Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Blazing indiscretions

 Blazer: Donna Karan, salvaged from Aunt P.; 
Dress: French Connection; Tights: Simply Vera, gift;
Belt: BR, from Marilou; Boots: Target.
Photos of me by Jeremiah.

I'm wearing a blazer and a bajillion neutrals in this outfit, which almost never happens. This ensemble almost seems too modern for my usual preferences, but I am trying to push myself to try new styles.

During my break, Jeremiah's Aunt P. gave Jeremiah's sisters and I giant bags full of clothes that she had outgrown or never worn. Inside were some amazing dresses and jackets and sweaters, plus some Asian-inspired blouses that may have been from her travels.

My sisters-in-law and I sifted through the treasures and created a makeshift dressing room in the middle of the house, where we oohed and ahhed and shrieked over our combinations. It was like one of those movie makeover montages, except none of us ended up with Richard Gere or became princess of Genovia at the end.

We each took away a considerable pile of clothes to add to our own closets. Among the finds in my pile were several pairs of pants, an Elie Tahari pleated dress (which I'm excited to wear in the warmer months) and this Donna Karan blazer, which was one of my favorite pieces because of its unusual long length. It's minimalist and modern, and it reminds me of Neo's long trenchcoat in the "Matrix" series. I feel like some cool, dispassionate double agent when I wear it.

As much as I enjoy finding clothes through thrift-shopping, nothing really beats inheriting a beautiful item from a kind relative. Thanks, Aunt P., and to my sisters-in-law for being fun clothes-party people.


Do you have any inherited items that you love, and do you ever wear them?



22 comments:

  1. Wow, sounds like you weer gifted some amazing treasures:)

    LOVE this DK blazer....chic doll:)

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  2. I love how you paired the masculinity of the blazer with the girliness of the dress - so cute!

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  3. Wow excellent finds from Aunt P!!!

    I'm in love with that dress and I like that you paired it with that blazer.

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  4. I love the mixing of neutrals. I rarely ever do that either but, we should all try it more often.

    I had a lovely pair of earrings from my grandmother who passed that I wore alot but, they broke :/

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  5. That blazer is KILLER!

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  6. I love that you pushed yourself to try something new and perhaps slightly less "you." It looks fabulous mixed with your classic dress and the brown accents.

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  7. JoAnn, can I come to your Christmas next year? This is one of my favorite dresses- seriously. I love every single time you wear it, because you style it so many unexpected ways. I'm a neutral mixing freak of nature, so obviously this entire look calls to me! You are inspirational, yet again!

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  8. That is such a great blazer. I love the length of it and how you paired it with the white dress. Very cool. I have a sweater that my mom gave me. She bought it when she was pregnant with me. I don't wear it that often because I'm afraid it'll get hurt. It just has so much sentimental value to me.

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  9. What fun treasures! My mom kept her old Gucci and Fendi cross body purses from the 80s so I inheritted those which I love. I inherit more accessories than I do clothing, but either way I love them all.

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  10. This is one of my fav outfits - I LOVE that dress, and paired with the other neutrals, it takes on a whole new sophisticated feel!

    I can't wait to see the Elie Tahari dress - Tahari is one of my fav brands!

    Small Time Style

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  11. Lucky on your inherited haul! My big sis has impeccable taste, so I always love to get her hand-me-downs, especially since she is also extremely careful with her clothes! Once they get in my grubby hands though, they have no chance!

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  12. that's so fun. I went through my grandparents' attic not that long about to extract the last remaining pieces of clothing from when my mom and my aunts were teenagers. I ended up with a fun little pink dress I've worn on the blog once and an amazing full length coat that I am completely in love with, but have no idea how to wear. I also have these gorgeous shoes that my grandmother gave me that she bought in the 50s and never wore. they're so pretty and fit like a glove.

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  13. lucky you! that blazer looks great!

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  14. lovely! really love the white dress with the grey tights!

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  15. I'm so jealous! That sounds like it was so much fun! And I like the length of that blazer, too.

    That black blazer will look good with all your red stuff, too, especially the red checked.

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  16. I really really love this dress. It is so great that you can style it to fit any season!

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  17. It's so fun to inherit things that already have a story, from someone you know, so that you know the story. What a treasure! I love the last photo of you. :) Must be fun having hubby photograph you for a change. Mine is not so fun, he snaps one (in which I invariably look odd) , hands me back the camera, and thinks we are done!! he he. Glad my son likes to take them.

    The long blazer is a different style. Now I'm wishing I'd thrifted a long brown one I found a couple of months ago but left behind... It's so nice with your fancy dress!

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  18. Such a great dress and I love the cut of that blazer...
    I have a few items from my grandma's closet and I love wearing them...they carry so many memories...

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  19. What a great aunt. I absolutely love that dress, and it looks great with the blazer.
    No Guilt Fashion

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  20. Love the lace dress and how you layered all the textures. Tres chic. xo Mish

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  21. Love the white dress with that blazer, dear!

    It's a lovely lovely combo!

    Kristin
    http://dollparade.blogspot.com

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  22. I totally agree... knowing the person you inherited clothes from is such fun!

    You look stunning in that last picture. Stun.ning.

    Leaving the House in THIS?!?!

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