Taxing

This top was a gift from Sal, and it wasn't until after she left that I realized how perfectly it matches my favorite, most comfy pair of pants. I wore this outfit to go to an appointment with my tax guy, during which I discovered that the tax laws are even more confusing and nonsensical than I had previously thought. I guess that's why I don't do my taxes myself.

I took these pictures outside so that you can see the pretty teal color of the pants, which ordinarily doesn't show up very well with flash lighting indoors.

Top: Barbara Lesser
Pants: Anthropologie
Shoes: Born

Apparent Lengths

When I put this outfit together I was 100% convinced I had paired this dress and vest before, but on perusing my archives I see it isn't so. Here I thought I was being completely unimaginative and was only changing up the boots, and instead I had created a whole new outfit. Score!

I like the fact that this dress can be adjusted to different apparent lengths simply by scrunching up or pulling down the stretchy lining, since that opaque line is visible through the sheer layer. Here I wore it at hip length to create a longer leg line; I find that for me the upper hip tends to be a flattering spot for tops to sit. The hem of the lining can actually reach nearly to the bottom of the sheer upper layer (on the short side anyway), and if I were going to wear it that low I would probably pair it with a higher heel.


Dress: Asos
Vest: All Saints
Pants: Club Monaco
Boots: Brako
Bracelet, crystal and silver ring: Metal Pointu
Pearl and silver ring: Manu Lizarralde

Foiled Again

Well, I tried to wear this outfit, but I was foiled again by our unseasonably warm weather. No sooner had I taken the photos than I was starting to sweat, so the vest had to go. Sigh. Buying this vest seemed like such a great idea when I snagged it on sale last year. In New York. In February. After a snow storm. A California wardrobe staple this is not, but it makes for a good picture.

Vest: Adrienne Landau
Tunic: All Saints
Pants: Club Monaco
Shoes: MIA
Necklace: Wendy Brandes

Coldish

Last week it got cold-ish for a couple of days, so I pulled my winter items out from storage. These leather pants haven't seen the light of day for quite some time, and frankly I'm starting to worry that this might be one of the only wears they get this winter. I thought they went beautifully with the blazer and boots.

I tried out some of the new shatter nail polish from OPI, and I quite like the effect. It was remarkably easy to do; you just apply it over any regular nail polish and within a few seconds it starts to crack. It doesn't even have to be applied evenly or very thick, because when the polish cracks it clumps together and becomes more opaque. Recently I read that gold nails are big for spring, and this is one trend I can certainly get on board with. It's not a huge investment, it looks good on everyone, and it's a great way to mix metals if most of your jewelry happens to be silver, as mine is. 

Blazer: Helmut Lang
Shirt: All Saints
Necklace: Manu Lizarralde
Pants: Firetrap
Boots: Brako

A Whole New Look

It was really only a matter of time before I started digging up older outfits, swapping in a couple of items such as these fab new boots and jewelry, and calling it a whole new look. I've actually done this quite a bit lately, partly because I'm at a new job and nobody has seen any of my past outfits anyway, so why not recycle the best ones? And partly because as crazy as it sounds, I actually want to get to work in the mornings and therefore don't linger as long over what I'm going to wear. One of the real benefits of maintaining a daily wear blog for so long is that I can search the archives if I'm pressed for time and come up with an outfit in a snap.

And hey, if you haven't already done so, please consider becoming a backer for fabulous designer Stacy Lomman's fall line. After successfully funding her last Kickstarter campaign, Stacy put on a great runway show for her spring "Biohazard" line, and has since been named a finalist in the 2012 Rising Star Awards. Not one to let the grass grow under her feet, Stacy immediately set to work creating her next collection, called Modern World. Being a huge fan of mod myself, I simply cannot wait to see the new line. The project is more than halfway funded, and every little bit will help Stacy to reach the finish line.

Dress: Aryeh
Jacket: B. Bella
Boots: Brako
Jewelry: Metal Pointu

Happy Feet

Here's an outfit that I put together specifically for comfort while walking to work. For the walk I wore my Bastien short boots, and packed the ones you see here (which are comfortable, but not 3 miles' worth of comfortable) in my backpack for swapping once I got to work.

The Bastiens have been getting a lot of wear lately, so much so that I recently went scouring both the internets and the stores in search of some additional walking shoes, because even the best pair can't be worn every day for 3 (or more likely 6, because I often walk home too) miles of walking.

I ended up with a pair of Ecco boots, which have the bonus of being waterproof, and a pair of Romika short boots, which pretty much feel like slippers, only with really good arch support. Both meet my criteria of being cute enough to wear with most outfits during the walk, or even for the whole day if I don't feel like carrying extra shoes. My feet are happy.

Dress: Red Dress Shoppe
Cardigan: H&M
Tights: Sock Dreams
Boots: All Black