Remixed: French Connection dress

This lacy French Connection dress had its inaugural wear during my wedding (it was my after-reception dress). It languished in my closet for many months until I decided to try it for everyday use. Its silk and lace detailing scream bridal confection, but its neutral color keeps it a practical closet piece.

All the ways I've worn it:

Thoughts from the Sidewalk

Lyrics from "You and I" by Ingrid Michaelson. I've been singing this song under my breath for about a week now -- it's so upbeat!

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?

Show and tell

Just a few silly things from the last month:

We went to trivia recently and I took photos from my Coke Zero's eye view.

It snowed on Christmas Day (a freak occurrence in Georgia) and Sprinkle made some snow angels in the yard.

And finally, a very blurry introduction to 2011:

On the banks of Plum Creek

 Dress: thrifted, possibly vintage, homemade; 

Belt: BR, from Marilou; Boots: Target;

Rose bracelet: vintage, gift from my sister;

Rock bracelets: from Mexico, gift from Jessica.

It's been so long since I've taken daily outfit photos, I feel like a stranger around these parts. Let me re-introduce myself. Hi, I'm JoAnn. I like blogging, Old Hollywood movies and peppermint ice cream. I'm a Capricorn with a penchant for Libran scarves. And sometimes I dress up like an extra on Little House on the Prairie.

It was unusually warm this weekend, so I took advantage of the nice weather by wearing boots (with no tights) and this newly-thrifted candystriper prairie dress. It's made of a sack-like cotton material and has rows of buttons on the sleeves and the chest area, and it looks to be homemade. Because it has no tag, I'm having a hard time placing what time period it's from, though it could have been a recent art project or something. It would be fun to wear with a petticoat underneath because of how much the skirt billows out.

How was your holiday? Jeremiah and I spent the last few days away visiting family and friends. I'm slowly getting back into the routine of things after my gluttonous week, and I'm back to work on Tuesday. So much happened that for posterity's sake, I feel like listing some of it (again, Capricorn here).

During vacation, I:

- Celebrated my sister's birthday and my parents' anniversary;

- Watched a ridiculous amount of television dvds (mostly "Community" and "Glee") and saw "Black Swan" (which was grotesque and outstanding, and I'm still having nightmares over some of the scenes);

-  Thrift-shopped a little bit;

- Got a haircut, though it's so similar to my last one I'm thinking of chopping some more of my hair off;

- Was ridiculously spoiled by family with gifts and food. I'm grateful for all of it.

I am really excited about getting back to blogging. The break has helped me relax and kind of take a step back from the blog and photography, and made me realize some of the things I'd like to do. Starting next week, I'll be rolling out some new ideas and features that will help shape a blog schedule for Sidewalk Chic -- I am really excited and I hope you'll enjoy them. 

How was your break? How are you surviving the winter doldrums?