Heels at the park, or Dress #23

Dress: Maggy London;

Shoes: Target;

Tank: Aeropostale, stolen from Nikki;

Silver bangle: gift, from Mom;

Jade, black bangles: from Finder's Keepers.

How I've worn the dress: here.

How I've worn the shoes: here.

Thank you for your nice thoughts on my last post, and for your encouraging words about The Dress Project. It was really comforting to hear that many of you associate lots of memories (good and bad) with your old clothes. I think I have quite a few pieces like that, so as Katie from Tinda Keelie commented, it's kind of therapeutic to wear them, which is a great way of thinking about it. The verdict is still out on the dress, and in the meantime it's hanging in my closet, where I'm envisioning some new life for it. I'm thinking I might take it in and get rid of the sleeves so I can wear it year round. I've decided not to change or get rid of any of the dresses until the Project is over, so I'll have some time to reflect on which ones to toss, alter or keep.

So about this outfit. I wore it out to lunch with my mom and Jeremiah because tomorrow's Jeremiah's birthday and she took us to Sydney's, which is a big Asian seafood buffet. Jeremiah loves that place, and I usually just keep to my General Tso's chicken, rice and miso soup because I'm allergic to certain kinds of fish (not like, fake-allergic, which is what I sometimes did when I was little when I was way picky about my food, but swollen-lips-swollen-throat-scary-kind of reactions). 

Still, it was great to see my mom and catch up on life, and I think my outfit reflected that because she was with me when I got this dress for my birthday and she gave me the silver bangle. I haven't worn this dress much because the zipper has given me a lot of trouble because it will skip over some of the parts on the track. I finally remembered a trick from some women's magazine and I sprayed hairspray on the zipper track (it acts like a glue) and it hasn't given me trouble since. Yay! Now I wish I had known that before I got rid of certain dresses years ago that had this problem...

Sorry there's only one picture in this set. We went to the park that's about 1/2 mile from our apartment and it was hopping. Like at least 100 people or so there. Nice weather will do that. All the picturesque places were occupied and I felt really silly and prissy wearing heels to a park, so this one was taken on the sidewalk just before we almost got run over by some dude on rollerblades.

We're going to trivia for the first time in forever. Remember how I told you we won trivia prizes at the Best Picture Showcase? We're going to be sportin' them at Taco Mac tonight: Jeremiah and Vargas in their "This is It" Michael Jackson shirts, me in my "Team Jacob" shirt. Should be fun.

Hope you have a great night!

  

23 down, 22 to go.

Doubts, or Dress #22

Dress: Signature by Robbie Bee;

Tights: Target;

Boots, Kady cognac, Target.

I almost didn't post any photos from this set, but decided against that because I promised myself I would give an accurate representation of The Dress Project. Twenty-two dresses in, and I'm beginning to get into the ones that I only feel so-so about. If you've been reading for awhile, you probably know that I associate lots of memories with the clothes I love. But what to do about the ones that have bad memories associated with them?

This dress was part of my work wardrobe when I worked at a summer internship a couple of years ago. It was an exhilarating time of my life, yes, because I was on my own in a big city and learned a lot from the experience. But it was still a very lonely, insecure time, when I doubted my own professional work and hated how I looked (I gained a lot of weight in the year after my dad died, and am only now seeing most of it come off). I still have some clothes from that weight-limbo era where they don't really fit now, and I'm only keeping them for strange sentimental reasons that I can't shake. And somehow by putting on this dress, I could feel those dismal, insecure thoughts come back in the seams. 

There's nothing inherently wrong with this dress -- the peter pan collar and the cut are actually pretty nice, and I'm sure on the right person it would look professional, conservative and pulled-together, which is why I bought it in the first place. There's nothing wrong with the brand, either. But now on me, I think the dress looks a little matronly and drab. Looking at this photo is like looking at a JoAnn from years past. Or at least it feels that way.

I don't know if I'll get the dress altered, shortened or just retire it to Goodwill for someone else to give it a second life. Maybe I'll give it another chance and associate good thoughts with it. It's funny how old clothes can remind you of the ways in which you've changed since you've worn them. I think I've come a long way in the last two years, and am glad my style has evolved (and is still changing) to reflect that.

 

22 down, 23 to go.

Spring!, or Dress #21

Dress: Ann Taylor Loft;

Tights: Target;

Scarf (as belt): H&M;

Boots: Kady cognac, Target;

Bracelet: Thrifted, gift.

How I've worn the scarf before: here.

This outfit felt like it was missing something when I just put on the dress this morning, and since I couldn't find my red belt to add some more color, I substituted my huge H&M scarf. I basically just folded it into half so it was a giant triangle, tied it at my waist like an apron and did a bunch of tucking until it looked like more of a belt. Aren't the tassles fun? I liked the result and am in love with the color palette. I wanted to wear my boots and tights a couple more times before the weather changes for good. I can't believe how attached I've gotten to tights and boots this season, and I'm going to miss them for the next 7 months.

Such a lazy day -- didn't do anything important today, and it felt nice. 

 

21 down, 24 to go.

Lay down your mind, or Dress #20

Listening to: "Help Yourself," Sad Brad Smith, from 

the "Up in the Air" soundtrack.

Dress (as top): Old Navy;

Sweater: Target;

Shoes: Zigi Soho;

Skirt: Ralph Lauren, thrifted;

Bracelet: Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI.

How I've worn the dress before: here, here.

How I've worn the skirt: here.

You may remember my top -- it's actually the dress in this ruffly ensemble. I decided I wanted to play with layering it with a skirt for a more professional look to show how it completely changes the tone of the outfit. I've gotten a few dresses altered that have been shortened just a smidge too much, and have salvaged them by combining them with skirts.

It was SO warm today that I did not wear the sweater for very long. 

Spring, I love you. Thanks for finally coming. Please don't give me major allergies this year.

Hope you all have a wonderful, wonderful weekend!

 

20 down, 25 to go.

A Maven of a day, or Dress #19

Denim vest: Forever 21, from Jade for the Mailbox Mavens;

Dress: Target;

Sandals: Miss Trish of Capri, Target;

Blue bangle: Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI;

Silver bangle: birthday gift from Mom.

How I've worn the dress before: here, here.

So excited to do my first Mailbox Mavens post! The lovely Jade from Lowbrow Style is the owner of this denim vest, which I wanted to grab up immediately when she posted it. Here's how Jade styled it:

 

Love how she paired blues and blacks with the vest -- so chic! For me, this was a fun challenge because I don't own a denim vest, so I wanted to somehow incorporate one into my Dress Project. I decided to go super casual because of the nice, warm weather and went with some fun sandals I bought last year. It was so fun to be adventurous and try out a little bit of someone else's style.

Stay tuned for more Mailbox Mavens stylings! Here's a peek at some of the combinations Jade, Tabitha , Christina, Clare and Terra have done from our group pool.

Hope you all have a wonderful night! So happy tomorrow is Friday!

 

19 down, 26 to go.