The Color Project: White

One of the OCD things about my closet is that I have each item category (sweaters, tops, jackets, pants) sorted by color. When I am looking for a black top, for instance, they are all together so I can see my options. Now that my closet is so lean, I even hung all the t-shirts so they can be included in that grouping.

One day as I was grabbing a favorite white top, I started to wonder if I really wore ALL of the tops that were in each of the color categories. Or was it just a favorite 1-2 that got cycled through and the rest were there as filler?

So I embarked on what I am calling the Color Project. I pulled all the white tops to the front of my closet and purposefully worked as many as I could into my outfit rotation. I did not put a time limit on it -- i.e., wear them all in a week -- because this wasn't some fashion challenge I was forcing on myself; the idea was to see if I really did NEED to have all the ones I had, or if a few could be edited.

Turns out, I wore them all. I didn't love them all, but I did wear them. Since none were obvious edits, I've had to look a little deeper to see which are worth keeping.

1. V-neck ruched Sejour long-sleeve, Nordstrom. Worn with a navy polka-dot scarf from Old Navy, navy Gap modern bootcuts, grey long-sleeved Target Merona cardigan, and grey Franco Sarto Deers. My co-worker told me I looked like the definition of Connecticut preppy, which I consider a compliment. :)
I took these particular Deers to the cobbler and had him replace the heel tips, which just extended the life of these shoes by another 2-3 years for sure.  You know how I love all my versions of these shoes, so I am thrilled.



Verdict: The shirt itself is okay; the v-neck sits a little crooked on me, and I keep thinking that is more versatile than it is. There's a bit of a flare to it at the waist that I don't love. I'm not ready to let it go quite yet, but it was tougher to rotate in than some of my others. 

2. Old Navy collared knit button-down shirt, first under a new cream Old Navy waffle-knit pullover. It was a snowy day, so bundling up was key. The Gap straight-legs were the only option as pants because I had to tuck them into my Dansko snow boots. I thought the blue bubble necklace added the right amount of dressiness to tip the outfit into the business casual/office appropriate look. Not what I would wear if I had been at one of the hospitals, but for just my office it worked.



I wore it again this weekend under my new striped cotton pullover from Gap, Dreamer Old Navy jeans, pewter Privos and the clear acrylic ice cube pendant from Banana Republic. Even Hubby thought this was a cute look.



Verdict: This one is a total keeper. I was avoiding wearing it because it was too wrinkled and I was too lazy to iron it, but I found that it can either go under my new pullover sweaters or a few hard shakes will eliminate the worst of the wrinkles.

3. Lauren Conrad embellished tee, Kohls. I have had this for at least 3 years, but it still works with so many looks. I posted the first outfit below back in January; my plan was to wear all the white shirts over the month and see if anyone noticed, then do a round-up post. Those plans got waylaid when I stopped posting. ;-D



I wore it again this weekend with the mushroom knit cardigan, faded Dreamer jeans, and a color-blocked infinity scarf I got last spring from Old Navy; it is navy, olive green and mint/paleblue, which I am seeing around as a pretty trendy color these days. So I dug my only version of it out. :)






Verdict: this veteran still has plenty of life in her. She's going nowhere.

4. Basic long-sleeved LOFT tee, worn under a Forth & Towne faux-wrap cardigan. I posted about this outfit before too.



Verdict: I completely forgot I wore or even owned this until I found the picture on Flickr. That does not speak well for its longevity or necessity in my closet. I think I only need one long-sleeved white top, so I will probably keep either this or the v-neck.

5. This slub tee from Lane Bryant I actually pulled out of my loungewear drawer and rotated back into regular wear. It has two tiny stain dots on the front that had relegated it to loungewear, but I managed to cover those up and finally understood the power of a great plain white t-shirt.
I wish I had gotten a good front-on shot of this outfit, which was all my co-worker's idea. This was a gorgeous tux-like jacket from Gwynnie Bee with sequined sleeves, and I went for a rocker look with an assortment of long silver necklaces. Really fun look that I will probably repeat with some other dressy jackets I have.



A-ha! I did wear the slub tee again, this time with a fabulous snakeskin print cardigan from Gwynnie Bee. I loved that sweater so much I wore it four times before I sadly returned it. This time I added my Bestey Johnson camera pendant necklace, faded Gap Dreamer jeans, and patent tan-black colorblocked flats from Me Too.





Verdict: the perfect white t-shirt. Will try to find a replacement at Lane Bryant, or will figure out how to get those two stain dots out. (Thanks for the tips in the last post, gals; I will try those with this!)

6. LOFT ruched neck sleeveless tee. Probably my least-favorite of all my white tops, especially now that I have found the perfect one above. This is with my new-ish mushroom Ann Taylor Outlet knit cardigan, new black Gap long-and-lean jeans, and my trusty pewter lasso necklace from Banana Republic (which I bought with Shopping Friend a million years ago). 

I forgot how awful mirror shots were; so glad I got my office corner back for my tripod!



Verdict: it's okay, but the Lane Bryant one is better. Might be hitting the road soon.

7. This LOFT tee has angled distressed stripes, which offer interesting texture to a basic ivory tee. Paired with the Betsey Johnson camera pendant again, my fuschia Gap piped shrunken blazer, grey pinstriped Gap modern bootcuts, and black Clark Artisan boots.



I wore this top again the following weekend, this time pairing with a couple of familiar items, the mushroom knit cardigan from above, and the same faded Dreamer jeans. The jewelry this time was an assortment of long gold necklaces (boy I liked that look with the sparkly jacket), and a pair of faux-suede tan boots from Target.





Verdict: like the cream embellished one in #3, this is going nowhere for a long time.

8. The last top of the White Color Project was a regular button-down, a no-iron three-quarter sleeve Foxcroft version from Nordstrom. I've had this in my closet for at least a year, and I think I wore it one time. It is the reason I actually embarked on this experiment at all -- I didn't think I would like it when I tried to incorporate it into outfits, and then I could finally edit it out without guilt. 



But here's the funny thing: turns out I LOVED IT. The fit is perfect, there is no gapping at the chest, it tucks in without too much extra fabric bulking up under my pants, and the no-iron claim really means no ironing needed. Best of all, I had forgotten how much I like a good collared neckline; one of the most annoying parts about being fat is the enormous scoop neckline that are on nearly every top. Easily 75% of all plus-sized tops are like this, especially the nicer ones from Nordstrom. (Skim this page to see what I mean.) I learned from this round of the Color Project that I really miss a variety of necklines, and having that variety among my current white tops made this rather enjoyable.

Verdict: not only keeping it, but probably buying another in a different color.

++++++

Final thoughts of this Color Project round:
1. A variety of necklines is important to me, which I will keep in mind as I shop in the future. (Note to self: add turtleneck to your list for next winter.)
2. I love the look of a plain tee, funky jacket and a bunch of necklaces for dressy going-out occasions.
3. I had forgotten how much I love a good button-down.
4. Keeping: cream embellished #3, ivory distressed stripes #7, knit collared button-down #2 and no-iron button-down #8, and the perfect plain white t-shirt #5.
5. On the fence: one of the two long-sleeved tees (#1 and #4), the ruched sleeveless tee #6. 
6. While I don't mind repeating outfits, it did get boring for a stretch, I think because I was just tired of white.  But since I usually rotate colors more often than I did here, this was likely a product of the Project itself than an issue with any of the tops.

Next round is red (pinks and purples are included in that section of my closet too). I've already started!




What do you guys think? Any tops I should reconsider keeping?

Goldilocks

You guys, I am absolutely LOVING my wardrobe these days. I had no idea that getting rid of the clutter, allowing myself to routinely weed out items that aren't working, and cutting back on the shopping would be so darned freeing. Instead of constantly trying to outdo myself in terms of being fashion-foward, I am finding it is more satisfying to find ways to wear what I already have.

Of course, they don't all work -- at least not when I look at the photos sometimes -- but that too helps further hone my closet.



I liked the idea of this -- two versions of grey with a cobalt blue tee and a scarf for visual interest -- and for the most part it worked. But it's one that when I look at the photo, I realized it didn't. I think it's finally time to concede defeat on these dark grey Gap straight legs; there is just something about the fabric or the color that makes it look frumpy and dated, like they were black and now have faded to this grey. It drives me nuts!



This I liked a little better, even though it is just a whole lot of black. I have two of these "blogger" necklaces, but this cobalt blue one gets almost no wear. (Maybe I should have gotten it in red instead.) I don't have a lot of good contrasting colors for it, so it really only work against black or white. I thought it worked pretty well here, playing on that idea with a patterned B&W tank from Target, black cascading cardigan, and my trusty black Gap modern bootcuts.

This one, from yesterday, was Goldilocks approved, as it was just right.



Also lots of black but it doesn't feel that way. The purple skirt and knit jacket are two purchases from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale that I have been waiting to wear (patiently, for months!!) and it is finally cold enough to do so. See how the turquoise bloger necklace works just so much better than the cobalt one does? I think it might be just a more flattering color for me.

The top is from Gwynnie Bee, and it might just be the best one I have gotten from them yet. It's a simple INC black knit long sleeve top, but it fits and drapes PERFECTLY. It is the Holy Grail of black tops. I am taking it to Macys tomorrow to see if they still have any in stock; I need to own this to complete so many other looks. Assets tights and my Franco Sarto Deer shooties finish the look.



I had my doubts about that skirt, but now that it is cold enough to wear, I expect it is going to get lots of mileage. It's the first skirt or dress that I have had in a long while that looks good on my dupa.

Coincidentally, I got a couple of questions about that leather-trimmed tweed jacket from my last post; it was also from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale (and is out of stock now, sorry). It in fact inspired the color combo of this outfit. I may try the skirt and necklace again with the jacket next time!

If you are interested in Gwynnie Bee, anytime during the month of November,  you can sign up for a free 30-day trial. Leave me your email (or email it to me) and I will send you an invite. I really cannot speak more highly of this service. It's rejuvenating my closet!

Friday 5 (with extra bonus)

1. It's true what they say about March -- it roars in like a lion.





Fashion shoots have to set up fancy wind machines; I just went outside!

This is a Martin + Osa scarf worn long against a gold cascading cardigan, almost like part of the cardigan. I tucked it together with a belt and wore an ivory tee under it. The pants are my brown NYDJ skinny ponte pants, and the boots are my green Clark suede booties. Since I went with all earth colors, I swapped out my glasses for my plain brown ones.

2. We are celebrating my birthday weekend in Joliet IL and St. Louis. It's official: I am livin' the dream.

Actually, the hotel/casino we are staying at in St. Louis is just stunning. We're looking forward to a quick getaway there.


The lobby of the Lumiere from 3 years ago when we were there last.

3. We had one of our new team members start this week. He knows absolutely nothing about the company, the business or the software, so we've been training him on all of it. It wasn't until Thursday that I saw him finally pick up a pen and take a note on anything we had been saying. He either has a fantastic memory or doesn't give a sh**. At this point I am not sure which it is. This could be a problem.

4. I am so, so glad everyone liked my new series, They Walk Among Us. Isn't Kate amazing? I forgot to mention she's been a friend of mine for a few years now, and on top of keeping herself looking so great and being a runner and a skilled baker, she has two adorable pitbulls (even I can't resist them, and I am not really a dog person) and a killer shoe collection. I think I would really hate her if I didn't like her so much. :)

5. Do not adjust your screens; the camera was crooked when I took these yesterday. LOL!





Target drapeneck top, beloved purple Bobeau cardigan, black Gap bootcut pants, green suede booties. A typical Dress Like A Normal Person outfit.


Bonus: Sadly, the Vince Camuto colorblock dress is being returned; it was completely unflattering on me. It didn't quite fit right and it was a bit short, but more than that, the stripes at the bottom did not work. It wasn't until I had it on that I remembered that a pattern or wide stripe at the bottom of a dress is not a good look for my pear shape; it draws all the attention to the widest part of my legs and drags the whole look down. Even when I was skinnier, it didn't work. See?



Oh, well, lesson learned (again)!

What are you doing this weekend?

Just a Regular Day

Today was Leap Day. It was just a regular day, except that I managed to photograph it.

I got dressed. I wanted to try the red/orange/pink trend before it's over. Luckily I had all of this in my closet.


I ate lunch.



I took photos of my goofy cats.



Are they not the best? Emily on the left, and George on the right. They were SO excited when I stepped out on the porch for my morning photo; they both came booking over to the sliding glass door and wouldn't let the other scare them away.








After work, I got my hair colored, and did some damage buying beauty supplies: new shampoo, new conditioner masque, refill of Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer, and new eyeliner. There's a couple of packages from Gap on their way too. I've missed going on a girly shopping spree!

How was your Leap Day?

My Sister Rocks!

My sister loves my lunchbox photos.



Fusilli whole wheat pasta with homemade meatballs and sauce, tossed with a box of spinach and some parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. Clementine oranges and cold roasted carrots fill the other two boxes, and dried pineapple rings were my snack.

It's just leftovers from dinner the night before and some fruit, but it sure looks appealing, doesn't it?

Also got a quick shot of my outfit in the bathroom mirror since I had the camera out. We are finally having some genuine winter so it was time to wrap up in an oversized knit. Old Navy heathered cream rolled neck sweater and a cabbage-rose silky scarf. The bottom was my brown NYDJ ponte skinnies and brown suede BOC clogs.



But mostly this post is a thank-you to my sister. We have both been going up and down the scale over the last couple of years, and she is currently kicking my butt in the dieting game. She's been on Medifast since...the summer, maybe, and is down nearly sixty pounds. Whoohoo! We're already planning a joint reward for ourselves for maintenance (not loss, maintenance -- which is much harder for us both) and are talking about beaches and spas and whatnot.

Anyway. Since we haven't been able to both be skinny bitches at the same time (YET), we have been sharing clothes. She lives in Connecticut and I live in Illinois, so it's not like when we were kids and would raid each other's drawers. ;-D When I was down, I sent her a couple of boxes of my larger sizes, and as she has been going down, she's been sending them back.

I got a box from her in the mail yesterday, and it was like old home week. My beloved button-downs from Forth and Towne! Sweaters I had completely forgotten about! Ooooh, a bunch of new skirts from Lane Bryant from her own purchases. The box had been sitting outside my door all day so everything was still too cold to try on last night, but my plan this weekend is to go through it all and see what fits now and what is for later. It's like I went spree shopping without spending money!

I've been really lax about my outfits and taking photos lately, mostly because I keep re-wearing the same stuff and I am sick of all of it. So I am challenging myself next week to incorporate as many "new" things from the box as possible, and taking a photo every day. And then posting it. *gasp*

You can thank my sister for the inspiration.

Optical Illusion

I don't have much to say about this one, I just really liked this outfit from Wednesday.



On the days that I've been skipping (see: Tuesday), my outfits have pretty much been like the one above: straight-leg pant, long cardigan, heeled bootie, layering top and either a long pendant necklace or a scarf. It's a look that covers all the parts I want covered, and gives the optical illusion of making me look leaner than I am right now.

In contrast, we have the outfit I wore on Thursday.



I finally managed to wear the button-down under a dress! (Hrm, the collar appears be tucked under more than it should have been.) I've worn this dress before, but most of the pattern was covered up under a cardigan. I am really in love with the pattern -- up close, the top part makes my shoulder line look stronger than it is -- but looking at the whole thing like gives me pause. Maybe that wasn't the right belt?



On the plus side, it had some really nice flow, and I loved the grey tights and black Vince Camuto boots with it. On the minus side, it is not nearly as slimming as Wednesday's grey pants and gold cardigan combo.

I am trying to make my peace with that -- do all outfits need to be optical illusions, or can I live with the fact that sometimes I just look heavy? I don't know the answer. I see other bloggers wearing their curves and shapes with pride, and I am torn between envying them their freedom, and silently re-dressing them so they look slimmer in the camera. ("Oh, that would be perfect if you lost the belt!") It's a vicious circle; as confident as I am about who I am, I feel more comfortable in my clothes when I think I am fooling the world in an optical illusion outfit. Then I feel bad for copping out like that, that I should be proud of myself no matter what size I am. But I'm not, and I don't want to be this size. So I change back into an optical illusion outfit, and I stop beating myself up.

See what I mean by a vicious circle? Oh, the terrible things we do to ourselves with negative self-talk sometimes!

Anyway, I worked another optical illusion to my advantage yesterday. This was dinner:




We ordered salads and pizza, our weekly too-tired-to-cook meal.  (How do I know it's weekly? The delivery guy complimented the way we redecorated the living room. He has been to our house enough times that he noticed the change. Yep!) So I dumped the salad out of the container and put in a nice big bowl, and I put the pizza on a smaller plate. And it worked; I ate the half the amount of pizza I normally would!

It also occurred that I probably need to stop fighting the weekly pizza ritual so much, and find ways to work it into the Foodstyle so it is a regular indulgence instead. Repeating the trick above will be a good start, and replacing the salad with a healthier one will be a second. I don't like their salad anyway. I bet if I mix up a bag of chopped lettuce and veggies the day before, when I have cooking energy, I could dump it into a bowl just like I would if I bought the bag at the store. Hmmm, that would work!

What tricks do you have for including unbreakable habits into your meals? Any optical illusion outfits you like to wear?

A shifting of interests

Lately, I am far more interested in what I eat than what I wear.

I did a lot of winter clothes shopping, and I feel like I am set for a while. My closet has been cleaned out, so I can see and be honest about what fits and what I like to wear. I find that I am repeating a lot of the same outfits, which is pretty new for me; since I've had Low Fat Dressing I've been conscious about wearing different combinations, always changing it up in some way. But lately I am okay with wearing the exact same thing I wore a week or two weeks ago; if it worked then, why not let it work again?

This has cut down on my getting-ready time, which I suppose is partly why I have moved toward this; work was so crazed in November I didn't *have* the time to spend coming up with new creative outfits, so I started sticking to the basics, and I found I liked it. So I got lazy about taking my photos; I'm not quite ready to move the whole endeavor back upstairs to the office, but I'm finding it harder to get a picture done in the morning (I am ready to snap at the moment my neighbors are leaving for the day, which is pretty embarrassing) and I feel all frumpy by the end of the day.

But I did promise I would take photos this week, and I have stuck to that!



Hubby took the first one on Tuesday night; I have no idea why he constantly takes blurry pictures. God bless him. I took the Wednesday one myself in the kitchen the next morning. Yeah, I think it's time to head back up to the corner of the office; the light is better and it's faster. Will do that today!

Anyway, I liked Tuesday's outfit with the skinny belt giving that loose cardigan a more professional look. Wednesday's has my favorite yellow sweater from Martin + Osa; it's probably time to retire it, but I just love it and will miss it. :( The pants are Gap straight legs, one in grey and one in black; so comfy and much better than the skinnies! And of course it's winter, so my scarves have come out to play.

This, however, is where my interest lies these days.




The talk my doctor gave me has been pushing me all week. It's time to start eating better, to take all the things I know and like about good nutrition and good food, and putting them to work. I've started taking my lunch to work, and even better, I am tracking my food again. I am still having a big no-WW block in my head, but I created a spreadsheet based off the Core plan, which is the WW plan I always loved the most. It is the most focused on eating whole, fresh foods with the fewest options for mass-prepared foods, which of course falls right in line with my foodstyle and interest in seasonal eating.




The other tab in the spreadsheet has my weight, so I will start tracking that too. No more hiding my head in the sand! This is far and away the most I have ever weighed in my life, and the thought of gaining even more devastates me. I have got to turn the Titanic around, people.

The Sunday cooking project has turned into a regular habit; I now spend the time in the evenings that I used to spend perusing fashion sites and blogs looking at recipes and healthy food sites. I have also started bringing my lunch in again, like I said; this was a big change at the office, but I am making sure that I sit with everyone anyway to eat, so I engage in the social aspect of lunch if not the caloric foodbombs I was indulging in with them every day. Plus, my varied fancy lunchboxes ;-D are quite the hit; I think my co-workers may even like the tall Mr. Bento with its round 4 containers more than the flat colored one in the picture above. :)

Anyway, I started writing this entry on Thursday night, but didn't finish until Sunday morning. Now I am off to start cooking this week's foods and to catch up on outfit posts from the second half of the week. See you again in a bit! ;-D

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?