the one that got away?

we are on break from the quarter at work right now, and i took the first half of my time off and translated it into a road trip to nyc.  on saturday i had to entertain myself solo for about an hour while my traveling companion got a hair cut, so i went vintage shopping.

i hit three shops in an hour, and the last one, A Little Wicked, was by far the best fit for me.  they have great pieces, and they buy (thus stock!) pieces in my size range.  prices we not at all bad for vintage in nyc. sorry nyc, dc will always have better prices for vintage.

i did go home with a yellow gingham number that i am very excited to wear soon, but i have been pining after the dress i left on the rack.  i certainly hope someone as rescued her because she is a lovely thing indeed!

look at those polka dots!!!
i justified leaving her behind because she is probably a size or two larger than what i need, and i was trying not to be a spending nut.  still, i pine.

other shopping highlights include a fabric trip to Mood, a pilgrimage to purl soho, and a last minute purchasing of buttons for my current knitting project at M&J trimmings.  one can buy from all of those places online, but there is nothing quiet like going to the shop in person.

i have a lot of sewing in my future!  the balance of my break, however, we be spent gardening and visiting with family who are coming in from out of town.  good times, indeed.

two librarian looks

hello, wall.  you are in my way.

my students will sometimes suggest alternative careers for me to pursue when i become tired of being their professor. the two most popular choices are librarian and kindergarten teacher. (what does the later say about the maturity level of college students today?) they say librarian because i am a huge nerd and apparently i dress like i should be sitting at the reference desk.

so today i present two of my librarian looks.

this first one goes back to monday the 13th.  i snapped the picture on my way out the door and as you can see, the wall and i had a disagreement about who got to stand where.  ha.

blouse: odille for anthropologie via ebay.

sweater vest: handknit by me in Cascade Eco+ from a pattern published in knitscene magazine. 

skirt: maeve for anthropologie

tights: ralph lauren

shoes: ASOS

necklace: value village thrift store.

grey on a sunny day

this look has a lot of textures going on that you can't fully appreciate in the photo.  the tights are brown herringbone with sparkle gold shot through.  the skirt is brown corduroy with a wooly center plaid panel, and the blouse is printed swiss dot.  (printed with landmarks of europe!)

the second librarian look was what i threw together this past wednesday.  we had awesome weather in the 60s this week, and i could break out one of my lighter dresses.  

most days it seems like i am obsessed with anthropologie.  this outfit was very modcloth heavy.

dress: about the artist dress (recently returned to modcloth)

belt: modcloth

hair flower: forever 21

necklace: hotcakes design purchased at trohv.

tights: mystery lace tights from college???

shoes: poetic license via modcloth.

you will notice an important accessory has returned!!! 

right there on my right wrist is my RoadID. after weeks and weeks of being super ill, i am now back on the road running!  i made it out to run 5 times since sunday.  today i didn't set my nano to a time or distance target, i just listened to radiolab and ran until i felt myself getting tired and my form getting sloppy.  i ran for 48 minutes and made it just over 4 miles.  huzzah!

vanity sizing is stupid.

nice socks, hot stuff.

i have been eyeing the Bike Lane Dress at anthro since it hit the rack about a month ago.  on sunday i finally tried it on with no intention of buying it. off-white is not a great color for me, but if it surprised me and looked good, come sale time it may have been game on!!

as adorable as the bicycle print is, i couldn't wear this is i wanted to.  in the picture i am wearing the size 2.  notice the broken contortionist arm?  yeah, that is me holding in 3-4" of dress.  it fell off if i let go.

from the reviews on the anthro site, it appears even the 0 would be too big for we under-endowed ladies.

and to this i say--get real anthro!!!  this vanity sizing thing is getting to be absurd.  i am not the smallest person i know by any stretch f the imagination, and somehow you made this dress too big for me?  i know vanity sizing is part of your overall pricing strategy.  we will pay more to feel good about the number on the tag, but this is getting obnoxious.

you are getting to be as bad as old navy with the silly XXS, XXXS and 00 or 000!!

monday: neutrals

shirtdress-a-go-go

i love to wear every color on the plant at the same time, but sometimes i go with another favourite option: every pattern possible!  this works a bit better if you keep it neutral in the colors or at least limit the palette.

i felt very virtuous last week after i moved around my studio/livingroom situation and then employed the studio space to repair this dress.  i had a seam split.  in honor of the repair, i had to break her out for a wear!

i am too lazy to go look up the specs on everything i wore, but most of this outfit was from anthropologie.  on sale, of course.

i know the shirt dress is by maeve and it is a printed pin-wale corduroy.  yum.

the belt and boots are two pieces i love because they are black and brown at the same time!  yes.  no more breaking "rules" about coordinating leather colors. (first world problems, indeed.)

a touch of 70s.

i kept the accessories simple.  the necklace is a layered crystal and lucite ball 1960s vintage number from Moonshadow in Takoma Park, MD.  tights are circa 2000 steve maddens i had in a drawer forever and a day (their tights suck now, save your money). and i finished it off with my tooled leather name cuff at the wrist.

i took a second picture when i caught myself in the mirror on my way out.  the outwear actually really worked with this one!

jacket is a 1970s Wilson's leather cutie with a button and a tie belt.  the back is really pretty with a pleat!  scarf is my mustard + owl baby from urban outfitters.  i love the color mustard and i love owls.  i tink i actually broke a rule and paid full price.  my friends had to come home with me.  no risk taking here.

layers!!!

Bailey 44 knit dress

i was deeply skeptical of this dress when an associate at anthropologie suggested i try it last week.  it has so many potential problems for me.

1. knits.  i don't wear many tight knit things.
2. horizontal-ish stripes.  not a curvy girl's best friend.
3. tea length. the enemy of the slight of height.

but as this awkward dressing room photo shows, it wasn't half bad!  in fact, the dress was really pretty when walking (not posing and trying to snap a pic) and it is just about the most comfortable thing i have ever put on my body.

too bad it is $178!!
there are many variations on this style that they are selling right now, and if i get lucky, maybe one will go on sale and can be mine.  i have so many shoes that want to be best friends with this dress.

fingers crossed!

my closet isn't that full

i know that anyone who must claim their closet is not that full perhaps protests a bit too much. still, i think i keep it reasonable when i could, if i really wanted to, go much further off the deep end. think Hoarders level--if i let myself.


that said, i have a lot of rules for myself.


1. be picky.
2. never full price.
3. only high quality classics or super quirky "never in, never out" pieces.
4. only dirt cheap trend pieces.
5. maintain and repair the collection.
6. no purchases that do not fit.
7. who cares how cheap it is if you will never wear it.
8. no repeats. (i will never own 12 pairs of blue jeans.)


why am i writing about my closet?


last week i was having drinks with a friend and sharing some dressing room snaps of a dress i am considering. it was suggested to me that i ought have a tumblr of pictures of me in dressing rooms because i take so many. i am not allowed to have a tumblr because it is habit forming. i am lazy about my blog, so i can throw some of that stuff on here.


like this cream puff.

silk organza and taffeta tea length party dress, early 1960s. 

this one was a keeper.  

the color is more of a champagne than off-white and the sash is a deep olive green.

label: "an original jr.theme new york"

store: Polly Sue's Vintage

location: Takoma Park, MD

obviously this is a dressing room photo. (so sad that orange plaid skirt in the background was way too huge to come home with me.)  i will post an outfit shot when i wear her.  i have designs on wearing a pair of red leather heels that are covered in hand tooled patterns.

yum!