One-Dollar Wonders

A Mexican wrester in a red vinyl mask.
And I might grab you
And body-slam you
And maybe cause physical harm.

-- Jill Sobule, "Mexican Wrestler"

Feeling very nostalgic today in my baby tee inspired by one of my favorite songs from 2001. I was VERY upset to see that Emma Roberts now sings it on one of her albums. The original recording is just fine - why the need to slap a celeb face on it? Ugh...

Anyway, I like this outfit, and I'm happy that it finally feels like I can wear my baby tees again. Something about the way they pair with baggy pants. :)

Wrestler tee - gift from DH
Aldo belt - flea market
Old Navy Boyfriend Capris - Old Navy
B. Makowsky bag - Ebay
Report Marks - Amazon

Just a shlepping outfit from yesterday - worn to the chiropractor, to pick up cat food, and to run other errands. Not much went into this except that I wanted to try the boots with the shorts again while I still could. DH gave me this Hello Kitty watch, and it demanded to be worn with my Punisher DIY tee shirt.

Sorry about the shorts hiked up on the one side. The bag didn't really do that to them the rest of the day.

Punisher tee - DIY
Makowsky Shimmer bag - Ebay
Lucky Brand silk cargo shorts - flea market
Frye Vera boots - Amazon
Hello Kitty watch worn as bracelet - gift from DH

I recreated yesterday's outfit, worn to Dress For Success, where I was able to style my first client!

It is actually too warm in the DFS office for a jacket, especially running around hauling clothes, so last week someone suggested I plan to be without one. I also planned without a bag, since I neither wear one nor have one near my while styling. The top ended up being great for ease of movement, but the skirt was less so. The narrow skirt and non-stretch material slowed my walk considerably, and I barely caught my bus!

Hi-low seeveless button front - local junior's store
Donna Rae paisley skirt - flea market
Nixon wrap watch - flea market
Report Marks booties - Piperlime clearance

I had an AMAZING time at DFS yesterday - I stayed for a solid 6 hours! First, I got my feet wet by assisting another stylist, who turned out to be a retired real-life stylist who worked for 30 years. She was wonderful, and we put together 5 outfits for 2 different ladies who had recently been hired. They were totally sweet and looked very professional in their new clothes. I learned that my professional bias skews *highly* formal, even though I thought my last job was super duper relaxed - who knew?

Next, my mentor gave me the green light to take the final client of the day myself. She was an adorable blonde with an edgy haircut, getting ready to interview for a job that involved booking fashion-related shows. She said she needed to look fashion-forward in addition to being professional. How much more fun could I have with my first client??

We quickly determined that she looked amazing in Italian jackets, and she literally did a happy dance when she slipped on an olive and burgundy pinstriped pantsuit. We thought the rest would be a breeze when we found a killer cream ruffled blouse to wear under, but we hit a big roadblock when it came to shoes and PPL! We did not have tons of shoes in her size, and she said she could not even afford to pay a tailor to let the hems down. BUT! The hems turned out to be serged with a really low-contrast thread, so I let them down myself with a seam ripper and steamed out the crease right on the spot. The shoes fell into place, and unless any of her interviewers bent down to inspect the hems at floor level, no one would ever know.

Afterward, the veteran stylist showed me how to work various appliances, how they organize the hangers, and even complimented my work with the clients. I had the best time!

Which is a good thing, considering my current career goals. Now, if only I can get a job... ;)

So it was still almost 80F yesterday, but I wanted to wear jeans, gorshdarnit! Plus, I wanted to try on that Lululemon jacket I'd been eyeing, and I wanted to try it on with the type of bottoms I'd likely pair with it. The result was my transitional variation on jeans and a plain white tee. A man at the gas station said my "image" made his day - and not even in a creepy way. I think. While I was at it, I took my Frye Vera boots out for their maiden voyage.

This morning is also the first morning that Hank has demanded to occupy my lap since summer started. Change is in the air, people! My coats will be able to come out and play soon soon soon.

H&M studded tank - YLF swap party
Hudson Signature Bootcut jeans - flea market
Destroyed men's belt - flea market
Dana Buchman leather bag - flea market
Crystal Bullet necklace - gift from a friend
Frye Vera boots - Amazon

Was feeling a little too girl-next-door in this outfit - which is fine, because we're meeting relatives for lunch - but I had to add my cougar skull necklace in order to feel more like myself. It makes me feel much better to have this little skull nestled in the green grass - a little David Lynch, maybe. :)

I also wanted to wear boots, but we're going to Irvine, and the forecast says it's still really hot down there. Sandals it is... again. Sigh. I doubt I'll need the jacket, but it is there in case of Arctic A/C.

Diesel jacket - flea market
Skull Necklace - Pewter Wolf store on Etsy
Grass dress - Anthropologie
Softspots fisherman isherman sandals - ?
Dana Buchman bag - flea market

In my previous "Desert Desperado" post, JuliJohn challenged me to do a "dress-perado" interpretation as well. Well, due to the extreme heat, job interviews, orientations at Dress for Success, and well... not leaving the house otherwise, I hadn't been able to do it. Today, the schedule and weather aligned, and I was able to finally answer the call.

This is a drop-waist dress I obtained from one of our own YLF swap parties layered underneath my Hinge Urban Warrior Poncho. I paired those with my MIA foldover boots and a suede hobo - because nothing says cowboy like suede (at least in my mind). I had thought to wear either my bullet or skull necklace, but they seemed to compete with the cowl neckline. Instead, I strapped on my chunky cat photo watch and called it a day. I think the looseness of the top and dress, plus the earthy leather accessories, helped give off the vibe I was looking for.

What do you think? Challenge met? Please excuse the camera dot on pic #3...

Hinge poncho - flea market
Black dress - YLF swap party
Kenneth Cole suede hobo - flea market ($4!)
MIA Buckaroo boots - Amazon
Cat watch - DIY

Wore these soft silk cargo shorts and my loose panther tee to go out to the chiropractor. It's markedly cooler today - beautiful day - so I initially tried the outfit with my new Frye Veras. However, oddly, I thought that the combo of short shorts and heeled boots made my legs look too long... that's something I never thought I'd say!

I passed Nordies on my way home, so I popped in to find some answers once and for all about the quilted jackets I'd been ogling. The Vince Camuto Quilted Jacket is too long for what I want. Not quite crotch length, so a strange in-between length, and the hips are too tight for my big butt compared to the top half.

I was also able to play around in the Burberry section. They did not have the cool convertible trench that Una has been eyeing , but I tried on this Burberry Brit Patch Pocket Quilted Coat and found the cut in the bust and shoulders to be large compared to the waist. When the waist fit me, the bust and shoulders were big, hollow shells.

One thing that I was amazed by with all the quilted jackets I saw, at every price point, was that they were all either unlined or lined in polyester! I really, really do not understand this. Is a little silk or rayon lining to prevent that garbage-bag-on-skin feeling too much to ask? Even in a luxury item?

For the sake of Science (heh), I also tried on this short Burberry Brit double breasted trench. This style was cut much straighter, which suited my body better. However, I'm usually a pretty standard Italian 38, and I think I would have needed a 40, because the shoulders were too tight for any kind of layering. There was no 40 available to try, but 42 was too large all over.

So now I know - and I hope this helps Una and maybe others as well. And I for one can stop stalking quilted Burberry jackets on Ebay, because I don't think they will work for me.

I have to post and run to the post office before going to my shadowing appointment, but here is what I'm wearing. Again, I have to be ready to walk in the heat!

Michael Kors agate print dress, chosen for ease of mobility.
Report Marks in sand, chosen for comfort, to keep the outfit from feeling too heavy.
Crossbody bag, because it's easy to carry while walking.
Orange blazer, to throw on at DFS and look more professional.

I'm going to need to put some extra time into pre-planning these commuter outfits!

Once again, the heatwave rules the roost. This is almost the same formula as yesterday, only I was digging through swap meet piles so I could not wear boots. My nod to Fall is in the coloring: rust, black, and just a dab of white - for some reason black and white together always feel like F/W to me.

If anyone needs me, I'll be off trying tinkering with a DIY rain dance.

Rayon dress for ventilation - flea market hack job
Dana Buchman bag for dark coloring and a thin strap on my skin - flea market
Braided rope sandals for ventilation and more dark color - flea market
White watch to play off the black - gift from Mom

Any X-Files fans out there? I feel like The Pusher, trying to make it be Fall and about 20-degrees cooler by sheer force of will. This outfit was worn out to run some errands, check on some Gap items I'd been eying, pop into the Beverly Hills Anthropologie to see if I might want to interview there, and pick up rations at Trader Joes. Now *that* is a Friday!

For anyone who might be interested, I had gone out to try this Belted Waxed Jacket by Gap - I would have resold my polyester Cole Haan jacket for an even exchange and SYC preservation. A bunch of reviewers said it was big on them at 110 lbs... well, I'm at 125, and it's still big on me in XS. It was also way thinner than I'd thought and felt more like a cheap nylon jacket than a nice, waxed finish. No bueno.

Blue Rayon hi-low dress to combat 92-degree heat - flea market
Black bag with thin straps cross-body straps so as little leather sticks to my shoulder as possible - flea market
MIA boots as a manifestation of my denial - Amazon
Cuff photo watch for added weight and Fall feeling - DIY