Layers Only

In this outfit:

Sweater: Vintage cashmere/ Thrifted ($5-ish)

Dress: Swapped

Belt: Vintage Dior/ Thrifted ($2)

Boots: Plume/ Beacon's Closet ($60)

Socks: Urban Outfitters ($14)

Bracelet: Thrifted ($2)

Where I wore it: To the office!

Sometimes when I can't think of a title for a post, I'll search one word in my iTunes to see what song titles come up. When I searched "layers", I got two hits: Players Only by R. Kelly, and the instrumental version of Dancing Queen by the String Tribute Players (we downloaded it for our wedding because we're classy like that). I think the choice was clear. R. Kelly pun it is.

I wore this at the end of last week. After five straight days of rain, I just wanted to wear something nice, and this outfit came together pretty naturally. I bought these boots on my whirlwind trip to NYC a couple of weeks ago, and when I set them down in my closet, they landed beneath the hem of this floral dress I scored at a clothing swap earlier in the month. I just really liked how the colors looked together in my closet, so after a few additions this is what I ended up with-- and I love it.

I feel as if this is a good example of how to transition a summer dress to fall/winter. The dress itself is fairly gauzy with a loose fitting top, so in order to give it some structure I added a tighter sweater and a waist-defining belt, and to keep it from sticking to my tights, I layered a slip beneath. I think next time, I won't wear black tights, but a lighter, less eye-catching color-- although truthfully, I don't really mind the effect.

PS- Go Vote! Need to find your polling place? Here's a funny website to help you!

Little White Dress

In this outfit:
Jacket: BB Dakota (last year, similar)
Dress: Urban Outfitters ($15 sale)
Tights: American Apparel super opaque ($25)
Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell (old)
Bracelet: Thrifted ($2)

Where I wore it: To the office

This weekend, the cat situation regressed to near-disastrous levels (I have the bandages on my arm to prove it), so I stayed out of the house (after separating the cats of course), and did some therapy shopping. Therapy shopping is always better when there's a sale, so I was super happy when I walked into UO to find they were offering an extra 50% off sale prices. I saw this white dress a few months ago, and fell in love, but I loved it even more for $15 bucks! It's definitely a summery dress, but it's not cotton (personally a straight cotton dress is a little too summery for me to transition) so with a slip and tank top layered underneath, it works for cooler weather too. Do you wear slips? I purchase half slips second hand (in good condition of course) to wear with skirts and dresses, and then cut them to the length I need. As long as the slip is polyester or nylon, it won't fray, and will act as a lining for an unlined piece of clothing. They're especially handy when you're wearing tights, your dress won't bunch or stick to your legs.

After living in jeans for the past couple of weeks, it was so nice to put on a dress. The weather had been hovering in the high 60's to 70's, making it a little tough to put on tights, but Monday morning, the temp dropped. We even had to turn the heat on last night. And, man it's really starting to get dark out earlier! I rushed home after work yesterday so Chris could take some pictures and we had about 10 minutes before we lost the light. All last week it was either raining or too dark, so I think it's time we change our photo schedule! Here's to waking up even earlier in order to take pictures!

P.S. I have an interview up on the Propelle blog today, if you're interested in reading it, you can find it here!