When I saw my floral blouse and mottled maroon blazer together in the closet, I realized that this would not only be a great color match but an amusing opportunity to wear two of my 88 cent items together. But when I saw the photos, I realized it was less successful in practice than it was in concept, and I think that's because the high stance of the blazer seems frumpy somehow. As you can see in the photo below, the opening of the blazer above the (long row of) buttons is very high. Unfortunately, a high stance can make a blazer look "a little dated and matronly" and keeping it unbuttoned doesn't seem to totally mitigate that. So I did feel frumpy in the outfit.
Bridgette Raes recommends tailoring, using more modern pieces, and replacing old items as a way to combat the frump. All good suggestions, but to salvage this outfit, I did something a lot easier--I just wore a black scarf open along the edges of the blazer, obscuring the collar. Viola, much less frumpy. I love the fit and the interesting texture of this blazer, so I don't want to return it to the thrift store quite yet (despite getting the cost per wear down to 29 cents). I'm hoping that the open scarf trick will continue to work. Fortunately, wearing a scarf is a standard aspect of my style, so it feels very me to wear one...though I did have my moments in which I felt a little bit Jay Gatsby wearing it that way.
Black work pants (thrifted, CJ Banks), $0.75/wear
Teal/black/burgundy floral blouse (thrifted, JNY), $0.29/wear
Maroon mottled blazer (thrifted, Le Suit), $0.29/wear
Black socks + black pointy-toed flats (Nordstrom), $1.78/wear
Braided pearl necklace (Loft), $10.76/wear
Black scarf (Target), $0.92/wear
Outfit total: $14.79/wear
While I'm getting tripped up by somewhat dated clothing details, this rabbit demonstrates classic style. (Plus look at the little feet sticking out--squee!)
In other news...I might wear a matronly blazer, but hey, at least there is no way in hell that I am falling victim to the ridiculous notion that Crocs are a trendy fashion item for 2017. When Tam sent this article (with the subject "signs of the apocalypse"), I was like, Wait, is it April 1st already?
5 comments:
As I read this, on the train, on a very wet and rainy day... there is a woman in a rain poncho wearing fluorescent pink clogs (open heel and all) with socks. How will her feet not get soaked?
Pax has a pair of hand-me-down crocs he wears in the backyard. I wear my matching garden clogs when I'm out there. (Both are green)
Open heel + socks + rain = certain sogginess. That seems unwise.
A pair of crocs dedicated to wearing in the yard seems reasonable...on a baby, certainly.
My Crocs are great house slippers and pretty good wear-to-the-store type shoes. They're easier to put on than tennis shoes and less restrictive for all-day wear. Worn with wool socks they're quite cozy. If they do get wet, the shoes dry quickly and the socks keep you warm anyway.
That said, the idea of anything I wear being considered fashionable is absurd. I basically dress like a toddler whenever I can get away with it. And, I mean, not a younger toddler whose parents can dress them, but an older toddler who screams and has a fit if anything is itchy.
One thing that confuses me about the Crocs-as-comfort-wear is how they are comfortable for walking around with basically no support.
The ones I wear do have support. It's hard to explain but true. I mean they're not for running or long walks, but they're not like slippers or just a firm sponge either.
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