Grey V-Neck, Denim Skirt

Shirt Chadwicks
Sweater Tommy Hilfiger
Skirt Ralph Lauren
Tights Smith's
Shoes Fluevog

I am mostly posting this to show off my tights. These are the cutest, coziest, warmest nicest tights in the world. Of course I bought them at the grocery store.

I super duper love how well they go with my Fluevogs!!

The only minus is that they are not long enough so the crotch sags between my legs. Being tall and skinny for most of my life, I'm used to it. When I danced ballet, my leotard was always pulled down so far because the crotch of my tights was hanging down so low.

See? So cute!

Finally! My Favourite Shoes!

I have two kinds of favourite shoes; ones that are my favourites for all time and eternity that I’ve owned for a million years, sent to the shoe repair several times, and will die if they ever fall apart, and shoes that are recently purchased that are my "new favourites".

These shoes are "new favourites". I’m certain I will love them for a long time and that they will turn into the first category of favourite shoes, but right now they are of my newest purchases. I wear them about once a week. I love, love, love, love, LOVE them. Did I mention that I love them? Well, I love them.

Steve Madden 4” black suede platforms that I bought at Marshall’s for forty bucks.

They make me six feet tall. I love it when I’m wearing them and someone walks into my office to ask me a question and I stand up to walk to the filing cabinet or wherever, and I keep on standing up and their eyes go up, up and uuuuup. “Those are some shoes!” is the average comment. I am known for my shoes around the office.

I have them paired with black tights, for the monochromatic look that I love, my “new favourite” black and grey tweed skirt (also bought for cheap at Marshall’s), and my very favourite black v-neck silk and cashmere sweater (bought online for super cheap too).

The sweater deserves a special mention because it is the one that I crave to wear. I look forward to winter so that I can wear this sweater. It is so cozy. I SUPER love this sweater.

The sassy pose is in part thanks to my darling husband who took the photo. He was being all particular about the light and where I should stand, so by the time he took the photo, I was so DONE with taking the dumb photo that I decided to be a snot. Also, I had initially given the camera to The Photographer to take the picture when my darling husband had to butt in and take over, so my sweet first born son was sitting on the stairs sulking and I’m such a Mama Bear that it bothers me when my boy is upset.

Sassy pose

Suede Steve Maddens

Sweater Tights

I have been wearing sweater tights (also know as cable-knit tights) since I was a little girl.

There is something so lovely about sweater tights. First of all, they are warm. I hate having cold feet, but I like stylish shoes, so it’s hard to find a happy medium. Second, they remind me of my childhood in a good way. They also remind me of ballet lessons, but the reason why escapes me. Also, they last forever, no snagging running pantyhose that you just bought, and they run as soon as you put them on.

I served an LDS Mission in Lansing, Michigan. It gets so cold there in the winter. Sister Missionaries are required to wear skirts, so sweater tights were a definite must. (along with wool socks, long underwear, etc)

I have only two pair of sweater tights; a black pair and a cream pair. They are both leftover from my mission. I served my mission in 1993.

This morning had snow on the ground and I found it to be extra biting cold outside, so I opted for the choice of wearing sweater tights. GOOOD. Choice.

I stayed warm and cozy all day long. I paired them with my favourite black fake suede knee-high boots, black turtleneck and black skirt.

Black Sweater Tights

Monochromatic

I love the monochromatic look.

Wearing a monochromatic look is supposed to be slimming and make you appear taller. I’m tall enough and was always pretty slim, so I didn’t ‘need’ to dress monochromatically, I just like to.

When I was in my late teens, I had a boyfriend who gave me a couple of his old vintage suits. One was a marine blue sharkskin suit, and the other was a brown with orange and white pinstripes. I love the menswear inspired looks and really rocked the look. I used to wear a brown turtleneck and my brown suede cowboy boots with the brown suit and with my brown hair, my mother would tell me that I looked like a tree trunk. I didn’t care. I wish I had pictures of the fashion I rocked in the early nineties. I was attending fashion college and hanging out at clubs a lot, so I was pretty creative with the things I wore.

I still like wearing all one colour. I especially like doing the matching shoes and tights thing. I have good legs, so I feel that this accentuates the look and provides a long, clean line. I try to break up the one colour with a skirt or shirt of a different colour so I don’t look completely all in black (or brown, or tan, or navy, or grey…), but not always. I even match my nail colour.

Here are some samples of my monochromatic looks:

Brown tights with brown suede pumps, Black sweater tights with black suede boots, Black tights with black suede boots

Afghan Sweater 163.4 Yay! Down from yesterday!

I had a bad night and morning and needed something comforting, so here it is:

My socks match my sweater, but no one could see because of my boots. It has the same effect as wearing sexy lingerie. No one knows you're wearing it but you and it gives you a confident awesome feeling.
I think The Photographer is getting better, but I think I need to smile and perhaps take the photo at the beginning of the day as opposed to at the end when I'm tuckered right the heck out. (yes those are wedding photos behind me)
Here are the socks:

The boots are my first Fluevogs. John Fluevog is so excellent that he deserves a post of his own. Same with these boots. I hope I can do it justice. Here is the Fluevog website.
My husband HATES the sweater/vest/afghan with a belt. He has no idea about what's in style, so I often don't take what he has to say in to consideration. My whole life I have taken risks when it comes to dressing. I dress for me and not for others and mostly always have and I am always happier when I dress for me. It's like I'm my own Barbie doll. I was having a bummer morning, and this sweater reminds me of the Afghans that my mother (the genius with anything involving needle and thread) used to crochet. I needed to have a "blankie" today, so I wore it.
Here are the boots:

The boots honestly do deserve a post of their own. To be brief, I have been a fan of Fluevogs since I discovered cool things around grade 10 which was in 1987. These are second generation Swordfish boots that I saved up for a year to buy and are the first pair of Fluevogs I ever owned. I bought them in 1990. They have been everywhere. I took them with me on my mission (thanks for the advice, Yra!), I wore them to my first trip to Hawaii, they have gone through rain and sleet and hail and sun and snow. Every gig I went to in every club in the early grunge years and many many times dancing were experienced while wearing these boots. I even wore them to the Calgary Stampede this year. Usually worn with jeans, I wear them with any kind of pant and they work for me. They are the only 'cowboy' boot that I wear on a regular basis.

June 1991 - This is what I wore for my mission farewell

I let my hair dry naturally today, so I wore my hoops to go with the '90's hair. (just kidding). The "base" of the outfit is a plain old ivory turtleneck and my black trousers that I've had since 2002 and are so faded that they are almost grey. I've had to fix the hem on these pants 3 times. They are super comfortable and cut in a way that I've been able to wear them at least once a week through Thick and Thin. I would really hate to see them go, but I DESPERATELY need a new pair of black pants. I seriously hate shopping and hate spending money even more. If it can't be done in 20 minutes, I'm not interested. So investing the time to find another pair of perfect black pants is seriously daunting and something I'd prefer not to do. I also only like shopping with someone I really really trust so that they can run interference with the irritating salespeople. I don't have anyone really like that here in Utah, so I end up going by myself which I don't mind too much other than having to deal with the irritating sales people. Having been an irritating salesperson for my first career I understand that they are just doing their job, and I can appreciate it, but I'm shy and I already don't want to be there, so I'm grumpy and not interested in becoming best friends with the bored clerks in Banana Republic or wherever I am. Because they're pants, I really do need to try things on and I hate the return process hassle with online shopping, and I need to be able to see the product up close, so I actually have to go out and SHOP. One day I'll have all my chores done and the boys' father will be busy doing something fun with them so I don't feel the guilt of leaving them abandoned to do something so selfish like shopping and I will find the perfect pants, but not until I lose 13 pounds.