What's New, Pussycat?

Buffy helps me balance my checking account.

She's so fluffy I could die! (Agnes in Despicable Me). Yesterday, Riley was hopping and diving on an invisible cat toy, and when I bent over to look closely, it was a Tylenol. *sigh* I must get some real cat toys. Or look under the couch.

This is what's new, pussycat, or at least new to me. They aren't grouped as outfits, just in ways you can see what is there. First, a rust-colored silk Talbot's skirt via eBay, and a multi-colored tank from Kohl's.

A navy and white gingham button-front shirt from J. Crew and a white linen skirt, Ann Taylor via eBay.

The white skirt again, sorry, an electric blue shell from Ann Taylor, a pink lace pencil skirt from Ann Taylor, and a pink floral tee from Talbot's. The floral tee sounds kind of lame, but it fits great and is a flattering color. It will be cute with white jeans at the very least. This also makes three different pink skirts in my closet.

I will try to wear most of these seven new items this week, and tell the absolutely fascinating stories of why I bought them. All of these things seemed very important at the time I purchased them. 

Today, I wore this:

Aerosoles flats, blue eBay skirt and the lace top I bought a few months ago cheapy-cheap. This was inspired by an ensemble in the latest Sundance catalog, and I have leather accessories to pay homage to Mr. Redford. My hair is doing me no favors; it is wildly humid and I'm overdue for a bang trim. I might just go full-on curly tomorrow and embrace the rainforest.

The Sundance catalog moved me to make, yet again, the resolution to shop somewhere different, to try to evolve my personal style another notch, to buy one great thing a month instead of five good things. I think a higher price point will force me to buy only the things I adore, and not just the "Hey, it's an affordable white linen skirt - you want that!"  And more tunics, I want to find a way to wear that interesting and different proportion of long over lean. It looks so graceful and stylish on other people.

Willow Cardigan, $158 at Sundance.

 Pretty.

 

Third Strike for the Military Jacket

Sigh. I'm just not feeling it, as the kids say. I like the concept, the color, just not the execution. I'm going to put this jacket in the coat closet, and wear it as a light jacket on weekends. Maybe a sage green fitted cardigan would work better?

What I was aiming for is the tough/girly combination look, which I like so well on others. Here's Sally in the best example ever, but I can't love it on me, despite having tried virtually every arrangement seen on Sally. Which I hope is the sincerest form of flattery, and not stalking.  

Lilac and Periwinkle and Silver

The title sounds like I'm awa' with the fairies. Today's outfit is a melange of older kibbles and bits.

Seriously, Ben takes so much better pictures than I do. I'm wearing a silk Kate Hill jacket, a crinkled cotton eBay skirt, silver Talbot's shoes and a cotton top that was a sister-in-law gift (as was the bracelet). The top has a very sweet bitty print in lilac, purple, aqua and lime - goes with everything. The skirt is lovely to walk in; two light swishy layers.

Closeup with bad color!

The shoes are favorites, though starting to look a little tatty. I got them at the Talbot's outlet store in Park Ridge for about $15 and I wear them a lot in the summer. Though now that my feet have rebelled, these little flats are an indulgence, not daily fare.

But they're so SHINY!

I'm always on the lookout for metallic shoes. I used to have a pair of Van Eli's in gold with a Louis heel. They were ridiculous and yet went with everything. The real problem with metallic shoes is that they cannot be polished, so they age quickly.

So here I am, wearing some older items while I have the following, UNWORN pieces in my closet:

Navy lace Talbot's pencil skirt (Talbot's)
Emerald green jersey shift dress (Ann Taylor)
Navy bi-stretch bootleg trousers (Talbot's)
Ivory lady jacket (Talbot's)
Crinkled print maxi skirt (L & T)
Navy pique three button jacket (Talbot's)
Yellow and black cotton Nine West top (eBay)
Animal print stretch Dana Buchman dress (eBay)


There's definitely a navy theme, eh? Although these are all the unworn pieces I can bring to mind right now, there may well be more. And it's not that I don't like these items or am experiencing buyer's remorse. None of them are fur-lined or otherwise inappropriate for the season. I just haven't made the effort to get them out of the closet and style them.

Interestingly, these were mostly things I bought because "I needed them." I needed a navy jacket which was three season, it would go with everything. I had no navy slacks and kept wishing I had a pair. I thought the ivory jacket would fancy up a few skirts  and dresses. (In it's defense, it is a little too big on me and was final sale. I've been debating the merits of having it tailored.) I needed more short sleeve summer tops, and I just plain coveted a maxi skirt, for when you want to - but can't - wear pants.

My next challenge appears to have been spelled out for me, non?