Playful Pink

Today's outfit was totally last-minute, and I'm totally pleased at how it turned out!

Last night, I had laid out a knee-length dress and stiletto boots, until I remembered upon waking up that I had a mid-day meeting almost a mile from my office that I was going to have to bike to. No way I'm doing that on a 33-degree windy day! I also wasn't going to change clothes just for the meeting, so I decided to just wear pants and sensible shoes for the whole day.

To an Unfashionista, "sensible" obviously means a pair of glittery pink sock booties (I mean, compared to stiletto lace-ups, at least I can walk in these)! These boots are my pride and joy. I found them at Zara last weekend, on sale for just 13$. They bear a lot of similarities to the velvet sock boots I've been coveting, and they might even be better, because glitter! Plus, the weird round low heel was so popular this fall (yes, I'm a few months late to be a trendsetter, but not too late to still be on trend), so I feel fashionable as well as flashy.

I wore them under my decidedly un-trendy flared work slacks from circa 2004 and a pink asymmetrical-collar sweater. This hand-me-down sweater is one of my favorites (even though, when I got to the office today, I noticed it smelled a bit like formaldehyde...weird). It's warm, long enough that I don't have to constantly tug it down, and has a bit of shimmer to its pale pink yarn, like a muted reflection of the magenta glitter shoes. 

As I was getting ready for work this morning, I grabbed two pairs of pink earrings that I thought might go with the outfit (unlike my clothing, which I set out a night or more in advance, I often choose my jewelry on a whim at the last minute, trying it on and picking my favorite piece once I've already arrived at the office). Then, as I was running out the door, I remembered my Rocksbox set! I have a free month trial of Rocksbox, a service that sends you unlimited sets of jewelry for a monthly subscription. I could never stomach the 19$ a month, but I am really enjoying my free month, and the elevated quality of the jewelry compared to my usual dollar-knockoffs. One of the three pieces that I received in my first shipment was a set of garnet statement earrings—a shade of pink that happens to perfectly match the shoes!

Now here's where a little bit of serendipity worked its magic. Last night, I just happened to part my hair on the opposite side than I usually do, resulting in some really heavy sideswept bangs. For the record, I usually don't part my hair on the left, because the congenital asymmetry of my head makes a right part a lot more flattering. But the occasional reversal of the part confuses my hair into looking thicker for a short time, so it can be a nice change once in a while. Today, the unusual side part made my hair look unusually asymmetrical, which was only augmented by the asymmetrical collar on my sweater. So to take the asymmetry to the next level, I wore only the left earring! Wearing just one statement earring is a high-fashion look at the present. 

  When choosing to wear only one earring, you can achieve some balance by putting the earring on the side where your hair is thinner. Or the side where you are wearing less clothing, if you happen to pair it with an asymmetrical top.

So when all was said and done, I felt like I'd turned my outfit, which was originally just a sad compromise with the weather, into a fashion statement! I got to wear sparkles on the bottom and the top, a wild hairstyle (at least as wild as my limp hair can achieve), and asymmetrical jewelry with a 75$ price tag for free! Today was a good day.