OOTD 10/8/12

OOTD 10/8/12 by alldressedupnoplace2go featuring skinny fit jeans

J Crew button shirt
jcrew.com

J Crew knit shirt
$44 - net-a-porter.com

Forever 21 skinny fit jeans
forever21.com

Etienne Aigner side zip boots
endless.com

Kenneth Jay Lane gold plated jewelry
shopbop.com

Chain jewelry
modcloth.com

A Vintage Red

This OOTD revolves around a dress that was one of my first vintage buys verrry early on in high school (9th or 10th grade, I think).  It's a red boucle unlined belted shift from the late 50s-early 60s, and it's one of my favorite pieces of clothing ever.

Dress: Vintage, no label (I think it may have been homemade)

Long-sleeved t-shirt: Coldwater Creek, sz. small

Tights: Merona, sz. small/medium

Shoes: Nine West Riane, sz. 7.5

Necklace: Vintage

This is one of those outfits that really can be made or broken with makeup, so broke out of my routine and went for a '50s-inspired demure pinup look (I know that's an oxymoron, but I AM a teacher, so I gotta tone it down a bit).  I did a black cat-eye liner with a bold red lip and kept the rest of my face pretty plain.  I'd like to think it worked, but since my only audience was a bunch of 14-16 year-olds, I'm not sure that they got the allusion.  Heck, I'm not sure they could even tell me what an allusion is, even though it was a vocabulary word for about a month.  Sigh.

Do you use makeup to complement your "look," or do you have a set makeup routine?

A Secret Rut

I have a secret to tell you guys, but you have to promise not to tell.  You won't?  Okay, good.  Here it goes:  Sometimes, when I find an outfit I really like, I wear it over and over again.  Sometimes twice in one week, even. 

This post is a tale of one such outfit. 

Sunnies: Gap

Sweater: J.Crew Fair Isle, sz. small

Collared shirt: Ralph Lauren, sz. P

Jeans: F21, sz. 28

Shoes: Miss Albright Lake & Land Heels, Anthropologie, sz. 7.5

Necklace: Target ($2.00 on clearance)

First, I wore the offending outfit for Thanksgiving dinner at my family's house.  We *barely* dress for dinner, and we always dress for comfort, because our feast often lasts for hours. 

I liked the outfit so much that I wore it to a "Friendsgiving" dinner at my wonderful - and talented - friend (IRL and in the blogosphere - if you like crafty stuff, or just like looking at pretty things, check out her blog, Kristy's Crafts!) Kristy's house. 

I felt so warm and toasty in my outfit that I decided to wear it to school the following Friday on a jeans day. 

The beauty of wearing this outfit so often in such a short span of time was that none of these events had what I like to call "overlapping people."  Not one person (edit: other than my fiance, he wanted me to tell you that.) saw me in the outfit more than once.  And I'm sure they would have noticed if they did.  HA.

Do you get stuck in secret outfit ruts?  If so, what're a few of your go-to outfits?

Channeling Cruella

My school is observing Red Ribbon Week this week for drug/alcohol prevention and awareness.  Our Red Ribbon Week is similar to spirit week because we have theme days in which staff and students are encouraged to dress a certain way.  Monday was "Wear Red" day. 

Would you believe I only own one article of red clothing?  Inevitably, when I wear it, someone makes a Cruella de Vil reference.  Every. Single. Time.  However, while looking for a picture for this post, I was hard-pressed to find anything that even remotely resembled the offending red cardigan.  This was the closest match I could find:

Source

Now, here's my Cruella-esque OOTD:

I guess I can see how the polka dots give off the dalmatian vibe.



Cardigan:  BCBG, size sm.

Dress:  Vintage 1950s-era, size unknown

Tights:  Merona for Target

Shoes:  Nine West Riane (on sale for $62.30!), size 7.5

A quick word about the shoes - if you're looking for a comfy, high-heeled oxford, I can't recommend the Riane enough.  I've had this pair of shoes for less than two weeks, and I've already worn them five or six times.  They're a great basic for the fall/winter months.

Now, if you'll all excuse me, I'm off to don some long black gloves, smoke from a cigarette holder, and scare a hundred or so puppies. 

OOTD 9/6: New Stripes, an Antique Pendant, and Vintage Pleats

Shirt: J.Crew Painter Tee, sz. small

Skirt: Vintage '50s linen pleated skirt

Shoes: A purchase from a trip to Italy in 2008; red patent leather

Necklace: Vintage pendant

Earrings: Gold filigree hoops

Yesterday's OOTD was centered around/inspired by the vintage '50s navy linen pleated skirt I picked up last week at Yesterday's News in Pittsburgh for $15.  If you're ever in the Pittsburgh area and are a fan of vintage clothes, I highly recommend stopping at Yesterday's News!  Here are a couple of better pictures of the skirt (front and back):

There's just something about the silhouette of a high-waisted A-line skirt and tucked-in shirt that I can't resist.  Maybe it's because it makes me feel like the glamorous Hollywood version of a 1950s housewife.  I even tried to paint on some red lipstick this morning.  Unfortunately, the closest thing I could find was a maroon lip gloss, and it made me look like I belonged with the Ringling Bros. instead of in the kitchen in my heels, patiently waiting for my adoring, hard-working husband to burst through the door, Leave It To Beaver style.  Because I don't do well with clowns OR cooking, I decided to leave the red for the pros. 

I also wore a pendant that my mom found at an antique store a few years ago.  She's worn it twice since she bought it; I've worn it twice since Saturday.  When she told me she thought I would get more wear out of it, she was right.

I love the delicate details of the necklace, and it's a very of-the-moment length.  

If the blog is quiet for the rest of the week, it's because one of my best friends' weddings is this Saturday, and the rest of the week is filled with bridesmaid dress fittings, a rehearsal dinner, and other pre-wedding and wedding festivities.  I'll try to get another post in before the end of the week, but I'm not making any promises.  I hope you are all having a wonderful week!    

OOTD: Red and Recycled

Note: I wrote this entire post, then went to publish it, and it disappeared completely. So I’m sorry if a bit of anger or frustration seeps through my writing. BLAH!  This shall be my lesson of the day: always type in Word first.  Anywho, onward and upward.

This past weekend was busy busy busy, guys! Being the hardcore wannabe athletes that we are, my fiance and I had ultimate frisbee playoffs on Saturday, so we got up bright and early to compete with our team. Sadly, we lost both of our games in a double elimination tournament, but we decided that we earned a date night.

We went to a fun restaurant called BRGR. If you're in the Pittsburgh area, I highly suggest you try it. Yummy yummy…burgers, of course! If you are a friend of the bovine, they also have turkey and veggie burgers. Those are on my list to try next time. We also saw waitresses carrying milkshakes that looked to-die-for, but we went to our favorite fro-yo place for dessert instead. First, a little something for the foodies:

A well-done cheeseburger with white cheddar cheese on a whole wheat bun. It was perfection.

Here’s what I wore:

Tank: Anthropologie

Jeans: Joe’s Jeans, Anthropologie

Cardi: Merona, Target

Shoes: Mossimo, Target

Feather earrings: Local farmer’s market

Wooden bracelet: A vendor at our hotel in Punta Cana

Books bracelet: Kards Unlimited

Even though the fiancé likes to call this my “marching band shirt,” I love it. The orange-y, fiery red color is beautiful, the cut is super-flattering for a curvy figure, and the buttons are the perfect extra adornment. My only complaint is that the panel in the middle is pretty low, so I can’t wear this shirt to school. It’ll just have to make weekend appearances in my wardrobe until next summer.

I can't resist showing you a close-up of the bracelets I’m wearing:

As an English teacher, I melt over almost all clothes and accessories that are literature-related or inspired. This I Read Banned Books bracelet is no exception. Each link of the bracelet features the cover of a book that has been frequently banned, and some of them just happen to be my favorites: To Kill a Mockingbird, Howl, Huckleberry Finn, Go Ask Alice, and Alice in Wonderland. I love wearing this bracelet to school. It’s my own little way of sticking my tongue out at The System ;)

I made a polyvore for today’s OOTD, (which is showing up at the end of this post for some reason; Blogger and I are about to have it out, Greasers/Socs style) but I made a couple of changes. The earrings, bracelet, and cardigan are nowhere to be found online, so I found similar substitutions. The recycled bag is actually sort of a larger version of the wristlet that I currently carry, which is made out of recycled newspaper from Mexico. My wonderful mama bought it for me at an airport on one of her excursions, so I’m fairly sure I won’t be able to find it anywhere on the web either.

The fiancé and I were up and running all day on Sunday as well, with picnics and a visit with his grandmother, who is in town. During the summer, I don’t mind when my weekends are jam-packed with plans, but as the school year approaches, I’m hoping our schedule calms down a bit. I’m not someone who benefits physically or mentally from going non-stop, yet that always seems to be the way we live!

Was your weekend as hectic as mine was, or did you get to relax and recharge?

Red and Recycled by alldressedupnoplace2go featuring tote handbags

J Crew knit cardigan
$62 - jcrew.com

Top
$30 - anthropologie.com

Joe s
$158 - anthropologie.com

Tote handbag
$60 - momastore.org

Tribal bracelet
£15 - chiarafashion.co.uk

Drop earrings
$42 - urbanoutfitters.com

Women's Mossimo® Verity Peep-Toe Pumps - Taupe : Target
$21 - target.com