Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Wardrobe Wednesday - There are Gaps




Every Wednesday, Every Wardrobe Welcome.

Thanks so much for coming to play today. Last week I was honored to receive an award from Sarah (Sarah Hulbert Style) a very stylish player from WW. If you want to see my response and answers to her style and blogging questions the post is here.

This week I have been wearing a special new dress. A while ago I won a voucher from Sailor Spy (a wonderful local designer and prior host to WW). There is a lot of gorgeous picks on Nin's website and I kept changing my mind about what to choose but in the end I sat myself down and had a wee chat about going for a gap.

Thing is my wardrobe is filled with patterns and bright colours - this is well and good. I like to wear these things. However, I also like bold accessories and patterned tights and although some pattern on pattern (thanks for your encouragement last week) is okay there is a line between okay and circus clown and I don't want to be on the wrong side.

A simple, stylish, single-coloured dress is a gap in my wardrobe. (As is a decent pair of jeans but that's a whole other thing!!) I'm so glad I picked this dress. It fits me well and I have had heaps of compliments both times I've worn in (including the designer's sister in law!!) It gives me room to play with making other parts of my outfit a feature and it's also the kind of dress you can wear when you feel like wearing trackies but you need to look like you care. Ever have those days??? Once a month? Hmm me too!

Do you have specific gaps in your wardrobe?
Do you go for the same things over and over again?
And just for research sake:
How many pairs of jeans do you own? How many of them do you wear?
(do visit tomorrow for my October Giveaway - it's an accessory!)

Outfits:
Dress Sailor Spy (find one here) also see the same dress worn by 2 other beautiful women here and here
Belt also Sailor Spy
Tights - The Warehouse - I went there to buy a pair I saw on Holly in WW a week or so ago and found these ones too!
Shoes - boots I got gifted and chopped the top off and folded the lining out to make them more flattering to my legs
Necklace - trade aid - fair trade store.



So what is Wardrobe Wednesday?
  • It's a chance to take some time once a week to peel off the polar fleece trackies (I have a pair too!!) and put on something that gives you a chance to have a 'play' in your wardrobe, to make yourself feel worth dressing up for.
  •  It's a time to celebrate and hopefully to embrace your body however you find it - post baby, young or old your body is lovely and functional and precious and I want this place to be a place for you to see other women (ordinary, beautiful women) who don't live in designer homes on designer budgets with designer bodies.
How to play?
1. Link in your specific blog post not just your general blog
2. Link to a post about clothes - that's what we're here for
3. Please add a link back here so other people can come over and see people's clothing posts too - the old fashioned way or grab a button
4. Be encouraging and visit people - leave a comment now and again too everyone loves to get encouragement

Here's the button copy and paste away
Create Hope Inspire Wardrobe Wednesday
Thanks so much for taking time to link up and comment and visit others. It means so much to me to have your company and I always get a thrill to see your comments when I visit your posts.

45 comments:

Rita Carvalho said...

You just reminded me how much in need of yellow tights I am for this winter!! :)

Ange (Tall, Short and Tiny) said...

My gap is the complete opposite to yours - I'm in need of patterns! I always go for plain colour or stripes. I have one dress with little flowers on it. ONE! As for jeans....I have about 9 pairs, and I wear all but 1 pair (and that's only because I had a baby 4mths ago and they are a little snug!). I live in jeans at the moment, BUT you'll be so proud of me - I just ordered 3 dresses online!

Love your new dress x

Sophie Slim said...

This dress is really lovely on you! I love this design by sailor spy! And the colour on you! Fab! Must be one of "your colours"

Fab lippy too ;)

Notchka said...

It looks so good with the belt and the two tone blue flats!! It made me laugh - your comment about it being as comfortable as trackies.

For you research: I have two pairs of jeans - one pair look slightly better on my shape than the other - but neither of them are fantastic. I love jeans, I'm just yet to find that magical (mythical?) perfect fit.

Kelly @ kiwiwomensstyle said...

I don't think I have any gaps as such, but I'm always on the look out for on trend items and accessories to add.

I own six pairs of jeans (black, red, pale, dark x2, boyfriend) and I get lots of wear out of all of them (although I'm saving one pair of dark jeans for when the first pair wear out). I think I next need a pair of just standard blue straight leg ones - maybe that's the gap I'll keep an eye out for next!

Love this dress and what a fantastic idea re: the boots. Congrats on the awards - really insightful reading!

Ginx Craft said...

I just wanted you to know that I've nominated you for a Beautiful Blogger Award! All the details are on my blog today. (Its completely up to you whether you want to post the award and pass it or not. This is just my way of saying that I think your blog is great!)

Naomi said...

I have 8 pairs of jeans. 5 skinnys in different colours, and 2 pairs of flared jeans (red and blue) and a pair of cropped jeans which are great for summer. I used to only have 1 or 2 pairs, but as I LIVE in them have realised they are a good investment.

I have a similar gap problem to you, but mainly with tops. I love prints so much that I when I'm wearing say a patterned skirt (on the odd day I'm not in jeans)I have nothing to wear on top. It's finding plain colours that have some decent detail. Not easy.

The dress looks stunnning BTW!

Miriam said...

yes they are a great colour choice and easy to give a pop to an outfit

Miriam said...

perhaps we need to do a wardrobe swap!! Can't wait to see the dresses!

Miriam said...

Thanks so much :o) The lippy was a freebie lancome one

Miriam said...

My magical pair/style don't work since I've had babies but I just feel like I can't be bothered finding the right pair! :o)

Miriam said...

Thanks so much Kelly. I really do need to find some decent jeans - maybe the coloured ones will help!

Miriam said...

Wow!! Thank you so much and what a cool list of reads you follow too. Always a pleasure to receive an award!

Miriam said...

Thanks :o) yeah I'm so with you on tops too....

Bamboo Bear said...

The dress is one of my faves of Nin's creations as it is so flattering to the female shape and it looks lovely on you :) Especially liking the matching of the aqua in belt and pump toes!

My gap would also have to be tops. In the past, I used to mainly wear dresses and only possessed one pair of jeans so didn't really need many shirts/blouses/t-shirts. I now love wearing shorts and skirts and find my supply of interesting tops limited. But I don't see well designed ones often.

Holly x

Bamboo Bear said...

P.S Agree with Nin on the jean thing too! I see so many women in a pair that fits them perfectly and yet it is an impossible task to find some for myself. The closest I have come were a pair of jeggings!

Jess B said...

Aw, thanks for the linky! It's such an awesome dress. I really love it on you, especially paired with the SS belt and cute two-toned shoes. Nice pins! ;)

tartankiwi said...

My wardrobe is one big gap!!! Nin has promised to take me in hand and help me sort it out though :-) I have two pairs of jeans- and I'm continually hit hitching both of them up- ug!
Love the new dress, it looks so beautiful on you and its really easy to believe that its comfortable to wear.

Cat said...

I LOVE this dress! I have it in brown and now seeing it on you in blue am thinking hmmmm I 'need' blue too!
I'm just giggling that it is an over the knee length on you and def an under the knee length on me.

My gap is COLOUR! I have LOTS of black and grey!

I own 5 pairs of jeans - only 1 pair is black.
I heart jeans

Leonie said...

Gorgeous dress and gorgeous colour! Have been meaning to buy one of Nin's gorgeous creations... I have two pairs of jeans and i live in them... Just ask Cat... Im always wearing jeans and a top... My gap is most definitely something other than that!

Rachel The Hat said...

im so with you on this, i too own a lot of colours and patterned dresses that can only be remixed a couple of ways. I have just invested in a similar blue dress too that has soooo many ways of remixing. Im excited to start wearing it but fear i may live in it as its just so easy lol! Oh and jeans, yeh i own lots, but recently i made a culling and we're down to 14 pairs, which is bizzare seeing as im a dresses kinda gal lol! xx

Lena B, Actually said...

Thanks for the lovely linkup! I ADORE blue & yellow together!
I'ma new follower! ♥

Jen @ Librarian for Life Style said...

I am slowly filling in gaps in my own wardrobe, too, including single-color dresses (like you!), more patterned blouses, and more red. Things I keep going back to... cardigans. I'm a librarian. Cardigans are useful! Jeans? I have 5 pairs, 4 dark wash (long length, '70s wide-leg, straight leg, and skinny) + 1 black (skinny).

Daenel T. said...

Such a cute and versatile dress. You could totally dress it up or down. And those mustard tights are just too cute. I think the gap(s) in my closet would be button down shirts, blazers and pencil skirts. Wow, that's a lot. LOL

Amanda G. said...

Beautiful dress, and I love both ways you styled it. I had the opposite problem until about a year ago - tons of single-color solid pieces, and I had to working on adding more patterns and different colors. I'm in a pretty good wardrobe place now, I think. :)

Jeans... I own about 10 pairs (that includes colored denim), and probably wear about 8 of them regularly in the normal course of life.

Catherine, Not Dressed As Lamb said...

Hi Miriam I've found you via Sarah Hulbert Style (don't you just LOVE her??) - I've linked up for the first time, it's so nice to meet you!

I adore the blue of this dress, it looks especially good with the mustard tights! I really want to wear mustard tights... they look so good on everyone else, I'm just worried they'll look blurgh on me, then I'll have taken them out of the pack and can't return them #Dilemma haha

I do have gaps in my wardrobe, but really I'm just saying [to my husband] that I need a pair of turquoise heels because, well, I don't have any turquoise heels! And I need an orange belt because I don't have an orange belt... it makes perfect sense to me. And I don't have that many pairs of jeans (compared to some) - about 12 - but I pretty much wear them all.

Don't normally leave such waffly comments - sorry - least I could was to follow you!!

Catherine x
http://notdressedaslamb.com

still being [molly] said...

absolutely LOVEEE the dress and it is SO amazingly versatile!! :)

mommy Orkid Belle said...

Sometimes I do have some problems where I look in my closet and even though I have pieces that I have not worn yet, I still think I have nothing to wear. My creative juices are not flowing and don't know how to mix and match my pieces sometimes so I need style inspiration. LOL! Sometimes I tend to go towards a clothing that I feel comfortable with and I tend to wear a lot. That blue dress is lovely and I like it too with the mustard yellow tights. I want a mustard tights too! I had a pair of boots that I cut off as well and turned it into a bootie. It wasn't comfy to wear as a pair of tall boots and I know if I cut it and turned into a bootie, I would wear it. You look lovely!

rachel said...

good choice on the dress! i especially love it with the belt and the flats are fab! i'm not a fan of the boots, but that's just a personal bias i have against ankle boots. i just don't care for them.

Miriam said...

certainly it's hard to spot tops that really are right in every way as well as having cool fabric or print

Miriam said...

why thank you :o) You're pins are pretty awesome too!

Sarah Hulbert Style said...

First things first... LOVING your dress, Miriam! Such a gorgeous color. I love how you're already remixing it, the mustard tights are so fun!!! I have a few gaps in my closet right now, things I need to replace and/or upgrade. As a shopper, I tend to go for the bright and the bold then skip over the obvious needs, like black slacks. I need to learn to take my own advice as a stylist!!! ~Sarah

Miriam said...

Yes I hate the jeans hitch up it is such a problem for me with so many styles and belts don't seem to fix it!

Miriam said...

I love jeans on people that wear them well too - I just haven't found my pair yet. It is funny that is longer on you! :o)

Miriam said...

Ha ha well then you know exactly what your style is. My younger sister rocks out in jeans and a top and my older sis does too they wear them really differently though

Miriam said...

We obviously have a really similar style (makes me feel good to say that as you are super styly!!) Except you have way more jeans! :o)

Miriam said...

Thanks so much it is lovely to have you!

Miriam said...

I've just re-discovered the awesomeness of cardigans. It's good to be filling gaps

Miriam said...

LOL - when you write it down it does seem a lot! :o)

Miriam said...

That's great you are wearing all your jeans and working across your whole wardrobe - go you! :o)

Miriam said...

Hi I found you via Sarah as well (yes she is awesome!) I love all the outfits you wear and I'm also a fan of the novel-as-comment!! I totally understand I need some green heels too, I really do! :o)

Miriam said...

Thanks so much - it is SO comfy

Miriam said...

Thanks so much. I do like having different ways to wear things it helps to bring variety which I really like

Miriam said...

Thanks Rachel and thanks for your honesty about the boots too - I do like these but there are definitely things I'm not into as well. :o)

Miriam said...

I love that! I often don't take my own advice either :o)