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.

Wednesday: Bench Monday (picture perfect challenge)

Today's challenge photo:



I almost didn't participate in today's challenge because all I wanted to do was call off work and play board games all day. I looooooove board games! Thank goodness for Club Pogo; I get to play board games online all the time with my nephews and by myself, which is fortunate because my husband doesn't like to play. (I know, I can't believe I married him either sometimes! *g*)

Anyway, I had meetings today and couldn't play hooky or dress up in jeans like the photo makes me long to do. I couldn't be the "kid", I had to be the "mom". And what better mom to be than Donna Reed?



LOL!

A more serious pose:


I guess Bella and I had the same inspiration of the turquoise and red. Great minds, Bella! I had a yellow tank under the dress, but it seemed like too much, too random.

Dress: black cotton sleeveless ruched shirtdress, Alfani
scarf: teal soft cotton, Gap
Shoes: red patent heels, Franco Sarto

But I just kept thinking about the look of the girl in the jeans on top of the games. I wanted that look, that feeling of freedom from responsibility, having time to sit down and play a good game of Skip-Bo. When I got home from work, before I went out running errands, I made that come true. Well, at least the jeans part.



I get so involved in layering tops and sweaters, finding at least 3 pieces of clothes for each outfit, I forget how simple and easy just a cute top and a pair of jeans can be.



Top: Old Navy
Jeans: Gap
Sandals: no idea, they're a few years old. But so comfy!

Tuesday: Untitled (picture perfect challenge)

This was today's photo challenge:



This is my (headless) interpretation:



I wanted to do something more with grays and stripes, but it was just too warm out today for my striped sweaters. Instead I used the lines and patterns of the dress to imitate jagged pattern of the fence, and added a white ruffled tank to copy the white space. My flats are also a lattice-pattern, another fence style.





While this has nothing to do with the challenge, I did get to use my new Coach bag today. LOVE IT!! It is so, so pretty: dark plum leather with chestnut trim and bronze hardware. It's gorgeous.





I feel like I let the challenge concept down today; I prefer to use the mood of a photo influence my outfit. But I wasn't feeling as bleak, isolated and moody as the brilliant photo, alas. I still gave it a go, though!

(Wow. I've already peeked at tomorrow's challenge. It's gonna be a tough one!)

Monday: Peace of Mind (picture-perfect challenge)

YouLookFab member hanna put out a terrific challenge for this week: she is going to post one photo from the Explore section of Flickr, and we are challenged to create outfits inspired by the photo. Today's challenge was based on a photo called Peace of Mind, and other member's entries are located in this thread. I love how everyone picked out different pieces of the photo to work with!

This is the photo that today's challenge is based on. Here is my interpretation.



I was going to a Labor Day picnic, so casual shorts was kind of the rule of the day. But I went with a darker palette, trying to evoke the dark blurs of colors of the grass and outfit. Black AT shorts, teal loose tank from Gap, variegated mixed-metal BR necklace with brown and green stones, new plum Coach bag with brown and bronze trim. I lucked out with the lighting of the late afternoon, and kept all the shadows in.



This challenge is fun and it's definitely pushing me out of my box. Can't wait to see what tomorrow's inspiration photo will be!