Stuff I Don't Like: Packing.

HELLO. I am leaving for my trip TOMORROW. London! Paris! I can hardly believe it and I'm super excited. I've re-read all of your fabulous comments on my initial travel stuff post and taken it to heart. All week long I've been working on my packing list and it's confounding. Packing? Is hard. Trying to pack light? IS HARD.

A: Girl, I need your help.

M: What??

A: MY JACKET GAME IS NOT TIGHT FOR THIS TRIP

M: Hahahahaha

A: Okay, London is 53-74 degrees, probably raining on Saturday

M: You are going to give yourself an ulcer

A: I already have an ulcer and someone stole my dinner so I am PRETTY KEYED UP

A: Paris is 58-84 and sunny!

A: What fucking jackets do I take to cover all of this

M: I say this with LOVE but you are overthinking this

A: WELL, OBVIOUSLY

ANYWAY! She talked me down and we discussed all my options. And before you judge my packing anxiety please remember that a) I don't travel a lot and b) I am not a laid-back person. Anxiety is my cardio, you guys. ALSO: decisions have been made! I am not seeking advice! Do not make me cry by pointing out everything I am doing wrong! I have to live, you guys. Now this is what I’ve decided to take (more or less):

• 3 short sleeve tops
• 2 long sleeve tops
• 2 long sleeve layering t-shirts
• 2 light sweaters (one cotton, one cashmere) 
• 2-3 jeans/pants (boyfriend, coated skinny, maybe ponte pants)
• airplane pants
• pajamas
• Madewell jacket
• denim jacket
• sneakers
• chelsea boots
• metallic flats (?)
• small crossbody bag
• 2 scarves
• jewelry

All of this all fits easily in a medium-sized suitcase (which I'm checking) with plenty of room left for whatever I buy on my trip. I'm sticking to a palette of mostly black, navy, grey and olive green. Marianne in her wisdom laid out my outfit options in two versions:

Chilly weather: Madewell jacket (similar) + sweater + jeans + scarf + Chelsea boots + crossbody 

Warmer weather: Denim jacket (pictured) + cotton top + jeans + sneakers + light scarf + crossbody

I feel good about this! It's all my favorite stuff, lots of layers, easy outfits. I am taking a break from the blog next week but I'll be posting updates on my personal IG and on the Looks Good IG, so follow along if you so wish! And thanks again for all your great advice and comments on previous travel posts. Y'all are the best. 

Marianne: Mullet.

When I was in New York a couple of weeks back, I had this idea of a dress I wanted. Some kind of floaty, silky business with a bit of an edge. Something Kim France would make look effortless. What I ended up with? A mullet dress. I KNOW. I've kind of fought this look but when it comes down to it, I kind of love it. I think it's especially good for tall girls wary of showing too much leg. And this particular dress, with its citron color, is going to work well into the fall. Don't believe me? Here it is, summer style:

To be completely honest, this isn't my favorite way to wear this dress. I don't think it does my arms any favors, but I will say it's extraordinarily comfortable and floaty. Got to love the floatiness. And it does show off the pretty back:

If you are curious, as Adrien was, I'm wearing one of my new Vanity Fair bras under it, and somehow it doesn't show. Witchcraft!

dress: Beso (similar cut here, similar color here)

sandals: Marc by Marc Jacobs (similar here)

clutch: Clare Vivier

necklace: unknown, but here is a similar typewriter necklace!

sunglasses: Coach (similar here)

 

I really think this dress is great for early fall, though. Layered up and paired with beat up clogs. Once it cools off a bit more, I'll throw on my mythical perfect leather jacket and some black booties. Can't you just see it?

Are y'all on board the high/low dress trend?

dress: Beso (another mullet dress I just plain want here--on sale!)

clogs: Miz Mooz Rain Clogs (similar here, or some other clogs I'm dying for here)

denim shirt: Gap (similar here)

zebra scarf: eBay (similar here and I just bought this one. Whoops.)

bracelet: Jessica Cushman

Marianne: Striped.

So Adrien visited, and she left with a new denim skirt and I found myself two striped shirts richer. Huh.

Maybe we ARE turning into the same person. This face? I am, like, shape shifting or something. Either that, or having a mild stroke?

Adrien, do you have green toenails? WELL DO YOU?

shirt: J. Crew Coastline Stripe T-Shirt (bought for $22 at the outlet, bam!)

jeans: AG Farrah flares

shoes: Miz Mooz Hazel (similar here)

Reader Question: Help me build an Outfit!

Yesterday I talked about how to build a basic work wardrobe. Today I'm going to try to answer Lauren's question about how to put together an outfit. Please keep in mind that I'm not terribly trendy or adventurous with how I dress. I'm hesitant to do much pattern mixing or push too many boundaries. My main goal is to look polished and put-together but still have my personal style show through.

Okay! So Lauren specifically mentioned not knowing how to build an outfit around, say, a crazy patterned top. Here's what I do:

• Start with the piece you want to build an outfit around (crazy patterned top)
• Pair with a neutral basic (pants or jeans or a skirt)
• Chose shoes that either complements/matches a color in the top or are neutral
• Add a layer in the form of a cardigan or jacket, also in a neutral (grey, tan, brown, navy, black) but not the same as the pants/jeans/skirt OR if your shoes are neutral, pick a color in the top and add a layer in that color.
• Chose a bag that doesn't compete with all the above (but it doesn't have to match your shoes or anything)

It sounds complicated, but once you start building, it'll work itself out. The trick is to have well-fitting neutral basics to work around. I think this is a good example of what I'm talking about:

patterned top

navy cardigan

brown pants

eggplant shoes

colorful bag 

Another:

patterned top

navy pants

red shoes

fun necklace

eggplant bag

Another example of how to build around a crazy pattern is this more recent outfit:

Leopard is a pattern, but a neutral one, so I kept everything else pretty simple to let the print be the focus. I wanted a little color, so the red layer takes care of that, and I also wore a circular pattern necklace to reflect the pattern in the skirt. 

This recent post of mine also reflects my build-an-outfit method. 

And please, I do not always follow my own advice and I often screw it all up. Like here:

I mean, technically I'm following my usual method but could I be more boring? The tights are great, but in an effort to not over-do the rest of it I ended up with a meh, muted outfit. And here:

I think this wins for Worst Thing I've Ever Worn on the Blog. Seriously, WTF. The dress is fine, but by pairing it with another bright color AND nude fishnets AND patent shoes AND a (different shade of) purple bag, I look like a hot mess. If I wore it again, I'd probably pair it with my dark purple t-straps, a charcoal cardigan and maybe a black bag. (Or if it were summer I'd wear gold sandals and carry my cream bag.) I'd play it a little less crazy-cat-lady, is what I'm saying. 

Hopefully this helps and doesn't confuse anyone. I honestly didn't even realize I had a method until I started writing it out! Again, not the most adventurous approach, but one that will help you not be late for work everyday.