Tag Archives: polka dots

Stripes and Dots

Here’s a #TBT (Throwback Thursday) post for ya, taken about a year ago (before I stopped growing out my hair and started snipping it bit by bit until it was short again). I don’t mind posting this so late because I plan on wearing this tomorrow. It still works.

black and white

Sweater: Thrifted
Skirt: Ililana (via flea market)
Tights: Roots Canada
Faux suede booties: Old Navy
Pleather cuff: Etsy

I enjoy pattern mixing (is that still a thing?), especially when the look is monochrome. If everything is black and white, it has to work! Here, I paired a well-work black and white striped sweater with a Swiss dot wrap-around circle skirt.

stripes and dots

I love adding a pop of color and I thought the red cuff did the trick. I read recently that some clueless company in Norway made their female employees wear red bracelets during “that time of the month” so managers would know why they were taking extra bath room breaks. Ridiculous! Talk about TMI and “none of your business.: Well for better or worse, I think about that story whenever I reach for this bracelet. Then, I often decide not to wear it. Well, this is purely a fashion statement. I am discouraged to hear of such backward practices from an otherwise forward-thinking nation.

pattern mixing

Back to the outfit! I bought this skirt at a flea market in Brooklyn. It was new, from a company called Ililanga, but I can’t find them online anywhere. I guess you’ll have to go to Brooklyn to see their collection of skirts and dresses. I like the length and shape but I think a midi needs to be worn with heels–so that’s what I did.

I’ve joined a linkup at Fashion Should be Fun. See what everyone else is wearing!

8 Comments

Filed under Fashion, Feminism

Red Shorts and Polka-dots

I’m on a roll, wearing shorts like nobody’s business. I think they work best (at least on me) when they hit at the widest part of my thigh and are slightly loose.

red shorts

Top: Goodwill
Shorts: Swapped
Shoes: Thrifted
Belt: Truth Belts
Hat: Payless

I almost didn’t get these red shorts. They were castoffs from my last clothing exchange. I was gathering up the unwanted items and getting a big pile of clothes ready for Goodwill when I spotted them. I thought they’d be good for gardening but I’ve been wearing them out.

polka dots and red

Today I dressed them up with a chunky-heeled sandal and my straw fedora. I hid the turquoise band with a black ribbon so the hat matches the outfit. Next time, I’ll wear a longer shirt. There’s nothing like seeing yourself in photos to realize what works and what doesn’t! I’m owning this fail.

straw fedora

I joined The Anything & Everything Blog Hop at My Thrifty Chic and What I wore Wednesday at Transatlantic Blonde. Now I’m off to see what everyone else is wearing!

13 Comments

Filed under Fashion, Thrifty

Polka Dots for a Picnic

When the weather’s nice, people in Seattle take advantage of it–you never know how long the sun will stay out. On a recent sunny day, hubby and I packed a picnic basket full of goodies and headed over to Gasworks Park.

picnic and polka dots

T-shirt: Tahari via consignment
Dress (worn as skirt): Swapped
Shoes: Payless
Sunglasses: Old Navy
Purse: Crystalyn Kae
Basket: Santa Fe Farmers Market

Gasworks is a great location. From there you can see South Lake Union and the Seattle skyline. The Space Needle is visible behind me on the right. Everywhere we looked, people were kayaking, playing Frisbee, flying kites–it was really fun to watch the world go by.

Gasworks

We set up our picnic on a hill near a guy with an easel. He was painting landscape of the Seattle skyline. From this spot, we could take in the scenery (natural and otherwise–I like the urban feel of the gasworks. If you don’t, a simple turn to the left or right will have you looking at water, trees and hills).

picnic goodies

I cheated a bit because I went to Whole Foods and bought prepackaged goodies instead of making everything myself. We even sneaked a bottle of wine with us. We’re adults! Besides, it was a rosé and looked like juice.

I bought vegan potato salad (made with egg-free nayonaise), a quinoa salad, avocado rolls, diced fresh fruit, and the best wrap ever! It was made with faux chicken strips by a company called Beyond Meat. Delicious, healthy, and good for the chickens!

picnic spread

We actually ate too much. So we loafed around for a bit (I had on sunscreen–don’t worry) before wandering back to our car. On the way, I found a neat mosaic. Each of the metal designs was fabricated from kids’ drawings. How cool would it have been to see your childhood drawings permanently installed in a floor mosaic?

mosaic

I’ve joined Not Dead Yet for Visible Monday and Color Blind for Thrifters Anonymous. Check out what all the others are wearing today!

15 Comments

Filed under Ethical, Fashion, Healthy Living, Thrifty

Polka Dot Top and Pencil Skirt

For today’s Red and Black look (part of Red and Black Week at Sophistiqué Noir) I’m dressing to the nines. I actually haven’t worn this out yet, but I will. I think it would be suitable for a romantic restaurant with Mr. Jean of all Trades, a burlesque show, or even a vintage car show. It has a bit or a retro, pin-up feel.

polka dots

Top: Express
Skirt: Teddy Rinascimento
Belt: Long Beach shop
Necklace: Claire’s
Shoes: Manolo Blahnik via consignment
Hair flower: Handmade by Sake Bomb

details

When I was on Grave Danger, a roller derby team here in Seattle, one of my team mates made these amazing black flower hair clips, complete with skull center. I had fun on that team. Not only did my team mates rock, our team colors were red and black.

black and red

Red and Black Week

15 Comments

Filed under Fashion

Dress Up, Dress Down: Polka-dot Dress

I few weeks ago I had the chance to guest post for Lindsay Living. I wrote about packing for a trip. In the post, I showed two different ways to wear one dress.

In this first version, I’m wearing it as a dress. No big surprise. I chose this one because it’s a jersey knit and won’t wrinkle in a suitcase. And because you never know what the weather will be like when travelling, cardigans are a great way to layer and be prepared. They’re nice for covering up in air-conditioned restaurants too.

dress as dress

Dress: Thrifted
Cardigan: Smart Set
Necklace: Gifted
Watch: Florida street market
Shoes: Flexx

Here, I’ve layered a top over the dress, essentially turning it into a skirt. It really changes up the look. One less thing to pack!

dress as skirt

Dress: Thrifted
Top: Papaya
Necklace: Forever 21
Cuff: Claire’s
Shoes: Target

I’m a fan of bringing costume jewelry on trips too. Accessories are an easy way to change an outfit quickly and they take very little space in a suitcase. I don’t take pricy pieces. Luggage gets lost, things get taken. It’s one less thing to worry about if you keep valuables at home.

Have a look at the post on Lindsay’s blog for more travel tips!

2 Comments

Filed under Fashion, Thrifty

True Blue Slouchy Layers

Today I wanted to look like I had just rolled out of bed and grabbed the first things I could find. But I didn’t really want to do that (the effect wouldn’t be as good). So I layered loose clothing and intentionally pinned my cardi askew. I also squeezed in a bit of pattern mixing for a je ne sais quoi look.

stripes and cardi

loose blue clothes

Cardi: Nordstrom
Tank: Target
Pants: Eileen Fisher via Goodwill
Brooch: Gifted
Sunglasses: Target
Shoes: Bongo

These are my $5 Goodwill pants. I ruched the bottom of the outside seam by hand-stitching them. Now they’re like the harem-y, billowy pants all the models wear on the runways. But, if in a few more wears, I decide only a model of Amazonian proportions can get away with this look, I’ve lost nothing.

detail of ruching

And just so it looked like I cared a just a little (after rolling out of bed), I wore heels. I always walk a more deliberately and confidently when I wear funky, tall look-at-me shoes.

Have you altered any of your clothes?

4 Comments

Filed under Fashion, Thrifty

Blue and White Nod to Nautical

As soon as the latest 30 for 30 challenge ended, I ran to Marshalls and treated myself to a few items from their sale racks. This top was one of those pieces. I liked the cut of it and I like how it mixed nautical-inspired stripes with a subtle floral and rhinestones. It’s a denim-y blue so I paired it with a denim skirt, but will go well with skinny jeans too (blue, red, or even yellow ones).

stripes

denim and stripes

Top: Marshall’s
Skirt: Dress Barn
Shoes: Bongo

Does a striped shirt and dotted shoes count as pattern mixing? I’m trying to master that trend.

I really love these adorable shoes, but admittedly, I don’t wear them a lot. They’re very comfortable and I”m determined to remix them into my wardrobe more often. They’ll look cute with a red dress. What do you think?

dotty shoes

4 Comments

Filed under Fashion, Thrifty

Days 19 to 21

Day 19: It’s finally nice enough to wear this Edun dress on its own (I wore it on day 6 as a tunic). It’s really comfortable, loose, and airy. I think this will be terrific no matter how hot it gets. I wore my nude heels for an elongating look and matched my bag to my shoes. I don’t usually do that, but the bag picked up the creamy tones that run through dress.

day 19

Dress: Edun
Purse: Shiraleah
Shoes: Nine West
Necklace: Premier Designs

Day 20: I’m wearing the polka dot dress today, and not as a skirt like I did on day 16. It’s made of a stretchy polyester and is really comfortable. I’m not sure if it has a 50s vibe or a French feel; either way, I like it. It was a thrift store find and it’s great for travel (wrinkle-free). I threw on a scarf/shawl type cover-up because it was a bit cool.

day 20

Dress: Thrifted
Wrap: Michael Stars
Shoes: Flexx
Bracelet: Claire’s

Day 21: Here’s the maxi from day 9. You can see why I didn’t wear it like this to the office. It’s a bit revealing, but for the Fourth of July, it seemed perfect. A relaxing outfit for a relaxing day. My sweet husband knows I’m not a sun lover so he found a shady park for us under Interstate 5. I hope all of my American readers had a good one! Here’s to independence!

day 21

Dress: Fred Meyer’s
Clutch: Crystalyn Kae
Earrings: Claire’s
Sunglasses: Convenience store
Sandals: Naturalizer

3 Comments

Filed under 30 for 30, Fashion

Days 16 to 18

Day 16: Here’s a new piece I haven’t worn yet in the challenge. It’s actually a dress, but I thought it was too low-cut for work. Plus, it’s breezy and cool today, so I needed to layer. This cardigan isn’t part of my thirty pieces; I wore it for warmth. My bracelet is made from a bicycle tire! Most of the bracelets for sale were black (obviously) so I picked this one since it seemed unique. It’s made from a red tire.

day 16

Cardigan: Ross Dress for Less
T-shirt: Victoria’s Secret
Dress-as-skirt: Thrifted
Purse: Coach via thrifted
Bracelet: Punk Rock Flea Market
Necklace: Gifted
Sunglasses: Target
Shoes: Flexx

Day 17: I’m wearing the same pink top that I wore on Monday, but since I worked at home today and went out with non-work friends in the evening, let’s keep this secret between us. Even though I have a limited wardrobe this month, I’m trying to keep each week fresh and non-repeating. The outfit itself is pretty plain so I jazzed it up with a DIY t-shirt infinity scarf and a zebra-striped bag.

day 17

Top: JC Penneys
Capris: True Originals
Shoes: Timberland
Bag: Boodlebags
Scarf: DIY (I made it)
Bracelets: Boutique in Portland

Day 18: Here are my white jeans again. I wore them on the weekend, but no one from work knows that. I dressed them up with my boho top today. Even though it’s Canada Day, and not quite the 4th of July, I thought it was time to show a bit of patriotism. I’m in red, white and blue—even the wall and chair match.

day 18

Top: Metropark
Jeans: Lucky Brand
Bracelet: Punk Rock Flea Market
Shoes: Timberland
Sunglasses: Target
Earrings: Thrifted

3 Comments

Filed under 30 for 30, DIY, Fashion

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.

4 Comments

Filed under Dress Up Dress Down, Fashion