The Tiny Closet

9.06.2012

Town & Country

On Labor Day, Theo and I got in the car and just started driving. With intentions of going East, to a life more simple and...inland, I dressed for whatever small town charms would inevitably hit us.

A little bit of town, a bit of country, a splash of Chicos and a hint of Eileen Fischer. Voila. Because whether I like it or not, I naturally go down that road anyway - road trip or not. For better or worse right?

You've seen this Value Village [thrifted] denim tank dress before, no? Of course! This is, after all, The Tiny Closet. If I can't wear the majority of my closet all year long, where's the fun in that? Reduce, reuse ladies. But it's more about creativity. I can't wait to wear this denim thing a billion more times in Fall, Winter and in Spring :)

Playing on old trains. So fun! Except when another working train ran by during the shoot and now I need a hearing aid. And perhaps a tetanus shot... I wore these drop-crotch pants last Winter here with fish nets and heels.

And this easy, breezy tank was as carefree and comfy as I was. Perfect with some old Chucks or maybe no shoes at all :)

pants: AllSaints / tank: Forever21 - and that's all folks!

My Fashionable? Life

I live in a very industrial part of town. And no, it's not the romantic, bustling garment district part of town. It's more like a trains, planes and automobiles, industrial area part of town. There's no clicking of high heels across the street (more like the clicking of biker gang boots on the pavement) and the only men wearing "ascots" are train conductors.

The bars are full of beards and leather jackets, the girls are badasses and at night, the streets are alive with heavy metal music playing from the band rehearsal studios.

And then there's me...Tweeting.

Yes, fashion doesn't seem to surround me like oh, Paris or Milan... but I was never one for matchy matchy. And while I've tried to avoid showing the severe juxtaposition of me and my surroundings in the past, this place is pretty frickin fun and quirky just as it is.

Like this taco bus on the side of the road!

The place used to be a junk yard... and maybe still is? The only difference is some people put an incredibly lucrative restaurant, El Asadero inside of a broke down bus and now cook food fit for gods everyday.

Needless to say I'm a customer. And I get the torta. And two steak tacos.

jeggings: Asos.com / turban: Zara scarf / sandals: Dumond

BT-dubs, I wore these jeggings quite recently here, the leopard scarf was best worn here and my top I wore for the first time here. Such is the Tiny Closet way :)

And I never mention just how funny it is taking photos. Though people are extremely courteous not to interrupt our guerilla style shooting) I am looked at like I have three heads most of the time.

It's called a turban. And it's leopard. Get one.

Back To School

Yeah, I don't go to school - I more pay bills for having already gone to one years back. But with all this "Back To School" fever swarming around me, though I am exempt from the academic herd, I can't help but feel the approaching formality of Fall. And Fall is my most favoritest time of year :)

And no, I wasn't the nerd that longed for school all Summer long, I was the lone-fashion-obsessed-Northwesterner that longed for Fall wear all Summer long. I guess things really do get better with age because even though I've been out of school for years, I know now that I had been channeling something that I was completely unaware of at the time: September is the dawn of Fall, a more conscious image, sharper looks - oh and Fashion Month :)

So I waited for the sun (and heat) to go down to romp around in this late Summer, early Fall ensemble:

I wore these wide leg Habitual denims here. The dress overcoat thrifted from Value Village actually inspired this Autumn outfit but I left it unbuttoned for a more retro vibe. I have worn it already a number of times since I got it. A good sign for my Tiny Closet :) My Seychelles sandals are suede and clunky so they transition beautifully into early Fall and look quite handsome under floor-brimming pants.

asymmetric tee: AllSaints / overcoat: Semantiks (Value Village) / belt: Forever21 / sandals: Seychelles / earrings: thrifted

So I satisfied my urge (for now) to wear a bit more clothing, with more varying textures while I am quietly preparing for ~~my time to shine~~ Fall... And for those of you who will be returning to school, may I advise a look similar to this one? I was so comfy! And a thick belt and tailored overcoat really do look studious and becoming without making you look like you tried. If anything, they're better than pajamas. You know who you are!

Hooray for Fall!!!

Yeah, yeah I'm a party pooper, I know...

Me, My, Mo, Mara...Zara!

If I had to wear only one designer for the rest of my life (and it could be any designer I wanted), it would be Stella McCartney... or The Row. Or Celine. Yeah, definitely Celine. No wait. Eh, never mind - obviously I wasn't prepared to answer that question. What I do know the answer to is: What brand would I wear exclusively for the rest of my life? Okay, that brand would be Zara.

And even though that hypothetical would actually be nightmarish in the end, such an answer does reveal my closeness to this brand of clothing. Season after season, they've consistently managed to make my mouth drop. And aside from the fact that every single item of clothing fits me like I had it personally tailored, I actually figured it out what most attracts me to Zara and that is, it's 75% me, and 25% of the girl I fantasize about being. That.is.perfect. Right?

Every woman should have that go-to designer/brand that embodies who they are without a fourth of their hang ups.

Dressing slightly more sophisticated, slightly more feminine, slightly better than we really are, brings it out of us. Ya know, like dressing for a part in a play. I've recently applied this 75/25 "method" and it keeps me striving to be my ultimate self while feeling comfy and strong in who I am already.

In this case, I'm referring to these amazing Zara sandals.

I put them with a thrifted Value Village denim tank dress and seasonless wool blazer (also thrifted from Value Village). Channeling The Lorax, they've got a Dr. Suess vibe in the back for sure. Something I wouldn't wear normally, but since they're more stylish than I, I become more stylish wearing them. You see?

Collars are o b v i o u s l y the rage right now (I type this while rolling my eyes to the point of headache) and though I've been resisting the trend, this tank dress is just so fresh buttoned all the way up, wearing it gives me inevitably at least a few participation points.

I have wonderful plans for the alteration of this dress, as I bought with a major alteration in mind. I've put it on the back burner though to finish up a couple more Summer items (I don't have much longer with this weather!!) But I plan to show it in the next couple weeks so here goes nothin' ladies!

Thanks so much for visiting!

Besides my Gap Men belt and new Zara sandals, all clothing and accessories shown are either thrifted from Value Village or vintage.

A Day To Vacay

I've had the case of the blues lately. When it rains it pours I guess. But amidst the pouring, my dear photographer (and main squeeze) reached out and gave me a lil umbrella :) You know, so as not to get my skirt wet. He really is quite wonderful.

Yes, with various current events my creativity has been zapped, my mind, completely pre-occupied. But when things are done going up and start coming down, that's when your passions for what you love can be a wonderful high road. And when I mentioned not getting my skirt wet, I meant to say new skirt!

And by new, I mean that I made it myself. Roaming through Pacific Fabrics, an enormous fabric outlet in SODO, I came across a truly fierce geometric, Grecian-like patterned linen. I grabbed up as much as I could afford (thank the stars I'm super petite!) and headed home to make this pleated skirt you see here. As I mentioned before, I don't use patterns - I actually drape my sewing projects on myself and sew and cut from there. Tedious I know but fit is key so all those extra hours are worth it to wear something that is literally made for me.

And that high road I chose to stroll down that day was actually pretty sea-level but the breeze made all the difference. I chose to wear a pair of glossy Taryn Rose flats as Theo and I observed the skyline from a different angle. These flats still have a gloss after all these years so of course, they have prime real estate in my Tiny Closet.

I've never owned a muscle tee but always wanted a few in muted, white and nude tones. Muscle style tees in those colors make the look so fresh and cool! And the opportunity came up to sport one finally when Theo cut up his old "Original Gangster" tee and gave it to me. Actually, he cut it up for himself and I took it and wore it that day and he didn't say anything.

belt: Forever21 / muscle tee: Zebra Club / tank: H&M / sunglasses: Anne Klein

And under my manly muscle tee, I wore a sweet cotton spaghetti strap tank fit for a ballerina. Sans tee, the simplicity of the tank, voluminous pleated skirt, and shiny flats made a more classic, feminine ensemble that I thought I'd show as well. And speaking of transitions, this skirt will also do very well come Fall and Winter. I'm thinking black tights, stiletto booties and my gorgeous chocolate wool wrap, hello!

So, back and at it with my usual [Rebecca Minkoff] bag of tricks (and hopefully some new ones?) I am feeling the tingle of creativity trickling through my veins again. Here's to a relaxing long weekend and a sumptuous day of un-laborious activities.

Happy Labor Day!

Business Trip

For the past 9 days, I have been in Las Vegas where my company hosted a very large network conference and awards show. Between listening to Frances Ford Copolla reminisce about the God Father days and bumping into the Prince of Bhutan at an after party, needless to say the past days have been a blur of mixed emotions, dresses, late night room service and lots of speed walking in high heels.

My trusty photographer was not able to come along but he trusted me to go it alone with the camera. I wore about 2-3 outfits a day, rushing to my room to change for the next event so unfortunately, I wasn't able to get every single outfit :( But, here's what I could produce in my bits and pieces of peace (say that 3 times fast) amidst the Vegas chaos.

I wore this shiny oversize t-shirt dress to Bellagio's newest club, Lily. And the club definitely lived up to its name - the moment I walked in, there must have been over 20 grand vases filled with white lillies in a very dark lounge setting. Gorgeous. This dress is from Asos.com and I paired it with my Jimmy Choo for H&M sandals.

This silk tank below with the knife pleats is a new one. I LOVE it and even though it's sheer, it's very classy and French looking. I will dedicate more time for it in a future post. And these safari bangles have paid for themselves time and time again! Who knew? They have turned out to go with everything. I no longer treat them lightly.

Even though it was 113 degrees outside (a dry hot mind you so not as suicidal as you'd think) I was indoors chilling in the AC. Since the code was business chic and we were inside, I was pleased to have the perfect opportunity to wear my suede mary-janes as I don't usually find the chance to sport them during the summer months.

Every day at 4pm, Bellagio served my team chocolate covered strawberries and champagne... all we could eat! When the tray ran out, they just served more. I delighted in this for a few days but after the 10th headache, I headed to Walgreens and stocked up on electrolytes and potassium. I still served my coconut water in a wine glass though. It is after all, Vegas.

And this overcoat again - loved wearing it with my ultra-feminine, eyelet-like Summer dress. I changed my shoes though and forgot to take a pic of the finished ensemble. Oh well...

I took all of my jewelry and perfume with me. I mainly buy jewelry from AllSaints, Forever21, H&M and random street carts. I packed almost all of my shoes as well! I'm a thorough, detailed packer but usually for the sake of weight, I pack items that can be worn into the evening but this time I decided to just pack it all up and have full access to my Tiny Closet for whatever the day or night brought. I let the bellhop worry about the weight.

During a second routine "costume" change, I took some shots of me in my comfy white bed. I'm having a Mommy Dearest moment here. I will miss sleeping in the middle... I'm sure some of you know what its like to miss that simple, single-girl luxury of sleeping in the middle of a bed!

So I am back in Seattle, back on my side of the bed. I have decided to skip the IFB conference this year (waaaah!!) but with the major injection of marketing and pr exposure I got during my trip, my experience has been a game-changer for my Tiny Closet. So, I am very excited to continue on in a slightly new direction. Can't wait for my new ideas to unfold so thank you for reading and keep visiting!

all clothing worn was thrifted, is vintage or acquired overseas from huts or stands except for those items mentioned.

Northwest Tropical

Peaked by my last scarf play, I decided to go through my magic bag [of scarves] and see what else I could do with some of the scarves I haven't been wearing...

A few years ago, a friend gave me a beautiful, hand painted scarf/sarong from Hawaii. I LOVED it buuuut I had no idea what I would do with it. The brilliant yellow and frosty pink painted flowers... I wasn't sure where it fit. Until now that is.

Thankfully, this scarf is huge so it covered all necessary areas to play the part of a dress that evening. And while I don't find myself in halters much, I did enjoy showing off the plunging neckline I created with wrapping the scarf. The yellow goes rather well with my coloring so I'm excited to wear it around my neck come Fall.

scarf: Hawaii / belt: Forever21 / wedges: Les Fiances / earrings: Forever21 / bangle: vintage

The weather was absolutely perfect on Monday and Theo and I loved walking up and down Alki Beach. A perfect reprieve from a stressful day at work as everyone is now rushing around tying up loose ends before our awards show and industry showcase in Vegas. I am a last-minute packer and even though I have quite a knack for it, I have never needed so many dresses and shoes for a trip before now. Vegas for 8 days...yikes! Talk about overkill. But I can't wait to wear a couple new dresses I bought just for the occasion aaaand - I'm bringing the camera along to share the experience!

Out of The Ordinary

Theo and I have been wanting to check out a new Mexican restaurant in our hood, La Catrina and after learning they serve brunch on the weekend, we could no longer delay seeing what the place was all about. Seated at an outside table in their back garden area, we settled in immediately. Hello! Gorgeous. I was surrounded by herbs and flowers and there were even little lime trees.

Definitely a brunch out of the ordinary. And speaking of out of the ordinary, I had decided that morning to use my leopard scarf from Zara as a cover up over my tube dress. Just a regular scarf transformed into a breezy Summer top piece.

So flippin' hot out, even in the morning - looking through my Tiny Closet, I couldn't bare wearing an actual shirt. At the same time, I didn't want to wear a bra :-/ Eh, maybe some of you ladies know how that goes. So voila, a tasteful, perhaps regal(?) coverup so that I could feel a little "freer" in the heat that morning.

Hanging by our table, we noticed the most unusual vine flower. Crazy! I plan to ask the owner what kind of plant he is growing - I want it for myself!

scarf: Zara / denim: Benetton / tube dress: H&M / earrings: Tory Burch / oxfords: CMG

Such gorgeous surroundings :) We have added yet another gem to our lazy-Sunday-brunch options. Can't wait to go back for a candle-lit evening drink!

Hope your weekend was absolutely wonderful!

In to Navy

I never thought I'd buy into the whole "jeggings" epidemic that's happened over the last few years... But with the growing options and styles of this quasi-maternity wear, I gotta say, the moment I slipped on a pair, the heavily accommodating waste band and forgiving thigh area sold me instantly. Plus it made me feel better about myself on my thicker days.

Anyway, the reason I'm even bringing up this dying breed of pants is because I've always worn mine with long tunics, ya know, to cover them up but still show a hint of a denim look. And I wear them on laundry days or grocery shopping and whatnot. But after finding yet another gem (a sharp little sailor top) at Driftwood consignment in Madrona, these jeggings all of a sudden look suitable enough to not need to be hidden! And because I felt a bit 40s that day, I popped on my tap shoes and my M.A.C. Red lipstick a la "I love Paris In The Springtime" :) Ya know, to finish the look.

Sailor necklines are the cutest. Add navy stripes and cute just got cheeky. I look like a black Annie - hilarious! And awesome. This silk knit Ralph Lauren polo makes the bottom part of my ensemble perfect sense. And with the tap shoes, well, where's a parlor or a wash deck to dance around on when you need one?? I'm totally mixing metaphors here but as you've probably already noticed, this outfit covers a couple campy themes.

Jeggings: Asos.com - all other clothing including accessories are vintage.

And of course, that's not all I can do with this sailor top. You'll definitely be seeing it pop up through Fall and Winter as that is the Tiny Closet way but I wanted to debut this item in a more carefree light to remind myself to have fun with fashion and play with styles.

So have FUN in your clothes this weekend!

Sewing For Beginners

In a week, I will be flying to Vegas to celebrate and help host my company's annual award show. It will be a week of galas, parties, meetings and shows and I can't believe I haven't planned out my outfits yet!! I did however, plan to finish sewing my first Summer dress. Yes, specifically for Vegas I aimed to sew something minimal, classy, and a lil bit sexy! Check it out:

I tagged along to one of Theo's appointments last week. We were in a particularly gorgeous area where the greenery and iron gates went beautifully with my new striped number. I actually designed and sewed this free hand - no pattern. I saw a stunning Alexander Wang dress in black and was instantly inspired to remake it :) Ya think he'll mind?

Since this piece has just one strap and it's fitted, like I've said in the past with this style, it can get a little ice-skatery. Sooo, I decided to make the one strap thicker and attempted to give a slight drape under the neckline - so it looks less costume-like, yeah?

My accessories are from the Philippines, the espadrilles are from Yoox.com (psst, I also wore them here), and this thick rattan-like belt always comes in handy - got it from Forever21. The simplicity of this outfit makes my Tiny Closet heart sing.

And even though Summer is almost over for the great Northwest, this dress will surely be popping up a few more times before Fall - and again next Summer!

Keep visiting to see more of my sewing projects! Cus I'm on a roll, ladies :)

The Tiny Closet

Pages

9.06.2012

Town & Country

9.05.2012

My Fashionable? Life

9.04.2012

Back To School

Me, My, Mo, Mara...Zara!

9.03.2012

A Day To Vacay

8.21.2012

Business Trip

8.09.2012

Northwest Tropical

8.07.2012

Out of The Ordinary

8.02.2012

In to Navy

8.01.2012

Sewing For Beginners

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