Top: back of the closet :)
Cardigan: Sundance Catalog
Skirt: Stewart + Brown
Grey fishnets
Shoes: Cydwoq Recess
Earrings: made by me (blue-green stones on gold chains)
Apologies for the glacial posting on this blog; things have been crazy.
I got to wear J.Crew Lace-Stripe Tissue Tee (also worn here) this week, for the second time. Hm. I've concluded this shirt was not meant to be tucked in. I mean you can tuck it in, it's just you won't get the full benefit of four lace stripes; rather, you'll get two stripes and a sort of mushed-in partial stripe.
I was moving one of my applications into production today, which amounted to going through over a hundred pages of code. Ah...at this point, I'm thinkin', time to step away from the computer. Bye!
Jackie randomness
posted by Colleen Shirazi
on
Monday, April 25, 2011
at 10:03 PM (Pacific)
J.Crew Jackie Shell in Hyacinth
Wore this today...usually I try not to wear the same top in two consecutive weeks (have the notion of prolonging the wear of my stuff), but made an exception for this, because of the color.
This was one of those esoteric, Final Sale drastically marked-down Jackie purchases, and I'm not sure I'd seen Hyacinth in person prior to buying it, but it's grown on me. Light purple is an optimistic color. It's the height of fashion in Iran right now; somehow I feel this sort of positive energy...
OOTD: weekend
posted by Colleen Shirazi
on
Saturday, April 23, 2011
at 6:55 PM (Pacific)
Top: white tee shirt Pendant: gifted (I made a leather cord for it) Jacket: C & C California Skirt: Velvet by Graham and Spencer Boots: Cydwoq (also worn here)
Still playing around with weekend clothes, though I'm pretty much finished with it. By definition, what you wear on the weekend imo should be simple. I have it in mind to get a pair of shoes, but not sure what kind yet...walking shoes, but nice looking ones. Pondering these:
OOTD; random notes
posted by Colleen Shirazi
on
Saturday, April 16, 2011
at 10:34 PM (Pacific)
Top: a white tee shirt :) Jacket: C & C California Skirt: Velvet by Graham and Spencer (worn many times) Shoes: Cydwoq Art (also worn here)
Pixelated close-up of the fish pendant (tooled sterling silver, with two lapis stones):
It's occurred to me, I don't do casual overly well. I got the pendant and jacket to match :D otherwise, I have jeans, cord pants, and lots of tee shirts (including some nice ones from the tech-bubble days)...but I have focused much of my effort on developing my work wardrobe.
Casual clothes should be easy, since you need to please only yourself, i.e., you should wear stuff you would not necessarily wear to work. For the same reason, imo, a work wardrobe is important in the first place. You are an actor, playing a role, and your job is to play this role in the finest way that you can. So how you look reflects what you do, and looking the part makes it easier to get into the groove.
Hence...much as I love this Velvet skirt, it's really not a weekend skirt. I'm thinking something more like this:
...only not in this color. I like the shade, but it's not relaxing (I was sitting on a log today, and hardly felt like wondering what would happen to my skirt).
I've browsed this site off and on for a couple of years, but have now dug more in-depth.
At first blush, YesStyle seems depressing, as many items are labelled "one size." The impression is an entire site comprised of "extra tiny," with a couple "xx-tiny" thrown into the mix, but this is actually untrue. There are just tons and tons of items, and many of them are sized in a range, or it turns out the "one size" is a bit stretchy and/or forgiving. After a while you get the hang of it.
This is a casual skirt, clearly, yet it's thoughtfully constructed. Check the arc shape at the front, instead of the usual straight tiers. It can also be worn as a dress:
...where it's shown over a little tee shirt, thus ending the bra strap/strapless bra quagmire, at least for this particular item.
This also looks useful:
I've had the notion to succumb to the lace skirt fad, but feel a well-made one could become a classic. Why not? I would prefer this off-white style to pure white, and its alternating lace stripes to a solid overlay of lace. The skirt is long enough to work for work, which is another huge bonus.
J.Crew notes
posted by Colleen Shirazi
on
Saturday, April 9, 2011
at 9:05 PM (Pacific)
I went 'Crew-diving, and found some things of interest.
J.Crew Schoolboy Blazer in Eyelet - Smoky Graphite
I'd seen this before, along with the white one, and didn't think to try it on. But something about the grey version caught my eye this time. I seldom wear blazers...don't work in a suit office; even the director of my department does not wear a suit. The eyelet makes this blazer less formal, yet it's cute, and a change from my perpetual cardigan-ness.
J.Crew Shelby Dress in Dusty Pink
This, likewise, has been hanging around the stores for quite a while. I recall seeing the pink version once, maybe twice, followed by a deluge of black, navy and white colorways. I'd never tried Shelby on, and it occurred to me:
You do anything once You try anything twice You do what you got to do But I love you, Suzanne (Lou Reed, if you'd like an eyeful of 80's fashion)
So I went ahead and tried it on. Amazing! Really nice. It looks kinda horrible in the wrong size; I'm between sizes, so went a size down.
J.Crew Voile Tuxedo Tunic in Blue Back Stripe
This was so pretty! but, on me, the fit was awkward, as the buttons gapped at the bust. I felt this top would fare best on someone tall and slim. Loved the beautiful bright blue, sheer material, but passed here.
J.Crew Delaney Eyelet Top in white
I tried this on, and pondered buying it. It's way cheaper in the store, and appears well-made, what with the lining (nice touch!). The wavy eyelet pattern looks cool, and the "ventilated" sleeve design tempts:
In the end, I figured I had enough similar tops (have made a point of collecting office-friendly tops that would work in hot weather). And finally...
J.Crew Jenny Dress in Deep Peri
I'd really wanted to try this on, particularly in the blue colorway, but the fit just was not right on me, and sizing down didn't help. Too bad—for it being a simple dress, the blue would have been stunning on a summery day.
Havin' a good Thursday?
posted by Colleen Shirazi
on
Thursday, April 7, 2011
at 9:10 PM (Pacific)
Top: J.Crew tissue turtleneck in Champagne Taupe cardigan: J.Jill kimono sleeve Necklace: made by me (bigger pic of it here) Skirt: gifted Ivory fishnets Boots: La Canadienne
I am, and hope you are too.
This pic illustrates what I like about this skirt (also worn here, here and here): its distinctly plummy tone. Perhaps the boots bring it out best, since they are straightforward dark brown suede.
I've done some flavors of this outfit a few times now, swapping out the shirt and/or jewelry, but same sweater, skirt, tights and shoes.
This pleases the inner programmer, the idea of a.) much less planning/thought involved in outfit composition and b.) having a template outfit you can plug different shirts into, depending on the weather and what happens to be clean.
Top: gifted Cardigan: J.Crew Jackie in "Pearl" Earrings: made by me Skirt: Stewart + Brown navy blue fishnets Shoes: Cole Haan
I made these earrings quite a while ago, from tourmalines and oxidized sterling chain. They look kinda stiff here; I assure you, they're swingy:
Hm. This outfit is a prime example of the "Gibbs' Rules of Wardrobe Development" I've been fiddling around with, off and on (#4):
Never screw over your partner. This rule supersedes all other rules. (Just kidding, that is an actual Gibbs' Rule.)
Never shop at Banana Republic. The lasting quality of their clothing varies wildly.
If you shop at a store and walk out without buying anything, twice, reconsider the necessity of returning to that store. Time is money.
The first time you wear a new item, odds are good it won't look right.
I reallllly wanted to wear this shirt today, because of its sky-blue color. But this is not the ensemble for it. The stockings came out well (was wondering if they'd appear black, but they were nicely navy), but this shirt deserves a more thought-out setting. Dunno, I'll look into it later.
Top: cotton, made in the Philippines (also worn here) Jacket: C & C California Skirt: Velvet by Graham and Spencer Sandals: Cydwoq Bare
I haven't bothered putting on makeup today, but did don my new Paul and Joe lipstick to show you what it looks like on me.
Hermmm... Pretty much as I'd expected, from reading other bloggers' reviews; one of those natural, "your lips but better" shades. Nicely moisturizing, without flavor or much in the way of scent, pleasant texture on lips—ever so slightly tacky, actually, reminiscent of a good sticky pot lipgloss—but requiring more frequent touching up than my regular Dr. Hauschka.
I rather like it, but can't see a tremendous investment in P & J lippies coming on. Thank G-d. lol #14 is deep pink and warm in tone; no shimmer that I can detect, glossy finish (as I say, feels a bit like a pot gloss on the surface).
Top: Urban Outfitters Ecote Delicate Embroidered Tee Skirt: J.Jill olive silk (also worn here) Nude fishnets Shoes: Cydwoq Category Earrings: made by me (peridot, prehnite and tourmaline)
This is yesterday's ootd, and I hesitated to post it as I had major eyestrain and was tired. But then I thought, is this not a programmer's blog? Is there a programmer in existence who doesn't get eyestrain and never is tired? I liked the outfit, anyway.
I've been working on integrating two entirely separate programs (both mine—the Summer Sessions student portal, and their local version of the campus add/drop/change grading option/change unit value/switch secondary/do everything but cook your lunch program) into what will appear to be one seamless application. It's a bit tricky, since I developed them separately, from discrete concepts.
Top: cropped eyelet, by Lush Earrings: made by me Skirt: Tulle (also worn here) Grey fishnets Shoes: Cole Haan
I posted about this top a while back and got to wear it today. I don't have a pic of the earrings, but they're silver chains with drops of aquamarine and green amethyst—designed to evoke falling rain.
