Put some pants on!

Guess cardigan from Labels, Old Navy top from Labels, Gap Kids shorts, Aldo shoes

Man, I feel cold just looking at these photos. They're from last month, when I could still go outside in shorts some days. You can't see me right now, but I'm wearing jeans and a sweater, on the couch under a blanket with a warm kitty on my lap and the heat on. I spend most of my time at home cozied up to a book, and have welcomed hot tea back into my daily routine. I feel ready for Christmas lights to start popping up on neighborhood houses, and tights and boots have replaced bare legs and sandals on the days I wear dresses or skirts. A few weeks ago Joe and I signaled the true beginning of cold weather by putting the heated mattress pad on our bed, and there's not much better on a chilly night than turning it on while I'm getting ready and slipping into cozy, pre-warmed sheets. 

Moshi Moshi

Gap sweater from Labels consignment, Buffalo Exchange jeans bleached by me, Goodwill scarf, H&M shoes

I'm writing this post from my living room couch with a big snuggly kitty in my lap. In fact, most of what I do at home these days (read, watch Netflix, surf the internet, sleep) is done in the company of said kitty. His name is Moshi, and we took him in from someone in town that couldn't take care of him anymore. He's been here for about a month now, and becomes more of a lap kitty every day, which suits Joe and I just fine, since we love kitty snuggles. As you can see, he's a bit of a chubby guy, so we've been trying to watch his food and make sure he gets exercise. I know not everyone loves cats, but honestly I don't understand why...Moshi is easygoing, chill, loves everybody, and keeps my lap warm. What's not to love?

I'm still working on how to style these jeans I bleached, especially since the stretchiness of the material is not as strong in the very bottom of the leg, and they are a bit loose around the ankle, which bothers me. Rolling them works with certain shoes, and they go nicely with these yellow high tops I got on my honeymoon two years ago and have only worn a handful of times. The bleached look gives me some of the same hesitation of the bleached jacket I also recently acquired. Is the light color meant for spring and summer only? Can I wear it in the fall/winter without looking completely seasonally inappropriate? Good thing I care only a little about such questions, because sometimes and over-examined wardrobe can be worse than an under-examined one. Style should be fun, not work, and while I might take clothing a bit too seriously now and then, I'm always happier when I go with my instinct instead of playing by the "rules."

To wear bleached denim or not to wear bleached denim?

American Rag jacket from Labels consignment, UO dress from Buffalo Exchange, Modsock socks. Bass Perry boots

I think we can all agree that denim jackets are always and forever in style, thought the permutations are many and varied. Years ago I had a dark denim one, which I eventually gave away and went to a medium wash that has gone through majors phases of disuse and overuse. The past couple of years it's done heavy rotation paired with dresses or colored/printed jeans (never blue jeans, I'm no Texas tuxedo girl) once I discovered that rolling the sleeves up gave it an updated, modern look. Then I came across this little piece on a trip to the best consignment store ever, where I've probably gotten almost half my wardrobe that past few years. I was hesitant, skeptical of the cap sleeve and bleached-out color. Was it too eighties, too dowdy, too off? I tried it on and stared in the mirror, unsure but feeling a gut impulse to get it. The general slouchiness of the cut seems to best compliment a slim silhouette, like this strapless dress or my skinny leopard-print jeans. And the playfulness of the jacket works well with the whimsy in my horse-printed socks (which are actually made of tights material).

Also, sorry about the hair, it's never dry before I have to leave for work.

Fuzzy

Zumiez hoodie, Labels consignment dress, Bass Perry boots

Ah yes, nothing better than inside photos with questionable lighting that render the image quality to a laughable state. This is one of my gig outfits, and the first time wearing my new red lipstick out in public. I picked up a tube (not sure the name of the color, too lazy to find out right now) of the Kate Moss line by Rimmel on the recommendation of an article on xojane, and man was it spot on. It's got intense pigment, feels moisturizing, stays pretty well, and has a good balance between matte and shiny. Besides some minor experimentation in middle school and high school, I've never been into lipstick that much, but now that I'm thirty I feel like I should have a few shades handy, so I'm trying to build up my repertoire.

emerald city

Vintage top from Labels consignment, UO skirt, Bass Perry boots

I have to admit, these pictures are pretty lame. Which bums me out, because this top is one of the most amazing recent additions to my wardrobe, and I didn't capture it very well. It's a lovely, lovingly handmade vintage piece that is basically impossible to wear, a fact I was willing to overlook because of how ga-ga I went over it in the store. It's pretty cropped, a detail that means I am severely limited on options pants/skirts-wise. I'm not about to toss it on with some jeans and let the midriff hang loose, cause let's face it, I'm too old for that, and while I'm generally a tiny person I don't exactly have a six-pack under there. So option one is my faithful high-waisted pleather mini, which balances out the slight wideness of the top and contrasts nicely with the preciousness of the buttons and tiny little bow at the collar. I might try my mid-rise black jeans next time, or throwing it on top of a minidress.

Gig-worthy

Labels Consignment top, Gap Outlet jeans, Nine West wedges from Ross

One side effect of being in a band is that every item of clothing I buy now get scrutinized as either gig-worthy or normal. Anything I deem "gig clothing" inevitably feels cool and gets worn just as much as more classically feminine or casual stuff, which means I feel extra-awesome in my daily life. But then when I'm picking out an outfit for a show, I don't have anything really special to wear. I mean, I could save my pleather miniskirt or this perfect flowy top strictly for band appearances, but what's the fun in that?

Ode to a flip-flop

What do I do when I'm wearing a pretty vintage dress and a nice hairstyle on a hot day and none of my regular sandals look right with it? Throw on some turquoise Old Navy flip flops, apparently. The flippy-floppy sound they made all day was very nostalgia-inducing, considering I used to live in these and a burgandyish dark pink pair all summer for years. And a couple other colors I don't remember. I actually used to work at Old Navy, so the classic five dollar price tag was even lower for me. I still have fond memories of when I was on the logistics team (people who went in at 6:00 am to put out new stuff), rolling giant bins the size of small dumpsters filled with flip-flops out to the sales floor and tackling the set up of the flip-flip wall for the year. And now that's officially too many times saying flip-flip.