On the Fringe

Felt Hat & Jeans: Charlotte Russe, Sunnies: Downtown Threads, Poncho: Target, Knit Cardigan: Shalom Shuk, Cowboy Boots: Italy

A bit over the top (wish I hadn’t worn the sunnies) but hindsight is always 20/20, right? I think my affinity for ponchos and caplets comes from my love of being wrapped up in blankets on a chilly day. Since I can’t get away with wearing throw blankets out in public (though some have tried) this hooded poncho over my peachy knit was the next best thing.

How have you been fending off the first hints of winter’s chill?

 

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

Dollar Store Sunnies, Denim Shirt: Walmart, Belt & Dress (worn as skirt): Goodwill, Cowboy Boots: Florence, ItalyThese short Italian cowboy boots called to me from a shop window while walking to meet friends at Spleen, one of my favorite bars in Florence. They usually showed FIFA games (in English) and had an insanely extensive drink menu, with pages of cocktails that were always half off for American girls. In short it was a great place and every time I wear these boots I think about Spleen and living in Florence and there’s a little twinge in my heart.

The 100% silk button up jumper caused heart twinges of a different type when I found it at Goodwill a few weekends ago, but that’s a whole other story. And if you are looking for a great book (that was later turned into a so-so movie) Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins is a one of my favorites.

What pieces in your closet pull on your heartstrings?

Floral Tanks

Dollar Store Sunnies, Floral Dress & Tote: H&M, Grey Dress: Plato’s Closet, Belt: Goodwill, Jean Jacket: TJ Maxx, Ring: Kohl’s, Vintage Bracelet, Cowboy Boots: Florence, ItalyMy love of layering is well documented (exhibits a, b, c, d) so it should come as no surprise that when I couldn’t figure out which dress to wear downtown for drink with D and a few friends I decided to wear both.

The flowy almost trapeze shape floral dress was perfect belted over a body hugging ribbed tank dress. Since I wanted to show both dresses I added a belt and bloused out the top of the floral dress just enough so the hem of the grey dress was visible. Short cowboy boots, a vintage bracelet, and the cropped jean jacket (that I found at TJ Maxx for less than $3!) rounded out this casually layered summer look.

Do you layer pieces in the summer or is it just too hot?

Delicate Mullets & Italian Cowboys

I’m still loving this $10 mullet dress from Old Navy. Who knew mullets could could be delicate and feminine? I love the way the dress moves so I tend to sashay from place to place when I wear it… but that’s cool right?

Speaking of being cool… people look at me sideways when I tell them that I picked these short cowboy boots up while living in Florence. Who knew Italian’s could craft such great western wear? They’re one of my favorite pairs of shoes so I was heartbroken when one of the heels completely cracked while D and I were walking home from the bars late one night (D was especially upset as he had to carry me home the rest of the way while I carried my broken boot).

Fortunately there is a killer cobbler in Williston who was able to mend my broken heel and heart. Don’t let the Yelp reviews fool you! If you’re looking for a cobbler with quick turn around time, reasonable prices and boots that come back better than new head to The Town Cobbler in Williston.

Boots and Bootcut Jeans

Slouchy Knit Hat: UO, Sunnies: Zinnia, Short Trench: Forever 21, Sweater: J.Crew (via Goodwill), Grey Tee: H&M, Jeans: Charlotte Ruse, Boots: Steve Madden

Some days it’s all about being warm and cozy and today is one of those days. I wanted to keep things simple and as no fuss as possible so I went with jeans and a tee. The trench coat and slight heel on the cowboy boot help to pull the look together and give it a more polished feel without sacrificing comfort in any way. To keep things fun (and my ears warm) I added a pop of color with a slouchy knit hat. You’ll be seeing more outfit posts with hats as the temperatures continue to cool off here in Burlington.

By adding my purple hat and well loved cowboy boots I was able to put my personal stamp on an outfit as generic as jeans and a tee. Fashion is all about making things your own and even staple looks are an opportunity to play around and express yourself.

What do you wear when you just want to feel comfortable? What personal touches do you add to jeans and tee?

Italian Cowboy

Tee: Target, Belt: Battery Street Jeans, Skirt: Downtown Threads,

Bangles: Gifted & Thrifted, Boots: Florence, Italy

Ever have one of those days when you wake up and feel totally uninspired by what your closet has to offer? Well this is outfit is a direct product of that type of feeling and if I didn’t have to be at work by 9am I would probably still be standing in my closet with a blank look on my face. If I don’t plan, or at least think about my outfit the night before it’s a total crap shoot. Sometimes I end up throwing together great combinations but other times… well it just isn’t pretty.

When nothing in my closet jumps out at me I opt for comfortable, casual clothes. For me it doesn’t get much more comfortable than this red skirt from Downtown Threads (seen here & here). It just fits and flatters in all the right ways and works with so many other things in my closet (even though it’s the only red article of clothing I own).  I don’t know why but for some reason I always wear this skirt with blue tops. Maybe it’s the patriot in me of the fact that I have no idea how to style red on a redhead but for some reason I always end up looking like the fourth of July.

What do you wear when you’re feeling uninspired by your wardrobe? Do you plan your outfits out or do you just wake up and go? 

A Memorial Day Tradition I

Hat: Vintage (via Downtown Threads), Tee: Charlotte Ruse, Belt: Goodwill, Skirt: Vintage ( via Downtown Threads), Cowboy Boots: Steve Madden D and I spent the afternoon at his parent’s house near Middlebury, Vermont over the long weekend and the weather couldn’t have been more beautiful. It was so nice to get away from Burlington and all of the packing and cleaning we’ve been doing.

I know I wore this hat in yesterday’s post but I just love it so much that I couldn’t help myself. I wore it so much this weekend that D started calling it my Memorial Day Hat, I unknowingly started a new tradition!

Sometimes when I get new pieces I let my excitement get the best of me and I over-where them. So I pinky promise to wait at least two whole days before I post about this hat again. Yesterday I mentioned picking up two new (to me) skirts at Downtown threads and this is one of them. I am in love with the pattern; the bold floral print is perfectly muted by the black and dark brown accents. Like yesterday’s outfit I relied on brown accessories to tie the look together.

The skirt was a wee bit too big to wear high waisted but also just a tad bit too tight to wear on my hips so I belted it where it fell naturally and then bunched some of the material around the belt. It kind of gave the skirt a look similar to paper bag shorts. I can already tell that this skirt is going to become a staple in my summer wardrobe!

 

Do you wear (and re-wear) new pieces right away like I do? What types of hats will you be wearing this summer?

 

 

Stripes and Spurs

Why didn’t you tell me my hair tie was ruining the shot?

So I have something to confess, I feel terribly awkward posing for photos and I’m afraid it’s starting to show! Now that I have almost two weeks of posting under my belt I’ve been able to see what areas of Wore Out need more work and I just want to say thank you for sticking it out with me as I smooth out all the rough edges. I feel like the crappyness of my camera combined with my bush-league posing skills have made my outfit posts resembling facebook candids rather than styled looks.

D promised to help me find a camera this week so upgrades are abound! I’m also excited because Burlington is getting some amazing post Daylight Savings light which means I’ll be able to take more outdoor outfit shots (natural light makes such a difference!)

Can’t decide if the stripes are more “cat in the hat” or “prison-esque”

Locket: Vintage

Cardi: Kmart

Dress: H&M

Belt: (taken from above cardi)

Owl Ring: Forever 21

Tights: The Sox Market

Boots: Steve Madden

just laying around…

my owl ring is much friendlier in person

The first change I plan on making is not smiling (as much) or looking at the camera. (Don’t worry, I have no intention of mean mugging in all future post) I just want to play with more subtle, natural facial expressions.

memo to self: invest in orange/reddish hair ties

When I’m putting together an outfit I find one piece that’s really speaking to me and then build the rest of the look out from there. In this case I had my heart set on wearing my striped tights. Since the focal point of the outfit (my tights) were a bit outside of my comfort zone I decided to stick with more traditional color pallet and accessories.  Rich brown and navy blue really compliment each other (I wear the two together a lot) so when I wanted to add a little height and interest to this look I reached for one of my favorite pairs of well worn boots!

downtown or hoedown, you decide!

I bought these boots right before my sophomore year of college and almost 5 years later they’re still in rotation. These were my first pair of cowboy boots and since then I’ve acquired quite a collection, but these are my favorite. Boots have long been an indulgence of mine, D calls them my gateway drug because my love for fashion and style (which is still very new) grew out of my love for boots.  Fabulous boots need fabulous outfits right?

What got you started on fashion? How to you put together your outfits?