Debate Crusher

This outfit was from the day I lead my team of classmates in a rousing debate, utterly crushing our opponents. It was a pretty glorious thing to witness. 25 extra credit points, heeeeyyyyy. This is one of those outfits I privately refer to as "ragamuffin-chic". Like I could be scrubby wild thing, but hey, I'm also cute. A lot of my outfits I wouldn't consider fashionable, they are more like a collection of odds and ends, baubles, and trinkets. It's definitely my natural habitat, but it's also weird to actually wear, because you are exclaiming "Hey, this is me!" in public and that can be kind of odd and scary. 

I obviously went for a lot of red and blue, but I also threw in some gold pins and gray boots because why not? The hat was a cheapie find at an Asian market where you only pay in cash, and it's a little ridiculous, but also fun. I wore the jean jacket to tone down the fanciness of the skirt, and matched my scarf with practically everything. Not sure if I would wear it again, but it's the kind of inventive outfit you make up and just go for it. Same old, same old. 

 Scarf - Old Navy

Pins, jacket, sweater - thrifted

Earrings - Flea market

Boots - Modcloth

Skirt - Ruche

<3 The Magpie

Periwinkle Skew

This dress was an unusual buy for me, covered as it is in a mottled floral pattern, and patterned in a "trendy" cut, but something about it spoke to me, and finding the scarf and the hat at the same time seemed to be a sign that it was meant to be. I loved the electric periwinkle purple-blue of the scarf, and the way you can pull out one of the many colors in the dress. I also liked that it was long-sleeve as that can be hard to find even in the winter. I hope I get another chance to wear it before spring as the days are heating up fast. I don't have much to say today because I have a terrible headache, but I really enjoyed wearing this outfit and taking the pictures was fun.

Dress, hat, scarf, coat - Target

Earrings - World Market

Boots - Modcloth

Bag - thrifted

<3 The Magpie

Song of Colors

I feel like this outfit is my style incarnate; the floppy felt hats, the constant scarves, the cute little side-bag, the boots, and of course, the perfect color pairing contained in a limited spectrum. The hat matches and reiterates the boot texture and color, the lines on the beige turtleneck mimic the pleats on the pale chartreuse skirt, which in turn is repeated in the color of the ribbon tied in a bow on my loose braid. The coral in the earrings matches the coral of the lipstick and bracelet, while the gold metal from my jewelry is repeated on the shimmery chain links of my bag. The soft pink scarf is the go-between the softness of the beige and the brightness of the coral. Every item and color is thought out and pertains to another part of the outfit; everything has a place, a system that it fits in, a tightly controlled gamut of colors while the draping layers and flowing fabrics keep it from being too harsh and stiff. The overall effect is pretty and almost casual looking, until one notices the little bits of glitz and the hint of preparation from all the matching hues.

To be honest, this is probably one of the best outfits I've ever created. Not only did I feel comfortable and free wearing it, but I also loved the way the colors sung and danced together, as if I myself was a walking piece of art. That feeling is what I try to create and recreate in my outfits; some hit the mark, others are learning experiments, but to feel like one is walking in a delicious, delirious dream is what I aim for. To say this one hit the mark is an understatement.

These photographs stir up bad memories, aside from the happiness my outfit brought me; memories of a strange man watching me in the park while I took photos, stabbing me with his leering gaze, like mud clouding clear spring water. My outfits are my mental resting place, my tiny shield against the harshness of the world. Despite the attention they might bring, oh how brightly I hear the colors sing.

Shirt, skirt, bag, earrings - thrifted

Hat - Target

Scarf - gift

Earrings - Walmart

Boots - Modcloth

<3 The Magpie

School Kid

 

This is definitely what I would call a School Day Look. I have normal days looks and then I have School Day Looks. SDL if you prefer. SDLs are exemplified by their usually cohesive flow and look of planning. When fashion sites or people talk about that "perfectly thrown-together look", I just laugh in my head, because that stuff is still all planned out. I DO have a small knack for throwing outfits together when I've been in a rush, and I've even have them to turn out pretty great, but I usually like to plan my outfits out at least a day before-hand. That way, I get to see what shirt works with what skirt, or what jewellery goes best with my overall look. Different elements often change last minute, as I find out that I actually want to wear a certain hat, or maybe that one thing over there goes better than what I had originally planned to wear. So even with my most structured looks, there is still a spirit of spontaneity and a creative fluidness to my concept of "planning". Which probably works best for me as I am not a real "planning" person - it allows me to have some structure and discipline to my usually chaotic endeavors, but also allows me to be myself while the lack of true rules lets me make those last minute snap-decisions my brain loves. This outfit is particularly schoolgirl-ish, with the boater hat, pleated skirt, and twin braids... I try to not look like a baby, but I couldn't help but love the outfit! Guess that's all that matters really :) (p.s. Does anyone else struggle with deciding if a sentence should have a period or not, if there is a smiley face at the end of it? It's a really difficult mental decision for me for some reason!). or maybe :) ?.......Why.

Anyways, this outfit was worn during the sunny summer, just look at that golden tan. I get tan easily; 5 minutes outside in a parking lot just talking, and bam, golden glow. It's the one nice thing about my skin, as I struggle with a high oil level and lots of zits. Yay for forever teenager skin! I have been trying to wear more sunscreen, even in the winter, and I don't like purposefully tanning as I've found out how harmful it is for your skin. So I just let it do its thing, and if I dust a little bronzer over my cheekbones in the winter and fall, nobody's the wiser. *winky face* (is that better than a real emoticon symbol? WHY IS THIS SO DIFFICULT)

 

Hat - Target

Shirt - gifted

Skirt, earrings, shoes, bag - thrifted

<3 The Magpie

Soft Focus

One of my favorite things about this outfit was the spontaneous nature of it; I just threw stuff together, thinking it would look good together and it turned out fantastic. I love when that happens; it's like taking a random snapshot and having it turn out to be your favorite photograph.The shirt and skirt are little floaty things grounded by the brown wrap-around belt and battered moccasins I found in a thrift. Notice the faint hint of aquamarine at my earlobes. The earrings seemed to flow, so I threw that color in without a second thought. The day I wore this outfit, I also was playing around with a soft-focus lens the tech guy at my school loaned me and it was AMAZING. I wanted to put some soft-lens photos up in the post, but I couldn't find the right album when I uploaded these outfit pics, and I really want to write a post, so I'll have to do it some other time. I waver between pumping out lots of posts and feeling proud that I'm on a roll, and then forgetting I even have a blog. It's kind of fun honestly! It is a bit as thrown together as my life, but I enjoy it. That hab-scrabble nature defines my personality and sometimes my outfits, obviously as shown. :)

I have found in the past that dark brown and grays are my neutrals. I never would have picked brown as a favorite color, nor gray for that matter, but for a seriously long period of my young life, I kept gravitating towards earthy browns to contrast my main colors, usually were usually green or blue. I started using grays halfway through that phase, and both colors have been in heavy rotation in my wardrobe since. Some people use black and white as neutrals, but I use browns and grays. It's interesting how people use and think of colors so differently. Colors and the perception of colors are one of the most intriguing facets of dressing, and I have found it to be a continual subject of interest for me. I try not to talk about it haphazardly, but when I finally do, people are surprised at how deeply I think about my outfits. It's all a collection of ideas and concepts worn on a body as a visual piece for the day, a continual shifting parade of mind meeting art. Anyways, I do try not to overwhelm people. It's a little much to tell a near-stranger that your clothes were inspired by the voices of the colors that speak to you. ;)

Shirt, skirt, belt, boots - thrifted

Earring - World Market

Hat - Target

<3 The Magpie