Sunday, December 29, 2013

Whinnying Through a Wintergreen Wonderland




Dress: Candie's, Kohl's
Camisole: Worthington, JCPenney
Shoes: JCPenney
Bag: Candie's, Kohl's
Jacket: Material Girl, Macy's



 Pink Rainbow Unicorn Necklace

Sweater: Boscov's
Camisole: So, Kohl's
Jeans: I Heart Ronson, JCPenney
Shoes: Charles Albert, Alloy
Bag: Candie's, Kohl's
Scarf: Macy's



 Yellow Rainbow Unicorn Necklace

Sweater: So, Kohl's
Camisole: So, Kohl's
Skirt: So, Kohl's
Shoes: Payless
Bag: Uniquely Different, Etsy



 Blue Rainbow Unicorn Necklace

Sweatshirt: Bongo, Sears
Skirt: Material Girl, Macy's
Shoes: Ami Clubwear
Bag: JCPenney
Jacket: Decree, JCPenney









When I unwrapped The Marvelous Book of Magical Horses from the husband this Christmas, I instantly knew that it was blog-bound.  It goes without saying that new toys are newsworthy.  But it was the equine excellence of these fashionable fillies that landed them best in show.  Indeed, they were just the thing to set off this minty montage of unicorn-accented winter wearables and add a dimension of depth in the form of questions such as:  What goes on at a horse costume party?, How do show horses keep from soiling their get-ups?, and How did that hellion of a black-and-red horse get into a children's activity book?  I fear I may suffer many a paper cut before finding the answers.  

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Split Personality Style



Rainy Day Rainbow Necklace

Cardigan: So, Kohl's
Camisole: So, Kohl's
Skirt: So, Kohl's
Shoes: Charles Albert, Alloy
Bag: Princess Vera, Kohl's
Belt: Wet Seal




 Rainbow Owl Necklace

Dress: Mossimo, Target
Sweater: Jeanne Pierre, Marshalls
Shoes: Betseyville, JCPenney
Bag: Delia's
Coat: Gap
Scarf: Nicole Miller, Marshalls




Blouse: Candie's, Kohl's
Tee: Wet Seal
Skirt: H&M
Shoes: Journeys
Bag: Nine West, gifted

Outfit number two gives off a preppy hippie vibe, an ill-advised cross between Eddie Bauer and Urban Outfitters (never mind that a not a stitch on dear Tammy hails from either retailer).  But, as is the explanation for so much of what goes on on this blog, I liked it.  For symmetry's sake, I feel bound to mention that the other two outfits are pure pop princess meets prep.  You know.  If pop princesses shopped at Kohl's and dressed like twelve-year-old sitcom stars.

Speaking of things that are mismatched, I was recently thinking about movies of 2013 when I remembered Jobs and how I'd expected more of a splash from a story in which an Apple icon is played by Ashton Kutcher.  If I ever met Ashton Kutcher, I fear I'd be compelled to say this.  He'd raise an eyebrow and ask, "Did you see it?" and then I'd be forced to look down at my shoes and mutter, "No, I did not."  

Monday, December 16, 2013

Packaged Up Pretty




Sometimes, I buy stuff just because I like its packaging.  Like this almost-certainly-icky-tasting-albeit-candy-shop-cute gum (it contains Aspartame), or this pretty-in-pink shampoo and conditioner duo that has no anti-dandruff agents whatsoever (this mane of mine is like a ski slope).  But the mother of all package-driven purchases is this fabulously retro Love's Baby Soft variety pack.  It's haunted me from the shelves of Rite Aid for the past couple of Christmases, only to vanish on the very day when I march in ready to make it my own.  So this year, when I saw those familiar pastel bottles winking at me from behind their cellophane, I knew that I had to act quickly.  Not only do they smell scrumptious, but they take me back to when I first bought a similar set at JCPenney with my allowance money, a memory so fuzzy that it made me consider picking up a second box for the holiday toy drive at work.  But the more I thought about it, cologne, however juvenile, didn't seem like donation material, so I went with a selection of Barbies instead.  Which, to be honest, I also sort of secretly coveted.      

Sunday, December 8, 2013

The Long and Short of it Is . . .




Top: Candie's, Kohl's
Skirt: Necessary Objects, Annie Sez
Cardigan: Merona, Target
Shoes: Payless
Bag: Princess Vera, Kohl's




Tee: Delia's
Camisole: Worthington, JCPenney
Skirt: So, Kohl's
Cardigan: Delia's
Shoes: Worthington, JCPenney
Bag: Payless



 Mysterious Mask Necklace

Sweater: Candie's, Kohl's
Tank: So, Kohl's
Jeans: Candie's, Kohl's
Shoes: Worthington, JCPenney
Bag: Guess, Marshalls



 Rainbow Fish Necklace

Top: Kohl's
Skirt: JCPenney
Scarf: Marshalls
Bag: Bisou Bisou, JCPenney
Shoes: Betseyville, JCPenney




Cool Colors Necklace

Top: Jessica Simpson, Boscov's
Tank: So, Kohl's
Jeans: City Streets, JCPenney
Boots: Charles Albert, Alloy
Bag: Gifted
Coat: Worthington, JCPenney

. . . that fashion is fickle and sitcoms are super.  Allow me to explain.

In a not-so-recent episode of "New Girl," Nick mocks Jess's vintage handbag collection by saying (something like), "Mini skirts and rhinestone purses, that's what men want," before tossing said purse collection out the apartment window.  (For those of you thinking, "What the hey is she yapping about?", "New Girl" is a sitcom starring Zooey Deschanel as Jess, a wide-eyed, quirky teacher.  Nick is her curmudgeonly bartender boyfriend.)  "Hey, that's what I wear!" I couldn't help saying.  But the husband just shook his head and said, "No, not in the way he means."  I had to admit that he had a point.  Glitzy or not, my get-ups are more like Jess's not-quite-right purse collection than Nick's dream woman's wardrobe, in spirit if not exact style.  (Case in point: I'd never wear the rhinestone-encrusted mini featured in outfit number two without a pair of leggings).

It's no wonder that I'm always finding kernels of wisdom in sitcoms.  I love those thirty-minute comic morsels.  Whenever I'm having a bad day, I think about how what I'm going through would translate in sitcom-land.  More often than not, my trials seem instantly less cringe-worthy compared to those of the characters, lacking even enough drama to sustain a B plot.  Which is comforting.  At least until I start worrying that this may mean my life is boring.  

That's the sitcom part.  Now I'll backtrack to the fashion part, which is really just (surprise!) a blurb about my new necklaces.  

Lately I've been keeping things simple by working with just beads and pendants.  Last week it occurred to me that I rarely make long necklaces, which is weird, because I love wearing them, especially in layers.  So, I set out to string a few more inches, the result of which is evident in the elongated Beautiful Blue Lady and Mysterious Mask styles.  By contrast, the Punky Plumage and Rainbow Fish remain as abbreviated as ever, with the Cool Colors dangling somewhere in between.  Not bad progress-wise, with the eternal room for improvement flame still ablaze. 

Sunday, December 1, 2013

An Unchained Medley and Two Hippie Crashers



 Blue Bauble Chain Necklace

Top: Alloy
Tank: Express
Skirt: Denizen by Levis, Target
Shoes: Ami Clubwear
Bag: Candie's, Kohl's
Jacket: Decree, JCPenney
Scarf: Express





 Neon Cameo Chain Necklace

Tee: Alloy
Blouse: Candie's, Kohl's
Camisole: So, Kohl's
Skirt: Denizen by Levi's, Target
Jeans: Marshalls
Gold pumps: Aubrey Brooke, DSW
Olive pumps: Nine West, DSW
Chartreuse coat: XOXO
Navy jacket: Wilsons Leather
Teal clutch: Steve Madden, Macy's
Sunset clutch: Apt. 9, Kohl's



 Magenta Madness Chain Necklace

Tee: JCPenney
Blouse: Candie's, Kohl's
Skirt: Boscov's
Shoes: Ami Clubwear
Bag: Eleven Peacocks, Etsy



Totally Toadstool Necklace

Dress: Wet Seal
Camisole: Worthington, JCPenney
Bag: Apt. 9, Kohl's
Shoes: Call it Spring, JCPenney



Key to the Kingdom Necklace

Caftan: Allen B, JCPenney
Camisole: Free People
Jeans: City Streets, JCPenney
Shoes: Ami Clubwear
Bag: Gifted
Scarf: Kohl's

I was all set to post this trio of righteously rhinestoned chain necklaces when a duo of hippie dippy doodads came along and messed up the configuration.  Kind of like how those free-wheeling folk singers of the 1960s muscled in on the classic crooners of the 1950s.  But then, it's the interplay of establishment and counterculture that makes things interesting.  Like a sleek shift dress paired with a fringed hobo bag, a structured button-down teamed with embroidered boots, or a commune sprawling on the lawn of a corporation.  If I squint, I can almost make out the mushrooms and daisies all wrapped up in pinstripes and the spritely alfalfa sprouts festooned with paisley.  Did I mention that the corporation in question manufactures haute couture muumuus?  Style while you sit, my friends, all wrapped up in a fresh contradiction.