Beads From Rome

I've been so busy at work that I've been defaulting to the same outfits time and time again (luckily, I've spared you all from my wardrobe ennui). This was my effort to break out of the rut--how bored can you really be when you're wearing awesome high-heeled rugged leather boots?



I love this necklace--it pulls together so many of the colors I often wear! I bought it from a street market in Rome, intending to give it away as a gift...but I kept it for myself, hehe.



Boots: Giusti via Goodwill
Tights: Target
Sweater: J. Crew via Goodwill
Cardigan: Unknown via Goodwill
Necklace: Rome street market
Belt: Unknown via Goodwill

Debuting Presents

I got this white coat from my step-MIL. She always gives the best presents! Did you guys have anything fun under the tree this year? Do you like getting presents or picking out items for yourself best?


Skirt: Self-made
Jacket: Maurices, gift
Shirt: J. Crew via Goodwill
Tights: F21, gift
Boots: Giusti via Goodwill


I liked how my makeup turned out today! You can't really see it that much, but I'm wearing this fabulous purple eyeshadow from Fyrinnae that I am in love with.

Four Ways To Wear Episode 14: Teal Shirt

The Candidate: A silk teal shirt

The Goal: A versatile, comfortable piece that will function in a work setting as well as at play.

The Results:

Shirt: Matty M via Plato's Closet
Skirt: Brass Plum via Goodwill
Tights: F21, gift
Boots: Giusti via Goodwill
Necklace: from a street vendor in Rome
Long sleeve shirt: Energie, gift


Shirt: Matty M via Plato's Closet
Long sleeve shirt: Energie, gift
Tights: Hue via The Rack
Skirt: Self-made
Belt: Goodwill
Shoes: Naturalizer via Goodwill


Shirt: Matty M via Plato's Closet
Pants: AE via Plato's Closet
Shoes: Naturalizer via Goodwill


Shirt: Matty M via Plato's Closet
Belt: Target
Dress: unknown via Goodwill
Shoes: Curfew via Goodwill

The Verdict: I love it! The color and shape work nicely into the rest of my wardrobe, the sleeves add a bit of luxe, and the silk material is divine. I was worried about laundering it--it says Dry Clean Only, which is do-able but not ideal--but after doing some research I think I will be able to handwash it in lukewarm water with baby shampoo and it will be fine. My only concern is how it will wear and if it would be able to travel. However, I scored it for $15 at Plato's Closet and paid for it with a gift card I have been holding for ages, so it was (basically) free! For that, I won't feel too bad using it as a 'test run' everyday wear silk shirt.

This is also replacing two similar shirts that I had previously but in cotton. For some reason, I was under the impression that I wore them frequently, but looking back through my blog I can only find one entry when I wore one of them! You can barely see it, but I wore it when I was showing off the suede Coach bag I won from 365 Fashion Rehab's no-shop challenge. I had two of these shirts--teal, loose-fitting, cotton. I guess they were the type of shirt that I would pull out, think about wearing, and ultimately put them back. I certainly hope that is not the case with this lovely silk shirt!

Do you guys have any tips for silk clothing? Have you handwashed any silk items, and did it turn out well (or not so well)?

Have you ever had any items of clothing that you thought you wore all the time, but it turns out you didn't? (am I the only person this has happened to? See, this is why I like having a blog--it helps support my failing memory!)



Check out my other Four Ways to Wear Episodes!
Episode Thirteen: Orange Tweed Skirt
Episode Twelve: Black Silk Shirt
Episode Eleven: Nude Sweater
Episode Ten: Cognac-Colored Boots
Episode Nine: Watercolor Silk Shirt
Episode Eight: Orchid Silk Dress
Episode Seven: Brown Full Skirt
Episode Six: Black Oxford Flats
Episode Five: Black Poncho and Cream Sweater
Episode Four: Safari Skirt
Episode Three: Red Sweater
Episode Two: Purple Embroidered Shirt
Episode One: Brown Pencil Skirt

Twenty Five Pennies

After looking over my Two Thirds Review, I realized that I have been wearing cardigans almost every day for the past few days. I wanted to try to branch out a bit, so instead I wore a long-sleeved shirt underneath my sweater to have the warmth without the layering look. It's not a huge step, but it's something. Next: Outfits without scarves!

What items do you wear out of habit?
Do you have any 'safety-blanket' items you feel undressed without?
What has been your most ridiculous favorite item that you wore all the time?









Sweater: Gap via Goodwill
Long-sleeved shirt underneath: Kiabi via France
Skirt: Preview Collection via Goodwill
Tights: Black Tights from Target layered over Underamour
Boots: Giusti via Goodwill
Scarf: Self-made

Nineteen (84)

I woke up thoroughly annoyed with my 30 item wardrobe. I was tired of remixing, tired of dealing with only the 30 items I chose, and I was grumpy to boot! So I put on my big girl pants and did what any self-respecting remixer would do--I wore a scarf as a top. *blows raspberry at 30 items* I wanted to rough up my outfit today and not have everything as pristine as it usually is. Given that my 30 items are all pretty clean-lined and nice looking, I used this plaid scarf I have been turning to again and again recently. I fastened it with several pins, wore multiple items of underarmour, and popped on my boots. Ready for another day of snow! Now that I am all dressed, I realize that I was being silly, and I have actually learned many things from this remix already!



THINGS PLUMMY HAS (RELUCTANTLY) LEARNED FROM THE 30 CHALLENGE
1. I usually rotate what I wear through these 30 items (there are only a few items in my wardrobe I really wanted to wear that I couldn't)

2. My winter wardrobe is woefully unprepared. Apparently I only own three long-sleeve shirts, including my purple sweater (but not including the three pieces of Underarmour that I wear underneath). I am completely unsure how this has happened, as I have lived in cold-weather climates for the past four years...

3. I really do wear scarves almost every single day.

4. I have a great basic wardrobe but would like to add more layers of interest--I found myself consistently wanting a piece to roughen an outfit up, or add a bit of contrast. This is where my desire for patterned tights, vintage shopping and not-so-feminine touches is emerging from.

5. I use thrift shopping as a hobby as well as a way to de-stress and get out of the house. Without thrift shopping I have been able to catch up on some projects I didn't have the time to do before (sewing, mending, cleaning and cooking) but I am still craving that hunt.

6. I can make do with what I have! This is the lesson I learned today, as I was able to put together an outfit that looked (to me) a little less pristine, a little more interesting, using items I already have. Of course, I still want to go thrift shopping, but I know I don't have to.





What items do you wish you had included (or could buy) during this challenge?

Have you missed shopping, or do you welcome the reprieve? If you have missed it, why?

Don't forget to vote in the poll on what upcoming feature I should do for the blog!




Leggings: Underarmour (only one layer today? It's like a miracle)
Skirt: H&M via Plato's Closet
Shirt: Underarmour
Scarf worn as wrap: Self-made
Pins: Gift from Grandma
Boots: Giusti via Goodwill
Socks: Target

Fourteen in a Fortnight

After wearing jeans yesterday, I felt compelled to wear a 'high-energy' pretty outfit today. I broke out these boots for the first time in this challenge and took another item off my 'I put it in my 30 items but still haven't worn it' list. I love these boots, and theoretically they are versatile (brown knee-high boots that fit), but when you put them into practice they take a bit more doing. Of course, they passed my Four Ways to Wear test (see: Episode 10), so they can't be all that bad. :)

Tip of the Day: Since it's been freezing over here, I have been layering like crazy. To keep all of my layers from moving around, I tuck them all into my tights and they stay put! Here, I have a long-sleeve base layer shirt, a pink silk shirt, and my cardigan all tucked into my tights (with my underarmour underneath it all!). I didn't have to worry about anything sliding around on me all day!







Base gray long-sleeve shirt: Gap via Plato's Closet
Pink shirt: Banana Republic via BR Outlet
Cardigan: Unknown via Goodwill donation pile
Skirt: Brass Plum via Goodwill
Base layer on legs: Underarmour
Top layer on legs: tights by Hue via Plato's Closet
Boots: Giusti via Goodwill

Four Ways To Wear Episode 13: Orange Tweed Skirt

Now, don't worry--I haven't breached my 30 for 30 No(shopping)vember! However, in the spirit of working within my wardrobe, I decided to do a bit of sewing to turn a skirt I don't wear very much into one that fits my wardrobe better. This is not one of my thirty items, so you won't see this skirt again on my blog until December, but I decided to do a Four Ways To Wear episode amid my thirty remix challenge! (If I am not making much sense, it is because I am hopped up on strong pain killers--sorry!)

If you want to see the before, I wore it here. I enjoyed the color and the tweedy material, but the length was a bit too long, the lining was coming undone, and it felt a bit boxy to me. So I snipped, pinned, and sewed, and here it is! (If you were wondering, this skirt was the result of the inspiration from Orchid Grey--I love the silhouette of her skirt in that picture!)

The Candidate: An altered orange tweed skirt.

The Goal: A cute, professional skirt that will add a fun color twist to some of my basic outfits.

The Results:


Skirt: Vintage via Goodwill, altered by me
Sweater: Unknown via Goodwill donation pile
Shirt: Loft via Plato's Closet
Tights: Hue via Plato's Closet
Boots: Steve Madden
Belt: Unknown via Goodwill


Skirt: Vintage via Goodwill, altered by me
Sweater: 22 via The Rack
Long sleeved shirt: Kiabi via France
Tights: Hue
Shoes: Naturalizer via Goodwill


Skirt: Vintage via Goodwill, altered by me
Sweater: Goodwill find, altered by me
Shirt: Kiabi via France
Necklace: Vintage via Goodwill Outlet
Tights: Hue
Shoes: Merona, gift


Skirt: Vintage via Goodwill, altered by me
Long sleeved shirt: Kiabi via France
Cowl-necked sweaterdress (worn as shirt): Rhapsody via Ross
Tights: F21, gift
Boots: Giusti via Goodwill

The Verdict: I like this silhouette and shape much better than before. I'm still not enamored with the color--is it too much of a blue-hued orange? I think that might be it. However, hopefully I will get more wear out of it this way than I did before (when I wore it once in the past six months!).

Do you alter your clothing at all, or even do any of your own alterations? What do you think about the alterations that I did--successful or meh? Finally, do you agree with me about the color being not quite right, or am I too drugged up on pain meds to accurately judge the skirt? ;)

Repeat To Remember

I woke up, wanted to wear my new boots, and promptly put together the same outfit from one of my four ways to wear. Nothing groundbreaking here, but I enjoyed it all the same!

Also--my posture is abysmal in this photo! I promise, I'm usually not quite this bad. Do you ever notice something looks different than you thought when you look at photos of yourself?


Boots: Guisti via Goodwill
Tights: Hue via Plato's Closet
Skirt: Brass Plum via Goodwill
Shirt: Toomi via Goodwill Outlet
Sweater: Unknown via Goodwill donation pile
Scarf: Self-made

Four Ways To Wear Episode 11: Nude Sweater

The Candidate: Nudey-peachy-colored J. Crew knit sweater that I found at the Goodwill.

The Goal: A nice, neutral nude sweater that won't make me looked washed out (as most do).

The Results:


Sweater: J. Crew via Goodwill
Camisole: Shimera
Pants: Martin & Osa via Goodwill
Boots: Giusti via Goodwill (yup, this shirt even goes with my new boots!)


Sweater: J. Crew via Goodwill
Camisole: Shimera
Cardigan: Unknown, via Goodwill donation pile
Pants: Martin & Osa via Goodwill
Shoes: Naturalizer
Necklace: Spotted Moth via a giveaway


Sweater: J. Crew via Goodwill
Camisole: Shimera
Scarf: Goodwill donation pile
Skirt: I.N.C. via Goodwill
Tights: F21, gift
Shoes: Naturalizer via Goodwill


Sweater: H&M via Goodwill
Sweater: J. Crew via Goodwill
Belt: Unknown via Goodwill
Pants: Martin & Osa via Goodwill
Shoes: Naturalizer

The Verdict: I love the sweet pale coral color and the scoop neckline. I wish it was a bit longer, but it goes well with my camisole and looks cute with both skirts and jeans. It also isn't so short that the length is a problem. I do think it's funny that even though I am always cold, I gravitate towards sweaters with 3/4 and 1/2 sleeves.

Four Ways To Wear Episode 10: Cognac-Colored Boots

The Candidate: Brown Giusti leather and suede knee-high boots that I found at the Goodwill for $20. Of course, they were a size 5 1/2 (I'm a 7 1/2) but that didn't stop me!

The Goal: A pair of versatile brown boots

The Results:


I went out to dinner last night with family and this is what I wore!
Boots: Giusti via Goodwill
Tights: Hue via Plato's Closet
Sweater dress: Ross


These boots are so high, I feel like they need to be toned down for work--this was my attempt.
Boots: Giusti via Goodwill
Tights: Hue via Plato's Closet
Skirt: Brass Plum via Goodwill
Shirt: Toomi via Goodwill Outlet
Scarf: Self-made


Boots: Giusti via Goodwill
Pants: Martin & Osa via Goodwill
Jacket: AE via Plato's Closet


These pants are almost too wide for the boots! I need some ultra skinnies to wear with these boots properly...dare I say it? JEGGINGS?
Boots: Giusti via Goodwill
Pants: Martin & Osa via Goodwill
Scarf: From a market in the Ukraine
Long-sleeved shirt: Gap via Plato's Closet
Sweater: One Clothing via Ross

The Verdict: I was sold from the moment I tried these suckers on and they ACTUALLY FIT MY CALVES. The ONLY pair that has ever done that! Plus, I Googled Giusti and found that apparently they make high quality shoes and their boots retail for between 300-600$. Done and done. The only thing that I don't like about them is that the suede attracts dirt like a magnet! I have tried brushing them and waterproofing them, and we'll see how long they look nice for...However, for how they are right now, I am pleased. Cute with skirts and pants (albeit only super skinny ones), good for work and relaxing, and they are in my color palette! Score!