TGIF

Yet another uber-cas day. Laundry, staying out of hub's way as he takes the big 2nd year med school exams, and getting ready to go away for the weekend.

I am wearing:

-creme and black striped sweater, H&M

-camel corduroy skirt, H&M

-black leggings

-black and white nubby flats, Payless

-silver hammered necklace, gift from husband (Israel)

-black corduroy equestrian hat, Gap

Apparently I am a walking advertisement for H&M. I think I am ok with that.

All clothing in this outfit is more than 3 years old. I've been thinking about this recently, since I will not be shopping for clothing this year. My father passed away quite suddenly about 2 months ago, and according to Jewish law I must mourn for a period of 12 months. The mourning period has many rules- no parties, concerts, going to movies, a special prayer that must be recited 3x a day- but one that will have particular impact on this blog is the ban on wearing new clothing. All of these laws are supposed to be a constant reminder of loss, and somehow helpful in the process of mourning and bereavement. I will certainly let you know how I feel about that after the year is up.

For now, what it means sartorially is being creative with what I already own. I've already discussed my new mantra, which is certainly catalyzed by the new prohibitions I face as a mourner. I've read a number of blogs that detail shopping bans, such as Already Pretty. This will be a slightly different take on that theme, and I will keep you all updated on the process. And thankfully, I can still mix what I own with new accessories and shoes... maybe this will be the year to build an amazing shoe wardrobe.

Over and out,

N.

Shine a Little Light

Sorry for the late post.. today was another migraine day, so the weekend started a bit early here with me in bed until the afternoon. Since I basically hung around all day and will continue to do so tonight (except for a quick run to get some fresh veggies in a few minutes), I'm dressed casual as can be. Pics were taken in the kitchen again, since our living room could use a new lamp or three. And some replacement bulbs in the lamp currently there.

I am wearing:

-grey cashmere cardi with a million little buttons

-white Hanes v-neck

-black corduroy H&M skirt

-pewter metallic Uggs

-grey knit slouchy hat

-black patterned scarf, gift from sister

 

closeup of alllll the buttons. I tend to leave it buttoned when I take it off.. less effort is always better.

scarf and awkward camera angle

Just wanted to say thanks to all those who have been reading/following/commenting. I wasn't sure if I could keep this up, but knowing people are reading and enjoying is a wonderful motivator.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Today is another depressingly rainy day. With a walking tour planned, I needed to wear waterproof boots and something warm, but still wanted to bring some color into my life which would otherwise be dismal and grey. I'm also going to check out a new exhibit at a neighboring museum at its preview day for museum professionals, so I wanted to look not completely shlumpy (thankfully, museum professionals tend to have a looser definition of "professional dress.") Hence the outfit:

I am wearing:

-grey Forever 21 sweater (with fun owl design at the top)

-rainbow pleated Marc Jacobs skirt

-brown boots, Studio Pollini

-grey fuzzy beret, H&M

-brown tights

I usually wear this skirt only in the summer, since it is a light cotton, but decided to fall it up today with the brown boots and fuzzy sweater.

closeup of boots

And despite the awful lighting, maybe you can make out the fun coral lip color in this shot

I also did a little reworking last night and have now included tags for easy searching of looks. This is certainly for other people but probably even more for me to be able to easily catalog outfits I like with things I've decided to wear. Kind of like an online finding aid for my wardrobe, to put it in dorky/my terms. I'm off to be productive, but can't wait to hear from you all (hint, hint.) Have a great day!

Digital Humanities

Today is a big day at work for me- the second meeting of a large digital humanities grant on which I've been working for the past few months. Don't worry, I am certainly not in charge of the tech end- just helping to theorize and outline the parameters of what will hopefully be a very helpful open-source research tool.

I decided to run with the heels idea (run? heels? bad metaphor.) Maybe this will make me feel less like the 23-year-old kid I am while sitting with the scholars, digital librarians, and other very.important.people.

I am wearing:

-polka-dot skirt, Tahari (I think)

-black sweater/shawl

-grey shell belt, H&M

-black tights, H&M

-black/brown booties, DKNY

-heart/clock necklace, Urban Outfitters

shoes!

 

 

Today's oddly staged photographs courtesy of the Time Warner man who came to install our new wireless at 7:45 instead of 10 as he was scheduled. I tried to be sneak and do it out of his sight, but then realized that couldn't happen and regrouped in the kitchen. My husband thought this was all quite amusing.

Pensive? On the verge of tears? You decide.

New Heights

I have quite a few pairs of heels that sit in my closet, waiting for an occasion to be worn. I usually let them see the light of day only at synagogue or fancy functions, but with my new mantra I've decided that if I have them I should be wearing them far more often. Today I went with one of my favorite pairs, and built yet another weather-ambiguous outfit around them. But unfortunately, I forgot to upload the picture of the shoes before I left for work!

I am wearing:

-black Lulu Guiness peep toe pumps

-creme Jcrew corduroy skirt

-dark grey/black patterned Cynthia Steffe button down 

-yellow Jcrew cable knit sweater

-black Parkhurst beret

-pearl ring, black cameo pin

Closer up of shirt, pin, Marx and Freud finger puppets I bought for birthday present yesterday.

Have a wonderful day!

Walker in the City

After emerging from my migraine-addled weekend, I'm back at work and ready to take it to the streets with 2 different walking tours. A walking tour-heavy day like today demands comfort above all else.

I am wearing:

-grey Anthropologie sweatshirt dress. Super-comfy and cuddly, even after 3 years and countless washes

-Black footless tights, Hue

-black-and-white nubby Payless flats

-creme, red and black fringed H&M scarf

-black knit beanie, unknown (cut off the tag because it annoyed me!)

-beaded hoop earrings, H&M

 

Closeup of scarf + earrings (+ cut-off head. whoops.)

The light was moody in the apartment early this morning. I channeled the sentiment in this photo.

You may have noticed that I haven't put up Saturday posts. I'm trying to figure out whether I have enough time to take Friday night photos before sundown, or if that is just adding to the pre-Shabbat preparation stress. And I find myself changing out of my Saturday outfit long before Shabbat ends, usually. I might consider staying in my clothes- or even faking it and putting them back on for a picture Sat night- because it would be a shame to have my best outfits missing from the blog.

And if you caught the smears of blue/grey paint on my nails, it is because I spent last night painting the rest of the bathroom, finally. 3 months of nagging by my husband resulted in an hour and a half of fume inhalation, nail ruining and all over soreness, but it is almost done! Yay!

At Home Edition

I wasn't planning on blogging today, but had a gchat conversation with a friend that made me feel guilty for those at work with a desperate need to procrastinate.

frind: i feel uncomfortable because i dont know what you're wearing today

me: i am in pjs

 friend: oh fine. you should tell the blogosphere  

With that conversation in mind: Today started off as unfortunately too many of my days do: migraine city. After a few hours (yes, still in my pajamas) and some miraculous, heaven-sent triptans, I finally got off the couch and got dressed for a chill day neatening up and puttering around the apartment.

I am wearing:
-my favorite t-shirt, Bulldog from UO
-jean skirt, Old Navy
-headband to keep my too-short hair off my face, wish I remembered so I could buy another. Or two. So so comfortable.
-bracelets, made in Africa, gift from co-worker

...and thats about it! If I do leave the house before Shabbat begins, I'll throw on a turquoise knit beanie and Uggs. Nothing like slumming it for the day.

Thursday, a Day for Sparkle

Since I work in a museum that is closed on Fridays, Thursday is one of my favorite days of the week. If I can just make it through the day, I'm home free until Sunday (always a super-chaotic day at work.) In celebration of Thursday and in the spirit of wearing my whole closet, I present you with today's outfit:

(Sorry for the fuzziness. Not sure why my balance-macbook-on-couch-sideways trick didn't work as well today.)

I am wearing:

-blue sparkly jersey dress (what look like sequin strips are actually made of shiny chain metal)

-grey Express sweater

-blue H&M beret that you may remember from Monday

-patterned scarf, gift from sister, from Israel

-gold-tone cameo necklace, gift from Mom

-blue/gray suede boots, vintage

closer-up of scarf + necklace

Indian Summer

Today's outfit was inspired by the ever-changing weather in NY. When I checked this morning, it was 52 degrees, going up to 76. Seriously? These 20-degree shifts over the course of the day require some season-ambiguous clothing. Like boots, no tights, and a light cotton sweater.

Todays outfit:

-red headscarf, vintage

-brown cotton sweater, stolen from sister's friend

-navy cotton pencil skirt, American Apparel

-red suede moccasin boots, vintage

-silver earrings, vintage

closeup of scarf + earrings 

Butterflies and Berets

Today I decided to experiment with my Macbook's PhotoBooth before leaving for work. Somehow I know I'll look less bedraggled at the start of my day than when I get home.

Today I am wearing:
1- White Ann Taylor ruffle button down
2- Creme+fun colors butterfly cardigan from Old Navy
3- Zara jean pencil skirt
4- Navy tights
5- Turquoise and navy Gap flats
6- Blue H&M fuzzy beret

This is the second of my new hats purchased Sunday night. What can I say, I get excited to wear my newest items! The outfit was built around the ruffle shirt. I have had this piece for 4 years but have only worn it to dressy occasions with a high-waisted navy silk skirt. My new clothing mantra, however, is "Wear it All!", rather than saving pieces I love for the once or twice a year I actually wear them. I added the cardigan for a touch of whimsy and the shoes because my poor feet hurt from wearing too-high heels all day Saturday.

As I (hopefully) continue to add to the blog, you'll notice a few common themes: hats/scarves and skirts. In short, I don't wear pants, and when I leave my house my head always has a covering. I'm sure I'll award each a more lengthy post at some point in the future, discussing my conflicting feelings about modesty and the travails of trying to look fashionable and have a point of view with such restrictions, but for now bare bones will have to do.

All Beginnings Are Hard

I've been thinking about doing a fashion diary/inspiration blog for a long while. I am addicted to quite a few (aka I spend most of my spacing-out time looking at how well other people dress), but never summoned the courage to actually whip out the camera and just get to it.

Last week a friend shared her blog with me. Its concept is simple and powerful- each day she shares the 7 daily reasons why her life is good, and encourages her readers to do the same. If she can make a list everyday, there is no reason why I can't post a picture or two!

So here it is- day 1. I cheated a bit, tried to take a picture yesterday and discovered two important things:
1- Flash + mirror= bad picture
2-Pictures show you quite well that your mirror should in fact be cleaned.

Today my outfit consists of:
-brown flats, brand long rubbed out by overwearing
-brown thick tights. Expect to see me in tights everyday from now until May.
-camel H&M corduroy skirt
-pink and white striped Ralph Lauren button down
-brown wool French Connection sweater
-and my new H&M mohair leopard beret

I bought this hat Sunday night on the way back from work along with another that will surely crop up soon. Couldn't wait to make an outfit around it, but tried to incorporate another pattern with the striped shirt.

Next up: Learn how to do self-timer or how to make husband happy about taking pictures for this blog...