Back With Bangs

Hi everyone! I am back from my (somewhat unintentional) hiatus! I am having construction done on my house and the internet ended up being out for much longer than I had anticipated. However, I am back and I GOT BANGS! They are actually quite a bit different than what I had envisioned, but at least hair grows relatively fast. In the meanwhile, I get to play with a haircut completely different than anything I have had before! :)





Still no Gorillapod, so you guys get to enjoy more of my (dismally unkempt) backyard!




A new silk scarf I found at the Goodwill when I was Christmas shopping! Hehe, I love finding little things for me when I am supposed to be shopping for everyone else...Plus, this is the brown/black neutral patterned scarf I have been looking for!


Dress: Julie's Closet via Goodwill Outlet
Longsleeve shirt: Gap via Plato's Closet
Tights: Target
Shoes: Naturalizer via Goodwill
Scarf: Goodwill
Belt: Chico's via Goodwill

Mr. P said it looked like I was eating my kitty's head...om nom nom says I!



On another dreary day off, I only wanted to dress in neutrals, layer myself and be warm. Busting out the Underarmour early in the season, heeeeell yeah!


Tights: Underarmour leggings
Dress: Julie's Closet via Goodwill Outlet
Shirt: (gray long-sleeved layered underneath, ultimate layering!) Gap via Plato's Closet
Scarf: Selfmade
Belt: Chico's via Goodwill
Boots: Steve Madden

Isn't Summer Gray-t?

My vitamin D deficiency is being resolved today with a hearty prescription of blue skies and abundant sun!




Dress: Unknown, Goodwill Outlet
Belt: Chicos via Goodwill (I LOVE this belt! It is leather, it is metal, it is shiny and it is COMPLETELY adjustable! I can wear it around my natural waist, around my hips, I could fit TWO people inside it. It is amazing.)
Leggings: Target
Shoes: Unknown from France

Wardrobe Uniform

For work, I have been mainly wearing the same basic outfit (gray slacks, plain shirt, cardi, flats) every day and have thus been uninspired to snap photos. This is another one of my 'uniform' variations--neutral dress, cardi, pop-of-color tights and flats. I don't have a lot of clothing that works for my job, and I definitely will not be buying more for a job that I will only have for barely two months more.

However, I HAVE taken it upon myself to stock up my fall and winter wardrobe! Yesterday at the Goodwill I found an awesome wool Bebe zippered cropped coat (in fact, it is so awesome that I can't tell if it's ugly or awesome...but let's err on the side of awesome, shall we?) for $10, and today at the Goodwill I found a very soft, perfectly fitting purple printed sweater originally from the Gap for $6. I am just lucking out! (although Mr. P prefers to see it as 'spending lots of money on clothing you don't really need.' pfffft...) Pictures are forthcoming, hopefully on a new camera Mr. P and I will be getting in the next few days! (fingers crossed that nothing goes wrong!)

Also, I found my Holy Grail of topcoats--it's called Out The Door, and it was 5$ at a local beauty supply shop. Amaaaazing! Dries super fast, looks super shiny, does not chip very easily. I am pleased.

My Coach purse remains exciting, shiny and new--it goes so nicely with my wardrobe (plus my new wallet looks so cute inside it)!

Yummy Shoes

One of my favorite activities is making lists, even when they are completely unnecessary. I love the way that they make me feel organized, like I have a handle on things, and I love the feeling of crossing off items from a to-do list. Since I am currently on a no-buy and am trying to be more conscious with what new articles of clothing I buy (when I do start shopping again), one of my favorite activities recently has been making, editing, and adding things to my 'articles of clothing that I want' list.

One of my worries with my goal of buying quality clothing items over quantity is that my shopping habits won't really change, I will just be spending more money as I justify it with 'but it's quality!' reasoning. Some specific items I think will naturally avoid this trap--for example, one of the items on my to-buy list is a pair of comfy summer sandals. I don't think I have had a pair of truly comfortable sandals since I was a kid, and those were the huge, clunky, dark brown 'leather' ones that lots of kids my age had. I have a ton of feet and ankle problems (achilles tendonitis in both ankles? check. extra high arches? check. unusual bone structure that encourages feet wear and tear? check.) and with how active I am in the summer, I think this would be a good investment. Now, I use the term 'investment' in terms of both the health of my feet as well as an eventual lower PPW for the shoes. Normally at the beginning of every summer I fork out between 20 and 40$ for a pair of summer shoes that usually wear out by fall. I am hoping to avoid this problem with the amazing shoe options I have found! They are a bit pricey, but if they last merely two summers then they will have an equal or lower PPW than my cheapy versions (with more comfort!).










Indigo by Clarks 'Smooch'









Clarks Unstructured 'Un.helm' Sandal








Indigo by Clarks 'Bordeaux' Sanda





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Indigo by Clarks 'Edie' Sandal


Ok, so the last one is more of a 'lust' than an actual shoe I would get...but aren't they all pretty? They are all by Clarks (haven't tried the brand yet, but have heard good things about the comfort), they are all in that light brown/honey/cognac shade that I enjoy so very much, they are all leather, and they are all flat. Oh, and they all can be bought from Nordstrom, which I love because of the return policy (often, with my feet, I don't even notice that the shoes are not comfortable until I wear them for a week or so, and with other stores I am then SOL and cannot return them. Yay Nordstrom!). Pretty much all my requirements.

However, some other items on my list I worry that I will fall into the trap of spending more for 'quality' and ending up with another problematic garment in my wardrobe, since I am not that great yet at deciding what looks good on me, what I will actually wear in real life, and what I will *still* like six months down the road. I'm hoping that the reality check of spending money on a single garment will challenge my beliefs enough, but I would love it if I could transfer this thought process over to my second hand shopping, where I wouldn't be spending a ton of money. It's so much harder to be picky when each item costs under 5$ though...my thought process: 'well, even if I only wear it six times, that puts my PPW under 1$, and then it's worth it, right?' Not really. I really shouldn't buy something that I only plan on wearing for a few times, unless it's special-occasion wear.

Well, it's all a process, right? I'm in my twenties, so I always have the 'young and stupid' excuse to fall back on, lol. Besides, if I'm afraid to change things up a bit, try new ideas, take chances, then what's left? So I'll try my experiment of quality over quantity, while also trying to bring it to my second hand shopping.

Granted, this doesn't start until I can actually *go* shopping. 15 days left, according the 365 Fashion Rehab Challenge!

Ok, Outfit of the Day.











Scarf: Selfmade
Shirt: Gap, via Plato's Closet
Dress: Unknown, Goodwill Outlet
Belt: Target
Leggings: Under Armour
Socks: Target
Boots: Faded Glory via Goodwill







Goal Count Up:
Exercise: I'm bad...but I *did* run all over today with errands and work and planning last-minute events for my hall! *hangs head in shame*
Vitamins: Check