Focal item: Blue and white striped button up shirt
A colorful skirt, button up shirt, and a pop of leopard is a nice combination.
But I'm not going to wear the combination this way. I've found that I learn about my personal style preferences not only from the inspiration photos that appeal to me, but how I modify them when developing my own outfits.
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| From alaplagestyle.com |
A strong Sally style preference: I am not tucking in a button up shirt. It's just not happening. Sure, it looks nice when people do it, but (1) it's uncomfortable, (2) on me it almost always causes awkward bunching underneath the skirt or pants (I don't understand how other people manage to avoid this), and (3) it's difficult to maintain--the shirt wants to untuck itself as the day goes on anyway and add bathroom breaks to that, and it becomes impossible to deal with. So I take advantage of the "casual" aspect of our business casual workplace and wear the shirttails out.
A strong Sally style preference: I don't wear heels, except for job interviews.
A moderately strong Sally style preference: I really like to add some kind of third piece to my outfits--a sweater, vest, cardigan, jacket, scarf...something to give the ensemble some kind of closure. I will wear outfits without it (especially when it's hot or for practical reasons) but I definitely gravitate toward adding this third piece.
A moderate Sally style preference: Related to my preference for untucked shirts, I don't really go for wearing belts. With an untucked top, a belt just adds bulk and lumpiness. I will sometimes wear a belt on top of my layers or with a half-tucked top, but I mostly just skip it.
And that's how you go from the outfit in the inspiration photo to this Sally-fied version.
Blue/black/white striped button up shirt (thrifted, Kohls), $2.00/wear+
Burgundy pencil skirt (Nordstrom), $5.65/wear
Chambray flats (Payless), $5.66/wear
Light blue/orchid floral/leopard scarf (thrifted), $3.50/wear
Outfit total: $16.81/wear
I have two blue and white striped button up shirts. Well, I should say had two of them. The one that I had initially selected for this outfit felt a little funny when I put it on, so I tried this second one, and I loved the fit and comfort. So the other shirt is going to Goodwill. I really don't need two blue and white striped button up shirts (they even both had 3/4 length sleeves!) so it makes a lot of sense to just keep the one I like better than the other in every way. I don't wear this kind of shirt so frequently that I need a spare (I have my own washer and dryer in my apartment, after all), and it actually can be confusing to have two because I don't easily remember that one I like a lot and the other is meh. This shirt stands ready to serve all of my blue and white striped shirt needs.
I am finally reaching the end of the apartment photos! Here is the birdwatching bookshelf in the living room/dining room intersection, across from the sliding doors to the balcony. It's handy having all our bird references close by when we see something outside we want to check out, and these days, Robert's binoculars are always on top of the bookshelf, ready to be grabbed.
In other news...Golden Oldies fans, check out this version of "My Heart Will Go On" (the theme from Titanic) reimagined as an upbeat 50s song--it kills!
I've had a stiff/sore neck and shoulders all day today (as in, I am doing that anti-owl thing where you have to twist your entire torso to look to the side), which is a bummer because otherwise my day back at work after the long weekend was just fine.
But on the plus side, our apartment got cleaned this morning. Man, did it need it, too!
2 comments:
I meant to comment on this, so it's late. I love the blouse! You know how I am about blue and white stripes. It's totally something I would wear. Next time we visit I'll have to sneak it into my suitcase. If I can find it in your closet! :-)
Yes, it's definitely a keeper! I will have to do a luggage check next time you visit. ;)
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