Grandma's cardigan

There are a few pieces in my wardrobe like today's cardigan that I bought because they are a challenge ( to me ) to style. I call this cardi a grandma's cardi because  much older women wear them in Greece. I challenged myself to give it a different style. This is what I came up with.

 

t shirt zara-yellow sweater zara-cardigan local market-trousers levi's- shoes reebok

In this post you can also see in all it's glory one of my diy disasters.It happened when I decided to shorten the most expensive (120 euros)pants I own , myself. I hemmed more than I should and destroyed the pants.

This swapped bracelet is not of extraordinary quality but has become a staple with me lately because I love its design and how it stays in one place when put on. I hate bangles that don't fit and are ready to slip of my wrist any time.My wrists are so thin that it's difficult to find something that fits. Tell me you have the same problem!

This is how I've worn it in 30 for 30 challenge automn 2010. I still have 7 more attempts to go.

Shopping for potential

Some years ago , I bought this tartan shirt from a local clothes manufacturer with mixed feelings ,mainly because it was cheap and seemed like a basic piece. In my mind , it wasn't female enough or adult enough ( you know... grunge looks) to contribute much to my style.

skirt max mara-shirt local shop-scarf & belt Stradivarious-bag voque-earrings oh la la

Now I love its strong red color and its classic pattern and I hope to make a lot of creative outfits out of this shirt the years to come. ( It's a strong cotton/polyester bland and doesn't wear out).

I was never a big fun of long earrings but I'm into reconsidering mood. I've worn this pair twice but I always liked the color. Now that I come to think of it both the shirt and the earrings , I bought because they had potential and a good price and not because I really liked . Where does that leave me in terms of conscious shopping ?
I'm not sure but I'm glad I have both in my possession.

           ***** This is how I've worn my tartan shirt in the last month. We talk about a big crash!*****

Check out so many more lovely outfits on Visible Monday 's series of one of my favorite bloggers Patty.

My favorite patterned skirt

When I shopped this skirt in the summer I was with a close friend.I fell in love with the pattern and its colors but my friend tried to stop me from buying it.I'm glad I didn't listen. No one knows what are our preferences except from us.

skirt yessika-tshirt thrifted cardi blossom-necklaces berska

I so like patterned skirts because I can mix so easily with ny colored tops and have a more creative outfit.Today I went a step further and teamed pattern with strippes but colors are matching so nicely I don't even see it. Or is it only me?

You can see here all details ,the pattern ,the colors and the 3 little buttons on the tshirt that I especially like.

Accessories fever

While I write this post there is a large pizza baking in the oven for tonight's dinner. Everything is fairly  clean and organised and just about time to write my post. It's a big commitment for me to post everyday and a bit of planning is needed to arrange for my outfit , the shooting part ,the edit part ,the actual writing the post and my most favorite reading and answering comments. What I do is split the parts during the day leaving the comments part for when kids are asleep.I try not to spend more than 15 minutes for each part more or less.

dress thrifted sinequanont sweater marks &spencer belt and necklace stradivarious

This is a summer dress that I can easily wear in the winter as well when the weather gets mild. What I like is its muted colors that are easy to combine with similar colored sweaters and tights.

But what I like most about this outfit is the recently bought accessories like the belt and the necklace. I picked both because of their bold colors . I hope I didn't make a mess of my outfit because I was impatient to wear all my new accessories!!!

A bit of luxury

It's sales time here in Greece and a shopping fever took over me . I hadn't been in a shop for months but I managed to save a few bucks so last week I looked around and made a few purchases , mostly accessories. For the first time my shopping was targeted and filled some gaps. This faux leather collar was something I had in mind to add a  touch of luxury and warmth to my outfits. I bought it in black and emerald as well.

fur collar stradivarious-shirt thrifted-skirt guasimodo??

The black skirt is of 2 years ago and it's a very basic grandmother-ish skirt but I gave it a little twist by belting it a bit higher than my natural waist. By doing so I changed the proportions and the fit is better and the skirt looks more modern.

However , my main  issue today  was adding a bit of luxury to my outfit by using my silk skirt , my faux fur collar and vintage like bracelet.

So what I learnt today is that by changing the proportions and by adding a bit of luxury I can turn my somehow oldfashioned skirt into something more special.

The belted vest look

Usually my husband has something nice to say about my outfit. Today he blantly said he doesn't like my outfit. I went from surprised to disappointed to angry and then I just ignored his comment and went on with my day!

scarf blanko-cardi zara- vest sprider stores-belt massimo dutti-boots old

I know that I wear these pants a lot lately but it's very cold around here and they keep me warm and match my boots well.

Both bracelets are swaped and the scarf and belt are bought on sale which makes me double happy when I wear them.I hate paying full price when I know how much it cost for the products to be made and even worse when I think under which conditions they are made.
I dream that one day I will be able to make my own clothes and accessories and only buy what I need to make them.

Just simple

I barely keep my eyes open but I promised an outfit a day. However, I never promised a great outfit a day and this is all I could come up with.

Sweater Armani-shirt gift from mum-belt skondras

The story behind the shirt goes like this: It was given to me and it's a man's shirt , very thick good quality cotton. Immediately adopted this old fashioned shirt and promised myself to style it at least in 10 different ways before I gave it away. Don't ask why I felt the need to do it ,I still have 7 more ways to go.

The only creative note on my outfit was this animal print belt.

Would you call this nautical?

I love nautical look but in a subtle (?)way. I mean not simply red ,white and blue. All these colors are in my outfit but in the form of the patterns which makes things a bit more interesting.

silk shirt thrifted-cotton dress thrifted-obi belt made by me

I plan to add simple cotton dresses in my wardrobe (better say sew myself) in many colors as they make great layering pieces .This one was bought a year ago for just 1euro and I plan to embelish the hem line.

I only tried to match the colors but the patterns match in a weird way like nautical and hawaian surfer's pattern together.For me this takes the outfit to a totally different level as it speaks to my love of combining things.Not everyone can notice or appreciate it but I feel special wearing this outfit and that makes my day a bit more fun.

My weekend

Some days are just for comfort , like when it's Saturday and my little world is falling apart unless I did something like shopping groceries,cleaning,cooking,doing laundry and studying.
My outfit had to be simple but my accessories did the trick and saved the day.See for yourself...

strippes zara -sweater marks &spencer-scarf blanco-bag utterque-vest sprider

I think my accessories deserve a better presantation today and I have to note that the little yellow bracelet with the bow is made by me .

Now , it's later in the afternoon already and I am going to relax with my family watching a movie. Have a nice Sunday!

How to bring summer in the middle of winter

Although it rains hard all day today I litteraly carry a piece of summer with me . How come you may wonder . It's the scarf that doubles as something to wrap around my body in the summer , after coming out of the sea. But the colors and the pattern are great so I coudn't resist to style my outfit for today around it.

scarf local market in Greece-cardi &stripped tshirt zara-belt massimo dutti-shoes roma Italy

What I learnt today from looking at my photo is that strippes in small doses together with a pattern and a strong color that echoes the pattern make for a safe , stylish outfit.

I bought the shoes 2 years ago when kitten heels and pointed toes were not in fashion. I bought them all the same because they are a classic design with 50s vibe and because the heels don't kill me while walking.

Remix evolution

The skirt that I obsessively remix today used to be a halterneck dress which didn't do justice to my upper body as it's usually the case to all 40+ women with this kind of dresses. I love how it turned out but still the pattern of the skirt is a bit unusual . So I vowed to make it versatile. Here is my results...

skirt thrifted and altered- stripped shirt zara - stripped t shirt zara- tartan shirt gifted -black cardi mark and spencer.

I like full skirts but I'm not sure how to wear them. Today I tried to wear my skirt a little higher of my natural waist and belt it. From what I see in the photos it gives a nice sillhouette .

A bit of pink and turquoise to spice things up...

and textured black tights and edgy belt to keep it interesting.


I've made an attempt to style this skirt multiple ways back this summer but the result wasn't me , if you know what I mean.

But this post wouldn't be complete unless I listed my very first attempt to style this skirt 2 years ago...

What you can see is a) it's a halter neck dress b) I did all the photoshop tricks I knew on the photo!

Ethnic inspired

I've been accumulating basics , prints and accessories for two years now and finally I feel like I have all ingredients to cook up new outfits. It could be that my inspiration is running high . I even went a little ethnic today which I heard is a minor trend this year ,which means it could be huge next season which means I'm even ahead of fashion or so I wish!

scarf bianco-denim shirt berska-belt massimo dutti-dress berska-overcoat burberry

What I can say for sure is that every little thing on this outfit is bought on sale which shows that I can restrain myself. I even went shopping today only to find out that sales don't start until tomorrow so I just spotted a few accessories and went back home.

I fell in love with the scarf which has a beautiful pattern and warm colors that I particullary love .The belt makes for nice military and safari inspired looks but I haven't explored these domains jet.

Happy again

jeans levi's-yellow sweater zara-shoes massimo dutti-tartan shirt present by mom

You don't see double today , it's just the way to disguise my poor skills in photography . I hope the planned purchase of a tripod will improve my photos.
Well, the sun shines today , I wear bright red and yellow and a few of yesterday's problems are already history. I feel...sooo positive .

I find a lot of my accessories during the sales period in 2 european brands namely Berska and Stradivarius. They are the brands that cater for younger clients but both belong to Zara.
I also get a lot of my jewellery via swaps and I have to admit I enjoy this a lot more . This great bracelet of mine today is from a local swap during christmas period.

Lovely jacket and lace

The new year didn't start quite as good .It's only Monday and the weight of everyday life weighs already on my shoulders as you can see on the photo below.

Nothing seems prosperous today but good times will come again maybe tomorrow . I decided to stay true to my promise to post an outfit everyday for a whole year because it's one of the few challenges that gives me pleasure.

black sweater marks&spencer- silk scarf is a present-lace tunic given by mom -skirt  made by me

I tried to combine the different textures of lace and silk , show off the closeness of their color against a black background to make things more dramatic.

Plus I always felt drawn to dust pink against black as I consider it a great adult way to wear pink.

On my way out of the house to face the big ugly world I decided to add one of my favorite jackets. The way the fabric of the jacket contrasts with lace made me feel more special and positive .

By the time I noticed the little thread coming out there was nothing I could do so my apologies fot that.

In the hopes that all tomorrows will be great I leave you for now !

Last chance to Christmas

Although I'm a bit late , here is my take on Christmas colors in a not at all Christmas-y outfit ...or so I like to think.

black cardi marks &spencer-tartan top given by mom-skirt thrifted &shortened -obi belt made by me- boots old very old.

Now , if you take a closer look at my obi belt you can see surfers and hawaian tropic scenery whichh make my outfit even summery but not Christmas-y!

See how the colors of the bracelet match the obi belt but the overall effect is not matchy matchy. I don't know how I did it but I'm into something here.

This is a special close up of my neck er...necklace I mean . Fake black perls that do the trick for the moment.

P.S For those that you are interested in making an obi belt the easy way check this bad lit tutorial  I made. Just wach and you will get the idea. it's not brain surgery, I assure you.