Heart and Sole

This sweater may be my sole mate.  I love the shoe print.  I love the luxurious silk yarn.  I love that I found it at a thrift shop.  This sweater probably won't last a tremendous number of wears in my closet because it is delicate and I am not, but I'll enjoy it while I can.

Jacket, Self Indulgence, swapped; sweater, City Silk, thrifted; skirt, Azules, Amazon; shoes, Xhiliration, Target; necklace, Walmart; earrings, ebay.

The jacket is one that my friend Chenille brought to a clothing swap.  I really like the fit.  I even like the brand name, Self Indulgence.

This is one of the best outfits I've put together in a long time.  It's enough to make me kick up my heels.

Details matter, and I finished this outfit with a gold tassel necklace that I got from Walmart, earrings that spell "happy," and rosette shoes.

On the topic of shoes, my honey got hiking boots for me for Valentine's Day.  Ursa likes them.

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No Bolo

When I first saw this necklace (at a yard sale) it was wadded up in a Ziploc bag and I thought it was a bolo tie.  I was irrationally disappointed that it is actually a necklace.  I don't know why I wanted it to be a bolo tie.  I still love it.

Jacket, Old Navy; dress, Calvin Klein, Ross; leggings, Faded Glory, Walmart; boots, Frye, Goody Two Shoes; necklace, yard sale; earrings, who knows.

I have been living in these Frye engineer boots (and their black twins) ever since I found them at Goody Two Shoes.  Goody Two Shoes is a small, local store sells prestige-brand seconds at a fraction of the original cost.  Want Frye, Coach, and other high-end shoes for as little as $100 or less?  Hop a plane to Augusta and head to Goody Two Shoes.

This sweater dress was saved by the power of leggings.  Since I've gained weight recently, many of my dresses have fit shorter.

I've also started a second blog.  I want to keep the focus of this blog primarily beauty and style, and my new blog, tentatively called Love is the New Hate, will primarily cover self-acceptance and self-care.  Because if you can't love yourself, how the in hell are you gonna love somebody else?

Can I get an amen?

Short Skit & A Long Jacket

Truth be told, I'm not entirely sure whether this is supposed to be a robe or a sweater.  I'll say it's a sweater since it is cashmere and dry clean only.  Who dry cleans their robe?

 

Sweater, Victoria's Secret; dress, thrifted; tights, Walmart; boots, Rack Room Shoes; necklace, gifted (thanks, Chenille!), earrings, gifted (thanks, Kristin!).

The necklace will forever after be my "pretzel necklace."  I wore it to a beer festival earlier this year and everyone thought it was made of pretzels.  It's actually made of irregular pieces of wood.  

Bland Blend

The colors in this dress are a little bland.  It is beige with black stripes, but it also has slimming black insets on the sides and, best of all, pockets(!).

 

Shrug, thrifted; dress, Target; tights, Target; boots, Rack Room Shoes; necklace, gifted (thanks, Holly!); earrings, Claire's.

 

The bubble necklace brought some much-needed color to the sea of beige and black.  Thanks, Holly!

Get Lucky

This song has nothing to do with Saint Patrick's Day, but it's catchy and contains the word "lucky."

This outfit doesn't have much to do with Saint Patrick's Day either, but it has some green and it's what I wore yesterday.

 

Shrug, TJ Maxx; shirt, Walmart; skirt, Target; tights, Target; booties, thrifted; earrings and ear cuff, Claire's; necklace, gifted (thanks, Mom!); jacket, Target.

 

I wore this necklace thinking that maybe the melusine existed in Irish folklore.  She does, sort of.

 

This jacket is on clearance at Target.  I like that it has a moto jacket fit with the comfort of jersey.

Almost Accidental

I really like my sartorial "rule of threes."  One is a statement, two could be an oversight, three is a battle cry.  Or something like that.  I intentionally paired this lion-head necklace with grey leopard tights, but, since there are only two examples of big cat pride in this ensemble, it might as well be an accident.

Whenever possible, crop the pug into
the frame.

Sweater, Walmart; skirt, thrifted; tights, Walmart; boots, Rack Room Shoes; earrings, Claire's; necklace, ebay.

 

Say goodbye to my old glasses.  I have had them for at least four years, but they've never been a first choice when compared with contacts.  I've recently added fours pairs of new prescription glasses to my wardrobe, and I like them enough to wear them before my eyes feel like they're falling out.

 

I had more fun with this than the typical black and grey outfit.  The feline touches and buckle-detailed boots added interest to an otherwise boring color palette.

What's New Pussycat?

This dress is covered in a print of tiny Siamese cats.  I liked it so much I bought one for myself and one for my sister.  Some might say we're a little old for matching sister outfits.  I think they're wrong... and we live across the country from each other anyway.

 

Sweater, thrifted; scarf, from my grandmother; dress, Target; tights, Target; boots, Rack Room Shoes; earrings, gifted (thanks Sue & Kristin!).

 

I tied the pink and tan tones in the dress with grey and tan accessories.  The scarf has both grey and tan, so it ties all the colors together.

Sneak peek of Wonton.

 


I spent all day thinking that if I somehow wore this dress on the main stage of RuPaul's Drag Race (unlikely because I'm a cisgender woman), one of the judges would undoubtedly tell me my cats are showing.

Side Saddle

This is one of my favorite outfits, so it gets a fair bit of wear in assorted variations.  I had an impromptu girls' night with a few of my friends recently, and I immediately reached for this equestrian-themed standby.  The outfit was great.  The photography... it was a little sideways.

 

Shrug, gifted; dress, Target; belt, thrifted; tights, Target; boots, thrifted; earrings, gifted (thanks Sue/Kristin!).

 

I wish I had noticed that my tripod was cockeyed before I started, but this dress has too much horsepower to be bogged down by crooked photos.

Leather & Lace

I want to love this dress.  I love the lace, and I like it with this embroidered leather jacket, but the fit is just wrong.  I can't make it right.  I think this will be the last time on the blog for this dress.  It is going into the swap pile.

 

Jacket, thrifted; dress, thrifted; boots, Rack Room Shoes; tights, Target; earrings, gifted (thanks Sue/Kristin!); necklace, ebay.

 

The leather/lace sweet/tough dichotomy is a bit overused, but it is used so much because it works.  It creates visual interest and contrast between colors, shapes, and textures that makes the outfit more visually appealing.

 

I have been over-wearing these earrings, but it is so hard not to.  They are delicate and pretty, and they hang just so.

Blanketed

Being sick really left me blanketed.  When I started to feel better I was behind at work, at home, and, of course, online.  You can guess which part of my life was least important to get back in order.  I'm finally caught up with the other two, so now it's time to get back to the internet.

 

Sweater, thrifted; dress, thrifted; tights, Target; boots, thrifted; necklace, earrings, and bracelet; handmade by me; rings, Amazon; fitbit, gifted (thanks, Mary Ann!).

 

This sweater is the perfect pseudo-blanket in which to wrap myself as I got back to reality.  It's nice to be wrapped in a blanket while still looking like I care.