Adrien: Marshall's Find and Final Outfit of the Year.

Sorry I'm just now getting this together but it's been a busy day, of sorts. Yesterday I planned on doing nothing much but around 4pm I got itchy and had to get out of the house. I went to my favorite time-waster: the saddest Marshalls in town. It's probably the Marshalls that most folks avoid but for me it's usually the best for finding great deals that other folks over-look. Yesterday I found a handful of clearance rack things to try on.

First, this Calvin Klein sequined top. It's hard to capture in the World's Most Disgusting Mirror which was located in the World's Most Disgusting Dressing Room, but the sequins were in an animal print pattern:

Sadly, it was all weird and gapey around the armpit area and really? Where would I wear such a thing? Next I tried on a Nine West denim jacket that was great except that it also didn't fit:

Too big, even though it was a size small. Must be mis-marked. Then I tried on a seriously crazy BCBG top:

I can't quite decide if I like it or not, but it doesn't matter because even on clearance it was still $39. I might reconsider when it's $19. I also tried on a Martin + Osa denim mini:

It technically fit, but really? No. Finally, I tried on this Martin + Osa cashmere/silk cardigan:

Love! It's very thin and hangs just to the right length. Plus, it's super-soft. And $13! The original price tag of $130 was still on it, so right on to that. Sadly, Martin + Osa is no more, but if you lived near a store and liked their stuff, go check out Marshalls. 

I wore it today as part of my final outfit for 2010:

t-shirt: Gap (similar)
belt: Gap (similar)
jeans: James Jeans twiggy
cardigan: Martin + Osa (similar)
boots: unknown Italian brand via eBay (similar)
bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs Hillier Hobo

Marianne: Outfit of the Day - Year in Review

Yeah, I'm copying Adrien. Lulu and I have been sick all week with RSV and this is the closest you'll get to a post from me. But really, it was fun to look back at the year and see some of my good and bad choices. I notice that most of my favorite outfits feature skirts/dresses that end above the knee, and belts. My least favorites feel off, proportion-wise, or I obviously didn't put any time or thought in that morning. Here's to a 2011 with better accessorizing!

My Favorites:

And then the not so much. It actually pains me to repost some of these. Oh, what I do for you:






What do you think? Did I miss an obvious favorite/least favorite that you recall? Don't say jeggings and cowboy boots, please.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Adrien: Outfit of the Day - Year in Review

Sometimes I'll go back and try to figure out if I've already worn an outfit before I post, because I do tend to wear the same combinations over and over again. (You know what'll cure that laziness? Posting outfit photos on the Internet every day.) Sometimes I'm pleased with what I see and sometimes I'm a little horrified. But, that's what this is all about, right? Trying stuff until you figure out what works for you.

I went through every one of my Outfit of the Day posts and picked some of my favorite and some of my not-so-favorites looks.

Favorites:

Not so much:

  

Ouch. So, what do you think? Do you have a favorite? Is there something I wear that makes you cringe? Because it probably makes me cringe too, especially if that thing is my hair. (Damn, that bob was doing me no favors.)

Adrien: Eh.

This is from last week and I wasn't going to post it at all, but then I thought maybe y'all need to know that sometimes my outfits are completely boring. I just look at these pictures and all I can think is how un-interesting it all is, and how a few tweaks would've made it so much better. It's hard to tell, but my top is actually not dirt-colored, but a winey purple. Still maybe a teal or cranberry red would've popped a bit more. Also, the shoes. Yay, brown shoes with brown pants! I'm fired. Seriously. I should've worn my leopard print pumps or red shoes (but then the issue is, what color top? This is why I'm late every morning.)

  

top: Gap

jacket: Gap

pants: Gap

shoes: Gap (just kidding! They're Indigo by Clarks)

bag: Michael Michael Kors

Marianne: Try again.

This sweater never sold, and so I decided to try it one more time. I love the color, but when I bought it I was heavier and I never liked how it looked over my fuller chest. But things have, ah, deflated a bit, so that wasn't an issue any longer.

I also thought the sweater was a touch too short to wear with pants, and I wear jeans a lot. I mean, I real whole lot. But then I found this skirt at the Gap and with the promotion they had going I think I paid all of $14 for it? It runs big and if I wanted to wear it with something tucked in I'd need to have the waist taken in, but I really quite liked it with this sweater after all.

Lulu likes it too, though she thinks the textured tights are weird.

Not the most exciting outfit, and it could stand to be accessorized, but I felt pretty danged happy with it. In fact, I'm thinking about wearing this tonight for Christmas Eve dinner.

sweater: Tulle (similar here)

skirt: Gap Grosgrain Banded Skirt

tights: Spanx XOXO Tight End Tights

coat: Nine West (similar here)

Merry Christmas, you guys! Or happy whatever holiday you celebrate, if you do celebrate. Eat some good food.

Reader Question: What the hell?

Merry Christmas, y'all. This is our gift to you.


Note from Marianne and Adrien: We love our readers. We love y'all so, so much. And so please understand us when we say we are posting the email we received not out of mean-spiritedness, but rather because it is spectacular. Also, we need help translating it.

From: *redacted*
To: looksgoodfromtheback@gmail.com
Subject: Dark " jeggings " within cowboy boots.

Dear Marianne;

Stunning " cowboy " aka, Roy Rogers/ Gene Autry look. I always loved this slender cowboy look since a young boy born in 1952 A.D. . This style, unfortunately for normal males, is considered women's wear by female's cross-dressing demand success from the early 1960's but I wear this outfit myself at home. I'm wearing my N.Y.D. jeans" dark gray jeggings with tonal stitching and enjoy all its comfort and look benefits. i dreess my wife the same way and enjoys my cowboy style imput to her wardrobe.

Pax Christi !

Fashion Avenger

The Fashion Avenger also left this comment (on the jeggings entry):

With those " skinny cowboy pants , cowboy boots and red flannel shirt; Roy Rogers, " The King of the Cowboys " lives ! Transvestism looks great on feminine women . Dale Evans' split riding skirt is now " history " !

Adrien: Dude, why do all the awesome freaks love you?

Marianne: Okay, this just made me stop breathing.

A: I've read it three times and it still makes no sense. I keep wanting it to make sense!

M: Females cross-dressing success demand what? This is my favorite thing today.

A: I KNOW. it's just...so...Something. Spectacular? Fascinating? Outstanding? I think he's saying wimmen stole the manly cowboy look when they started wearing slacks? Yet, he wears them at home. He wears these, to be exact. And his wife. Okay. But, you know what the best part is? I think he's kind of right:

Dig my jeggings, Trigger.

M: I seriously can't breathe. It's so wonderful. God bless us, everyone.

A: I'm glad he specified his birth as A.D. I would have been more confused otherwise.

M: He comes from olden tymes. Days of yore.

A: Don't fence me in, Roy.

Adrien: Me me me.

It's inevitable. The holidays roll around and while I'm happy to shop for everyone else, I somehow manage to find gifts for myself too. And I'm not even going to wrap them up and wait until Christmas, hell no. I am immediately wanting to use and wear this stuff. (Which to me is a mark of a good purchase. If it just sits and sits in your closet? Return.)

This outfit features two different, uh, gifts. #1 is a purchase I made while tipsy (try it! Totally fun!) after having a fun dinner with my friend Kate at the fancy mall. We felt the need to walk off the wine we'd just drunk and walked ourselves right into the Gap. I'd seen Rosa's outfit from the day before and wanted to try on the tuxedo jacket. It's mine now:

Totally cute, highly recommend. Also: on sale.

#2 is a bag I posted about back in September, one that was above my price range and sold out pretty quickly. I'd pretty much given up on it, but a casual eBay search found one that had been a store display and was priced ridiculously low. In other words, MINE:

jacket: Gap tuxedo blazer
dress: Banana Republic (similar)
boots: Camper (similar)
bag: Michael Kors large metallic satchel (similar and sort of similar) 

Adrien: Gap Denim Awesomeness.

The minute I saw this Gap button-down denim skirt on the website I wanted it:


But Gap? You know what? You've made it impossible for me to buy anything full price. So I waited, I scored a 30% off code and I ordered it in a size 6. It arrived and I loved it but was too big in the waist. I worried about sizing down because of the fun button-front gape that seems to happen with skirts, but fine. FINE. I returned and ordered a size 4 and I'm happy to report that it's perfect:

The denim is not too thick or stiff and it definitely has a little stretch too it. I just love how all-season this skirt is! I can absolutely see myself wearing it in the summer with platform sandals and in the fall and spring with bare legs and boots or mary janes.

And yeah, I wore it to work because I think it's refined enough to pass. Nobody sent me home to change, anyway.

sweater: Gap Ultrasoft v-neck
skirt: Gap Button-front denim skirt 
boots: Frye Tina Campus (similar)
bag: Marc Jacobs "New Tote" (not really similar, but awesome)
necklace: Charming Charlie (similar)