pinkerton

necklace - vintage, Brooklyn flea market / wood & brass bangle - vintage, thrifted / pink striped sweater - H&M / black tee - UO / overdyed skinnies - Zara / brogues - Primark

Y'all, I really like this one. And I don't think that's just the thrill of a new sweater talking.

Well, ok, maybe it is. Because this sweater? It rocks. (And for those keeping score, it's only the 26th item I've worn in my remix so far, so not totally cheating....)

Normally, as a curvy and rather petite lady, I avoid tops with this kind of shorter, boxier fit for fear of the dastardly things they might do to my shape, but given my affinities for both stripes and for wearing things the exact same color as my skin (like being naked, but better!), when I spotted this one on sale at H&M I was powerless to resist. (I'd actually gone in hoping to find a mustard-colored cardigan, but apparently mustard is not very "in" right now.) I love the easiness of the loose fit, and that the shorter length allows it to read "oversized" without being overwhelming. For it's first day out, I kept things simple and just paired it with dark neutrals and a few of my favorite gold and brown accessories. I'm definitely looking forward to some wilder stripey pink remixes to come...

Yesterday was our last real day in Edinburgh, as we're making a day trip to Glasgow today and then leaving Scotland on Tuesday. We spent the better part of the day hiking up Arthur's Seat, a massive volcanic hill that overlooks the city, then walking around the old city, grabbing a late lunch, and stopping in to the City Art Center. It's still a little disappointing that we lost two days of our visit to my being sick, but we'll just have to come back to Edinburgh another time to see all the things we haven't had time for. Fortunately we'll have lots of time to explore our next home - and it couldn't be more different than this one!

I also got some very exciting to me (and probably not that interesting to everyone else) news - all my packages are not lost! I sent a package home from Spain about a month ago, and it finally arrived the other day. And even better... the package my mother sent me isn't lost, it's in London! So I'm working on various elaborate schemes to get my hands on it - it'll either be this week, or not 'til May! So we'll see how that goes.
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repetition

necklace - H&M / cardigan - Cynthia Rowley via Marshall's / overdyed skinnies - Zara / shoes - Toms

Yesterday I finally felt well enough to leave the apartment,* so we took a little walk up Calton Hill to see the view and enjoy the sunshine. You can see the Scottish Royal Palace behind me in these photos, and behind that, Arthur's Seat, the much bigger volcanic hill we wound up climbing today. What you cannot see in these photos is how crazy-bad my eyes were watering from the wind, or how many used condoms were on the ground freakin' everywhere. (I love you Scotland, but please, keep it indoors!) Yes, the lengths to which I will go for the outfit shots knows no bounds.

I'll admit to having some qualms about posting this outfit on the blog at all, as it's remarkably similar to this one (albeit comparatively under-accessorized). I used to be a serious outfit-repeater. I would come up with a combination that I liked, and I'd go back to it frequently, often wearing the exact same thing multiple times in a month. A big part of why I started blogging my outfits was to force myself to be a little more creative with my closet, to try and mix things up a little and see if I couldn't come up with some more interesting results. I feel like I've more or less been making good progress on that front, but a major side-effect has been a total phobia of repetition. I never meant to make a rule for myself that I couldn't wear an outfit more than once, only that I'd like to not do it all the time, and yet since I've been blogging my outfits, I have avoided it assiduously.

What do you guys think - is it a cardinal blogger crime to wear the same thing twice?

*Or, more likely, got sick enough of being sick to throw caution to the wind.
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encore

 necklace - vintage, great-grandmother's / wood & brass bangle - vintage, thrifted / breton striped cardigan - H&M / striped tee - UO / tights - Calzedonia / brogues - Primark

...otherwise known as Day Two of my couch vigil, brought to you by Earl Gray, Kleenex, and copious quantities of expired Sudafed.

I am nothing if not dedicated to optimism while sick, so despite my body's misgivings, I made an effort to actually get up and get dressed today in hopes of making at least some small excursion. We even ventured out to get some lunch and for me to scope the nearest Salvation Army, but by the time we got there I was too exhausted for serious thrifting, and was further demoralized by the price tag on the first awesome dress I found.* So, once again, we turned 'round and headed home, and I swapped my tights for leggings and have been in a sniffly heap on the couch ever since. The highlight of my day was probably getting the boyfriend to watch a Justin Bieber number on a recent episode of Glee, as the Biebs has fairly recently entered our collective cultural awareness (yeah, we're old), but we weren't sure we had actually heard any of his music as of yet.

Much as I love this corner of our kitchen (it makes me feel like I'm in an Anthropologie catalog!), I have majorly high hopes of feeling better tomorrow, and making it out to some more interesting photo locations. Being sick is so totally boring, y'all.

*As an aside, it makes me so nuts when thrift shops mark-up 'vintage' pieces. To me it is totally different from the premium I expect to pay at a store devoted to vintage, where buyers are using their expertise to hunt down great pieces and curate their offerings for discerning customers. Thrifts that rely on donations don't bring any of that added value, so why should I pay £18 for one dress versus £2 for another, just because you've successfully identified it as 'old'? Obviously this burns me more in for-profit shops rather than charities, but still. (And I did not buy the £18 dress.)
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sick day

brass whistle necklace - vintage, MyMomsBasement via etsy / watch - La Mer / red print button-down - vintage, thrifted / gray tank - Anthropologie / overdyed skinnies - Zara / shoes - Toms

I went for a pretty simple outfit today, counting on the pretty print of my vintage button-down to keep things interesting. We'd planned to hike up one of the volcanic hills overlooking Edinburgh, so comfort was definitely key. We took our pictures inside because yesterday I felt like I was getting a little sick - then we headed out for our walk, and I quickly realized I was definitely already sick. It never fails, I only get sick on days with really lovely weather. We turned around and headed home, and I've since spent the afternoon watching TV under the duvet - hopefully we'll get another sunny day soon, and my nasty cold won't last too long!

I'm pretty pleased to be 2/3 of the way through my 30x30, although I think coming to the end of the remix challenge will be a bit of an anti-climax - I don't exactly have a lot of other clothes to wear! Still, having given up halfway through last summer, I expect to have at least some sense of accomplishment. Here's a round-up of my last ten remixes:



Evidently, I really had a thing for dark blues this past week! I think my favorites from this bunch are #12, #14, and #18.
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highlander

earrings - Anthropologie / scarf - gift / watch - La Mer / ring - Primark / cardigan - Primark / tank - Anthropologie / belt - vintage, thrifted / skirt - Zara / tights - Target / brogues - Primark

Ok, so I'm not actually in the Highlands (and I'm not the Highlander), but I am in Scotland! After a fairly smelly nine and a half hour bus ride yesterday, we arrived last night in Edinburgh, and took advantage of the surprisingly great weather today to go out exploring. The old town is exceedingly cute, and everything is compact enough that we can walk pretty much everywhere. We snapped these pictures in Greyfriars Kirkyard, after paying our respects to Greyfriars Bobby. As far as I can tell, Scotland's two biggest tourist industries are tartan and ghost stories - so far we haven't really indulged in either, although the pub where we had dinner last night does claim to have their own house ghost. I've also noticed a serious abundance of charity shops within walking distance of our apartment....

After seeing (and freaking loving) this kind of pink, pumpkin, and cognac color combination on both sartoriography and fancy treehouse this past week, I decided to try and style up a similar color story with my new favorite skirt and a pink tank. I really loved the core combination, but I think it got a little lost after adding the navy cardigan and (especially) the yellow scarf, so I'll definitely be trying it again sometime with more neutral outerwear. I'm also going to be on the lookout for some rusty orange tights, so I can wear them with my pink skirt for even more pink-pumpkin love.

 
The new stars of my traveling wardrobe - the brogues. Comfortable enough to walk in all day and they go with everything. Best £8 I ever spent.
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beat

necklace - vintage, thrifted / army jacket - Zara / ring - Primark / watch - La Mer / black tee - UO / denim leggings - Target / shoes - UO

Whew! I think we have just had our most tiring moving day yet! We snapped these quick, regrettably indoor photos Monday night while packing, and I haven't had a spare minute since. Despite adventures traveling with suitcases on the Tube during the morning rush hour (Chris learned the hard way that, when the announcement says the doors are closing, they mean it - even if your suitcase is on the train and the rest of you is not), we and our belongings have successfully made it to our new home for the week, and sustained only minor injuries along the way.

This basic-heavy outfit is far from my favorite remix, but it seemed like a good backdrop to show off a few of the accessories I picked up during our time in England.



Astute readers will note that these shoes are a new addition to my 30x30. I picked them up at UO earlier this week while dreaming of springtime, and since it's now pretty certain I won't be receiving a lot of my original picks until after the challenge is over, I'm giving myself a lot more leeway about swapping things in. (And after counting it up, I've only worn 25 items so far during my 30x30.)

After being pretty absent from blog-land for a few days, I have a backlog of comments to answer, but for now I'm off to explore our new home a little bit! I'm hoping to post another remix later today, and to show you where we are now.
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who wears

brass whistle necklace - vintage, MyMomsBasement via etsy / cardigan - Primark / watch - La Mer / fox tee - Zara / belt - vintage, thrifted / shorts - H&M / tights - Target / brogues - Primark

...short shorts?

Given my enthusiasm for them in Spain, I was a little surprised to realize this morning that I hadn't worn my winter shorts yet during the 30x30 challenge. The fact that they were folded on the floor of our wardrobe with the very small pile of 'non-30x30' clothes might have something to do with it, but in all honesty, I think I've felt just the littlest bit self-conscious about wearing them lately. They are just so... short. I decided to ease back into wearing them by pairing them with some basic black tights, and wound up with an outfit that's both a semi-tribute to Sarah of The Stylish Heart and a very close cousin of this one.

Don't let the slightly warm white balance of these photos fool you, London is still consistently cold, drizzly, and just overcast enough to give me the deathly pallor of a real native (I kid, I kid). I think the sort-of funky weather has been contributing to my sort-of funky mood over the last few days, as is the very real possibility that I have a milder version of the cold that had Chris stuck in bed a few days ago. I'm hoping to shake it off quickly though, as tomorrow's our last day here and I definitely want to make the most of it - a trip to Camden Market, visit to the Serpentine Gallery, and hopefully a drink or two in Shoreditch. There's a bar there with foosball tables, and boyfriend is seriously good - maybe he'll even win us a few free rounds.
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a bit minty

earrings - Anthropologie / buffalo Larch bag - custom, valhallabrooklyn via etsy / watch - La Mer / ring - Primark / dress - thrifted / belt - vintage, thrifted / green tights - H&M / socks - Target / boots - Steve Madden

I wore my charity shop dress again today, but went a little more toned down with the color by pairing it with my green tights. As far as I can tell, this dress has only one flaw - the gold caps on the shoulder studs have a tendency to fall off. It was already missing a few when I bought it, and I've had three come off while wearing it. I've been holding onto the loose caps in order to glue them on, but in the meantime I kind of like the mix of shiny gold and matte blue studs.

I don't often wear rings, but lately I've been loving the cocktail rings that Coury wears and have been keeping an eye out for one of my own. I absolutely love this huge mint and gold one I picked up at Primark the other day, even if the boyfriend is a little less enthusiastic - our conversation this morning consisted of, "Do you like my new ring?" "It's, um..... big."

I think maybe he's missing the point.
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classics

scarf - vintage, thrifted / necklace - Anthropologie / wood & brass bangle - vintage, thrifted / cardigan - Primark / white v-neck (underneath) - Forever 21 / belt - vintage, thrifted / overdyed skinnies - Zara / socks - H&M / brogues - Primark / coat (below) - UO / architecture - Herzog & de Meuron

Yesterday boyfriend stayed in bed with a cold, so I took the opportunity to make a much more fruitful return visit to Primark. After battling the (still sizeable) crowds, gently refusing the well-intentioned advances of one store detective, and being reprimanded for trying things on in the middle of the lingerie department (What? The dressing room line was insane! (And no, I was not trying on lingerie.), I emerged victorious with a much-needed cardigan (item #30) and these adorable classic brogues (item #3...1??). This does seemingly step over the intended bounds of my 30 items, but given that seven of my original picks are still trapped in customs (and my pessimism regarding their ever getting out), I decided it was ok to do a little spur-of-the-moment trade-in. I'll figure out which of my original picks to swap out when (and hopefully not if) I finally get my package from home.

I didn't put a lot of planning into getting dressed today - I wanted to wear my new brogues, but everything else was pretty much dictated by the weather. England is cold, y'all! While all you lovely stateside ladies are frolicking about with bare legs, it's a windy mid-forties here, with drizzly rain predicted for tomorrow. I guess this is my weather karma coming back to bite me after being spoiled in Morocco.


Rapidly diminishing Emilys!
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black & tan

earrings - vintage shop in Copenhagen / jacket - Zara / wrap watch - La Mer / cashmere sweater - Cynthia Rowley via Marshall's / henley tank - Old Navy / belt - vintage, thrifted / skirt - Zara / tights - Target / socks - H&M / boots - Steve Madden

More earth tones, drapey sweater, and army jacket! I admit, while I like it, this outfit felt like a bit of a retread for me. Yesterday was laundry day so my options were pretty limited. I will also confess to being pretty pessimistic about receiving the package of clothes my folks shipped me from home - it's been held up in UK customs for nine days now, probably just sitting in a heap somewhere, and I just know they are going to find some evil excuse to charge me VAT on it. Up to 30% tax on whatever they decide my used, mostly thrifted (and even homemade!) clothes are worth. Ugh. Anyway, I'm starting to feel that mid-remix-challenge funk, but on the bright side, I'm half-way done! (And farther than I managed to get last time!)

We took these on our way to the Design Museum yesterday, where I actually was asked to be in some press photos for their new exhibition! I'm sure they were dazzled by my earrings, and my incredible looking-at-a-folding-bicycle-with-interest skills. The best part was that when the photographer approached me, I'd been playing Angry Birds on one of the exhibit's iPads for a solid ten minutes, and I thought he was coming to ask me to move on! Anyway, maybe now I'll be famous on the British design blogs..... or something.
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primary

necklace - vintage, thrifted / dress - thrifted / watch - La Mer / red tights - Calzedonia / flats - Zara / trench - H&M

Meet #29! This dress was another thrifting score on my trip to the local charity shop this weekend. It's new (tags on!), crazy comfy, completely wrinkle resistant, and inspired Mr. Man to dub me "Pretty Lady," so I'd say it's a keeper. It's even got sweet gold studs on the shoulders - perfection.

I felt like such a '60s London mod in this outfit. The flats, the bright legs, and even the trench had me feeling like I'd just walked out of Blow-Up. Of course, for the effect to be complete, the dress really shouldn't nip in at the waist and I should be wearing approximately 67 times more eyeliner, but I still felt the reference was there, however faintly. I am sure it was thoroughly appreciated by the other visitors to the dinosaur hall at the Natural History Museum.

(And speaking of, did you know they have a full-sized animatronic T-Rex there? It roars at you.... and that's about it. I mean, it was awesome, don't get me wrong, but I have to say, it felt a little too theme-parky for a museum. Like an awful lot of space and resources devoted to... getting roared at. Hmmph.)
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