HVAC is the cruelest this month

Paradoxically, when the weather turns warmer, it gets colder in our office. Because they jumped the gun turning off the heat.

Now, with highs in the mid-60's, I'm forced to wear winter clothes all day. This is even more challenging, considering I put away all my winter clothes 2 weeks ago.

But the Unfashionista doesn't get bitter! No, she gets inventive!

This means I'm wearing lots of outfits comprising tank tops with jackets on top, and putting the pants in heavy rotation.

This particular outfit is a triumph of layering, in which I make a too-short jacket look good by putting it over an extra-long tank top (the tank top picks up the jacket's slack), pairing it with my favorite pair of pink pants (yes, they look grey in the picture, but they're not!) and a reliable pair of brown shoes.

I was almost warm enough today.

Redux

 

You probably recognize this dress from December, when I wore an almost identical outfit in "Black for Christmas."

There are a few changes: I've traded the short cardigan for a longer one (which incidentally provided me an entire day's worth of fiddling around with Res-Q tape and safety pins trying to keep it from revealing my bra straps). I've also traded the boots for my Interview Shoes.

Overall, I think I've achieved a sort of interesting granny vibe.

And yet more pink

Well, it's official. I no longer have any reservations about skinny jeans. In fact, I look forward to wearing them because they allow me to show off my high heels, and they work so well with flowy, dress-like tops! Like this one.

The real focal point in this outfit is the necklace, an ostentatious collar made entirely of garnet rhinestones. However, I also enjoy the way I did my ponytail, with a claw clip on the underside to give it a little bit more bounce.

In retrospect, I'm not sure I like the way the brown pants interact with the beige shoes, but I really wanted to wear those shoes! What do you think?

Party Planning

Recently I commented to a coworker who goes to a lot of parties, "You go to a lot of parties!" He replied back, "You go to a lot of parties!"

I could not have got a better compliment if I had fished for it! To go from friendless nerd who's terrified of parties to someone who goes to a lot of them (or at least seems like it!) without blinking is truly an accomplishment.

In any case, this is what a social butterfly like me wears to a party.

It's nothing you haven't seen before; it's just a little more daring with the shorter tunic and tighter pants than I would usually wear together at the office. All day, I was wearing this outfit with a pale green tank top underneath and a mid-length black necklace, but after my shower, I switched it up to a black tank top and green jewelry, and I'm pleased with the effect. It adds a bit more polish and sophistication to my nighttime look.

And I'm off! Catch you at the next party!

Three Shades of Pink

One day at the thrift store recently, I found a black skirt ($2.25) with swirly pink stripes that reminded me of my pink and black swirly shoes. I'll do anything for more ways to wear those shoes, so I bought it.

It ended up being part of a very businesslike outfit, complete with black blazer.

I noticed the pinks were getting lighter the higher they went, so I topped it off with an even lighter pink for my necklace and earrings.

In the Pink

So, that shoe sale I mentioned on Wednesday....Here's what it brought me:

Snazzy black and pink high-top wedge sneakers (yes, they are at the height of fashion right now) for just seven dollars! I'm delighted — or, as they might have said in older times, in the pink of joy!

Let me fill you in a little on my thoughts on the wedge sneakers trend. I thought everyone knew about it, but two of my coworkers (one male, one female) were totally blown away when they saw them on me, so I guess it's still not quite mainstream. If you haven't noticed it yet, it basically consists of high-top sneakers à la the late 80s, perched on a wedge heel. Velcro closures seem to be popular features, but I've seen them in lace-up versions too. I've been watching the rise of this style with interest but some distaste. I've seen many wedge sneakers over the past year, but none of them really spoke to me—even though I wanted to like them, because they seemed the perfect shoe to wear with longer jeans.

But when I found these – the last of their kind – on the clearance rack at Rainbow – in my size and my color, I knew it was meant to be. I bought them right up!

At first I was mystified by that frilly bit that stuck out over the tongue, but I found a few pictures of other shoes in the same line (Rouge) on the Internet, and they all have that. It's just part of the style.

I saved them for casual Friday, then wore them the way I do best: with more pink and more black!

Fancy Footwear

I always love it when my shoes are the focal point of my outfit, as they obviously are in this all-black ensemble with green boots just for kicks.

I would never buy such an un-versatile pair of shoes unless it was dirt cheap, and these ones were, purchased from ShoeDazzle at the end of the season for around 10 dollars. They were my Valentine's Day present to myself, and I love them. Even though they are supposed to be "green" but everyone says they're aqua.

Just to keep the overall look from being too bottom-heavy, I added in a teal pendant to bring some attention back to my head.

Retail Therapy for the Winter Blahs

Q: What do you do when you're sick to death of cold weather, but it just won't go away?
A: Buy more winter clothes! A wardrobe refresher can make even dressing like an Eskimo fun again!

Yesterday, I had a simple shopping mission: get some croissant dough for a potluck. While I was out, I saw that Rainbow had dropped the prices on their winter shoes down to 10 dollars (more on that later!), so I had to stop in.

And I left with this dusky pink swing cardigan. It's a style I'd been contemplating adding to my wardrobe for a while, and when I found one for 5 dollars, I knew the time was now! I also bought a tan one, but after I took it home, I realized I have a lot of tan overlayers, and I'll probably return it the next time I'm out.

Assembling an outfit with this cardigan in it was a simple case of maximizing the monochrome—I wore it with a pink tank top and pink shoes. All are slightly different shades, but they pair up nicely.

I tried every pair of pants imaginable: black, khaki, and grey, but ultimately went with the dark brown because it contrasted with the pastel shades of the sweater while complementing its neutral hue.

I also had a go at wrapping the base of my ponytail with my hair, like they do in all the hairstyle tutorials. Let me tell you, it's harder than they make it seem! My wrap had fallen out within 20 minutes, and after 2 attempts at redoing it, I gave up.

Oh well, at least I had a nice sweater.

Just So Boho

You know me, I'm a wordy Unfashionista, but I think this outfit speaks for itself, so I'll keep my commentary to one sentence.