Weekend Pattern Mix

Delight Full Skirt--Sunday, 10/4/15

When I saw this marvelous plaid dress + striped cardigan combo, I immediately knew I had to recreate it with my beloved full plaid skirt.

From alabouroflife.com

Luckily I have just the cardigan to make this combination work.  How perfect is that?

Black/blue/white full plaid skirt (thrifted, Liz Claiborne), $1.50/wear
White/navy/aqua striped cardigan (Kohls), $3.00/wear
White short-sleeved T (thrifted, Rebecca Malone), $2.00/wear
Aqua infinity scarf (Kohls), $2.92/wear
Chambray flats (Payless), $4.25/wear

Outfit total: $13.67/wear

I have in the last year or so realized that I have a tendency to over-purchase full/pleated/etc. casual skirts made from lightweight patterned cotton fabric.  There are a lot of these at Goodwill, and because the Thighs of the Colossus approve of the extra room underneath the skirt, there's a pretty wide range of sizes that I can wear--thus, it's one of my most easily found thrift store items.  But Coldville has a climate where these skirts are wearable at most about 4 months of the year, and it's difficult for me to style them in ways that I like for work--they are cute and girly in a way that does not speak "uber-competent research analyst."  Even for casual wear, they also aren't as versatile as other skirts I own, that have easier to work with shapes (like pencil or simple A-line) and colors/classic patterns that go with a lot of things.  I have been editing these out of my closet (with a serious reduction when I started planning the Work the Wardrobe Challenge) and have been making a point not to purchase any more of them.

Nevertheless, when I saw this one at the thrift store this past summer, I fell for it hard.  It's ridiculous--it has what appear to be actual petticoats underneath and despite the lightweight fabric, it feels heavy.  It's all that...and plaid!  I mean, WTH?  I could not resist it.  And damn if this poufy, full square-dance-esque skirt doesn't make me happy every time I wear it. 

What could be better than a striped outfit?  A striped rabbit!  Happy Bunday!

In other news...My allergies have been really bad lately but even though I felt kind of sick at times, I was still able to spend some time playing Fallout this weekend (and exercising), so I consider it a success.  Now if only I had another two days before I had to go back to work, things would be great!