goldenpig

This is a totally new one for me! I am always so ladylike and am not used to dressing up in more androgynous/masculine styles. But I was inspired by several factors. One is Amy's cool menswear WIW post yesterday where she used a scarf as a tie. And how she posted on my other thread that there aren't any looks that she would never try--that she'd try anything at least once. I thought that was great! Also Angie had posted about buttoning shirts all the way up so I wanted to see how that would look on me. And MaryK was so brave to try RATE/masculine recently so I thought I'd give it a try too. I used a Target Missoni headband as a "tie" (I think Sona used her headband as a scarf once too). I was in a rush to get out the door for work this morning so I didn't have a chance to ask DH how to make a tie knot so I just hurriedly tied it and left (next time I'll try to do a proper knot). I felt like this was a VERY different look for me. Not sure if the menswear/tomboy style looks good on me and whether or not I should explore it further, or stick to my ladylike roots? Suggestions welcome!

In the spirit of Ornella's post, here's how I came up with this outfit in 5 minutes before rushing out the door:
1. It's raining--I want to wear my Aquatalia rainboots.
2. Angie was posting about buttoning shirts all the way up. This black one was one of the only ones I have that can do that.
3. Which skirt to wear? Oh wait, let me try a menswear look! Grey trousers it is.
4. Which jacket? Ink blue? No, it looks funny with the buttoned up collar. Wait, let's try a black leather jacket! Perfect!
5. Necklace? No, too feminine. How about this skinny scarf like a tie! Let's go menswear all the way!
6. Purse--grey croc tote
7. Jewelry--add some dangly earrings and a bracelet so I don't look too masculine.
8. No makeup! I'm late anyways!

Black Anne Fontaine button down shirt
Missoni for Target black and white zigzag headband as a tie
Tahari black leather jacket
Classiques Entier grey trousers
Aquatalia Vavoom boots
Earrings from Saba vacation
White House Black Market silver cuff

OK, I usually try not to rip off entire outfits straight from the catalog, but this outfit from White House Black Market was so cute I couldn't resist. It reminded me of Parisian Chic. DH said I looked very "nautical" and said several times that he liked the outfit (although I didn't have the scarf on by the time he got home--he probably would have thought that was too much). I wore it with my Halogen wool moto peacoat--that jacket is becoming a real workhorse in my wardrobe! It instantly edgifies any outfit and kicks it into UWP or rock and roll territory! Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of it zipped up, it looks much better that way.

The blue snakeskin pumps are super cool but the heels are sooo high--4.5 inch with a 0.5 inch platform. Yikes! If only they were 2.5 inch and stacked heels these would be perfect for me. However, I ended up keeping them anyways, because I couldn't find anything else similar...I even found and ordered a pair of All Black blue snakeskin low heels (see #7), but unfortunately the only size they had was too small for me, so I have to return them (plus the styling is a bit odd with a peep toe and shoelaces--it looks a bit too clunky on me). These pumps are relatively comfy for stilettos, but I brought my black ballet flats and wore them when I had to walk down the street to the hospital because I didn't want to take a chance on tripping (I'm not used to wearing such high heels). They're gorgeous, but I don't think they're all day shoes.

I know scarves work wonders on outfits but I'm not used to wearing them! This one is pretty, but I found myself fiddling with it all day, trying to keep one side behind my back. Also it feels kind of constricting, like turtlenecks...I keep remembering someone here said "it feels like you're being choked all day by a really weak guy". So true! Also, scarves are probably not the most practical item when you're seeing patients and doing procedures.

Oh, and how do you like my new UWP bracelet? It's a hammered stretch bracelet on clearance for $12 from White House Black Market. I think it's hilarious that I'm buying UWP jewelry from WHBM--it's kind of like trying to buy punk rock clothes from Ann Taylor. Maybe I should just bite the bullet and find an All Saints store (that could be dangerous for my wallet though!).

White House Black Market black and white striped tee, ink blue pleated midi skirt, pleated chiffon scarf, snakeskin blue mary jane pumps and hammered silver stretch bracelet
Halogen moto zip wool peacoat
Kate Spade grey croc tote

Name three types of clothing that you have never worn but would love to try someday and three types that you would never try, even if they were the hottest fashion trend. And say why you love or hate them. I'm interested to see what's on your lists!

I would love to try:
1. Corset/bustier--to flesh out (no pun intended) my bombshell persona
2. Oxfords or heeled oxfords--just because they look like fun! So frumpy they're fab!
3. Waxed jeans--so rock and roll! I even bought a bar of Otter Wax but haven't committed because I don't want to "ruin" any of my jeans if it doesn't work out. If I had an extra pair of snakeskin skinnies they would be waxed in one hot minute!

Never want to try:
1. Denim overalls. I don't think I'd look good as a farmer. I don't even like to put my kids in overalls.
2. Romper or jumpsuit--too 70's, but not in a good way for me.
3. Drop crotch or harem pants. Ugh, that does not sound ladylike at all to me. No thank you!

I think I am a Deep Autumn--I look best in muted but saturated deep colors like rust orange, mustard, eggplant, teal and olive green as well as classic neutrals like black, white, red, navy and cream. I had a field day dressing for fall and winter--so many lovely choices in my color palette! But now I'm scratching my head wondering how to dress for spring and summer. What colors should I be wearing--should I just continue wearing the autumn colors in T shirts and shorts and sun dresses, or should I be trying "spring" colors? I love bright orange, but I just don't think I'm going to look good in mint green or pale pastels or neon brights.

Here are my outfits from this weekend, plus one I forgot to post from last week. Finally had a chance to pull out the AG red snakeskin skinny pants from Anthro--I felt very rock and roll! DH even complimented me on my outfit, including the pants (!). He said "I hate your orange pants but I like these ones." Also I think he likes it when I wear fitted turtlenecks. This outfit *almost* makes up for the plaid pants debacle. :)
1-3. Halogen zip peacoat in black plaid wool
Macy's INC black ribbed turtleneck
AG sateen snakeskin skinny pants in garnet
Frye Melissa black lace-up boots
Bangles (one old, one from H&M)

Today's outfit has Angie's recommended denim shirt from Gap with polka dot pattern. I sized down to XS as recommended. It's a very thick substantial shirt, with snaps down the front.
4-5. Gap polka dot denim shirt
Old Navy Rockstar Jeggings in red
Red Converse

For the third outfit, would love suggestions. This feels a bit frumpy to me esp. with the colored blazer and flat shoes, but I had to wear flats because I was doing a lot of walking that day at work and I couldn't figure out what other jacket to wear with it--this was the only one that seemed to go with it. Any suggestions on how to fix the last outfit? Is it too much going on?
6-7. Anthro So Saturated Blazer in Gold
Anne Fontaine cream short sleeve blouse
Anthro leaf belt
Anthro floral midi skirt
Bronze Born ballet flats
Fossil floral satchel
WHBM champagne pearl necklace

Thanks for your suggestions and comments!

This is a silly worry, but it comes up for me frequently since I only buy clothes from a handful of stores and often have to return stuff I ordered online. I confess--if I'm planning to visit a store to return stuff, I try to remember not to wear clothes from that store because I don't want the SA's to recognize my clothes. Like when I'm going to Anthropologie or White House Black Market to return a bunch of stuff and I'm wearing one of their outfits (especially if it's head to toe from that store), I feel kinda silly because I know the SA's know I bought it there and I don't want them to think I'm totally unoriginal. The worst was when I went to Target to return some Missoni stuff and I realized I was wearing a Missoni Target blouse. D'oh! I felt like a total dork!

Does anyone else feel this way or am I being totally silly and neurotic?

Ever had a dress that as soon as you put it on, you said "Wow, this is a PERFECT dress!" This is one of those perfect dresses! It fits like a glove, flatters my figure and is totally my style. Waving at Shannon! Thanks for posting this dress--I'm so bummed you didn't get this dress too! I loved it so much I ripped off the tags without even posting a keep or return. It didn't even matter that I already have a long-sleeve dress in this color. I knew I had to have it and I'm going to be wearing it a lot--both to work and on dates! And not only was it on sale, it was free to boot--used my Nordstrom notes! Of course, nothing is ever completely perfect. I spilled some guacamole on it at lunch so now it's at the dry cleaner. XP

Nordstrom Adrianna Papell purple sheath dress in subtle polka dot textured pattern
Fossil pumps in Russet
Anthro purple tweed coat
Fossil floral satchel
Forever 21 bracelet

And this evening DH took me to a B-52's concert--they were playing in our hometown! I wore my psychedelic Missoni top and purple poncho. I probably could have glammed it up a little more but we were standing the whole time so I wanted to be comfortable and wore flat boots. The concert was awesome! Haven't been to one in a long time but it was like we were back in college again! Danced our hearts out to Private Idaho and Rock Lobster and all the rest. Kate and Cindy are in already their 60's but they looked super sexy and fab in their sequin minidress and fringe pants! No beehives, though. But I got one of the drumsticks from the drummer!

Anthro purple poncho (Golden Gate cardigan)
Target Missoni floral shirt
Gap Real Skinny pants
Frye black Melissa Lace boots
Fossil floral satchel
Forever 21 bracelet

ETA: Krish, here's an old pic of the blouse. Sorry I guess you can't see it well in the pics and I forgot to take a pic of the top tonight. And a previous WIW with the poncho so you can see the sweater details better (DD is wearing her Missoni cape too).

I was reading Janet's style post about her style evolution and how she used to like a lot of embellishment on her pieces and used to have a large wardrobe but is paring down both in the size of her wardrobe and in her tastes--more refined, less embellishment. I have a large wardrobe now, and I like a lot of colors and patterns and sometimes my outfits have a lot going on with layers or pattern mixing. I like classic pieces but only if they have a secret whimsical detail or funky twist. MaryK is similarly ALGO in her style and closet size. On the other hand Angie tends toward the classic and minimal in her style, and has a very streamlined edited wardrobe. Sveta is another one who is an excellent wardrobe remixer, and tends to wear solid colors and more minimal silhouettes. Same with Claire. Lyn is the only one I can think of who has a smaller functional closet but still likes funky patterns. I think she still likes neutrals a lot though which makes it easier to remix clothes.

So, what do you think? Does size of your wardrobe tend to correlate with where you are in the minimalist-ALGO style spectrum? I'm not counting large wardrobes if you haven't purged the stuff you never wear. I've already done my wardrobe purge and I love and wear pretty much everything in it, but it's still large. I love remixing and I really envy those of you with small closets where anything you buy goes with 90% of what you own, but I don't think that's a realistic goal for me. I like distinctive vivid pieces but they don't all go with each other! And I think if I had a small wardrobe of only solid/neutral pieces I'd get bored! Also I think MaryK was right with what she said about my style/personality in my other thread: Anything worth doing is worth doing to excess! I think that must be the unofficial ALGO slogan! :)

With all the discussion on what constitutes bombshell style and whether my style is really bombshell or not, some of you expressed concern that I was getting "hung up" on labels and that I shouldn't try so hard to put a name descriptor to my style. Well, I respectfully disagree! I love style labels and naming style personas. It is so much fun for me. I always read Angie's style persona posts and any forum post having to do with someone trying to define their style. I find it fascinating! And several of you made excellent points which have given me a lot of insight as to why I love it so much.

First of all, I think I'm a left-brainer and analytical by nature. I love to categorize things and figure out what makes things work. Also I think I'm a little more verbal than visual in my learning style, so style descriptors really help me hone in on what I love about an outfit. If you're right brained you may not need labels and just do it intuitively but for me it helps to spell things out.

Then Meridith1953 astutely said that labels are "doctor's shorthand", which made me realize that yes of course, doctors like to name things! We like a diagnosis...we don't like to leave things vague and open-ended and undefined. Doctors see a collection of symptoms and want to put a label on it to figure out what it is. And conversely if someone has a specific diagnosis we know the thirteen findings that go along with that syndrome. So now I realize that the same applies to how I approach fashion. If I see an outfit I like I want to know what is that style and what are the key elements in that style. Then I can analyze what aspects I would want to try or incorporate into my own style. And style names help me keep everyone's else's style straight. Like if MaryK says "business bombshell", I instantly know what she's talking about and can picture what type of outfits she would be wearing.

Also, Zapotee very insightfully pointed out that the personality of the wearer infuses the outfit with its style and that the same outfit can give off a whole different vibe when two different people wear it. Therefore if I understand someone's style, I can see what makes an outfit work for them and how it would look differently on me.

Also, I love juxtaposition, which is why I gravitate toward style oxymorons like demure bombshell or urban warrior bombshell. I think it's so much more interesting when outfits mix up different styles and bring opposing forces into harmony. Tough and ladylike. Yin and yang and all that. I love the creative tension!

Finally, I don't feel like naming your style persona is limiting at all. I don't feel boxed in by it, I feel like it's very freeing. It's like a home base from which you can explore multiple style personalities. I love playing dress up and exploring new styles and mixing different styles together. And Una had a great observation that no matter what style I try, it always remains feminine and ladylike. So whatever I'm wearing, I'm still remaining true to my style. My own, unique creative Natalie style!

Thanks for letting me ramble! Can you tell I'm having fun with this?

OK I don't know what to call this style anymore, but it feels very me and I'm having fun! :)

Classiques Entier teal and black ruffled and ruched patterned sleeveless top
Halogen red pencil skirt
Tahari black leather jacket
White House Black Market black pendant necklace
Kate Spade grey croc tote
Frye Melissa Tall Lace black boots (laces tucked for you, Angie!)