Team Infinity Scarf, represent!

Angie at YLF posted a Team poll about whether we preferred regular scarves to infinity scarves, and I was amazed at how many people not just preferred regular scarves, but actively pooh-poohed the infinity scarf! Heresy!

Ok, maybe I have been a little spoiled; the last couple of years it has become a regular thing for my mother-in-law (with the help of my fashionable sister-in-law) to buy me an infinity scarf for Christmas and/or my birthday, so I now have a small but lovely collection of them. Don't get me wrong, I looooove my scarf collection, but these days it is definitely the infinity style that I keep reaching for again and again.



As I said on Angie's post, what I like about them is the way they lay flat on my chest, and that there aren't edges or fringe to deal with.






They work for business casual and for casual. And they're so pretty!






They're just fun!



They're Spidey and Elvis approved!

Do you wear infinity scarves? Why or why not?

You're My Inspiration

You are my inspiration!

You are, Keri at Headlines & Hemlines. White T, bright cardigan, and scarf? On it!

And you are, Anne at The Cohabitating Closet. My polka-dot navy scarf twin!

And you are, Gap. I can't stop staring at the display at my local store of all the green/blue-toned pieces: teal, navy, olive, turquoise, baby blue all jumbled together in a lovely, unexpected way.

You all inspired this:





I wanted to go with just a white tee like Anne did, but it was much too cold. So I went with a medley of blues: teal LOFT open cardigan, navy ON polka-dot scarf (finally wore it!), and navy Gap modern bootcuts. Silver Anne Klein loafers and white tunic-top from Nordies and I was set!

(See how easy it sounds? The reality is I could not figure out to wear with the navy scarf AT ALL. I must have tried on a half-dozen combos before I remembered this cardigan from two years ago. Thank goodness it was the one!)

In other news, I got a new point-and-shoot! So easy to use; it has a custom timer so I can set up 5 shots in a row. So much easier than before. Now I just need to play with the white balance and colors a bit more. I didn't think my face was that ruddy or the sweater colors that washed out. But the timer lets me do more dorky shots like this. LOL!




Best of all, it's blue, my color obsession. Everything I have been looking at lately have been blues and reds/pinks. What is up with that? Where are my purples and mustards? Hrm.

++++++

Thanks for the resounding answer on the sandal dilemma. I just ordered a few from Zappos -- now it just needs to get warm enough to wear them! I figure when it gets warm enough to open my windows it will be warm enough to bare my toes. Hee!

Farewell, My Lovelies!

You guys. I have done the impossible.

I purged my scarf collection.

There are just too many of them. It's an addiction; I can't stop buying them. Colors, fabrics, styles -- there are too many, and I love them all. I've been buying and keeping them for decades.

But now there are too many. They fill a deep drawer and two hangers, and that's still not enough room. So it was time to purge.

This is what I kept:



1. Cotton prints. The navy polka-dot is brand-new from Old Navy, the rest come from Zara, Target, Old Navy, gifts, and the red paisley on the far left I have had since college.



2. My solids. Colors from left to right are: bronzey-brown, peacock teal, bright turquoise, silver grey, navy blue (it's a wrap), coral, and royal purple.



3. Knit prints. I love the soft feel of a good knit scarf. The turquoise and purple solids are both knits too.



4. Silky patterns. Gosh, everyone of these has a story and memory. The rust-gold was free at Martin+Osa on a super-fun shopping trip with Shopping Friend. The pink-and-mustard one never gets worn enough, but you will pry it out of my cold, dead hands.



5. The fall-winter only ones. Most of the first 4 sets can be worn year-round, but these only work when it's cold. They're too heavy or their colors are too specifically seasonal. The bright blue is my only question mark; I debated purging it but I got rid of so many other blues I started to panic. (Heh.) If it doesn't get used in a year, it's gone!

So, after seeing all of these, the question is: what DID you purge, Kristen? It had better be more than just one measly scarf!

It was 14 scarves, actually. (Plus 3 more that were thrown away with snags.)



Besides the bright tie-dye one (I don't know what I was thinking, either), do you notice any patterns? They're all pretty muted; turns out when I put all my scarves next to each other and rated what I like and what I wear, it's the rich or saturated ones that won the battle. These are all lovely, but they're all too...pale for me.

I guess I like my scarves to pack a punch. I should keep that in mind the next time I look for a new one. (Which I do not need to do anytime soon, apparently.)

So my purged ones are off to new homes with a couple of friends, and whatever they don't want will get donated. Farewell, my lovelies! Thanks for everything!

30 in 30 Challenge: Intermission

Kyla at Blue Collar Catwalk did this yesterday, and I found it fascinating. At this point, I am hanging onto this challenge by my fingertips so I'm curious to see if I really am wearing the same things over and over like I think I am.











Hmmm. That's not nearly as bad as I've been thinking it was. A couple of things stand out:
-I am not wearing my prints as much as I think I am. This is good news because I miss them a lot but thought I was overdoing them so keep putting them aside for other outfits. The polka-dot blouse and the red striped top have only gotten one wear apiece. Time to pull them back out more!
-Same with colors. The melon and purple sweaters, the yellow tops, the red pullover -- all can and should be worn more. Funny, that's exactly what is in my bag for Tucson!
-I sure do miss my other shoes. These are all comfortable and great, but a couple of outfits would have been better with my red-purple-brown Nicole Blessed or my Franco Sarto Deers.
-Thank God I made a color and haircut appointment for when I return. I think I am going to concede defeat and let him put some layers back in.
-I have not made as much as use of my vast scarf collection as I thought I had. There will be more of that coming too!

What do you guys think? How am I doing so far? Are you as bored yet as I am?

Thursday, Friday: More Scarves

It's obvious by my outfits lately that fall is here. It's not the colors or the layering that gives it away: it's the scarves. I have worn one every day but Wednesday this week! Let's see the latest versions: -- these are two new ones that are making their debut.

Thursday:



I saw this yellow and grey cotton one at Old Navy a couple of weeks ago, and instantly fell in love. The colors, of course, were the first thing that grabbed my attention, but then I realized it was actually an animal print pattern not just random geometrics. Sneaky! I don't really have a lot of animal print -- it's not quite my style -- but this one was too clever to pass up.



The rest of the outfit was "trapped at the desk all day, better get comfy" business casual. I snipped the belt loops off the sweater soon after I got it last year which hasn't been a problem until today when I wore the self-belt for the first time with it; it kept riding up too high most of the day like it is doing in the picture. But when I was walking around where people could see me, I tugged it down further to my waist and it looked much better.

Sweater: H&M chunky boyfriend
Layering top: LOFT scoopneck long sleeved
Pants: Gap modern bootcuts, black
Shoes: pointed toe black flats, DSW
Scarf: Old Navy yellow animal print



Friday:



My co-workers loved this; one of them called it "autumnal". I call it my "collegiate" look. Everything about this was deliberate; the melon is actually a very spring-y color, and I wanted to play that down. So I dug around and pulled out this fall-colored scarf that I bought last year (from Target, maybe?) and had yet to find the right outfit for. The colors are great, but the weight and the intensity of them seemed almost over-the-top theatrical; everything I tried to wear it with looked like a costume where I was playing the role of "Person Walking Through the Leaves in Fall". Pairing it with the springy melon balanced both seasonal pieces out, don't you think?



The way I styled it was deliberate as well; after fussing with various scarf-tying techniques, I really liked the basic one-loop around the neck look best -- classic college football game attire. What goes with that better than a buttoned-up cardigan? Nothing! I can't even remember the last time I buttoned up a cardigan, to be honest with you. But this worked, especially with the tuxedo pintucks of the tunic top.



Skinny pants to give it a modern silhouette, heeled suede clogs to provide another college throwback with yet another modern update, and I was good to go. I liked this a lot; not only was it appropriate for work and ridiculously comfortable, it felt very "blog-worthy" too. ;-)




Sweater: BR silk boyfriend cardigan
Top: white pintucked tunic, Nordstrom
Pants: black NYDJ ponte pants
Shoes: brown suede BOC heeled clogs, DSW

I am definitely doing the 30 for 30 challenge, and I am SO GLAD that accessories are not part of the 30. I could use up all my slots just on scarves otherwise! :)

Thursday, Friday: My Scarf Collection

It must be fall; I have worn a scarf 5 out of 6 days this week (including right at this moment). I have a huge, huge, collection of scarves acquired over the years. On Thursday, I wore a little skinny pink one from Forth & Towne (excuse the unflattering photos; only had time for two shots and both ended up stinking. Oh well!)



Paired it with a pale pink tee from Loft, my go-to ON grey vest, and black-and-grey checked pants. Obviously I liked this more in person than in the camera, but I think I need to stick with skinny-leg pants for this vest in the future. It's too chunky for a wider leg.

Friday was one of my most favorite combos in a long while:



(I am teasing George out of frame here.) The fabulous burgundy sweater from Kohls, my favorite Loft polka-dot ruffled top, paired with new skinny ponte pants in a rich chocolate brown color. The brand is Not Your Daughter's Jeans, recommended by Marianna over on YLF. Not a brand I would normally try, but I really love them. They're highwaisted which takes some getting used to, but they have a nice girdling effect without cutting off my oxygen. They were on sale on the Nordstrom website for $49; got them in black and brown for the winter. Love! Since it was Friday I went casual with my brown suede heeled clogs, mmmmmm, yay fall shoes.



Oh, and the scarf! It's a SYC Item, never even been worn until yesterday! A rich teal cotton number I picked up at Ann Taylor Factory about a year ago but I kept waiting for the right moment. It's wide, almost like a sheer shawl, and the fringe was excessively long. Then when I was reading Maria at Color Me Happy's shopping excursion with Angie, the lightbulb went off: I should cut off the fringe and wear it like a real scarf! Doy!



Love the colors together so much.

+++++++

I've had a few inquiries about my scarves. Like I said, I've been collecting them for years; they're the only clothing item that fits no matter what your weight, so I've never really gotten rid of any. Some colors and styles are only for certain seasons, but I keep them all together in my closet. I used to hang them together on wooden hangers and keep the smaller ones in a small drawer, but I finally conceded defeat and consolidated them into one big drawer together in a riot of colors and styles. Picking one out in the morning is a blast.

(These photos are from February. I have a few more now.)









I pick them up everywhere: Kohls and Target, Ann Taylor, gift shops (got one at the zoo once), tiny boutiques, Von Maur, Forth & Towne, you name it. I rarely spend more that $25 on one, but if it's a gorgeous pattern I might. There is not a store that I've been to that I haven't perused the scarf rack; even Zara where nothing fits me had that great red polka-dot scarf I love. Sometimes they have been shawls or scarves bought for special occasions but I end up keeping the scarf forever.

Hope you like them because I tend to wear them a lot when the weather is cool. Like right now! :)