Thrifting Queen

In my Random Musings thread the other day (http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....om-musings) I had commented about my higher heeled shoes being uncomfortable and my inability to wear anything now days over about 2 inches.

I have done some high heel shoe purging but did keep my Kate Spade cobalt patent pumps for dressier occasions and my green Poetic Licence pumps which are actually quite comfortable. My other shoes are lower heeled so ok to wear and my boots seem to be fine. My Doc Martens animal print Danielle shoes and my Doc Sara oxfords are in the "holding zone" for now.

What I was left without was a pair of black pumps for work wear. Now that the warmer weather is arriving I'm wanting to get out of my boots/booties some and wear shoes. But my Clarks Mary-Jane pumps were the ones that made my knee ache and were purged so now I needed to find a replacement.

Off I went yesterday to The Bay to see what they had. I did find Cole Haan kitten heeled Air Juliana pumps which were incredibly comfortable but only available in Sandstone patent in my size. No black in my size and they did not think they were getting in any more. Tried on several that were downright painful but then spied these...Calvin Klein all leather (inside and out) 1.5" kitten heel, rubber grip sole on the bottom, pointy toe, pretty little black pump.  I tried them on (yay - they had my size!) and oh my...I think my feet were smiling with comfort :) Needless to say, I bought them and here they are.

I really like how I feel in these shoes (going back to our "happiness factor"). My feet feel pretty in them and so does the rest of me. I like the ladylike refinement of them and the slight retro vibe (at least in my mind). They are very similar to my Enzo Angiolini pumps (pic #4)) but those have cut out circles and shapes and are really only meant for summer. 

I think these Calvin Klein pumps are going to help me in my desire to merge my love of retro with a bit of urban minimalism. 

What do you think?

Oh and here's a bonus shot of "the boys". Gain and Dusty Bottom are enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon in bed.

Yesterday was a great day - I got back my white jeans from being hemmed and my prescription sunglasses arrive! So both are coming out to play today.

I've paired my white jeans (which are sized up skinnies for a slightly slouchy look) with my hi-low hem striped merino wool sweater. This might make for a slightly seasonally confused outfit but it is still in the minus temps here so it makes sense to me. The white bottoms pull out the white stripe in the sweater and I've added more white by using my new handbag (which I can tell is going to be a major workhorse and favourite for me) and my footwear is the SE python booties. 

I hope you like this as much as I do 'cause my happiness factor is WAAAAAAAY up there! However, if you see something I should tweak, please let me know. All comments/suggestions welcome.

Sweater: Lord & Taylor
Jeans: Jessica Simpson
Boots: Sam Edelman
Handbag: Danier Leather
Sunglasses: Ray Ban Wayfarers

ETA: Took a quick pic with my phone when I got into the office so you could see a closer view of the sunglasses. Aren't they deliciously oversized 1950's?

Hmm.....this looked a lot better in my head than in real life. I've paired my  yellow and oatmeal striped v-neck sweater with my darker Glen plaid grey wide legged trousers. There are darker grey flecks in the oatmeal stripes in my sweater which work with the darker grey of the trousers. I wish I had a grey belt but I don't so black had to suffice. I've popped on my trusty Clarks Mary Jane pumps and am using my grey snakeskin clutch. 

I'm wondering if my cream handbag would have worked better? Can you help me analyze and let me know what does and doesn't work with this outfit? 

Sweater: Gap
Trousers: Ricki's (thrifted)
Belt: Danier Leather
Clutch: Sondra Roberts (thrifted)
Watch: Calvin Klein (thrifted)

Today's outfit is minimal in terms of colour palette, number of pieces, and accessories. It is also completely neutral in terms of colour (except for the red lipstick).

This is the debut of my light cream Gap mesh sleeve sweater (I also bought it in grey). I love the softness, the drape, the oversized look without being sloppy and the way it can be worn either semi-tucked or untucked. I have the feeling I'll be wearing these sweaters a lot. I've paired it with my tweed front slouchy trousers which gives me a slouch-on-slouch look. I've added my simple black wedge booties for footwear and my white handbag for more neutral colour. My jewelry consists of my silver/white bangle watch.

I really like the simplicity of this outfit. Angie commented once that Urban Minimalism suits me and I'm kind of going with that in this outfit.

What do you think? Minimalist good or boring? As always, all comments/suggestions welcome.

Sweater: Gap
Trousers: Sears
Boots: Blowfish
Handbag: Danier Leather
Watch: thrifted

I've been so inspired by Rae lately and her use of her white handbag. I decided it was high time to pull out the beautiful white Danier leather handbag that I got as a Christmas gift. That was the starting point to today's outfit.

I'm wearing my black/white graphic print faux wrap dress and topped that with my cobalt/black cropped asymmetrical zip jacket. I've kept my legs bare looking but am wearing nude micro fishnet tights. I've popped on my blue suede booties which are very comfortable since I have a fair bit of walking to do at work today. I've scrunched the sleeves of my jacket to work with the bareness of my legs.

On top of everything when I head out the door, I've added a navy and white polka dot scarf and my new navy London Fog trench coat. I don't mind at all that the trench doesn't cover the hem of my dress - I like it slightly shorter and enjoy the dress peeking out from underneath. 

With all of this, is my white handbag. I'm in LOVE with this bag. End stop.

So what do you think? Does it all work together? As always, all comments/suggestions welcome.

Trench: London Fog
Blazer: Vince Camuto
Dress: Maggy London
Fishnets: Hue
Boots: Aerosoles
Handbag: Danier Leather
Scarf: Cleo

This past week I've done a fair bit of buying, a fair bit of returning and finally found some pieces that are staying in my closet. These are items for Spring and a couple for spring right on into summer.

I must apologize for the terrible photos - my camera is acting strange and doesn't know the difference between light and dark. I hope you see these ok. As well, nothing here is styled - it's just to show the actual items.

#1 - the Gap mesh sleeve sweater in the ivory colour.
#2 - the Gap mesh sleeve sweater in the grey colour.

I'm so glad these are available in the petite sizing, otherwise they would have been much too long on me. I like that they will work with both semi-tucking and untucking. They are oh so soft and comfy too. They will work with various bottoms as well as for de-bombshelling a pencil skirt.

#2 & #3 - Ralph Lauren cobalt jeans. First off - I have just rolled them under at the bottom since they are a bit too long and I wanted the hem to not get wet outside. I realize as they are shown here, they are not PPL. The fit and colour of these is fab.

#3 & #4 - Gap academy blazer in lemon with white trim and buttons. Again, thrilled that I can get this in petite. Totally in love with the bright cheery colour and the fit. It's a little wrinkly here due to the packaging. Finally - I get my shot of yellow for spring!

#5 - Reitmans cotton-polyester blend denim shirt in petite. Great soft, lightweight denim shirt for all seasons. I like the slightly western style of this shirt with the stitching and the pearl buttons. I've scrunched the sleeves here but just letting you know they are the perfect length undone and long. 

#6 - thrifted black Nygard petite pencil skirt with front side zip. Great fit and staple piece, fully lined. Wanted a lighter weight pencil skirt for spring/summer.

#7 - thrifted Naturalizer leather bow clutch in a soft green. Sweet little purse for the season.

So - how did I do? Now I get the fun of making new outfits with all of these pieces. With these and my new white jeans and my navy trench and my prescription sunglasses coming next week, I'm feeling fairly set for the new season.

I've been looking for a loose fitting tee with some sort of graphic print on it with white as the background colour to help me transition into spring/summer - something I could wear on its own with jeans (denim and white) or with pencil skirts and blazers for work. I found this lovely polyester blend tee last night at Laura Petite that fit the bill. I love its soft fabrication and drape and its slight nod to tie-dye. BTW I have never spent this much on a t-shirt but am learning that if it is "the one" for me, I will wear the heck out of it and therefore is worth the dollar amount.

I popped on the tee this morning and paired it with my Kut from the Kloth baby bootcut jeans. I always feel tall when I wear these jeans! On top of that, I've added a newly thrifted navy boyfriend blazer. I've been looking for a navy blazer since last summer for both dressy and casual wear and found this last night at Value Village. It's exactly what I was looking for, is a petite cut and fits perfectly. 

For footwear, I've got on my trusty Doc Marcies and it was time to bring out my green handbag (known as Kelly) for spring.

I like how this all works together - what do you think? As always, all comments/suggestions welcome.

Blazer: Ricki's (thrifted)
Tee: Laura Petite
Jeans: Kut from the Kloth
Boots: Doc Martens
Handbag: Cleo (thrifted)
Watch: Calvin Klein (thrifted)

Yep - still cold today but on the warming trend. The weather man is actually talking temperatures on the plus side by the end of next week. Let's hope he's right!

Today I have a lot of running around to do at work today so comfort was key. I started with my espresso brown trousers and brown booties for a reasonably long leg line (well...as long as MY leg line can get - lol!). I topped that with my metallic gold Esprit sweater. This sweater is incredibly comfortable and extremely soft, which surprised me being a metallic knit. I thought it would be scratchy or stiffer. Such a pleasant surprise. I've added my snakeskin satchel for my handbag and one simple ring for jewelry.

I don't think the sweater untucked is the most figure flattering for me but for some reason, didn't feel like wearing a belt and doing a semi tuck. I hope it doesn't look too bad? As always, all comments/suggestions welcome.

Sweater: Esprit
Trousers: Esprit
Boots: Naturalizer
Handbag: Elliott Lucca

P.S. Gain says "good morning"!

I thoroughly enjoyed watching Ingunn style her black wrap dress recently - the way she layered, added different accessories, changed up her footwear or toppers - well, it was just inspiring what one woman could do with one dress.

I have never layered under a dress before (yes....I know....shameful...) so today was the day. I layered my gold and charcoal snakeskin print blouse underneath my black sheath dress. I added a simple black leather belt with gunmetal buckle to accentuate my waist. I'm wearing nude micro fishnets to mimic bare legs (which won't be happening in real life for at least two months yet) and then popped on my Doc Marcie boots for a bit of urban vibe. My handbag is another bit of snakeskin, this time with my grey clutch. Jewelry is one gold chunky ring with gold stones.

Happiness factor? Through the roof. What do you think? do the proportions and shapes work together? As always, all comments/suggestions welcome.

Thank you Ingunn for your inspiration!

Blouse: Vince Camuto
Dress: Banana Republic
Fishnets: Hue
Boots: Doc Martens
Clutch: Sondra Roberts (thrifted)
Ring: thrifted

Last night while perusing Ray Ban sunglass frames with DS (we're both getting prescription sunglasses for driving), I found THE ONES. Without YLF guidance or even a second opinion (other than DS's and the SA's) I pounced on these babies and ordered them. It was LOVE at first try on and knew they were going to be mine.

They are oversized, retro-inspired, tortoise shell and I feel glamorous and very Mad Men in them. It will be a 7-10 days before I get them so you will have to suffer with this stock photo of them in the meantime.

I can hardly wait...