Pattern madness

Up until recently, I was terrified of wearing patterns at all, let alone several in combination.

Floral chemise: Liberty of London for Target, remixed 

Pink layering tank: Theory, thrifted, remixed

Polka-dot skirt: Ann Taylor Loft

White-and-gold belt: thrifted, remixed

White trench: Daisy Fuentes, thrifted, remixed

OTK socks (cuffed): Sock Dreams "O Chevrons" (discontinued color)

Beige platform shoes: John Fluevog "Pin-ups" (style unknown), remixed

Bronze flower necklace, thrifted, remixed

Bronze and green medallion earrings, gift

Silk scarf (worn as headband): gift from mom

You'd never guess it to look at me today, huh?

In fashion as in many other things in life, I've learned to ignore fear. It can be crippling. I was terrified to blog - afraid I'd meet with derision, that I'd be completely ignored, that crazy Internet stalkers would come out of the woodwork and make my life hell.

Needless to say, none of that has happened. I love every one of you, Fabulous Readers, and I deeply appreciate the wonderful comments you leave - they make me think and they make me feel like I'm part of a community.

The only times I've ever gotten anywhere in life are when I've gone out on a limb, swallowed my fear, and taken a metaphorical leap off a cliff. It's scary to walk up to a perfect stranger at all, let alone ask him or her for a favor - but that's how I ended up interning at DC comics while I was doing my BA degree. I saw a guy in a coffee shop wearing a jacket with the DC logo on the back, went up to him, and asked him if he worked for the company. My heart was in my mouth the whole time.

Much to my surprise, he didn't throw his coffee in my face, complain to the manager, or give me a funny look and walk away. We had a nice little chat, and I walked away with a piece of paper scribbled with a name and phone number for a contact in the editorial department. Man, was that a fun semester!

 This outfit is the same way. There's a lot going on: five or six different patterns, a lot of colors, and some pretty unusual shapes. If I'd played it safe, I'd wear maybe one patterned item at a time - maybe two at the most. But I threw caution to the wind, and I think it turned out pretty OK.

I keep wearing this white trench with the Liberty of London florals, even though I don't like how stoop-shouldered it makes me look (darn raglan seams!). I think I like the clarity of the white in contrast with the busy, intensely colorful prints.

I think the socks and sandals look particularly good together - I love the blue and beige combo, and the laciness of the socks with the solidity of the wedge heel!

What sorts of things do you have to feel bold and daring to wear? What's your "out on a limb" fashion?

March Modness (with snowdrops!)

You know how I'm always burbling about snowdrops and how happy they make me?

Guess how happy I am now that they're finally here!

Other flowery things that make me happy:  This dress from Target's Liberty of London collection.

Dress: Target

Yellow belt: TJMaxx

White trench: Daisy Fuentes, thrifted

Burgundy fishnet stockings (cut down from tights: depths of the drawer

Beige platforms: John Fluevog, remixed

For the most part, I was... less than thrilled by the Target/Liberty of London collection. I put very little stock in most of Target's designer collaborations: my opinion is that a simplified, mass-produced item with a designer label on it is still a simplified, mass-produced item, without any of the quality workmanship or individuality of a full-fledged designer product.

However, Liberty of London, with its collaborations with Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau greats like William Morris and Charles Rennie Mackintosh, was perhaps the original purveyor of the concept of "style for the masses," which makes it a perfect partner for the similarly-inclined Target. 

The prints, needless to say, are beyond awesome, and after seeing them online, I was prepared to fall head over heels with the clothes. 

Sadly, I was disappointed by most of the fabrics and the styling of the clothes. This cotton sateen is substantial and feels like it won't fall apart after the third wear: not so for the lightweight poly gauzes used for the majority of the collection. 

As for the styling, most of the pieces were cut along floaty, ruffly lines. There were ruffled peasant blouses, sundresses with tiers of ruffles, even ruffled one-shoulder maxi dresses. Almost every piece seemed to feature the word "ruffle" in its description.

I have nothing against ruffles. I like 'em! In fact, later this week, I'll be showing off some pieces that show just how dear to my heart a well-executed ruffle can be. But...

But in my mind, when you pair such aggressively floral prints with ruffly, floaty cuts, you end up square in 1970s Bohemianland, and that, Dear Readers, is not a place I want to be. At least not to that extent. 

That's why, to me, this dress was such a standout. It's tailored on clean, structured lines, which balance the exuberant floral print nicely. It's a perfect example of a mixed style register - despite the print, with the skinny belt and white trench, I feel more like a product of Mod London than anything else.

The hair's helping with that. I think I'm finally getting into my groove with it.

Tiny mandala earrings and amber shaggy-chain necklace (remixed), made by me

This has become a constant gesture. The bangs still aren't staying where I want them (although they're starting to) and I'm not used to the pressure on my forehead!

Yeah, it's not so bad as all that. I guess.

Have you seen the Target/Liberty of London collection? What do you think of it? How would you style these over-the-top floral pieces?

Fashion "Rules," Part 2: Patterns

Let's continue our exploration of my takes on fashion "rules." I've decided, by the way, that the second word really does belong in quotes.

As far as I'm concerned, the biggest rule - the only rule, really - in fashion is "To thine own self be true." I was going to say "don't get arrested for not covering up certain bits," but maybe you have perfectly valid reasons for racking up an indecent exposure charge. Civil disobedience? Performance art? A social statement about the gendering of our bodies? It is not my place to judge.

I also kind of want to say "speaking of exposure, dress appropriately for the weather," but considering how often I've frozen because of a clothing choice more dictated by aesthetics than practicality, and my fondness for tall boots and velvet year-round, even in summer, I can't, not without courting hypocrisy.

So. "Rules," or at least my own aesthetic, for anyone who is interested. Not, please, to be taken as gospel.

Hearts & Stripes

Photo: Fabulous Husband

 Heart-patterned sweater: Absolutely Creative Worldwide, thrifted

Striped French-cuff shirt: Old Navy, thrifted

Serpentine bird necklace: origin unknown, possibly Central Asian?

Full black cotton skirt: H&M

Grey tights: Calvin Klein, Century 21

Shoes: John Fluevog "Tillie"

Before I started playing more aggressively with color, I wouldn't had thought to pair pink and red, accent the combination with dark green, or wear grey tights with this outfit instead of standard-issue black. 

I love the buttondown-under-a-sweater look: it's slightly old-fashioned and, particularly when paired with a full skirt like this one, has a vintage academic vibe. It was impossible not to emphasize it with the shoes: played just wrong, they look orthopedic, but with this nostalgic look, they come off like a mid-century brogue. The necklace, which is a complimentary color but from a completely different style register, keeps the look from being too cliche. A strand of pearls would have pushed the look over the top from vintagey into costumey, I think.

By far my fondest part of this outfit, though, is the mix of patterns in the tops. The subtle, understated striped are a great foil for the bold hearts. I think the next unit in my Fashion Rules (I really should have made that Fashion "Rules") will be pattern and texture mixing.

Do you mix patterns? If so, how?