Retro + Modern

Posted: May 27, 2022 | Author: Salazar | Filed under: Clothes | Tags: black, black wide-leg jeans, brooch, brown, maroon monk shoes, plaid fold collar blouse, red | Leave a comment

This outfit is a testament to how weird this summer has been: it’s inconceivable that I was still able to wear these pair of thick jeans, this top with its high collar and long sleeves, and these shoes, and all these dark colors, in May. I wanted to wear this top again because I’ve been struggling to style it – the collar gives me a retro, 1960s vibe, but it’s a bit big on me, and so far, the only way I can think of to wear it has been to tuck it into bottoms. Here I tried to match the maroon cuffs and stripes to my maroon shoes, and balance the slightly fussy design of the top with the simpler, more streamlined bottom. It works, but I’m still looking for more ways to make this top more versatile.

May Of The Penguin

Posted: May 13, 2022 | Author: Salazar | Filed under: Clothes | Tags: black, black gingham ruffle blouse, black loafers, black pleated skirt, brooch | Leave a comment

Last week I talked about matching my brooches to the season, and here I am, going completely against my own rule. Not only I’m wearing a penguin brooch, which is more appropriate for winter than spring, but the penguin is wearing a scarf too. However, I’m wearing all black and white, and that makes me think of a penguin, so to hell with the rule. I’ve never cared much for fashion rules anyway, let alone something I made up myself. (The post title, of course, is a terrible pun on “March of the Penguins”.)

Bee Square

Posted: May 2, 2022 | Author: Salazar | Filed under: Clothes, Style Imitating Art | Tags: black, black gingham ruffle blouse, black t-straps, brooch, style imitating art, yellow, yellow midi skirt | 5 Comments

Here’s my outfit for this week’s SIA, inspired by Anne M. Bray’s “Scrappy Square” fabric art. After looking through the various squares, I ended up choosing Shelbee’s namesake, “ShelBee”, made from a scarf that she gave Anne and some bee-printed fabric (hence my post title). I went with my yellow skirt and gingham ruffled blouse to mimic the colors and patterns of the piece, and of course, I had to top it off with my bee brooch. (Also, you have may noticed the background change. We’re having some work done on the house and the front yard has been taken over by material. This lawn is not a bad replacement, but the grass tends to get high and there are bugs, which is why I prefer to stick to the yard.)

Don’t forget to drop by Shelbee’s blog on Wednesday to see what everybody wore this week!

Safari

Posted: April 29, 2022 | Author: Salazar | Filed under: Clothes | Tags: black, black pleated skirt, black t-straps, brooch, brown, brown printed short-sleeve sweater | 1 Comment

This is definitely more of a “fall” outfit than a “spring” outfit, but I just got this sweater and while we were enjoying some last coolness (I wouldn’t call it a cold snap) of the season, I had to wear it before it gets too hot. The rest of the outfit is pretty simple, though I did have some fun with the brooch. See, I wanted to add some accessory to the top, but it’s got a pretty busy print, and none of my brooches really stands out against it. Then I noticed the print is of safari animals – giraffes and zebras and so on – and what’s the other thing you can also find on a safari? Dung beetles, of course. It just happens that I also have a dung/scarab beetle brooch that stands out nicely against the brown top. It may not be that noticeable, but I still knew it’s there and got a kick out of it 🙂

Pinafore Dress

Posted: April 1, 2022 | Author: Salazar | Filed under: Clothes | Tags: black, black loafers, brooch, gray, gray plaid dress, white, white scallop collar button-up | Leave a comment

I’ve wanted a pinafore dress for a while (more exactly, after seeing this dress in “The Queen’s Gambit”), but alas, I haven’t had much luck. This is the closest I can find in my usual secondhand/vintage shops, but it’s still not what I really want – it’s too short and the skirt is not wide enough. It makes me look like a schoolgirl. To be fair, all pinafore dresses look a little girlish no matter how you style them, but this one is even more so, because it looks like a school uniform. I leaned into that when styling this dress, with my white button-up and loafers, but next winter, I might try a more 1960s Mod look (I’ve taken inspiration from all eras of the 20th century, but oddly enough, the 60s is one I’ve never tried) to see if I can make it look more age-appropriate. In the meantime, my search for a pinafore dress continues…