the jungle book

skirt, Anthro-thrifted; shirt, F21; shoes, Target

You know, this may be my favorite outfit so far in the remix. A week and a half into this challenge I’ve learned a lot about my wardrobe. When my self-imposed shopping fast is over, I need to search for items in interesting colors and patterns, but for now, I’m surprisingly happy with my monochromatic vibe.

working 9 to 5

skirt, Banana Republic; blouse, Loft; tank, Loft; shoes, Target

I am beat. This past week ate my lunch. Too cope with the hectic schedule, I wrote detailed checklists with items like “arrive at work,” “check email,” and “write tomorrow’s to-do list.” Because when feeling stressed, nothing makes me feel more productive like striking something off my to-do list, no matter how mundane.

New favorites shoes

skirt, Loft; shirt, JCrew; shoes, thrifted

I love these shoes. I found them on a recent day off when I felt brave enough to peruse our sprawling Salvation Army superstore. Salvation Army’s newest gimmick  to catch new thrifters is relegating nicer items to a “boutique” room and doubling their price tag. Most of the time, though, those nicer items end up priced higher than if they were bought in their store of origin — secondhand Charlotte Russe shoes for $15 dollars, ha!

Lucky for me, this means true, well-made vintage items end up on the floor with a green sticker “1/2 off” sticker on the heel. Welcome to my closet, new favorite shoes!

Gettin’ my teaching ‘tude on

Our dog decided to crash this photo shoot. The constant lightening and torrential rain last night meant he did not get his evening walk. Winslow without a walk is like me without coffee: cranky. Very cranky. When dealing with cranky children, or in this case dogs, I rely on what the hubs calls my “teacher ‘tude.”

dress, Target; cardigan, Gap; shoes, Target; belt, Loft

Notice the pointed finger and raised eyebrows. Those mean I’m not kidding around.

Dogs and children are helpless to the power of the teaching ‘tude.

It’s too darn hot

I once told a friend, who did not grow up in the South, that a forecast of 108 wasn’t too bad. After 95, it all feels the same, I told her. Well, I feel that difference now thanks to my jalopy of a jeep who has decided it won’t be bothered to keep the air-conditioning going or power windows working this summer. I feel like I’m melting each time I take a 5 minute car ride.

dress, Penquin-thrifted; belt, F21

My disheveled hair and wrinkly dress are courtesy of the blistering ride home. Thanks jeep!

No, Mom, I’m not wearing prescription 3D glasses

pants, Banana Republic; shirt, thrifted; vest, F21; shoes, thrifted

At 9, I donned my first pair of prescription glasses and shrieked the whole ride home, “I CAN SEE LEAVES!” I loved my glasses, and still do, but that initial, delirious joy did not last forever. Cinching my glasses to my face with a neon retainer cord did not make being a 7th grade basketball player any easier. When I worked in an Italian restaurant in college, my manager thought it was hilarious to smudge oil on my lenses when my hands were full of bellinis. I was only ever upset that I couldn’t wear contacts (damn you, eyes) when I started driving and not having sunglasses became a real problem. I used to rock clip on sunglasses, then my father introduced me to HD Visions, and eighteen long years later I bought my first pair of prescription sunglasses. I showed them to my mother and her first response was, “They look just like 3D glasses. Are those 3D glasses from a movie?”

Yes, Mom. They are a very expensive pair of 3D glasses I refused to recycle at the end of Piranha 3D.

The ballerina bun, or that time I didn’t wash my hair

skirt, Banana Republic; shirt, Loft; scarf, World Market; shoes, Steve Madden

In the shadow, you can clearly see how frayed my bun gets at the end of the day. It refuses to be tamed by bobby pins. But frankly, sometimes I’m too tired and too hot to put my hair up any other way.

The bun and outfit are products of my sleeping through the five, yes five, morning alarms I set yesterday morning. I belatedly realized that by choosing closet workhorses for my 30x30 picks, I could fall into old outfit habits: ergo, this outfit. I know towards the end of the challenge I’ll probably want to fall back on easy combinations so I’ll try to start mixing up things sooner rather than later.

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night will keep me from wearing a cardigan

In college, my friends once made me count all the cardigans in my closet. I made it to 17 before they made me stop. Jeans, a t-shirt, and cardigan was my ubiquitous undergrad uniform and though I have branched out since then, cardigans remain a closest staple. (I’m incredibly proud that only 3 made it into my 30 items.) So although the mercury will continue to top 100, I shall not be swayed to change my cardi-loving ways in this summer remix challenge.

So without further ado, here are my very first, very large, very uncropped photos of Day 1. Perhaps these 30 days will also show the germination of my photo editing skills in, ugh, Microsoft Photo Gallery (RIP my macbook with Photoshop).

skirt, Anthro-thrifted; cardigan, UrbanOutfitters-thrifted; blouse, Target; shoes, thrifted; general awkwardness, Mom and Dad

Welcome to our backyard. Note the well-groomed shrubbery and securely attached electrical wiring. I’m not looking at the camera because I’m distracted by our dog who has caught a whiff of the cat and possum that moved in underneath our house. I like to think they ran away to start a new life as two star-cross’d lovers. I’ll knit them a house-warming gift, as soon as they stop chewing the insulation in our walls.

(My “can’t decide if I’m smiling or ready to BRING IT” face) Day 1 done, y’all!

30 for 30 Challenge

Kendi Everyday’s 30 for 30 challenge starts this Monday and I’ve spent the last few days sorting and reorganizing my closet in search of my 30 items. I’ve discovered a few things.

1. I need to buy in more colors. Seventy-five percent of my wardrobe is gray, khaki, and black. My feelings about moving to the 9-5 working world have leaked into my closet through subconscious Freudian shopping habits.

2. I need to start investing in accessories. I think they would make me feel more polished, a word that rarely describes my outfits.

3. I don’t know how to dress for work in the summer. My boss likes working in Arctic temperatures and my car has no air-conditioning for the sweltering ride home. Can anyone effectively dress for 40+ degree changes? I’m tired of bundling up and stripping down 8 times a day.

So here I go, 30 items into 30 outfits. I have high hopes these restrictions will extract some much needed fashion creativity. Wish me luck!