clothing fix

Weekly Therapy: The light at the end of the tunnel is not an illusion. The tunnel is.

- Mel

Oh man, the statement in the title of this post from my yoga instructor hit me right where I needed it at practice this week.

the week:
This week, I discovered that May Day is a thing. Did you celebrate May Day when you were a kid? My coworkers were telling me all about the “random and anonymous acts of kindness” associated with this holiday when they were kids in Iowa, and it sounds very nice! (We got free candy at work because of it.)

weekend:
Since my birthday is on a Monday (boo!), we’ll be out getting the b-day shenanigans on over the weekend. Boyfriend tells me that I have a WEEKS WORTH of surprises that start on Saturday. In all honesty, I really don’t like surprises, but in this case: GIVE IT TO ME.

This weekend, the weekly Downtown Des Moines Farmers Market opens; Des Moines Social Club is hosting a Food Truck Throw Down; and it’s also Tulip Time in Pella!

Wow, what great Iowan folks to schedule three wonderful events around my birthday celebrations! 😉

seven things, seven days:
1. We got a Roomba, and the reception of it on behalf of the cats is mixed (I don’t think there are any youtube videos in our future). Though *I* am thoroughly impressed by this thing.
2. My bottom front teeth were SUPER sensitive last week, and I never listen to my body cues when I know it’s getting sick (spoiler alert: I’m getting sick). But I’m completely serious about the teeth sensitivity thing; happens every single time.
3. I seriously worked for 40 minutes straightening a drawstring in a pair of my casual pants BECAUSE IT’S THE ABSOLUTE WORST. And when I got *almost* to the end, I realized that it’s sewn in twisted, and I can’t fix it! Gah.
4. A follow-up Trunk Club shipment came, and I have a new stylist (already), and it was worse than the first one.
5. I spent a few hours reading my old, dead blog. I feel like I used to be a much better writer (and a helluva lot funnier), and I wish I could harness some of that again.
6. Putting work in its place — don’t fall for the anecdotal fallacies! Also, it’s OK to not have a “calling” or to be passionate about work and it’s OK to choose the paycheck, k? WE ALL WORK FOR MONEY. {a great piece via The Manual}
7. May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, so PLEASE make sure to read up on warning signs and symptoms, and schedule your annual screening! This is very near-and-dear to me, considering that I had skin cancer in my 30s (and my future odds at being cancer-free are not good) and one of my closest friends just passed away in March at age 40 from melanoma.

April showers bring May credit card bills: rainy day retail therapy

- Mel

Have you done an audit on your closet yet this season? Spring is a good time to take account of what’s in your closet and what shouldn’t be. Still have items with tags, with the promise “I’ll wear you soon!” GET RID OF IT. I recommend the Poshmark app. For the rest of your wardrobe, ask individual pieces these questions: have you worn it since last year? Does it fit? Does it need tailored or repaired? Also, don’t forget storage: time to store your heavy winter sweaters for next season and redd-up the sandals collection.

I have at least five skirts that need to go to the tailor before I enjoy this spring (um, that I purchased LAST spring… I need to heed my own advice).

Regardless, after taking an audit of what I needed, I added these few items to my closet:

1. A raincoat. I have no idea how I’ve made it this far in life without a rain coat. This Columbia jacket was picked up at REI and stood the test of a couple-miles walk to the train stop AND an afternoon of tailgating in drizzle. Not to mention, it’s fitted super cute. 30-something APPROVED!

photo 1

photo 2

2. These slip-on sneaks from Skechers. Ugh, the first time I wore them (in the rain), gave me blisters on BOTH heels AND the inside of my toe box after walking just a few blocks between bars (yeah, I took a “personal day” during Beer Week to bar hop-day drink). They were so comfortable in the store, which is unfortunate. I’ll try again because I’m a sucker, but… Dammit.

skechers slip on sneakers

“Comfy” = wearing bandaids on my heels for an entire week.

3. I love easy-breezy spring dresses and also love polka dots. How can you resist this dress from LOFT? Super. Cute. I love the fit and material — a really easy get-up-and-go outfit for this upcoming spring weather (it’s on the way, right?)

optic dot dress

Add any fun spring pieces into your wardrobe? Have you completed a seasonal sweep of your closets?

Wardrobe Therapy: Banana Republic, LOFT & Trina Turk sales

- Mel

I totally failed my November shopping ban. Totally. Completely. Utterly. Failed. This is what happens when there are sales, coupons and discount offers all up in my email this time of year.

But… I’m not mad. I’m EXCITED.

1. Rice Dot Tee {LOFT} / 2. Sims Pants {Trina Turk} / 3. Cozy Cable Cardigan {LOFT} / 4. Chunky Cable Open Front Cardigan {LOFT} (I love cardigans!) / 5. White Wool-blend Belted Coat {Banana Republic}

I also picked up a standard gray crew-neck tee shirt and gray-and-cream striped sweater from BP

Retail Therapy
See, when I turned 35, I made it a year-long mission to reinvent my closet. I now seek out classic, versatile and well-structured pieces. Clothing that is an investment (for, hopefully, the next 5 or so years of my age bracket) takes over where throw-away trends are concerned. On that same note, I needed long-sleeve shirts, which is where the $30 tops and sweaters sale at LOFT comes in. I have, like, one long-sleeve shirt in my closet. And it’s misshapen and almost five years old itself. Why the former obsession with 3/4-length, Mel?

Plain-and-simple, I need to dress more like I am 35 and less like I am 25. There’s a difference between being young and youthful, and being chic and playful with your wardrobe. And by “your” of course I mean myself.

About a Coat
I’ve had my (current) tan-colored wool coat from Banana Republic for nearly a decade. But… I’ve grown out of it (and by “grown” I mean it’s easily four sizes too large for me; someone at the consignment store will surely give it some more love). I bought it at an end-of-season sale for almost 50% off. It was a good deal then, and considerably so now, for how long it’s lasted in my closet.

Alas, it’s ill-fitting now… boxy — even with layers of sweaters underneath, it just looks like I’m wearing my grandpa’s coat — so I wanted a new warm winter coat that was fitted to my proportions and more chic.

I FOUND THE PERFECT COAT (see above)! On top of that, the coupon for friends & family deal (50% off!) from my neighbor was just too kind. This was also an excuse to head into the cute local neighborhood, Shadyside, of Pittsburgh. I only hope this one lasts me another decade. I can’t lie, I’m terrified about the winter white. But the style and fit was too pretty to resist.

Retail as Therapy. Makes me happy inside and out. And probably just as expensive.

Do you take advantage of great sales this time of year for personal shopping? Tell us about your Biggest Score in the comments!

NOT Fall-ing for these hot temps.

- Mel

I’m really over this 80-degree weather in October BS. Can I have my tights and boots and layered wardrobe, please?

On top of the heat, on our way to Date Night, we got a cab with no working A/C. *groan*

My mind instantly went “Oooh, 80s temperature = 80s dress!”

Enter: this short, sassy number. I love how this dress fits, even if one of the shorter items in my closet. The bottom actually contains a secondary tiered slip, which looked all kinds of weird. I considered ripping it off because I like the fit of the rest of the dress… but it will take some considerable tailoring efforts, considering how it is sewn rightfully in its place. So, I rolled the excess “skirt” from the back-to-the-front (which is brilliantly split in the back at the zipper) and tied it off to the side — and what do you know? It worked.

Note: I also ripped out the “modesty panel” that a previous owner had sewn into the V-neck. Modesty. Pssssht. I layered with a light-colored lace slip instead.

I originally styled this dress with those cute purple socks, as previously blogged, but changed on my way out the door. First, I thought my legs were far too white for this late-summer madness. Second, I felt… stumpy. Plus, derby bruises on my shins. So, I opted for a knee-high pair of black trouser socks. Naturally, I forgot to snap a picture.

Dress: Vintage (purchased online; can’t remember where)
Slip: Gadzooks
Shoes: Rocket Dog (via TJ Maxx; years ago)
Socks: Guess?
Necklace: Lionette, courtesy of Spoil Me Fashion
Bracelets: hodge podge o’ stuff from my jewelry drawer
Ring: Nina Nguyen, courtesy of Spoil Me FashionÂ