Style or Die! challenge: Jolt blazer & 52 Pick-me-up: Trend Salad

  I could have timed this better, but I really wanted to participate in Spygirl's 52 Pick-me-up challenge this week: Trend Salad. Wear as many trends as you can in one outfit! It's open for several days; feel free to try it or check it out!

  So you all get sort of a twofer: pile on trends outfit, and the Jolt blazer over said outfit.

  I searched through some clickbait sites for trends, which yielded contradictory and confusing results, and came up with three I could do: punk, animal print, and pink coat. Let's toss in lace because that's still in since Chanel revived it, right? Oh, and layers. That's a Thing.

I feel kinda 80s

Pink leather coat: Vera pelle (thrifted)

Long moto vest: twentyone (thrifted)

Blue leopard bustier: Olé Olé (eBay)

Denim miniskirt: h&g (thrifted)

Fingerless lace gloves: River Island (old)

Bandage leggings: none (eBay)

OMG clown shoes: Candie's (thrifted)

  There's a lot going on here, but I wanted a punk outfit that was reasonably warm on its own. Yes, that's a blue leopard fake bustier. It doesn't actually compress or anything, as it's smocked in back. It has built in pads, is made of stretchy material, and is super comfortable. I have an awful lot of shirts that look like corsets for someone who has zero interest in squashing her organs.

  My fake 80s punk band is still named Subtle Blue Leopard.

  It's raining today, so my new-to-me pink leather coat by Vera pelle was perfect. It has a detachable hood! It's pink! I felt it was a bit of a risk when I bought it half-off at the thrift store, but I like it more and more. I also like that the black moto/biker vest zips up to keep the look from getting too busy when I put on the coat.

Yarr. Thar be bling here.

  I also tried the Jolt blazer over the thing for a disgruntled teen in part of school uniform look. Unfortunately my 'disgruntled' look came out more 'incredulous.' Did I mention I was once a theatre major? I was bad at it.

Feeling really 80s, now

  Thing is, I think the blazer wants a bright shirt to layer under it, and I don't own any plain ones in bright colors. It's a hole in my wardrobe I'm trying to rectify. In the meantime, I realize looking at the photos the blazer doesn't hit me at the best spot in the waist. I'm v-shaped, so it's best if I get things that narrow all the way through the natural waist, like my Guess blazer. This will be a donate.

Style or Die!* challenge: Intro

* Please note challenge does not involve anyone or any thing dying. Or even dyeing.

  This weekend I started yanking things out of my closet I never wear and decided I will try to style them or donate them. In another few weeks, I'll probably have photos of clothes I'm thinning out of my wardrobe, and if you all are interested, I'll put a list here and let my blogging friends have first pick.

  If you have any suggestions, or if you covet anything, please let me know!

 Jolt school/military style blazer. I was charmed by its slanted pockets and fabric-covered buttons. Haven't worn it.

   Miken grey moto cloth jacket. Got it as an underlayer to my leather jackets, haven't worn it for a long time

   Natural Life bamboo dress. Jersey material's too thin to be worn by itself, and its unusual hemline makes it difficult to layer under other dresses

   Old Navy lavender peacoat. I have multiple peacoats. This is likely the one I wear least.

   Rave military denim jacket- despite my love of jackets and of military styled things, I never wear this. I probably have a bias against denim jackets I was trying to overcome, and failed to.

   Triple Five Soul pinstripe vest. Love the details, cannot figure out how to wear it without feeling like office wear.

  Twenty One long vest. I tend to wear skirts higher when I'm doing vests, and the length of this makes it awkward. I also took it with me during my last trip to Taiwan/Japan, and I have a bad habit of getting sick of clothes after I wear them for two weeks or more, and never wanting to see them again.

  One of the cool things about blogging is looking at pictures of my outfits gives me a better perspective. When I look in a mirror, I automatically focus on my face. I can get around this by letting my eyes go out of focus and looking at the proportions of the outfit at a distance, but using the photos of this blog is even better. I also notice startling resemblances to family members. Do you see things in photographs of yourself that you don't notice in the mirror?

  So that's the list, folks! I will try to make outfits around these, time permitting (it takes me a long time to figure out outfits) over the next several posts. Suggestions are, as always, welcomed, and I'm looking forward to the challenge. Research projects permitting. (*digs a breathing hole through large pile of ADHD articles and books*)

High and Waisted

  This is the highest waisted skirt I have ever donned.

   I have no idea what goes on top of a skirt that sits this high! Only thing that would stay put is this unitard thing with a Mandarin collar my mother bought for me some 14 years ago.

Top: Wolford (gift from Mom)

Shrug: Twenty-one (eBay)

Shirt clips: DIY (tutorial here)

Steampunk skirt: MNG suit (thrifted)

Boots: Two Lips (thrifted)

  (This outfit's actually from last week, but didn't make it to a full post. It was still balmy then! I do not enjoy this drop of 15-20 degrees F in several days. -_-)

  I think I like the silhouette, but the outfit's colors and patterns do not agree. This Steampunk style skirt sure changes my idea of proportions. Never thought of trying to lengthen legs because with my shoulders, I thought I'd look like a hut on stilts. It turned out to be worth at least a second try in my opinion. I hope I don't have to buy an entire outfit to go around it.

Look at the sweet suspender style buttons:

  The skirt is technically brown, but because it's so dark I think I should go with outfit pieces that match a dark grey next time. What do you wear with high-waisted skirts or trousers?

Governess-esque and an aya scarf

  As promised last post, I took some closer photos of my new scarf. It's a gift from one of my dearest friends, who found custom-dyed yarn named 'aya' at a local shop. :D She knit me this gorgeous scarf out of two skeins. It is a scarf made of aya for Aya, and it cannot be beat for niftiness. I love the colors more each time I look at it.

  The foray into fancy things has been hella fun (there is a NorCalism for you all) but I've been feeling the call of a Ye Olde outfit (fantasy, not history) more and more this weekend. And some mornings you wake up and want to dress like a governess. The endless fog has put me in the mind of Heathcliff and Catherine walking on the moors. Odd, since I didn't even like that book.

  Does this jacket scream 'governess' to you? It does to me. I was surprised to find a Twenty one label when I pulled it from the thrift rack.

  I think it would go best with a long tapering skirt with a flare/bustle at the back, but I don't own one of those*, so I went with a stretch denim mermaid skirt. I love blue and brown together.

  Bare calves look kind of odd to me in Ye Olde outfits, so I added some leggings. The side lace is saucy enough that I guess I am a rebellious governess that has a pint and maybe goes dancing after work. Or a prostitute, since my hair is uncovered. Um, that got uncomfortable quickly.

  I wouldn't worry about a scandal, though. These blasted buttons are such a pain to unfasten I suspect it's the reason this garment was donated in the first place. The little loops for them are so undersized I had to yank at them with my fingernails. I've shoved pens in them to stretch them out.

  My trusty jeweled locket from Express strikes again! Strange that if I hold onto it long enough, this thing designed to look vintage will actually become vintage. Is there a term for old things that were made to look even older?

  It's another long week of huffing uphill with a giant backpack for me, but I've queued up a post for Wednesday so I won't feel left out from all of the fine folks style blogging during the week. I hope you all have a lovely week, and if your week is unlovely, that your weekend comes soon.

* The trouble, I've found, with looking for certain cuts of clothing online is that it crosses over into 'costume' territory and from there into 'fetish' really fast. I don't want to be a Victorian dominatrix, but power to anyone who does.

Governess jacket: Twenty one (thrifted)

Blouse: edme & esyllte (thrifted)

Skirt: realities (thrifted)

Jeweled locket: Express (very old)

Suede hair clip: unknown (Taiwan)

Side lace leggings: cheap junior store

Lightning boots: Naya (zappos, old)