Whirl Cardigan
Boots: Anthropologie Pebbled and Primped Boots
Belt: Taken from a skirt
Sunglasses: Maui Jim

Every time I wear this dress it reminds me of paint splotches.  Also, I stole this belt from another skirt.  As you can tell, I'm a woman of many words today.  But!  I do have this dress remixed, so at least I'll share that!

Thanks for stopping by!