Doing Denim DIYs - Crop Step and Crop Fray

I've never been a big fan of pants in general or jeans specifically. I always found them uncomfortable and would wear denim skirts (still do) to get my denim fix.

That's kind of funny because I live in, essentially, the home of denim, where a 100 year old partnership still lives on to produce American denim and some of the best selvedge around.

But lately I've been embracing pants more - patterned especially - and finding I also really love the denim jean/heel contrast.  But while I like wearing it more, I absolutely am not into spending a lot for it.  Maybe it's my long-standing anathema or just the fact that I'm not tall and lanky, but I just can't bring myself to spend a lot, even if I like it.

Sure maybe there are some magical technologies built into the fabric weave or the structure of the cut, but I probably won't ever find out. My range generally runs from JCrew at the top end to mostly Old Navy.  Maybe I'll be won over some day by some vintage Japanese selvedge but I can't really ever picture me buying $1000+ jeans.

However, I was nearly won over to the $200 camp by a pair of Mother Denim Crop Step Fray Jeans, especially when paired so perfectly by Emma Roberts.

I really like this look. Lots of ankle. A classy heel. It's polished and casual and the lack of a full hem keeps it from looking too "done"

But then I thought, I can do that!  I mean, sure the main jeans need to be good too but I've been recently wearing a pair of straight legged jeans that I'd cropped and frayed myself, why not give this a shot too.

So, I took advantage of the Old Navy Labor Day sale to stock up on a bunch of jeans I needed - from a pair for wearing outside with the animals, to new grey and mid-wash blue skinnies, to the pair to give the crop step fray action.

And I'm happy with the results, especially for $20 (50% off sale!)

I'll have to get a better shot but I like how the cropped but still longer back really frames up the shoes in the front.

And at the end of the day, it really is all about showing off the shoes!

Ensemble du Jour: 1-20-11

I've come to the point where I'm just blocking out the reality of the cold weather and wearing what I want to wear.  Sure, it's January and cold as all get out but I want to wear my new copper oxfords with a sweet pink top. I don't want to wear heavy boots or a long coat.

So instead I word my brown corduroy blazer from Target, the rose top from Anthropologie, paired with these awesome Marc by Marc Jacobs copper patent oxfords I got on sale from Saks.

I love the pairing of the copper/brown with the blush pink.  I added a sparkly pink pin bought at a random gift shop for some extra shine.

Oxfords are definitely my new favorite thing.  I've bought more oxfords, flats and sneakers in the past few months than anything else.  Who am I?!?!?

Aren't these stunning? I first saw them at Bergdorfs when I did my Shoe Picks for Fashion Week review.  I may have to run back and get silver or purple as well.  I don't have oxfords in those colors yet!

One thing to note is these babies run on the narrow side.  They may stretch out as I wear them in but wear them with some socks around the house first if you get a pair.

Marc by Marc Jacobs oxfords -

at Bergdorf Goodman - you may need to call at this time - Shoe Salon 212.872.2750

at Saks Fifth Avenue

Ensemble du Jour - 10-6-10

So 10 years later, it seems I've finally bought into the whole military-olive-green jacket trend.  But I swear I bought this way earlier in the year.  It's just been too darn hot in NC to wear it until now.  But I love it.  I found a long jacket with the great color and all these wonderful details.

Of course, being a bit more girl-y, I paired it with a tonal Michael Kors sequin tank and a denim pencil skirt.  I love sequins.  There, I've said it.  You didn't know, did you?

Isn't it cute?!?  It's by Kayla and I bought in sale on YOOX.

Lots of pockets, which are great, but what got me is the knotted cuff detail.

Here's a better view of the tank, which came from Macy's and is now on sale (darn it!).  The sequins have a bit of a camo pattern that I think you can see in my picture above.

I paired this with my camo Manolo Blahnik Sedaraby d'orsay heels.   They're the perfect green and combine the same mix as the outfit - satin, camo, crystals.

Here's a better view:

I hope we keep enough of the Fall weather so I can get some more use out of the jacket before Winter really sets in.  At least it is a piece that I can wear forever.

Simple Steps

When it comes to shoes for the skimming around in during the Summer or even for wearing around the house, I tend to favor ballet flats. I don't like flip flops and fuzzy slippers tend to pick up dust and kitty fur. Plus simple ballet flats can be worn inside and out so it's easy to run out to walk the dogs and, because they don't have any treads, it's easy to wipe them off before coming in.

I don't get too pricey with these either. I actually like the ones from Old Navy. They're really inexpensive, last a while and I don't have to worry about them getting ruined.

I like these rose gold ones.



And they're cute in violet as well.




Of course, if you're working the denim, you can add these.





They also come in silver, gold and chambray and are only $8 - $10 right now, but they are selling out fast! I may need to actually go to a store and see if they have any left in my size.

Ensemble du Jour

This is back when Target and the Go International collections were something to be excited about.

I love love love the Luella jacket. I am so glad I bought it a million years ago.



It is so much more vibrant in person.



I usually like to wear this with a bright blue shoe to pick up the smallest stripe color but today I really wanted to wear these Jimmy Choo Violin heels (purchased maybe, I don't know, 7 years ago). A jacket and jeans are one of my best pairings, especially my favorite Gap Long & Leans - because I am neither long or lean.



I remember these shoes being totally TOTALLY knocked off my Steven Madden and getting so pissed.



Not sure if his had the cute little extra strap that came off the sides, though.

I haven't fallen in love with many Choos lately. I used to love them the most but they've changed their style to be really, I don't know... trendy I guess. They used to be unique and sexy but now I feel blase about most of them.

I am interested in seeing how the H&M pairing turns out. I like a few from the collection but we'll see how they look in person.

Ensemble du Jour

The Outfit

I still have purple on my mind, but because I don't have any purple shoes (darn it! I need to fix that asap!) I had to settle for purple tights.

I bought some luscious colors from We Love Colors a while back but had yet to wear these yummy violet ones. I needed a purple fix. And I love all shades of purple with grey. They just play together so well. I wore a big snuggly grey cardigan from Target over a camisole. The skirt was my dressy denim Mizrahi, also from Target. The shoes are Report in grey patent.


2-26-09 - by Princess Poochie on Polyvore.com

The Focal Point

Well it was obviously all about the color! I had the tights but also remembered my pink and purple cameo necklace from Etsy. Love!



So, as a temporary stop-gap this helped but not totally. I need more purple! I have a great royal purple cardigan which I think I need to replace soon. I'm worried I'm wearing it out!

Ensemble du Jour

The Outfit

One of the trends I've been looking forward to playing around with is layering with a long boyfriend cardigan. Luckily there are a lot of inexpensive options and I've picked up a few from Old Navy, Target and a great rugby stripe one from delia's.

It's been cooling off outside and inside our office it is close to freezing, so I went casual with a grey Gap tee, a black long cardigan and my new Gap jeans. My necklace is this silly little Leo symbol piece that I put on for a bit of sparkle.



The Focal Point

Even though they were a bit hidden by my jeans, these Nine West heels still draw attention. I love the tough metal rings and continue to be amazed at how comfortable they are.



I actually brought these to New York with me because I was considering walking around town in them. I still think they might have been more comfortable than even the flats that I wore. The straps are very soft. Plus they look great with heels and skirts. Sexy and tough.

Week In Review

What's been going on this week? Well, I've had a ton of work so I've been running around. I'm also trying to keep up with my "chores" during the week so I don't have to spend all weekend staring at a huge pile of laundry while I watch 10 hours of The Tenth Kingdom.

And then I get sucked into Twitter and goof off on Flicker, so I've been slack about playing on Polyvore or updating with outfits and all.

On Monday I wore this outfit - light weight argyle sweater from Target and Gap denim pencil skirt.



Yes, I'm wearing argyle again! I want Fall to get here already. I'm pining away for cool weather and sleeping with the windows open.

I wanted to wear my new Report heels with their cute little v-notch so everything was around the grey of these.



Yesterday I remembered I had these cute micro-fishnets in pink so I decided to wear them with a black jersey top and my flippy black skirt from Old Navy.



I have some pink and black kitten heels but in the end I wore my grey Head over Heels bird pumps in all their super-soft grey suede lusciousness.





I'd just sit there and stare at them all day if I could.



Today's outfit is in honor of Miss WendyB and how she is on the forefront of the "bringing rolled-up jeans back" trend.



I just used my Gap jeans and, since they are long despite being Ankle length, they could stand to be rolled up. I pulled out a weird mix of clothes and accessories to wear with them.

First of all is this crazy vintage necklace of winged serpents. I've had this piece since early high school. No "now we know it's vintage!" jokes, I just had a birthday. Don't rub it in.

Maybe I really had Miss Wendy on my mind when I pulled this out of the back of my jewelry drawer.



I liked the shiny brassy gold color and was pairing it with a textured 3/4 sleeve jacket, so yes, let's layer on some very patterned shoes. Why not!



See.... rolled up!

Okay, who's next?

Ensemble du Jour

The Outfit
I've decided that I don't care if it's technically still summer. I want to wear some argyle and tights! It's cold enough in my office to wear this very comfortably and they're bright colors so they're still sort of in keeping with the season, right?

Argyle v-neck and skirt from Target. Orchid Pink tights from WeLoveColors.com and black Louboutin slingbacks! My favorite comfy heels. Seriously!



The Focal Point
I had just bought four pairs of tights from the We Love Colors site because I was thinking about how I wanted to wear those brown linen Manolos with lavender tights. They have a huge range of colors and I just thought these were all lovely. They are - light grey, orchid pink, lilac and lavender.



Since the tights are sort of match-y with the sweater, I wanted to keep from a dark blue shoe - which would be way to match-y since the skirt is a dark denim color. So I went with the black Louboutins - high, comfortable, shiny and the dark color grounds the tights.







And I thought the glimpse of red might be a fun nod to the pink. This is such an odd color pink but I love it paired with the black. And I can't wait to wear more and more tights. When will Fall get here?!?

Saturday Shopping and Wardrobe Changes

I'll admit it, sometimes I forget the stuff I have, especially if I've never worn it or if it's tucked way back in the closet (or if it is in one of the secondary closets out of necessity).

I had to do a few errands (including going a bit crazy at Old Navy - more about that later...) today and remembered that I had this silk bustier top from the Proenza Schouler Go International line. After wearing the dress from the line, I thought this might be safer as a weekend item. Probably not so much for work. I love the top but it's a bit too loose and a bit too busty for the office.

Anyhow, I decided to pair it with my denim skirt and, for modesty's sake, I wore my white cropped cardigan with it.



To tie the colors together a bit, I decided to wear these little kitten heeled white slides from Hype. These are more of the girly little slides that I like so much and used to wear so often.



My fa-vor-ite part of these adorable little shoes are the two buttons on the strap. Super cute.



Then, tonight we had a neighbor's party to go to. I was a bit tired but knew it would be fun, so I pulled it together. I wanted to be cool and comfortable as the party was an outside BBQ/potluck. I ended up wearing a dress I bought today from Old Navy which I had bought because it just looked so fresh and felt so comfy.

Yeah, I know, who is stupid enough to wear white to a BBQ? That would be me.

Actually, I felt the risk was minimal because we had had a late lunch so knew I probably would not be eating a lot. The dress is an adorable white cotton with red smocking and needlepoint stitching.



For some reason this isn't on the Old Navy site yet. Maybe it's too new.



Cute detail, huh?



It was warm out, but a bit buggy. I covered up from the late day sun with a straw hat and the same white cardigan from earlier today. I had a Chinese paper fan to keep cool and wore my favorite classic Keds sneakers. No fancy shoes when you are traipsing across the street, walking in gravel and standing in the grass.

It was a lovely night. My neighbors are all so great. We're lucky to be where we are.