Friday: Out of the Blue (picture perfect challenge)

Last day of the picture perfect challenge! This challenge was a tough one; yes, it made me try some new combinations, but mostly it taught me two lessons. One, I don't have as much variety in my wardrobe as I think (mainly because I don't have years of clothes built up, my wardrobe is all new this year), and two, I am a Flickr/photography snob. Most of the photos hanna selected from the daily Flickr Explore were (deliberately) overexposed or blurred, and by the second day I realized that those aren't styles I am drawn to. When I wander around Flickr and look at my contacts' photos, they are all crisp and in focus. There are darks, pales, and brights, weird angles and unexpected crops, and sometimes there are parts of it that are blurred to show motion. It's the subjects that capture my imagination and attention, not the photography tricks. That's just my preference for a photography style, but I had to let go of that bias in order to let the selections inspire my outfit.

That said, I did really love this challenge. The idea to let art influence my daily outfit was very cool, and I may do it on my own another time, just to push myself. Thank you so much for the nudge and the idea, hanna!

This was Friday's photo.



You'd think all those bright colors would grab me right away, wouldn't you? That luscious blue and yellow, oh how I wanted to play with that! Alas, my calendar for the day limited my options: I had an exec-level meeting at work, then I was going straight from the office to a free outdoor opera performance in downtown Chicago. I needed something I could convert easily for both events, or at least that I could change from one to the other in the office bathroom. :)

So this was work:


Black t-shirt dress, BR; pink boyfriend cardigan, AT; two silver necklaces, AT Factory; ballet flats, Me Too; turquoise glasses, See Eyewear; silver leather belt, AT Factory. I have never worn silver metallic before, EVER. There's just something about it that seems too much for me, even in a skinny belt like this. So I bought this belt awhile ago (it's reversible with a great smoky burgundy on the other side) and hadn't worked up the courage to wear it until the carnival photo inspired me. I think it works!

This was for the outdoor concert:


Pink boyfriend cardigan, AT; black scoopneck t-shirt, Loft; boyfriend jeans, Gap; dove-grey scarf, Gap (?)

Looking back, I should have worn my new straight-leg jeans and a heavier sweater. It got COLD out there in the park by the lake! But the scarf was a smart move, particularly since it was a last-minute addition that I stuffed into my bag. It's amazing how much a cotton scarf can help keep you warm.