Aida ~

I decided to separate out a few "event" outfits into their own post, though none of these were for a Truly Dressy Event. This is an area of my wardrobe that is severely lacking, but I am overall pleased with what I was (eventually, after struggles) able to come up with for each of these events without rushing out in a panic to buy something new. Definitely hoping to fill this gap in my wardrobe over the course of this year, though!

#1 : 10.17 - fashion show. One of my husband's coworkers organized a charity global fashion show which he bought tickets for. I felt very appropriately dressed; there was a broad range of dressiness, since the show was hosted at Microsoft and many came straight from work. Sat right in the front along the runway and felt very fashionable ^^

#2 : 11.03 - brother-in-law's birthday dinner. Went to a fancy steakhouse, but I knew dinner would still be a rather casual affair. Another broad range of dress here; I was appropriately dressy for the table, and right in the middle looking at the whole restaurant. Later decided a bodycon sweater dress was a poor decision when there is so much good steak involved ;)

#3 : 11.09 - metal opera. You read that right :) Hubby and I went with a friend to see a local production of a heavy metal opera, and it was super fun! Themed demon ushers, end of the world tragedy, everybody died in the end, all that good stuff. So of COURSE I had to don plenty of black and fluff up my hair! My city is NOT dressy by any means, and this was certainly sufficiently dressy for the event. Loved this! Got several unsolicited compliments on my hair, too.

#4 : 12.24 - burlesque nutcracker. Again, you read that right ;) Had NO idea how dressy this event would be, it was actually out in downtown Seattle so could have gone either way. I decided to play it safe and go in the middle. Reused the formula from #3 but changed the tights to a more burlesque-y option and went with dressier outerwear (and of course some bright red lipstick!). It ended up being rather casual, so I felt perfectly comfy and happy in this. Also super fun, and we're definitely going to hit this up again next year!

#5 : 12.29 - friends xmas party. Casual get together, but I knew my friend who was hosting would be happy with a little extra sparkle. I purchased this tweedy double-collar with metallic threads specifically to wear to this party, but haven't worn it since. Would like to find a way to work it in! Hubby thinks it's ridiculous, unfortunately.

#6 : 12.31 - new years/dad's birthday. Spent at my parents' home as always, since my dad's birthday is the 31st. So I wanted somewhat casual-dressy but mostly cozy. Cashmere sweater + structured pencil + sweater tights was just the ticket.

Comments, critiques, thoughts and questions welcome!

I have been enjoying watching your pins from all the fashion shows! Aside from the balloon sleeves that seem to be present all over the place, I did notice another shape that I am curious about.

For example, this top from Jil Sander's show.

The shoulder seam is a bit exaggerated and wide set, and the sleeve arm holes have very low bottoms. Is this A Thing or just a result of the super oversized trend running through everything?

I happened to have just bought a (expensive for me) sweater with this shape, though it is less exaggerated (tanish-cream with cream silk arms and inset stripes, very luxurious feeling!). But I'm waffling a bit on it because the sleeve shape is very different for me, and really the whole sweater feels almost laughably oversized although it doesn't seem to come across that way in the photos. I promise it's quite oversized! Would love to hear your thoughts about this! Thanks <3

Here are my outfits from December (I'm getting closer to being caught up ><)! The first outfit was worn to the Seattle YLF meetup, after which I was quite sick for 2.5 weeks but still had to get some work in before the holidays, so boo for that but yay for extra outfits :) Since it was such a short month for me I'm posting everything here instead of splitting into work/weekend like I did with November, although I've split out a couple of events along with a short xmas trip for separate posts.

#1 : 12.01
#2-7 : 12.10-15
#8-10 : 12.18-20
#11 : 12.22
#12 : 12.30

In brief!
#1: Warm neutrals for the YLF meetup, and baggy winter shorts especially for Angie ^^
#2 trying my nude boots in winter; didn't feel right, so they'll go back to being spring/summer boots.
#3 new plaid flannel bought at the meetup, SUPER cozy and quite upsized.
#4 taupe sweater dress bought last year that actually didn't get YLF approval but I missed my return window so I just kept it; I've lost weight since then making the fit less snug and I still love it, so here it is! Shown with new creamy houndstooth winter coat also purchased at the meetup.
#5 moody almost-black look, adding in some cobalt; big mix of textures here, and very fond of the mens-y loafers and fitted sweater with these baggy shorts.
#6 attempting to style a flared skirt from the YLF swap which felt a little too sweet but hubby liked it.
#7 extra casual weekend outfit with comfy oversized plaid flannel in pseudo-xmasy colors.
#8 winter lightness, and I know the rather fitted silhouette won't be to everyone's taste as things move to slouchy but I've been on the slouchy wagon for a looong time already so I need the occasional fitted changeup ;) The look is actually fitted-slouchy, as the skinnies are rather slouchy, and there are hints of slouch in the sweater/boots.
#9 my last year's winter uniform: sweater + skinnies + tall boots + necklace. Oldie but goodie!
#10 winterizing a favorite spring look by adding a slouchy black hat and white puffer.
#11 longer-sweater-over-shorter dress look with mens-y footwear. Hubby quite liked this one to my surprise.
#12 fitted sweater with baggy skinnies to have friends over to watch a Seahawks game, so of course I had to wear green+blue!

Comments, critiques, thoughts and questions welcome!

I enjoyed participating in both challenges this week, though certainly struggled with winter dresses. Thanks to Natalie, Sona, and Shannon for organizing! Here are all my outfits for the week, and the background I posted with each. Please feel free to skip right down to the photos :)

#1 - Scarf Challenge. I have been off my non-silk scarves this season for some reason, even for outerwear, so I wanted to come up with something that used one of my more wintery scarves specifically for indoor wear. This is one of my favorite scarves, cashmere with a b&w houndstooth plaid print; it is simply looped around my neck twice, with the ends sort of tucked into the jacket collar to keep it all in place. It was surprisingly warm today so I could skip an outerwear coat and just button up my denim jacket (which I rarely do). Though work has been cold today, so the denim and scarf have both stayed on all day. I am really happy with how it turned out, and will definitely sport this again with a lighter weight scarf and top in the spring.

#2 - Dress Challenge. I do not have any non-sweater winter dresses, really, so I struggled mightily to come up with even three outfits for this challenge >< Then I remembered that my sheath is fully lined which makes it actually work quite well in fall/winter as long as there are other layers involved. It has not yet been worn this season, so thanks for the nudge. This challenge did make me realize that I don't like to layer things _under_ my sheath, but toppers are a-ok; it is also a bit of a challenge for me to rocknroll this dress up for casual wear so it feels like me! Today I added lots of leather, which did the trick although I don't usually wear so much brown :)

#3 - Dress Challenge. This sleeveless dress was one of my favorite purchases last summer, made of thick jersey and lightly lined in the torso. Initially I wanted to layer a sweater over the top, but wasn't pleased with how any of them looked (too heavy, too long, weird neckline, etc.). I wanted to keep the fabrications similar in weight, so I thought I'd give this rather-stiff blouse a try over the top. The proportions are kind of odd but I feel like it works? I do quite like the little triangle of stripes from the split hemline. Black suede tall boots (and black ribbed sweater tights) to keep the look grounded as wintery, and a pop of neon because I didn't like how the neckline looked on its own :) I'm not sure I would wear this dress again in the winter, but I'm happy to realize that it could easily be brought out in early spring with some clever layering.

#4 - Dress Challenge. I recently bought this fun sleeveless dress for spring/summer; the top is jersey with a drapey neckline, and the bottom is a silver-washed pseudo-suede (not sure what to call it!!). It's a dropped waist on me, but I quite like it (and surprisingly so does hubby). Today I layered it over a lightweight tee with ruched sleeves, but am not super thrilled with the results; the jersey-on-jersey is preventing the top half of the dress from draping properly, so it bunches up. It's not quite as noticeable in person, when I am moving, but it was a nightmare to photograph! Oh well, lesson learned. Paired with gray sweater tights and black mid-calf boots to complete the monochrome look, and my usual winter cranberry lip color stands out much more than it usually does with this dark outfit :)

Some thoughts that resulted from these challenges:
- I am definitely not feeling my non-silk scarves this season, and probably into spring as well. Must keep this in mind while shopping so I don't buy scarves that I won't be wearing!
- I definitely prefer dresses to skirts, yet have easily twice as many skirts as dresses (AND I'm really on Team Pants/Shorts anyway). Something else to keep in mind as I get ready for spring shopping.
- That said, I need a winter dress that isn't a sweater dress! I have a few sweater dresses, but that kind of felt like cheating for this challenge ONLY because I already wear them plenty ;) Since I do enjoy wearing them especially as a silhouette alternative, a sleeved heavyweight woven dress is absolutely on my list for next fall/winter.
- While I don't like to layer under my sheath for wintery looks, I don't mind the look with bare legs. Not sure why that is. But I do plan to try some of my silky tops underneath my sheath once it warms up.
- I much prefer my winter dresses shorter (above the knee) and summer dresses longer (on or below the knee).

Comments, critiques, thoughts and questions welcome!

As I said in my November work outfits post, I've been focusing weekend outfits on my boho/rugged/natural style leanings. In addition, I have also been trying to really simplify them; partially because it means less thought and therefore less stress when hubby is waiting on me to get dressed (I'm super slow ><), and partially because aforementioned hubby prefers very simple outfits. I found it incredibly helpful during a very stressful month! Also noticed that with this system I tend to skip jewelry on weekends, except for my usual wedding ring/watch combo. These types of very simple outfits really show how important it is to have Well Fitting Clothing in one's wardrobe, regardless of dressiness level; simple outfits with well fitting pieces can make a statement, too.

Here are my casual weekend outfits from November.
#1 : 11.10
#2 : 11.11
#3 : 11.14
#4-10 : 11.18-24

These outfits were all worn, at the least, to run errands and/or eat a casual meal. In brief: #1 was also worn out clothes shopping with my sis. #2 for friends over to watch football, and a not-so-successful attempt to roll my straights (but no worries ladies, I have proper BF-type jeans to do that with now!). #3 to watch a screening of this season's Warren Miller film. #4 to a Sounder's (soccer) playoff game. #5 you can tell hubby took these photos ;) #6 almost all black, with a little bit of gray and brown; also a rare indoor hat! #7 leo pumps spice up even the simplest outfits. #8 to have both families over for Thanksgiving dinner. #9 my default "super fast winter outfit, subcategory: dry day": sweater + flared jeans + pumps. #10 to have friends over for Friendsgiving dinner; fun side note: between the two thanksgivingses we smoked 60lbs of turkey ^^

Comments, critiques, thoughts and questions welcome!

It's been a while, eh? ;) As most of you know, my work is very casual (I essentially work from home) but I still like to dress up! When I last posted, I had commented on how I was starting to divide my outfits into actual work and weekend "styles", primarily to split up my style personas and achieve more cohesion. "Work" gets my more urban/70s glam and experimental outfits, and "weekend" gets my more boho/rugged and also extremely simplified outfits (hubby doesn't appreciate experimentation ;) ). I have been keeping this up and it is huuugely helpful in reducing stress, especially during Nov/Dec which are by far my MOST busy months of the year.

Here are my "work" outfits from November.
#1 : 11.01
#2 : 11.02
#3-5 : 11.06-08
#6 : 11.16
#7-11 : 11.26-30

The outfits in brief! #1: punk pants make me happy! #2: I keep wanting to wear my white skinnies in outfits, but they are soooo baggy that it doesn't always work; I have really enjoyed wearing them when I can make them work, though. #3: mixing prints and whites. #4/#11: forays back into very dark outfits, something I had been avoiding in fall/winter previously (too much black makes me sad) but am now enjoying again. #5: my pencil skirts are all sitting lower on my hips these days and I am enjoying the look. #6: one of my favorite ways to wear this blouse in fall. #7: this is the lovely furry vest from Zap by way of Rita, which I loooove so thanks Zap and Rita! #8: more white skinnies! Also please pardon the wet hair -_- #9: fresh hair cut in preparation for the Seattle YLF meetup + volume on volume. #10: inspired by this outfit here. #11: a fun top-to-bottom gradient of black->charcoal->gray; I quite like the light shoes with a very dark outfit. Also a beautiful ring my mom gave me which she got in Holland many years ago.

Whew! Comments, critiques, thoughts and questions welcome :)