Aida ~

As per Angie's challenge I'm adding a little extra festivity to my outfits! At the moment much of my winter wardrobe is composed of essential elements with very little sparkle (and I usually have a good bit of sparkle!). But of course there is still plenty of pretty and glam, as both are a big part of my style. I had to think a bit about what exactly upping the festive could mean for me, then, and ultimately decided the best approach would be adding an extra element (or two or three) that I would normally leave off. Which should take my usual Minimally Maximal style up a few notches on the maximal continuum ('tis the season, why not!).

For this short work week I thought it'd be fun to wear outfits that could actually go to a casual holiday party with minor changes (listed under "Upgrades for party wear"), and of course which are all a little "more" than how I'd normally wear them (listed under "Festive additions"). Also played with layering my lip colors again, which I haven't been doing lately, and had a lot of fun with that. For actual holiday wear I'd add a little sparkly eyes, and probably some shiny gloss over whatever lipstick I'm wearing.

#2/3 11.23. Textured grays with deep cranberry lipstick. Fun to pull out this rarely worn sparkly tweed collar. This black coat was a gift last winter, and although I wore only it a couple times then (didn't like it as much with my shorter hair), I think I'll wear it plenty this season (like it much more with my longer hair, strangely). Retro-glam outerwear.
  Newer: sweater, pants, earrings
  Older: booties, collar, coat, clutch, sunnies

• Festive additions - tucked top, sparkly tweed collar
• Upgrades for party wear - booties to black patent pumps, and maybe sweats to slim black pants

#4/5 11.24. Boho punk (because, extra crazy hair!) with candy red lips (two sheer reds, layered). For a very casual party, obviously ;) But I could always swap to similarly faded non-shredded jeans if needed. Modern-trendy outerwear.
  Newer: poncho, earrings
  Older: jeans, booties, coat, clutch, gloves, sunnies

• Festive additions - stack of spike bracelets, colorful gloves
• Upgrades for party wear - black tights to glittery tights, boots to gray ankle strap pumps

#6/7 11.25. A favorite holiday color combo, green+white+cognac, with electric orange lips (matte neon orange, sheer frosted orange, and pink gloss). Feeling a bit unwell today and wanted a happy FFBO. Retro-ladylike outerwear.
  Newer: blouse, boots, earrings
  Older: jeans, necklace, coat, clutch, sunnies

• Festive additions - deco necklace
• Upgrades for party wear - tucked top + gold belt, rock studs to giant gold hoops

Comments, critiques, thoughts and questions welcome!

And a Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate ^^

For my 10th wedding anniversary I figured a (pseudo) white-out was in order ;)

This outfit formed around this new extra cozy BIG blanket scarf which I picked up this past weekend during the meetup -- in my favorite color/neutrals (orange/white,taupe,black) and my favorite print (checks), couldn't pass that up! -- and popped over a column of white/cream to really highlight the scarf (and hair too, it's extra sassy today woo!). I specifically chose this open-weave tunic sweater for the added vertical integrity, which also minimizes the (truly) giant scarf a little bit. Added my husband's favorite piece of jewelry, pearl studs that were a 5th anniversary gift, and chose a deep cranberry lipstick inspired by how striking dark lips+light outfit looked in Anna's lovely outfit yesterday. For outerwear went with More Lightness and More Prints because, well, ya'all know me ^^ If it weren't cold I'd have preferred the no-coat look, but what can you do.

  Newer: scarf, sunnies
  Older: sweater, jeans, boots, coat, clutch, earrings

Comments, critiques, thoughts and questions welcome!

Three work outfits which prominently feature blue for a short break in between fall storms. First two weren't intentionally both blue; today I figured I'd finish the theme before switching to more hectically bright/colorful/patterned outfits for the upcoming rain. In the meantime, quite happy with these three, very different, outfits!

#2 11.09 - Monday was extra crisp and dry so I figured suede boots were in order. Love how cognac looks with light blue, going with cognac mid-calf boots and a column of light blue (periwinkle, aqua) fully tucked for a crisper feel, plus a vintage cognac belt; after mostly low contrast belting the last couple years this was a nice change. Finished with red droplet earrings and cherry lip gloss for a little extra color depth, then orangey outdoor accessories to play with, but not match, the cognac boots in the peachy sunnies and tan/neon orange clutch. I am lukewarm on how the coat looks here but currently lack something more suitable for brown footwear in an outfit that doesn't feature black.
  Newer: jeans, boots
  Older: blouse, belt, earrings, coat, clutch, sunnies

#3 11.10 - Yesterday I wanted to wear this ink fringed sweater again so I could snap some outdoor photos with it while it's dry ;) Originally tried the sweater with my olive joggers but wasn't feeling it so swapped in tuxedo stripe knit pants (i.e. fancy sweats) for a cozier overall feel. Paired with black patent pumps for a little more "luxe", and cherry gloss + cream/black striped hoops to add a little brightness for my face. No blush here AND you can't see the ink with it, but still inspired by Angie's ensemble to wear my burgundy coat with this. Also popped this outfit back on, subbing in black patent loafers and my nighttime high bun, at 4:30am to drive my sis to the airport. No photos of that but it was extra cozy for three hours in the car!
  Newer: pants, sweater
  Older: pumps, earrings, coat, clutch, sunnies

#4 11.11 - Today (after the loooong car ride followed by a nice warm shower) I wanted to try the denim shorts+tights thing, which I haven't worn in a few years. Fully opaque black tights felt too heavy so I opted instead for a semi-sheer black pair instead. Paired with a cobalt tunic sweater because, blue, and then little boho touches (boots, earrings, peachy nude lip gloss) to soften the look. For outerwear chose predominantly black with lots of patterns (plaid coat, taupe bird print scarf, creamy leo clutch). Also enjoyed the vaguely mod vibe with the legs ^^ Bonus: my husband actually liked this so I'll be wearing again this weekend for a short anniversary trip.
  Newer: sweater, sunnies
  Older: shorts, tights, boots, earrings, coat, clutch

#5 - earring/lippie details

Comments, critiques, thoughts and questions welcome!

Outfits worn to various recent meetups! The first two are from this past weekend, and I'm throwing in two outfits from meetups earlier this fall as well. Going to have to wear something colorful to the next one ;)

#2 11.06 (Seattle) - Expected rain but happily it was dry. This semi-sheer tunic is actually a really lovely mossy olive unlike what the photos show. Worn with a very cropped cream sweater, black waxed jeans (hems folded under), and cream booties. Finished with cherry pink lipstick and gray rock crystal studs, plus plaid coat which picks up on the creamy bits for the cold and black+neon clutch for some hectic print mixing. After a few years of minimalism I'm feeling like the occasional venture back into layering, this time around with several light/gauzy layers. We'll see.
  Newer: sweater, tunic, jeans, earrings
  Older: booties, coat, clutch

#3 11.07 (Tulalip outlet mall) - Expected rain and got LOADS of it. I mean, I had to bring an umbrella (fellow Cascadians will understand why this is A Weird Thing). Dressed mainly for warmth, skewing casual for the environment. This fringey sweater is actually ink; the Finds photo shows the color and texture. Paired with charcoal and black, plus cream trench for rainy outdoors bits. Finished with giant gold hoops and peachy-nude lip gloss for a little extra casual/sporty glam.
  Newer: sweater, jeans
  Older: shoes, earrings, trench, clutch

#4 09.09 (Seattle) - Way back in September when Una was in town for a layover! A favorite white-out combo, with cheetah booties and gold sequin clutch for depth.
  Newer: [none]
  Older: [all]

#5 09.26 (Seattle) - Oatmeal tunic with faux kick-flares (straight leg pants with hems rolled under) and a very old pair of higher shaft ankle booties. Side note: really good hair day!
  Newer: [none]
  Older: [all]

#6 earring/lippie details - #2 top left, #3 top right, #4 bottom left, #5 bottom right.

Comments, critiques, thoughts and questions welcome!