Throwback to Fall

Evidence of how scatterbrained I've been when it comes to anything outside of work: these photos, which were taken, oh, a couple of days after I returned from St. Louis Fashion Week. About two months ago. Long hair, leaves on the trees instead of the ground, how things have changed. On the upside, I think I'm officially caught up with all my random old outfit photo sets, bring on winter, layers, and snow! There is actually ice on the inside of our kitchen window this morning. It's cold.

I thrifted this dress over the summer, and while I loved the colors and pattern, the baggy 90s silhouette left a little to be desired. Nothing a jacket and knotted hem can't improve. I've long since switched to tights and long-sleeve dresses, but these ideas can certainly be translated to winter wear.

What I wore:
Dress: Thrifted
Jacket: old F21 (similar)
Boots: Frye/swapped (similar)
Hat: K2
Bracelets: Thrifted
Necklaces: Gifts/swapped/Moorea Seal

Final Days of Fall

This foliage is long gone, replaced with grey skies and bare trees. Foliage season in Pittsburgh is short, but lovely, though I have to admit to liking this time of year just as much. On this particular day, Chris and I walked down to the East End Book Exchange for our friend Bess' pop-up shop (a Red Pop Shop Pop-Up Shop?). I love living in proximity to stuff again, to be able to walk places again after living in a fairly removed neighborhood, something I completely took for granted when we were living in Massachusetts.

I've been wearing this sweater non-stop lately. It's so warm! Pullovers, beanies, and boots -- those are my wardrobe staples these days. Big surprise, right?

What I wore:

Coat: J.Crew (2011)

Sweater: Thrifted

Shorts: Thrifted & chopped Levi's

Tights: AA Super Opaque

Hat: Target

Boots c/o Choies

Bag: Thrifted/ Vintage Coach

Bracelet & midi ring c/o Lulu's

A Little Lace and Flannel

A flannel and a biker jacket? The perfect way to toughen up a girly, lacy dress (and add a little warmth). I've had this dress for a few years now, and it's become a quiet staple. Something I don't wear often, but has stood the test of time.

The temperature has dropped significantly over the past few days, making lots of layers a necessity. I love stepping out into crisp, cold air in the mornings, with a little snow crunching beneath my feet. I'm sure I'll be singing a different tune in a couple of months, but right now I'm savoring this time of year.

What I Wore:

Dress: Darling

Flannel: Old

Jacket: ModCloth (old, similar)

Tights: AA super opaque

Boots c/o ShoeMint

Ring: UO

See how I wore this dress in 2011 and in 2012.

One Tee, Three Ways + A Giveaway With StyleMint!

I'm a firm believer that the right tee can take an outfit a long way. Whether you wear it knotted in the back, or tucked in the front, modified into a crop with a strategically placed knot, or with sleeves rolled up, a basic white or black tee can transform an outfit -- or even a singular piece (like the striped skirt, above, which is actually a dress).

I'm stoked to bring you today's giveaway from StyleMint -- StyleMint is a pretty dreamy concept: Designed by Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen, StyleMint is a free, members-only website offering personalized style recommendations based on your profile (plus free shipping and returns!). Signing up is super easy, and it's fun to see each month's new recommendations -- which range from their classic, super-soft designer tees (which all ring in at $29.99), to of-the-moment trend pieces like faux-leather dresses and varsity-style jackets. 

StyleMint kindly sent me this versatile tee from their new line of basics called "The Classics"-- made from suprima cotton and micro modal -- and one lucky winner from today's giveaway will win a tee-shirt or tank of their choice!

To enter: Visit StyleMint and sign up (it's completely free with absolutely no obligation to buy), and leave a comment here telling me what your favorite top is. Giveaway is open to US and Canada only. A winner will be chosen on November 18th.

See something you love? StyleMint is kindly offering Orchid Grey readers 20% off their first purchase, just click through to redeem! 

-- Thank you to all who entered the Omnia Vintage giveaway. The winner, via Random.org was comment #60, Sandi. -- 

November Blaze + A Giveaway with Omnia Vintage (CLOSED)

What I Wore: Jacket: Thrifted, Sweater: Urban Outfitters, Jeans: Madewell, Boots c/o ShoeMint, Necklace c/o Unexpected Expectancy, Bag c/o Omnia Vintage

I always seem to forget that fall comes a bit later here in Pittsburgh. While my mom talks of leaf peepers and temperatures in the teens in mid-October, I'm left wondering when fall is going to show up here. But then it happens, one day you walk outside, and BOOM! The trees are ablaze and the weather is that perfect kind of crisp.

For this particular fall Saturday, I threw on my favorite sweater (seriously, I only want this sweater, ever), and a light jacket, and grabbed this roomy vintage rucksack from Omnia Vintage for an afternoon of errands and an Ikea date (which is not actually a date, it's still just errands but there are meatballs involved). This bag is reminiscent of a bag of my moms that I've always coveted. I love a good, simple leather backpack, and the forest green color just makes it that much better.

I'm so excited to be partnering with Omnia Vintage today for a giveaway! After three years selling on Etsy, OV proprietress Naomi has opened a brand new online boutique chock full of vintage bags, clothing, and incredible jewelry. Naomi is kindly offering one lucky winner $75 to use towards anything in her shop! Pretty amazing right?

To Enter: Visit Omnia Vintage and take a look around, and leave a comment on this post with a link to your favorite item from the shop. Good luck!

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Tiny print: Giveaway ends on Monday November 11th  at 10pm. One entry per person. Winner will be chosen using a random number generator. Winner will have a 48 hour grace period to respond to email notification before a replacement winner will be chosen.  Be sure to leave an email address in your comment if you do not have a blog where I can EASILY reach you. The winner will be chosen in a timely manner, and notified, but I reserve the right as proprietor of this blog to announce the winner when and if I see fit. Winner is responsible for any additional costs associated with prize (shipping, additional amount spent).

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Prowl

Photos by Elizabeth

I wore this to: St. Louis Fashion Week  

I know, my trip to St. Louis was literally weeks ago. Well, here's the last of it friends, this is what I wore for brunch at Saks and lunch at Neiman Marcus. This outfit reminded me a bit of Gloria Steinem. Maybe it was the glasses. For a day spent out of my comfort zone, I needed all the extra confidence I could muster, Gloria was my spirit animal for the day. Both stores were wonderful hosts and held amazing events for us bloggers, but I'm not going to lie, when I visit large department stores -- especially those that cater to high-end fashion -- I feel completely, undeniably out of place. And that's ok, it's pretty much me making myself uncomfortable. I'm more of a polyester cat-dress, thrifted Bongo boots kind of girl.

That's right, I'm wearing Bongo. My 90's pre-teen self is swooning. I snatched up these black booties at the Savers shopping event held for us during STLFW, and had to laugh when I saw the brand. I remember coveting Bongo jeans and shoes in middle school, most likely due to a persuasive ad in YM or Teen magazine. There's something so satisfying about answering the question "who makes your boots?" with the reply, "thanks! I got them at Savers for five bucks, they're Bongo!"

What I wore:

Dress: Mousevox Vintage

Necklace: Moorea Seal (gift)

Boots: Thrifted via Savers

Sunglasses: shop in Austin
Bracelet: Thrifted

Varsity

There's a funny sort of irony to wearing a varsity-style sweater or jacket, so collegiate and classically academic, I was the farthest thing from those descriptors while an actual student. More often than not, my teenage self could be found hidden away in the art room, or sneaking off to watch "High Fidelity" at a friend's house during algebra. It baffles me when some describe high school as the best years of their life, frankly you couldn't pay me enough to relive those years. But, I'll happily don a varsity-style sweater these days, so long as it's in black and not paired with anything resembling 'slacks'.

Penny loafers are really pushing it here, Chris shoved actual shiny pennies into these, you know, just to drive the point home that these are Loafers with a capitol 'L' and meant for penny transporting.

What I wore:

Sweater: ModCloth

Top: American Apparel

Belt: J.Crew Factory

Jeans: Cheap Monday
Loafers: Thrifted/Bass
Bracelet: Thrifted
Phone case: Rifle Paper
Sunglasses: TjMaxx/Ray Ban

Johnny Cash Night

Once a year, the ELKS Lodge in Pittsburgh hosts a magical thing called Johnny Cash Night, at which you drink Makers Mark, spin a wheel for prizes, and eat amazing food, all while listening to a number of local bands pay tribute to The Man in Black. And every year, we manage to forget all about it until the week of, when we also manage to root out tickets. I love the spontaneity, it's a nice sort-of-surprise date night, a break from the norm, something that at this point could be considered tradition. This is what I wore on that particular evening, last month. I love red and pink paired together, and the easy silhouette of a skirt and sweater.

What I wore:

Top: Vintage/Allen Company Vintage 
Skirt: American Apparel
Jacket: Vintage Lee/Avalon Exc.
Flats: ModCloth (old)
Purse: Vintage/ Brimfield Flea
Valentine pin: Vintage/ Flea market

I wore this to Johnny Cash Night at the ELKS Lodge

Plum

Biting the bullet, because it feels weird to post photos that are nearly three weeks old, when -- to me -- I now look totally different. Yay, haircuts. It's still settling in to itself, but man, my head feels lighter. So, a quick break from St. Louis outfits to show you what I wore this past weekend.

On Sunday, Chris and I had exactly four hours to do something, so we decided on apple picking. Huge, gigantic mistake. Where we ended up turned out to be ground zero for family-fall-fun-fest-extravaganza and just not our cup of tea. But, despite the lack of apples, this was the perfect apple picking outfit -- A cozy sweater, easy jeans, and a big bag to stuff my camera (and everything else) into. 
 
What I wore:

Sweater: TjMaxx

Jeans: Madewell/ Avalon Exc.

'Arizona' bag c/o BaliELF
Boots: Seychelles 'Lucky Penny'
Owl claw necklace: Black Sparrow (gift)
Chain bracelet: Thrifted
Hat: Target

I wore this for a failed attempt at apple-picking