Category: Style

Mighty Closet: Margaret Stewart, Outfit No. 2

Chalk is hilarious!

Actually, this is the first outfit we photographed, and Margaret wasn’t totally at ease yet. So I think I’d just asked her something penis-related in the above photo. For whatever reason, male genitalia references really throw my friends for a loop. Also, this totally counts as Margaret’s casual wear. I told you she was a fashion superstar.

Shirt by Banana Republic.

Penis.

How great is this photo? Oh, Isabel, you’re always in the right place at the right time. Margaret’s skirt isn’t vintage, by the way. Shocking, right? She purchased it in Boston, and the brand is ½ Un-Demi. That crisp tie in the back kills me.

These are Margaret’s Lego earrings. I suspect she bought them as a nod to all the engineers when she was working at Google proper. Also, because she’s a nerd. (Fist bump, nerds.)

The earrings are by *eo*ware.

These shoes? Yes.

I’m hideous at shoe shopping, so I try to drag Margaret along when possible. She’s responsible for my pink boots, and my bronze cowboy boots. She’s always right when she insists you buy something.

These straw-soled wedgies are also by Banana Republic.

This is where the sexy part of secretary comes in. She’s erasing so. very. slowly.

Tomorrow she uses a cosmetics bag as a clutch. Be still my heart.

Mighty Closet: Margaret Stewart

Hi, all. I’ve decided to post these outfit by outfit, because posting all five at once was too overwhelming. Also, you’ll to want to savor this particular closet. This is my friend Margaret Stewart with her very fun daughters Beatrice and Isabel. Margaret is one of my fashion heros.

She’s a mom of three (Charlie wasn’t around when we were getting glammed up), and also the User Experience Manager at You Tube. You may recognize her from past posts — the Stewarts are around a lot, and even traveled to Argentina with us. In fact, Margaret bought this dress in Buenos Aires after many pouty faces in front of the dressing room mirror, and much encouragement from me.

She said, “I love it, but where will I wear it?” I said, “It has a tutu skirt! This is quintessential San Francisco formal. Too casual on top, ballerina on the bottom. It’s gonna come up.”

A while later she wore it to a Sex-and-the-City themed 30th birthday bash. See? Perfect. The genius dress is made by Veronica Alfie for Veroalfie. They didn’t have it in my size while we were there, but I’m still coveting it.

This enamel cuff is a recent purchase from the Maker Faire craft market. I love the colors. It’s by leighelena, who makes those rings I covet.

Shoes are by Stuart Weitzman, they were a hand-me-down from Margaret’s equally fashionable sister.

I wish I’d gotten a photo from behind, the tank is racer-back. Ooo-la-la.

But you must pay the rent!

Margaret’s beloved mustache necklace is from a Swedish Museum Shop. She doesn’t remember the designer’s name, but you can find all kinds of similar ones on Etsy.

So that’s day one! Tomorrow, casual wear. See you then.

Mighty Closet: Libby Nicholoau

This is my dear friend Libby Nicholoau. If she looks familiar, you probably recognize her from our trips to Argentina and Mexico. Libby is the Gallery Director for the Shooting Gallery in downtown San Francisco, which features a lot of Low-Brow, Urban art, so her closet reflects the gallery’s independent spirit.

Libby is the girlfriend I consult when I need to know whether my beloved jeans have become mom jeans, or whether you can guess which year I graduated from high school just by looking at my dated shoes. I have to press her for an opinion, because her Southern manners prevent her from volunteering the information, but she’s never steered me wrong.

Right now, Libby’s working hard to establish herself, so she prefers to spend her money on travel and bar tabs. She buys most of her clothes second hand, and trades key items with roomies and friends to help keep her outfits looking novel.

These are four outfits she loves, plus her favorite cocktail look:

Believe it or not, this is office wear for Libby. Most of her clothes are day-to-evening, so she can leave the gallery and head straight to art openings or drinks with friends. Skirt by Paris L.A., purchased at Buffalo Exchange.

Shirt is Xhileration by Target, purchased at Goodwill.

Libby got this chain at a thrift store, the pendant was a gift from mom, and the vintage key was a party favor from our Mighty Haus shindig last year.

Libby bought her Steve Madden shoes at a Shoe Pavilion liquidation sale, “There was a line out the door, and when I figured out what was going on, I was like YES!” She loves these American Apparel tights, which she often borrows from a friend. “Jillian and I trade. We have openings every month, and art fairs three times a year. It’s fun to put together a new outfit for everything; everyone’s so creative about what they wear. I feel like I work on stage sometimes. You’ve gotta have costume changes!”

Here’s Libby just before she heads off to meet friends at a cafe in Paris. We should have posed her on a bike with a baguette sticking out of the basket.

The scarf has more pattern to it than you can see in the photos — she’s good about combining patterns in non-fugly ways. Her skirt is by Paper Doll L.A. and was purchased at Buffalo Exchange, where she got this whole outfit, except for the shoes (Goodwill), and the vintage scarf, which I gave her.

Incidentally, the scarf is by Colette.

Soft ruffle tank top is Aviva. Nice to have a basic piece with that little unexpected touch of femininity.

Perfect sling-back peep toes by Nicole. Vintage straw bag.

This is Libby’s favorite outfit. She says, “I love a tunic with leggings. I feel so confident and comfy. Plus, I can wear it anywhere without worrying too much about the scene.” Headband by H&M.

Vest is H&M, as is the necklace. Top is Forever 21, purchased at Buffalo Exchange.

The stud-inspired bracelet was on loan from Libby’s roomie, Jessica.

These ankle buttons on the leggings are killer, and I like them pulled down over the backs of her shoes. Libby got the leggings second hand at Crossroads, but they’re made by Effie’s Heart.

Suede wedges by Chinese Laundry, purchased at Goodwill.

I actually bought this H&M tent dress when I was pregnant, and almost never wore it. Libby had borrowed it once, and I felt silly in it, so I asked if she wanted it. Needless to say, she rocks it completely differently than I did. She wore this outfit recently to a California Academy of Sciences Nightlife event, and apparently it was a hit with the boys. Smart guys love Libby.

The belt was a gift from her mom.

The feather earrings are from Buffalo Exchange.

The hair was my doing. I think I got the idea for a bobby-pin headband from a scene in Amelie.

Shoes are B.C., purchased at Goodwill.

I so wish I’d gotten a better picture of these much-loved tights. So great.

Space cowgirl! This is another work-to-evening outfit for Libby. The tunic is H&M via Goodwill, leggings are American Apparel.

The belt is from a thrift store in Virginia, Libby’s home state.

I think I want some feather earrings. This shoulder duster is also on loan from Libby’s roomie, who got it somewhere in the Mission. Good on the dance floor, bad in a cat fight.

She has no idea where she got the ring.

Boots are Corsina, purchased at Buffalo Exchange.

Here’s Libby’s little black dress. It’s from H&M, as is the chunky bracelet.

It has little pleats on the upper back. Aww.

She got her galleon necklace at a tradeshow at 111 Minna, but sadly couldn’t recall the artist’s name. If you know, fill us in.

Libby says, “I got these shoes at 9 West for a Shepard Fairey opening, and I wear them everywhere. I can go dancing in them, which says a lot.”

And there you have it! I forgot to take a photo of Libby’s closet, which is too bad, because she has an entire clothing bar dedicated just to scarves. Next time. Thanks for playing model for me Libby, you’re a peach.

Mighty Closet: Aubrey Sabala

Remember the post about what I packed on my trip to New York? That was fun. So much fun that I wanted to do more. The problem is, I don’t want to show up places feeling all cute and have people be like, “Yeah. I already saw that dress on your site.” (Sad trombone.) So I thought I’d visit a few of my stylish friends and take photos of their favorite outfits. Aubrey Sabala is my first Mighty Closet guinea pig.

Aubs throws parties for Digg, where she works as the marketing manager. She’ll be in New York shortly, organizing a shindig for 3,000+ people, and she’s also planning a big birthday blowout for herself and a friend while she’s there. Speaking of which, how much do you love friends who just take charge of their own birthdays, instead of pouting that no one ever remembers their special day? You love them a lot, that’s how much.

Anyway, her entire enormous closet is filled with dresses. She never goes anywhere that requires pants, and I’m pretty sure she works out in cocktail attire. So you know, owning no pants is madness in San Francisco. It’s seriously cold here, especially in the evenings, which is Aubrey’s favorite time of day.

I asked her to show me four of her favorite outfits and her no-fail cocktail outfit, which just happens to be a genuine Little Black Dress. Here are the results:

This is what Aubrey wears when she’s taking her scooter out for soda pop with the gang. (To the best of my knowledge Aubrey doesn’t actually own a scooter, but I encouraged her get one.)

This is the forlorn bag I forgot to include in the photo. Sorry, little bag.

Sundresses and cowboy boots is one of Aubrey’s favorite looks. This is because San Francisco hills laugh at you if you try to wear heels.

Also, if you wear heels, the homeless people assume you’re a tourist and they hassle you because they take you for an easy mark. Same story if you wear shorts. No one here wears shorts, because all of us know that the weather could turn on you at any moment (except Aubrey who is clearly a mutant freak with no nerve endings). And then you’re freezing your ass off in Union Square with aggressive panhandlers yelling at you, and you have to go buy a pair of cheap San Francisco! sweatpants, which only exacerbates the problem. But I digress.

This is Aubrey’s favorite dress, and she’s right about that. Flattering, baby. She usually wears this with cowboy boots too, but she agreed to change things up to give the natives a thrill. We were outside for about two minutes taking this photo, and she was hooted and honked at no less than three times. That’s a good dress.

How cool are these earrings? Aubrey said she never wears them, so I put them in my purse before I left. Aubrey, I stole your awesome earrings as punishment for neglecting them. I’m going to take them out and show them the world, show them what it means to be loved.

She loves this green dress, but rarely wears it either because she has to pair it with 15″ heels so it doesn’t drag on the floor. Tailors, ladies! Fifteen bucks and it’s a whole new dress. Because seriously? You’re not gonna hem it. Don’t kid yourself.

Aubrey laughs 99 percent of the time. She was really trying to put on a solemn face for the sake of fashion, but this is the real Aubrey in action.

I’m such a sucker for a lariat necklace. Almost no one wears them, which makes them even better.

Aubrey has that kind of enviable straight hair that will do a spiky chignon with four bobby pins. Speaking of which, please ignore the pins I neglected to tuck.

The aforementioned uncomfortable shoes.

This is Aubrey pretending to chug a bottle of whiskey. She’s wearing her all-purpose Little Black Dress, and holy crap it’s a good one. (J Crew, you do this so right.)

I love this photo. It’s so nightcap.

Closeup of her chunky bracelet, which is actually a twisted necklace.

Adorable, harrassment-attracting patent leather shoes.

I know, that was exhausting. Thanks for being so game, Aubs. Especially considering the aftermath. Hoo-boy.

So! That’s my very first Mighty Closet. Was it good for you? Let me know if you’d like me to do anything differently next time. Do you want brand names, even though a lot of the stuff won’t be available anymore? Links to similar outfits? Stories behind the outfits? Photos of exceptional lingerie drawers? I live to serve, so let me know.

DIY J Crew Astrid Sweater with Ruffles

Remember the pink sweater I started after seeing the project over at Orange Beautiful? It’s finished!

DIY Ruffled Cardigan - Mighty Girl

Is this not the grown up version of a tutu? It is quite possibly the pinkest thing I have ever owned. When I wear it, I smell like Bing cherries in a bed of warm cotton candy.

The original J Crew Version was $425, and isn’t available anymore, but I followed the step by step on Orange Beautiful to make this one.

I did things a little differently, because her version required more patience than I could muster, so here’s a run through if you want to make one for yourself. Start with a jacket or slightly boxy sweater, and then embellish it thusly:

1. Buy some fabric. The original rosettes are silk charmeause, but I chose polyester chiffon, because I wanted the flowers to be fluffy instead of cascading. You’ll need about 4 yards of whichever you choose.

2. Cut the fabric in strips and fold it to size. You want your petals to be about 4″ H x 2.5″ W. So I cut my fabric in strips, then folded the strips in half several times until I had a stack of material about the right size. This doesn’t need to be an exact science, but you want something that looks kind of like this:

3. Sew a knot in the middle of the stack to hold the pieces together, and then cut along the folds to create a grouping of square “petals.”

4. Cut the corners off the stack of squares until you have a roughly oval shape:

5. Here’s where it gets a little tedious. Take three layers of fabric at a time, bunch them by hand, and then pass the needle through a few times until you have the ruffles you want. Repeat with the next three layers and so on, until you have a finished rosette:

6. If you don’t like the effect, go back in with your needle and tease apart any layers that are too clumped or whatnot. The back of my rosettes looked like this:

7. When you have about 30 flowers, attach them to your sweater or jacket by hand. I’d wait until you’ve mostly finished the flowers to affix them, because your rosettes will get better as you go along, and you’ll want the prettiest ones up by your face, right? (I didn’t do this, and I wish I had).

8. When all the flowers are affixed, fill in any gaps by sewing down the top and bottom petals of the flowers in areas that need attention.

9. Pull away any stray threads from the flowers’ raw edges.

10. Wear your sweater around the house for a few hours, and pause to trade bon mots with imaginary dignitaries whenever you pass a mirror.

Cute! Now where am I going to wear it? Someone please get married. Thank you.

Packing Light: New York City Edition

So this is every item of clothing I packed for five days in New York. My goal was to fit everything in my hiking backpack (plus a little rucksack for the plane), because unwieldy luggage really affects trip quality. I hate dreading the subway stairs, or sleeping through my first day because I’m exhausted from lifting my suitcase.

I wore one outfit twice, and everything fit neatly in my hiking backpack. I brought two pairs of shoes so I could change things up if my feet started to hurt, but only ended up wearing one.

How To Pack Light for a Trip to New York City | Mighty Girl

How crazy cute is this ducky yellow hat? I know! Bryan hates it, because he is blind. Anyway, the skirt, sweater, and hat are all thrift store scores, and the neck warmer was a gift from a friend who got it on Etsy. The gloves are from Ann Taylor and I got the purse in Argentina, which is also where I got…

The magical, one-pair-of-shoes-for-this-whole-trip boots! They’re a metallic navy blue that goes with everything. I’ve actually made out with them. They taste like gumdrops.

This is me, Zoolander style, in a layered look that worked well for New York’s freakishly schitzo weather (Rain? Snow? Hot Sun? The hell, New York. You’re lucky I brought magic boots.) Everything I’m wearing here is also thrifted, except the hat, which is H&M. I’m wearing a long-sleeved turquoise tee, a sweater with a surprisingly warm silk scarf tied as an ascot, all under a corduroy blazer. In retrospect, the cardigan was a little bulky under that blazer, but I was nice and warm.

Beloved JCrew Red Pants! I’m showing incredible restraint in this photo, as it’s practically impossible not to do karate poses in these. Paired with a black turtleneck sweater and fingerless arm warmers, which were hand knit with love by a stranger (thanks again, Etsy). This look is matchy-matchy, but I’m pretty Doris Day about wardrobe matters, so I like it. I got the heavy wool wrap at a little boutique in Vermont when I was preggo. Best maternity to regular wardrobe transition ever, plus it doubles as a blanket on the airplane.

Nothing is hotter than posing alone in front of a mirror in your hotel room. Do you feel the heat? There’s the blazer again, this time with vintage wide-leg jeans and a circle scarf from H&M. American Apparel also makes circle scarves, and you should get one, as they are crazy versatile.

When I take the blazer off, I pull the scarf down around my shoulders over this long-sleeve tee I got at Target. That tee is awesome, by the way. I have monkey arms and a long torso, and Mossimo makes proportions just right for me.

These are my jammies. In a pinch, you can pull your hair into a ponytail, belt the shirt, and wear this out with flats. Or you can just watch Top Chef reruns in your hotel bed while you cram mini-bar chocolate in your mouth. It’s perfect for that.

Is it Slutty, or is it Fun?

I was having a drink on the patio in the tourist district of Boston, watching the wildlife with a guy friend. Every girl who passed us was kitted out in spike heels, clingwrap skirts, smokey eyes. It was a Saturday-night sea of sex.

Then a girl passed by who looked refreshing.

“What’s going on there?” I said.
“You mean how she doesn’t look like she’s advertising?” he replied.
“Yeah. I mean, you can practically see her underwear in that skirt, and her cleavage is hanging out. Why doesn’t she look slutty?”
“She’s wearing flats,” he said.
“Oh my god. She’s comfortable.”
“Yep.”

Wear whatever you want, ladies, but be at ease. If you’re tugging at your skirt, worrying about being judged, or limping up the street, you’re hobbled.

Hobbled girls may get laid, but only because they’re the weakest ones in the herd.

Project! Pretty Lingerie Drawer

As you may recall, last summer I was bitching about uncomfortable underwear. I was feeling globally homicidal at the time, but was unable to stop pulling at my drawers long enough to pull a trigger. So G-strings are useful for something besides sex after all.

Anyway, you guys came to the rescue with a range of good suggestions, which I proceeded to try out.

A while later I saw this gem of an article in Domino (available online courtesy of DesignMom). It’s about organizing your underwear so it looks all fancy. After reading it, my disheveled pile of aging cotton made me feel even more pathetic.

I finally threw out all my ill-fitting drawers and bought a couple of these on sale:

That’s the Old Navy Women’s Mesh Hipster, and just as you promised, it’s a towering achievement in undergarments — cute, flattering, reasonably priced, comfy, no panty line, good at math. Once I’d tried them out, I went online and ordered enough to outfit the Rockettes.

The drawer organizers I found were overpriced, so I bought some ornament storage trays on clearance at the Container Store, because I am a genius.

Anyway, behold!

Are you atremble at the glory of it all? For the record, that glass full of weed is actually verbena leaves. I thought it would make the drawer smell nice, but it didn’t really, so feh.

I redid my sock drawer too:

I can’t tell you how chick-excited I am. It’s like a new-issue-of-People-and-box-of-rainbow-macaroons-from-Miette-while-I-watch-Gossip-Girl excited.

Anyway, do this for yourself. I’m surprised at how calming it is to wake up knowing I won’t have to paw through a tangle of withered elastic and granny wear.

Tomorrow, oral surgery! Enjoy my pain-killer enhanced posts for the next week or so.

Rainbows. Kittens. My hair.

I just closed comments on the circumcision post, because for the first time ever on Mighty Girl, Godwin’s Law is in effect. We made it to post number 58 before the Nazi mention though, so kudos kids. Also, I love conversations like this because it’s fun to see all the doctors and scientists come out of the woodwork. Hi, guys!

OK, now for a palate cleanser. Every time I do one of these videos, people ask how I got my hair that way. I’ve ignored it, because I do have curly hair, but you know when people keep asking about your hair through the Nazi comments, it’s time to pony up. So here’s what I do:

-I wash it with Burt’s Bees Pomegranite and Soy Shampoo.
-I condition with the Costco bottle of Paul Mitchell for dry hair.
-I towel dry, and comb it with a wide-tooth comb.
-While it’s wet, I scrunch in some type of curly product like: Curl Friends Replenish Leave in Conditioner, TIGI Catwalk Curls Rock Amplifier, or lately DevaCurl B’Leave-In, which was recommended by the lovely Sarah Brown.
-Once it air dries, I scrunch in John Frieda Secret Weapon to make the curls less frizzy and smooth flyaways.
-If I’m going to be on camera or it’s a special occasion, I take the remaining frizzy bits and use three or four medium sized rollers to tame them. I like the Conair Hot Sticks because they make curls that look like the rest of my curls.

Voila! Tomorrow, we’ll discuss Obama’s stimulus package and my awesome new lipstick.