Outfit 11.15.13: Tidy and Mustard-y

Rose Gold Safety-Pin Earrings: House of Harlow. Rose Gold Flathead Screw Chaplin Stud Earrings: Gorjana & Griffin. Double-Bar Necklace: Forever 21 (similar here). Guinea a Minute Dress in Mustard: c/o Shabby Apple. Rings: DIY Pretty Pearl Ring, Forever 21 Cat Silhouette Ring, Double Bar Ring, and Double Cross Knuckle Ring. Sheila Satchel with Double Shoulder-Strap: c/o Emilie M. Cone-Heel Slouch Booties: Fergie. (similar here or here.)

November has definitely arrived in Portland, bringing blustery, cold winds and showers, showers, showers. I am bundling up daily, shivering beneath my heavy coat and scarf that I keep on even at home. With my now daily routine of heading to the gym every morning and then staying in workout clothes for the rest of the day (since I work from home), I’ve felt little glamor and continual frumpiness for quite some time. Yesterday after returning home I pulled out the beautiful Guinea a Minute dress that Shabby Apple sent me for review, did my hair and makeup, and returned to feeling like a lady again.

Though I wavered over the Teal version of this dress, I ultimately went with the Mustard version because the color is so sunny, so fun, it automatically brings a smile to my face. But it’s a tough color to wear, and to match. I tend to default putting it with stark blacks to let the Mustard stand out, but in this outfit pushed it a little further by adding gold and rose-gold jewelry, whites, and creams for refined elegance.

See some other outfits of mine pairing this hard-to-match mustard color: like here (Crayola Spikes) or here (First Day of School and the Spotted Collar in Action).

I’m approaching this dress as 3 pieces and thinking of incorporating it into my wardrobe with a different skirt over top (I already have a teal skirt, so that could be my teal version of the dress), or a sweater to cover up the striped portion. Versatility at its best!

I am actually quite lazy when it comes to earrings and I tend to just leave earrings in day and night, kind of like sleepers. I’m always on the lookout for comfortable – yet fashionable – sleeper earrings. I was thrilled with these House of Harlow safety-pin style earrings: they don’t get caught on anything and are truly comfortable, remain cleanly in my ears, don’t accumulate gunk/soap on them, and still look unique and eyecatching. The only issue is that the small rhinestone in each of them has come out – faulty glue, I suppose – To add to the things-in-my-ears-that-don’t-look-like-earrings, I also recently picked up a pair of these flathead screw studs from Gorjana & Griffin. I wasn’t too familiar with the brand (though I think I remember hearing about Gorjana way back even in 2004 or so!) but fell in love with these studs upon seeing them. Even though they were very inexpensive, the plating on them is super-thick and they remain bright and shiny (and the same color as when I bought them!) even through countless baths, showers, and workouts. The backs are heavy-duty and securely hold the studs on. These tiny little design features – maybe not so obvious in the beginning – really make the difference in terms of durability and quality (something that, I’m sorry to say, cheap retail brands have trouble living up to).

Emilie M. generously sent me one of their beautiful vegan leather totes to review – that review is coming soon! Suffice it to say this tote is incredibly light but sturdy (I know, sounds like an oxymoron) and looks incredibly chic!