WIW 02.15-21

Following Angie's post about outfit comfort I decided to spend a few days in outfits that pushed me out of my comfort zone in one way or another. Oh yes, also, I changed my hair style (bangs!!) ;) Had it done just before a 9 day car trip (more on that in a future post) and may-or-may-not like it, still undecided after a month; the good news is that it photographs well and other people seem to like it so it's probably just me -.-

Perhaps not the best week to do it; was feeling ill, just returned from the long car trip, and adjusting to the new hair style which felt a bit of a shock. Still it was a very useful exercise and I'm happy with the results. Primarily I am looking for ways to incorporate more tailoring and structure to my overly-full-of-slouch wardrobe, and am really feeling the need to temper any masculine elements with the new hair.

#2 Tuesday 02.16. Uncomfortable thing: Jacket done up, generally fitted top half. I had the jacket open at first but it definitely looked better zipped up. So I bit the bullet and survived the day just fine! Really love the red+rust combo, and especially like the cool gray thrown in the mix. Pink lipgloss and coral/gold earrings for a contrasting finish.

#3 Wednesday 02.17. Reprisal of an earlier rainy day outfit. Uncomfortable thing: The boyish top half but only because of the new hair. Easily offset by my favorite dainty heeled booties, some pink lipstick, and a pile of rings. 

#4 Thursday 02.18. Uncomfortable thing: All over hectic slouch. Went with a couple of favorites -- love this silk-sleeved sweater even though it's hectically oversized, and am particularly fond of wearing my cheetah booties with these pants -- and then added a rarely worn necklace for a bit of literal hardness. Finished with plum lipgloss and dainty gold earrings (little square posts and a cuff).

#5 Friday 02.19. Uncomfortable thing: Fitted top half and an overall dark look with a lot of black. One good thing about the new bangs is that they're pretty fun with hair up! I'm happiest when wearing black with hair up and skin showing, so I went halfway here: hair up and pumps, but left the sleeves down which I really liked. Added deep red lipstick and gray rock crystals for some extra glam.

#6 Saturday 02.20. Back to normal dressing! A fun little denim-on-denim look for a social work event. This is more in line with the type of "oversized" I'm working towards in my wardrobe these days (i.e. significantly reigned in). The big ankle gap won't be everyone's cuppa but I like the slight awkwardness of the look.

#7,8. Bonus casual weekend outfits! First worn to hang with my sis and catch up on some TV. Second worn for the traditional Valentine's aquarium visit (a week late as we were driving all day on the 14th).

#9,10. Detail photos.

Comments, critiques, thoughts and questions welcome!

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36 Comments

  • catgirl replied 8 years ago

    AIDA!  I am so excited you posted!  In my desperation for non-skinnies to avoid squeezing my mid-section, I bought a pair of olive tencel pants just like the ones you're wearing.  Mine are from Lucky.  And now you've given me a way to style them.  I also wore my tuxedo joggers to work yesterday (yes, I wore sweats to work).  And there are the Kuts!  So much inspiration.  I absolutely love seeing all your outfits in a row like this - so much variety, yet essentially consistent. 

  • Runcarla replied 8 years ago

    Interesting bunch of looks. #4 really stands out for me - love the considered slouch. Also, I'm taking notes on your use of cognac booties - inspiration for how I might use my own. FWIW, I do like the bangs!

  • Joy replied 8 years ago

    Aida, your outfits are always amazing. I see nothing masculine about your hair. I think my favorite outfit is the 4th one with the olive pants, but each of the others is a close second. The aquarium outfit is especially fun. Thank you for posting this wonderful collection.

  • replied 8 years ago

    Wow! Very hard to pick a favorite, but I'm going for #4.

  • kellygirl replied 8 years ago

    Just when I thought u couldn't get any cuter! Fun bangs :) it's different and little playful which suits your style. Gorgeous outfits. Must get back to them when I have more time. LOVE your style and your posts.

  • chirico (Chiara) replied 8 years ago

    Can't pick just one favorite, all outfits look great. I quite like the slouchiness of the olive pants + cream sweater, it's "relaxed chic".
    And I am starting to think of getting a pair of white/off white booties, I'd never thought I'd say this!

  • Brooklyn replied 8 years ago

    Love the "bangs" (that is such an American expression). YLF as always. My favourite is the red and rust outfit. Very beautiful (even with the jacket done up!). I also love the combination of neutrals in no 8. I may copy that when the weather gets cooler here :)

  • Kari replied 8 years ago

    I love this playful collection. I especially adore the outfit with that bright jacket and the plaid skinnies, and the beautiful earthy, neutral slouchy outfit with the animal print booties.

  • Cerinda replied 8 years ago

    Great collection.  Interesting to see #5 on a lot of levels -- the darkness, the new haircut.  Actually, the new 'do strikes me as very girly and especially so here.

  • Maneera replied 8 years ago

    Fantastic outfits, Aida... I would never have guessed you were 'uncomfortable' in any of these because you look 100% natural and *you*!

    #6 is my favourite...I'm so going to copy that. I like the new hair....it looks the cutest in #5 in a ponytail. I love that outfit, hairstyle, accessories.....everything! You've never looked cuter!

  • rachylou replied 8 years ago

    Seems an all around successful exercise. I do find it quite different but still you. The hair looks good. I have to think about it though. I'm not sure what it's telling me about who you are...

  • replied 8 years ago

    Lovely to see you Aida! 9 days car trip...wow. That's a lot of travelling around.

    I love your hair, though I'm a bit confused that you feel your bangs are masculine. I've had bangs all my life and personally feel feminine with them. I think yours frame your lovely face so nicely. In fact I think your hair looks awesome! You just need to get comfy with your new look :)

     Lovely to see such a fab variety of looks in your photos. The only slight masculine vibe I'm getting is from the combo of knit tank over checked shirt. Maybe a different shirt or more feminine blouse underneath would have tempered the look. I adore the red in #1, I think that may be my fave, closely followed by #4 and #5. As always, I love all the gorgeous textures etc. that you put into your outfits. A feast for the senses!

  • Beth Ann replied 8 years ago

    I kept enlarging the photos, looking for uncomfortable.  Let me tell you, it's not discernible to the person looking at you!  I'm completely on board with your new "oversized," although I think you could always rock a billowy top (a la #4) whenever the mood strikes.  You do a great boho, even if it's not your main persona.

    I love them all -- but the red (with contrast tone on tone) and the sweater vest are particularly appealing to me........And I love the face framing bangs.  Whether you keep them, I think, depends upon their versatility.  To they give you a wider range of shapes and styles, or fewer?  To me, it's not an issue of which is more flattering -- your stylist makes sure your curls look amazing either way.

  • Staysfit replied 8 years ago

    Bravo! I love the hair and congratulations for pushing yourself. All these looks are terrific. I'm in love with the second look. I love the rust jacket with the red sweater. I think those colors look super together and great on you. I like how you paired it all with a cool neutral pair of pants to tone it down and then used a pair of cognac or are they rust boots (hard to tell with my browser). You rock a fitted top!

  • Karie replied 8 years ago

    Wow, a 9 day car trip! Did it involve going to see the Mariners during spring training? 

    All of these outfits are of course, fabulous - I love seeing how you remix items in your wardrobe. And that plaid jacket! J.Crew took it off of final sale, so I bit the bullet and ordered it! Hopefully it will look at least half as fantastic on me as it does on you :)

    And I love the new hairstyle too!

  • krishnidoux replied 8 years ago

    How inspiring! You are just so COOL. Lots of these are very badass in a highly appealing way (outfits Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday in particular). I notice in your description that these outfits seem to give you trouble regarding the top's fit. What a pity. It absolutely doesn't show in the pictures. 
    Looking at all of them, I realize you are attracted to soft,slouchier tops; however, I encourage you to explore more fitted tops silhouettes as it agrees so much with you. Maybe all you need is a little shopping: fitted tops are much harder to shop for than slouchier ones. You could also find a good seamstress. Sometimes, very little can go a long way with alterations. Another possibility is what you chose to wear underneath a top fitted piece. If it is too bulky, it will be uncomfortable; and so if it is too cropped. I could think of a situation where you wear a cropped fitted vest with a regular or short-wasted length top/tank underneath. Every time you move, the under-layer piece moves along, possibly exposing skin, which makes it very uncomfortable. If you have a longer, thinner under-layer piece, or even a body suit, it becomes that much more comfortable.  

  • El Cee replied 8 years ago

    Aida -- these are all GORGEOUS! So hard to pick a favorite -- #2 (the first outfit) is so stunning. I love the pairing of the bright jacket and sweater with the dark plaid skinnies. I also adore the asymmetry and the unexpected pattern mixing and layering in #7. Your outfits are always inspirational. Love your bangs -- Super look for you. Sorry that you had a bad week. Hope that you feel better.

  • lyn67 replied 8 years ago

    This one is hard, but my faves are...2,3,6&7! Love your new hair with the  bangles, Aida!!!

  • Ginger replied 8 years ago

    Oh, wow! I would NEVER guess that these are your out-of-comfort-zone outfits. You look so together and comfortable in your skin in all of them! In #2, I really do like the jacket all zipped up. It makes a wonderful statement, and the gray plaid is a great foil. I particularly like #5 as well. The bangs look perfect with your hair up. And although it is all black/gray/white, there's a lot of pattern and texture, and lightness with the gray top. My favorite may actually be #8. It feels very equestrian/retro Lady Adventurer to me. Love!

  • amiable replied 8 years ago

    These are all completely amazing!  Thank you for sharing them!

  • gradfashionista replied 8 years ago

    Tough call. I'm going to with either 5 or 6 as my favorites; 6 is something I'd be more inclined to wear myself, but I prefer 5 in terms of contrast, textures, lines, etc. The new do rocks.

  • Jaime replied 8 years ago

    Love these!
    The red/rust zipped up thing looks totally fabulous on you and good for you for challenging yourself. 
    Still loving the plaid peacoat. Those white shoes are perfect with this outfit. And it is so nice to see how you style the c/e's as they fit you length wise similarly to how they fit me.
    Love your hair up and the vesty jacket thing.
    Also overall the way you mix colors (like the cognac boots with the blue and cool tones) and masculine vests with feminine shoes.
    Bangs look trendy and fab, but I am not sure I prefer them to no bangs, fwiw.
    Regardless, you are amazing any which way! 

  • texstyle replied 8 years ago

    Right now my favs are 2, 6 and 8 because I've been into a simple, tonal color scheme lately, but these are all fantastic and unique outfits. Your hair looks beautiful either way - the bangs just seem like a fun way to change things up for a while.

  • replied 8 years ago

    These are all great. I like the first look (red jacket) and last look (zippy grey/black jeans) the best. I think it's because I enjoy the details on the pants. Also love the simple blue chambray shirt you're wearing.

  • Sara L. replied 8 years ago

    I think these all look great!  I think your bangs look good but if you don't like them, you can grow them out (haha, easier said then done).  My favorite is outfit #3 - I love those pants and booties together. 

    I'm curious to hear about your car trip - I love road trips (even with 3 kids in the car) so 9 days sounds fabulous to me.

  • Jenn replied 8 years ago

    Bangs! It's funny you should post this, because I've been toying with the bangs idea for the last few weeks. I've been putting off a hair appointment while I decide. 

    My favorite outfits here are photos #4 and #8. That allover slouch in #4 might be psychologically uncomfortable, but you wear it really well. The necklace is the key, I think. It adds some slim structure that keeps the slouchy outfit feeling more vertical. #8 is perfect in every way for Seattle in the winter. Without the coat, it's also darker than your "uncomfortable" dark outfit in #5. Is it the dark that bothers you, or the monotone gray/black?

  • Angie replied 8 years ago

    LOVE THE NEW '80s do. Killer Sublime.

    LOVE all the outfits too. Killer all round. Can't choose a fave, and NICE to see you in ink again!

  • AviaMariah replied 8 years ago

    I'm having a hard time focusing on your outfits because your hair is so awesome!!   I love the bangs.  Rock-n-roll perfection.  This is my dream hair.  Of course because mine is not near as curly as yours.  :)

  • shedev replied 8 years ago

    stellar outfits, can't pick a favorite. I like the cut.

  • rabbit replied 8 years ago

    My favs are outfits #4 and #6,

    In #4 I think the forearm and ankle skin provides enough structure to make the volume work well and the delicate but sharp booties and necklace ground it.  Particularly love it with the clutch that picks up both the gold fur/metal and the white sweater.

    #6 the blue is just an outstanding color on you and a great top/bottom match.  I like the jeans bottom hems/ankle opening a lot, especially with such a minimalist outfit.  Again the white coat and goldish clutch work perfectly.

    Outfit #5 is also really good, especially with the plaid coat.

  • Aida replied 8 years ago

    My goodness thank you ladies! I really appreciate all the lovely comments and very insightful thoughts on the outfits, and especially enjoyed reading everyone's thoughts on the hair. I'm surprised to hear that most of you find the cut girly when I am feeling it's so the opposite! Will have to mull on that a bit. Also interesting that #4 (the very slouchy outfit) was such a hit; I don't feel that it's necessarily moving my style forward but it does still feel "me" enough so I'll continue experimenting with how to keep hectic volume in line with my current style goals.

    Una, how fun that you also have similar olive tencel pants! I love the fabric for our cooler summer days, and even on hotter days when coverage is needed. I've posted a couple outfits with them which you can check in the Find. They look really good paired with a sharper jacket and boots.

    Runcarla, I like the idea of "considered slouch". Many of my slouchier pieces need to stay in rotation for the foreseeable future and I think I'll be able to make them work better if I keep that idea in mind. Thanks!

    Chirico, as strange as it sounds, light and white footwear is my favorite to wear! Definitely worth a try :)

    Brooklyn, hah! What do you call "bangs" in Australia? I can see you rocking the ink/gray/brown combo (you can throw in some extra cream and taupe for me!).

    Rachy, YES. Right. What does it say? That's part of my issue with it, I'm not totally sure. I get a Country-Hipster-Rocker vibe from it which doesn't quiiiite jive with my style. Rocker, fine, but it's not the right kind -- I usually go for glam or punk (as you know). It works remarkably well with boho-leaning outfits... and feels very off with glam ones which is my major concern. What do you get from it?

    Diane, I don't think the bangs themselves are necessarily not feminine -- quite the opposite actually! You look lovely in yours by the way :) I've tried the knit vest over several of my blouses and for some reason this is the only one I like with it.

    Beth Ann, boho takes a much bigger style role for me in warmer weather but it seems to be creeping into my cooler weather wardrobe more and more. Good thought re whether the hair feels limiting or expanding. Right now I feel limited BUT I am still adjusting and also in the middle of a style change so everything is in a bit of flux!

    Karie and Sarah, the car trip was from Seattle to Arizona, then straight east to Santa Barbara and up the coast back to home. I'm hoping to post about it this weekend, I had a terrific little travel capsule that covered a ridiculous range of activities! We are hoping to make it back to AZ for Spring training later this month though we'll be flying this time ^^ (And Karie, I hope the coat works for you!)

    Krish, thanks for the thoughts on fitted tops. I'm sure part of my discomfort with wearing fitted tops comes from finding tops overall difficult to fit! Definitely tougher than slouchy tops as you said. Will have to keep possible alterations in mind as I shop.

    Ginger, love "Retro Lady Adventurer" as a weekend style persona! Going to add it to the list ^^

    Jaimie, the cut overall does feel rather trendy doesn't it? Not sure if it's just too cool for me. Are you wearing your CEs ankle length? Are you planning to hem to kick crops?

    Jenn, your Pinterest board is full of fun hair options for you! I think that type of shag would work really well with your style. Plus the bangs are probably easier to deal with than the curly type ;) The outfit in #8 also feels dark but less so but, as you said, it's actually darker than #5. So good question as to why. I think it's specifically the monochrome gray/black, though that outfit has plenty of texture and lightness to keep me feeling happy.

    Angie, thank youuu <3

  • Firecracker (Sharan) replied 8 years ago

    You are adorable as ever. I love the new bangs on you! And the outfits are so fun to see and to pore over the details as usual. My favorites here are 5 retro-pretty take on the jogging pants trend, and next-to-last (forget the number, and now I'm on the second page and can't see it) with the fun pattern-mixing!

  • Aida replied 8 years ago

    Thanks Sharan! I keep trying to wear those sweats with non-pumps footwear and it never feels right (exception: my cream ruched heeled booties; must be a dainty heel thing). So I think I'll just go with it and designate them spring/fall pants. Too bad it's cooling down this week ;)

  • Brooklyn replied 8 years ago

    Aida, we call bangs a fringe. And as we know from Angie, fringe is trendy. So your hair is bang on trend. He he!

  • Aida replied 8 years ago

    Fun :D We say that sometimes too, though it's more of a slang or colloquial sort of thing. (Totally appreciate the puns, too ^^)

  • Bonnie replied 8 years ago

    You look good in every outfit. I guess Angie's suggestion to try something out of your comfort zone worked.

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