Flowered flip flops (JCrew) complete any summer outfit quite nicely.
| You all know how much I love rocking the retro look, but I would be lying if I said I do it every single day. I like to switch it up sometimes and look like a modern girl, too, once in awhile. I am, however, out of practice with dressing in modern fashions because I do go rockabilly so much of the time. I've been taking some of my own advice, though, and trying new colours and styles, which the outfit to the left demonstrates. The watercolour blouse (Smart Set, $20) is a light sheer fabric that can be paired with any number of colours, making it tremendously versatile. It is also longer in the back, which means it can be worn with skinny pants or capris.When fall comes, I plan to wear a long sleeve shirt under it to keep wearing it all year long. I didn't used to wear shorts... EVER because I was embarrassed of my thighs. Now I feel that life is just too short (no pun intended) for insecurities! So I got over it.* Finding the right length of short for one's proportions can be difficult, so try many until you find the right pair. Because my legs are 'short' a bermuda length makes them look like I've been chopped off at the knees, so I opt for a 6" inseam: Not too long, not too short, just right. Longer legs, however, look fantastic in bermudas, and slender legs benefit from shorty shorts (within moderation, as usual) . I could get used to this modernity stuff, but will ease my way back into it...maybe if it were called 'modernabilly' I'd be more excited about rocking it. *I highly recommend getting over 'it', whatever 'it' is for you |
1 Comment  You may recall the challenge I posed to myself in September of 2011 to quit shopping cold turkey for an entire school year and actually wear the clothes in my closet in new combinations. Now that the university year is over, I am calling the challenge done. What the experience taught me is that: 1. I am truly an addict when it comes to shopping 2. I should have replaced shopping with something productive to effectively curb the habit 3. I am capable of curbing my shopping habit for 4 months in a row! 4. I can use my creative skills to make new clothes from old ones 5. Wearing the same clothes for a year requires maintaining the same weight during that time (which I did not...hello extra pounds--you can leave now) So, I have been shopping a bit. Although I did not curb shopping for the entirety of the challenge time, even the reduction has proven beneficial, and I am far more aware of the habit and able to return an item to the rack without issue! It's practically a miracle. The outfit you see to the right is a 'new' one. Thankfully the dress (Urban Behaviour) was on sale and only cost me $25, and I could not resist its timelessness. It is, however, a bit short for a woman of my, uh, length preference, so I decided to wear some capri leggings with it and they also reflect the spring season that is upon us. I am getting the most out of these new shoes (Shoe Warehouse), too! They are light as air, surprisingly comfortable and easy to walk in, so I feel like I won the lottery with them... a $60 win. So there you have it... expect to see a few of my 'new' items through the summer months, especially if I secure an office job. That will require an entirely different approach to dressing, all over again! How exciting!  It is Spring. The leaves are out, the flowers are blossoming, and the hunters are hunting... JOB hunters, that is. After having submitted approximately 40 resumes in the past three weeks, I am beginning to feel a bit discouraged. What do I do when I am down? DRESS UP!! OK, well, not just when I'm down. The skirt, believe it or not, is from WalMart! The top from Ricki's. And you may recognize the shoes from the previous blog... they are the ones that I kept. The flower accessory in my hair and sweet ponytail really take this outfit back to the 50s, but it could easily be made modern with a few changes: 1. switch the red shirt for a neutral tank top 2. omit the belt 3. wear hair down in straightened or wavy style 4. wear flip flops or ballet flats instead of wedge heels There you have it... another day, another rockabilly outfit for me. It's not for everyone, I know, but there are endless ways to make individual clothing items suit any style; it's just a matter of making it work for you! While this look works for me on my own time, I am fairly certain that it will not work for every employer I go begging to for a summer job, so my challenge will be to learn how to tone it down. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. :-) Life has been peachy since the university winter semester ended three weeks ago: I've been meeting friends for various beverages (day and night), sleeping in, getting my house organized, and feeling generally relaxed. There's just one thing---there is no more money in the bank account. And yet, the bills still require paying. (insert sad face here) So I have been applying on jobs of all sorts, sure that the right one will come along sooner or later. But it's turning out to be a LOT later than I had anticipated. It is stressful to be penniless. What do I do when I am faced with stress? I shop. (The irony is overwhelming, is it not?) So, today after e-mailing yet ANOTHER resume out (that totals about 35), I went shoe shopping. It was kind of manic, and while I went in to buy one particular wedge shoe, somehow I left the store with those AND two other pairs. Thankfully I had the good sense to enquire about the store's return policy, so I will be making yet another trip to said store in the very near future... with blinders on.
What you see before you are two shots of the same dress. One looks good, one does not. What is the difference? Two small additions: a cardigan and a belt. I know I harp on the miracle that is the belt, but as you can see from the above photo, I do not have a waist. Not only does the cardigan provide the appearance of a more slender torso, but the addition of the belt actually creates a waist AND makes my chest look 'perky' (thanks for the compliment on that, by the way _______!). My choice of colour helps me to achieve the rockabilly look I so adore, but it need not be yours. Change the colour of the cardi, the width and colour of the belt, and you could have a perfectly sweet outfit without the retro appeal. If you don't believe me, try it out yourself! I highly recommend doing your own before and after photos to see the difference from another perspective. I will never wear this dress on its own again... that is one hideous fit! Aren't you glad I shared it with you? Only for you, Birdsong friends. Only for you. 
Floral Dress (Jacob), Green belt (Anthropologie), Cowgirl boots (Frye at Gravity Pope)
 I've said it before and I'll say it again: I love any excuse to dress up. Today I am going for brunch with a girlfriend and jumped at the opportunity to snazz myself up a little with some bold colour matching. While it is not often the place to find inspiration for wardrobe choices, the new Muppet Movie is where the inspiration for this colour combination came from. Amy Adams' wardrobe in that movie is sweet, subtle, and entirely retro. It gave me ideas for ways to pair my own clothes into more 'new' outfits, seeing that I am back on the shopping-ban. There is just something so refreshing about analagous colours being worn together (purple and pink are beside each other on the colour wheel, which is what makes them analagous). I have already had this outfit referred to as my "Princess" outfit, and I haven't even left the house yet, but I am OK with that. The top is one of my off-the-wagon December purchases from Jacob ($20), the skirt I've shown in a previous blog (Sears, $6). I am fighting the urge to wear my sparkly pink shoes and complete the princess look... but am reminding myself that it is not a costume!! It was tricky choosing tights, though, because I didn't want to detract from the top portion of the outfit-- I went with gray because of its neutrality. It's spring in January, as far as my outfit is concerned, and the forecast is calling for more of the same all month long!
 Close-up of the fabric on my new Limb Bambi dress! Isn't it adorable?!
Another creation comes together! Two unsuspecting items, both in excellent condition, both perfectly wearable based on their own merit, get an upgrade that allows them to join the elite ranks of my dress wardrobe. The top was a gift from a friend (sorry, friend, I had to make some alterations), the skirt a six dollar Goodwill purchase, the shoes from a clothing swap... basically this outfit was free. Although i cut the sleeves of the top to a cap length, I did leave the hem of it in tact under the skirt should I ever decide to remove the skirt portion and just wear this as a blouse. The red ribbon at the sleeve added some interest and brought it back to the era of the bowling-shirt... perhaps I'll have a name embroidered on the chest. Although the intention was for this to be a dress, it finished at more of a tunic length, so I doubt I'll ever wear it with tights, as that would break my own rules of decency. If I do decide in the future to make it dress length, all it will take is to add another layer of colour at the hemline, as there was in the original skirt design. Easy instructions: 1) dismantle skirt, iron 2) cut sleeves of shirt to desired length, hem, embellish 3) sew skirt on to top, matching edges 4) finish edges Now go forth and create! | AuthorErin J. Tomkins-- putting years of vanity to good use ArchivesMay 2012 |
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