Have you ever wondered how it can take someone a half-hour to get dressed? In the outfit above? I mean, it seems so easy, right?
Well, I have photographic evidence of how I evolve an outfit to get to the finished product. It's not pretty, let me tell you, but it is...something! (Entertaining? Informative? A sign of madness?)
It all started with a skirt. I wanted to wear my pretty teal Target skirt, which is made of frustratingly casual fabric and has a strange tendency to ride up my hips as the day progresses. I figured, if I cannot figure out another outfit to wear with this thing then I am going to kiss off the $7 I spent on it and give up. So that was my mission: to wear the teal skirt.
First I started with my new long patterned Target top and a new LOFT thin cascading cardigan.
No. Too much fabric at my pear hips, everything drags the eye down there, and just...no.
Dude, those colors don't even GO together!
Hmm. Not this white tee (too sheer and too lumpy at the belly), but really, that new LOFT cardigan is showing some promise.
Ohhh, now we are cooking! Let's try variations of this!
Tucked? No.
Darker grey sweater and long blue beads? No.
What about a lighter version of the same look? No.
Back to the LOFT light grey. OHHHH, let's try some belts!
Thick black with huge silver buckle? No, too wide.
New studded teal from NAS? No, wrong shade of teal.
Pewter woven? No, doesn't blend in with light grey like I had wanted.
Medium-width black woven? Winner!
(There was also a flurry of necklaces but I could not bring myself to photograph all of those.)
Time for shoes. Lord have mercy.
Flat sandals, in silver or black? Flat sandals are making the skirt look too casual again, which defeats the purpose of the top portion of the outfit. No and no.
Nude shoes, chestnut wedge or beige thick-soled mule sandal? Nude and black is not working. I am not about to do another round of belts with my brown ones! No and no.
Black heels: peeptoe casual wedges or platform ankle-strap open shoes with monster heels? I know Sheila calls these my old lady shoes, but I think the ankle-strap ones are my best best for this outfit. Just dressy enough, just summery enough, and they make my legs look like a million bucks (thus taking attention away from my belly). Winner!
I am done.
Bonus shot with my grey patent bag.
There you have it. That's how I get dressed in the morning. This is for most mornings, too; this one was especially difficult because the skirt is so annoying, but I do try on at least 5-6 possibilities every morning.
Time to go do so now, in fact! Hope you enjoyed the peek into my OCD psyche! ;-D
Oh man, that is ALOT of work. I am sorry to say, though a teal skirt might be a great add to your wardrobe, this one is not worth the work. Hopefully Ann Taylor makes a nice A-Line teal skirt in the future and you can nab that one up and nix the too casual one. Or get one made! Man, yeah, probably for about $25!
ReplyDeleteDang. I am WAY too lazy to try that many options.
ReplyDeleteLOL! So true, the skirt is probably going to get dumped soon. But this is an accurate depiction for ALL my outfits, not just ones with difficult base pieces!
ReplyDeleteSo funny! I guess this is why I stick to about 3 or 4 basic skirts. I've come to realize I really don't have a lot to fashion blog about :) and thus have expanded to all KINDS of (what I hope is) stylish thrift.
ReplyDeleteI'm exhausted. I think your morning dressing should count as a workout. I think the skirt and top with the white sweater (especially for summer) was a strong contender but I totally love the final the choice.
ReplyDeleteHoly cow. I am a take a sundress/jersey dress/knit dress of some kind - preferably with an empire waist - pull it over my head, accessorize with jewelry and decide on which pair of shoes I can wear without wearing nylons in this heat sort of girl.
ReplyDeleteOf course I do spend about 30-45 minutes doing my hair and makeup so I guess that's where my focus is - lol!
Oh my gosh, that's a lot of work! I don't know how you do it every morning (I'm lucky if I try on my outfit the night before)!
ReplyDeleteThe shoes look great. ;)
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ReplyDeleteGoodness, you must be exhausted before you even leave the house! But I did enjoy seeing how your outfit evolved! The outcome is just gorgeous! The shape is perfect and all the colors go perfectly together :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a neat-o idea for a post! I love seeing how you change everything around. I have to say, I usually never change once I put on an outfit because if I start that cycle I won't stop and then I'll get angry at myself, and frustrated. So usually I just pick something out in my head the night before and wear it -- I'll vary the sweater or the drapey shirt that goes over it, sometimes, but usually I refuse to let myself change. I loved seeing all the permutations here, though, and i think your final outfit is the best one!
ReplyDeletexo
That was fascinating to see the process of finding what works and what doesn't! I love the finished look too!
ReplyDeleteHonestly if I photographed my outfits daily as you do, I'm sure I would work just as hard. People don't realize that it's not as easy as you make it look! xx L.
ReplyDeleteLoved the commentary and the outfit! I'd probably do the same thing if I weren't running late for work every day.
ReplyDeleteNow THAT exhausted me! I'd rather sleep that extra half hour.... However, as usual, your final choice turned out just perfect. When are we going boot shopping???
ReplyDeleteIt would have been a late for work day for me! Sometimes it seems like if I don't stick with what I put on initially I'm never that satisfied with what I've got on.
ReplyDeleteI love teal too. If the skirt does weird things when you wear it, then I think looking for a better one would be worthwhile. It looks great with the gray and could probably move into fall easily.
I am laughing because I CAN TOTALLY relate to all this morning fuss...
ReplyDeleteHa! if they only knew that looking "put together" can take so much time and effort.
I totally get it and often do the same routine. Isn't the worst thing having to hang and fold everything back up again?
ReplyDeleteI love that you posted this...makes me feel better about those times when I just can't pull an outfit together - obviously I need to follow your lead and keep trying different combos!
ReplyDeleteThat Loft sweater? My friend bought it in berry last week. Now I wish I had bought one - really liking the look. I love Loft - thought of you several times as I was trying on clothes there. It will be fun to show you what I bought on Fashion Friday - you'll have to let me know what else I could be doing with the pieces.
BTW, I love the teal skirt and gray top combo...did the skirt end up working for you all day?
May I share this on my FB page? LOL...and men wonder "what is taking her so long?"...
ReplyDeleteHi Linda, thanks! I would actually prefer if you did not share it on FB. I like to keep those two worlds separate for as long as I can, you know? :)
ReplyDelete