inspiration Monday: tripping over the details

The inspiration: Katharine McPhee

My take: 

New York and Company chambray shirt, thrifted

UK Style by French Connection pants, Sears

belt, from dress

Carole necklace, Nordstrom Rack

bracelets - gifted, InPink, HauteLook

Dansko "Calliope" sandals, 6pm.com

     I love this pants silhouette - but I'm not convinced it works for someone of my height. Add in the complication that I hemmed the pants just a tiny bit too short. Then I got wishy-washy about the accessories  and styling - shirt untucked, knotted, belted? Necklace or no necklace?

       I ended up wearing this as shown above - untucked, no belt, with a necklace. I belt high-waisted skirts and just about any dress without hesitation, but putting a belt over a top or cardigan - I think that it just emphasizes my short torso and throws off my proportions. Although I'm surprised that it looks better in the photos than I remember it looking in the mirror ... 

      The next time I wear this outfit, I'll try wearing it with both the belt and necklace. I think the waist definition from the belt balances out the ultra-flowy pants legs and the lighter color of the necklace breaks up the dark top and picks up the pants' pattern. Whew, that was a lot of overthinking for a simple outfit!
      (And while I'm sure you knew that last week included National Doughnut Day, judging from the photos, it was also National Touch-Your-Hair Day. Nothing like editing photos to make you realize that you need to mix up your posing just a bit ... )

I'm linking up with two birds' inspiration Monday! Check out the other creative looks here! :)

easy ikat

belt and Jones New York ikat dress, Ross

giraffe ring (part of set), Forever 21

Dansko "Calliope" sandals, 6pm.com

     Katie of Hems for Her recently discussed the difficulty of finding a simple dress, and I have to agree. After some determined searching, however, I found this hiding amongst the yards of polyester and rayon that clutter the Ross dress section. It is perfect for summer but will also make a nice casual dress for work - it has the rare combination of easy fit, modest neckline and decent hem length. It's a shift, so I chose to wear it belted this time, but it's great to have the option to go shapeless. ;)

     What are your summer wardrobe must-haves?

black and brown

Blue Plate dress, Ross

chambray top, passed down from mom

belt, ?

Dansko sandals, 6pm.com

bracelets, gifted and DIY

Fossil key necklace, Nordstrom Rack clearance

     I've never felt comfortable mixing black and brown, but I think this is a good first attempt. I'm trying to wear these sandals more, so going with the brown belt made the shoe choice appear less random.

    With great surprise, I've realized my exam is in a week. Yikes!  I'm daydreaming already about walking out of there in triumph late Friday morning, and about how great it will feel to successfully wrap up almost 4 years of rigorous study. But to make that daydream come true, a little more study is required ... which totally explains why I already made plans to go out on Saturday night. Throw in the fact that I'm planning to go out and enjoy some high-calorie appetizers during a week when I'm avoiding all physical activity thanks to the sprained ankle and the whole thing makes perfect sense, right?  Good thing I'm not someone who obsesses over calories ... I do strive to eat a balanced diet, but there always is some wiggle room for something decadent. :)
     I hope your weekend includes a little decadence!

take one, pass it on: day 1

     This is my second year doing February Freeze, and I was thinking about ways to mix it up. Then Sarah of Sarah's Real Life shared her Take One, Pass it On challenge, and bingo! New approach, no effort on my part. ;) So this week I'll be posting 5 outfits that carry on one item from the previous outfit.

striped dress, Gap

scarf, Ross

Dansko "Calliope" sandals, 6pm.com

     I keep meaning to belt this shift, but it's so comfortable as is. I did decide to add a bow, though! Both the scarf and sandals qualify as February Freeze items. 
     

Try-it-out Tuesday: statement necklace & bag

Merona buttondown, passed down by E.I.

skirt, Old Navy, old

necklace, eBay

Tignanello bag, Goodwill, $4.99 (retail: $85)

Dansko Calliope sandals, $36, 6pm.com

     I wear this skirt all the time, but this is it's first star turn on the blog. Why? I usually wear it very casually - to run to the store, weekend errands, etc. But recently it got a little dressed up for a weekday lunch with a friend. And it liked it!

    This gorgeously patterned bag is my first thrifted bag. I had much better luck from the start finding great clothing at the thrift store, but all of my previous visits to the bag section yielded worn-out, torn, stained, or just blah purses. This will comfortably hold several books (I just tossed in a paperback copy of Graham Salisbury's "Eyes of the Emperor" and a hardback of "Inside Out and Back Again" by Thanhha Lai) and probably even a composition notebook. It will even make a great informal camera bag. Mom likes this bag so much, I think we'll take turns using it. 
    Mustard is still a color I'm hesitant about, but I do like how the necklace picks up the mustard in the bag pattern.