21 Day Challenge: Day 5, Belt It

Today the prompt for the 21 Day Challenge was to wear a belt. This was actually the hardest one for me so far. I have three belts, and I wore one of them for Day 2, Tuck It In, so my choices were limited. As far as I can recall, I have never, no not ever, worn a belt over a shirt, so I tried something new. I wasn't thrilled with the result. The belt felt awkward, and I kept fussing with it all day. I did like how the belt dressed up a simple T-shirt. I think without the belt this would have seemed too casual for work, even for jeans day. Plus, I love these shoes, and they worked for this prompt because they have a belt thing going on with the buckles. I think I might like belting a shirt more if I had a belt that stayed in place better. I'm glad I tried something different for me, and I think I'll be more open to belts in the future.

Shirt: Ann Taylor Loft; Jeans: Target, thrifted; Belt: Kohl's; Shoes: Nine West, Stein Mart; Necklace: made for me by my lovely sister-in-law; Bracelet, gift from my parents, who got it as a souvenir in Morocco about 20 years ago.

21 Day Challenge: Day 4, Color Blocking

Today was color blocking day for the 21 Day Challenge which is basically wearing multiple solid colors together. This is actually something I do all the time, since most of my wardrobe pieces are solids. Usually I pair a bright with a neutral, so since I'm doing this challenge to challenge myself, I went with two brights. Plus, I wore a scarf! I know, heady stuff, but usually my major consideration when getting dressed is what I can wear that doesn't need to be ironed. Accessories don't typically enter into it. This challenge has been really fun and inspiring so far. I can't wait to see what the prompts are for next week.

Details: Sweater: Ann Taylor, thrifted; S.L.B., hand me down; Scarf: gift, my best friend brought this back for me after she was in India with the Foreign Service; Shoes: Liz Claiborn, Stein Mart; Bracelet, gift from my mother in law--it has a little guy and girl charms, the year we got married, plus three hearts to represent the three family weddings that summer.

21 Day Challenge: Day 3, Pattern Mixing

Today the prompt for the 21 Day Challenge was pattern mixing. I don't really wear many patterns. I'd say 90% of my clothing is solid, so mixing patterns definitely isn't something I do, um, ever. I immediately knew what I wanted to wear for this challenge, though. I've kind of been wanting to wear these two pieces together. I like the combo of navy and green, but my mind always balked at the pattern mixing. I don't know why I couldn't bring myself to try this before. I'm not exactly out on a limb with this outfit. The pattern on the shirt is so subtle you can't even see it in my photo! The second chapter of Pattern Mixing for Beginners by Dotty Houndstooth (my imaginary guide) is: Try Patterns that Read as Solids. The first chapter, if you're wondering, is: Try Stripes. I'm sure there are more chapters, but I haven't gotten that far yet. I'm taking baby steps with the patterns.

I added the inset so you can see the tiny polka dots in my shirt. I had to prove I really did mix patterns. Sorry for the terrible photo where you can't even see my mixing efforts. I didn't get home until after dark, and it just wasn't happening with the cell phone. It was bedtime, and we didn't have the energy to track down the regular camera and batteries in the chaos that is remodeling. Anyway, I think the pattern mixing was a success, even thought I didn't get any shrugs. :) I'll have to try harder next time. I think I'd have to buy some more patterned shirts to manage it, though.

Outfit details--Top and skirt: Ann Taylor Loft, a few years ago; earrings and bracelets: Target, last year; shoes: Nina, my wedding shoes! Still love these, 8 years ago from Lazarus, which is now Macy's.

Despite the fact that it's getting rather ragged at this point, and I'm in my jammies, I wanted to show my favorite part of my look for today. This pic makes me think of Hermione, "Is that really how my hair looks from the back?"

21 Day Challenge: Day 2, Tuck It In

OK, so today's challenge was to tuck it in. I almost never wear my shirt tucked in, and the last few times I've tried it, I've been dissatisfied with my outfit. I felt like I was going to have trouble with this challenge, and I didn't pick anything out until this morning. I had visions of myself trying on every pair of pants I own, but then I thought of this skirt. This was the first thing I put on today, and I loved it!  I never would have thought of wearing a shirt tucked into this skirt if it weren't for the challenge, and I will probably wear this again.

Outfit details: my shirt is from Eddie Bauer, 5-10 years old. Tank is Danzen, thrifted. The skirt is from the Gap. I was so pleased when I found it at a thrift store last month.  It is fun to wear because it's very full and twirly.  My shoes are from Payless, 4-5 years ago. I've always liked the color combo in them; they're kind of peach striped with green, and the heels are green. The belt is a hand me down from a friend. The bracelet was a gift. It's originally supposed to be a choker, but the beads feel sharp to me, so I twisted the wire into a bracelet. It has a bigger bead dangling from it that you can't see in the pic. My basic white earrings are from Target last year.

So that's it for today.

21 Day Challenge: Day 1

Here is my first outfit for the 21 Day Challenge. This is definitely going to be a learning experience. I've never read fashion blogs before, and I really don't enjoy shopping. For me clothes are pretty utilitarian. It's going to be interesting to try to think about them a little more creatively and step out of my usual comfort zone. I wouldn't say that I really did that here, but I have never worn these three pieces all together before.

Since I haven't bought clothes anywhere besides a thrift store in over a year, I don't know how helpful it is to share sources for my clothes, but that seems to be part of the deal. Here's the info, for what it's worth. My sweater is a hand-me-down from a friend, tag says Valerie Stevens. Top is from Old Navy, 10+ years ago. Skirt is from Target, 5+ years ago. I bought the shoes at Shoe Carnival 8 years ago (the summer I got married). I'm not sure what brand they are. Earrings were a gift.

One thing I've learned already is I feel completely awkward getting my picture taken for this. I'm so impressed with you bloggers who do this regularly, and have such lovely photos. Mine was taken in the Home Depot parking lot. A good reflection of my life lately. :)

The white eyelet skirt is what I will remix. It's pretty versatile, and I figure I might as well wear it now; summer will be gone before we know it. The top is kind of a gingham seersucker, and the sweater is trimmed in bugle beads. That's about all I have to say about my clothing, except that I wore blue today for the Dormition. I try to wear blue for the feasts of the Theotokos.

Joyous feast to my normal readers! I don't have the energy for two separate posts, so here is our church's new Dormition icon.