Sock Hop

Last month I made my first vintage clothing purchase on Etsy.  I was very wary of making this move as I am petite but also have wide hips. I wasn't sure how to gauge the fit.  As soon as I saw this skirt, though, I feel in love with it.  I adore the 50s style and I loved the pink records on the gray fabric.  When the skirt arrived, it was a bit tight in the waist, but with a looser top (any one that is not form fitting) I was able to create a smooth look through the waist and hips. 

When I was a child, every day after school my mother would ask how my day was and then her second question was always "did anyone like your outfit?"  I think that question has stuck with me because now, as an adult, if no one compliments my outfit, I assume it looks bad!  I got a ton of compliments on this outfit, so I am guessing it is a keeper.  Perhaps I can pair it with a light pink fuzzy sweater to wear it in the winter.

Skirt: Craftycrowvintage on Etsy
Polo Shirt: Ann Taylor Loft Petite
Cardigan: J. Crew
Shoes: Aldo
Hair Clip: Ann Taylor Loft Outlet, summer 2011

The records on the skirt read "Eddie", "Tony", and "Perry"- yep, as in Como.  That's just how I roll. Do you own any vintage clothing?

Organization Part 1: Clothes

I have more clothes than most people, mainly due to my shopping addiction.  However, I know that many of you have just as many if not MORE clothes than me, and many of you probably also have more closet space.  Too, I have more accessories than most people on the planet, and I truly mean that.  I know a lot of people, and I don't know anyone that has as many as I do.  People frequently ask me how I organize and track all of my fashion, so I decided to do a series of posts to share the method of my madness.  Also, we're experiencing extreme flash flooding in the greater DC area, so I don't have to go to work today.  This morning I did a few loads of laundry and everything in my wardrobe is clean and put away so I figured now that everything is organized it's the best time to blog about organization!  This first post will focus on the clothing, stay tuned for another on accessories.

Last spring, Kendi of the infamous blog Kendi Everyday generated a series of posts about creating a working closet.  She has many helpful tips, so you should check it out if you haven't already read it! I do not have a walk in closet, so my organization is a bit different from Kendi's.

Let's start with the furniture, shall we?

This is my dresser.  It is very wide, which makes it bulky and difficult to move. I labeled each drawer so you can know what is inside.

Yes, I have a lot of sweaters.  Too, sweaters can be bulky so they take up a lot of space!

  A few years ago, I purchased this chest to have more storage room.  I've stored a variety of things in here over the past 4 years but now I think I've settled on the best way to use this piece of furniture. 

These white cubes are fabric and were purchased from Ikea last spring- they are sold 3 in a set

Next comes the actual closet itself.  My closet is long, but still not quite long enough.  Starting on the far right, I have summer dresses, followed by skirts and then pants. After that, I begin with tops which are sorted by color.  To the far left (you can't see it because of the door) are fall and winter pants, skirts, and dresses.  As soon as the seasons change, I will flip-flop the spring and summer clothes for the fall and winter clothes.  I also have 2 wardrobe boxes in the basement that have more winter items which will move up here in a few weeks while some of the more summery items will be exhiled to the basement until June!

Now you may be wondering where I keep everything else.  Don't worry, I will show you!  I have 3 of these bins under my bed.  They are completely hidden underneath, I just pulled this one out a little bit to show you.  I store socks and tights in 2 of them.  The third, larger one, holds more workout clothes as well as odds and ends clothing items that are rarely worn such as ski pants.

I also have a number of hoodies and sweatshirts.  These hang on my bathroom door, on the inside of my bedroom on over-the-door hooks which I purchased at Target.

Finally, on the outside of my bedroom door, I have this hook (also from target) where I hang newly purchased items that are not quite ready to go into the closet yet. Why? I don't actually know.  Sometimes I get itchy to buy something new, and then when I look at my door, it is a reminder of all the new things I own that haven't been worn yet and that scratches the itch.  Also, sometimes when I buy things and put them in the closet too quickly I forget about them and then months or years later I find them in the closet with the tags still on. So for now, they hang on the back of my door, for my lovely roommate to admire every time she comes out of her room, until they are worn.

And, that's it!  What do you think?  How does my organizational system compare to yours?

Slotted Spoons Don't Hold Much Soup

It's been a day packed with new information.  Here are some things I learned today:

1. Eating a chocolate cupcake on the couch without a napkin handy is a bad idea.

2. While I love fall clothes, I am definitely not ready for this chilly, wet fall weather (it's been in the 60s and low 70s this week!)  Come back, sunshine!  At least for a few more weeks.

3. A friend of mine is always flabbergasted with me because anytime I start a new book, I read the ending first.  I just can't take the suspense.  A new study came out stating that researchers found people who read the end of story first enjoy the story MORE than people who don't know what is coming!  Perhaps surprise isn't all that it's cracked up to be and I'm not such a naughty reader after all.  Read all about it in this article by ABC.

4. My niece is allergic to either egg whites or nuts. Not sure which yet but she had a bad reaction to her birthday cupcake, poor baby.

To bring a little sunshine back into my dreary day, I decided to wear some bright bold colors.  I was a little tempted to wear tights today since I was so chilly but fought the urge as it is still technically summer.

Dress and necklace: Banana Republic Outlet, summer 2011
Cardigan: Anthropologie, summer 2010
Shoes: J Crew, spring 2010

The Difference Between a Cow and a Bean is a Bean Can Begin an Adventure

Over the weekend we had quite the heat wave in my hometown.  I went out to catch up with some friends I hadn't seen in awhile.  We agreed to start with a cocktail at home before heading out into the stifling air. I decided to wear an older dress so I wouldn't care if it got a bit sweaty or dirty while we were out and about!  I bought this dress a few years ago at Banana Republic Petite and in person, you can tell that is definitely starting to fade (and also get a little tight across the belly!) from frequent wearing and washing.  It is one of my staple dresses for the summer as it is easy and comfortable.  I also continued to wear my starfish jewelry (it was all I packed accessories-wise for my weekend away!) for the final weekend of summer before storing it away until next June.

What are your go-to pieces to beat the heat as summer winds down?

And Then, What If You Are What a Prince Would Envision?

I'm continuing with my Into The Woods theme for blog post titles this week.  Enjoy.

Over Labor Day, I went to visit my family because it was my niece's first birthday!  She was as cute as a button in her pink tutu.  She truly enjoys Mo Williem's Piggie and Elephant book series so the party had a pink and gray theme. I also bought her the new Piggie and Elephant book, Should I Share My Ice Cream? as one of her birthday presents.  Today is her actual birthday so I decided this post was appropriate for today.

Going with the color theme, I wore this pink Banana Republic dress and cardigan.  The air conditioning in the club house was not working so we were a bit toasty yet still enjoyed the day!  My niece received a ton gifts (and a whole new wardrobe!  Maybe I should blog about baby clothes?) and we ate, ate, ate (my sister was prepared for extra party guests by having extreme quantities of food).  My sister and one of her best friends made a few dozen cupcakes- iced with chocolate creme or pink and white butter creme.  Delicious!  I am eating a left over one right now, in honor of baby girl's special day.

First I'll post the pictures of the outfit, if that's what you really want to see.  Then I post some pictures of the baby, in case you want to ooooh and awwww along with me. :)  I wore the exact same outfit I blogged about here if you want to read more outfit details.

Cardigan, dress, and shoes: Banana Republic (the shoes are old, but everything else is summer 2011)
Jewelry: White House Black Market

And now here are pictures of the birthday girl!

She can't take it anymore!  Too many gifts to open!

Totally wiped out at the end of the day.

How did you spend your Labor Day weekend?

And Though Scary Is Exciting, Nice is Different Than Good

While driving north to visit my family for the long holiday weekend, I listened to my second favorite musical in the car and, while singing at the top of my lungs, decided that this week's blog posts would all have titles from lyrics from the musical.  This is day one:  Do you know it?  Let's see if you can guess, and if so, there might be a prize for the first person to figure it out.  I don't know what that prize will be, but I assure you, it will be amazing (or maybe just fun). And, sisters, if you are reading this, then you are exempt because you already know the answer. :)

As Labor Day signals the end of summer and the transition into fall, I am trying to squeeze some of my favorite summer dresses in one more time before they are stowed away until the spring time.  For the life of me, I cannot find the name of this dress.  I bought it at Anthropologie last summer and I love the bold colors and sweetheart neckline.  If you know what's it called, leave me a comment to let me know because it is driving me crazy!!

Dress: Anthropologie Summer 2010
Belt: Anthropologie Summer 2010
Cardigan: The Limited, circa 2007
Shoes: Aldo, circa 2006

Skirt Season

Generally I am a dress girl through and through.  You might have noticed that fact by the sheer amount of dresses I post here on this little blog.  I don't frequently wear pants because I am self conscious in them and being a shorty makes the length tricky for me.  Skirts are okay, but I like the one-stop-outfit you get in a dress.  Much less thinking early in the morning.  Sometimes with skirts I have issues pairing it with a not-to-flowy-but-just-flowy-enough top.  It can be exhausting.  (Not really, but if I can't exaggerate on my own blog, where can I?)

Lately, I am not sure what has come over me but in the past month and a half I have purchased 5 skirts, yes, 5.  Gulp. This is problematic for a number of reasons.  First, it means I haven't been loving many dresses lately. More importantly, it means I am definitely NOT sticking to my shopping ban and I need to get back on track.  I have tons of clothes and I don't need more.  Remind me of that every time I post a new skirt.

Here is one skirt that I recently bought at Anthropologie.  I love the muted colors and feel this is a skirt I can definitely wear year round with a variety of tops, sweaters, and tights in the winter.

Top: Ann Taylor Loft, Summer 2011
Skirt: Pitter Patter Skirt, Anthropologie, Summer 2011
Belt: Looping Lanes, Anthropologie, Summer 2010
Shoes: J. Crew Spring 2010

Just about everything in this outfit is new, so you could easily replicate it, if interested.
Here are the rest of the skirts I bought for the season.  Let's hope I get a lot of wear out of them!

Are you a dress girl or a skirt girl?