No. 09 / 30 – It’s a Hot Mess

30 Thursday Jun 2011

Posted by VanC in 30 for 30 Remix Challenge, daily wear

Tags

30 for 30, 80s, american eagle, basic, big hair, black, blouse as cardigan, Brigitte Bardot, casual, everyday, hairspray, J Crew, levi's, messy, mustard, neutrals, outfit, silk, tan, Texas, thrifted, vintage

30 for 30 - Lazy - Casual - Neutrals - Silk Tank - Skinny Denim Levi's - Mustard Yellow Strappy Heels - Silk Blouse as Cardigan - Big Hair

Color Palette - Clothes We Wear - Black Tan Mustard Yellow

Black Silk Tank – Thrifted $3

Tan Silk Blouse as Cardi – Liz Claiborne, thrifted $6

Black Denim Skinnies – Levi’s

Mustard Yellow Strappy Heels – American Eagle

Necklace – Self-made from various thrifted baubles

Leather Rope Belt – J Crew

30 for 30 - Lazy - Casual - Neutrals - Silk Tank - Skinny Denim Levi's - Mustard Yellow Strappy Heels - Silk Blouse as Cardigan - Big Hair

I have nothing to wear! And after doing the laundry yesterday, you’d think this wouldn’t be a problem. Go figure. For days where my brain doesn’t speak fashion, I simply focus on comfort, pick a fun shoe, wear lipstick and play with my hair. A half tucked tank + unevenly rolled sleeves + poufy hair = a hot mess. If I learned anything from growing up in Texas, it’s go BIG or go home. I don’t do anything half-assed.

I often get bored with the same old and dream up simple things to spice up my clothes, for instance, a tucked collar in outfit No. 05 or knotting a tunic tank dress. For this outfit, I created a cardigan look with my blouse by pulling the sides of the shirt behind me and buttoning the last button. I call this the mullet blouse. Business in the front, party in the back. Looks like a shrug, but it’s not. You’re probably all scratching your heads in confusion now. Study the photos very closely. There will be a quiz tomorrow.

Breaking News: The last time my hair saw the pouf, was in middle school, when it was super cool to have sky-high bangs held on by whole cans of hairspray and a spiral perm. Curly hair and humidity do not play nice together. I never got the memo.

Breaking News, Too: It’s also dawned on me that I was the middle schooler who single-handedly caused the hole in our ozone and I’m terribly sorry for this. It was selfish.

30 for 30 - Lazy - Casual - Neutrals - Silk Tank - Skinny Denim Levi's - Mustard Yellow Strappy Heels - Silk Blouse as Cardigan - Big Hair

About these ads

No. 08 / 30 – How to Do Laundry In Style

29 Wednesday Jun 2011

Posted by VanC in 30 for 30 Remix Challenge, daily wear

≈ 19 Comments

Tags

30 for 30, Anthropologie, belt, blue, braided hair, chain necklace, checkered, dress as skirt, floral, gray, laugh, laundry, mixing pattern, monkey, navy, Nine West, outfit, platform heels, silk, summer, work

30 for 30 - Laundry in Style - Pattern Mix - Checker Gingham Floral - Dress as Skirt

Color Palette - Clothes We Wear - Gray Navy Turquoise

Checkered Gingham Dress (as skirt) – thrifted

Floral Silk Blouse – Anthropologie

Gray Suede Platform Heels – Nine West via Marshall’s

Multi-Chain Necklace – Target

Leather Belt – American Eagle

30 for 30 - Laundry in Style - Pattern Mix - Checker Gingham Floral - Dress as Skirt

The title says it all. It was laundry day. I had 4 loads to do and could no longer push it off. Since my first choice items needed to be washed, I resorted to this outfit. There was no meeting, no date night, no nothin’. Just piles of dirty clothes.

Here are the key ingredients for making laundry day more exciting:

(1) Patterned Dress worn as skirt, preferably striped or checkered (2) Pretty floral silk blouse (3) Platform heels (4) Cute two year-old

The fourth item is very important. Do not skimp here. I’m serious. They will load your laundry and make you laugh. Child labor is very cheap–or free. They can be easily bribed with candy and cookies. My laundry monkey is not currently available, but I do know of several that you can borrow.

My son is a crack-up. Case in point:

30 for 30 - Laundry in Style - Pattern Mix - Checker Gingham Floral - Dress as Skirt

Voila! Follow these 4 easy steps and you’ve got it made. Clean clothes for days! These ingredients can be applied to any undesirable task. You can thank me later.

30 for 30 - Laundry in Style - Pattern Mix - Checker Gingham Floral - Dress as Skirt

No. 07 / 30 – Been Around the Block

28 Tuesday Jun 2011

Posted by VanC in 30 for 30 Remix Challenge, daily wear

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

30 for 30, beaded jewelry, black and white, blazer, block party, braided belt, canvas sneakers, fedora, hat, J Crew, khaki, Michael Kors, neutrals, orange, pattern, peach, Portland Sunday Parkways, shoulder bag, straw, summer, Target, thrift, tribal, turquoise, urban, weekend, white shorts

30 for 30 - Around the Block - Weekend Summer - Laid-Back - White Shorts - Blazer - Straw Fedora - Tribal Print

Color Palette - Clothes We Wear - Black White Khaki Tribal

Tribal Print Sleeveless Top – Forever 21

Khaki Jersey Blazer – thrifted, $5

White Shorts – Target

Straw Fedora Hat – Target (current)

Canvas Shoulder Bag – Michael Kors, thrifted, $5

Tan Canvas Sneakers – Grasshoppers

Black Strappy Heels – Steve Madden via Marshall’s

Beaded Necklace – thrifted

Chunky Turquoise Ring – TJ Maxx

30 for 30 - Around the Block - Weekend Summer - Laid-Back - White Shorts - Blazer - Straw Fedora - Tribal Print

Yup, that’s right. Folks, I’ve been around the block. (No. Not that kind!)

This past weekend, the city of Portland closed off 8 miles of streets in the North Portland area, for an annual summer event series called Portland Sunday Parkways. They have selected 5 neighborhoods (one each month, May through September) to block out vehicle traffic for about 5 hours, to promote alternative forms of transportation, engage communities, and bring people to the parks. This event allows people to enjoy outdoor activities in areas that they might not visit otherwise. Plus, it’s fun to walk down the middle of streets that are normally full of cars! And you can’t beat free. This event brought out 91,000 people to the streets last year. How awesome!

You know what else? I walked 8 miles in 3 inch heels. No. That’s a lie. My feet would hate me for that and since I need them to get around, I slipped on some canvas tennies. We strolled around on foot for a couple hours with the two-year old in tow. Though, for most of it, the little guy had a great view from Pop’s shoulders–which nearly took out his back. We are getting old. And our baby is getting big.

My laid-back weekend attire was perfect for the day’s events! Summer is about ease and that’s why I love menswear inspired looks. There’s a sense of effortless swagger that comes with the style. Adding the unexpected tribal pattern makes this classic look a bit quirky, which pretty much sums me up. I’m an odd one! It was also fun to add the pops of color to contrast an all neutral palette.

30 for 30 - Around the Block - Weekend Summer - Laid-Back - White Shorts - Blazer - Straw Fedora - Tribal Print

C is nutty at controlling the camera remote and he also wanted to dance with me during the middle of my shoot. I love this kid!

30 for 30 - Around the Block - Weekend Summer - Laid-Back - White Shorts - Blazer - Straw Fedora - Tribal Print

No. 06 / 30 – Foxy Mama

27 Monday Jun 2011

Posted by VanC in 30 for 30 Remix Challenge, daily wear

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

30 for 30, 70s, arrow, budget, clutch, cool, diy, easy, embroidery floss, flared denim, floppy hat, foxy, friendship bracelet, geography, honestly wtf, JCrew, jeans, knit, laid-back, mixed metal, mustard, oregon, platform sandals, portland, sheer cardigan, stacked bracelets, summer, tank, thrift, thriftaholics, turquoise, vintage, yard

Black Knit Tank – Chico’s thrifted, $3

Sheer Cardigan – handmade, thrifted, $2

Flared Denim – !iT Jeans, Nordstrom

Braided Leather Belt – JCrew

Floppy Hat – vintage, thrifted $6

Minty Green Sunglasses – thrifted, $3

Mustard Yellow Heels – American Eagle

Silver Arrow Necklace – thrifted, $4

Leather Clutch – vintage

30 for 30 - Foxy Mama - 70's Inspired - Floppy Hat - Flared Jeans - Platform Sandals - Sheer Cardigan - Laid Back

There are two things you should know about me: 1) I’m a foxy mama. 2) I’m badass. At least, according to the first two images and only on this blog. This. is. not. real. life.

I’ve been very inspired by the 70′s lately. Mostly because of the laid-back, carefree vibe of this era. I styled this look around the floppy hat, which is a recent thrifted find. My long search is finally over! Everything I’ve seen is either cheaply made, the size of a flying saucer or too droopy. When I saw this hat, I was super excited, as it is in mint condition with no sign of wear and it’s the right size for my petite frame. I’m going to be wearing it a lot this summer. It’s the perfect accessory for instant cool and ease factor.

The sheer cardigan has become a favorite of mine for its layer-ability. I last wore it here and here. This latest styling being my favorite look. It hung in my closet all through fall and winter and since it has joined the rotation, I’ve been wondering why I didn’t break it out sooner. I’ll be on the look out for more pieces like this to add to my closet. It’s great for days when it’s too hot to wear long sleeves, but I want a little coverage. Plus, I love layering and am not going to let a little heat stop me from doing so! Light and flowy fabrics instantly make me feel feminine and what? foxy. Your task for the day is to use this word in a random conversation and then tell me about it!

Foxy Mama - Detail - Necklaces - Silver Arrow and Turquoise Pendants

Do you see the friendship bracelet right thurr (nevermind the chipped nail polish)? I made it! A little DIY for the week, inspired by this post on Honestly, WTF. Except, instead of the “traditional” pattern, I took the short-cut route (don’t know the name for this pattern). I love that friendship bracelets are on trend for the past couple seasons, as it reminds me of my days in middle school, when I used to make a ton and sell them for a 25 cents each. My plan is to make a bunch in several different colors to stack. This one is all earth tones. There’s another DIY project, which I also saw on WTF, for a Friendship Necklace. They take embroidery floss and knit it around a rope, which makes for a more substantial piece. I’m a fan of the tribal inspired look! Check out Honestly, WTF if you’re not familiar. It’s a great blog (with a catchy name) for many DIY projects and awe-inspiring art, fashion and decor.

I’ll end with a little geography lesson for you on this fine Monday. Guess where I’m located? (Hint: the answer is in the tags).