So Mixed Up

I'm still trying my hand at mixing prints.  I love the concept, but for me, it takes a lot of effort to get it right.  I definitely feel like I'm getting better at it but hey...practice makes perfect!

Recently, I mixed a Polka-dot shift blouse, with a tweed-like window pane skinny leg cropped pant.  Actually, the pants were thrifted so I'm not sure if they were actually cropped style or just short for my height.

While I loved the entire look, I'll be the first to admit the outfit was in desperate need of a POP of color.  I'm still working on wearing brighter colors now that I live in the south.  With spring being here but the weather still a bit chilly and rainy; I can still get away with wearing some of my winter items.   I'll try my hand at mixing patterns with a more colorful array of prints once it warms up a bit.

Not sure how much I paid for each of these pieces but I'm pretty sure the blazer, blouse and pants were less than $20 in total.

                           I'm SoRosie
                         Stay Rosy Y'all!

SO Pinspired

I generally like to pick out my outfits for the work week on Sundays. I try everything on to be certain they fit and look good together, I'll iron everything and hang them back in my closet.  When I'm feeling super obsessive compulsive, I figure out the weather for the week and sort the outfits according to the weather for each day of the week.

On the occasions when Sundays don't provide the luxury of picking my clothes out in advance, mornings can get pretty rough.  There are some mornings I wake up and as it turns out I'm not quite as into an outfit as when I first put it together.  I stand in the closet and stare around as if an outfit will just magically jump off the shelf.  Then the real troubles begin.  Items get pulled off hangers, tried on and tossed aside which creates a huge mess. 

Since I don't believe in magic, every now and again I go to my Pinterest boards for a little Pinspiration.  If you've ever used the site you know its sort of magical in its own way.  I mean you can find EVERYTHING on Pinterest.  Type an item and up pops a ga-gillion ways to style it.  My favorite search is on Polka-dots!  Try it out you can find Polka-dot everything!

Last week I hit my boards for a few Pinspired looks and came up with these looks to recreate.  I recreated these looks with mostly thrifted finds but I also have some pieces I picked up retail (discounted retail).  I try never to pay more than $20 for any retail find, although shoes are an exception to that guideline.

My thrifted items include:
Yellow Merona cardigan
Blue Pinstripe Old Navy Skirt
Black Manolo Blahnik heels
Burgundy DKNY corduroys
Vintage Blouse - No Name

I think I came pretty close to recreating these looks with items already sitting in my closet.  How did I do?  How do you get inspiration for your outfits?

                   @~~~~~I'mSoRosie
                         Stay Rosy Y'all

You Are SO What You Wear

Below are some of my fave looks of 2014.  I personally believe you can tell a lot about a woman by the way she dresses.  You are what you wear.  I, as you can see 1) am pretty conservative. 2) I don't do over the top costume(y) outfits, 3) I don't do trendy but I am always well put together, I like to think classic. 4) I love a nice blazer or jacket and I apparently will slip a vest in from time to time. 5) I'm not much of a girly girl and love menswear inspired looks occasionally. 6) I do have a girlish love of polka dots. 7) I prefer a nice pant over a skirt any day. My closet is evidence of this as 85% of my bottoms are pants. 8) I love shoes (YAY) another girlish quality.  I have an affinity towards peep toe. 9) The New Yorker that still lives in me tends to gravitate toward darker colored clothing although I will add a pop of color every now and then. 10) I love accessories, they are great for adding that pop of color just for fun. 11) I have lots of clothes and shoes and bags and jewelry, probably too much.  (Yeah NO) 12) I don't repeat outfits (strange right) although I will remix the heck out of specific pieces. 13) I like dresses but I don't think they  feel the same way about me. 14) I shop way too much (Hush your mouth, NO I DON'T)

Overall assessment of me: I am a reserved woman who takes care of herself and others,  a calculated thinker not a risk taker.  I like to show a little but leave a lot to the imagination.  I like to have fun but you won't see me on an episode of girls gone wild.

What does your personal style tell you about your personality?

@~~~~I'm SoRosie

Stay Rosy Y'all

I am SO cleaning out my closet!

So, I think it's been just about a year since I started thrifting and now my closet is starting to overflow.  I have a pretty decent sized walk-in, so when I started having trouble maneuvering about, it was time to clean house.  Well not really...it was more like organize house and set aside a few things for donations.

Cleaning out my closet was a three man job so I recruited my mom and son to help.  Y'all know he dipped out on me after only a few minutes! Geez...good help can be so hard to find.  But my mom, bless her heart, is a beast when it comes to cleaning.  It took us several hours but now I have plenty of space to go in and twirl!  Seriously! I literally went in and twirled from room to room in my closet!!  I think it will be my new hideaway.

Everything is organized pretty much by color.  I have separate sections for my work and casual clothing.  You know the saying " a place for everything and everything in its place" this now describes my closet.  Let's hope I can keep it that way!😕

Are you cleaning out or organizing your closet for the New Year?  I'd love to see your before and after.  Here are a few of mine.

              @~~~~~ I'm SoRosie
                  Stay Rosy Y'all!

A Red (B&W) Christmas

I don't know about you but it can be hard at times to figure out what to wear to work everday.  My very old school parents  would say that's because "you have TOO much choice".  I guess this is a ridiculous 1st world probem but nonetheless IT IS A PROBLEM.  Especially when it impacts your ability to get dressed and out the house in a reasonable amount of time. 

I often seek motivation from Pinterest and my favorite Facebook groups such as #thriftingatlanta and #thriftingdivas.  The ladies and gentlemen on these social media platforms are so creative and provide a good  source of inspiration. 

When I find something I like, sometimes I just recreate it over and over.  Right now, I'm loving the pairing of red, black and white (or sometimes blue) in an outfit.  So much so, that I've been wearing these colors to work everyday this month.  I talked about this in my last post. I must say having a theme makes it soooo much easier to narrow down those choices. Another perk is that red seems so festive and appropriate for this time of year.

The one draw back is, it makes it obvious as to what I don't currently have in my closet; which means more shopping.   Ughhh!!- Not shopping!  We all have a LBD that is office appropriate but I just realized I don't own a single red dress nor a white one, much less one that would be work appropriate.  Oh well...two more items for the thriftlist!

Total random thought as I'm typing: I feel like my themed outfits should have  a theme song.  Anywho!!!

What tricks do you use to help get dressed?  Do you ever utilize a theme for a period of time? Am I just crazy?  Is anyone out there?  I'd love to hear from you!!

                      I'm (still) SoRosie in Red!
                            Stay Rosy Y'all!

                          HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

My thrifted items:
Red Cardigan- Eddie Bauer
Black Pencil Skirt - No name
Blue Sweater - Knitwear
Red Pants - Kasper

P.S.  I ended up wearing a pair of black tall boots with the skirt because...Baby it's Cold Outside!

So_Rosie in Red

Quite unconsciously my outfits this week had a hint or more of red.  I love how red, black and white complement each other in an outfit.  I think I'll carry this theme through  the month of December.  It's very fitting with the holidays in my opinion. 

P.S. I'm still loving my polka dots!!

Thrifted items:

-Banana Republic plaid pants

-Polka-dot skirt

-Talbots Hounds tooth Blazer

-Red Nine West Patent leather shoes

-Red Necklace 

                      I'm SoRosie in Red
                        Stay Rosy Y'all

SO Blah(nik)

I stopped in to my local Goodwill last week in search of teacups for the teaparty I'm planning for my kids and their cousins.   It was 7:52pm as I pulled into the parking lot. The store was closing  in 8 mins.  I quickly made my way to the wares section. No luck!  With a few minutes to spare I make my way around the store seeing if I might check any items off my mental thriftlist.  Polka-dot pencil skirt (nope), camouflaged skinny  jeans  (nope), red trench or wool coat (nope); I was striking out  big time. The trip appeared to be a total bust.  Last stop, Shoes.  Taupe  pumps  (better luck next time) Grrrrr!

But wait...eye spy from the corner of my eye.  8 minutes well spent!!!! MANOLO BLAHNIK!

                        @~~~~I'm So Rosie
                             Stay Rosy Y'all

So Color Blocked

I recently had one of those days I've heard thrift addicts speak of, when your vehicle just seems to navigate itself to the nearest thrift store despite your stern objections to the rerouting of your predetermined destination.

Have you had one of those days???  It's ok to admit to it!!!  Just nod slightly or blink two times fast; we've all been there.

See what happened was...Ruby (my car) set off on her own course and rerouted me to the Salvation  Army.  "But Ruby it's not  Wednesday, we won't  find  anything  for 50% off," I challenged to no avail. A challenge to which Ruby responds, "You have arrived. "

So, I begrudgingly walk in and begin to peruse, all the time thinking  "I told you  this was a waste of gas."  Until...I arrive at a section of dresses.  I've  had a long-sleeved dress on my thrift list and now that an artic blast is upon us a long-sleeved dress would be perfect.

I spot black knit long sleeves and make  my way  over, as I slide the other garments to the side a lovely treasure is revealed.   Now, this dress is very much out of my comfort  zone.   If you read my previous  post you know thrifting has caused  me to step outside of that zone.

The dress is $9.99 with a yellow tag...not the color  of the day. (Boooooo)  I try it on anyway and (HOORAY) it fits beautifully.

I don't normally photograph myself for posts, but, this dress makes me want to pose in the nearest  intersection pretending to hail a cab (or catch a snowflake) while Color Blocking traffic!

                   @~~~~I'm So Rosie
                       Stay Rosy Y'all

What do you think about my find?  How would you style this piece? 

100% Thrifted

I've been thrifting for almost a year  now and one of the things I love most about  my new found  passion is how versatile my style  has become.   Most people  who know me know that I never repeat outfits.   I don't  put something  together and then wear it the same way ever.  One reason  being,  I won't  remember  the  combination.  Well then you might be wondering  "how do you know  you haven't  repeated  an outfit?"  Trust  me I just know.  The second  reason is, its just more fun to find news ways to wear an item.  I've been reading  lots of blogs that suggest identifying 3 ways to style a piece before  deciding to buy.   That's a really good tip but honestly  if I'm  thrifting  and I love it I'm  buying it regardless if I can figure out right then and there how to style it in  3 ways.

Thrifting has made not repeating outfits  easier on my purse for sure.   So now I find myself purchasing items I ordinarily  wouldn't purchase at retail.  It also makes  trying out a Pinspired outfit  that much more palatable. 

I'm  still new to posting  my ramblings but I hope to one day figure out how to post my pinspirations without  fear of some copyright infringement concerns. I may never get to that stage but if anyone  is reading this just know most my outfit posts  are usually a recreation of some  sort. 

Anyways on to the outfit.   I Thrifted all 3 pieces.  The blazer (100% wool) is so awesome,  when I set eyes on it, I didn't give it a second thought.  The pants are Ann Taylor skinny corduroy.  I hated wearing  corduroy as a kid because  of that noise  they make when your  legs rub together.  You know the noise!  The boots are  Nine West.  I added  a little  sparkle  with a sequins tank and a red necklace  to break up the black.

For some reason  it felt  very  New Years eve(ish)!  I just may repeat  this  one after all !

                      @~~~~I'm So Rosie

                           Stay Rosy Y'all

I SO_LOVE Chocolate!

We still have a lot of leftovers from Halloween as a result of the rain in my neck of the woods.  We have lots of chocolate leftover and while I love me some TWIX, Kit-Kats and of course Snickers...

I love this kind of chocolate even more.

Can I tell you I got a serious sweet tooth going on right now?!

               @~~~~ I'm SoRosie
                    Stay Rosy Y'all