a beginning with pants.

loft diamond print cropped pants   ·   mossimo sweater {thrifted}
target necklace & belt {thrifted target stock}   ·   cl irresistible bol wedges

i've participated in theme weeks these past two weeks, so i decided to give myself free reign at my closet this week instead of jumping right into another one.  this also gives me the opportunity to wear one of the new clothing items i've purchased this month - these patterned pants.  even though i wear patterned skirts with confidence, i have never envisioned myself in patterned pants!  i automatically assumed they wouldn't work for me so i wrote them off without ever trying a pair on. 

my personal style has really been changing since i started a different job earlier this year.  my previous job was primarily a desk job--i could hide out in my little cubicle and not present myself to others if i didn't want to.  i don't mean that i was closed off or unfriendly, i just mean that there was little risk in wearing bold colors or patterned skirts if no one ever really saw what i was wearing as i sat behind my desk all day.

my current job is so different.  i squat beside my residents in their wheelchairs so we can be eye-to-eye, i kneel on the floor beside dining room tables to take breakfast orders, i perch on the edges of beds to visit, and i walk up and down long hallways multiple times a day.  gone are the days where i can comfortably wear most high heels, that is for sure!

it's interesting and important to me to track the progression of my style and reflect on how it's impacted by so many different factors... not only the ones i noted above, but also my personal preferences, my weight, the appearance i want to present toward others.  my new workplace is so casual and relaxed and my personal style is changing to reflect that - i've sold/donated almost all of my heels and i'm on the hunt for different styles of pants to incorporate into my wardrobe as that is what i feel more comfortable in nowadays based on what my job requires of me.

a couple weeks ago i took a leap and ordered two pairs of patterned pants from loft.  i paid more for them than i would have at my usual stores of old navy or target, but as soon as i slipped this pair on, they felt very much to be a reflection of present day heidi.  i'd pay that price again and again to have a garment i feel that great in (even though i wish they were a size smaller; i was unsure of the sizing as i've never shopped at loft before).  i will continue to wear skirts and dresses and heels (albeit less often), but i feel my new found love for pants - and dare i say patterned ones at that - will make my entire wardrobe more well-rounded.  that's something that's really important to me too.

do you notice your style changing over time in a similar way?  if you got this far, phew - thanks for reading!

get the look:  exact pants {i'm 5'5" and ordered the tall to have a longer inseam because i don't like pants that hit above my ankles.  the length of these loft pants is better, right?  i welcome your objective opinion!} / similar sweater / similar necklace / similar belt / exact wedges

august 13th {jewel}

banana republic dress turned blouse {thrifted}   ·   merona doubleweave skirt
chaps blazer {thrifted}   ·   dexter kylie wedges

this is a pretty simple outfit:  blouse + skirt, but i really liked the unexpected combination of the green + magenta.  i have only worn this blouse once last summer, so it felt good to let it shine at least once this summer.  our air conditioning has been off and the windows have been open for the longest time, so it almost doesn't even feel like summer right now.  but unlike the person who resides in the cube in front of me at work who has her space heater by her feet turned on all day long, i still can manage wearing short sleeves or 3/4 sleeves - this outfit just felt like it needed to be blazer-ified (the blazer and wedges are navy).

thanks for visiting, i hope your week is off to a great start!

february 28th {colorful}

merona cardigan {thrifted target stock}   ·   limited scarf {thrifted}
j crew factory pencil skirt    ·   lela rose for payless heels

it's funny, i read about 3-4 blog posts today in which the blogger lamented for spring, either because of the potential for warmer weather or for the opportunity to wear brighter clothes.  well, not this lady... we're still in the dead of winter here in minnesota but i'm already dressing like it's spring!  i can get disillusioned after reading so many other people's thoughts about getting dressed, but sometimes i just want to say, "wear what you want, when you want, the end!"  is that bad?  what i mean is, there should be no rule that you have to wait until a certain calendar month to wear a certain color or print.  because really... who should it matter to aside from anyone but you?  when i bought my green gingham shirt and orange button-down at old navy a few weeks back, the cashier said, "looks like you're doing some spring shopping!"  and i thought to myself, "er, no... i do not plan to stick these in the back of my closet and not wear them until may."  i'm all for wearing what you want and wearing it proudly... and that includes color (can you tell!).

i don't mind winter, but one reason i am looking forward to spring is so i don't have to wear tights as often.  i'm getting stumped on matching tights to my outfits and then shoes.  i also have some shoes that just don't look right with tights that i'm ready to wear again (nude wedges, i'm looking at you).

do you feel as though you have to balance colors, textures, prints with the seasons or do you wear what you want, when you want?  i think it is so interesting to hear other people's take on this!  thanks for visiting.

monday (scarfed)

old navy sweater   &middot   dexter kylie wedges {on sale for $19!)

mossimo scarf & slacks {both thrifted target stock}

 

i went to my favorite goodwill for the first time in over a month yesterday and was inundated with target stock.  this scarf and another merona bow blouse (i now have it in all three prints, thanks goodwill!) and a necklace was all i picked up, but i think there was more thrifted target stock than anything else.  i should mention that i use the phrase "thrifted target stock" to refer to the donated target merchandise that i find at my local GWs.  i am not sure if i have ever really explained that before.  from what i have deduced over the years, target has a relationship with GW and will donate clearance or returned merchandise to be sold there.  this merchandise is denoted with a specific color tag and is rarely discounted.  i have never actually asked an employee about this before, this is simply what i have intuitively figured out over the years.  the merchandise ranges from clothing, shoes, accessories, household goods, furniture, you name it - if it doesn't sell at target, it will often end up at the GW.  yesterday there was even a bin full of it, all marked at 49c (nothing that exciting, sadly, mostly just shorts & swim suits).

 

here is another one of my finds... a great j crew strapless eyelet/scallop dress {i also found  an orange j crew shell!}.  the dress is about 2 sizes too small for me, but it was only $4.50 - plus, it's brand new with tags and the back kick pleat is still sewn shut.  i bet you can understand how bummed i was that it didn't fit!  but what could i do?  definitely not leave it there!  do you ever thrift items that don't fit with either a) the hope of fitting into it sometime in the future, or b) to resell?  i'm leaning towards the latter because let's face it, i exercise about once every other month and i know j crew sells well on ebay.  i'll probably still find myself staring at it longingly until i list it.  have you thrifted anything special lately? 

 

i hope your week is off to a great start!

friday {copycat}

 merona skirt {ebay}   ·   merona cardigan {thrifted target stock}

merona mari pumps   ·   nicole by nicole miller blazer {thrifted}

 

copycat / if there were ever a day to wear a skirt you've been lusting after for probably about a year after seeing it on your friend whitney, it should be on a friday! {i've never wanted to add something to my wardrobe more than this skirt & i finally found one recently on ebay!} 

monday.

 

mossimo blouse {thrifted target stock}   handmade (by me) skirt

target belt & necklace   merona mari pumps

No. 2 pencil skirt in Caribbean tweed

the skirt i'm wearing today reminds me of the gorgeous j crew #2 pencil skirt in caribbean tweed.  i think it's a pretty good duplication and a fun, bright print with some texture to it to start out the work week.  i also like how the necklace brings out both the blue in my blouse and the green in my skirt and it's all anchored by the brown accessories.  although i don't match my purse to my shoes or belt, i do love it when my shoes and belt match!

much like the temperature woes i experienced last summer in my old office {the 3-4 people i shared an office with never wanted to turn the window a/c unit on}, i am now in an office in the basement of a new building that apparently the a/c doesn't want to reach.  the bathroom and break room on the same level are ice-box cold but the hallway and offices have no cool air circulating, so it's a humid, muggy feeling.  hopefully it doesn't get much worse as the summer progresses as i'm not sure how differently i could dress compared to today to maximize my comfort!  are you experiencing any similar weather woes in your office environment?  have a great evening!

friday (!)

merona essential cardigan {thrifted target stock}   loft rose print shell {thrifted}

banana republic skirt {thrifted}   merona mari faux crocodile pumps

this outfit is so me.  i feel obligated to talk about how much i love this skirt whenever i wear it.  it instantly turns a couple pieces of clothes into an outfit.  i think that navy is my go-to neutral and i'm sure one of these days it will surpass my trusty black pencil skirt in number of wears.

i found this loft shell at my second favorite goodwill (yep, they're ranked) on wednesday when i was in that area for a home visit with a client.  there were no sales that day, but when i saw this shell, a banana republic blouse, and an h&m blouse, i snatched all three up.  i used to be really strict with myself and only buy clothing at the GW if it was marked with the correct color tag that was on sale that day, but i knew i would have regretted it if i had left this blouse.  i have a feeling that the same person donated all of the items that i purchased.  it's fun when you hit the thrift stores on the right days!

have a GREAT weekend!

wednesday (challenged: bow blouse)

 

 old navy bow tie blouse {temporarily swapped}   gap cardigan

semantiks skirt {thrifted}   handmade necklace

target belt   american eagle myles riding boots

why is it that the week leading up to a vacation is always so stressful?  i always feel twice as stressed before i can finally leave for a vacation and totally let it all go.  all i can think about is everything that needs to be done around my apartment before the end of the week {i can't stand coming home to a messy apartment after a trip... or knowing that my pet sitter is going to see my mess while i'm away!}.  hopefully my look didn't come across as disheveled as my mind feels.  i wasn't quite sure how to wear this bow-tie blouse whitney sent me for our challenge this week; i tried to be creative and wear it backwards but that didn't work, so i wore it the most natural way tied loosely in the front.  i remember seeing this blouse at old navy but didn't snatch it up, so i'm glad i got to wear whitney's!  if you haven't been with me this week, my friend whitney from between the lines and i are participating in a challenge to style some of each other's clothes that we get stuck wearing the same way over & over.  i have a few more of her pieces to wear, so stick with me!

thanks to any new followers who have come over here from whitney's blog, i hope you are enjoying following our challenge from both perspectives!

{see how whitney wore it here}