Gold and Black- Remix!

Lately I haven't been feeling great, and haven't felt much like taking photos.  Luckily, I have a pretty big stash of posts pretty much ready to go since I was in a photo crazy mood before my health started to get bad.

Today I have a simple outfit post for you- a remix of an outfit I wore last April. As you can see, it is a little less gold these days thanks to the dry cleaners, but it is also a little softer than it was so I'm okay with it.  Isn't this a great look for the office?



Lately, I have been going through a little bit of a style shift, favoring a bit more structure in my clothes, and a little more figure conscious pieces. I also have been getting into pants again, although not necessarily jeans. I used to be an all-jeans-all-of-the-time kind of girl, until I discovered how versatile dresses were and made them my wardrobe staple. However, I am starting to get a little bit excited about pants again, mainly because there are so many fun jeans alternatives these days!

I know a lot of people think pants are easier to wear than dresses, but I find the opposite to be true. When you are wearing a dress, you are pretty much ready to go once you find shoes to go with it. With pants and a top, styling becomes more important because it takes a little more effort to stand out.  There are also issues of matching, and creating balance that you just don't have to worry about as much with dresses.  If you don't like the shape of a dress but you still want to wear it, add a belt!  Simple, and done.

But pants are tricky.  The most important element when creating an outfit while wearing pants (as opposed to a dress) is proportion. Since I don’t tend to be attracted to fitted tops, I need to be careful to wear well-fitting pants so that I don’t end up looking shapeless. The top I wore in these photos was from Modcloth (you can see a similar style here) wasn't especially wide, but it was certainly not fitted. I wore it with skinny Gap pants that I have had FOREVER to complete the silhouette.

 I love love love dresses, but sometimes I feel like they are a great place to hide- I have sewn a couple of pairs of pants, but I decided it isn't where my heart is. There are so many affordable ready to wear pants that fit me nicely, that it isn't really worth the effort. I am trying to work on my blouse making skills however. I should have some new ones to show you soon!
 

P.S. Look how long my hair is getting!  Crazy days.  :)