ahoy matey!

(gap striped cotton scoop neck, thrifted polyester navy vest, 7's high-waisted wide leg jeans)

i hate to admit it, but this vest sat idle and tucked away in my closet for many months until i found some guidance from jessie, my live in fashion consultant-- pair it with stripes! she said.  (when in doubt, throw some stripes into the mix! is jessie's latest styling motto)...though stripes have been big for some time, she's right... and  i wouldn't have thought of that.  i think it did the trick!  

i feel slightly like a sailor in this outfit, but i love it, and i embrace my inner deckhand with gusto.  (i did in fact grow up sailing with my father on a twentyfive footer upstate!) ...and the nautical theme is one that rarely goes out of style.  i refrained from pairing it with my long ship pendant necklace, though i did consider it.  that would have definitely taken it too far. 

this vest was found this past fall at a great little vintage consignment shop in greenpoint brooklyn called 'kill devil hill.'  the shop is a riot with its vintage candy selection and stuffed gopher display, and jessie and i had fun pawing through their dress and denim selection.  we found this navy polyester vest that happened to fit me just right.  we also picked up a bottle of homemade vanilla extract on our way out--a treat being made and sold by one of the shop girls.  man, i love brooklyn.

is it spring yet?

despite the heavy snow that we had earlier this week (or maybe because of it, actually) i have decided that i am ready for spring. bring it on. all of it. the dresses, sandals, tanktops, sunglasses and massive amounts of sunscreen.

maybe that's why i felt like wearing shorts, even though i had to add tights and a sweater, since the weather isn't quite cooperating with my wishes.







(shirt: thrift, sweater: thrift, shorts: f21, tights: h&m, shoes: chinese laundry)

so here's a new-to-me favorite of my winter wardrobe. roommate jessie and i had a 'gals clothing swap' some months back and it was a total success. there were roughly 15 gals in our place, with all their give-away clothes draped on every available surface in our loft. by the end of it, we all walked away with some awesome new second-hand duds, and we wound up donating NINE huge trash bags full of clothes to the needy as well. success indeed.

in the midst of all the coffee and mimosa drinking, i wound up scavenging and finding this fantastic vintage high waist wool skirt! and guess whose second hand item it was? jessie's. go figure.

i love wearing this to work, because it looks sophisticated and polished, but also maintains style points. i love how it pops out at the waist slightly to give it that great 50's silhouette. it's also tricky to have a black, brown, tan and orange color scheme without it looking like bad 70's upholstery... but sometimes 70's upholstery can look damn good.

(hm black turtle, hm thick black tights, jessie's old vintage skirt (mine now!), vintage black ankle boots from thrifting in BK)