Thursday Outfit: Hunting Reindeer

I don't wear much plaid, but it always makes me think of Logger's Day when I was on crew at Cedar Campus in northern Michigan.  We hunted down as much plaid as we could find and outfitted the entire crew to look like a bunch of loggers. 

 Channeling our inner Yoopers

The reason for this was that the camp itself was built on the location of an old saw mill, and in fact if you looked all the way down to the bottom of the lake, you could see logs that had fallen to the bottom of the bay 100 years ago.  We all thought it was pretty neat.  Sadly, they don't celebrate Logger's Day anymore, but plaid is also always in style during hunting season.

Blue and purple plaid shirt - Suzy Shier

Purple tank top - Old Navy

Denim jacket - Gap

Khaki pants - Spoon Jeans

Brown Sandals - Birkenstock

I know the plaid look is somehow 'in' right now, but I was wearing it long before it was fashionable because plaid flannel shirts are seriously warm.  I wouldn't call my twelve year old self "fashion forward" now, but if I could go back in time to visit my younger self, I just might tell her to screw the haters because they'd all be dressing in plaid in 10 years.  Unlike my old flannel shirts, this is just a simple woven top and isn't actually that warm.  Which is fine, I'm not living where I need it anymore.  But it does mean that when it's 45 degrees in the morning, I have to layer. 

Of course, I would pick a casual outfit for the day we had our weekly review, on a week when I was in charge of setting it up.  Not that anyone cares how I dress, but one day, I wear a gorgeous dress in our cave of a room, and barely anyone sees.  Outside of my teammates, of course.  Then I go to weeklies with the producer, the supervisors, and as many artists as we can cram into the corner theater... and I look like I'm ready to go out hunting the reindeer we're animating.  My timing is possibly a little off.  But today really wasn't warm at all, so I was just as happy to be in pants.  I was questioning the sandals, but I love my Birks too much to deny them.  And, as far as I'm concerned, as long as there isn't snow on the ground, I can still wear sandals (and slide on shoes are okay in up to three inches of snow).  Yes, my footwear rules are strange, but they are the result of many years in snowy climates.

Perhaps I'll do a little classier tomorrow, though really, it's Friday and I'm sure no one cares.  I will definitely not look like a logger, though.

Wednesday Outfit: Shades of Blue

I actually had a similar, but different outfit planned, but then I woke up and it was rainy and chilly, so I opted for a dress with slightly heavier fabric.  In the end, the only part of the old outfit that made it on me today was the belt.  It is, however, a fantastic belt.

Sewing Circle Dress - Floreat (via Anthropologie)

Blue cardigan - Love Culture

Braided belt - Urban Outfitters

Black Jenna flats - Bass

This dress is another product of my weekend shopping, and I love it.  Totally was not going to get it, and then I tried it on and walked home with it.  This is my problem with Anthro.  Trying stuff on is free, but more often than not I put it on and love it too much to give it back.  Occasionally the fit is terrible, or I just don't like the way it looks, but I'm pretty good at picking things I like.  The good news is, my budget can support it, so long as I don't do it every week.  I saw this dress when it wasn't on sale and really liked it, but knew the price was going to be too steep.  Thankfully, the sale fairy was kind to me, and brought this one significantly down in price.  Bonus: the cardigan was only $7.50, so at least I'm not exclusively addicted to expensive clothes.

My mother taught me at a fairly young age to appreciate quality.  I blame her for this nonsense, but at least I'm well dressed.

Also, note the lack of noise in the photo!  There's still a little in there, but nothing nearly so irritating as before.  Thank goodness for manual controls. 

Tuesday Outfit: Wooo, Layers!

Okay, so there aren't really that many layers involved here.  Mostly, it's just a little too chilly for most of my collection of fabulous dresses.  Living in Los Angeles, where the majority of the year is sunny and warm, I've really embraced them.  However, today was overcast, slightly drizzly, and cool, and I wanted to wear either a skirt or a dress.  The good news is, I'm already experienced in much more extreme layering techniques, having survived many Michigan and Ohio winters, refusing to give up my skirts.

Navy knit top - H&M

Purple sweater dress - Moth (via Anthropologie)

Braided leather belt - H&M

Red flats - Madden Girl

I enjoyed this outfit a lot.  I may also find myself investing in crazy belts, because they are a really quick way to make an outfit just a little more awesome.  This one is simple, but fabulous.  I will probably end up wondering how my wardrobe survived without it.  I'm also getting a surprising amount of mileage out of the shirt.  I picked it up at the last minute as a layering item when I was packing for my vacation back to Michigan for Christmas, and realized that I dress so very much like a Californian now, and my closet is reflecting that.  It's comfy, well-fitted, I love the neckline, I love the sleeves, it goes with pretty much everything... yeah, I had no idea what a great purchase it was.  And the dress is one of my favourites.  It's just so soft and comfortable.  Not to mention, purple is my favourite colour, so I cannot go wrong with this dress.

On a totally non-fashion-related note, I am saying to hell with letting the automatic settings pick my ISO.  I take all my own photos (Nikon d3000), and I've been super frustrated the last few days with how noisy the photos are.  I don't care what my camera thinks it wants, I'm going to try to keep it down to ISO 200, and just compensate with the slower shutter speed.  Also on my wish list is a 35mm portrait lens (the f1.8 kind, not the f1.4 kind that will cost more than my camera did).  After all, the focus here is on what I'm wearing, not on my street, delightful as it is.  Also, it just seems like a good thing to have.  

Speaking of my photography habit, I've decided that Saturdays are going to be days when I post about other stuff I do.  I talk a lot about showing my art and my photography off, but never really get around to it.  So, I'm rolling it into this.  Rock on.

Monday Outfit: Just a Little Lace

I don't do much lace, I'll be honest.  Is it because it's usually too frilly?  Is it because it can be a pain to take care of?  Am I just too casual for lace?

Well, I hadn't thought about it until just now, so I don't really have an answer.  And I didn't think about the fact that I wore lace, the most romantic of all fabrics, on Valentine's Day.  I just saw it hanging in my closet and thought, "Well gee, I haven't worn this in a while, I should pull it out again."

Braided headband - H&M 

Because the Night top - ModCloth

Brown cami - Pink Ice

Olive khakis - Daughters of the Liberation (via Anthropologie)

Black Jenna flats - Bass

ModCloth has to be one of my favourite places to get clothes, even though shipping is a pain.  I don't say this as a slight against ModCloth- it's just that they only ship via UPS, and that is not a good option when you live in a gated apartment.  I once trekked into downtown LA to pick up a ModCloth dress I ordered and couldn't be successfully delivered to my door, and it was a long, slow journey. End result is that I still love ModCloth too much to not order their stuff, but I now have it shipped to work.  I feel a little silly picking up my orders from Manny in the mail room, but it's the price I pay for awesome clothes.

What I like about this outfit: it's easy.  Almost as easy as jeans and a t-shirt, but with the extra camisole layer.  You can't see it from this photo, but the entire upper back panel is lace, so something should be worn under.  I'm thinking next time I'll wear a white cami, just because I like the ability to see the open work, and you really can't see anything with brown underneath.  However, I'm at the mercy of my laundry and that's where my white cami is at the moment.

I thought about adding a belt to this outfit (I got a couple of awesome new ones in a weekend shopping trip), but it just didn't work with the cut of this shirt.  The site calls it 'waist cinching,' and I don't know whose waist they're actually talking about, because mine is definitely more of an empire waist.  I tried it with a wider belt, too, but that just made the sides poof out in a ridiculous fashion.  So, beltless it was.  

Tune in tomorrow when I wear... something.  Yes, I will definitely be wearing something.

I'm bad at consistency.

True story: I did National Novel Writing Month this year, and did manage to finish for once, but I did epic weekend catchup sessions to do it.  Seriously, there was one Saturday where I went to a write-in and pounded out 10,000 words.

So, I think I have to come up with some sort of more sensible schedule for me to do this, rather than attempting every day and then getting off track.  I do have outfit photos for Thursday and Friday last week, but this week?  Darth Real Life got the better of me.  But if anyone's actually reading this, you get three photos now for the price of one.  I'm generous like that... or something.

 

Dark wash jeans- Gap

Purple knit tee - H&M

Brown wool cardigan - Sparrow via Anthropologie

Red flats - Madden Girl

 

 Dark jeans - Gap

Green patterned tank - Anthropologie

Black cardigan - Express

Black Jenna flats - Bass

Purple "Robot Dance Contest" knit tee - Threadless

Olive khaki pants - Daughters of the Liberation via Anthropologie

Black Jenna flats - Bass (no really, I had them on at work)

So, that last photo is today, and yes, it was indeed a lazy Friday.  I dragged myself reluctantly out of bed and said, "What is the least offensive thing I can put on without any effort whatsoever?"  Super casual for a Friday?  Hell yes.  But there is nothing not to love about the robot dance t-shirt.  I also wore my xkcd hoodie this morning, but was too lazy to hunt it back down for the photo. This right here is pretty typical of what I usually wear to work, but I am trying to do better... it's possible I should swear off the 'jeans and a t-shirt' look for a while.  I'll consider it.

The first picture, which was last Friday, is probably a better example of lazy yet comfortable Friday wear.  I adore that sweater.  It's cozy and actually visually interesting, unlike many sweaters I have owned over the years.  I'm also getting a lot of mileage out of that purple tee, which I picked up as a layering item on a whim, and has actually turned out to be awesome.  It helps that I love all things purple, but still.

As for the middle ensemble, it's another great example of comfortable wear.  I got the tank because it's super lightweight and is fabulous in the summer, but wearing it with the cardigan makes it very wearable in the frigid 60's (at least, people keep telling me it's frigid, whereas I'll merely concede it's no longer tank top weather.  Those two things seem interchangeable here).  Also, I love those red flats.  They're simple and go with a surprising number of things, and make any outfit look just a little more awesome.  They're one of my better shoe purchases.

Weekends are probably going to be off days for me, just because I like the idea of not having to worry about posting on weekends, but I'll see what I can figure out for my regular posting schedule.  Maybe I'll grow some discipline and just get better at taking pictures every day.  Of course, we'll be moving into longer work days soon, and then will come end-of-show insanity.  That will probably lead to hilarity, and possibly me slouching about in sweat pants and t-shirts.  Don't say I didn't warn you.

Wednesday Outfit: Lady Looks Like a Dude

Okay, this is not at all typical, and perhaps not worth including.  But as a faithful documentarian, I must note that today, I dressed in drag.  Now, I haven't dressed in drag since college, and even that was only ever for Drag Ball.  I'll be honest, I've always found that crossdressing for girls is just not as much fun as it is for guys.  However, the sheer shock factor for this one made the effort worth it.

Tan Oberlin College Computer Science 2004 department shirt

Olive green Arthur Christmas crew zip-up hoodie

Navy cargo shorts - Gap

Brown sandals - Birkenstock

Short brown wig - Wig Outfitters of Hollywood

I had to pay some sort of tribute to Oberlin in this getup, so CS department t-shirt it was.  It was the shirt from my freshman year- the back says "Think one person can make a difference engine?"  I was going to wear the Tree Hugger shirt that I designed, but I was wearing a racing swimsuit underneath to flatten myself out, and it showed a little under the cream color.  So, darker shirt it was.  The shorts weren't ideal, especially since it wasn't actually that warm out today, but it was more masculine than my girly pants.  I've made an effort to see to it that all my pants are well fit and hug my curves flatteringly.  I did not want my curves showing, so scrubby cargo shorts it was.

This is not at all typical of what I wear, but it was a lot of fun to see all the looks of shock on my coworkers' faces.  Tomorrow I will probably be extra girly to make up for it.

Tuesday Outfit: Rocking the Skates

You may ask why I'm wearing roller skates today, and did I wear them for most of the day?  Well, I'd wager I wore them almost as much as I wore the red flats I took to work with me, and I took the time to make my outfit match the skates, so work with me here.  There is actually a reason I was wearing roller skates, and it is a long, sad story involving being stuck on the 10 with a flat tire late into the night, ending with me having to find alternate transportation to work today.  The obvious solution to all my lack-of-car woes is clearly a good pair of Roller Derby roller skates.

Red knit Arthur Christmas crew shirt - Imageworks exclusive

Denim jacket - Gap

Favourite white skirt v2.0 - patterned off an old Gap skirt that I LITERALLY wore to pieces

Black leggings- Eurotard (via Reflections of Dance)

White roller skates - a sports shop in Virginia

The shirt is for my current project, an awesome movie that you can all see in November called Arthur Christmas. We like our crew shirts at Imageworks, and I think someone decided that just maybe the Christmas show should make shirts for Christmas.  It was an inspired plan. And the skirt is seriously a staple item in my wardrobe.  I got the original at a Gap outlet on the east side of Michigan the summer after my sophomore year of college, and I took it everywhere with me and wore it out over the course of the next five years.  I tried looking for another skirt I liked as much, but it was no use.  I cut the old one up and used it to pattern a new one.  That went so well that now I'm planning on making it in different colours.  It is seriously the most comfy and excellently swirly skirt ever.  You will be seeing it often.  The leggings are mostly because it was chilly when I skated to work this morning and it gets a little breezy when you're skating around sometimes.  They are technically dance leggings, but that just means they're extra comfy.

Tomorrow there will be no roller skates, but it will be a sight to see.  I'm quite excited. Suffice to say, there is a silly work competition tomorrow, and I am all over it.