30x30x2

Here is day two. My lovely co-worker took these pictures out in the gardens at work.

Wow... my legs are so white...

Black ruffle skirt: Nordstrom Rack

Black cardigan: Target

Coral ruffle tank: Nordstrom Rack

Necklace: Target (most likely)

Bracelet: Wal-Mart (who knew?)

Awkward poses: That's all me, baby.

Could I be any happier? Maybe, but not much.

Okay, Kiwi Fresh'ins should pay me for how much I am going to talk up their shoe inserts right now.

In Paris I bought a similar product--a disposable shoe liner--to wear in all my ballet flats that I didn't want to wear socks with.

I have wanted to buy them ever since I've come home, but never found them in the US. Well, today I found them online at Kiwi for Women!!

Seriously, if you like to wear shoes without socks, and you hate the tiny footie socks (since they fall off half the time anyway), you should get some. Find them here: Kiwi Fresh'ins (a.k.a. every girl's lifesaver). They are only $3.99 for a six-pair pack.

I haven't tried this particular brand before, but I think they would have to be seriously unfortunate to disappoint me.

Hooray! (And you're welcome in advance.)

30 for 30 (Attempt #2)

So, with the upcoming financial change I'm going to experience as I go back to school, I think it's more appropriate than ever for me to do a wardrobe remix project. I never ended up doing it the first time, so I'm going to start now (well, soon).

I am going to pick my 30 items this week, and then next week I'm going to start the remix. The 11th will be day #1.

Things I already know about the remix:

• I am going to focus on creating more variety in my casual outfits--since I'll be going back to school and won't have to dress up for work, I want to look more polished while wearing comfortable clothing.
• I am going to have a hard time picking which shoes to include.
• I am still going to be really grateful that accessories don't count in the 30 items.
• I will be completely over taking pictures of myself every day.

So, here goes nothing...

30 for 30

I recently started reading a fashion blog called Kendi Everyday, and she occasionally does what she calls a 30 for 30. Basically, you pick 30 items from your closet and you can only wear those 30 items over the next 30 days in whatever combinations you can come up with. Accessories and jewelry are not included in the 30 items (thank heavens) but shoes are.

And here's the kicker--what really makes me want to do it. The other 'rule' is that you can't shop for those 30 days. So as you're mixing and matching what you've got, you will get a sense of what needs you have in your closet, rather than just buying random things.

I've been thinking recently about how many items of clothing I have in my closet that 1) don't look good on me and 2) I don't wear that often. So I thought this would be a good exercise so I could get a feel for what basics I'm lacking and what items I would really like to add to my closet--just the selection of 30 items seems like it will be pretty revealing.

The 30 for 30 is supposed to start Feb 1 and go for 30 days. So... we'll see what happens.

(And can I just say again how grateful I am that jewelry is not included in the 30 items? If I could only wear jeans and a black or white t-shirt for 30 days I still think I could get 30 looks out of my jewelry alone. Does that mean I'm cheating already?)

(And does it mean I'm cheating if I have things I want to buy before the 30 days start?)

Ye Shall Know Me by My Earrings

Today I was walking down the sidewalk, enjoying the feel of the mist-like rain that was falling on the city, when a young man doing street-contacting for some sort of national organization stopped me.



Him: "Mademoiselle?" (Just as I am walking past him)

Me: "Oui?" (Doing a 180 to face him)

H: How are you?

M: Fine, thanks, how are you.

H: Super.

M: Good.

H: You're not French are you?

M: (Thinking: You CANNOT be serious. I can't even manage to say HELLO without sounding like an American?!)

M: (Out Loud) No, I'm not. (Hoping I look confused as to why he's saying this)

H: Well, it's actually because of your earrings.

M: My earrings? (Oh, of COURSE it was my earrings...naturally.)

H: Yeah. French women don't wear earrings like that.

M: (Out loud) Oh. (Thinking: Oh, yeah. I forgot how French women don't like color.)

H: They look like candy.

M: Hm.

H: Well, since you're not French, I can't give you my spiel, so have a great day!

M: You, too.



So, next time you see someone wearing earrings like these*:




you can safely assume that, though they may not be American, above all... they aren't French.

*Yes, those are the actual "candy" earrings I am wearing today

Today I:

-got to church on time for the first time since I moved here (it's obviously been an adjustment, and the Metro runs about half as frequently on Sunday, so this week I finally got the timing right).

-sang in Sacrament Meeting with the ward choir. Don't worry that on Easter we're singing an excerpt from the Messiah that has notes higher than anyone should be able to sing.

-wore what I'm guessing every French person I encountered thought was a really "loud American" dress. (It's a black wrap dress with white swirls all over it. Maybe you've seen it, maybe not. It's definitely got a distinct pattern.) Good thing it was mostly covered by my coat. And they were possibly so shocked by my legs not being clad in opaque black tights that they missed the dress altogether.

-made another friend on the Metro. We're possibly hanging out tomorrow. I'll be sure to establish at the BEGINNING of the evening that I'm just looking to be friends. It should be a bit easier this time, because a) he speaks pretty good English and b) he lived in the US for 4 years. I'm hoping he got a little taste of what dating is like there, and won't be totally shocked if I tell him that I don't want to date him after I gave him my number. And if he is shocked, then at least we can go our separate ways in peace without all the drama.

-participated in a lesson with the sister missionaries. They're fantastic--one of them just got here like a week ago, so her French is still very minimal, but she is really passionate about the Gospel. I really feel like I can see her testimony shining in her eyes when I look at her. Their investigator (they call them "friends of the church" in French) is really sweet and has a lot of faith. She really believes in prayer and has a lot of faith in God already. I was really surprised how quickly I gained an interest in her little family. I almost felt like I was a missionary again.

-made tentative plans with this great sister in my ward to go out to dinner this Wednesday. I'm excited.

A tripod is a tripod is a tripod...

... except when it is being used as a coat rack...

...or a jewelry stand.

Got these beauties at H&M yesterday. To assuage my frustration at not finding boots.

Too bad I couldn't get the white balance to work out when I decided to take it without a flash. I promise my jewelry is silver colored, not an icky urine color. (The fact that the overhead light in my room is a yellow chinese lantern and my curtains are a yellow-green doesn't help the situation, either.)

Color Addict

Adobe Kuler is a great place to feed my color addiction.

People come up with great color combinations that I would never think of. It's very inspirational for me as I think about paintings (or combining clothes I would have never put together on my own... I'm very very conservative when it comes to color combinations in clothing).

Here are a few examples.

Aubergine by natalieeiferd

Sneaking Around by whoneycutt

Tell Me I'm Pretty by CivilSumo

Maybe looking at this site more frequently will help me be more adventurous in my fashion choices.

Maybe.

A Silhouette I CAN Feel Good About

You now know how I feel about the DC pants trend. **Shudder**

This, however, is a look I think is darling. Fun, whimsical, feminine. I really wish I could rock a top hat without looking ridiculous.

I like this one, too. Definitely a different feel, but I would totally wear it.

Not that I own any clothes that remotely resemble anything in either photo...

Whoever decided these were a good idea...

...needs to rethink a few things.

Drop crotch pants are not a look I can get behind. Truly horrible, and apparently pretty common in Paris, Moscow, and NYC. Yikes. Comfy, I'm sure, but seriously frumpy looking.

See circled information above. SERIOUSLY??

I'm obviously not the fashion police, but I am pretty opinionated about silhouettes, and this one just doesn't appeal. See other examples here.