Fashion Utopia

Winter is my favorite fashion season simply because of the sweaters I get to wear. Sweaters are my favorite clothing item by far. Recently, this sweater came into my life. Even though it's full of holes and therefore dysfunctional on the warmth scale, I find it cute nonetheless.


Sweater: Plato's Closet
Skirt: H&M










One other staple piece of winter clothing I love is tights. Especially with comfy, fuzzy, warm socks. Tights in my opinion work best with boots and occasionally sneakers. Again, I recently bought new white tights (My old one ripped. Sad face.) as well as warm socks. Paired together, My legs/feet were as toasty as can be.

Tights: Target
Socks: Target
Boots: Payless









After the realization that the perfect winter outfit could be successfully formed, I was determined to put together this masterpiece. And then...it was born.

(Yes, I realize this picture is blurry. Deal with it.)











TA DA! This cute sweater paired with my ever-so-fantastic mullet skirt, a warm tights/socks combo, and small heeled boots sent me off smiling.

What I've Been Wearing: Fall

Shirt & leggings: Kohls

Skirt:  Goodwill

Scarf & hat:  gifts

Shoes (not pictured):  TOMS

On the cusp of winter, I've been looking back, at my outfits from this fall.

These past few months, I've been gravitating towards:

* Not pants.  At some point in October, I decided I was so over pants.  I still wear them to work, and occasionally when tights seem like a feat, but I really made an effort to wear skirts.  They're just more comfortable, less restricting.  Jeans, especially non-stretchy ones, end up bunching up uncomfortably when you're trying to be cozy.  No thanks.

* Neutrals.  I've enjoyed pairing neutrals with a pop of color, or an overall subdued color palette.  In the past, I've written this off as boring.  But, it's more like a challenge.  How can I make this modern?  What will elevate this from boring to classic?  I like adding layers, tights, boots or patterns to make it fresh.

*  These boots, with these leggings.

* Digging deeper into my closet, a.ka. "waiting a really long time to do laundry".  I like watching my favorite items go into the basket, leaving me with my more un-used items.  It's a puzzle, trying to pair items, and mix-and-match things.  It's more of a success when you've pieced together a fun outfits with items you don't normally wear.

What has your fashion looked like this fall?

Autumn Leaves

The slight fall colors we get in the bay area have been lingering for a while, but the weather has finally shifted from basically summer (such as it is, here) to basically winter (again, such as it is).  This past week, though, provided a lovely combination of bright-but-crisp days and nights that smell of woodsmoke and decay -- that perfect scent of autumn.

Occasion: churching

Pretty standard Sunday fare, around here.  I've had this nubbly plaid skirt for several years now; though it reads as neutral and conservative at a distance, it's all bright golds and rich greens and bold raspberries striping back and forth.  LOVE that.

sweater: Banana Republic, thrifted | skirt: Forever 21, thrifted | belt: Target | tights: Target | shoes: Naya, via db shoes

As we shall surely soon see, I'm rather fond of plaid -- gingham, tartan, lumberjack, I love it all, and it seems especially suited to the fall.  It can be polarizing, though.  So, I have to ask: are you a fan of plaid?  Or, do you have another favorite pattern or texture that says "fall" to you? 

stand out.

hey guys. today i felt like standing out.

sweater: rue 21

dress: hand-me-down

tights: target

i paired this bright yellow dress with a sweater to keep warm. my lacey tights matched my lacey sweater in a way i didn't realize until after leaving for school. oh well. i also wore purple sneaker-type shoes. 

this out fit was colorful enough for my love of color but not obnoxious. i like clothes that can help me make a statement without looking silly or totally weird. matching contrasting colors is one way i do this as well as certain patterns that can still go with each other. 

i'm going to adopt charlotte's method and ask a question at the end of my post:

which outfits that you have help you stand out?

what's your favorite way to be original?

Oh, the weather outside is weather

It's dipped below freezing.  We had flurries on Monday, and it's only gettin' colder.  Time to cozy up!

Slippers:  Forever 21

Last year (when I took these photos), I bought myself a pair of the most awesome slippers ever:  Yeti feet.  They were designed to be polar bear feet, I'm sure, but I feel more like a Bumble.  They're warm, wonderfully cozy, and look silly when I swing-dance on my kitchen floor.

What are some of your comfy-coziest clothes?

Pop Some Tags

Have you heard that new song Thrift Store?  When I first heard it on the radio, I thought it was another offering from DJ Dave (Whole Foods Parking Lot, Daddy Skills, Berkeley Enough, etc...).  Though a little coarse in the language, it's such a fun take on the thrill of the hunt and the feeling you get when you nab something awesome.  All of this to say -- you guys...

Occasion: Saturday

...I HAVE GREEN PANTS.  Green corduroys, no less.  They're a little more dark-limey-apple green than the true crayola they're showing up as in pictures...and they are rocking my world something awesome right now.

I've focused my clothing-acquisitions lately on "professional-able" things -- things that I like, would wear day-to-day, and can be presented as professional enough to pass muster in a white-coat-required clinical environment.  I was out on Friday on a post-block-exams (7 tests in 5 days, gross!) shopping treat at my favorite thrift shop and grabbed these AMAZE-BALLS oh! so! very! green! pants "just to try on."  Once on -- oh, man!  I'd forgotten that, though I am having to make the transition to responsible, professional adult, I don't have to put on that persona or that uniform all the time.  I can wear something just because it makes me grin from ear to ear.  LIKE GREEN PANTS.  =)

  

Sweater: Eddie Bauer, thrifted | Striped tee: Banana Republic, thrifted | GREEN PANTS: thrifted | Sneakers: Converse All-Stars

So, what are your green pants?  Do you have anything that plasters a goofy grin on your face every time you put it on? 

how to work stripes part 2

more stripes and skirts!
i guess that's my thing?
i don't really know.
well anyways, here's my outfit.

tank top: target

sweater: H&M

skirt: target

i love the little bow deatil on the pockets of this sweater. i don't wear it frequently cause i like big and comfy sweaters more but this outfit needed it. i would have been too cold just wearing that tank top or even just a shirt with my skirt.

this skirt is my new favorite piece of clothing. it's super comfy but still girly and also easy to wear. love it!

matched with the hat below, i would say this outfit will be worn again.

hat: hand-me-down, originally from Forever 21

Color-riffic

Since katie and lyn have both posted about working colors into their outfits, I thought I should chime in.

FACT:  I have only recently been opened up to mixing colors.

Excluding my 90's-era elementary-aged "fashion" (I rocked the oversized sweatshirt like there was no tomorrow), I've stayed within normal color parameters.  I knew what matched and what didn't, and stayed far away from the didn't.  Black and brown, mixing bright colors, even introducing a new color into an outfit:  no. no. no.

Honestly, it was Fall Fashion Week that really helped me explore new fashion choices.  The women who participated were so encouraging, supportive and creative that I felt inspired to make new fashion choices, one of them being colors.

Shirt:  hand-me-down

Skirt:  Forever 21

Leggings:  Kohls

Socks:  Smartwool

Boots:  Merrell, from REI

Hat:  Gift, from Forever 21

As this outfit shows, I'm still fairly moderate with my color mixing.  But only a year or two ago, I would have never thought purple and green would be in my outfit, at the same time!

Have your fashion choices changed in the past few years?

[Student] Doctor Kate

A few times a month, we have labs (or in this case, an exam!) where we have to dress up, don our white coats, and act as the physicians for actors who come in to play the roles of our patients.  My nametag has my given name on it, while "katie" is my handle in daily, informal situations, but I have taken to mentally calling myself "Kate" when in professional garb.  "Kate" is my alter-ego, my ideal professional self, who stays cool under pressure and can pull together clinical know-how while staying present with and attentive to the patient.  

Occasion: pretending to be a doctor

I've got a long way to go before the real me is close to the Kate that I hope to be, but until then I can still dress the part.  Professional attire in my cohort is oh-so-conservative -- I haven't seen any of my other classmates don colored tights, but I do like that rich jade green and with everything else in inoffensive black and grey, why not?

Dress: thrifted | Cami: thrifted | Belt: Target | Tights: Target | Shoes: Naya via db shoes | Earrings: gift from the mister | Necklace: Kohls | White coat: courtesy of OPSC

Cheers,

Kate katie

healthy addictions.

winter is coming. dun dun duuuuun.
i personally like winter, though, for these two reasons: i get to wear scarves and sweaters.
like this:

sweater: H&M

scarf: Studio 890 Hair Salon

tank top: Target

jeans: Delia's

this sweater is super soft and remind me of ron weasley from harry potter. he wears maroon quite frequently. this scarf is also super soft and i basically wear it every day.
comfiness (and yes, that is a word) is my main priority with clothing. why would you want to wear something that doesn't make you feel good?
i also have to admit, i have a problem.
i have a shoe obession. and guys, it's bad.
but how can i pass up the opportunity to buy these cute shoes?

shoes: Wet Seal

i mean, come on. polka dots with wicked green laces? i have no regrets.
hope you have had a happy halloween and stay warm!