Colorize

Wow, I still look really tired in these pics. Sorry. I tried to jazz it up a bit more today, maintaining the whole color idea. Color=acessory=colorize. Ha! I need to get more sleep.
My favorite thing about this outfit is that every piece was under $20.
Scarf: H&M, $15
Top: Zara, $18
Skirt: Gap, $11
Tights: Ann Taylor Loft, $15
Boots: Consignment, $12

When all else fails...

I have felt really tired lately. The winter is finally starting to take its toll on me, which is why I am posed so badly and why I feel like I am in an outfit rut. When I get home from work, I am usually too tired to do anything let alone plan out a cute outfit. I still like this outfit even though it is somewhat casual. To take care of my outfit rut I wore some of my favorite colors together: red and blue. I also have been trying to accesorize more.

One of my favorite pieces of jewelry is my Black hills gold ring from South Dakota. The gold comes in this light green and red, which makes it very unique. (Anniversary gift from the beau.) Also there is an investment piece in this outfit that costs more than I usually tend to spend. Can you guess which item it is?

Summer in the winter hurts so good

In this outfit, I should probably be swaying on a grassy hill at a John Cougar Mellencamp concert and hanging out with my friends Blossom, Six, and Joey. But really, is it that bad to be wearing a jean jacket? J.Crew is doing it!!!!

To wear this cute little dress from summer, which was purchased for $15 at Marshalls, I needed some layering. I thought my denim jacket would create a good Americana look with the pattern of this dress, and I knew I needed reinforcements with the cardigan because denim freezes in the winter. I also enlisted the help of my good friends leggings, knee socks and boots, and an “undershirt”.

Did anyone’s mom make them wear a so called “undershirt” under literally every item of clothing when they were younger? Am I the only one?

And tada! Summer outfit remixed for winter! Woah!

(P.S. did anyone know that Mayim Bialik was on What Not to Wear?!?)

The tale of the salmon-colored pants

I always say I can never find anything to wear. How could I be saying that this whole time when I had these salmon-colored skinny pants in my closet? I got these at H&M for free with another item that was purchased on sale. At first I thought that they were a risk but then I thought, "At least this will be an interesting post on SMC"...wait!!...what are those?
Oh my gosh, they are bright blue Margarita socks from J.Crew!!!! (Birthday gift)

Don't look at them too long they are like the sun!!!

Wow, just when I thought I couldn't make myself stand out anymore. I think I took it a step too far with these socks, as a coworker pointed out to me today, but I do have to say after all of this dreary winter weather, it did brighten my mood.
The End.

Prepster

I was in a preppy mood today, so I broke out the blue and white striped oxford, a blazer from Forever 21 that allows me to walk freely on the set of any of the Harry Potter movies, and my pearl necklace of course...oh yeah! That brown little briefcase was an afterthought that I just decided to use to style up the photo. I actually got it at a garage sale for 50 cents. It's one of my favorite purchases. To go with the theme I thought I would opt for a Leighton Meester-esque hair style. To make sure I wasn't drowning in my own pretentiousness I threw on these black skinny pants. I think it evens out the whole look.

At first blush

I don't wear pink. It's not that I have anything against it, but it's a little too girly for me. That also goes for anything with flowers or pastels. Maybe my aversion comes from the fact that I used to dress up in fatigues and play G.I. Joe with my brother when I was little, or perhaps it's because I also played He-Man. Either way, pairing this sweatshirt blazer with a light pink shirt was a big step.

I was also trying to get a close up of the navy blue lapel in the second pic, but really all I accomplished was documenting my enormous gazangas. Enjoy. Sigh.

Tights tricks

Layering clothes reaches a whole new dimension when you live in Cleveland. You have to be tricky if you want to escape the wrath of cold winds blowing up your skirt. Why would I even be wearing a skirt or dress in the middle of winter?—because I am THAT girl. No, not puking in the bathroom of a bar girl who is wearing a dress that is too tight for her and her control top is showing, I mean the kind of girl who sacrifices her comfort in the name of outfit elitism.
So the trick here is to layer an opaque color like red or blue under a more sheer pair of tights like this polka dot pair. I tried it with a maroon pair of tights and the color is a little too dark to notice. So if you really want it to pop out I would recommend using a bright red. So if you have a pair of really sheer tights that you want to wear in the winter you can with this easy method. (P.S. I was still freezing!)

Fish-tastic!

This enormous fish on a chain is a true "Shop My Closet" find, it just so happens that it wasn't MY closet. It was given to my grandmother in the 70s (she gave it to me for Xmas!), which means it has seen more polyester, Bee Gees and bellbottoms than I can imagine. Even so, I will not let that intimidate me. I like to think I have the style prowess to pull off this aquatic gem, but, I will admit, it has an ocean of 70s glam. And I have more like... a fish tank full.

Today I played it cool with a simple t-shirt/cardigan combo, but one day I will break out my gold lamé onsie and light up DC like a twirling disco ball.

Rubber is my friend!

Dear Shop My Closet,

I'm sorry I've been MIA for the last 3 months. Part of that was unadulterated laziness, but the larger part was a big move to a shiny new city. I decided to pick up and move to DC to find new fashion in the capitol of prep, politics, and, as I've come to find out, short men. Oh, and I got a new job.

And part of that new job is walking to work every day -- rain, snow, sleet, slush...and occasional shine. An epic blizzard and many wet socks later, I decided to get some protection. Rubber. Rubber boots, that is, and they have become my new favorite friends. You know, aside from my robot friends...and some of my people friends.

I'm also wearing a cute dress. Just because I can.

Love,

Allison