jeanofalltrades

May 10, 2011 · 7:48 am

April Showers Bring May Florals

The May challenge by Everybody, Everywear is floral. That turned out to be a tough one for me. I’ve never been anti-floral. In fact, I love the real thing. So I was really surprised when I went to my closet to choose a floral piece and found next to nothing.

I have a black and white floral skirt, but it didn’t seem very cheery. Isn’t floral supposed to be upbeat? Then a came across this skirt. I picked this up at a clothing exchange a few years ago and it’s usually a winter skirt. I wear it with tights and a sweater.

Top: Old Navy
Skirt: Swapped
Shoes: Nine West via thrifted
Necklace: Claire’s
Cuff: Greenbelts

I paired the skirt with stilettos (which by the way aren’t good for walking in the grass—unless you’re trying to aerate it). I added a recycled leather cuff for a bit of baddassery. This ain’t no garden party floral! Best of all, this entire outfit cost $40. You can bet your wild roses I’ll be wearing it again.

Check out all the other ways people styled their florals at Everybody, Everywear.

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Filed under Fashion, Thrifty

May 8, 2011 · 1:06 am

Like Mother, Like Daughter

All my life, people have told me how much I look like my mom. When I was a child, my mother sometimes dressed us alike. I was her Mini Me. As a grew up, we shared mannerisms, and even our voices sounded similar. People sometimes got us mixed up on the phone. None of that is bad. My mom is a smart, fit and beautiful woman with great style. In fact, I learned a lot about fashion from her.

Sometimes though, genes played a bigger part. there was nothing to learn. It’s just who we were. In some ways, of course, we’re very different. We don’t always have the same taste in things like clothes, music or film.

But as I was going through photos for this entry, I was taken aback by our similarities once again. Here’s a photo of my mother at age 14:

When I was 14, I’d never seen that picture. But I did, like her, dye my hair blonde as a teenager. Here’s me at 14:

Twenty years separated us, and fashions in ’66 were very different from those in ’86, but the similarities are uncanny. This is why people have mistaken us for sisters since I was about 12. Other than my 1980s bangs, we look alike. Not only that, we both have a penchant for posing and thought a serious look was the most becoming way to have our photos taken.

You’ll be happy to know we’re both smiling now—in photos and in real life. A smile, it turns out, is a fabulous accessory.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!

1 Comment

Filed under Fashion, General

Tagged as blonde, daughter, fashion, mother, mother's day, style

May 6, 2011 · 1:17 am

Retro Look: Red and Robin’s Egg Blue

I found this vintage dress at the Punk Rock Flea Market in December and I hadn’t worn it until now. I took a tip from Carmen, the guest blogger who is trying to wear only the things she’s not worn in a while (or, in my case, ever), and pulled this out of my closet. The dress cost only $8, but why should it sit unused?

Speaking of fellow bloggers, check out Natasha’s site, Required 2 be Inspired. Today she added my profile as one of the Canadian Cuties on her Canuck page. Thanks Natasha!

I wore a red belt and a not-so-cheap pair of Fluevogs (yes, you’ve seen them on me before).I don’t always try to match but I figured the dress and boots were a bold combination and it might be good to limit the palette of this outfit. I’m trying to think of other ways to wear this dress. It’s so bright! Maybe with chocolate brown. Let me know if you have any ideas.

Dress: Thrifted
Belt: Thrifted
Boots: Fluevog
Bracelet: Claire’s

7 Comments

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Tagged as dress, fashion, Fluevog, red boots, style

May 5, 2011 · 12:17 am

Thrifty Thursday: Neutrals and Tights

It’s May, and I hope this is the last time I wear tights until fall. I love winter clothes, but I’m happy to retiring them for a while. It’s been a long winter.

This outfit was a test to see if I could use a skirt that I picked up at a clothing exchange. It’s an odd color (or lack thereof) and I thought wearing it bare-legged might see like I was not wearing anything! So I added tights and boots in a contrasting color.

I’m not all about matching, but I was happy that the vegan purse I bought in Canada on a trip to visit family last year matched the skirt nicely. I call the color oatmeal (because it sounds better than beige).

Top: Old Navy ($10)
Skirt: Swapped ($0)
Tights: Roots Canada ($12)
Boots: Thrifted ($8)
Bag: Shiraleah ($38)
Necklace: Imani ($22)

I added my Imani necklace for a bit of color in this otherwise neutral outfit. The necklace is made out of recycled magazines by Ugandan women. You can read more about them on the Imani site and on my blog post about Imani.

Because this outfit was put together on the cheap, I didn’t feel guilty at all heading to Silver Platters to buy a few used CDs. I picked up Franz Ferdinand, Cyndi Lauper, New Order, and Annie Lennox. I can’t be the only one who buys CDs more often than downloads songs, can I?

3 Comments

Filed under Fashion, Music, Thrifty

Tagged as fashion, Imani, music, shiraleah, Silver Platters, skirt, style

May 3, 2011 · 12:09 am

Mad About Plaid: Duvall-Style

Fifth Avenue, Manhattan. Rodeo Drive, Beverley Hills. Main Street, Duvall. That’s right. Duvall.

A couple of weeks ago I attended a fashion show at Match Coffee & Wine in Duvall, WA, a quaint town about 40 minutes east of Seattle. The café is in a great space on Main Street. High ceilings, exposed brick, a fireplace, and lots of art on the walls. The bar was packed, and people stood in the aisles waiting for the show. I sipped on syrah, listened to music, and chatted with Mr. Jean of all Trades.

The show was presented by Chic Essentials, a cute boutique (also on Duvall’s Main Street). Chic Essentials has a great selection of women’s clothing, from basic tanks to trendy tops. I had my eye on a bias cut skirt in a pretty cornflower blue.

Fashion shows are notoriously hard to shoot (moody lighting, moving subjects), and of course, despite taking a ton of photos, there was nothing flattering in the lot. Well, except for one of me, taken by hubby! He took this photo of me before the show, while I was sitting on a bench made of books. It adorns the sidewalk outside of a used bookstore next to Match. It’s especially fitting, since it’s Get Caught Reading month.

Trench: Thrifted
Jeans: Citizens of Humanity
Shoes: John Fluevog
Scarf: DIY

After the fashion show, we crossed the street to The Duvall Grill and Tap Room. The service was great, the food was delicious, and the wine warmed me up. They have a good selection of vegetarian items too, which made me happy.

It’s worth the trip to Duvall. It’s a small place, but there are things to do and see and there’s a distinctly artsy vibe about the place. I’ll be back. Maybe to browse through antique shops and boutiques, but probably for the cornflower blue skirt.

Weekend day trip

I’ve been really into moss lately. I know that sounds weird, but I love it. The color, the texture. It’s nature’s velvet. Fortunately, in the Pacific Northwest, there’s no shortage of moss. So today, on my mini road trip, I took pictures of mossy things. Here’s what I wore, followed by the pictures I took.

Jacket: Doki Geki
Scarf: Street vendor in Seattle
Jeans: Citizens of Humanity
Shoes: Aerosoles

I wore a purple velvet jacket and a denim-blue and white scarf. To brighten up the outfit (and not have everything matchy-matchy), I contrasted the look with bright yellow shoes. If you had told me at this time last year that I’d be the proud owner of yellow shoes, I wouldn’t have believe you. I love these heels! They’re comfortable and cheery and go with a lot.

Mossy trees near Duvall

A surprising art installation in the woods

An old mossy wagon near Woodinville

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Filed under Art, Fashion

Tagged as art, fashion, moss, style, velvet, yellow shoes

April 29, 2011 · 8:00 pm

Shoes by the Numbers

Confession time: How many pairs of shoes do you own? I haven’t counted mine yet, but I know it’s over 50. I have six pairs of tall black boots alone. So I know I’m not “normal.” Well, at least not according to a recent survey by Shopsmart Magazine.

Apparently, women in the USA own an average of 17 pairs of shoes and wear only three pair regularly. The woman in the poll said they buy an average of three pair a year and spend about $49 bucks on each pair. Two-thirds have never spent over $100 on a pair.

Here’s what else the survey said (my remarks are in parentheses):

Half of women have more than 10 pairs of shoes (for me, multiply that by at least 6)
13% own more than 30 pairs of non-athletic shoes (yup)
28% feel shoes are an important part of their outfit and put a lot of thought into what they wear on their feet (yes!)
46% put no thought into their shoes (why not?!?)
17% grab the first pair they see (um, okay, but why?)
59% have gotten blisters from their shoes; 46% foot pain (yes and no, respectively)
35% have had an evening ruined by uncomfortable shoes (sadly, yes, due to the aforementioned blister)
24% have fallen because of their shoes (no, not yet, thankfully)
14% admit hiding at least one shoe purchase from their spouse or significant other (not me)
29% have bought shoes online (of course!)

The least I’ve paid for new shoes is $10 (ballet flats at Payless). I’ve purchased second-hand shoes for less ($9 for a never-before-worn pair of Naturalizer boots at Goodwill). I did splurge on a pair of Fluevog boots ($429), but recently scored a pair of Manolo Blahniks at a consignment shop for $129 (a $600+ value).

I have a lot of black on my shoe rack, but I recently acquired a pair of yellow shoes. I have green boots, and a few pair of red shoes. I have polka-dot heels, and gold sandals.

I used to take pride in an all-vegan shoe closet, but I’ve slipped up a few times and I have a few pairs of leather shoes. Most were thrifted though.

How do you compare? Have you ever styled an outfit around your shoes? Does wearing a great pair of shoes change the way you feel? What heel heights do you prefer? Do you fall back on black or go wild with color?

2 Comments

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Tagged as fashion, shoes, style, survey

April 28, 2011 · 9:56 am

Thrifty Thursday: Girls’ Night Out

I decided to try a more polished, less quirky look for dinner and drinks with a few of my friends. I also wanted to try another red and brown outfit, like I tried last week. So I put together this ensemble. I have to admit, I felt very sophisticated in it.

I wore red shoes and paired them with-wide leg brown pants that I found in Ragamoffyn’s, a high-end consignment shop in Kirkland. Then I thought I’d wear something else I don’t usually wear with brown: black. I added a funky silver and red pendant necklace from Macy’s.

red brown black

outfit for dinner

Top: Wet Seal ($15)
Pants: People Like Frank (thrifted) ($45)
Necklace: Macy’s ($15)
Clutch: Thrifted ($3)
Shoes: Payless ($17)

And, as National Poetry month wraps up, I give you:

Jabberwocky
by Lewis Carroll

‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”

He took his vorpal sword in hand;
Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
He chortled in his joy.

‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

1 Comment

Filed under Fashion, Thrifty

Tagged as consignment, fashion, red shoes, style, thrifty fashion, wide pants

April 27, 2011 · 9:32 am

Wonder Woman in Red Boots

When I wear red boots I feel like Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman (which, by the way, was one of my favorite shows as a kid). I walk a little taller, feel a little braver. Maybe I can leap over buildings and deflect bullets.

These red boots are by one of my favorite designers, John Fluevog. They weren’t cheap, but they were half price. They’re really comfortable and I’m betting, more versatile than they look. Time will tell.

Sweater: Banana Republic
Skirt: Dress Barn
Boots: Fluevog
Belt: Thrifted
Earrings: DIY (for sale on my Etsy page)

What are your “power pieces”?

It’s still April, and that means it’s still National Poetry Month.

Here’s today’s poem:

Love’s Philosophy
by Percy Bysshe Shelley

The fountains mingle with the river

And the rivers with the ocean,

The winds of heaven mix for ever

With a sweet emotion;

Nothing in the world is single,

All things by a law divine

In one another’s being mingle—

Why not I with thine?

See the mountains kiss high heaven,

And the waves clasp one another;

No sister-flower would be forgiven

If it disdain’d its brother;

And the sunlight clasps the earth,

And the moonbeams kiss the sea—

What is all this sweet work worth

If thou kiss not me?

Polka-dot Jovovich: Five New Ways

About three weeks ago I styled my black and beige Jovovich-Hawk dress from Target’s Go International Designer Collective. I wasn’t totally thrilled with it. The boots were a bit schlumpy, the blue tights were too Avatar. It wasn’t horrible, but didn’t love what I’d done with the outfit. And if you don’t love an outfit, your whole day might be thrown off.

Instead of giving up (I’m too stubborn for that), I thought I’d try to redeem myself. So today, I’m sharing five new options with you—including a couple of unbelted looks (which I’d previously said wouldn’t work).

This is probably my favorite variation: I added a red patent belt, black tights, and high-heel Oxford’s. I wore this to work.

red belt

Dress: Jovovich-Hawk for Target
Belt: Thrifted
Tights: Ross Dress for Less
Shoes: Seychelles

Next, I boldly removed the belt. I thought this would look sort of tent-like, and I guess it does, but not in a bad way. This is a very comfortable option; the lack of belt really changes the look of the outfit. I’d wear it to work this way too, or to lunch with friends.

no belt

Then, I replaced the tights with leggings and added bright red ballet flats. This is much more casual, but extremely comfortable. I feel a bit like a French mime, but I’m not sure why. I’m having a hard time pin-pointing it. I’d wear this on a Saturday to run errands and buy groceries.

red shoes

Tights: Newport News
Shoes: Payless

Back to the belt. I chose a plain black elastic belt. I removed the leggings and tried a bare-legged look with faux-suede boots. I’d wear this to dinner or dancing. For me, bare legs and a short shirt wouldn’t work at work.

tan boots

Belt: Thrifted
Boots: Wanted

Finally, I traded the boots for open-toed shoes. I added an orange clutch to see how else I could use a splash of color. I’ll wear this to dinner when the weather improves. It’s summer but not too summer-y, if you know what I mean. I wanted to see if I could style this dress for various seasons and occasions. And I’m happy with my new options. What do you think? How would you style this?

orange clutch and tan shoes

Clutch: Shiraleah
Shoes: Aerosoles

Here’s a poem to celebrate spring and National Poetry Month:

Spring is like a perhaps hand
by e. e. cummings

Spring is like a perhaps hand
(which comes carefully
out of Nowhere)arranging
a window,into which people look(while
people stare
arranging and changing placing
carefully there a strange
thing and a known thing here)and

changing everything carefully

spring is like a perhaps
Hand in a window
(carefully to
and from moving New and
Old things,while
people stare carefully
moving a perhaps
fraction of flower here placing
an inch of air there)and

without breaking anything.