Try-it-out Tuesday: walking in rainbows

     I find that some clothes make me smile when I look at them. This boys' buttondown is one of those items. I always think of it as my "painter's shirt," probably because of the multi-colored stripes.

Old Navy sweater

Kenneth Cole Reaction boys' buttondown (Ross, old)

Banana Republic Factory store petite trousers

 
     I decided to increase the color fun and wear my new sweater. I love the cheery green hue and that it is made up of different stitches. The one thing I'm a little iffy about is the fit -- I'm considering introducing it to my dryer for a little shrinkage. I feel the torso is a bit baggy, and the sleeves a little too long.
    I've been on a green and red kick lately (despite the strange look I got the last time I wore the combination), so I added red jewelry to top off the look.

Amrita Singh "Marion" earrings (HauteLook)

        While I've always enjoyed color, I usually don't pile it on -- so this was wonderful fun. I felt a little like a mad scientist in the color lab!! I do think the striped shirt pulled the look together. Although it doesn't have green stripes, it includes red, and I think that made this outfit look a bit more cohesive.
        Do you agree with my rationale? What rules do you follow when you play with color?

Try-it-out Wednesday: my new clutch, or, superpowers I don't possess

     For Christmas, my friend R gave me this clutch. Which is kind of amazing considering that we had discussed my lack of such a bag months and months ago. The fact that she remembered this, and hunted down one for me as a present, proves she possesses that female gifting superpower. Sadly, this is a superpower that I do not possess.

   
One of my blog goals for this year is to post one outfit a month that incorporates a bag. The right bag and right pair of shoes can elevate a look from ho-hum nice to unforgettable. This bag and shoe combining is another superpower I don't possess (yet!)

     Old Navy's clearance rack is irresistible. I liked the colors of this shirt's floral print, but wasn't sure if the very exaggerated ruffle (front and back) was going to work.  However, it is surprisingly feminine and flattering. I couldn't find this in XS, so I settled for a small, which means the bottom is rather long. A partial tuck took care of the excess fabric.

   While my closet is overflowing with certain items, it is oddly devoid of some classics. This year, I'm on the hunt for classic items, such as a little black dress and a good blazer. I think I found the latter (sneak peek in the photo above), and at a place I don't usually shop! :) I'll be posting a review soon.
    Getting back to superpowers, what's yours? For me, it's a toss-up between my amazing appetite for chocolate (the Mr. finds it appalling that I can drink a cup of cocoa and eat chocolate at the same time), or my ability to read quickly (a skill honed by my former career).

Clutches by Jessica Simpson

keep or return? Love Fire pants

    My shopping ban on clothes is officially over! It was very instructive to not buy new clothes for a few months. Here are some things I learned:

• my needs are really wants
• I own a lot of clothes, but usually wear the same things over (and over)
• my closet needs some serious purging
• With some creativity, I can shop my closet for theme/special events (pajama night, storytelling presentation), save money, and look good   :)
• There are some items that I don't own that would add a lot of versatility to my wardrobe

   Up until recently I thought pants, skirts, and any other bottom had to come in a neutral. Black was preferred, although navy, brown or charcoal gray were within the realm of possibility.
  Then I started seeing folks rocking colored pants everywhere. The girl sitting next to me in my database searching class with bright purple skinnies. Courtney of I Can Be Many Things with her fantastic hot pink pants. And on and on ...
   Colored pants moved to the top of my shopping list. I tried on a bunch of colored pants at Nordstrom Rack this weekend, and picked up these green Love Fire pants. They had other brands available, but I noticed that this one seemed to fit the best.

    I'm undecided about the color. They had red Love Fire pants as well, but they weren't in my size. Somehow I always pictured myself jumping into the color pool with a splash and buying red, purple or something bright. I'm also not sure about what colors to wear with this green, but I kind of like the way it looks with my animal-print scarf.

   I'm also not sure about all the creasing, but maybe that's because they're made of a lighter material? It could also be because the hem needs shortening and the excess fabric is creeping up my legs.
   What do you think -- keep or return?

behind the camera: Christmas colors

Foster Botanical Garden. One of my favorite places to walk around with the camera. :) If the weather and my schedule works out, I'm planning to take a photo walk there on Saturday ...

thrift find #2

    I think a well-fitting dress is a no-brainer outfit. Perfect for this time of year when I need all my brain power for important stuff, like procrastinating final projects.
   I picked this up at Goodwill for $8.99 a while back. My thrifting pattern seems to go like this: purchase, wash, throw in closet, ignore for several months.

     This is a petite dress, so it ends a little above the knee. For work, I usually prefer my dress hemline to be a tad longer -- who wants to worry every time they bend down to pick up a pencil? But it worked out OK when I wore it to school yesterday.
    Yesterday's book club read-aloud was "Zomo the Rabbit" by Gerald McDermott. The high point of the story for the kids was when the fish danced so hard his scales fell off. That elicited a chorus of "EEEEWWWW!" and tons of giggles. It wasn't til much later that  I thought, I hope they don't go home and tell their parents they learned about naked fish today ...