third floor closet

see the newest outfit post

on www.thirdfloorcloset.com!!!

the move is complete! find TFC at www.thirdfloorcloset.com

You guys, I am so happy to announce that after many months and more than a little frustration, my move to Blogger is complete!!!  While there are a few things I’m still figuring out over at the new site, I’m pretty happy with the switch so far. 

I have had a few headaches tonight with porting over my comments, but I’m hoping that will all show up over at the new blog tomorrow.  We shall see.

I didn’t have my own domain name before, so this move will not be as seamless for you guys as I had hoped, but you can now find Third Floor Closet at www.thirdfloorcloset.com.  I appreciate each and every reader, so I hope you’ll come visit me at the new site too!

So what does this mean for readers?

• If you followed this Tumblr site through Google Friend Connect or Google Reader, you’ll have to go over to the new site to join/subscribe.  (Sorry!)
• If you followed this Tumblr site through Bloglovin’, you can click here to subscribe to the new site.
• If you followed through your Tumblr dashboard, you can now choose to follow through one of the methods above.

Thanks to all for your support over the past six months and for bearing with me while I migrated to Blogger.  Talk to you soon!

{breton stripes} two ways

This week, Liz of 26 and Counting and Linda of The Auspicious Life have opened up their blogger-inspiration-board-like site Everybody, Everywear to the world.  They come up with a theme, like “gingham,” for instance, and all participating bloggers upload photos of how they styled gingham to the site and to their respective blogs on the designated day. 

Today, we’re wearing Breton stripes!  I only have two Breton striped shirts (and that’s using the term loosely), so it was either this turtleneck or my red striped shirt.  I couldn’t figure out how to style the red shirt for work with anything I had clean, so I wore my gray striped turtleneck as pictured below:

OUTFIT

Jacket: GAP - $48
Top: GAP - $8 
Skirt: Express - gift
Tights: Sears - who knows
Shoes: Dr. Scholl’s - $6 
Earrings: New York & Company - $5ish
Ring: Coach - gift

WORN

to work

ON

January 24, 2011

I decided to really play up the prep factor of the striped turtleneck, so I paired it with my wool blazer, suede skirt, and heeled loafers.  This look turned out very old-school-university, I think.

After I got home from work and took my outfit photos, my husband and I decided to go out for a quick dinner and stop by Best Buy afterwards.  So I thought, why not show a more casual Breton stripes look as well?

OUTFIT

Sweatshirt: H&M - gift
Top: GAP - $8
Jeans: GAP - $40
Boots: fitflop - gift

WORN

to Rib City, to Best Buy, to Walmart

ON

January 24, 2011

And this is how you wear Breton stripes when it’s freezing out.  Or if you’re going to a ski lodge.  Also, I’ve had this sweatshirt since my dad bought it for me when I was in high school.  Seriously.

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{FBFF} authenticity

Hello all!  If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen that I had a mini-crisis last evening.  The water line to our house “broke” today, so long story short, CRISIS.  But now our water is back on and the leak appears to be fixed, so things are good.

Have you ever looked at a blog and thought that what’s shown there couldn’t be true, that no one lives like this?  How does that person live so glamourously every day?  When does she work?  How do I know she knows what she’s talking about?  Is this for real?  Is this authentic?!

This week’s FBFF questions center around authenticity.

1. Most readers and fellow fashion bloggers value authenticity in the blogs they read. How would you describe blog/blogger authenticity?

I’m the same person in real life as the person you see here.  I don’t try to be someone I’m not.  I don’t have a fashion background; I only know what I’ve figured out over the years.  And I know how to shop a sale.  You may not see every aspect of my life, but what you do see is completely real.

2. When it comes to your blog how do you infuse it with that true/authentic feeling?

Honestly, I just keep it real.  I write like I talk, and I show what I wear in real life situations.  If you see me around town, I’ll be the same person & I’ll be wearing what I photographed.

3. Have you stopped following a blog in the last three months? What made you lose interest?

Oh, I’m sure I have.  While there are so many blogs I’d love to keep up with regularly, I’m so busy that I only have time to consistently follow my favorites (which still ends up being a LOT).  When I lose interest, it’s usually because time constraints have forced me to cut back, but sometimes it’s because I think the blogger is trying too hard or trying to be something she’s not, which is not inspiring to me.  While it’s great to see pretty pictures of people seemingly living lives that completely opposite of mine, I am more inspired by real people!

4. We can’t communicate effectively on our blogs something we don’t live in real life…What are some ways you try to live an authentic life?

I don’t even really know how to answer this question!  I don’t know that I necessarily try to live an authentic life—I don’t really know how to do anything else.  It seems like it would be utterly exhausting to be unauthentic.

5. Give a shout-out…Which bloggers do you think are truly genuine and why?

There are a lot of fantastic bloggers that I would put in this category!  But to name a couple…

Julie from The Daily Julie doesn’t hold back.  She tells it like it is, and she’s pretty hilarious.  She seems like she’d be a blast to hang out with!

Chaucee of Streets & Stripes documents her daily life through photography in addition to posting outfit photos.  You know it’s for real, because you see it happening in her photos.  She’s a great girl who takes pleasure in so many aspects of life!

Aanndd..that’s a wrap! 

If you’d like to read everyone else’s thoughts on this topic, see the whole list of bloggers who are participating this week at ModlyChic.

a little circus

OUTFIT

Cardigan: LOFT - $20ish
Top: Banana Republic Factory Store - $23
Skirt: J.Crew Factory Store - $30
Tights: Sears - gift?
Boots: Steven by Steve Madden from DSW - $60
Earrings: Premier Designs - $11
Ring: sapphire - gift

WORN

to work

ON

December 30, 2010

This top reminds me a little of the circus.  Maybe it’s the random print, maybe it’s all the colors, but it does.  I wore this variation of my standard go-to sweater-skirt-tights-boots combo during the last week in December.  I love the decorative trim on this cardigan.  It makes it more special than your average cardi, no?

{FBFF} outfit planning

This week’s Fashion Beauty Friend Friday questions focus on planning outfits—how much time it takes us, whether we plan in advance, whether we repeat outfits, how we come up with new combinations, and of course, what we can do better.  Without further ado…

1. How do you determine what you will wear that day?

What I wear on a given day is largely determined by 1) what I have clean and ironed and 2) how manic my morning is.  I am by no means a morning person, so if I don’t take a minute to pick something out the night before, I reach for the easiest and quickest outfit I can throw together.  Some days this goes better than others.

2. Do you plan outfits out in advance for a whole week, month, weekend?

In a word, no.  Being a bit obsessed with planning in general, I would love to be able to plan outfits each week, but I just don’t have time.  When I was little, I used to plan outfits out all the time.  I’d try everything on and come up with fun little outfits.  But there’s no time for any of that anymore!  What you see here really only takes me a couple of minutes to throw together, just like everybody else.  My outfits would probably be more interesting if I planned them out, but maybe that would just lead to trying too hard.

3. Do you have any specific way of tracking outfits and items already worn so you don’t repeat?

Oh no way.  Repeating outfits is NORMAL.  I don’t have a limitless budget, so repeating outfits and pieces is inevitable.  Case in point — have you seen my last two posts?  I love wearing my favorite things over and over.  Oh wait, I actually did keep track of my outfits when I did Kendi’s 30 for 30 Remix Challenge this summer, but other than that, I don’t.

4. How do you discover new combinations of items in your closet?  (Trial try-ons?  Hanging items together?)

To be honest, usually I come up with new combinations when I realllly need to do laundry and I’m forced to wear things I may not naturally put together.  Sometimes this works out great, sometimes not. 

5. To streamline the process for 2011, what is one new thing you can do to cut down your dressing time?

Picking out my outfits really doesn’t take me that long (if you can’t tell already!), but my whole morning routine would be much more streamlined if I picked out my outfit and ironed it the night before consistently. 

If you’d like to read everyone else’s thoughts on this topic, see the whole list of bloggers who are participating this week at ModlyChic.

“One man’s style must not be the rule of another’s.”

whatiwore:

- Jane Austen via anntaylor:

Old school wisdom! 

Love Jane Austen & love this quote!

a little moto, a little boho

OUTFIT

Sweater: GAP - gift
Tank: Mossimo from Target - $9 
Skirt: J.Crew Factory Store - $35
Tights: random discovery in my drawer - who knows
Boots: Bakers - $40 
Earrings: Liz Claiborne from Macy’s - $12 
Ring: gold - gift
Bag: Lucky Brand - gift

WORN

to work

ON

December 29, 2010

Ok, I realize I wore this skirt in my last post, but these outfits were worn twelve days apart.  When my husband surprised me with this moto sweater jacket for Christmas, I knew I wanted to pair it with this skirt and these boots for work.  I absolutely love its snuggliness, and I couldn’t wait to wear it after Christmas.  Daniel (hubs) bought this sweater on Christmas Eve because he wanted me to be able to open something other than the BALLROOM DANCE LESSONS gift certificate he had already gotten for me.  (Notice how completely excited I am about this gift certificate.  Daniel will be my dance partner, of course, and I CAN’T WAIT TO START!) 

But back to the matter at hand—this Christmas Eve purchase.  Apparently, Daniel bought me two things that he saw on two separate mannequins at GAP—this sweater and a jean jacket.  So, thank you, GAP in the Francis Scott Key mall, for dressing your mannequins well.  We ladies with husbands who hate to shop depend on you.  ;)

I added this suede fringed bag, which was a Christmas gift from my lovely SIL, to the outfit for a pop of color.  Because, really, what’s better than wearing a bunch of new things all at once?

candy cane

OUTFIT

Sweater: J.Crew Factory Store - $25
Tank: The Limited - $4
Skirt: J.Crew Factory Store - $35
Tights: No Boundaries from Walmart - $2
Boots: Bakers - $40
Earrings: Liz Claiborne from Macy’s - $12
Necklace: vintage chain & charms - gifts
Ring: gold - gift

WORN

to work

ON

December 17, 2010

First off, if you’re wondering why this is titled “candy cane,” read this.

Ok, now that that’s out of the way…

I wore this to work on Friday of the week before Christmas.  It was pretty cold that day, and I just wanted to be warm so I knew I wanted to wear a wool sweater—and this one is a favorite.  I liked the way this outfit turned out, even though it is admittedly a little crazy for my office.  (Bright color paired with a bold pattern AND textured tights?  Unheard of!)  I only saw one coworker the whole day, and I think he was less than impressed.  This definitely isn’t something I’d wear to a client meeting or major work event, but it worked for a day spent holed up in my office.