Monthly Archives: October 2011

warm up

The weather has gotten a little cooler, and I can’t take my eyes off The Purl Bee. The result is a deep desire for all things knitted—there are so many projects I want to try!

I’ve been talking about handwarmers forever, and still haven’t made myself a pair. But this inspiration for some killer gloves…

plus this tutorial for colorblocked handwarmers, it has me maybe thinking I can do it? Maybe? I have the yarn, but need the right needles and probably some serious help. But think of the warmth! And the layering! Plus they’re just cute, right?

Right? Tell me at raesdays@gmail.com, @rclnudson, or on Facebook.

new outfit dos

I don’t know if you know how much I love color blocking, but I love it. I’ll demonstrate.

For day, I paired my blouse with a pencil skirt, and added some more color with my necklace and shoes. Office ready? I think so.


For night, I clashed in a great way. Again, don’t listen to those rules that say you can’t wear red with pink, or pink with pink, or pink with orange, or what have you. Clashing can be cool. So, I switched the pencil skirt for something a little hotter and changed my bag for another with even more color. We’ve had a few unseasonably warm days, but if it’s to cool for bare legs where you are, just add some tights to this look and you’re good to go to any party the night takes you.

Have fun! Add color!

A word on Miu Miu

This picture from The Cut blog perfectly demonstrates my like/dislike for the Miu Miu booties. The shape is gorgeous, the design…well, not my fave. And when done wrong, it’s so wrong.

new outfit uno

Real life day and night, birthday dinner style:

This is what I really wore to work.

And this is what I really wore to a friend’s birthday dinner:

Pretty similar, just switched work pants for jeans and lost the blazer—it was warm outside! Am I the only one who wears dresses as shirts sometimes? Today, it was a shirt. Tomorrow, who knows. I also used my gray clutch, but forgot to put it in the picture, oops.

happy columbus day

I don’t have work off today, but I hope you do. I also hope you can take advantage of the crazy Columbus day sales.

These are some things I bought this weekend! I’m pretty excited, and think that all of these pieces (ok, not the dinosaur sweatshirt) could be great for work and for fun. I’ll show you the outfits I come up with this week. In the meantime, have a great Columbus day!

Want to show me what you bought? Hit me up at raesdays@gmail.com, @rclnudson, or on Facebook.

pattern fun

Happy Friday, everyone! Today, I am having fun with patterns. For work, I keep the pattern to my shoes:

and for play, I pile on the patterns everywhere:

It’s Friday, go crazy!

Hope everyone has a good weekend, with many versatile outfits. If you need me, you know where to reach me! (On Twitter, duh)

nail polish

To me, nothing says “I have my life together” like having perfectly manicured nails.

I have perfectly manicured nails about 5% of the time. But, I think that pretty, put-together detail can be really nice, and really professional.

For the office, I’d stay away from sparkles and anything too bright. These are vacation nails, they are for your vacation.

But I do think you can wear bright and nontraditional shades at work. My advice is to keep your nails short, so a burst of color isn’t overwhelming. (Also, long nails bother me when I type.) And keep them looking good—chips are never classy. You might also think to stay away from extremes. Instead of neon pink, how about bubblegum? Instead of black, why not gray or navy blue? If you want a yellow in the office, make it muted instead of highlighter.

Some of my favorite colors for fall that I own:

From left to right: Essie Vermillionaire, OPI Siberian Nights, OPI No Spain No Gain, Essie Chinchilly, OPI Russian Navy, OPI Pamplona Purple.

Some colors I want to try this fall that I don’t own: Forest green and beige. Once I try these, I will, of course, report back.

Oh also, pro tip: you know that moment of dread when you get the first chip in that manicure you just paid for? Avoid that by taking your own polish to the salon. That way, if it chips, you can touch it up and move on with your day. (my mom taught me that, thanks mom!)

***EDIT: Another pro tip, from my friend Anna! Paint a topcoat of clear coat of polish on each day. That way, when your nails start to chip, it chips the clear instead of the color. Thanks Anna!***

My nails right now? A dark purple, the OPI Siberian Nights (and yeah, they’re chipped). Got a color you love? Tell me at raesdays@gmail.com, on Facebook, or on Twitter!

red

I have a thing for colored pants. I want a pair. Just about any color will do, but I’ve been infatuated with red pants as of late. So I took this pair, dove into my fantasy closet, and chose about a thousand tops you could wear with them. Each top provides a different look and attitude, for day and for night. These red pants can go with just about any trend: color blocking, sequins, knits, polka dots. And we haven’t even started on accessories. One of the biggest points I want to make here—and by here, I mean on the internet and specifically on this blog—is that we have limited amounts of clothing we can buy, so buy what you love and and you can make it work for (almost) any setting.

yikes i wear a lot of black

I mixed brown and black again. What can I say, I’m a rebel. Also, I kinda like it.

To tell you the truth, I was looking for a lighter brown, skinnier belt. Then I realized I don’t own one of those because I haven’t bought one (don’t you hate it when that happens?). So instead, I used this brown belt, which was actually a belt that came with a different skirt. As a rule, I try not to use those belts with the item of clothing they came with, you know, to switch things up. Either way, black on black with brown all over can be a good look, don’t be afraid. Also: black with navy blue. These are rules you should play with, not abide by.

For night, I added some knits. It is fall, after all. (I LOVE FALL SO MUCH)

Ok so maybe ignore my weird face and look at the outfit. The skirt is sort of a fake wool felt blend thingy. Whatevs, it was 25 dollars from H&M and it looks like fall to me. The scarf I made myself. Looks cozy, no? If it gets much colder than it was today, I’ll have to add some tights.

Only 28 days until Halloween and I don’t know what I’m gonna be. If you have ideas for me, tell me please at raesdays@gmail.com, on Twitter, or on Facebook.

meetings

hello hello. You know what’s worse than Monday morning? A Monday morning meeting.

So let’s counter the Monday-morning blues with an extra professional outfit. With a pencil skirt and blazer, your outfit will be the last thing you have to worry about at the start of the work week. And when it’s time to kick back, turn it into a casual outfit ready for fun with some jeans and a quick switch of accessories.

Good luck on your Monday!