Outfits Of The Yesterdays (Pants, Pants, Pants)

♫: I Spy - Mikhael Paskalev

I am never quite sure if I should classify myself as a petite blogger or not; while I am short and bring my defect up quite regularly here, I often skirt the issue by not really delving into different sizes and fits of the things that I wear. 

And, well--I often literally skirt the issue. By wearing skirts. I hate that a lot of petites feel they need to be pigeon-holed into a certain retailer or style of clothing because of their height, but at the same time I "get it"--dressing when you're short can be a unique challenge. Often times Most of the time, it ain't easy. 

While I enjoy wearing and using different brands (including many that are not petite-specific), I do often turn to skirts in my outfits because as a shorter person, I think that they are by far the easiest type of bottom to both style and wear. Unlike with pants, I don't have to worry about knee breaks, or inseams, or the fact that the ones that fit in the waist don't fit in the butt/thigh (and the ones that do fit in the butt/thigh never fit in the waist). The right skirt can cover up all that mess, easy--often with no trips to the tailor (or gym) required.

But skirts are not always feasible in Colorado, and so sometimes pants must be begrudgingly worn. I usually stick with crops, since their 26-28" inseams seem to work well with my stature. If they are slightly high-wasted, even better--I have a really long torso and short legs, and so anything that can trick the eye upward is a bonus.

If last year was the 'Year of the Blouse', this year is the 'Year of the Pant'. Printed pants seem to be the bottom du jour, and I have been fairly hesitant to try them due to my shorter stature. Prints can be overwhelming on a petite person, after all, so it's tricky--do them right and they can look all fashion-y and great! Do them wrong and you'll be the idiot-envy of alllllll the local 9-year-olds, wondering why the fuck you're wearing heels with your jammie-pants.

I really like these jacquard pants from ASOS for a few different reasons: they have a slightly fancy cut (a little high-waisted with pleats), they are a pretty good length for petites (I'm 5'2", so go from there), and they are made out of a jacquard fabric that is a bit dressy without being overly ostentatious.

Husband also says the print reminds him of basketballs. March Madness, shoot me:

 Jacket: Nordstrom, old (similar at F21) (similar at ASOS) (similar under $50)

Top: Madewell, old (similar by Splendid) (similar here, under $50)

Pants: ASOS (buy them here) (similar by Robert Rodriguez) (and another option at Anthropologie)
Belt: ASOS, old (similar at Topshop)
Ring: YSL Arty in Silver/Gold (buy it here)
Bracelet: Ann Taylor LOFT (buy it here)
Bag: Diane Von Furstenberg Tonda Clutch (buy it here) (similar here) (similar by Brahmin)
Pumps: Christian Louboutin Piou Piou Pumps (buy them here) (similar here, under $100)

And hey, let's throw some brightly-colored pants into the mix as well:

Jacket: J Crew Canary Tweed Jacket (similar here) (similar at The Limited) (similar at LOFT)
Blouse: GAP, old (similar here by Equipment) (similar under $100)
Jeans: Forever 21 (similar here)
Necklace: Auden Devon Necklace (similar here) (a fun option at Topshop)
Watch: Michael Kors (buy it here) (similar at Zappos for $150) (tip: you can sometimes find MK watches cheaper on Amazon!)
Bag: Marc Jacobs iPad Case in Coral (buy it here) (similar by Rebecca Minkoff in Coral) (similar by Kate Spade in Coral)
Shoes: J Crew Perfect Patent Pumps (similar here) (similar for under $100 by Nine West)

And some kinda-normal pants, too:

Blouse: GAP, old (similar here by Equipment) (similar under $100)
Pants: Ann Taylor LOFT (buy them here) (similar here) (similar at The Limited)
Necklace: Auden Devon Necklace (similar here) (a fun option at Topshop)
Watch: Michael Kors Oversized Rosegold Watch (similar here) (similar by Fossil)
Bracelet: Ann Taylor LOFT (buy it here)
Bag: Diane Von Furstenberg Harper Day Bag (similar here) (similar by Cynthia Rowley for under $150)
Shoes: L'Wren Scott Tropical Maryjanes (buy them here) (similar by Marc Jacobs) (similar by B Brian Atwood) (similar under $150)


Will you be rocking the printed/brightly-colored pants trend this spring? Have any personal tips on how to wear them? Share in the comments! ♥

Outfit Of The Day (The Tortoise And The Hair)

Just a light post for today, while trying to enjoy the weekend and the teeny pockets of sunshine tucked between all of the storms.

I have always been a huge fan of tortoise shell.  Huge. Why this is, I am not entirely sure, but I (of course!) have a few theories:

1. I have brown eyes, you see. And they are not the delightfully pretty hazel-that-turns-other-colors-in-different-lights kind of brown-eyed, oh no.  I am browner-than-brown-eyed, a super dark brown that does no fancy tricks or hocus-pocus in any lighting.

Sometimes they look brown.

And other times...they still look brown.

2. My hair is naturally a muddy, dark blonde. "Ugh, your hair is so mousy," a relative once told me when I was little, back in a time before mothers brought their 12-year-olds into salons for hundreds of dollars of highlights as they sometimes do now.  It was back in a simple and naive time before I could even begin to know or understand the time, cost, and literal pains that grown women go through to destroy such an awful color from their heads (to destroy it from all of existence, really) as I was much too busy wapping my twin sister on the head with slap bracelets and drooling on Jordan Knight via pillowcase every night.

("Oh. Oh yes. You're like me--we are naturally an ash-blonde," my hairstylist said recently, all while nodding with a fine-tooth comb sticking straight out of her mouth as she quickly stirred up a big bowl of bleach; stirring with hard, determined, punctuated strokes as a tiny beads of sweat began to form on her upper lip, as if she were beating the life out of it.)

3. My first pair of eyeglasses were tortoise shell. I remember the eye doctor nodding at me as she helped me try on dozens of pairs under the harsh fluorescent lighting in the Shopko Optical department when I was 11, nodding much in the same way my hairstylist did a few months ago, as if we had a super secret pact or agreement.  She nodded and said, "Yes. There you go. Tortoise shell looks great on you."

4. It was the first time anyone had told me that anything looked great on me. Even if they were Nintendo brand eyeglasses; even if they did come complete with a terrified-to-look-dweeby-11-year-old-girl-with-brown-eyes-and-mousy-brown-hair and a matching Super Mario Brothers protective case. And I kinda....believed her.

5. (Aaaand then I grew up and learned that there are three certainties in life: death, taxes, and tortoise shell looks great on damn near any bish, le'sigh.)

Tortoise shell never fails, tortoise shell never disappoints.  It is just so pretty, with its rich swirls of coppers and browns, and so when I saw that Bobbi Brown came out with a limited edition eye palette  in a tortoise shell case, I had to grab it.

This palette definitely doesn't disappoint--I grabbed it in 'bronze' and all eight colors are beautiful and work well on this blonde-haired, brown-eyed girl:

bobbi brown 'tortoise shell' bronze eye palette - nordstrom.com

Time to talk fashion! One of the nice things about being petite is that  whenever we're locked out of the motherfucking house I'm alllllllllwaaaays the lucky, lucky girl that gets hoisted through the window first  um, tunics can often serve as dresses (with a pair of knit shorts or a slip added underneath for insurance, natch), and I was pleased to discover that this little stripey tunic from Forever 21 works well for something fun to wear on the weekends!

And after months (years?) of lusting, I finally got around to grabbing something from the lovely Emerson Made.  This waxed-cotton moto jacket is the perfect cover-up to protect from the chilly, rain-soaked winds that have been rolling off the mountains behind the thunderstorms, and it is quickly becoming one of my favorites to grab as I am heading out the door:

Tunic as Dress: Forever 21 (buy it here) (similar style here in purple) (and here with a few extra inches for taller girls) (and another longer option here, too!)
Jacket: Emerson Made (buy it here) (similar style under $100 here) (and at GAP + take 35% off with code "BRONGAP35") (and here + take 35% off with code "BRONGAP35")
Belt: Banana Republic (similar style here) (and here, on sale!)
Shoes: J Crew Perfect Patent Pumps (similar style here) (and here) (and 50% off Elizabeth & James) (and for $39.90 at nordstrom)
Clutch: Kooba Josie Clutch (similar style here) (love this at topshop, too)

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