Tag Archives: skinny jeans

May 10, 2012 · 5:18 am

Dress Up, Dress Down: Missoni Shift

A few months ago Missoni for Target hit the stores–and flew out the doors! Their website crashed, the shelves were stripped bare, and I was left empty-handed. My friend, Cheryl, was luckier though. She snagged a few pieces from the online store. This shift was one of the pieces.

Dress: Missoni for Target
Cowl: Scarf City
Tights: Roots Canada
Shoes: Seychelles

It proved to be a bit too short for Cheryl’s statuesque frame, so I bought it from her. I dressed it up with opaque tights and a stacked heel, but I knew it had more potential. I dressed it down too, by pairing it with skinny jeans and boots.

Jeans: Express
Belt: Marshall’s
Boots: Naughty Monkey via thrifted

I like to have options and make my shopping dollar stretch. Wearing this as a dress and as a sweater gives me choices. Did you manage to get any Missoni pieces from Target?

Hot Pink and Houndstooth

You know I love hot pink. And I love houndstooth. So it was only a matter of time before I paired this color and pattern combination together.

I got this little Valentino-style rosette purse from a flea market in Florida. I absolutely love it! I don’t usually go for frills but the way the pleather is ruffled to create a flower was so appealing.

I wore my houndstooth coat with black pants. The surprise element was the fuchsia dolman-sleeve top I wore under my jacket. The infinity scarf came with the coat! What a deal!

Jacket: Macy’s
Top: JC Penney’s
Jeans: Banana Republic
Shoes: Thrifted
Cuff: Greenbelts
Purse: Flea market

Whenever I wear this top, people say, “wow that’s bright.” I’m not sure it’s a compliment but it’s a sign I’m getting noticed! What do you wear that gets you noticed?

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Tagged as fashion, houndstooth, skinny jeans, style, thrifty fashion, vegan

March 18, 2012 · 10:41 pm

Houndstooth Coat and Furla Tote

I was taking a shortcut through Macy’s a few weeks ago when I found this wonderful houndstooth coat. It was in the junior’s department so it wasn’t expensive anyway, but it was half off too. And because I checked into Macy’s with my FourSquare phone app, I got an extra 15% discount. I think it came to about $20 total.

Coat: Macy’s
Scarf: Toronto street vendor
Pants: See by Chloé
Shoes: Seychelles
Bag: Furla

Notice the great forest green tote bag I’m carrying? My dad gave it to me! He was working for a client who was giving away some “things she never used” and he saw the purse. He was pretty sure it was a good name brand. Plus it was made in Italy. He took a chance and brought it to Florida with him.

When we met there a couple of months ago he handed it over. Wasn’t that thoughtful? It didn’t cost him anything but it would have been so easy for him to overlook. I’m glad he has an eye for quality and style. Thanks Dad!

I like pairing black and white with pops of bright color. What are your favorite color combinations? Any cool freebies come your way recently?

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Tagged as fashion, furla, houndstooth, skinny jeans, style, thrifty fashion

March 10, 2012 · 12:01 pm

Wearing My Red Pants Again

I’m loving my red skinnies and I keep wearing them. They have just the right amount of stretch to make them fit well and feel comfortable. Too much lycra and the stretch can sometimes work against me–the pants work their way off my hips requiring a belt or causing me to pull up my pants all day long. Not cool!

Top: Swapped
Pants: Just USA
Booties: Old Navy
Cuff: Greenbelts
Earrings: Shirazi

Today I wore them with a loose, black and white merled top I snagged at a clothing exchange. The ruched center of this top helps create shape. I’m a fan of contrasting shapes and find a loose or long top works best with snug pants or a bodycon skirt.

I’ve worn this Greenbelts cuff so much. It’s becoming my go-to bracelet. It adds a toughness that I like and is a statement piece without being fussy or complicated. It matches pretty much everything. Money well spent. Plus, it’s made of an old belt. Genius!

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Tagged as fashion, red pants, skinny jeans, style, thrifty fashion

March 7, 2012 · 10:14 pm

More Zebra Stripes!

I got these shoes on sale. You see, I bought a pair of boots and was $4 shy of the “free orders over $50” special. Instead of paying $7 to ship my boots, I paid $8 for these shoes and got free shipping. So really, the shoes were $1. Proof that I can justify any purchase!

I wore them with dark denim and a red top for a casual look.

Sweater: Thrifted
Tank: Old Navy
Jeans: Banana Republic
Shoes: Soda
Necklace: eBay
Cuff: Greenbelts

Oddly, I forget where I ordered these shoes. After all the calculations and planning, the store name escapes me. I’ve been wearing all the things in my closet so getting use of my shoes is important. That’s why I got dressed from the feet up!

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Tagged as ballet flats, fashion, skinny jeans, style, thrifty fashion, zebra stripes

February 7, 2012 · 7:29 pm

Red Skinnies and Leopard

I got daring recently and paired leopard print with red-hot skinny jeans. The shirt is loose so it balances out the painted-on fit of the pants.

Top: Old Navy
Pants: Red Light Vintage
Shoes: Old Navy
Cuff: Lauren Harkness

It’s hard to believe I got this top at Old Navy. It doesn’t seem like the type of thing they’d sell. Perhaps that’s why it was in the clearance section. It’s sheer too, and since women over 40 aren’t supposed to wear this sort of scandalous attire, well, I had to! (Of course I don’t buy into notions of what women should or shouldn’t wear but I read about that sort of thing recently and wrote about it).

I wore this awesome Perry Ellis poncho over the top because it’s too cold in Seattle for sheer tops–at least in February. I picked it up at a clothing exchange recently.

Poncho: Perry Ellis via swapped

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Tagged as clothing exchange, fashion, leopard print, poncho, red jeans, skinny jeans, style, thrifty fashion

November 5, 2011 · 7:11 am

Street Style: Winter White and Plaid

Dont you just love this coat? I saw Caryn wearing it and ran over to compliment her on it. When she buttoned up the lapel to create a stylish funnel-neck collar, I was sold. I asked her to pose for my street style post and she kindly obliged.

Caryn has always had a great fashion sense (and the best accessory ever: strawberry blonde hair) but I think the coolest part of this story is that she’s had this coat in her closet—unworn—for two years. See, Caryn recently lost 100 pounds and this coat was part of what motivated her to get into single-digit sizes.

Talk about a major accomplishment! I’m so proud of Caryn for being dedicated to her health and following through on her goals. In her case, good old-fashioned exercise and a healthy, moderate diet got her here. She loves having more energy and having so many more sartorial choices.

Now back to the coat: I love winter white and plaid so when I saw them together I swooned. It’s a great fall look but it’s light and bright. I like cheery coats and this one fits the bill. I really like how Caryn kept her silhouette lean with skinny jeans and nude ballet flats.

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Tagged as ballet flats, coat, fashion, plaid, skinny jeans, street style, style

October 17, 2011 · 6:21 am

Handkerchief Shirt and Skinny Jeans

I’m wearing my gauzy handkerchief shirt again. I tried it out with shorts the first time I wore it. This time I layered it over a deep blue tank and paired it with skinny jeans. I love the way it moves. I also get to try the cropped-top look without feeling out of proportion or exposed.

Top: TJ Maxx
Tank: Charlotte Ruche
Jeans: JC Penney
Shoes: Payless
Sunglasses: Giant Vintage
Bracelets: Claire’s
Watch: Store at the airport

The thing I love about this top is that it has a myriad of colors in it (even colors that aren’t “supposed” to go together). So I can wear blue and red and purple accessories and the shirt pulls them all together. It’s also a pretty reasonably priced outfit (considering there’s not a single thrifted item on me today). No piece was over $15 and the entire outfit, accessories included) was $65.

What colors are you drawn to? Do you mix colors that “clash”?

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Tagged as ballet flats, fashion, skinny jeans, style, thrifty fashion

September 12, 2011 · 12:05 am

Rust and Gray and a Custom Necklace

When I went to Santa Fe, NM this past spring, I went a bit crazy with my jewelry-buying. There were so many cool artisans in New Mexico and so many unique materials and designs.

Two stone miners/jewelry designers working at a table at an outdoor art market made this for me on the spot. They had hundreds of stones to choose from and, after choosing one, they’d wrap it in silver “while-u-wait.” I wish I could remember the name of the stone. The guys, if you’re ever in Santa Fe, work at the tables next to the Inn at Loretto.

As a side note, Loretto is a chapel in the old part of Santa Fe. It houses a beautiful spiral staircase, to which a few miracles have been attributed. I hate to break it to you, but it looks like a case of fine carpentry and sound engineering. The only miracle I can think of is that no one fell off the staircase. It was built without a railing and one wasn’t added until ten years later.

Anyway, skeptisism aside, after I got home, I realized the stone pendant would go nicely with my rust and gray tunic. So I wore them together with skinny jeans and ballet flats.

Top: JC Penneys
Jeans: JC Penneys
Pendant: Santa Fe street vendor
Cuff: Greenbelts
Shoes: Urban Outfitters
Bag: Nine West via thrifted

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Tagged as ballet flats, fashion, Loretto Chapel, necklace, Santa Fe, skinny jeans, style

August 22, 2011 · 5:58 am

Street Style: Long and Lean

I’ve finally captured the elusive Cheryl. She can usually be seen running races or rowing competitively. Today, I found her moving at a slower pace so I snapped a picture. Cheryl is sporting a terrific long and lean look. Yes, it helps if you’re actually long and lean, but you can create a lean silhouette with a slim-cut top, skinny jeans, a sleek heel.

Top: Una
Jeans: Mavi
Belt: Old Navy
Necklace: Bree (by way of Santa Fe)
Bracelet: Street vendor in Victoria, BC
Ring: Store in Brooklyn
Shoes: BCBGirls

I like that Cheryl traveled to three corners of the continent (the Pacific Northwest – Victoria; the Southwest – Santa Fe; the East Coast – Brooklyn) to get her accessories. Perhaps that’s not the only reason she traveled, but it’s certainly a fun way to bring back trip reminders.

Her Una top is a new acquisition from the trunk show at Velouria that Cheryl and I attended last week.