Marianne: Adventures in Consignment Shopping, Part II

When last I left you, I had scored a $20 BCBG wrap dress at a recently-discovered consignment shop. My other find? This RicRac (an anthropologie brand) faux wrap top. The cost? $8!

Now, I admit that this top presented some challenges. Namely, the v-neck was so ridiculously deep that I am just going to give RicRac the benefit of the doubt and assume they meant for you to layer this, as I did.

But, whatever, how fun is the print?

Dressed in layers for the wacky fall weather, including the lovely Marc Jacobs flats gifted to me by Adrien. Sparkly!

top: RicRac

camisole: Eloise

jeans: Gap Always Skinny

blazer: Theory (buttons replaced by me)

scarf: Target

bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs Sophia

shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs (similar here)

Adrien: Styling short boots.

So, I got those great short boots last week and I've been trying to figure out how to wear them with more than just, you know,  pants. Can I wear them with leggings? With tights and skirts? With a dress? with skinny jeans? I DON'T EVEN KNOW.

I started looking for inspiration and hey damn, I found it some.

Rosa from Love at First Shop:

Shannon from Wardrobe Review has a bunch of great outfits with short boots, including these:

 

This is kind of perfect (from Refinery29):

My favoritey favorite, Kate Lanphear:

And stupid celebrity, great boots (seriously, just focus on the boots):

Oh, boots. I'm glad you're back in my life.

Adrien: The Good and the Pissing Me Off.

It's Friday, so I'll start with The Good. I braved the J. Crew warehouse sale in town this week and when I say "braved" I'm not exaggerating. That was some advanced level shopping, y'all. Not for beginners and certainly not for the "I hate shopping" crowd. Advanced as in piles and piles of unorganized clothing, table upon table upon table of unorganized, unmatched boots. BOOTS. AS FAR AS THE EYE COULD SEE. Mostly in sizes 10 and 11. It was the stuff of shopping nightmares but I am not a beginner and I dove right in.

I quickly determined that the tall boot were all too big in the calf for me so I found two styles of short boots I liked and concentrated on those. 30 minutes later, with Nina's help, I'd found two matching pairs to try on (in the middle of a crowded aisle while wearing jodhpurs and a horse-drool covered shirt. Sexy.) I made a final decision and got these:

I love them. Love love love them. I'm going to have so much fun figuring out what to wear them with! They are a little tough, a little stompy, very me.

Now, for the Pissing Me Off. Behold, the following Sartorialist photo:

OH MY GOD STOP IT. JUST...STOP IT.

First of all, yes, she's very lovely and I would kill for that Birkin she's being all blasé about but, really? REALLY with the shoes? And the bike? And the Birkin all topsy turvy on the back rack? I just can't stand it. Marianne's comment was:

RIDE THAT BIKE IN YOUR INSANE SHOES I DARE YOU.

I concur. And are those...leather shorts she's wearing? Out. Get out of my office. OOOUUUUUUUTTTTT!

Marianne: Over Knee, Over 30

Ah, the over-knee sock. Every fall for the past few years, they make their appearance. And every fall I find myself in a fantasy, one where I have endlessly long and slender legs and endless occasions to romp around in chunky socks and my Hunter wellies and maybe a casually oversized flannel shirt.Then reality sets in. My legs are long, but they are not slender and I do not need to expose the flesh that lies a couple of inches above my knees. I am rapidly approaching my mid-30's and there isn't much of an excuse to dress like an aging school girl.
But then this Club Monaco capsule collection debuted on Shopbop and I was right back to my daydreams. So I got to thinking--is there a good way to wear this trend when you aren't a tiny young thing?

Is the solution wearing the socks over tights? This seems bulky but I found some pictures and don't completely hate the idea. However, don't get me started on the faded denim short shorts. Jesus. Today, I'm using one of the inspiration pictures I posted yesterday as a starting point. I love the navy sweater blazer they paired with the Fit and Flare dress (which is on sale for a steal, by the way), but I already have this ancient J. Crew sweater and with the collar turned up I can pretend it's similar. I think most of the time the socks just look like chunky tights, but I'm still not convinced that I don't look foolish.

I'm going to leave you with a couple of spreads from Refinery 29 that give a few more ideas. I already wear knee socks over skinny jeans to keep them tucked tight into boots, but I've never let the sock peek out the top. Thoughts on this or other takes on the trend?

Adrien: More Panic Shopping.

Okay, so remember last month when we did a reader makeover and I suggested a certain BCBG dress? It was a dress I liked enough that I actually clicked through my own link hoping to order it, only to discover it wasn't available in my size. Boo.

Then last week, I got an email from my friend Kate's sister Maureen who was all, THAT BCBG DRESS IS ON IDEELI TODAY GO GO GO.  If there's one thing I'm really good at it's following directions, so I went went went and I bought it so quick I barely had time to think it over. More panic shopping! But I'm glad I didn't hesitate because OMG IT IS GOOD:

For one thing, do you know how hard it is to find a good dress with long sleeves? Hard.

For another, the colors are amazing:

dress: BCBG (similar)
bag: Marc Jacobs Blake (similar, also this )
shoes: Frye (similar)
tights: Spanx Tight-End

Adrien: How Not to Shop

Did you get the email on Monday? The one from the Gap proclaiming that everything in-store was an extra 40%? One day only? Even sale stuff? Lord above. I couldn't go on my lunch break but I did have a small window after work (and before a spin class.) So, with only 30 minutes to spare, I did what you should never do: I panic shopped.

Don't do this. You know why? Because you will end up with two more striped shirts to add to your collection of striped shirts. I know, seriously, it's embarrassing. (They are cute, though.) The store was a nightmare of other panic shoppers and crying babies left to fend for themselves in their strollers, but I did manage to grab a handful of things to try on, tops being the easiest to manage. I somehow neglected the whole part of the store that was dresses, skirts and pants, though. Here's what I got:

Striped cowlneck T



Striped boatneck T



And I got this bag (but mine is bright-ass red):

I think the bag ended up being around $8 and the tops were each $11, so YEAH. But, I didn't really have time to try on things I actually needed, like work pants that actually fit me. Or tops without stripes on them.

I think I have a problem.

Marianne: Fall Inspiration

People, I'm having a rough day. Let's looks at some pretty pictures from my Fall Inspiration folder, shall we? First up, a nice fall take on my beloved Land's End Canvas Fit and Flare dress. I think I'd like a sweaterknit blazer...
This whole outfit feels like the weekend. Swap the cowbot boots for a slouchy black boot, though.

Every time I see this coat, I weep a little. Oh, Marc Jacobs.

Adrien is Down On Vests but I think Emily from Design Star looks darling here. Another great weekend look.

Hello, gorgeous belt and perfect silky top. I will ignore your droopy pockets.

Lara Stone does Joan Holloway. LOVE the colors here.

There, much better. Sometimes I can't deal with trying to be clever or fashionable and I just want to look at pretty pictures, don't you?