Noise-Filled Dusk

I apologize for the poor quality photos, I was only able to snap them in the evening! I enjoyed how French I looked today, though. :)



Shirt: Banana Republic Wool Sweater via Goodwill
Skirt: Self-made
Boots: Steve Madden
Tights: Hue via Plato's Closet
Beret: Goodwill
Belt: Chico's via Goodwill

True Grit

I watched True Grit today and decided to wear my cowboy boots to the theater to get myself in the proper mood. I find that I am often inspired to wear new styles (or old styles in new ways) by movies.


Skirt: Self-made
Shirt: J. Crew via Goodwill
Tights: Hue via The Rack
Boots: Faded Glory via Goodwill
Belt: 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

Lost Gorillapod

Readers...I have a confession. I have not posted an outfit photo for almost a week now, and it has been partially due to the fact that it has been POURING rain and very dark here in Big City. However, it has mostly been due to the fact that I cannot find my Gorillapod. I am thinking that it fell out of my purse at the grocery store, or magnetically attached itself to something (the grocery cart? the bottom of my car?) and I didn't notice. I have spent four days looking for it and it is nowhere to be seen, and I have narrowed time the estimated time of loss to a period of about an hour, so I'm pretty sure I didn't just misplace it at home. I am hoping that someone will take pity on me and gift another one to me for Christmas, but as punishment for my negligence I will be without a Gorillapod until at least then.



This loss brings about a very interesting point, however. I functioned without a Gorillapod for many years, and kept up my blog without it for many months. Granted, I think my photo quality has greatly increased with the use of the Gorillapod, but I AM capable of functioning without one. So why did I completely halt my photo-taking during this period? Did I become so dependent on the Gorillapod in our short time together that I could not function without it? Or was taking photos merely the vehicle to use my new toy, the Gorillapod? I'm not sure.

Well, I finally bucked up and took my photos today the old-fashioned way, by balancing my camera on a small shelf and taking the photos in my backyard. They're not as pretty as they have been with my late and beloved Gorillapod, but you can see what I'm wearing today.


I went to a greenhouse this weekend!

Do you have anything you psychologically NEED to do an activity, even if said item is not vital to the activity itself?

Do you have any tricks to finding something that you've lost? Or any stories to commiserate with me? (Mr. P can tell you I have been sad and mopey about my missing Gorillapod for days now!)

On a brighter note--I made this skirt! You might remember this charcoal gray dress I wore a few times. I loved the material (a wool blend) and the pintucks on the skirt near the hem, but the top of the dress was bulky and never would lay quite right. So, I busted out my sewing machine, took out my scissors, and turned it into this cute little skirt. Not only does it change a hard-to-wear item into a very wearable item, but it fills my recent desire for another casual skirt!

Are you a DIY fan? Can you point me to any awesome projects you've done (for inspiration)?



Shirt: Merona via Goodwill
Skirt: Self-made
Tights: Hue via Plato's Closet
Boots: Capelli via Goodwill
Zip-up: Marmot
Belt: Unknown via Goodwill

Hustle Bustle

I grabbed this gray dress this morning and ended up doing a monochromatic look in shades of gray and black. I very much enjoy both of those colors and I didn't mind being all dark--it reminded me of when I lived in France and for most of the year, almost every French person wore black pretty much exclusively. You might think I exaggerate, but when I'm on the Swiss side of the border, I see lots of blue, red and brown, but on the French side (we are talking a 15 minute train ride, not traveling to a different climatic zone) everyone is in black--black boots, black jeans, a black peacoat and usually a black scarf, although sometimes people went crazy and went for a--wait for it--black and white patterned scarf. Now, don't get me wrong--they looked excruciatingly chic and I yearned to emulate them, so much that I gathered much of my current black wardrobe during my time in France. I love wearing black and gray, and it usually ends up as my go-to look if I am at a loss.

J’ai d décidé de porter cette jupe grise ce matin et, en résultant, j’étais monochrome pour la journée. J’aime bien les deux couleurs gris et noir, et ça ne m’inquiète pas d’être foncé. Je me rappelle à l’année quand j’habitais en France, et tous let français portent le noir pour presque toute l’année. Quand je restais en Suisse, les hommes portent du bleu, du brun, de la rouge, mais au coté Francis, tout le monde porte le noir et seulement le noir (et parfois une écharpe d’une autre couleur). Ils étaient trop chic et je voulais devenir comme eux, donc j’ai ramassé des vêtements noirs. Moi, j’adore porter le noir et le gris, et je les porte quand je ne connais pas qu’est ce que je dois porter.

Do you have a monochromatic look you tend towards?
Is there a certain color palette that people wear where you are?
Do you think I was successful in wearing my black and gray, or do you think it reads too somber for me?

Portez-vous les vêtements monochromes ?

Est-ce qu’il y a un couleur que tout le monde préfère où vous habitez ?

Croyez-vous que le noir et le gris, c’est un succès pour moi ? Ou est-t-il trop sombre pour moi ?

Dress: unknown, Goodwill donation pile
Long sleeved shirt underneath: Gap via Plato's Closet
Wrap: Chico's
Leggings: Target
Belt: Chico's via Goodwill
Boots: Steve Madden