Passionate Fashion - Sparkly Wings

What can I say? A girl needs a little sparkle in her life. Why not have a stripe of it down your sleeves and across your collar bone. This sure does distract from my "problem areas". I know that I am staring at the sparkles!

I started the day off with one scarf. At the very last minute before leaving for work, I grabbed the second scarf. At work I decided to wrap the two scarves together and tuck the ends in.

About half way through the day, I was sooo sick of adjusting my pants. (I forgot a belt and I can't wear pants without a belt. My shape makes me do it!) I decided to thread one of the scarves through my belt loops and wear it as a belt! HURRAY for not having to pull my pants up every two seconds!

I am sad that I forgot to take pictures of my creative solution. This shirt is very draping. I tried to layer a long sleever shirt under it for warmth but it made the shirt look horrible. I decided to be creative in my quest for warmth. I found an old blue henley and I continued to cut off the sleeves. I used those sleeves as arm warmers for my time at work. (It is so cold at work no matter what!)

Shirt - gifted
Necklace - via Herbergers
Khaki Pants - Mossimo via Target
Scarves - gifted
Boots - Mia

Early bday present

My husband is awesome. I have been wanting a full length mirror forever. I mean how's a girl supposed to get dressed in a teeny tiny target mirror? I mean come on, I'm a big girl. I need more. I have been keeping my eyes open for a while but nothing has jumped out at me. A couple weeks ago, I almost pulled the trigger on a mirror from west elm on my husband's insistence that it would be my birthday present. The mirror I was looking at was on sale and free shipping but I held back. I just wasn't sure. When I saw this one.... It was out of my price range but I posted it on my blog as I loved it anyway.

There I sat with no mirror again. Fast forward to today when my scheming husband said we should go to Olive Garden for lunch. Who am I to say no to that? What i didn't get is why he picked an one so far from home?

Because west elm was a block away and he had put a hold on MY mirror as my bday present. All I has to do was okay it in person. Yay!

Here's me, weekend wear and all, with my new mirror.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Passionate Fashion - Stars and Orange

Sweatshirt - Abercrombie (thrifted)
Orange Sweatshirt - Hanes (thrifted)
Purple Tank - Mossimo
Belt - Kenneth Cole
Khakis - Ann Taylor Loft
Necklace - gifted

I found this star sweatshirt at the Goodwill and I fell in love. It is fun pink, white, and purple stars. I found this orange sweatshirt at a different thrift store a couple days later. I LOVE how comfortable it is. I love that it looks like a soft orange jacket or a casual cardigan. Match a couple of sweatshirts (for warmth) with a pair of nice looking trousers and off to work I go.

I SOOO want to try the trend of jean shorts with tights but I don't wear anything that chilly on weekends. (Dog walking, errands, and everything else is not condusive to jean shorts in a MN winter.

I guess I will have to do a play time this weekend and try it out... and then change back into whatever jeans and sweatshirt I was wearing previously.

We'll see.

Passionate Fashion - Black and Blue and Pondering

White Pants - Thrifted Banana Republic
Blue Shirt - George via Walmart
Black Cardigan - Mossimo via Target Clearance
Earrings - via Claires
Watch - Unlisted

I have been trying to fight the urge to dress in a pants and shirt rut. I love to be able to throw on a nice shirt and pants and be off and ready. I love the ease of dressing and the ease of use during the day.

Lately I have been pondering my overstuffed to the gills closet and how long it takes me to get dressed each day. I have been doing a lot of thinking about needing/wanting things and how much use they get. I have been going over how much I like the thrill of the hunt and bringing new items into my life and closet for the game of getting dressed each day.

Should I continue on this path? I love shopping and I like getting dressed each day but it has been causing me a lot of stress lately. I want to wear clothes in a way that doesn't feel boring but doesn't consume me to come up with. I don't want to have to give up shopping and dressing but I don't want it to become work either. I REALLY want to find my style, dress chic and fun, clean out my closet, but continue to bring in inexpensive finds through thrifting.

Do you ever feel like keeping a closet organized is a full time job? Do you ever feel the urge to slim down the options and streamline your closet and by default your life?

I have cleaned my closet twice lately and I still feel like I haven't started. I cleared out most of the items that I wasn't feeling and I packed them into a container to be relooked at in a few days, weeks, or months. TBD

Like my new 'do?

My husband told me he thought this might be his favorite hair cut on me EVER. (Since he has known me.)

I must admit it does feel very me.

Fair warning that there will be some short and long hair mingling but I wanted to post this for today as this is what I wore.

Passionate Fashion - Beige Sweater Texture

When color in an outfit is muted, texture and layering must rise to the occasion and shine.

Have you seen my crazy new thrifted boots. They are AWESOME! I was looking for some knee high boots at the store just two weeks ago. The only thing that would be better about them is if they were leather and not suede.

Boots - Chaps thrifted
Sweater - Apt 9 gifted thrifted
Grey Tee- Mossimo
Gray Tank - Old Navy
Black Pants - Gap

Passionate Fashion - Black as Building Blocks

Gray Sweater - thrifted
Black Tee - Mossimo
White Tank - Sweet Nothings
Yellow Scarf - gifted
Black Pants - Gap
Necklace - Gifted
Gray Booties - Steve Madden

Monotone outfits can definitely be a great building block as well as a staple in your wardrobe.

I like the ability to create a simple outfit of basic black and build upon that with scarves, sweaters, and vests to create a basic yet chic outfit to face the day in.

An outfit to stand in the sunset in.

A lady I work with (not a fashionable lady) told me that I looked "just to cute" in this outfit.
I am not quite sure how I felt about that.

Passionate Fashion - Sophisticated Colors and Comfy Sweaters

This sweater is THE best thing to happen to my closet in a LONG time. A lot of times the clothing that looks the best on is NOT the comfiest clothing in my closet. Some days that does not matter. Some days it just DOES!

I thrifted this sweater at Goodwill a couple weeks ago. I LOVE the neckline with the zipper. I love the color, the way it hangs, pretty much everything about it.

You WILL be seeing more of this sweater!

I have decided that my outfits are not blah in color, they are sophisticated. I have decided that I like the play of my delicate necklaces mixed with the masculine watch.

Sweater - some "Theater" place in italy? thrifted
Pants - Grande something or other?
Grey Tee - Old Navy
Boots - Mia
Locket - Gifted
Heart Necklace - Silpada

Passionate Fashion - White Shiny

This white tank top was purchased for going out on New Year's Eve. It has everything I like. A little cleavage, a little shine, a little flowy, and some fun items.

White Tank - Maurices
White Long Sleeve Shirt - Mossimo
Purple Belt - via Target
Navy Blue Trousers - via Marshall's
Gray Booties - Steve Madden via DSW
Necklace - gifted
Silver Necklace - won via Silpada
Watch - Unlisted

Passionate Fashion - Casual Friday Tied Down

Casual Friday wear!

I know I know it isn't Friday but this is what I wore on Friday.

I decided my pop of color would come by the tie. A little bit of menswear for a Friday.

Jeans - Lee thrifted
Vest - via H & M
Tie - My husband's for our wedding
Tee - Mossimo via Target
Boots - via DSW

Toys

Maybe this for my birthday...

This is BEAUTIFUL. Who wouldn't want to get dressed in front of this each morning.

It's going to be my birthday soon

I am not asking for any clothing items but if I were it would be these...



Or these....
Or these...

Passionate Fashion - Black and Teal

Do you need a reason to dress up? Do you dress for yourself or everyone else? I find that I dress for me because I can't leave the house in something that I don't love. I may want other people to like what I wear but I don't wear something only because someone else might like it.

I am struggling with dressing again. This time it isn't about having to wear suits. My new conundrum is to dress for the weather, look nice for work, dress for the temperature inside (cold), and dress for all possibilities of work. I might end up lugging goods in the warehouse. I might be shooting pictures outside in 0 degree F weather. (Or worse.) I might be sitting at my desk in 50 degree weather. I never know what I am going to be doing.

I want to dress up for work but it doesn't seem right.

My dreams right now? To not have to worry about work, what to wear to work, money, owning two houses.... anyone want to buy a northern getaway? I don't want to worry about the things that I want but can't seem to have. I don't want to think about why I don't seem to ever measure up.

I think I need a tattoo, a hair cut, new color, and a piercing.



































Black Tuxedo Shirt - via Marshalls
Teal Tank - Maurices
Black Pants - Studio Y via Maurices
Boots - Mia via Nordstrom's Rack
Watch - Unlisted via Herbergers
Bracelet - Fossil via Herbergers
Black Sweater - via Marshall's
Teal Necklace - gifted

Passionate Fashion - Layered Layerington

Staying warm and fashionable has been about one thing lately. Layers. I have plenty of jackets and plenty of short sleeve shirts but layering items are a bit lacking in my closet. I have been working on solving my layering issues. I don't want my layers to create bulk that I don't need. Right?

My solution? Using a lot of thin layers to keep toasty warm.

A secret to this whole layering thing. A warm fuzzy sweater... looks like the same warm fuzzy sweater. Three layers of shirts can be reworn and remixed without being as noticeable!




Black Suede Blazer - thrifted
Blue Long Sleeve Hoodie Sweatshirt - Old Navy
Gray Tank Top- Old Navy
Striped Long Sleeve Shirt - Mossimo
Khaki Cords- Maurices
White Studded Belt- Target
Necklace - Gifted
Watch - Unlisted
Boots - Mia











As a more casual look, I could have worn this jean jacket. It would have worked just as well if not better.

Denim Jacket - Ralph Lauren thrifted
And the shoes!!!!!
Anne Michelle? - thrifted

Gifts and Changes

When I get bored or overwhelmed with life, I like to change things that I can control. There are things in my life that I can't control or at least I am not able to change easily. My hair, is not one of those things.

Now I need to get a dye job. Any suggestions?























I would like to introduce you to my new best friend (right behind my sister!)

This is one of my Christmas presents.

I have named it Guessie.

Here is my Guess purse making it's debut on my blog.

Thrift store finds

Boy did I hit it good at Goodwill today. I needed to shop and Goodwill fulfills the need. Never really cheap for me but I get a lot and I don't go all that often. I have the patience for the hunt.



I enjoy the thrill of the find at a thrift store or marshall's more than the mall. Not that the mall doesn't have it's own time and place, because it does.



I guess I will get back to it. (I am sitting in the garage at a friend's house "helping" fix my atv. I will admit, I am fashionable but not really mechanical. We all has our callings and our talents.


These are my shoes that I found today. The rest of my haul was sweaters for my freezing office!
Stay tuned for those when I am not sitting in the garage.

Passionate Fashion - Black and Pink in the Sunset

I know, I know. These
are the best pictures ever! Maybe not the best pictures ever, but my husband got some excellent pictures of me and the sunset. The sunset threw such gorgeous colors onto me, my outfit, and the house. Plus the sunset accessorized with my outfit. Matching my pink tank top and adding some needed color to my black outfit.

I am so proud of the fact that I dressed up for New Years Eve Day. Unfortunately the heat was out on my end of the office building (I was the only one ON that end said day) The thermostat read a high of 57 most of the day. Not HORRIBLE when the cold air wasn't blowing on me. BRRR!!! Not the correct day for a skirt. Luckily, I was warm enough with my tall boots and socks. No one in the office saw my outfit because I never took off my jacket. GRRR!!! This cold weather is doing two things. 1. Teaching me to layer better. 2. Making me dream of dressing for WARM WEATHER!


Black Suit Jacket - via Herbergers
Black Ruched Tuxedo Shirt - Santa
Pink Tank - Old Navy
Skirt/Belt - Studio Y via Maurices
Tights - White Stag via ShopKo
Gray Socks - via Target
Black Boots - Softt via DSW
Wings Necklace - via Target
Glasses - Fossil via Herbergers

Guests to Passion4Fashion - All in the Family

As you can see, I am a slacker when it comes to weekends and holidays. I wear sweatshirts and jeans (Not often sweatpants). If I have no plans I get lazy.

My excuse's are numerous:
1. It is easier to walk the dog in MN winters without having to change or freeze each time I want to go out.
2. My husband and I tend to run errands or hang out doing stuff not conducive to cute outfits.
3. I don't like to use my work clothes for weekends when it seems like a waste that no one sees or chancing them getting wrecked, etc...
4. When I visit home, I don't bring much more than jeans and sweatshirts because I don't end up wearing anything other than that unless we are going out. (Not often.)


Me, my sis (good dresser, I know!), my niece... (best dressed award)

If you ask J, my niece, where she got her clothes she will tell you, " from da trift tore." with that know it all 3 year old tone. She knows!!!!

Passionate Fashion - Stripes on the Stairs

Layers, layers, that's the name of this new game I am attempting to play. I have played a lot of sports and learned the strategies of each. That seems easy compared to this new strategy of layering in this game I like to call Fashion... or at least my sorry attempt at fashion.

Have you ever helped someone with a different body type than your own pick out clothes? I like to think of it as dressing a doll. My own life size Barbie at whatever the person's everyday proportions.

I love to help other people pick out clothes. I love to see my fashion ideas work for someone else. More often it is more fun to dress someone else because we don't worry about the hangups that we have when we are dressing our perceived bodies and our perceived "style".

Striped Cardigan - Gap Outlet
Blue Tie Shirt - George via Walmart
Black Tank - Old Navy
Black Boots - Softt


Note of depression - Found a GORGEOUS pair of Softt Boots at Nordstrom's Rack in my size, in an awesome color.... pulled them on and felt the glorious Softt softness (goodness?). Slide the zipper up, up, up... snag.... pull... slip a little... pulllllllll.... I got those boots zipped and adored them in the mirror. Then I cried when I unzipped them and hung them back up. THOSE BUGGERS WERE TIGHT! I was afraid to contract my calf muscles (MOVE) due to the constraints of the circumfrence of the boots. Yep... it happened. Too narrow in the calves made me put those gorgeous, comfortable, perfect boots back. (Tear)