New 'Do: Feral Fairy a.k.a. "Asian Boy"

Well, it's probably a little too short, but I think I will like it a lot in 1-2 weeks. Maybe sooner, once I see how it goes styling it myself. It wasn't really my stylists fault it is shorter than I wanted; I never could find a perfect example photo and could only say, "shorter than this, longer than this, not quite this, but a texture like THIS." She nailed the texture I wanted, the uneven and choppy bangs, and the general vibe.

DH said I look like an "Asian boy." I do like to look more Asian, but not like a boy... I guess 1 for 2 is not a tragedy. ;)

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Bootcut Boot Camp Day 3: Fun With Grunge

Just running errands. Oil change for the car. Chiropractor. Probably some returns and maybe a pop in to see a tailor about slimming my trench coat sleeves. The jacket was an afterthought, since I thought it was warmer outside than it really was, but I'm okay with how it turned out. It's been a long time since I busted out a flannel!

ETA a closeup pic of my Japanese double-waistband jeans! These were everywhere when I visited Japan in 2006. I immediately knew I wanted a pair and checked the price on every pair I saw. Most were $200+ (bank breaking for me back then), but I finally found these for about $30. They are DH's absolute favorite jeans of mine; he thinks the are the most flattering thing in my closet and even supports the idea of having a copy made in a dark wash someday.

Flannel shirt - flea market
Men's belt - flea market
Double-waist jeans - Japan
Lululemon "Run Bundle Up" jacket - Lululemon
Rockport "Anna Motor" boots - Ebay
Nine West silver bag - flea market

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Bootcut Boot Camp: In-vest-ing in Spring's Softer Side

Funny enough, my "softer side" still involves engineer boots, engineer jeans, and a military vest. Soft coloring will have to do, I guess.

If I could go back, I would not wear this particular sweater half-tucked. Looking at the pictures, the ribbed hem makes the tuck look awkward. If I could go back, I would probably also avoid a ribbed hem on my sweater. ;) I am wrapping up some final days of "boot camp" since I spent some of last week in gear. Today we have my Hudson "Hendrix" engineer stripe jeans, one of DH's favorites. Once again, my goal was to pair the classic bootcut jean with something trendy, so I pulled out my military vest and tried to keep the color scheme light and un-saturated (except for the belt and boots, which hopefully break up the pastel mass and bookend my hair).

Pics 3-4 show the closeup of the denim pattern and what my pendant looks like - found a mini pulley at the hardware store and DH and I got a kick out of them for my utility-inspired fashion persona. My pulley is strung on a simple ball chain (the kind that hold dog tags).

This is also another self-photo - I hope those are getting better! Exposure wasn't the issue this time; I just went out at a time of day with some harsh shadows. The result is a kind of unnatural head tilt toward the sun to try and make sure my head wasn't completely shrouded.

BB Dakota military vest - Salvation Army
Ann Taylor sweater - Ann Taylor
Men's belt - flea market
Hudson Hendrix jeans - Ebay?
Nine West silver snake bag - flea market
Rockport "Anna Motor" boots - Ebay
Spy Optic "Zoe" sunnies - Ebay
Pulley pendant - DIY via hardware store

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Bootcut Boot Camp: Urban Layers

Spent more time hiking before it is time to go back to work, but got to wear street clothes out tonight! DH and I are on the way to a relaxing night walk.

Chose my trusty, ancient Lucky jeans, un-basic denim jacket, and added a nod to the sporty trend with my long hoodie. Happiness factor is very high!

Lucky jeans - Goodwill
Abound pullover - Rack
Three Dots hoodie - flea market
Allsaints Kay jacket - Allsaints Archive
Docs - Amazon
Nine Wesr bag - flea market

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Bootcut Boot Camp Day 3: Slouch Over Slouch

I got so wrapped up in deciding about my coat that I forgot all about today's outfit. I used the same bootcuts from yesterday but, since I was just home doing laundry, I needed something super comfortable. So this is my sweat suit alternative: baggy jeans with an even baggier sweater.

I was very happy with this outfit, and it may even see the outside of the apartment complex one of these days. I had a tough day mentally, so the cozy clothes were nice.

Lime green sweater - flea market
Charcoal pullover - The Rack
Paint spattered jeans - flea market
men's belt - flea market
Fergie "Major" boots - Overstock

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A Coat for my Fantasy Life

For my fantasy life in a colder climate, where owning more than 2 wool coats would actually make sense. Just dying over the bold, Tim Burton stripes on an outerwear piece - now that is a commitment to stripes! I would wear it with denim and other blues, browns, and grays to soften and steampunk it up.

Sigh... there is one floating around in my size, too. Shopping for Real Life hurts sometimes.

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Bootcut Boot Camp: Day 2

I had no non-gear activities planned for today, but I managed to squeeze in a bootcut outfit when we went out to dinner with a Groupon certificate tonight.

Started with what I think of as my "boyfriend bootcuts" - titled so because they hang super low and loose on my hips with a roomy seat and thigh. They somehow still manage to make me feel slim, though, because the knee break is narrow. I tried many top combinations but settled on my favorite citron sweater and my Karen Millen coat, since the cool weather is back in town. Topped it off with brown accessories to soften the saturated colors and a silver bag for a modern touch.

Bonus pics from today's hike, because it tickles me to see cactus growing right next to so much water, and because pic 3 hilariously shows a beam of heavenly light shining down upon DH - now that's a good hike! ;)

Structure ombre beanie - flea market
Pim & Larkin cashmere sweater - Piperlime
Karen Millen "Classic Investment" coat - Ebay
men's belt - flea market
paint-spattered jeans - flea market
Steve Madden bag - flea market
Fergie "major" boots - Overstock

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Back to Basics Bootcut Boot Camp

One of the most classic outfits I've worn in a long time! Pulled these bootcut jeans out of the closet and decided to give them a spin while I'm still off work, so I can experiment. I was still craving some flair, so I reached for my trusty suede Malcom Reynolds trench. I have been using my new white bag all week, so I also pulled out my old cream dalmatian print ponyhair booties, which have not seen the light of day since I left the bank.

One interesting struggle is that, since I'm more inclined to leave off necklaces right now, it's much harder to carve up my upper torso and stay covered up. I feel more topheavy than usual in the photographs here, and I think that's why. I'll have to try one of my bras that minimize "the girls" a bit more and see if that looks better with the crew neckline.

Overall happiness factor was very high in this, though! I might even extend Bootcut Boot Camp for myself through the rest of the week - what do you think?

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Sporty Staycation Silliness

DH and I drove down to hike in an area we had not visited in a long while and ended up taking photos like tourists who had never seen the ocean before! I hardly ever say this, but being there just made me happy. :)

I wore my new-to-me Karma active harem pants, my go-to orange puffer from Shoptoberfest (which has a great inner pocket that all my other acivewear items lack), and military cap. I enjoyed using the harem pants as an alternative to leggins - not only do they feel more current and less gearish, but they also breathe better and don't put the goods on display like workout leggings do.

Now, one of these days, I will need to address my shoe situation. I think I should probably get some nice, rugged, proper hiking boots if I am to continue scrabbling over loose rocks in my spare time. Plus, you know, they will bookend the hat...

Bonus pics of DH, the views, some cool textures, and a concrete rock spreading some love along the coast. <3

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"Goosed" in the Park

Well, LA is a rough town - had a "goosing" and a near purse-snatching while strolling a park this morning with DH. ;) A family had just finished feeding the local birds, so I decided to jump in and take advantage of all that production value for an outfit shot. The birds were clearly used to being fed and demanded that we get with the program. Since I had nothing to offer, their ringleader tried to shake me down!

Both the top and bottom in this outfit were actually purchased with Denise when she came to visit (waving at Denise!), and they are both highly favored items in the wardrobe now. Nothing like shopping with the YLF crew.

BDG tee - Urban Outfitters
men's belt - flea market
Allsaints camo pants - Allsaints
Ted Baker bag - flea market
Rockport "Anna Motor" boots - Shoebacca

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