Gray All Over

All of the gray, black and brown has been driving me crazy! Gray skies, gray tights, gray sweaters and gray trees. I wanted some color, so I pulled out my orange tweed + red sweater combination.





Skirt: Vintage via Goodwill Outlet
Shirt: Gift
Sweater: 22 via The Rack
Scarf: Goodwill
Tights: Underarmour plus Hue via The Rack
Boots: Steve Madden

Catch-Twenty Two

This is what I wore for Thanksgiving dinner (a backlogged outfit that I am finally posting). It's ok...but it's not great. I am still posting it, however, because it is a great example of why this is called DEVELOPING Style, and not Plummy: Life of Glamour and an Eternally Fantastic Wardrobe. I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong with the outfit though. I think it's a bit top heavy? With no patterns and no single focal point of interest? Is it the lack of accessories? Readers, please help!


I still love my shoes though!

Sweater Dress: Rhapsody via Ross
Long-Sleeve Shirt: Kiabi via France
Tights: Hue via Plato's Closet
Shoes: Naturalizer via Goodwill
Sweater: 22 via The Rack (oh, the irony! Wearing the brand 22 for outfit 22...hahaha...)

(I also can't help but think that these tights would fix everything...but that might just be a minor obsession talking...)

Seventeen Sickles to a Galleon

Yes, I did see HP7 this weekend and it was AWESOME! I am a huge HP geek. ^^

...Onto the outfit of the day! I woke up and it was snowing. It is supposed to be very very cold today, so I decided that it wouldn't at all be cheating to swap out my pinstripe short-sleeve button down for my Underarmour longsleeve shirt. The forecast is cold and snowy for the week, a surprise for Big City which usually sees little snow, so I'm not going to feel bad at all about my swap. After I got completely dressed, had eaten breakfast, and was ready to go, I got the call that school was canceled for the day. However, I was already dressed so I took my outfit photos and am now snuggled up in a blanket, wearing leggings and my sweater.







Base Shirt: Underarmour long sleeve (modified by me so it's a scoop neck and not a turtle neck) via Goodwill
Middle Shirt: Gray Gap long sleeve via Plato's Closet
Outer Sweater Jacket: 22 via The Rack
Scarf: Unknown via Goodwill
Skirt: Brass Plum via Goodwill
Base Leggings: Underarmour
Outer Leggings: Hue via Plato's Closet

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? ;)

Seventh Heaven

Today I had to return some stuff to the Goodwill (a few items that didn't even make it to Four Ways To Wear status, that's how bad they were. Why did I buy them? My brain overheated? It's a mystery) and it was a test of my willpower to not browse all of the new items. But I did it! First I tricked myself into thinking that I would look but not buy...and then I YANKED the rug out from under me and kept walking towards the exit after my return went through. I'm a tricky fiend...



Sweater Jacket: 22 via The Rack
Longsleeve Shirt: Kiabi from France
Skirt: Preview Collection via Goodwill
Tights (gray, outer layer): Hue
Tights (brown, inner layer): Target
Shoes: Naturalizer via Goodwill
Scarf: Goodwill

Two Much Rain

Well, the weather drastically turned overnight, from Sunshine McSunnyson to Rainy Gloomy Coldberg. So, I took the liberty of swapping out my Champion Tennis Shoes for my (relatively) new black Capelli rainboots (via Goodwill, as usual) in my 30 items of clothing. Kendi said coats didn't count because she didn't want to penalize us for weather differences, and I briefly thought that might apply to rainboots as well, but let's face it--if it's raining all November, then I will be living in these rainboots all November, and that should count as one of my pairs of shoes.

When building this outfit today, I thought to myself 'self, today let's aim for warm and comfy.' Inclement weather always provokes me into wearing massive amounts of layers and forgoing my jeans, which I find to be not as comfy as wearing leggings and a dress made out of sweater material.

Believe it or not, but I am wearing three layers on bottom AND three layers on top here. Secret weapon, ka-ching!


Boots: Capelli via Goodwill (purchased the night before my 30 for 30, thank you very much!)
Leggings (base layer): Underarmour
Tights (middle layer): F21, gift
Tights (outer layer): Lacey tights from F21
Longsleeve shirt (base layer): Kiabi via France
Sweater dress (middle layer): Rhapsody via Ross
Sweater-coat (outer layer): 22 via The Rack

Where The Cotton Blooms and Blows

Jacket: 22 via The Rack
Shirt: Kiabi Women from France
Jeans: Martin & Osa via Goodwill
Shoes: Naturalizer via Goodwill

Money, Honey

I worked a special event for my retail job this past weekend (huzzah for working 12 days in a row this Friday!) and I pulled out one of my dresses that is slightly too short for my school job. Add in a red sweater-jacket and my wardrobe workhorse boots, and this is what you get!


Sweater dress: Ross
Red sweater jacket: 22 via The Rack
Tights: F21, gift
Shoes: Steve Madden

Four Ways To Wear Episode 4: Safari Skirt

I found this cute skirt at Plato's Closet (originally from H&M) with the tags still attached! It's definitely not work appropriate, but I liked it enough to want to include it in my casual wardrobe (and prevent me from looking 'office-appropriate' all the time). I put on the skirt and immediately think safari, complete with wanting to wear square scarves around my neck, tweed, a hat and riding boots (obviously have never been on a safari. I've been to the zoo though, that counts, right?). Of course, Mr. P saw it and told me "it looks like you took a trench coat and cut it up to make a skirt." Thanks, Mr. P.

The Candidate: My safari/trench skirt.

The Goal: A cute casual piece that, because it is a neutral that is light colored (i.e. not black, gray or dark brown, my usuals) will coordinate with much of my wardrobe in a new twist.

The Results:


Sweater: Gap via Goodwill
Skirt: H&M via Plato's
Tights: F21, gift
Boots: Steve Madden


Sweater: Bogari via Goodwill
Scarf: Unknown, Goodwill
Skirt: H&M via Plato's
Tights: F21, gift
Boots: Steve Madden


Sweater: 22 via The Rack
Shirt: Tricot Jolie via Plato's
Skirt: H&M via Plato's
Tights: F21, gift
Boots: Steve Madden


This outfit reminded me most of my safari/outback idea when I saw the skirt.
Blazer: AE via Plato's
Scarf: Unknown via Goodwill
Skirt: H&M via Plato's
Tights: F21, gift
Boots: Steve Madden

AND a bonus outfit! What I wore to birthday dinner tonight (OMG we had authentic italian and I just about imploded it was so amazing...om nom nom)

Shirt: Tricot Jolie via Plato's
Skirt: H&M via Plato's
Tights: F21, gift
Boots: Steve Madden

The Verdict: Yay! I like it!

However...to come soon, a Four Ways To Wear that might not be as successful...stay tuned!

Four Ways To Wear Episode 3: Red Sweater

The Candidate: Red Sweater by the brand 22 (via the Rack)

The Goal: A comfy layering piece that I can wear both indoors and out

The Results:


Sweater: 22 via The Rack
Shirt: Language Los Angeles via Plato's Closet
Pants: The Merlot via Plato's Closet
Shoes: Merona, gift




Sweater: 22 via The Rack
Scarf: I made it out of a ridiculous poncho-type thing I found in the trash
Skirt: Preview Collection via Goodwill
Tights: F21, gift
Shoes: Steve Madden


The same as before, just with the jacket done up differently and with a different scarf (this time via a garage sale).


Sweater: 22 via the Rack
Sweater Dress: from Ross
Tights: F21, gift
Shoes: Steve Madden

The Verdict: Another win! I love this sweater, especially the cozy sleeves!

To-Do

After my (somewhat) massive shopping spree yesterday, I feel that I have nicely rounded out my school wardrobe. There are still only a few main things left to get, but they are so specific I think I will just make them and be done with it. Actually, I think mainly it is just three skirts: one jean pencil skirt (dark wash), one light neutral colored full skirt with the waistband at the natural waist, and one black full skirt with the band at the natural waist. All three should be a snap to make (I even have a pencil skirt pattern I have used before that I love, and let's face it--the other two are just a series of different sized rectangles sewn together) and I just need to get the fabric.

However, I am going to save these projects for a bit later in the summer. I have spent far too much money recently, and can keep an eye at thrift shops for material or even for the specific skirts (although it will be a miracle if I find something to fit my exacting standards).

So that this is not a post just for words, here are some photos of an item I bought yesterday!



This red sweater top was one of my last purchases, but I very much enjoy it! Originally 150$ (!!!) I snagged it for 30$ at Nordstrom Rack. It is made out of a sweatshirt type material and is going to be perfect for the fall or for layering in the winter. The sleeves are 3/4 but I may hem them up another one inch to bring the line more squarely between my wrist and my elbow, we'll see.

In this outfit I paired it with a black long-sleeved shirt from France, navy blue cords (blue, not black), and ballet flats. I think it will also be cute with my (soon to be made) dark wash denim pencil skirt.