Personal Style: Blue vs Gray Manifesto

madewell

Say Yes to Hoboken did a say no to jeans campaign earlier this year. I don't think it's that hard right now with the soaring heat to be wary of jeans, but being a fall kind of gal, that's attracted to simple, comfortable lines and colors (namely, gray and camel) I am still in love with the following outfits she chose as inspiration.

shirt: abercrombie   dress: kohls  necklace: handmade by me

I wore a blue maxi dress the other day that got lots of compliments, but when I took pics for my outfit post, it just didn't feel right. Getting out of the car in the long lengths of soft drapey fabric, didn't feel right. Having a lacey empire waist... didn't feel right. I've been feeling that way for a while now. I'm just not cut out of bright colorful cloth or long flowy things, or cute rolled capris, or partial tucked blouses that are the fashion rage. I may love it on you, but not on me. Maybe it's my coloring, or my petite, apple shape and chicken legs that just doesn't work well. 6 years ago with a 20 inch waist, I could do some of it... not now. So, instead of trying to dress differently or more fashion forward, I'm going to retreat into my soothing grey vnecks for a while. Maybe even pair one with my faux leather leggings for a fashion kick, (or those awesome madewll pants above) but being more true to my style none the less.

 

madewell

I love this... reminds me of Elaine's awkwardly adorable long skorts.

 via pintrest

Do you have some sort of dressing manifesto to be the real you? I'm not talking about giving up altogether and wearing pjs and sweatpants or horrible 80's tapered jeans and tweety bird t-shirts~ but what are some styles you decided to say 'no' or 'yes' to, while still feeling beautiful and comfortable?

Personal Style: Pinstripe Vest

I found this double breasted, pinstriped (cream/brown) denim vest with super cute buckles and ruffles at Goodwill. A whole bunch of things I love, but on a vest? I don't usually do vests. So I brought it home and tried it with this heather gray athletic craft shirt. It may not match, but I think it's pretty cute and it helps me keep my back straight... so there's a plus for my poor posture.

 earrings, made by me available here

This picture makes me sad. I got all wild the other night and chopped 8 inches off my hair! (which really means about 6 inches, right?) So, now, no more fun buns and updos. I'll talk more about the cut in another post.

 

My two boys showing their fashion sense. Which is perplexing since they never wear these clothes... usually they prefer to wear the same four shirts all week long (Leggo Starwars and some cute monster shirts). Caleb is loving the beanie right now, even though it's crazy hot.

 And, these outfit posts would not be possible without my David. So, here is a little outfit post from him.

Personal Style: Casual Glamour

I love bumming around in casual jersey. And when I say "bumming around", I mean running errands while wrestling with my kids. Usuallly, I would wear flats, but couldn't find them so I wore these trusty shoes. My (sold out) Shade jersey skirt is a little baggy and a little frumpy. Actually, it doesn't look quite as bad in person as it does in these photos. The fitted American Apparel athletic vintage fit gym tee is one of my favorite fits of all time. Unfortunately, the shirt doesn't hold up to washings very well and gets a little too faded/ pilly for my liking, but I'll survive. Especially since it's my favorite (sold out) Ich Liebe Etsy print.

So, I did this somewhat 40's wave with my bangs and another messy side chignon. Since I made my Ivory Rose earrings  using (increasingly harder to find) vintage cabs from around the same era, and donned my red lipstick, I feel justified. Casey has some wonderful retro hairstyle tutorials, and there are many on youtube as well.

 skirt: shade/ shirt: etsy / shoes: thrifted / earrings: jeweled ambrosia

To learn how to REALLY glam up this look, visit my post here.

*Linked to Clothed Much's Rule Breaking Monday.