Category Archives: Maggie’s closet

What do we think of this?

I decided that wearing a pink cardigan and red jeans together at the same time was bonkers, yet awesome.

And then every time I caught sight of myself in a mirror, all I saw was bonkers.

In my mind, when I cuff my jeans, it’s slightly quirky and harkens to fashionable depression-era farm folk.

The stripey socks don’t harken to anything.  They’re just fun.

Remember the story of the two coats I couldn’t decide between?  The moral of that story is that I kept both and this is one.

Part of the vision includes the hip-less legs of a J.Crew model.  The reality involves what-the-heckles-ever.  Until such a time as it is appropriate to traipse around sans pants, it will not be like J.Crew catalog up in here.  But just you wait.  When the era of No Pants begins…

New watch from Fab.com.  I was having a long time covet of this Michael Kors tortoise shell watch and this feels like a very happy approximation for a quarter of the cost.

And then the rest of the outfit went kind gypsy.

coat – anthropologie
shoes – fluevog
socks – gap
peasant blouse – anthropologie
matchstick jeans – jcrew
vest – gap
watch – AND from fab.com
necklace – Andrea Valentini from fab.com

Photos taken by my spectacular friend and fasion blogger, Hazel.

Skinny jeans came on the scene (again) in 2006.

First I chalked them up as absurd and heinous.

Then I disdained of them.

Then I wondered at their prevalence.

Then they seemed normal.

Then I shrugged them off as being only-for-skinny-people.

And then, five years later, I wanted some.

The first pair I tried on made me laugh out loud at myself in the dressing room.

But I tried on more, with varying degrees of distress.

And then I got these, two sizes larger than I would normally wear, from the Gap.

i sure love having my picture taken

So even though I’m a little sheepish about how long it took me to come around to this trend, I admit it:  I love them.

And the moral of this story is:  you can try to retain your own fashion aesthetic, but eventually, whatever it is that the tweens on The Disney Channel are wearing will eventually worm its way under your skin.  In the mean time, try to keep all that judgmental shunning to yourself.

I’ve had a mission to acquire a coat for the longest time.

As good as I am at buying other stuff, buying a coat seems to be a sticky wicket for me.  So many choices are just ho-hum sufficient.  Uninspiring.  And pretty much all of the choices are expensive, so whatever I might pick is a commitment.  A commitment to something that I would wear every day for months at a time!

Resulting in a coatless Maggie who makes do with one of the umpteen velvet blazer-jackets crammed into the closet.  Which are very pretty and velvety!  But yes, pretty much don’t fit, if you feel like buttoning them up in the front is a priority.  And a jacket with two layers stuffed underneath does not a coat make.

So the other day, I tried on some of the coats on the sale rack in Anthropologie.  Two of them fit.  And I liked them.  But oooh the commitment!  I couldn’t decide.  I bought both of them with the idea that The David would have something helpful that would lead to a decision and I could take one back.  But it was not to be.  He found them to both be generally favorable.

Thus, help me!  Which one?

Option #1
Pros:  fun fluffy (detachable) fur collar
good color – close up of the fabric below.  the darker bit is kind of a burgundy color.
Cons:  short sleeves – you can see the sleeves of my cardigan underneath.  but i’m not sure that this bothers me…

Option 2:
Pros:  longer and heavier
interesting shawl collar
velvet lined pockets!
Cons:  on the boringer side.

I am slightly leaning towards #2 because I think it’s more practical, but I kinda like the weirdness of #1 better…

Help!

(sorry about the crappy phone photos.  my fashion photographer was unavailable and my creative problem solving elf was working from home today.)

********UPDATE********
Monday, December 12
Both coats, which had already been on sale ($200 down from $300) went on further sale to $100 each.  Plus Anthro was having a 30% off discount on sale items.
Suffice it to say, I have been saved from having to make this gut wrenching decision and have kept both coats.

There was some epic pooped-out-ness yesterday.

Then, I managed to stay up until after midnight watching Sister Wives, because I’m still on west coast time.  And then in a fit of good intention, I got up at 6:30 to go to the pilates mat class offered by the gym.

Suffice it to say, I’m a little tired.  Which is the perfect time to talk about wearing pyjamas and pretending they’re clothes.

This little nightie has mushrooms on it!

The hemline is long enough (just barely above the knee) to be unscandalous.  Paired with a belt, long cardigan and a chunky, wooden necklace, and I think it totally works.

Some days I can’t get dressed more creatively than jeans and a band tshirt.

And then there are days when I decide that the best thing to pair with pattern is more pattern!  And stripes!

It’s all various vintages of Anthropologie.  Except the Crocs.  Those are from Crocs.

I like to read blogs about how-to-have-a-good-blog.  I read these bits of advice and fantasize about implementing them.  And then I do none of them.

Like having a theme.  Or a meta-narrative, which I think is a theme with sequins on it.

And that is my introduction to how I want to randomly post today about  what-i-wore.  Just like Erin from calivintage.  I admire her times 7, at least.  Her clothes are interesting and beautiful.  She wears shoes with heels on them, and from appearances, she seems to actually walk around in them, as well.  She writes for Modcloth!

So there’s me.  Wearing clothes.  And yeah, the bushes are in focus instead of me, but they’re really good bushes aren’t they?

Dress from Modcloth.
Pink tights from American Apparel.
Scarf very, very old and from Gap.
Shoes from some dance supply site.  I got them in a time when I was taking a lot of swing dance lessons.  The shoes are not supposed to be worn outside, because then you scuff their slip slidey soles.

Also, I have worn this outfit before, so you can have a second, more in focus picture.

 Slightly different in that there’s a cardigan from Boden.
The shoes are Worishofers.
Also, my head is missing and I’m standing on a bench, but that’s because it was for a Bench Monday shot.
And this one was taken by Ali, who is pretty admirable, as well, but with extra awesome weird-sauce drizzled all over her creative, amazing, unshowered pants.

I was a big nerd.  From the dawn of 1977 (dawn meaning September) until about 2 seconds ago.  I actually JUST got cool.  It’s awesome.

My nerdiness had many origins.

Like bad haircuts.

And my belief that I could get the big swooping wave out of your bangs if you just had bangs.  I didn’t know about curling irons or hairspray.

Strong desire to fit in, but secret worship of weirdness.

Not good at sports.  Played the cello instead.

General chubbiness…

Combined with not having the right clothes.

Mostly my mom bought my clothes.  And in her hippy, earth goddess sort of way, she didn’t give a rat’s ass about fashion.  Thus, I could rarely convince her to buy me the right clothes and instead, I had not-quite-right jeans and t-shirts that weren’t “oversized,” but too big.

So when 80’s fashion starts coming back, I can appreciate it.  Not because of my own closets of yore, but because of the girls of E. B. Aycock Junior High, who I stared at with a pitiful little cast of jealousy and admiration.

Lately, though, it seems like what’s coming back in style isn’t the cool stuff from back in the day, but the nerd bomber things I used to wear.

For example, if the cool stuff from the 80’s were coming back, we’d be seeing this:

Which is an acid washed mini jean skirt, a thing I desired greatly.  Instead, I had a skirt like this one below.  Chambray.

Guess which one you can now find for $98 at Madewell?