R. and I took a trip to the garment district this morning, hence the large sun hat and the sensible walking shoes. The hat was actually somewhat useless walking through the wind channels of downtown. It is from UO as are most of the hats I actually wear (the vintage ones I sort of just keep around for admiring). This shirt is from the Jet Rag $1 sale. I remember when I worked at Macy's just out of high school, I was wearing this shirt and a customer and her daughter complemented me on my style and asked where I shopped. To which I laughed and said something like "Not here".

"Enough with the grey jeans!!!" I hear you saying. Well, actually today I wore these today not because they were the closest thing at hand and I was lazy, but because I thought the colours would look nice together. I have no idea where I this shirt came from. I think it showed up in my wardrobe sometime around college and if I were to guess I would say it came from a free box in Olympia. Back in college, I used to pretty much take anything if it was free and free boxes were a regular haunt of mine.

I had a rather scruffy Sunday today as you can see. The T-shirt is from a little store in downtown that sells discount items. I sort of collect items with a 50's "Come down to Ol' Mexico" theme and I especially love this one because my Dad was born in this particular city.

The shirt is from a thrift store possibly in Pomona, but maybe in some more "exotic" locale like Florida or New Orleans. I discovered at the last minute (because I generally choose my outfits at the last minute) that its missing the top button, so my Mom lent me a cameo that belonged to her grandmother to hold it together (I think the particular design might be called "Rebecca at the well"). My gentleman friend told me that the shirt was a bit see-thru and might be more inviting to lecherous characters than I would care for, so I covered it up with my trusty black cardigan. You still get a small bit of see-through, just not the full works. The hat is from Urban Outfitters. My great Aunt (who was visiting for the past week) thought it looked like something Angelina Jolie wore in Changeling.

This dress I bought at a thrift store in Pomona. It is a Halston dress that I cut the sleeves off of. Yeah, I always feel slight bad about "ruining" a Halston dress, but in it's original form it had huge sleeves and looked like a choir robe. I usually wear it with some sort of striped shirt (the one here is from Topshop), but today is the first time I've tried belting it. The tights are DKNY and they are the only thing I have ever purchased from Nordstroms.

I've been a bit annoyed with how much money I have spent on new mass produced clothing the past few years. Actually, the money is not so much the issue, though I could certainly do with saving some in these uncertain times. It is the sheer consumer gluttony that makes me feel a bit sick. Therefore I felt a bit self congratulatory on this outfit - all second hand, not an UO or Target anywhere in the mix. The skirt is from Dumpster Values. I used it as part of a Halloween costume one year when I dressed up as Exene Cervenka. The top is from a thrift store in Pomona. It was probably made in the 80's, but it is a nice crepe and is very reminiscent of a 1940's blouse which is why I bought it. The sweater is also from a Southern California thrift store, though I'm not sure exactly which one.

This dress was purchased at a thrift store. It has these crazy incongruous silver buttons that say "Apple" on them with an image of said fruit. I tried to take a picture of them, but could not get a clear image (I'm getting a new camera this week, so hopefully it will take better closeups than the one I have been using so far). This H&M sweater is something of a staple for me during the warmer months. I pretty much wear it on a daily basis as it is the only thing I have that is light weight enough to be comfortable, yet still keeps the sunlight off my upper arms (I'm a bit obsessive about keeping the sun off my tattoos). Get ready to see more of this garment in the coming months. I'm wearing purple fishnets here that my Mom gave me and I find work quite well with the dress. In fact, I'm almost positive I have never worn them with any other article of clothing. The boots are from Urban Outfitters where I buy most of my shoes in the U.S. (Office is where I buy my shoes in the U.K in case you wondered).

This sweatshirt is one of those things I bought because I found myself out on the town and freezing. It is from Urban Outfitters as are so many of the things I've been wearing these days (if I were to liken my closet to a archeological dig, I would say that I have reached the UO layer). The jeans are the same ones I wore yesterday and the flip flops are from Target.

The top is from H&M I used to wear it loads in Glasgow. The jeans are from the Gap. I almost always wear them cuffed like this because they are bootcut and I have some issues with the bootcut. Women wearing flats and trainers with this style is probably my biggest fashion pet peeve (aside from obvious things such as having your thong hang out). Bootcut is meant for boots people!!!!

We took band pictures today which is always an excuse to wear something fun. Today I opted for this Anthropologie sweater and this skirt - one of the pieces from my Alexander McQueen Target spree. I've posted some more pictures of our day out on flickr.

Lazy Saturday

I bought this shirt in Edinburgh. I can't remember the name of the store, but as I recall it was sort of a vintage clothing/collectibles store that was decorated well (again, I couldn't tell you what it actually looked like, but I remember thinking "This is a cool little store"). The pants you already know, but I will talk about them a bit anyway, as you can really see studding detail here. It sort of reminds me of a sailor pant in this picture though not so much at all in real life. I am so pleased with these jeans, which you may have guessed by the frequency of their outings, but its beginning to get to the point where my friends are going to start saying "Enough with the grey jeans already!" I also worn the necklace on more than one occasion, so as you can see I've been a bit lax on the whole not wearing the same thing twice rule.

I think this blouse was given to me by my great aunt. She was quite the fashion plate back in the day and also (pointless but interesting to me) sounds exactly like "Little" Edie Beale. I think that watching Grey Gardens has always been an even more disconcerting experience for me because of this. I took this picture minutes after pulling the blouse out of a box. See how wrinkled it is here, by the time I got to work it was miraculously presentable - ah the wonders of synthetic fibers! The skirt is from H&M. I bought it Glasgow nine (!!!) years ago. This used to be the skirt I wore most frequently until it went missing only to be found by me this morning, also wrinkled and in a box with other forgotten skirts. I like this as a work look, it makes me feel slightly more professional than usual. I had several people tell me I looked nice today, but the most interesting comment came from a cute young lesbian couple who said I reminded them of P.J. Harvey. Hmm . . .

This dress is Rendevous by Paul and Joe Sister. I find that sort of ridiculous as it is essentially the diffusion line of a diffusion line (like Alexander McQueen's McQ for Target). The socks are Hansel from Basel. I bought them at a little boutique across the street from where I work, and they are the most expensive pair of socks I have ever purchased for myself. I had a conversation somewhat recently about how wearing expensive socks is sort of the ultimate luxury (providing you don't wear them everyday in which case you are just rich). Sadly, with things like fancy socks and/or underwear I just sort of put them on and forget about them. I think something like fancy perfume is more my sort of luxury. The boots are new, I ordered them from Urban Outfitters' website after my disappointments last month trying to buy a new pair of Campers. They stood up to the work comfort test, but I'm not sure they are a style that's going to go with many outfits (luckily they were on sale and very cheap).

Spring has sprung!

Everybody kept commenting today on how my shirt was perfect for spring. Its a Built By You pattern that I made during an long period of unemployment. R. made one from the same pattern a year or so later (though as I recall, we both ended up sewing the buttons on at the same time). Mr. K. and I discussed the skinny jean today and how it is an article of clothing that can easily look very bad. I like it with this shirt though. It balances what I sometimes consider is too much volume in the sleeve area.

St. Patrick's Day

I bought this dress in Seattle at a vintage clothing store whose name escapes me (Red Light?). I remember it was hanging in the window and being sort of tickled that I was the sort of girl who would buy the window display (sad no?). Yes, I'm aware that wearing this colour today would be an invitation to get my ass kicked in certain parts of the world. I'm not doing it out of any sort of disrespect to the Republic of Ireland, but more to show my genuine love for Northern Ireland. I get very sick of the Americans I meet treating it as though it a) does not actually exist or b) is a place peopled with folks who wish they were English. Even though it seems that these days any news from over there is of people behaving extraordinarily bad, I still love it very much and am very happy that I was able to call it home at one point in time.

This grey shirt is from Urban Outfitters. It was one of the pieces I bought when I first realized that I could actually afford to shop at that store. This shirt has become something of an undershirt for me recently. I hardly ever end up wearing it on its own. I actually put the outfit together this morning to showcase an old blue overcoat. I didn't really end up wearing it beyond getting from my house to work.

I picked this wacky little number up at the Jet Rag $1 sale the last time I went out there which was, I believe, in 2003. The pattern is not quite psychedelic, but almost. The socks are from Target. R. has a pair just like them and I think we may have even purchased them at the same time.

I always want to wear matching cuff bracelets because of Diana Vreeland. Sadly they just don't look as good on me as they do on her. These are both vintage copper bracelets. One I inhered from my maternal grandmother, the other is from the PCC swapmeet. See if you can tell which is which. The top is an old Pendleton one. My mom bought is for me at Pike's market back on a trip we took to check out colleges a long time ago. I think I may have found it in a bargin bin.

I covered up with this jacket from H&M. I bought it in Glasgow and must have worn it a fair amount in the winter there (though it hardly seems warm enough to me now).

Friday

My little cat F. is usually somewhere nearby when I'm taking my pictures, so this time I thought I'd make her join me. This jacket is an example of the very bad habit I have of wearing out unfinished projects. I've been dabbling at this one for a few years now and all that is needed at this point is to sew on the buttonholes and tack down the lining. I had originally planned on using this fabric to make some sort of short pant, but eventually ended up making this Built By Wendy pattern instead. The blouse under is from Alice Temperly's Target line a collection which, as I have said, I bought a fair amount of items from. It's a sort of ruffle-y high necked number.

This brown dress is from H&M. Everyone always thinks it's vintage. The bracelet is from Target. Let's hear it for the high street!

I bought this dress at a thrift store (I think in Pasadena, all I can be sure of was that A. was with me when I bought it). I don't really have much else to say about it.

These Gap pants are very similar to the Dickies I wore yesterday except they actually fit me. My mom gave me the sweater. It's Diane Von Furstenberg and I imagine she bought it in the '80's. This is another one I always wear backwards, because it has a stain front and center. I adore the colour on it. I'm also wearing a necklace from UO which you can sort of see here.

I went to my storage unit yesterday and dug out a suitcase full of some forgotten friends. These are the first and only pair of Dickies I have ever owned. I bought them right before they rebranded themselves as a streetwear label. They were still a work clothing company at the time and didn't even make ladies sizes. I had to go to M&I Surplus to buy a pair. Clearly they are too big, but back then I was blissfully oblivious to whether my clothing fit me or not. They make me feel like Charlie Chaplin, but I might keep them. The top is from my great Aunt, I'm pretty sure she made it. The sweater is from H&M. I use this sweater non-stop in warmer weather as a means of getting to and from indoor locations without tanning.

This shirt was given to me by a girl that I did musical theatre with back in high school. She thought it was the sort of shirt I would wear, though I'm inclined to say that she really didn't have a firm grasp on my style. I sort of doubt that I would have picked this out for myself. Nevertheless, I have held on to it all these years. R. and I agreed that this shirt works best as a sort of work smock and since I spent today crafting, cooking and being otherwise domestic I guess it was just the thing. These pants look almost exactly like my new McQ ones, but they are actually from The Gap. I got them in Glasgow for some ridiculously low price like £1.50. I absent mindedly left the house today in flip flops probably from Target, but possibly CVS.

When I actually sit down and write about this outfit I start to feel a bit like I'm in the pay of the Target corporation. The top is from Erin Featherstone's collection for said company which for the most part was a bit too sugary for me. I am, however, a big fan of trompe l'oeil bows, so I couldn't pass this particular piece up. The jeans are new and also from Target. As I may have said before, I'm not entirely sure where I stand on the topic of the skinny jean, but these boots (which are from Office) absolutely need to be worn with that sort of cut, so I guess I'm glad to have a second pair kicking around to wear them with.

Another new pair of Alexander McQueen pants (I didn't realize they were quite so high-watery until I saw this picture). I like these, but they are not exactly suitable for the weather (I always freeze the most in Southern California Winters because I never think it's gonna be cold and I'm always underdressed for it). The sweater is from Urban Outfitters. I got it at their store in Covent Garden. In fact, this whole outfit could be have been in the UO catalog at one time or another. The grey undershirt I bought back in 2004 I think on a New Year's trip up to Santa Barbara. The necklace I bought on Tuesday night. I'm going through a bit of a chain necklace phase at the moment and from the looks of various catalogs and websites I've been trolling recently I would say that the fashion world is as well.

These colours look quite striking in this picture. I was a bit apprehensive this morning when putting this outfit together. I'm still not entirely sure that this mustard colour should ever be worn by anyone, but I got a fair amount of positive feedback on it throughout the day (the girl at the bagel shop said "I wanna just jump right in there . . . but y'know like not in a bad way"). I bought (or maybe even had my mother buy me) this sweater back in high school at a vintage clothing store that no longer exists in the Pomona antiques mall. Almost as soon as I bought it I decided it really didn't work for me and buried it in my sweater drawer where it remained until this morning. The jeans are new and from the Alexander McQueen for Target spree I went on yesterday. They might almost be too skinny for me (these days I have been reconsidering my position on skinny jeans), but in my shopping induced daze I tried them on and bought them. This outfit needed a bright accent, so I went with the blue shirt peeking out from under the sweater. It's from Topshop and I'm sure it will feature more prominently in an outfit when the weather warms up a bit.

I really don't like this picture of me, but as far as the clothing is concerned, you can see the most detail in it. Ofcourse the big news today was Target's Alexander McQueen collection. Rather Pathetically, I've been looking forward to this day since I heard about it a month ago. So far this year I've been very good about not buying clothing. For the record I have purchased 1 pair of underpants, 1 pair of knee socks (only because I found myself out one night bare legged and freezing) and a rosette hair clip. But Tuesday night (perhaps in anticipation of the huge amount of money I was about to spend the next day) I found myself at Urban Outfitters and ended up buying this top. Deeply shame making, but it looked so cozy and I somehow repressed how easy it would be to DIY it myself til I got home. But anyway, I have now spent a wad of cash (or to be more sickeningly accurate my "plastic") on a number of pieces from McQ for Target. I'm done . . . aleast until I hear that Galliano is doing H & M.

The top is from Dumpster Values. Not much else to add about it. The sweater is a hand me down from my mother. I haven't worn it since high school, but I'm really loving the sleeves on it, they remind me of a 1940's sweater.

A special thanks to my gentleman friend for clearing up for me whether or not men really find the lady in red more appealing. This sweatshirt is from Topshop and is actually supposed to be worn the other way around which I find crazy - who wants to have a big hole showing off their stomach? I find the neckline more pleasing when I wear it backwards as well.

I was pretty exhausted by the time I got around to taking this picture and just a bit bedraggled looking. The sweater is from H&M. I bought it with the idea that I could use it as a light weight cardigan for the Summer (I like to keep my arms covered in the sunshine - it's a throwback to my teenage goth days). The dress is from Topshop. Just a few years ago I would never have bought this dress because of its colour. I have since mellowed a bit in regards to purple. I was wearing the dress and belt solo earlier in the day, and decided when it got colder that the sweater looked pretty stupid worn over the belt, so I thought I'd try it with the belt over the sweater.