Day 14--August 21, 2011

This blog is two weeks old! And in honor of the anniversary, today's outfit is brought to you by Target.....

Not really. Wouldn't that be awesome though? But really, every single piece in today's outfit is from Target.

Shirtdress: Converse One Star (bought on the clearance rank for $7 this summer! It still had the tags on it this morning!)

Undershirt: Mossimo tank-top (Target)

Leggings: Assets (Target)—they are really footless tights, but I rolled them up some more because it is freaking hot in Texas 

Shoes: Merona (Target)

Even my purse, the black one with white polka dots is Merona, which is a Target brand.

Photo Credit: My friend Sally in the Wesley house’s dining hall.

2 things: This dress has a tie with it, but I took it out. I didn’t like it. Also, my mom bought me these shoes like freshman year of high school hoping I’d grow into them. Well I’ve stopped growing and they are still big. So I predict I’ll be wearing them for a LONG while.

Today I went to Howdy Week Chapel, then to lunch at the Wesley (the campus ministry I attend at school). I hung out at the Wesley house and played games (there were new freshmen there) until 4:30 pm. I came home and changed into the same outfit as yesterday since it’s repeat day. Tomorrow is school!

Also, now that I’m caught up with my Daily Outfits, I will be returning to the one picture post, one text post a day format. 

Day 13--August 20, 2011

So it begins. I’m going to be honest here, there probably will start being more self-taken mirror pictures on this blog. I have officially moved back to school so my parents aren’t around. I will try to get my roommate or a friend to take the pictures, but if I don’t succeed you’ll get this. Sorry.

Shirt: Bought in a gift shop on one of the piers of Seattle in March 2010.

Pants: Faded Glory

Shoes: Converse One Star (Target)

First off, I really love this shirt and I have no idea why. It’s so basic! My mom tried to get me to get a shirt with the Space Needle on it instead, but I stuck to this one. Prior to this challenge I wore this shirt ALOT.

Secondly, when my mom first bought me these pants I disliked them and never wore them. I took them on a mission trip hoping I’d get them so dirty I’d have to throw them away. I wore them the first day and realized that they were actually really nice pants. Thus I kept them despite the paint splatters on them! I think those add character. ; )

(P.S. You get a sneak peek of my bedroom at my apartment! Don’t get too excited though, you’ll probably be seeing it a lot. I spent most of my day moving into my new place. Excitement!) 

Day 12--August 19, 2011

Shirt: Present from my parents; they went to New Zealand for their 25th wedding anniversary

Shorts: Simply Basic; very, very old soccer shorts (from what I can tell Simply Basic is a Walmart brand).

Shoes: my SAS brown loafers

Photo Credit: My mom in our kitchen.

I changed out of my repeat outfit when we got home from Kansas about 12 noon on Friday into this. I spent the afternoon packing and climbing through the barn looking for stuff for my apartment. I got dir-ty! This shirt has a really high collar and I didn't want to wear it to school, so I wore it on my last day home!

Day 10-- August 17, 2011

Shirt: Hot Topic (www.hottopic.com)

Pants: Atheletic Works (probable hand-me-down)

Shoes: Converse One Star (Target)

Photo Credit: My mom while we had a pit-stop in Enterprise, Kansas while riding the Abilene and Smoky Valley Railway.

My Ron shirt might possibly be my favorite item of clothing that I own. I got it on clearance after making a special trip to the local mall just to buy it earlier this summer. I wore it to the midnight premiere of Deathly Hallows Part 2.

Day 9--August 16, 2011

Shirt: Old Navy

Pants: Faded Glory (Walmart Brand)

Shoes: Dr. Scholl’s Flip-flops; borrowed from Mom

Photo Credit: My mom in our room at the Diamond Motel in Abilene, Kansas

I originally planned to wear a DRESS (I know right?) on Tuesday, but it turned out to be too small. I was sad because my parents bought it for me in Aruba and I never wore it. But small’s small right? So I guess I’m giving it away. I really like this outfit, but the shirt’s a Large and thus a bit big on me. Plus I know horizontal stripes are bad, but I love them too much!

Blogspot Bonus: For most of the day, I wore my Converse, but for dinner I switched into these. It really changed the look I must admit.

Fashion Inspiration #1

When you read the words “The Parent Trap” what comes to mind? Lindsay Lohan before she was crazy right?

Well not for me. What comes to my mind is this…

The 1961 version of The Parent Trap starring Hayley Mills! I love, love, love this version of the film. It’s so innocent and playful. It has a carefree and refreshing nature that the LiLo version doesn’t.

It’s not surprising that I also love the fashion in this film. I found a lovely inspiration board based on this version of the film on DesignSponge ages ago. I’m excited to share it with you all now.

Check out the loveliness…

It makes me want school even less. (5 more days! Goodness!)

So enjoy your last days of summer with this board and I’ll be back soon!

Check out the entire board at www.designsponge.com/2010/06/living-in-the-parent-trap.html

I'm in Kansas!

Sorry guys, there will be no Daily Outfit photos again until Friday. But don’t worry—I’ve put three posts in the queue (2 more after this one). They will all come out around 2 pm on their respective days. Don’t cry over me too much! : )

Kansas is where I was born, but I don’t really claim any allegiance to it. My family moved from Kansas to Missouri when I was a year old, then to Texas when I was seven. I consider myself a Texan now and have no intention of ever living anywhere else again.

But a tiny piece of my heart lives in Kansas so I’m always glad to return there.

In honor of my birth state, here’s some things that connect fashion and Kansas.

1) An amazing fashion blog that also does the Daily Outfits thing run by a Kansasan.

www.kansascouture.com

While her style is more trendy than mine, I love her risk-taking outfits!

(Source: kansascouture.com)

2) The state flower of Kansas is the sunflower. Here is a rocking sunflower dress:

(Source: www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-life-features/liverpool-style-city/2008/01/17/fashion-get-ready-for-the-sunshine-64375-20362966)

3) Apparently Amelia Earhart (from Atchinson, KS) had a major impact on modern fashion! See the following articles:

http://cinematicpassions.wordpress.com/2009/07/22/amelia-earhart-americas-first-fashion-designer

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mary-hall/amelia-earharts-fashion-l_b_341283.html

http://www.fashionising.com/trends/b—Style-inspiration-aviation-Amelia-Earhart-2797.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_4493699_dress-like-amelia-earhart.html

(Source: www.dieselpunks.org/profiles/blogs/amelia-earharts-final-resting)

4) The Lee Jeans Company is located in Merrian, KS. I’ve already worn one pair of Lee jeans in my Daily Outfit photos and I bet I’ll be wearing more eventually!

Here is the link to Lee’s newest line if you want to take a look:www.lee.com/store/LEE_STORE_US/en_US/category/women/new-arrivals.html

(Source: www.lee.com/store/LEE_STORE_US/en_US/category/women/jackets.html; cropped by me)

Have a lovely day!! I’ll see you soon, but for now you can bet I’m enjoying the cool Kansas weather. (Cool because 80 feels nice when you’re a Texan used to the 100s!)

Day 8--August 15, 2011

Shirt: Church Youth Group shirt for Summer 2009 (the youth pastor always makes a new shirt every summer to memorialize our summer "theme"); it's Spiderman-themed. That black smudge you see on the right of my shirt in the photo is actually a spider

Pants: Old Navy jean shorts; you can't see it well, but there are rainbow stripes on the front pockets

Shoes: the brown loafers I wear to work (Sorry I tried to get my mom to get them in the pic, but no dice).

Photo Credit: My mom in her work office (She works at our church).

I really like these shorts, but I'm pretty meh about the shirt.

Today I have been packing for school! I went to church at noon to have lunch with my mom, then came home and napped. There will be a post detailing my clothes for school coming shortly!

Blogspot Bonus: The first time I ever wore this shirt around my house, my mom starts FREAKING OUT when I came into the kitchen for breakfast. Turns out she thought the spider on my shirt was a real one....I now bring this story up every time I wear this shirt, including today. I'm such a good daughter. : ) 

Strategizing My Wardrobe

I'm developing a strategy to get through my closet. I have to have variety in my clothes if I'm going to get through this. I can't wear all of my jeans at the start and then have only skirts and khaki pants. I can't wear all of my t-shirts in a row and only have dressy shirts left. I might have to wear a dress on a non-Sunday (GASP!). I have to move between casual outfits and more dressed-up things like collared shirts on a daily basis. I have to save my black pants and shorts for that time of the month (I wore a pair of black shorts on Day 3 and then wished I hadn't. I might need those shorts later!). I have to have careful planning when I go to school (as I have previously stated).

And there might be days when I just NEED to wear a certain item (black shorts, sweatpants, a collared shirt, etc.) and what if I've run out? I can't let that happen!

So variety and planning are the catchphrases of this blog. Don't be surprised if you see me wearing a skirt to class!

Day 7--August 14, 2011

This blog is a week old! Yeah!

Today I went to church at 8 am and stayed until noon. I was wearing this lovely number:

( I really dislike this picture, but it is the only one I got. Definitely going to be more aggressive with my mom next time about blurriness, getting the WHOLE outfit and being outside, etc. At least you can see my dress!)

Dress: City Triangles (bought at Ross)--they don't have their own website
Shoes: black Merona wedges from Target
Photo Credit: My mom in our living room.

Don't worry, I wear these wedges to church fairly often, so I'll definitely get them in the picture next time I wear them!

After church my mom and I went out for lunch with our church group. I came home and changed into the top from Day 1 and the pants from Day 5 (Sunday is my repeating day remember?). I then napped and at 5, my mom and I went back to church for the camp meeting. Now I'm watching TV with my Dad while I type this.

Hope you all had a lovely Sunday!

Day 6--August 13, 2011

This outfit is one of those that I didn't want to take to school, so I wore it today.

Shirt: It's my high school senior shirt; it has my graduation date and my high school's mascot on the back.

Pants: Old Navy; hemmed by my mom

Shoes: Converse bought at Target

Purse: Merona (a gift, but it's a Target brand)

Headband: Goody

Yeah...so I wouldn't be caught dead wearing a high school shirt on campus. I can't get rid of this shirt though...too many memories! 

Even though you can't see them, I really love the socks I'm wearing--they are black, white, and gray argyle!

I'm so proud of my Converse! I got them this summer and they are my first pair! I love them!

Blogspot Bonus: I really really like the fact that my shoes and purse match! Ha!

These jeans are slightly too big around the waist and I should wear a belt with them. I never do though, so I wanted to leave them at home. They used to be way too long for me as well, but my mom fixed them for me!

I woke up at 9 am, spent the morning reading, and then headed to lunch with my dad and brother. We were waiting at the restaurant when my brother snapped the picture with his iPhone. This afternoon, my brother spent a BUNCH of time showing me stuff on Google Maps. Once again, a chill day.

But from 3 pm-bedtime I'm wearing....

A decent picture of my work outfit at last! I know you all were DYING to see it right? ; )

Here's the info copied from Day 2.

Shirt— Liz Claiborne (www.lizclaiborne.com);probably passed down from my mom

Pants—Tyte Jeans-American Standard (www.tyte.com); no idea where/how I got these

Nametag—given to me by Target (haha!)

Shoes—brown loafers from San Antonio Shoes (www.sasshoes.com);I think they are style Twin; inherited from my mom

Purse--Merona (I'm the type of person who uses a purse continually until she gets tired of it. My purse prior to this one was from Paris and I used it nearly exclusively for two years!)

Taken by my coworker Lauren at 11:15 pm on Thursday in the Target Team Member area.

Today's my last day of work until Christmas, so no more red and khaki on this blog until then! I'll wear red and I'll wear khaki, but I will NOT wear the two together outside of work. Oh and this work outfit now counts as worn! I'll get a new set of red and khaki out at Christmas!

Keeping Track of All This!

Last night during my lunch break at work, I began brainstorming ideas for posts for this blog. In a perfect world I would like to have a picture post and a word post a day, but I know that probably won’t happen. I’m a college student after all! But I wrote down several ideas that I’m going to tackle one by one. First up…

I have yet another dilemma about managing this blog. How am I going to keep track of what I have already worn? At the present moment, the clothes that already been featured on this blog are in a pile in the corner of my room. That’s fine and dandy when there are only 5 outfits. But what will I do as I get farther into my wardrobe?

My first thought was post-its. Simply stick a post-it on each worn item with the date it was worn on it. But do you know how many post-it notes that would require? Also, it’s likely the post-it notes would fall off eventually, especially being shuffled through constantly. 

Then I figured a spreadsheet might work. I would simply describe each item and list the brand. Now for shirts this could be effective. But pants? How would I tell one pair of jeans from another? I’ve only got one pair with sparkles on the bottom. The rest are plain. Plus, once again, it might get to be too much of a hassle as the list got bigger.

My current solution is to rearrange my wardrobe where I put everything that has been worn on one side and the unworn to the other. That would require some work on my part, but it would be manageable. 

I might just stuff the worn clothes into a large trash bag until I get so many that I fill the bag up. That should take me 2 weeks or so. Enough time to get my closet ready.

Another fashion blog dilemma solved.

(I hope this wasn’t too wordy. I like words. alot. I’ll probably be too wordy in all of my word posts. Sorry in advance.)

Day 5--August 12, 2011

I have the day off, so no work outfit picture yet.

Shirt--got in a gift shop in Ketchikan, Alaska while on an Alaskan cruise in the summer of 2007 (It's black and says Alaska in pink script. In the tail at the bottom it says Ketchikan.)

Pants--No Boundaries (another Walmart brand)

Shoes--Same black Walmart flip-flops

Headband--Same pink Walmart one as yesterday

Photo Credit: My mom in our backyard


This shirt is getting a little tight for me, but I'll keep it longer than I should because of the memories of my Alaska trip. Also, I LOVE these capris. They are one of my most-often repeated pants. It'll be sad not wearing them again for awhile.

Today I didn't get up until 12 pm due to certain activities that took place last night. I'm going to see The Help and then have dinner with my parents this afternoon/evening. It's a pretty chill day.

My System

Since I got no responses to my queries, I decided to make an executive decision.

I will count every outfit that I’m photographed in for this blog. That will help me get through my closet faster and it will make my decision-making easier. If I happen to run out of shirts before I run out of pants, I will start rewearing shirts that I only wore for a few hours or so. Or vice-versa if I run out of pants.

As for Sundays, I will only take a picture of my church outfit. Sunday afternoons I will repeat outfits. Sunday will be my “day of rest” from planning new outfits.

Day 3--August 10, 2011

Once again, from 7:30 am-5 pm I wore my work outfit (exactly the same way I wore it yesterday). The only difference is I wore my hair down today, as you’ll see below. I promise I’ll get a decent picture of the outfit before I stop working for the summer.

5 pm-bedtime I’m wearing this:

Shirt: Received for working as a Vacation Bible School volunteer at my church in 2010. Gildan brand; shirt design by www.gospellight.com; printed by unknown

Shorts:  Faded Glory black jean shorts (It’s a Walmart brand, but as a Target employee, I refuse to link to them.)

Shoes: Got at Walmart ages ago. They used to have white polka-dots on them, but have worn off due to frequent use.

Headband: Goody (www.goody.com); came in a 10-pack from either Target or Walmart

Photo Credit: my brother via his iPhone; taken in his friend’s apartment (like my new friend Mr. Duck?)

Tonight my brother and I went out for Wingstop and then we headed to his friend’s apartment to hang out for a couple of hours.

(It’s very rare for me to wear my hair down, especially to work, so don’t get used to it.) 

Also, I’ve had these flip-flops since freshman year of high school or so. Every summer I expect them to break and they never do!

Blogspot Bonus: I rarely wear red on days that I work after I get off. It surprised even me when I chose this ensemble!

What's My System?

It’s only Day 2 and I have already met an obstacle in my no repeating rule. How do I count an outfit as worn?

Most days, it’s easy. I get up, I put on clothes I haven’t worn before, and wear them all day. Simple.

But what about on days that I work? The current outfit I’m wearing I didn’t put on until 4 pm. I’ll only wear it about 6 hours AND I’m not even going to leave my house in that time. So do I still count the shirt and the pants as worn and thus unwearable until I finish my experiment? This won’t be an issue for much longer though—this is my last week of work.

And what about Sundays? On Sundays I wear my church outfit from 9 am-2 pm and then I change into something comfortable for the rest of the day. Do I count both outfits as worn? Or just my church outfit? Maybe I should rewear things only on Sunday afternoon—just to avoid this issue.
Any thoughts?

Day 2--August 9, 2011

Day 2--August 9, 2011

From 7:30 am-4 pm I wore this:

Shirt— Liz Claiborne (www.lizclaiborne.com);probably passed down from my mom

Pants—Tyte Jeans-American Standard (www.tyte.com); no idea where/how I got these

Nametag—given to me by Target (haha!)

Shoes (You can’t see them because I had already taken them off)—brown loafers from San Antonio Shoes (www.sasshoes.com);I think they are style Twin; inherited from my mom

So sorry for the terrible quality. When I got home from work, I was the only one home and I really wanted to change so I took a Myspace photo in my parents’ mirror. I really like this work outfit, so it’ll be a repeat. I promise I’ll get a decent photo of it soon. And then my hand won’t be blocking the cute neckline!

Then I changed and from 4 pm-bedtime I’m wearing this:

Shirt—Received in July or August 2006 when I went on my church’s annual Mystery Trizip (misspelled on purpose); It’s a Hanes Authentic shirt, design by that summer’s interns Megan W. and Megan P., and printed by unknown Tshirt company.

Jeans— So Wear It Declare It (they apparently don’t have their own site as it’s a Kohls-exclusive brand, so the site is www.kohls.com/So); bought and hemmed for me by my mom ages ago.

Shoes— probably none as I’m not planning to go anywhere

Photo Credit: My dad via my camera in our backyard

Sorry you can’t see my pants very well. I asked my dad to take a full-body picture, but he didn’t understand. Boys eh? They look like standard jeans in the front, but in the back they have 2 pockets with sparkly designs on them. There is a giant question mark on the back of my shirt too.

(You can click the pictures to make them bigger!)

Blogspot Bonus: I call these pants my XYZ jeans because the zipper has trouble staying up. I've had so many people tell my fly's open while wearing these pants! Definitely a good way to meet people I guess!

Day 1--August 8, 2011

Top—FANG (www.fang-fashion.com); a hand-me-down from a cousin

Jean Shorts—Lee Riveted (www.lee.com); probably hand-me-down as well.

Brown Flip-Flops—had them for ages; no brand on them; probably from Wal-Mart

Today was casual—I spent most of the day working on my room/packing for school. Spent the evening swimming at my friend K’s house, so wanted something summery to wear before swimming.

Photo Credit: my brother via his iPhone

(You can click the pictures to make them bigger!)

Exceptions

There are exceptions to the no repeat rule.

The following will (probably) be repeated:

socks

shoes (I might be a clotheshorse, but I’m not a shoeaholic.)

camis/undershirts

underwear (of course)

scarfs/jewelry

hats

Basically the only things that fall under the no repeat rule are tops and bottoms.

EDIT: My work clothes will be repeated--while I do have WAY too much red and khaki in my wardrobe, I don't have enough to always be original when I go to work.

This is an experiment.

I call myself a tomboy—someone’s who is not interested in fashion. Yet I have piles of clothes on my floor right now as I prepare to pack up for another year at college.

How did this happen? Well, I’ll tell you. I’m an upper-middle class American female college student. My parents regularly buy me clothes. I get clothes for birthdays, Christmas, special events (weddings, graduations, parties), the start of school, and the occasional well-that’s-really-cute-on-you outfit by my mom. I also work in the clothing department at Target—I see pretty clothes all the time. Plus I get a discount. So I buy a lot of clothes for myself from Target. The last factor that contributes to this monster pile is my 5 female cousins, all of whom are older than me. Once they outgrow something, they pass it to me. They do this a lot.  

Thus the monster clothes pile is born.

Despite the copious amounts of clothes I have, I find myself rewearing the same outfits over and over. I want to stop that cycle. Right now.

So I’m on a mission—I’m going to wear every single thing in my closet once without any repeats. I’m going to give away outfits that don’t look good or that I don’t like.

I’m going to post a picture of every outfit that I wear here and blog about it. You can see my style and get my view on my clothes.

Who knows? I might even become a fashionista!

Here we go.