Accessories

I think that I have developed a taste for quirky shoes. I recently bought three shoes, all of them colorful and distinct. One is a wedge with rainbow-colored straps. Another are the glitter sandals. The last one is a teal flat with fish scales on it.

I suppose that works, since I've started moving towards more basic and neutral clothes. I've decided not to get any more patterned tops or skirts, and to forgo dresses in favor of separates. I end up rarely wearing any of my dresses, except the comfortable ones in solid colors.

The style tips I read in books and magazines usually suggest getting basic clothes and individualizing through accessories, anyway. I didn't use to understand that concept. But now I do, since I've started accumulating hats, scarves, shoes, and jewelry. Signature items. I wear the same ones all the time.

Typewriter

Perhaps it's regressive, in this age of computers. But I like the clickity clack of the letters, the simple forward motion.

I used it this afternoon to type out a mailing label for the book bag. I decided to return it. I really liked the color, a garment-dyed dusky green, but it's not worth the money.

True love

Despite blisters, I am still wearing and loving to wear my Marc by Marc glitter sandals and the wishing fish flats from Anthropologie (the ones that made me break my resolution). That's true love.

Imagination

Books v. television
Optimism v. cynicism
Covered v. revealing

So many things are better if you leave something to the imagination.



<3 looks #12 and #2 from Patrick Rzepski's Fall/Winter 2006 line.
Both modelled by Rosa Huntington-Whiteley.

Random shopping thoughts

I don't like clothes with texture, except for corduroy pants.

Bright, slightly off colors make me happy, like teal and french blue.

I want to winnow my closet down to a selection of beloved, favorite pieces. I want to see space between the hangers.

Skirts below the knee make me look stumpy.

Patterns give me eye fatigue after awhile. I think I'll stick to solid colors.

Just feet

I got my heels in these currently.

* Update: It works! I should do a few more treatments, but it's gotten rid of my cracked heels. *

Don't See, by Chloe

Well, the skirt is on backorder until October, and I've decided not to stay on the waitlist. By October, I won't be wearing mini skirts. Too rainy and wet for bare legs here.

Speaking of Abercrombie

Abercrombie. They are good for bottoms, like shorts, pants, and skirts. They know how to cater to asses. Both the body part and the people.

They would be okay for their tees, which are soft cotton, except for the name emblazoned on them.

Except. Unless. Despite it all, Abercrombie can be pretty flattering. For example, I saw the cutest Japanese girl waitressing at the local sushi place tonight. She was wearing a bright green tee shirt, and at first I thought that it must be some cool indie line of clothing. But then she turned around, and I saw that it was Abercrombie. Oh well.

Drunkards on the balcony

Damn men. Testosterone-addled creatures. The apartment to the right of me houses fraternity rejects, most of whom have been sitting out all night tonight drinking beer, playing bad music, and doing whatever else men do when they get together.

It all proved too much for one. Who got into a tizzy of some sort. All I could make out of his loud, drunken rant was "fucking....fuck...fuck you..." I was kind of hoping I'd hear the sound of a body going over a rail. Is that bad of me?

Incidentally, to stay on topic, I bet they wear Abercrombie, bought on sale.

Wallet

Ever since my Hello Kitty coin purse was ridiculed, I have been on the search for a suitable, grown-up replacement. I thought I had found one (see an earlier post), but it ended up being too small. My receipts get caught in the zipper all the time, and then I can hardly open the thing. We can't have that.

Currently, I'm debating this Marc by Marc Jacobs clutch/billfold. Notice the slash in the name. Dual purposes! That almost justifies the price. But eh. I don't know. Throw in some free shipping, and I'd be sold. But there is currently no such promotion. Drat.

Patience, grasshopper.

But, if I return the JO book bag, I can afford this wallet.

Hmmm. Decisions. Best not made at 4 in the morning.

Keepers

From Creatures of Comfort, I'm keeping the Karen Walker silk top. The moment I put it on, I knew, the way you know about a good melon (ty When Harry...). Maybe all this shopping is helping hone my instincts for keepers and send-it-backers.

It felt like a hug, snug around the shoulders but not tight. It fit perfectly.

I'm debating the book bag. I love book bags, but it's pretty spendy for canvas.

From Neiman Marcus, I like the shoes. I wore it out today, exposing my nappy feet to all the world. I have to do a home pedicure today. But in any case, I was hoping the sparkles would distract people from my horny-toed self.

I also like the brown polka-dotted cami. Very lightweight and summery. That's summer decadence for you, when you can wear sheer things without feeling too scandalous.

Then today I went downtown to find some swim trunks. The boy said his trunks are donelapped. Meaning, "they done lapped over" the waistband.

But of course, I'm no saint. I went and looked for my stuff, too. Passed through Nordstrom's but didn't go look at clothes. Got a black belt, white tee shirt, and shoes at Anthropologie. Argh! I've made a new resolution for NO MORE SHOES, but these were so cute and on sale. I'd seen them many times on the website, so when I saw them in person and on sale for half off, it felt like fate. Or close enough for me.

Then I stopped into Sephora and got makeup and some blotting tissue (above). I don't know why. Every once in awhile I try to be a proper girl. And the stuff is just so pretty. The packaging, with flowers, and pink colors, and shiny surfaces. Even if I don't use it, the prettiness makes me happy.

Two boxes

...willing be arriving tomorrow!

A reward for finishing my work.

Khaki evolution

One of my first clothing purchases in Seattle was a pair of khaki pants from the local Value Village. Maybe $5? For my new job at Starbucks which required them.

On the first day, I splashed the mop water and bleached out small dots on the hemline. Still I wore them out and about, usually with a belt cinched tight to make a sort of paper bag waist.

Recently I cut them a few inches above the knees and made shorts out of them.

What I collect

book bags
blank books
stationary
tea cups
water glasses

Empty containers,
holders of things.

Summer

I'm getting gypped. Where is my summer? It's still so cold around here.

The Seattle God is a petulant God, one who makes you believe that the sunshine and good times have come in. And then. A week of cold, grey skies.

I've got all these cute things to wear but no weather to wear them in.

Sleep clothes

If I'm overdressed when I sleep, I have nightmares. Crowded, hot, disturbing dreams. This afternoon, I dreamed that I was waiting at home for the boy to arrive. He was late. It was dark. The apartment felt small and the neighbors were loud.

I had the sense, as you do in dreams, that the apartment had become a hotel room. The sheets were coming off the mattress, the way that I hate.

Then I snapped awake. It took me awhile to reorient myself.

Relationships

My aversion to shopping has shifted, at least for awhile. I found the sparkle shoes for half off at another site, and those have been ordered along with other things. It all seems very decadent, even to me, especially to me, but most things get sent right back. So I tell myself. I have a budget, but I haven't been keeping track of my expenditures, so I don't have a budget.

I've come to hate shopping in the stores. I can't make instantaneous decisions, especially with an eager SA hovering near. And I hate relationships that are suspect, where one person stands to profit and so you're never quite sure about their friendliness. I'm not comfortable with anyone serving me. Restaurants are okay most of the time, since they'll get a fat tip at the end, and everyone knows the terms.

But the idea of a professional haircut, manicure, pedicure, or spa day doesn't excite me at all. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Several ex-boys have offered to pay for these things, thinking that money was the obstacle, but it's not. I don't want strangers touching me, and I don't want to be like a queen bee tended by little ants. I don't like that kind of relationship.

Anyway, maybe the online shopping thing...ah, well, it's probably just another way to avoid social interaction.


Karen Walker plum silk gathered bow top &
Jessica Ogden canvas book bag

Wish for Icarus

They should sell clothes like these.

Shopping therapy

Isn't it fortunate how the summer sales have coincided with my moodiness lately?

Cape

It's the proportion and shape of that jacket that makes it special. It's cropped in a modern way, far above the hip and almost short-sleeved in the arms. It's also cut close to the body, but it's still swingy.

In all, the effect is one of insouciance, modernity, and sophisticated girlishness. (Never mind the fact that it's Sienna Miller wearing this Moschino capelet.)

Repeat

I wonder if my colleagues will notice that I'm wearing the same pants and belt today? And necklace. Hmmm.

See by Chloe

I love this skirt. I pre-ordered it for Fall. Hopefully it will still be warm enough to wear then.

I like the structure, the buttons, the subtle shape. Along with this skirt, I also got a few things on summer clearance--tank tops, skirts, etc.

Saks update

Nothing worked from that shipment except the wool beret. The cheapest item that I bought. Yay, I guess.

Satine

Final sale. 70% off.

The two tops I got, I have no pictures for. Not two hours after I ordered, they were sold out and the pics taken down. I did manage to get pics of the shoes and skirt.

Neighbor

I have a 5-year old neighbor. I think she's 5, because she doesn't seem to go to school. Instead, she's mostly out in the courtyard making mud pies, digging through the landscaping, and fishing around in the fountains for spare change (until the day, she said, she discovered a chicken bone in one. After that, she left it alone for a few days.).

And every time I pass by, she calls out a compliment about my clothing.

"I like your necklace!"
"I like your shirt!"
"I like your skirt!"

Every time I pass. I can't escape it. Now I feel a little bit amiss when my fashion critic doesn't approve of my outfit and stays silent. I think that's only happened twice. Still, sometimes my nerves fail me, and I take the back exit.

Photos above: a few detail pics of my apartment

Weather wimp

It's July, and I am wearing flannel pajama bottoms.

That's me, styling on my front stoop. -->

(okay, that's not really me.)

Returns

The MJ wallet is really cute, kinda blingey (maybe it's just my mood, what with the twinkle toes), but it's scratched. Argh! So back it goes, and then I have to wait for a replacement.

I don't like the dress either, so I won't be keeping it.

I'm holding out for the Saks shipment.

Phooey

It's cold again.

Hello, long sleeve shirts and wool cardigans.

Bike ride

On the bike trail, spandex is king.

In my rolled-up corduroys, in a sea of spandex, I think I stood out. My clothes flapping all around me, I was not streamlined nor aerodynamic. I was a neophyte, just a girl huffing and puffing and hoping not to die.

Shoe-phoria

I'm in a state of shoe-phoria. FYI.

Which only builds my anticipation for my other packages winging their way towards me.

From Shopbop.com:
. Marc by Marc Jacobs wallet
. C & C cotton jersey dress


From Saks.com:
. Juicy tank top in mint
. Mulberry tooled leather Bayswater
. Lola wool beret
. Marc by Marc Jacobs jelly shoes
(all on sale)

Glitter toes

I got them. Yes, I did. They're silly, unredeemably silly, but I'm so attracted to them. I saw them in a few editorials in the Spring magazines and tracked them for the past few months. And then I saw them on mini-sale at Zappos (9% off. pretty much nothing off) and with the free shipping to and fro, I thought I had nothing to lose. Those shoe execs have my number.

In my defense, they do fill a gap in my wardrobe for cute summer shoes to pair with dresses and skirts. Since they're glittery, they'll go with anything. That's the idea anyway.

Panda Express

I guess the books have nothing to do with fashion, except the books have come from my best fashion source up till now, the thrift stores. Sans moola, thrift stores are your best bet for clothes that won't make you look like the next person.

The boy and I, after SVdP, went to the mall to do a return, and then we went to eat in the food court (Panda Express has some tasty vegetarian dishes).

"Teeming mass of humanity," I said. Almost every seat was taken, usually by loud teenagers preening for their peers or old folks quietly eating their dinner.

I asked the boy what he thought about it all. His remark was that they all looked the same. Like they've all subscribed to the same program.

I have often wondered when I would see a badly dressed person buying a cartful of new clothes. Like, what's the point? And not just for them, but fashion in general feels like such a waste sometimes. Especially when I go to Goodwill and see the things that were on sale just a few weeks earlier at Target or wherever. So quickly, used up.

Motherlode

I have found the motherlode of used books! Ha ha ha ha ha! *insert maniacal laughter*

Yesterday the boy and I went to investigate a row of thrift stores he located near his new work. At first he told me there were something like 6 of them, which really perked me up. Turned out to be just two, but one was a St Vincent de Paul. SVdP are usually really good thrift stores, charity shops in the traditional sense. Really cheap donations. Instead of having former alcoholics and drug addicts manning the store, you have Christian ladies, who, despite 90 degree weather and no A/C, will still give you a smile and a big discount.

So it turns out that they were having a paperback book sale (all PBs 50% off). The books were located in a back room, directly opposite of the sole ventilation in the place--the front door, propped open. Needless to say, it was stifling back there. But the book section was the size of a small bookstore and was organized like a real bookstore. Sections like "Women's Studies," "Occult," and "Literary Critizicism [sic]."

I had a stack of books curled down the length of my arm until someone kindly got me a box. An entire box of good books for only $5! I went to meet the boy--who was sitting outside in the car under a shady tree, programming--exultant with my spoils.

Closet

That time of year again. When I switch over from my winter clothes to my summer clothes. I feel pretty safe in guessing that it won't get cold for the next few months.

Last night I moved all my winter clothes into some plastic bins. Took out my summer clothes, the ones that made it all the way from Texas.

So hello strappy tinker tanks!