Making Desigual proud

Unless you live somewhere European, you probably haven't heard of Desigual; the brand is based out of Spain and creates clothing meant to be like no other, with lots of patchwork, graffiti and bold colors.

When I was in Italy I kind of had fun spotting the Desigual items seen on women on the street, the bright teal quilted coat, the burgundy floral brocade skirt - very highly recognizable among the typical masses of black.

It was there that I picked up this skirt, and I think this is by far my best styling of it yet (and the first time I haven't paired it with a black top).

I have actually had this outfit in mind ever since the last time I wore the skirt, the striped top, the yellow beads and the orange sandals seemed like the perfect antidote to my previous styling blackouts.

   

The Rundown

Striped Top TJMaxx - Skirt Desigual - Shoes Seychelles Gypsy - Necklace Forever 21 - Turquoise Bracelets Towne & Reese - Orange Bracelet Kohls - Striped Bracelet Coco's on the Green - Clutch London Fog - Sunnies Aldo - Dog Chloe

Edit and repeat

Sometimes I find a combination of accessories that I like so much, I simply have to repeat them.
While I may not "officially" be doing some kind of no repeats challenge, I am making a point to not repeat an outfit, and I do in fact photograph my outfits every single day, not just the days I blog.

The first time around I was embracing the military and lace trend, the army green jacket, the big gold cuff, my 'tough' chains, and the contrast of the frilly lace.

The Rundown

Lace Dress Ebay - Jacket Free People - Sandals Nine West - Belt Thrifted - Cuff Max & Chloe - Necklace Kohls - Sunnies Old Navy

I liked the combination so much that I decided to switch out the dress and necklace and give it another go.

The Rundown

Dress Kohls - Jacket Free People - Sandals Nine West - Belt Thrifted - Cuff Max & Chloe - Necklace Banana Republic

Which is your favorite? 

Do you try not to repeat outfits, or do you like to just stick with what works?

(Photos are from June 30th and July 18th. I'm missing my camera. Sniffles.)

Don't forget to enter the Orient Watch Giveaway!

Quit playing games

Today the sun was being particularly fickle. In between tornado warnings (totally lame) and about ten minutes of rain, I was trying to get my outfit photos taken, and the sun was just not cooperating.

Is it really too much to ask for twenty minutes of perfect sunlight every evening when I need to take my outfit shots?

 I waited around...

...finally the clouds shifted!
But just as quickly as the sun appeared, it was gone again. I can't win. At least I got enough usable shots for this post during my minute and a half of sun.

And yes, I'm borrowing a camera right now while mine is at Canon.

The Rundown

Chambray Tuxedo Shirt J.Crew - Skirt Made by Me - Sandals MRKT Holly via DSW - Belt Kohls - Ring American Eagle - Bracelets The Cavernous Jewelry Box - Sunnies Kohls - Dog Chloe

Don't forget to enter the Orient Watch Giveaway!

DIY Cutoffs

My desire to wear cutoffs can be attributed to one thing: blogging. I can be such a follower - sometimes I wonder where my own style sensibilities begin and the high influence from others ends.
I did have a few requirements for the cutoffs however.
First: No Pockets Showing Below Hemlines.
Second: No Spending More Than a Couple Dollars.
Third: Must Be A Classic Brand.

Done, done and done. I found these Levi's in my size at the thrift store for a mere dollar, and did the cutting myself to insure I got the length I wanted. After a few decidedly unsymmetrical snips, I threw these bad boys in the wash with a load of towels and they came out fraying appropriately.

For my styling, the scalloped hem blazer felt like a great contrasting piece (since it is just so darn lady-like) and more of my favorite bracelets, and heels. I have no desire to look like a teenager in my fraying clothing. (Not that I ever wore fraying clothing when I was a teenager, I turned my nose up at the whole ripped denim trend.)

The Rundown

Top TJMaxx - Scalloped Hem Blazer H&M - DIY Cutoffs Thrifted Levi's - Shoes Seychelles Gypsy - Clutch - London Fog Straw Fedora Gap - Starfish Cuff St. Thomas via TJMaxx - Watch and Bracelets The Cavernous Jewelry Box and Kohls - Dog Chloe

Don't forget to enter the Orient Watch Giveaway!

Bracelet weather

These photos are from last week, before 'the incident' and are a document of another over budget shopping digression. The item in question? This black and white bangle purchased for a mere $7 at Coco's.

In my mind, bracelets are exclusively summertime jewelry, as soon as the air starts to turn cold, the last thing you want is metal around your wrists bound to turn icy the moment you step outside, and once gloves become necessity, the hassle of getting them on around a bracelet is too much to even bother.

So while the bracelet wearing conditions are still optimal, I'm piling them on.

The Rundown
Top Gap - Skirt TJMaxx - Sandals Ciao Bella Petunia - Clutch Big Buddha Festival - Bangles Coco's on the Green and The Cavernous Jewelry Box - Necklace c/o Kie & Kate 'Stormy Sea' - Sunnies Kohls 

P.S. Check out my wonderful feature at Shen Dove Style!
and don't forget to enter the Orient Watch Giveaway!

*Now Closed* Orient Watch Giveaway!

Layering a huge watch with a pile of bracelets is one trend I've been seeing everyone doing this summer; and it's definitely not one you will want to miss out on.

Don't have a stylish watch with a large face? Then definitely check out the watches for men that Orient offers! Why not the women's watches? They are just too dainty - you need one that will hold its own and not get lost under your eighteen other bangles, right?

I happen to be quite fond of the Orient Sky, which means that you will have a chance to win it! (and don't you just love how they've integrated the date into an analog watch?)

To Enter:
Simply be a follower of this blog and leave a comment on this post.
For one extra entry, follow me on twitter and tweet about this giveaway. (Please leave link to tweet in separate comment.)
Be sure and visit Orient Watches and check out all their other great styles!
Giveaway is open to everyone world wide and will run until Sunday, July 31st 2011 at 11:59 pm est.

Good Luck!

Creamsickle

Today I sent my camera off to Newport News, VA. Too bad it's not a vacation for the two of us. Hopefully Canon will have him back to me, cleaned of his beach sand incident soon, but in the meantime I will do my best to keep up the blog. I have a few outfits that I photographed and never blogged, and once I'm through with those, I'll still have my iPhone, Instagram outfit photos anyone?

P.S. I went to Staples to mail it out since I was instructed to not put the camera and lens in their original boxes, but rather wrap them two inches thick in bubble wrap. Staples charges $7 packaging, plus convenience fees for using them, and after the shipping costs + insurance, my total was $26. Seriously. Don't go to Staples.

These photos are from July 10th. How did that get to be so long ago?!

Today is Everybody Everywhere thrifty Thursday. I know, caught me by surprise too. But this little wicker bag was thrifted, not by me though, by Lemondrop Vintage, and I won it in her giveaway.

This little fringe necklace is a giveaway win too, from Daisies and Chains. 

The Rundown

Shorts H&M - Top TJMaxx - Sandals Naturalizer - Bag Thrifted by Lemondrop Vintage - Necklace Banana Republic - Sunnies Old Navy

The other reason I really need a photographer

I don't know why I think that I can play with fire and not get burned. Of course I could have been more careful, but electronics and sand do not ever mix, especially when you throw in a tripod, uneven terrain, and wind.

Today I took a day off (I know, random Wednesday, but whatever) and went to the beach. Obviously the camera came for my outfit shots. I made a resolution this summer; I wanted to get out of the driveway more. I LOVE looking at blogs where the outfit photos are taken in different locations every day and I resolved to do that more this summer.

I like the beach, it's pretty, and I've already gone there for photos on five other occasions for photos without incident.
Not today.
I didn't bury the legs of the tripod in the sand, and when a small gust of wind came along, it fell lens first into the sand. The focusing ring is now full of sand, it wont move. The body is sandy as well.
This means sending it in to Canon to be cleaned, and being without a camera for up to two weeks.

So obviously, if I had a photographer, I wouldn't have to worry about a small gust of wind blowing them face first into the sand. And I wouldn't have to worry about creepy dudes talking to me.
Right now, I'm just feeling so put-out. I love blogging, and I love taking my outfit photos, and I want to take the best photos I possibly can, but here I sit, with a camera full of sand, and a heart full of ache.
And assuming it costs at least $100 to clean, maybe I need to put my wedge quest on hold.

But lets just talk about the clothes now, shall we?

The one piece swim suit. I've decided that this is the only kind of suit I can wear while keeping my decency intact. Those triangle bikini tops make me look like a cheap whore and the bandeau style, while offering more modesty, give zero support.

This ruched one piece by DKNY offers me a nice bit of camo for my flabby belly, good coverage for the girls, and lets me ruche up the sides for the illusion of a longer leg line.

So, I've never been this exposed on the blog before. I guess I'm okay with it, but don't expect to see it again!

The Rundown

Swimsuit DKNY - Coverup Coco's on the Green - Floppy Hat Target - Starfish Ring c/o LuShae Jewelry - Bracelets Kohls and The Cavernous Jewelry Box