Thrifting Queen

I went to my local thrift store last night to drop off yet more jeans/pants that are too short now for DS (will he EVER stop growing???) and saw these shorts pretty much as soon as I walked in the door. I quickly tried them on and they came home with me. This is not a K/R post as I am loving these shorts and they are staying with me :)

The brand is Baby Phat and they are a silk/polyester blend (hand wash in cold, hang to dry). They feel amazing against the skin. They are lower rise but I don't feel exposed or uncomfortable in them at all, which surprises me. I wonder if that relates to the fabric? The button at the waist is missing so I've just pinned it for these pics but will sew on a button. They strike me as a hybrid "slouchy silk tapered Bermuda dress shorts" which is perfect for my workplace during the warm months. We are allowed to wear dress shorts as long as they are long enough and not the kind you'd wear on the golf course or hiking (a.k.a. too casual).

I've done a couple of very quick stylings (please excuse the complete lack of make up or styled hair - haven't done either yet). The first four are ways I could wear them to work and the last one is an attempt to make these a summer date night pair of shorts.

#2 - I just popped on the blazer alone and buttoned it up. If I were wearing it for real, there would be a top underneath and the jacket would be undone.

#5 - also features a Talbots sequin front tank I thrifted when I found the shorts. Perfect dressy companion, don't you think?

I can also see pairing these shorts with my new white laser cut pullover, Gap mesh sweaters, plain white tee and Cons for a dressing down option, my red/white polka dot vintage silk jacket, coloured tank and white denim jacket and I'm sure many more that I can't think of right now.

So what do you think? How do these work to your eye? What do you think of the length of the shorts - do they look right to you or do they need to be shortened/lengthened?

Thanks in advance for the feedback :)

So if you've followed my other thread about the floral moto vs. the leather moto (http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....loral-moto) you'll know that I've decided to pass on both jackets at this time.

This got me thinking about fulfilling my love of florals and the blazer I thrifted last summer. I still have it and am wondering if this still looks current/stylish? Do I already have *MY* floral blazer? or should I keep looking for something a little less "loud"? FWIW, this blazer was deemed fab last year when I introduced it.

I have been noticing the last couple of months that wearing certain colours not only look better on me but make me FEEL better and affect my mood. And other colours make me feel "blah".

Today's outfit for example, consists of different tones of brown and cognac. There is nothing technically wrong with this outfit and I like the fit of everything and how it works together...BUT I don't feel happy in these colours.

Right now the colours I enjoy wearing are blues, red, purple, green, grey, black and white - stronger colours that work with my hair and skin tone. I'm no longer loving earth tones on me. I think this had a lot to do with my dislike of the pumpkin skirt this week - no longer loving that particular shade. Because I am relatively fair/pale, I feel like I have to WEAR colour to HAVE colour, if that makes any sense.

Therefore, I've decided to begin working on changing my wardrobe to consist of a few colours that work well together and make me feel good when wearing them - my neutrals (the bulk and basics of my wardrobe) will be black, navy, grey, and white and will include pops of red, purple, cobalt and bright green.

I currently have several pieces in my wardrobe I haven't reached for this fall/winter and they are all in these earthy tones. I will keep my espresso trousers, portobello mushroom skirt and possibly my brown lace skirt because I really like the fit of these and can pair them with coloured tops. Other than that, the rest is going off to charity.

I have also been feeling that my wardrobe is actually too big (did I just say that???) - there are items I'm not wearing and then feel guilty about not wearing, while at the same time there are favourite pieces I'm reaching for again and again. I need to sort through that and pare things down.

I'm excited about this discovery and am looking forwarding to putting together a more cohesive wardrobe.

What about you? Have you been noticing colours lately and how they affect your mood at all?

Yesterday's outfit (the first attempt with the skirt http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....and-animal) didn't work for me and I felt extremely frumpy in it.

I've been thinking about why it felt that way and knew there was more to it than the disconnect between the individual items. I think Una hit the nail on the head when she said it wasn't as "saucy" as some of my outfits.

I seem to be shifting to a more modern, sleek style with moments of menswear inspiration - but I also like an element of cheekiness or sauciness in my outfits. I need to feel both streamlined and FUN.

The orange skirt is a difficult colour to work with, as I'm discovering and although I like a midi length on short me, I think the combination of the midi length plus the width of the skirt is what made me feel frumpy. I have other midi length dresses/skirts but they are narrower and more fitted so I feel sleeker.

I did try it on again when I got home from work with my knee high black boots, Doc Marcies and my black wedge booties and still didn't like it on me.

For now, the orange skirt is going into the "hold" pile and we'll see if it comes back out later on or ends up being purged altogether.

I just realized that the outfit I'm wearing today (http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....-snakeskin) I would have absolutely hated a few short years ago.

In my pre YLF days, I equated fashion or style with a completely different set of parameters. Style meant items were not necessarily comfortable, were more form fitting, were higher heeled, were more what were on the "10 things you should wear" kind of lists, etc.

But today I'm wearing slouchy trousers (should never wear on a 5 foot tall curvy lady); voluminous horizontal striped sweater (should never wear on a 5 foot tall curvy lady); light coloured low heeled booties (short ladies should wear high heels to look taller and brunettes should not wear light coloured footwear). Nothing is uncomfortable, overly hot or fussy.

YLF - look what you've done to me? You have opened my eyes to all sorts of style possibilities and the joy of breaking style "rules"! Talk about a complete mind shift.

I've been enjoying Pinterest and seeing so much inspiration and so many lovely things. I've worked at separating my boards into now What I Want to Wear versus Inspiration.

Attached is my What I Want to Wear board - but when I look at it, I really wonder how many of these things work for my body type.

I'm a size 12/14 and much, much heavier than I would like to be, and have been. I try very hard to have a positive body image and for the most part, don't let my size get me down. But many times what I see in my WIW pics upsets me. It is difficult at my height (5'1") and size to wear flattering proportions and ensure I look like I have a waist.

Looking at the outfits on the Board, I love all of them and would ultimately like to dress in this manner but wonder if these styles coincide with my physical body type. I deliberately do not choose items for my Board that realistically can only be worn by tall willowy women. But maybe these aren't practical either.

So I guess my question to you all is "can I wear these types of styles with my body type"? And if not, what does work for me?

http://pinterest.com/thrifting.....t-to-wear/

At a time when the fashion trend is showing a lot of oversized items - slouchy trousers, BF jeans, voluminous sweaters, etc.....how do you tell if an item is appropriately oversized or just plain sloppy?

Sona came up with a great idea in a thread to have a day of fuchsia love (http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....ts-to-play) and Friday November 30th is the day!

Since I'm usually on the forum pretty early in the morning before I leave for work, Sona's asked me to start the thread in the morning. It will be titled Fuchsia Friday (duh....).

It doesn't have to be fuchsia, but can be any shade of pink and can include anything from a clothing item, to a handbag, to accessories - just show your love for fuchsia!

See you in the morning...

I posted these trousers yesterday in a K/R thread (http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....el-trouser) and it was felt these were not the best fit for me and I was ready to return them.

But I'm an incredibly stubborn gal...and Angie PM'd me suggesting I iron out the creases and give them another go. I tossed them in the dryer on "fluff" to get out some of the stiffness and then ironed out as best I could the centre creases in front and back. I've also pinned them a little higher in the hopes the legs hang a bit better - do remember though that there is literally 6 inches if fabric tucked under that do add a bit of stiffness to the bottom of the legs.

Here are a couple of quick stylings. They are incredibly comfortable, I've worn them around the house for about an hour and they move beautifully - neither too snug nor too loose. I'm comfortable with tucking and not tucking with them.

I've also decided that I am seen from behind very infrequently during my day and definitely bat for Team Front, so the rear view is not as important to me.

I am now strongly leaning towards keeping these as I really like them and can see them integrating into my wardrobe really well.

Does the fit look better to you today? or am I blinded by love?

I had two decent work outfits this week:

http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....in-leather
http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....ong-simple

And two misses (my determination - not anyone else's):

http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....elvet-lace
http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....floral-fun

This has led me to wonder about my experimentation and pushing myself stylistically speaking. Maybe I don't have the skill and experience yet to experiment successfully when it is so outside my usual style?

I enjoy trying new things and want to have fun with fashion, and figure this is the only way to learn what works is by trying...BUT...does it make more sense to wear formulas, oolours and silhouettes that I know work for me (e.g. skirt, blazer, booties)?

What do you do? Do you stick with tried-and-true looks (with some differences obviously to make the outfit fresh) or do you push yourself? Does looking good trump experimentation?

Would love to hear your thoughts on this - and thanks!