The Long and Short of It...

Recognize this maxi skirt?  I've worn it for a few other outfit posts.  But this time, I did something different.  I made it shorter because I wanted to be able to wear my purple boots.  How, you ask?  I pulled it up under my arms as if I was going to wear it as a dress, and then wore a tighter-fitting tank top over the top of the whole thing.  Ta-dah!  A shorter skirt.  I was proud of myself, and shocked that it didn't even look bunchy and bulgy.  Of course, scarves cover a multitude of issues.  :)

Have you found any new and exciting outfit possibilities lately?

Niki

Skirt: refashion.  Tank: H&M.  Jacket: thrifted.  Boots: thrifted.  Scarf: my mom's.  Hat: craft bazaar.

"You just get cuter and cuter!"

 

 

Oops.  It's been several days since my last post.  Honestly, I haven't even been on the computer in a few days.  Partially because the computer gets used a lot by other siblings, and partially because I haven't had anything to post about. 

I finally wore something outfit post worthy to church yesterday.  I recieved some very nice compliments from very nice people, which is always encouraging.  (See post title)  People also kept asking me why I was so dressed up.  I thought I was dressed fairly casually with the long cardigan and whatnot, but it doesn't matter.  It was comfortable and I felt pretty in it. 

Anyway, this outfit was a great way to get more wear out of a summery dress.  The long cardigan with a belt was a twist on the traditional dress and cardigan combo.   This look would be awesome with boots, but my only pair is wintery and furry and I thought that would look weird.  I need to get me some new boots...

How do you transition your dresses to fall?

Niki

Dress: Old Navy.  Cardigan: my mom's (Chadwicks)  Belt: thrifted.  Tights: my mom's.  Silver flats: thrifted.  Ring: my great-grandmother's.

Plaid and Polka Dots: Baby Steps to Pattern Mixing

Just a quick outfit post for ya.  I wore this a few days ago, and it was a really basic outfit.  But I liked the red polka dot shoes with the plaid shirt.  I'm not usually very confident when it comes to pattern mixing, but this was a baby step.  :)

Say, do any of you use Go Chic or Go Home?  It's a website that you allows you to upload pictures of your clothes, then you can drag and drop them to create outfits.  It's great for planning purposes and for finding new ways to remix your clothes.  I signed up this week and got carried away taking pictures of my clothes and uploading them.  I think I put most of my wardrobe up.  Ha ha.  But I've already spotted some outfit possibilities that I might not have thought of otherwise.  If you are already part of the site, let me know and maybe we can follow each other?  If you're not, check it out.  You may want to give it a try!  You do have to be invited, or request an invite, though.  If you want to give me an email address or something, though, I'd love to send you an invite!

I'm not affiliated with Go Chic or Go Home or anything, I just thought you might be interested in hearing about a good tool to help you discover new possibilities for your wardrobe.  It's great for thrifty gals like me who want to wear new outfits, without buying new clothes all the time.  :)

Niki

Where's the Party?

The party dress.  You probably have one lurking in the back of your closet too.  The dress that you love, but feels a little too formal for regular wear.  And if you're like me, you don't get invited to fancy parties every weekend.  But I wasn't content to let this dress languish in the closet.  It hasn't fit me for a while, but now that I've lost some weight I was eager to wear it again.  I decided I would find a way to casual-afie it.  (I actually bought two of the exact same dress a while back because they were only like $10 each.  The other one's purple.  So that's double the reason to find a casual way to wear them, right?)

 

Here's what I came up with:

I broke the unwritten rules of fashion blogging (ha!) and wore the scarf-vest again.  When I find something that works and that I like, I wear it a lot.  I don't think that's a problem.  :)    I think strapless dresses can feel a little formal sometimes, so the scarf-vest helped with that and made this outfit more church-appropriate.  I wore my trusty blue flats, but you could go even more casual with some canvas tennies if you wanted.  That's what I would do if I was going on errands or something instead of to church. 

 

So what do you think?  Have I inspired you to give your party dress a second chance?

 

Niki

 

Dress: Romy (super cute store, by the way, if you live in the area)  Scarf: gift.  Shoes: thrifted

The Amazing T-Shirt Scarf!

Sooooo...please excuse the awkward-self-portrait-style pictures in today's post.  Hopefully you will still find the styling tips useful.  :)

 

I made this scarf a few days ago from a XXL t-shirt I got at Old Navy for 97 cents.  (Yeah, 97 cents!  That particular color and style of t-shirt was on clearance.  I bought 7.  1 for each of my sisters, and a few extras for projects.)  Sorry, that was a rabbit trail...Anywhoo.  To make this scarf, I just cut the bottom of the shirt off right under the arms.  Bam!  Instant infinity scarf. 

 

So then I decided to explore some ways to wear it:

The double loop.  A classic.

 

 The turban twist.  Instead of doing a half twist before doubling it, do a full twist.  You end up with a knotted/twist thing in front.

 

This is the turban loop version, but around my head, like a real turban.  :)

 

Ok, so this one may not work unless you're cruising down Route 66 in a red convertible.  But hey, I can dream.  :)

You can wear the scarf over your shoulders as a sort of shawl.  Maybe over a dress?  I did a half twist in mine just to add a nice twist detail to the front and back.

 

Lastly, the faux bolero jacket.  Put the scarf around your waist/chest, then pull the front over behind your neck.  You'll probably want to use a safety pin or two to hold the back edges together, kind of like the scarf vest from yesterday's post.

 

This just goes to show that you never know what you'll come up with if you just spend a few minutes playing around with your clothes!

Niki

No-sew Scarf Vest. Are You Serious?

 

See my awesome new vest?  Let me tell you a secret.  It's a scarf.  Yep, a scarf.  One of my favorite scarves is now a favorite vest.  I was inspired by this article I found yesterday, and decided to try one of their 10 ideas.  So I turned my scarf into a vest.  Non-permantently!

 

 

It's super simple!  You just tie the two top corners together, and catch some of the middle of the scarf in the knot as well.  I don't know if you can tell from the pictures very well, but it's super easy to figure out.  I promise.

I will definately be wearing me and my mom's larger scarves this way alot.  It's a simple way to dress up an outfit and get more wear out of those wonderful scarves.  I love this idea.  It's the perfect example of how a little creativity can go a long way when it comes to remixing your wardrobe. 

 

Well, I'm off to have a Pride and Prejudice marathon with a friend.  Bye for now!

 

Niki

 

Striped shirt: Kohl's.  Jeans: Levi's.  Shoes: thrifted.  Necklace: Claire's.  Scarf-vest: gift from my best friend.  It's from Disneyland.  :)

Wardrobe Remix: Gray Maxi Skirt

 

 Do you have a piece of clothing that just feels like home? So comfortable that you almost want to wear it all the time? I do. It's a gray maxi skirt that is made out of a soft knit fabric. The best part about it? I made it myself from a dress that only cost me $3. Oh yes. This was definately my most successful refashion ever, and all I did was cut off the top of the dress and add an elastic waistband.  Super easy.  Anyway, I wanted to give you 3 ideas of how to wear a skirt like this. 

 Look #1:  Pair it with a dressier top, wide belt, and heels for a dressier look.  Even a knit skirt can look fancier depending on what you wear it with.  Accessorize as desired.  This is the shirt I made in my last post. 

 Look #2:  Wear the skirt as a dress!  You'll need a belt, unless you want to look shapeless.  ;)  I wore sandals to keep this look summery, but you could add a cardigan and flats for a cooler day.

Look #3:  This popular pin on Pinterest was my inspiration for this look.  I wore the skirt with a white tank top, a wide belt, flip flops and my dad's denim shirt.  I also added my peacock feather necklace just cuz I love it.  How do you think this outfit compares to the original?

This skirt is definately one of my go-to pieces, both when I'm dressing to go out or just spending the day at home. 

What's your favorite go-to piece of clothing?

Thanks for reading!

Niki

Look #1:  Top: me-made.  Belt: thrifted.  Necklace: found it laying around my house.  Don't really know where it came from.  ;)  Shoes:  Fred Meyer

Look #2:  Belt: gift, I think.  Necklace: shop in Mexico.  Sandals: I've had them for years, so I don't remember.  Fred Meyer?

Look #3:  Tank Top: Old Navy.  Flip-flops: Fred Meyer.  Necklace: Claire's.  Denim shirt: my dad's.  Belt: thrifted.