Spooky Scary

It's the last day of the Winter Challenge!  Good thing the ABCs of style are still going, so I won't have to make my own clothing decisions for a couple more weeks. 

Today's prompt was to wear something that scares you.  This was the most difficult day to figure out for me.  Here are 3 of the ideas I had:

1. Buy some spider jewelry.  Get it, because I'm scared of spiders.
2. Dress up like a zombie.  See reasoning of #1.
3. I was complaining to John about how I didn't know what I was scared of wearing, and he suggested that I let him pick out my outfit.  Yep, that's pretty scary.  I can think of 2 times where he had significant input into what I was wearing.  Both times, it was so ridiculous that I had to pose for pictures holding a shotgun.  I told him as long as his suggestion was work appropriate and did not require firearms as accessories, I would go along with it.  He forgot, so I was left to my own devices. 

So, this morning, I had about 20 minutes to get ready for work and I had zero ideas of what I was scared of wearing.   Here's what I came up with:

This purple velvet blazer has been in my closet for probably 7 years, and I have never worn it. This is also my Closet Orphan, for the ABC challenge.  I got it for about $5 when Macy's bought out the Lazarus department store and everything was like 90% off.  I don't know if I am scared of wearing it, as much as I just didn't know what to wear with it.

The plaid top is pretty new.  I found it over Christmas break when I was shopping with my sister.  I really like it, but it reminds me too much of my high school uniform.  I need to get over my fear of plaid, pleats, and polo shirts one of these days.

And finally, my "real" fear:  skinny jeans with flats.  I generally reserve skinny jeans for wearing with boots.  I think 2 or 3 times, I have worn non-boots, but always with a 3in or higher heel.  I see other people wearing flats with skinny jeans, and I think it is cute, but I just am not sure I can pull it off.

I've also had "Werewolf Bar Mitzvah" stuck in my head all day.  Cracks me up!

Go check out what other bloggers are scared of wearing here.  
And go check out other closet Orphans here.

Blazer:Jones New York
Top:  Talbots via Marshall's
Jeans:  Old Navy
Shoes:  Gap

Fallin'

No, it isn't fall.  I'm not listening to the Alicia Keys song.  I actually just fell down this morning.  I was about 8 feet away from my office door, carrying 4 bags (purse, laptop, lunch, workout clothes) when my shoe revolted against me and I completely crashed to the floor.  I hit a cubicle wall pretty hard before I landed, but I am happy to say it did not fall over.  That would have been embarrassing!  Not that falling wasn't embarrassing enough, but I was able to pretty quickly assure my boss and co-workers I was fine and head to my office in shame.

I'm actually surprised this doesn't happen to me more often.  Contrary to popular opinion, I am not actually very graceful.  My husband threatens to get me a Humpty Hat every winter.  According to the website, you should wear it when you are doing winter sports.  I think I should just wear it year round for walking places.

Anyway, I was trying to do the "Dress Up a Coat" challenge a day early, but when I saw Kayla's inspiration post, she really meant that you should add something to your coat to make it dressy.  I thought she just meant to dress up and include a coat.  I'm going to just go with it and pretend I followed the rules.  I'm sure no one will care!

In conclusion, perhaps I should never wear these shoes again.  I thought they would be good, because the platform would be more comfortable than a regular heel, but if they are going to throw me to the ground, I might just have to pass.  They aren't really cute enough for me to put up with those kind of shenanigans. 


Go check out people who actually followed the instructions to dress up a coat HERE. 
I'm also linking up to the ABCs of style with my (P)leather jacket and suede shoes - L is for Leather

Sweater, Skirt, Shoes:  Gap
Jacket:  Relativity
Tights:  Target

Bright and Sunshiny!

More outdoor photos!  This is what I wore to church on Sunday.  I pretty much always wear bright colors, so this day of the challenge was NO PROBLEM!  I felt a little too springy in just the sweater, so I threw the scarf on to add some extra color and feel a tad more appropriate for January  (even though January is feeling more like March or April--AMAZING)  

 Cardigan:  NY&Co
Scarf:  Gap
White Tshirt:  Loft
Black Cami:  Gap
Skirt:  Calvin Klein
Tights:  Target
Boots:  Bare Traps via DSW

Go check out some other Bright Colors HERE. 
I will also be linking up to The ABCs of Style later this week for Neon and Neutral day.

I love the 80s

 Remember how I said I was going to get ahead of the game this week, and actually post my outfits early each day.  Yeah, that didn't happen at all.  Today, the challenge was to get inspiration from a decade or region.  This shouldn't have been difficult!  I was just not feeling it.  I had to turn to Pinterest and Google for inspiration.  One of the first pictures that I found as 80s inspiration was the movie poster from Heathers, which I've never seen, but the plot summary on Wikipedia sounds pretty crazy.  Anyway, I decided to bring the blazer and skirt look into 2012.  I really like it.

Apparently, I've decided leaning against the wall is a pretty good way to pose. 

 Of course, I had to twirl in my flowy skirt:

Go check out the other looks here!

Skirt and Top:  Gap
Blazer:  Limited
Tights:  Target
Heels:  BCBGeneration

Mix those prints!

Today, we mix prints! I'm not sure how I will decide what to wear when this challenge is over.  It's so convenient to be given directions!

I've had this outfit in mind for awhile, but just hadn't worn it yet.  In the past, I've mostly worn this skirt with blue, black, or white sweaters, so it was time to branch out a bit.  My obnoxiously neon striped sweater was the obvious choice.  Just ignore the fact that my hair is slowly attacking my face in the picture below. 

Next week, I'm going to try to be a day ahead of the prompts, so I can post earlier each day.  We will see if that actually happens!

Sweater:  Gap
Black Tshirt (under see-through sweater):  Target
Skirt:  Ann Taylor
Boots:  Bare Traps via DSW

Modern-day Minnie Mouse

 Today's challenge is to Channel someone.  One of the examples Kayla gave was the Disney Bound website.  I spent way too long looking through the archives of adorable outfits based on various Disney characters.  Here's one of the Minnie Mouse outfits that I loved!

I knew I had some pieces in my closet that would work, AND I just made these bows for my red shoes which were so perfect. 

I really love this outfit.  It's very me, and very fun.  Today was a kind of hectic day at work, but I mean, you can't get too stressed out when you are dressed like Minnie Mouse!  Seriously.

Close-up of the shoes:

 

 Here's a crazy pose at no extra charge:

After choosing Minnie Mouse, I dug through my old photo albums to find evidence of 4 year old me channeling Minnie Mouse for Halloween.  

Go check out the other fun looks here. Tomorrow, we will be Mixing Prints!  Get excited.  

T-shirt:  H&M
Cardigan:  Old Navy
Skirt:  Express
Tights: Target
Shoes:  Rampage
Shoe Bows:  Made by me
Necklace: from China (gift)
Bracelet:  from Kenya (gift)

Trendy Tangerine

Another day, another challenge!  Today the idea is to Embrace a Trend.  I pretty seriously considered a backwards cardigan, but then I remembered that I have a few meetings today, where I would actually have to see people, and I didn't want to be laughed out of the conference room.  So, I took the easy way out, and went with the Pantone Color of the Year! 

I bought this shirt and cardigan last spring on the same day, but have never worn them together.  I think I like it!

Aren't you proud of me for wearing different shoes?  Although, these are probably even more frequently worn than the gray boots.  Maybe tomorrow I'll branch out into a different color of shoes.  It's just tricky during the winter!

And just for fun, I turned my cardigan around to try the backwards look.   

I don't know.  It's okay, but probably not something I will do very often.  I think a longer cardigan might look better.  Maybe with a dress.  What do you all think?

I'm also linking this up to the ABC challenge, for W is for Wide Leg Jeans day. 

Shirt:  Loft
Cardigan:  NY&Co
Jeans:  Loft
Shoes:  Gap

Monochromatic Blues

Day 2 of the Winter Challenge is Monochromatic.  I had an idea to wear all purple, but when I pulled it all out of my closet, I wasn't really impressed.  Then I was going to be lazy and wear my trouser jeans with a blue gingham button down and sweater, but that felt pretty uninspired.  Staring at my closet, I saw this summery skirt peeking out and thought it was worth a try.  I ended up taking the gingham shirt off and adding turquoise tights.  I feel a little ridiculous, but this look is growing on me.

When I went to grab my normal jewelry, I remembered this necklace that my sister got me for Christmas.  I think it adds a little something extra to my monochrome look!

Is anyone tired of these boots yet?  I warned you I wear them all the time in the winter! 

Go check out the other monochrome looks here. 

Tomorrow's challenge is Embrace a Trend.  My added personal challenge:  wear different shoes! 

Necklace:  Charming Charlie (Christmas gift)
Sweater: Gap
Tank:  Target
Skirt:  George
Tights: Express from Marshall's
Boots:  Wanted via Piperlime

Layer it on

I'm so excited to be linking up with Freckles in April for the Winter Challenge.  Today's prompt is LAYERS.  It's winter, so I am pretty much layering every day.  I decided to try something new for today:

Button up shirt under a faux wrap dress!

I realize this isn't as crazy as I think it is.  I got this dress several years ago on clearance at Target for I think $6, and I rarely wear it, because it seems kind of boring.  I guess I just need to layer it with bright colors and then I like it.

I'm even trying the tights/socks/boots combo that is everywhere.  I almost always wear socks with my tights and boots, but today I pulled them up so they can peak out and say hello.  I think I like it.  I should probably get some chunkier knit socks or leg warmers.  I think that would be cuter.  

Go check out what other bloggers did here!

Tomorrow's theme is Monochrome.  I'm still not sure what I'm wearing! 

Dress:  Target
Button-up shirt:  Gap
Tank:  Gap
Cardigan:  Loft
Tights:  Steve Madden via DSW
Socks:  Target
Boots:  Wanted via Piperlime