Reversed lace

Top: Turkey
Cami: Petite Sophisticate
Jeans: Elle via Kohl's
Shoes: Zara
Earrings: gift from my sister-in-law

Hello, my name is Frances Joy and I am addicted to Pinterest.... I check it every morning before getting dressed and/or doing my hair. I wish I were joking, and I don't know how to quit - or if I even want to. This outfit? I pinned a similar outfit awhile back and I finally put it together.


I started with some dark wash jeans that are supposed to be skinny, but fit more like a straight leg. Then I grabbed my black, lacy top and put it on backwards. I like the white cami underneath because it gives me some contrast and makes the lace stand out. B wasn't as big a fan of this combo, though.


I considered putting a jacket or a cardigan on with this, but I didn't want to lose my new scoop back or cover up the lace on the front. Besides, I really wanted to wear this with that one blazer that's in storage in the States. When I'm back home in December I plan to wear nothing but the stuff that's in storage right now....


I also decided I needed a pop of color in the shoes, so the impossibly high green pumps it was. Overall, I loved this outfit. I felt very much like myself even though I was in jeans. I also loved the backwards shirt. Sometimes I get a little bored with my wardrobe and this kind of stuff makes me feel like I have new clothes.


It's the little things....

Boho

Tunic: Banana Republic
Jeans: Costa Blanca (thrifted)
Cami: Target
Wedges: Toms
Earrings: Turkey
Scarf: gift from my mom

In case you couldn't tell, I built this look around my new-to-me jeans. I mean, I've seen similar pairs online for way more than I ever want to spend on jeans, and I scored these for $4 at a thrift store.


I generally think this silhouette is (a) a bit too reminiscent of mid-nineties Frances Joy and (b) a little too much for my height, but I wanted to try the trend and these jeans make my butt look good. That's important.


I decided I wanted to wear these jeans with a flowy top and some heels. I chose this tunic because I haven't worn it in a while and it went well with my Tom's. The Tom's are important because I had to walk to work and they are ridiculously comfortable.


More comfortable than my jeans. Sigh. Stupid jeans. You do NOT beat skirts in my world of comfort.


Headscarves, however, are always a win.

P.S. This scarf is all kinds of tacky. It's got pictures of Venetian landmarks on it. I can't figure out of my mom actually bought it while we were there (doubtful) or if someone gave it to her. Either way, I love it.

Not quite awesome

Tee: Target
Dress (worn as skirt): some random store in Turkey
Boots: Steve Madden
Belt: Target
Scarf: Target
Socks: gift from sister-in-law
Earrings: Turkey

I want to like this outfit more than I do. I'm not totally sure what I don't like, I just know it's not my favorite. But my students loved it. They told me - and I quote - "You look AWESOME!" I think it's the boots.


I'm not totally sold, though. What do y'all think?

Lazy

Turtleneck: Express
Skirt: Gap
Shoes: Steve Madden
Belt: thrifted
Earrings: Target

Sometimes I just don't feel like getting dressed. On those days, I tend to reach for black because it's easy and I love it. Then I add a little brown so it looks like I tried.


Done and done. Easiest thing ever, am I right?


What do you do when you don't want to think about getting dressed? Any other go to combos out there?

Friend Friday: Refashioning

Tee: Hanes
Skirt: Target
Shoes: Steve Madden
Belt: Target
Earrings: Turkey

Today's visual Friend Friday is about refashioning, which is something I have only recently started doing. Well, I guess that's not entirely true because I've cut the necks out of a bunch of crew neck shirts for years.


Lately, though, I've been dabbling in hemming and I've got big plans to dye some stuff (I even have dye and rubber gloves on hand). Oh, and I took in this men's shirt so that it didn't fit me like a giant bag.


See? I got my instructions here and although I haven't quite gotten the technique, I think I can try it again.


As it is, I can still wear the shirt and not just as pajamas. Besides, any no sew trick is good in my book.


Oh, and speaking of DIY... I cut my hair. Just me, a pair of scissors and the bathroom mirror. It was scary as all get out, but I'm pleasantly surprised. Besides, it was so long, I was going CRAZY.

Obsession

Top: J Crew
Skirt: Self made
Shoes: Tom's (gift from my mom)
Earrings: Turkey

Y'all, I might be obsessed with this skirt. I'd wear it every day if I thought B wouldn't sit me down to have a serious conversation about how I need to separate myself from this skirt long enough to wash it.


I got the idea for this outfit from this image I pinned over at my favorite website ever. My take is considerably more casual since there was a possibility I'd be walking home from work (again).


And, yes, I did walk home in these shoes. Most. Comfortable. Heels. Ever. It's been proven by this girl who walked up the mountain in them; that's pretty much scientific. The look on my face in the above photo isn't about the shoes, though. That's me singing about how this skirt fits me so well and is so cute.

Classics

Shirt: Target
Jeans: 7 for all Mankind (thrifted)
Booties: Aldo
Earrings: Turkey

This is an outfit I've been dreaming of wearing for the longest. Is it earth shatteringly creative? Nope. Is it new and exciting? Also no. Is it classic? Yes.


For some reason, it's the classics that give me a hard time. Good jeans are hard to find for me - somewhere between my waist and my booty, and my thighs, it all makes me crazy and I give up. But these worked out. Are they my most comfortable jeans? No; they're a little too low rise for that. But they do work.


And then we've got the white button-up. Y'all know these are not made for women larger than a B cup, right? But B and I wandered into Target while we were in the States and I found this shirt on the clearance rack. The second button buttoned, so it was a go. It's still a bit loose elsewhere, especially tied this way, but I think that's fixable.


So, while this might be as classic as they come, it wasn't the most effortless look. Am I the only one who has the hardest time ever finding jeans and button ups? Someone let me know I'm not alone....

FFB: Ethics: new, old, self-made

Top: Zara
Skirt: self-made (with help, I mean, obviously.)
Booties: Aldo
Earrings: Target

Time for another FFB post. This month we're talking ethics, which is appropriate because, strangely enough, I've been thinking a lot about this topic in the past few weeks. And I've been thinking about it in terms of my clothing in particular.


B and I try to live simply. It's not that we're always good at it, but we try. We don't do flowers in our house except for the kinds that we plant because the flower industry makes me feel sick and icky. We don't do diamonds. We try to buy locally as much as possible and we make an effort to not buy stuff we don't need (I struggle more in this area than B). As someone with my particular educational and personal background who is currently working and living in rural Central America, it's hard to not be more aware of where things are made, especially clothes.


I've already talked about the americanas and I don't think I've really gotten through the ethics of those just yet. But let's talk new clothes for a minute, shall we? Like, maybe we should talk about my Zara shirt and the fact that Zara's been using child and slave labor to make its clothes in Brazil.


I'm not naive enough to think that they're the only retailer pulling such stunts. I don't do American Apparel, Forever 21, or Walmart because I don't agree with their business practices (similar to Zara's). I'm not the MOST educated on this, but I try to use what I know to help me make better shopping decisions.


I don't care so much if things are produced in the States, because I know that there's a need for jobs abroad, but I do care about a certain level of justice when it comes to working conditions. And I realize I can't always know what these conditions are like. I'm tempted to stick to the thrift stores, though those bring another set of questions (US American consumption, for one) but I think making clothes can be another way to fight the man. Maybe?


We'll see how my sewing class goes....

Safari

Tee: Banana Republic
Skirt: Ann Taylor
Belt: Banana Republic
Shoes: Crocs
Earrings: Kohl's

I almost like this outfit. I think I like the idea of it better than the execution. I needed something that would be appropriate for work - and the walk to and from - on a relatively warm day and this fit the bill.


I've had this tee shirt for, roughly, forever; by forever I mean since 2006. It's a little too long and quite sheer, but it stays in my closet because it (a) layers nicely and (b) has a zebra on it. The zebra is important.


I kinda like the zebra tee with the elephant earrings and leopard belt. See? It's like a theme! I'm going to tell myself it's subtle, okay? I like my delusions.

Green

Sweater: Target
Dress: Target (gift from my mom)
Belt: Target
Shoes: Steve Madden (gift from my mom)
Earrings: Turkey

Seriously? How did I end up wearing so much Target? I don't even know. But I guess that's okay because B picked this outfit out and if he'd wanted more variety in clothing sources, he'd have made it happen, right?


He loves this sweater, and I love it in theory. What I mean is that I love it when it's on, but it's not the thing that I reach for when I'm getting dressed. I don't know why because the silhouette is perfect and the color is so much fun. I should be reaching for it more often, am I right?


I'm glad B helps me to get some use out of this particular item, though. Any outfit suggestions for this sweater?


Also, I asked my mom for some flat shoes so I can keep walking to school when our car breaks down (it's at least once a month, y'all) and she sent me these and the oxfords I've already shown off. Cute, right? I'm pretty smitten.

Friend Friday: So(ng) inspired

Tee: Gap
Shirt: Ralph Lauren (thrifted)
Skirt: thrifted and hemmed
Shoes: Steve Madden (gift from my mom)
Earrings: Turkey
Sunnies: Target

For this week's Friend Friday, we're wearing song inspired clothes. So it kind of looks like I was inspired by the Saved by the Bell theme song, but let me assure you that it wasn't. I mean, maybe I'm channeling Lisa Turtle, but that was not my intention.


Mostly, I woke up with two songs running through my head. The first was Cultura Profética's "Amante luz" and the second was Draco's "Obra de arte". I'm actually kind of impressed that the songs go together (yeah, amazing Puerto Rican artists!) because usually my iTunes mixes sound a little...ADD. But this morning I kept singing two lines to myself, one from each song: "Borinquen, amante luz, rayo de sol" (Puerto Rico, lover of light, ray of sun), and "De los cuarenta colores que yo sé pintar, eres ese color que no lo puedo ni soñar" (Of the forty colors I can paint, you're that color that I can't even imagine).


So I knew two things: I wanted to wear yellow and I wanted to wear something like forty colors. I wanted to look like I was wearing Puerto Rico. Or something. My recently hemmed thrift store skirt fit the bill. Pairing it with yellow stripes seemed natural. But then I was cold, so I reached for this shirt, tied it up, and called it a day.


I think my sunshiny, tropical inspiration served me well because it's nearly two and the clouds seem to be holding off. Amante luz, rayo de sol, indeed.


In other news, I've finally succumbed to wearing oxfords and I'm kind of in love.


AND I tied knots in my hair. Fanciness all around y'all.