One-Dollar Wonders

Layered Like an Onion and Still Not Warm Enough

December 20, 2012

Just a quick pic of what I wore on my way into work. It's kind of been my small rebellion to only change into my tee once I get to the clock-in area - sort of hoping the Powers That Be will subconsciously think of me as more stylish in the event that I ever need a recommendation for a promotion. ;) Also, it's more fun, and this way I still get to post WIWs!

Sorry for the awkward post - my neighbor caught me photographing myself, and I felt a sudden wash of shame, lol. Destroyed cashmere sweater over my CCV dress over brown cabled tights. I also wore my midi length Norma Kamali for Walmart trench over it all, but I was still freezing. I should have stayed with my wool coat, but I liked the longer hem better. :T

Talula Babaton sweater - flea market
Cha Cha Vente dress - Macy's
Cable tights - Target
Report Anna Motor boots - Shoebacca
Ted Baker bag - flea market

Posted in the What I Wore category
This post is also published in the youlookfab forum. You can read and reply to it in either place. All replies will appear in both places.

28 Comments

  • catgirl replied 11 years ago

    Goodness, how cold is it? It's well below zero here and you're wearing as much as I wear! :-) You look fab, and I especially love the unexpected brown boots with these colors. The CCV dress goes with so much!

  • Transcona Shannon replied 11 years ago

    Ok....love LOVE the layering of the sweater over the dress....hmmm....I wonder if I have a sweater I could layer over my B44 dress.....whoops sorry...back to you here...and like Una, I love the expected brown boots. Also think your hair looks fantastic here.

  • Angie replied 11 years ago

    Fun crop top layering! One of your cropped jackets would look fab too. And it's always a good idea to dress the part at work to be noticed.

    Hope you warmed up :)

  • Beth Ann replied 11 years ago

    I used to live in Arcadia and Alhambra -- at the base of the San Gabriels. I remember how the temp were fluctuate 40 degrees throughout the day, so I'd always run out without a coat. Not in Chicago, where we waiting for our first snowstorm of the season!

    This is expert layering, and I love your hair, even though it's looking sleek rather than RATE.

    Your neighbor is probably inspired by your fabness!

  • Suz replied 11 years ago

    Gorgeous outfit, Rae. I love the necklace and the way it ties together with the stripe of the dress. And you look spectacular in grey.

    Chuckling with Una about your cold. Just be grateful you don't live in Saskatoon. A friend of mine lives there but visits Kingston every couple of months. She calls Kingston her personal Miami. In Saskatoon the snow is already so deep they have to dig tunnels in it....

  • Raisin replied 11 years ago

    Love the layers. Maybe one of your fab jackets overtop would help keep you warm outside.

  • rae replied 11 years ago

    Thanks, all!

    Ok, I'm not really that big of a wuss - the sweater is cashmere, but it's gossamer... almost like a thick blanket of spiderweb, which is why I liked it. I think if the sweater were thick and the tights were wool or fleece-lined, I'd have been roasting. I did need that wool coat, though, as the wind gusts from door to car went right through all my clothing!

  • RunnerChick replied 11 years ago

    This looks great! I hear you about feeling cold in spite of the layers (same here!), and it's good to see you, too, are the victim of ribbing about the "cold". What is a "destroyed" cashmere sweater? Did you do the destroying? If so, how? It looks really good and if destroy is a DIY, I'm up for trying too!

  • Diana replied 11 years ago

    I love this! The cozy sweater over the CCV is a fantastic pairing. (Also, I tried on some more Baileys yesterday at Anthro and decided once and for all that they are not for me, but now you are making me have second thoughts, dammit!)

    How cold is it there? I am flying in next week for the holidays, hope it warms up by then!

  • rae replied 11 years ago

    RunnerChick, thanks for the cold sympathy! The sweater is secondhand from the flea market - thin, pilling, and has some "artistic" moth holes in one shoulder and one sleeve. I should have snapped a pic of that! It looks like something out of the 2nd Matrix film to me. I wish I knew how to DIY that effect; I'd buy a bunch more 50-cent sweaters!

  • rae replied 11 years ago

    Diana, it's high 50s-low 60s pretty much. If the wind doesn't die down, though, it will feel chillier.

  • replied 11 years ago

    50's-60's that's my spring joy!
    I do love the unexpectedness of this whole shebang. Loving the hair too as well

  • Caro in Oz replied 11 years ago

    Love the mix of neutrals & your hair.

  • Angie replied 11 years ago

    WOW. Those are Seattle Summer temperatures if we end up having a bad Summer!

    Now you know why I am always wrapped up. I have no resistance to the cold.

  • rae replied 11 years ago

    I wonder if I may have used poor wording. Highs are in the high-fifties to low-60s, Lows however are around 40F. Is that still Summer weather for Seattle? I've been in Seattle in summer, and that doesn't sound right...

  • Angie replied 11 years ago

    Low 60s is very typical on a bad Seattle Summer day - which we have had FAR TOO MUCH OF 3 years in a row. High 60s and mid 70s is more typical. 80s is more rare. Low 40s is not typical at night at that time of year. High 50s are. Now you know :)

    Right now - we are hovering in the 30s and 40s. RAIN, RAIN, RAIN.

  • Amy replied 11 years ago

    You look really great, Rae. That's some creative and cute layering.

    I cannot get warm today. I'm picturing a warm sunny beach in my head, hoping it will trick my body into thinking it's comfortable. Want to have a rum drink on the beach with me?

  • Tina.b replied 11 years ago

    What a great casual outfit. The crop sweater is an inspired pairing with the B44 dress. I have one that I've never worn and I may want to do something like this.

    Hijack: Suz, I live in Saskatoon! I concur we have way more snow than usual for this time of year. And it is COLD, -34 this morning. Makes outfit planning a nightmare!

  • Jaime replied 11 years ago

    Hey Rae, I am with you. I am cold when the highs are in the 50s! That means that in the morning when I take the kids to school it might be in the 40s! Brrrr. Anyway, I love your outfit, the tough sweater with skirt and boots, and I especially like how the necklace works with the neckline. I hope you soon can wear your fantastic outfits at work all day long!

  • Aida replied 11 years ago

    FAB outfit, I love the high-low proportions. I'm on the hunt for a cropped cheerful sweater, and if I ever find the right one I'm so copying this!

    EDIT: Weather comment removed.

  • annagybe replied 11 years ago

    Great outfit. But yeah I'm trying to understand your version of cold and failing. It's all relative.

  • rae replied 11 years ago

    I'm going to apologize in advance because I'm not sure how to say this and might stick my foot way in my mouth here... but I think I'm going to try not to mention the temperatures here anymore and I think I'd appreciate it if there were no more comments that amount to it not really being cold here or that that feeling cold in CA is somehow ludicrous or that I'm unappreciative of the weather here.

    Don't get me wrong, I truly know that nothing said above was meant in a mean way, I really do. But it is starting to make my teeth itch a little. I can't help what my body is used to or what feels comfortable, and it feels bad to have everyone laughing at you for needing a coat or wanting to bundle up. I don't find it amusing at all that people Seattle can wear shorts in their cooler summers, for example...

    Anyway, again, I'm sorry if this is coming off as weird...

  • annagybe replied 11 years ago

    Bodies adjust to the prevailing temperatures. I grew up in a place with much colder winters than what I have now in Seattle. I fully admit to being a wimp now. I'm currently wearing my down puffer and compared to full blown continental winters it's probably overkill for the temperatures I'm currently experiencing. But hey, low 40's feel cold to me now. Also humidity plays a huge factor. Cold wet is much more miserable than dry wet. I remember when I was in school when the students from Hawaii would bundle up when the temperature dropped to below 70.

  • Mo replied 11 years ago

    Hey, Rae, I hear you. I went from 80's to single digits in about a week and a half's time. Acclimation is a real thing. I think you look cute! But I remember when our faucet to our hose froze overnight in Ventura county it was a big deal :)

  • CocoLion replied 11 years ago

    Yes it's cold in CA right now folks! Our blood is thin, we feel the cold too. *sniff*

    This is fantastic Rae! I'm pinning this ASAP. One of your best.

  • Alecia replied 11 years ago

    Love it!

  • Lisa replied 11 years ago

    50/60s is our spring weather. For the really cold days I would add fleece hose and a long sleeve t underneath this outfit. Extra warmth but you won't see the layers. Great layering here the cropped sweater is perfect with this dress.

  • ManidipaM replied 11 years ago

    Delightfully don't-care layers --- I enjoy the RATEness of this particular onion, Rae. It says it's stylish, but is NOT going to try too hard to fit into a fashion magazine spread and will 'go its own way'. Very cool-tastic.

    You also reminded me I need layers, not just fleece tights, for warmth. And no, am NOT disclosing temperatures. ;-)

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I'm just your average working stiff who loves nice things and hates to pay for them. This blog outlines my efforts to navigate that treacherous shopping/saving divide through swappin', thriftin', and even a little resellin'. Many of the pieces in my wardrobe cost me just $1! We've heard a lot about people "living above their means" in recent years; I'm championing the concept of living large *below* your means - whatever that means for you. :)