the Good Ship Stripey

   The navy blue, stripes, and vaguely flag-shaped enamel pendants made me feel just a bit nautical in this outfit.

     I've been wearing this necklace with pretty simple outfits, just because I think the turquoise, mustard and purple are pretty on their own. However, I'm going to eventually challenge myself to mix it with something other than a neutral to see whether I like the look.

candied walnuts, oysters, atonement

      The high point of Thursday (besides managing to drag myself out of bed at 5 a.m.) was making oatmeal for breakfast, and getting the idea to throw in homemade candied walnuts I got as a Christmas gift. Wow -- it made that humble lil' bowl of oatmeal sing and dance. I immediately began to fret about what to do when my stash runs out. Either look up a recipe and make my own, or beg my friend to get her mom to make more. Which would be a bit awkward.
      Another awkward story about food: a few years ago a different friend invited me to hang out at her house. Her dad was grilling oysters -- they had picked up a box from Costco. I was in oyster heaven until I realized that I was tossing down oyster #8 while everyone else had stopped at oyster #2 or #3. I regretfully stepped away from the grill.
     The above stories may explain why this dress doesn't quite fit anymore. What a shame! I loved the color, the fit, the cool and breathable linen-cotton blend, and it was great for work. I can still put it on but the hem is higher than it was before, and I need to do some major sucking-in to make the placket look decent. I'm reluctant to toss it in the donation bag, so I'm determined to use it for layering.

     I added tights and a pair of purple suede flats to this outfit before heading to class on Thursday.
    The blue on blue pairing is my version of atonement for the other day's style mess. (I'm also assigning myself a rigorous reading of the latest issue of People StyleWatch). Or, if we unbearably extend the food metaphor, it could be considered a style palate cleanser as well.

    Fossil "Mystic" necklace (Macy's)

     Is it standard for thicker belts to not have a leather loop/keeper? This belt is so cute, but when I buckle it the end just sticks out, and it's too thick to tuck. Solutions, anyone?
     After I wore this outfit, I realized how many other things can be layered over this dress. Come back Monday to see a few variations on this look! :)

little victories: a hint of mustard

    During my history of libraries class last night, we were having a discussion when I heard: click, snip, click. At first I thought I was imagining things, so I tried to ignore it, but the sound continued. I surreptitiously examined my fellow students. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. Then, I noticed the girl in the front row. She was partially blocked from my view by the second row, but from her posture I guessed she had a foot on her  knee. It dawned on me that the click, snip, click was her trimming her toenails.
    Now, I have no problem with someone unobtrusively trimming a fingernail that just broke, then putting the clipper away (and disposing of the nail in the trash can, of course). But this was a full-scale personal grooming. And did I mention that the professor was sitting right across from her? And given that it's a graduate class, it's not like those huge 150-student undergrad lecture classes they hold in a mini auditorium. There are probably 23 students, tops, in a rather cozy room.
    I'm sure you know that there are many stereotypes about librarians, ranging from the buttoned-up-but-actually-sexy librarian, to the weird but smart computer lover, to the obsessively tidy, patron-shushing fuddy-duddy who patrols the shelves.
    I wanted to tell my personal-grooming-obsessed colleague: "Help a fellow librarian out!! Stop perpetuating the idea that we are weeeird."
    Anyhow, but you're not here for weird anecdotes, are you? Here's what I wore yesterday: my new eBay necklace!

     Since I started blogging, I've seen so many people wearing mustard and looking fantastic. I've avoided the color because I figure with my skin tone, I've got enough yellow going on.
    I took my inspiration for this outfit from two sources: I decided on a navy buttondown because Megan of Feathers & Freckles recently showed how pretty mustard and navy look together. My second source of inspiration was Elaine of Clothed Much -- she always rocks the necklace-over-the-buttondown look.

All buttoned up - hey, where'd my neck go?

    I was elated when my ever-stylish cousin K commented on how much she liked the necklace and how well it went with the navy. :) Little victory #1.
    Just last weekend, I  saw a very similar-looking necklace (in reds and pinks) at Macy's, checked the price tag, and it was a whopping $28! I think the colors of this necklace fit better with the colors I usually wear, and the panels are just the right size -- the Macy's one seemed like it would be overwhelmingly large. Scoring something on-trend via eBay instead of paying lots more at the department store? Little victory #2.

a little knowledge ...

really is a dangerous thing. I looked at my camera settings quickly today, but I need to sit down with the manual and figure out how to change the settings back. So these photos are brought to you today by the magic of Picnik.

    I decided to tame my snake-print dress with a buttondown knotted at the waist. The dress has a shirt collar as well, but I tucked it inside the dress. I'd like to redo the sleeves eventually - the cuffs make it hard to layer something over the dress.
    I feel a little like Goldilocks in regard to dresses this week. The one I wore earlier was a little tight on top, while this one is a little loose. I've learned to be more careful about assessing the fit before I buy.

    Love the full skirt on this, but I ended up clutching it as I walked to class -- I wasn't expecting it to be so windy! Note to self: check the weather report before wearing this dress. Also, this outfit needs "winterizing." I know that sounds silly when I live in Hawaii, but my legs were freezing in my air-conditioned classroom. I've seen a lot of folks in the blogging world rocking their dresses with tights, but all I own right now is a pair of leggings that ends slightly above the ankle. And then I have no idea what shoe to wear with the tights/leggings ...

viva la arm party!

     Signs that you probably watch too much "South Park": when your Traditional Literature and Oral Narration class reminds you of a specific episode. The teacher shared with us a snippet of Robert Bly's "Sibling Society," which posits that society has moved from a parent-in-charge view to the child-makes-her-own-decisions mindset. And then the teacher even referred to "dog whisperer" Cesar Millan! (The episode I'm thinking about is the one where Cartman's mom, fed up with his running the show, calls in Cesar Millan to help her take charge.) 

       For this outfit I wanted to play with shades of blue and also try out the arm party idea. I originally didn't include the two jade bracelets, but then I decided, the more the merrier.

      I'd be embarrassed to admit just how much time I spent admiring my arm party during class. I truly hope everyone else was too absorbed in the classwork to notice me. I can hope, right?