One-Dollar Wonders

Dress for Success volunteer orientation is today at noon - and yikes, I've already been thrown a style curve ball!

The DFS website warns that there is NO reasonably-priced parking in the area, and they advise to take public transport to their office location. However, if I took public transport all the way there, it would take a solid 2 hours each way. So I'll be driving part way, walking, and taking a bus. In 95 degree weather - no guarantee of a shaded bus stop, no guarantee of an air conditioned bus, and no guarantee I won't get lost and wander the streets on foot for a time. Plus? As you know, all my work clothes are designed to keep me warm in the Arctic Office of Perennial Autumn.

I really had to work to get this outfit together:

black knit midi - for ease of movement and to disguise possible butt sweat
loose silk woven top - to promote airflow
walking boots - to wear from car to bus
blazer - to pop on indoors
pumps - also to pop on indoors

Whew, that outfit was work in itself! I hope it is up to snuff, and I hope I won't have to fight the weather as hard for long!

I had been sitting on a low balance Old Navy giftcard for almost two years - so when these boyfriend jeans were on clearance with an additional 25% off during ON's anniversary sale, I took my chance to get rid of it without shelling out extra cash (SYC preserved this time).

http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/.....=569218012

I sized up to an 8 in the Old Navy version and the fit feels just like my Gap Sexy Boyfriend jeans. These feel like they have more stretch, but the weight is like my lighter weight Gaps, too. I see there aren't many sizes available right now, but it is early in the season, so I have a feeling they will restock. If I wasn't shopping my closet I'd check out the boyfriend khakis, too. :)

If you're on a tight budget, or if you're realllllly unsure about the trend, it might be worth taking a look at your local brick and mortar store.

Left pic: Old Navy Boyfriend Capris (size 8, unbleted)
Right pic: Gap Sexy Boyfriend Jeans (size 6, belted)

These camo shorts have been with me for many years, but were bordering on Orphan status. I used to wear them a lot when I dressed more sporty, pre-YLF. I tried to resurrect them the other day by cinching the drawstrings at the knees to make them more tapered. Worn to the chiropractor and out to lunch with DH.

Victoria's Secriet bra top - flea market
Calvin Klein bag - flea market
Men's belt - flea market
Camo Pants - Shoe Pavillion, maybe 6 years ago?
Worishofer sandals - ??

#2 is a better pic of what I wore the day of DH's surprise party... of course I wore shoes. I liked the combination of two different yellows. has matchy come back around the spectrum to feel edgy again?

Ann Taylor blouse - Ann Taylor
Spacegirlz shorts - flea market
Jessica Simpson Floral Garden bag - Amazon? I should write these things down...
Softspots sandals (not pictured) - somewhere online

Bonus pics in 3-6 show my error trials for camouflage shorts day - I ended up deciding that I do not like those in-between-and-not-quite-baggy cropped jeans. Out they went to the thrift store! Why wear those when I can enjoy my SFBs? As you can see, I also tried to resurrect these orphaned sneakers, another relic from my college tomboy days. I'll try them again later with either short shorts or full-length jeans.

These aren't the best outfit photos, and you've seen all these items before, but as Mo says I wanted to stay accountable and show you what I've been wearing lately.

#1 -3 is at a super cool Noah's Ark exhibit at the Skirball center. Tons of animals built from found objects like rulers, gloves, a bathtub, machine parts... the fur on this animal next to me is made from hundreds of keys! I felt oddly appropriate in my grass print dress.

#4 was from our trip to the Natural History Museum on DH's birthday. We combined it with a trip to get his brakes checked per the DMV requirements. I'm in my Tom Petty outfit again... if Tom only knew!

#5-6 is from DH's surprise birthday BBQ in the park this passed Saturday. I'm wearing my citron Ann Taylor top, shorts, and a jacket I thrifted in Japan back in aught-6. 6 is the pic from when DH came in second in our croquet match - he'd led the pack the whole game, but he ended up losing a Poison showdown at the very end. Photos taken by our friend Joycie for her Instagram.

When I bought my Bebe faux leather jacket, someone mentioned that it looked a bit like a Rick Owens. In my travels, I came across this jacket that is similar to mine and looks a lot like another Rick Owens style. Bebe's online photos are always pretty terrible IMO - looks way better in person and in the September catalog. Reviews say the same. $159 vs. $3,720.

Bebe:
http://www.bebe.com/Outerwear/...../13819.pro

Rick Owens:
http://www.net-a-porter.com/am.....KyBNDJLghQ

Worn to hang out with a friend and bounce around ideas about our various projects - since DH was off doing his own thing, I got to bust out these boots, which he doesn't like much. While the cat's away... :)

It was still very hot, but I am a little bit sick of hot weather clothes, so I wore this feather weight poncho to take a break from all the little tank tops and tank dresses I've been wearing. Matched with sandy tones, blue hues, and a little lizard ring to play up the Western leanings of the boots and poncho.

Jacket weather, where are you??

Hinge poncho - flea market
CK belt - YLF swap party
Michael Stars layering tank - flea market
Lucky Brand shorts - flea market DIY cutoffs
CK bag - flea market
MIA Buckaroo boots - Amazon

When Angie posted about dropped shoulder seams recently, I was one of the few nay-sayers for the trend. My teeth just get straight-up itchy to see a seam past my shoulder bones - in fact, I prefer to have my jackets sit just a little bit inward of my shoulder bones. I don't know how it happened, but I just prefer a narrower shoulder. So, my answer to the dropped shoulder...

... is a no-shoulder top! This top isn't a dolman sleeve, and it isn't a batwing sleeve. It's simply knitted into the shape of a t-shirt without interruption. There is a thin seam to make cuffs on the sleeves, but no real shoulder anywhere to be found. I wasn't sure about it at first, but it is such a nice fabric (feels like linen or linen/silk), and I was inspired by Diana's lightweight blue hand-knit sweater paired with boyfriend jeans. SO! Here I am, being a big, old copycat. Worn yesterday, out to the DMV. >^..^<

Brochu Walker sweater - flea market
Men's Belt - flea market
Sexy BF jeans - Gap
Report Marks Booties - Piperlime clearance
Bullet necklace - gift from a fab friend

My camera is on the fritz this morning, so I'm going to get a little philosophical instead of posting a WIW outfit today. :)

"Girl Math" is a term that is usually reserved to mock the spendy tendencies of a stereotypical woman. "50% off means I can buy twice as much!" or "This speeding ticked will cost me two pairs of boots!" or "Since I've returned $100 worth of stuff, I have $100 more to spend!" are the most common examples I've come across. I've mostly heard it used as a derisive term to suggest that females spend money unrealistically and can rationalize all sorts of expenditures, unbound by pesky things like budgets, value, or... you know... REAL math.

BUT. I've been thinking about this in light of some of our moves to Shop Your Closet status, in light of La Francaise's time here on the forum, and in light of some of our forum conversations about investment pieces/less being more/and closet space. When MaryK announced her SYC status, she said something that really stuck with me: that if she added up all the things she bought over the past year, she could have bought some things that she thought she couldn't afford - underneath it all, isn't THAT the core of Girl Math? And isn't it a good thing?

"50% off means I can buy twice as much!"
Instead of a greedy statement, this can be looked at as a value-driven statement. What's wrong with getting more for the same amount of money? Not that you need to get twice as much RIGHT NOW. But what if you kept track of all the things you waited to buy on sale instead of pouncing on at full price... and then rewarded yourself at the end of the year by getting something really nice with the money you saved? Wouldn't that inspire you to weigh cost a little more closely, strive to find the best deal you can, and truly evaluate how much you want and need each purchase?

"This speeding ticked will cost me two pairs of boots!"
You could say this is a materialistic way to think, but what's wrong with translating money into practical terms? I use this thought process a lot myself, thinking, "The cost of this top would get me 1/3 of the way to that jacket I want." Most of the time, the cheaper purchase doesn't seem worth it. I think this kind of equation helps me stay goal-oriented. Period.

"Since I've returned $100 worth of stuff, I have $100 more to spend!"
Now, I'm NOT advocating buying and returning a bunch of stuff you don't actually want and can't afford just to trick yourself into an irresponsible splurge. But I think this little mental trick is super useful in that it makes it okay to return things if you suddenly find that what you have isn't what you want most in the world. Like in the previous section, I see this type of thinking as goal-oriented thinking. It forces you to make a choice and give something up if you want to get something else.

Of course, this only works if the full-price item, or the object of your goal, or the amount of those items to return are within your budget. I am most definitely NOT an advocate of living above your means or in a fog of fiscal denial. However, I do think that Girl Math is a powerful tool to use in *conjunction* with a budget.

I feel like I've been doing this a lot lately and, really, it's prevented more purchases than it's enabled. I returned 3 pairs of BF jeans in favor of a much-needed and long-wanted photo print sundress. And I'm giving up my current meetup budget for a pair of elusive, classic, walkable, heeled engineer boots.

Maybe I've lost my mind and crossed over to the dark side. But I think I like Girl Math.

So get that tax-free shopping in now, California. :0

I was going to hem and haw and try one size of boots at a time, but when DH reminded me about this, I just ordered both sizes straight away. They are also offering 20% off when you sign up for shoe/clothing emails. So for me it was kind of like a 30% off sale... who was I to argue?

http://www.latimes.com/busines.....7570.story

I am here to beg opinions on dye colors again! The consensus last time was that a deep berry red color would be best - now I am having second thoughts because I have three red toppers as it is - not that awesome berry red, but still. The second choice was the sour olive color in 4, but I realized I have my bright citron yellow/green jacket, too. Then I thought a nice, saturated cognac would be good, but I do have my medium brown jacket.

On the one hand, riffing within my signature colors is a good thing, because it will help items mix and match well. On the other hand, going outside the norm (i.e. possibly leaving the jacket camel or going for a totally different color) would widen the variety of looks I can create. On the other hand, the non-signature colors like camel won't look as flattering on me.

What are your thoughts on colored additions to your capsules? Do you try to stay within your set colors, or do you like to aim for variety first and foremost?

#1 is the jacket as-is.
#2-4 are Photoshop mockups
#5-9 are my current colored jackets in similar colors