February Freeze, vol. 2: stalking pays off

     I love silk, especially silk with colorful pretty prints, but I love a bargain more.

  Trina Turk top (Nordstrom Rack)

      Red cardigan (JJ Basics, previously loved)

      Amrita Singh "Marion" earrings (HauteLook)

      6-strand red lucite bead necklace (eBay)

      Tweed jacket, FCUK for Sears (gifted)

Cheesy dating/flirting books (gifted - thanks, Sis!)

     Therefore, I stalked this shirt at Nordstrom Rack, waiting patiently for the price to drop and keeping my fingers crossed that no one would snap it up in my size. At last, the price tag sprouted a 65% off sticker, and I ended up paying a grand total of $17.
     (Cue upbeat romantic music, as Carrie and her silk shirt dance out of the store).
     One of my favorite kinds of love stories. :)

     I love silk, but at the same time I don't wear my silk shirts enough. I think they're a little too fancy, but then it's heartbreaking that they just hang in the closet while the T-shirts get to have all the fun.
     From the topic of stalking, it's a short hop to thoughts of Valentine's Day (or is that just me?) -- which is what inspired me to add a red cardigan for some pink and red fun.

    

    

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.

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.

off to the races

     My second eBay purchase arrived last week. I bought two necklaces, and was excited about the bold pop of color this 6-strand bead necklace would add to my outfits.

    On Friday, I put it on, looked in the mirror, and said to myself: whoa! Compared to my other jewelry, this necklace is gargantuan. It reminded me a little of those enormous flower garlands they use to bedeck winning racehorses. Definitely out of my comfort zone. I ended up putting on my shirt jacket to tone down the necklace.

Volcom shirt jacket

    I think this will be a favorite piece over time, but I need to get used to wearing it. Looking at the photos helps me see that it's not disproportionately large, and I'm also liking the color variation in the beads.
    I'll be styling the second necklace soon, hopefully this week. And if you're thinking about my self-imposed budget ... not to worry! I'm taking a break from eBay for the time being so I can enjoy my beautiful new jewelry. :)
 

Try-it-out Tuesday: tassels and midis and stripes, oh my!

     Sunday is the most-anticipated day in our house -- it's the day when Mom and I head out to run errands (and do a little shopping as well). I tried out an armload of stuff at Nordstrom Rack, but nothing looked good. I met up with Mom in the clearance section and while idly flipping through the rack, came across this lovely midi skirt -- heavily marked down to $5.40!!

     That night, I checked out Clothed Much's Rule Breaking Monday midi skirt challenge for some styling tips and ideas. I learned that: 1) heels are a must for short people like me, and 2) a belt was a nice complement to the fullness of the skirt. I've always admired how Dotty of dash dot dotty sets her belt so artfully askew, so that's who I'm copying inspired by in regards to the off-center belt.
     On Monday, my first eBay purchase came in the mail. I just had to try on all of my new stuff together, although now I'm wondering whether the necklace and the stripes are a little too much?

     On Monday afternoon, I put together this outfit and reached for the camera, only to find that the battery was completely dead. Somebody needs to check her battery before getting dressed for a photo shoot.
    Anyhow, I soldiered on with the MacBook Photo Booth, and had fun with it. There's something about this skirt that makes me want to do goofy things, like spin around and watch how it flares out, or pretend I'm meeting the queen and doing my very best curtsy, or take silly self-portraits. I suppose a good outfit sets your imagination free ...

    

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