Kaley's Weekly Wear- A Ukulele Gig! (and more school)

That's right, everyone. (Or at least everyone who read the title of this post.)

I played a ukulele gig this week.

Okay, it wasn't specifically a ukulele gig, but my roommate and I performed a show as "The Ravens," I played the ukulele, she played the tambourine, we sang, and my sister accompanied us for a few songs. And, guys-- it went surprisingly well.

And it was pretty fun.

AND I pulled together a pretty fantastic outfit, if I do say so myself.

How fantastic?

Well, see for yourself:

I know- we look like angels. I think it's 99% the lighting effect in this shot, but I will take it and make it my Facebook profile picture regardless.

Anyway, we'll do a close-up of the outfit later.

(If you're interested, Christy was once feature with the Ravens in a rousing rendition of Ace of Base's "The Sign." I think it's safe to say it was filmed on one of our off days, so if you watch it, please don't judge our outfits. Or my hair. Thank you.)

Okay. Back on track.

This week I had a rough outfit that will pretty much match my drawing from last week exactly.

Check it:

THE WORST:

Look at this monochromatic wonder.

In last week's self-portrait break-down I mentioned the v-neck, the jeggings, the go-to sandals, and the giant bag. All present and accounted for. I didn't use any accessories here- I was just going to study at a coffee shop. But I did, in all my infinite fashion wisdom, cuff the jeggings. In my mind I somehow thought this would make the outfit a little bit better. Looking at the picture, I'm thinking I was wrong. Especially since it seems as if I did it unevenly. Alas.

But on the upside- I have a really cute computer case. That has to count for something, right?

Okay, back to

THE BEST:

Look, a landline phone! Who has those anymore?? So retro...

Twin pic! (This was after the performance, so I was a little sweaty and gross by this point.)

Shirt: Spice Shops here in Waco, TX

Cami: Old Navy

Favorite Belt and sandals: Target

Skirt and giraffe necklace you can't see: J-Crew Outlet

I love this button-up shirt. It's bright and light-weight and makes me feel like Zooey D. in 500 Days of Summer. At least on her nice days.

Another twin pic! It's like we're identical!!

Because it's a bit sheer, I get to pair it with bright and colorful camis. Saturday I chose teal and paired it with my bright purple skirt. I felt like this outfit was really feminine, fun and classy. I'm pretty sure I could wear it every day. Seriously.

So there you have it. My best and worst of the week. From frumpy to feminine, I've been on both sides of the spectrum. (As usual.)

How has your week been? Did anyone else wear anything exciting?

Kaley's Weekly Wear- 3

Hello again, friends. I join you again from my desk here in Waco with a bit of a confession to make.

This is how I prepare to write. Iced coffee and mustache glass in hand.

Actually, I have to put the glass down before I start typing, but you get what I mean.

You see, I've had a few pretty good hits this week. A couple of misses, too, but let's focus on the positive for a second.

I wore a cute dress to the Farmer's Market. I went to a birthday dinner early in the week and wore one of my favorite vintage dresses (and heels!). The other night I went roller skating (where I was seriously injured in a selfless- and successful- attempt to avoid rolling over a child), and I think I pulled together a pretty solid casual look, which is rare for me. We all know what my typical "casual" wardrobe is. (If you don't yet, read on-- you will soon.)

In my mind, I was keeping track of my average style score for the week, and I was feeling pretty good about it. But I made a colossal mistake.

I didn't take any pictures of the previously mentioned ensembles.

I'm still trying to get in the habit of getting pictures of myself- or asking people to take pictures of me. There are few things I hate more than being the sole subject of a photograph, so asking for that to happen on a daily basis is quite counterintuitive.

So I'll be honest- last week's "best" wasn't necessarily my best. It was just the one I wore the day before I wrote that post.

This week I did things a little differently. I put one of my best outfits back on this morning and had my sister take a picture of me in our front yard.

So there you have it. My confession.

That's why half of my photographs are self-portraits in the mirror, and the other half aren't in cool locations like the Brooklyn Bridge.

Well, you can also partially blame that on the fact I live in Waco. But mostly it's the first thing.

Anyway, next week I'll try to overcome my self-consciousness and have legitimate pictures for you all.

Okay. Now that I've cleared my conscience, let's do this.

THE WORST:

That Dove chocolate wrapper next to my mirror says, "You make everything lovely." Not today, Dove chocolates. Not today.

Here we are once again. Me. My ill-fitting v-neck. Some Nike-shorts. But this time I traded in my ribbon flip-flops for my Baylor flip-flops, which I would never dare to speak ill of.

Also- that's a neon green sports bra sticking out of the shirt there. Just to class it up a bit.

To give this ensemble a little bit of context, I wore it into the office that morning. (I know.) I had to run in to do a few quick things, and I didn't feel like showering. Or getting dressed. So I wore this, thinking I'd be able to get in and out without seeing many people.

But as luck would have it, all the classes got out early that day to have a big social hour in the main lobby.

The one I had to walk through upon entering the building.

Right as this gathering was happening.

Awesome.

One of the students I work with saw me and said, "Ahhh, Kaley!" and then proceeded to laugh at me because I looked "different."

It was a real confidence booster.

THE BEST:

My front yard is almost as pretty as the Brooklyn Bridge. Go on- look at all that dead grass. I'll see if I can print up postcards for anyone that puts in a special request.

Now if you read my entry from last week, I know what you're thinking- this is almost the exact same outfit. And to that I would say, "You right."

But I'm pretty proud of the fact that I thought to pair purple and orange in this ensemble. Do people do that?? Maybe it's obvious to everyone else, but I thought it was a bold move.

I guess the shirt looks more red in photos, but it's orange. And the wind makes the skirt (and my hair) look weird, but it has a 50s flare and pockets that make it fantastic.

So, anyway, here's the line-up:

Shirt: Still Old Navy

Skirt: J-Crew outlet (making it even more eerily similar to last week)

Necklace: Still Old Navy

All the other Accessories: Target

Much like Christy, that belt is probably the #1 item on my "Most Worn" playlist. I love belting skirts and dresses. I struggle to wear one without a belt, actually. I just think it's the perfect accessory- it pulls everything together and emphasizes the smallest part of my body? MVP of my closet, for sure.

There you have it. Awkward photos of my worst and best for the week.

As Christy mentioned, we would love to see what you're wearing. Send us pictures of yourself- or even pieces of your outfit. You might be featured right here!

Send us a tweet here or here.

We look forward to being inspired!!

Also- keep an eye out for the wrap skirt tutorial! It should be posted soon!

Christy's Weekly Wear

This week was not such a hit for me in the style department. Daniel and I moved into our apartment all weekend and I spent a couple of showerless days in Nike shorts (we're supposed to be honest here, right?). Here is one of my weirder ensembles.

THE WORST

This picture may or may not have been staged to show off our gorgeous new rug.

Couldn't even make it to the bed. As I have said potentially 4 billion times, moving is the worst. I was pretty exhausted and unpleasant over the weekend, and I hope you've gotten that from this photo. Here I am sporting an electric green short (comfy as the day is long) paired with a denim blouse. The top is actually one of my favorite items of clothing. You may even see it on the good side of one of my Weekly Wears, but this week, it was just my security blanket for a difficult transition.

What saved me this week was that I started my new job at ABC. This compelled me to get my act together. 

THE BEST

Top: Old Navy
Skirt: Old Navy
Shoes: HEB Plus (we'll talk about it)
Necklace: Gift from sis

This was on a walk that Daniel and I took after work, so it is a little dressed down. I get a lot of compliments on this skirt and people are often surprised to find that it comes from Old Navy. It really does. They have some cute stuff there. Don't discount them because of those performance fleece commercials from the late 90s.

The shoes are, once again, the story of the outfit. I searched all of New York for a solid pair of sandals and it wasn't until a trip to San Antonio that I found these. The beautiful thing about these shoes is that I purchased them alongside some bananas and tortilla chips because they are from HEB Plus! For any non-Texans, HEB is a one-stop shop for all of your grocery needs. HEB Plus is groceries PLUS tons of other random necessities. These sandals were right next to an enormous assortment of baby clothes. Love them or hate them, they were only $8, and I happen to love them.

The brand is appropriately named "Chatties" (the shoes with a story to tell!) and yes, that is my real shoe size. 

I also want to point out my favorite necklace I've ever owned. This was a gift from my sister, Jo, as I was leaving the great state of Texas for the alternatively great state of New York. It is a beautiful piece of wood in my favorite shape. While I'm not sure who made it, she got it at the Renegade Craft Fair. 

Incidentally, I don't even know the shape of New York (again, we're supposed to be honest here, right?)

Kaley's Weekly Wear

Alright. Let me preface this post with the following statements:

1. When Christy and I discussed posting photos of our best and worst outfits, the only thing going on in my mind was, "Yeah, this will be great!" Oddly enough, it never occurred to me that posting my worst outfits might be a tiny bit embarrassing.

Now I know it is. Because a) it forces me to see what I looked like in a particularly bad outfit, and b) it makes me realize I forced a bunch of other people to see me in said terrible ensemble. And now I'm doing it again. Except this time I'm painfully aware of how bad I looked.

2. My other preface: I'm not making normal faces in any of the pictures in this post.

That being said, let's blaze on ahead to my worst and best for the week.

THE WORST:

Let me set the stage for you. I'm at home one evening, and (confession) I'm already in my pjs. I worked a long day, it's fine.

My roommate comes home and says, "Let's go get froyo!" "Okay. Let me change really quickly," I reply.

And for some reason, this is what I change into:

I know. I probably would have been better off staying in my pjs.

Basically, I thought "It's crazy hot outside. I want to wear something will keep me cool."

And this is the best I could come up with. The famous too-big (and apparently kind of see through??) t-shirt, knock-off Nike shorts, and the cherry on top (or bottom)-- flip-flops that I decorated at a 7-year old's birthday party. That's right.

I couldn't find my normal flip-flops (which would have only been a slight step up), so I just threw those on and ran out the door.

Into a public place.

Where people saw me.

Worst.

And while that face looks posed, it's actually not. It's me looking at my camera screen and realizing for the first time that I look like a weird lumpy box attached to two toothpicks and set on top of ribbon flip-flops.

Close up of the flip-flops:

A six-year old helped me pick the ribbons to decorate these things, so... they're pretty great. At the time I told myself I'd never wear them in public, but apparently when I'm desperate for froyo I'm willing to look like a crazy person in public. Rather unfortunate, really.

THE BEST:

Saturday my friend Marcus graduated from law school. Obviously, I needed to dress up because it was an important occasion, but also because there was a chance I could meet my future lawyer husband in that crowd. I knew I had to bring my A-game. I wanted my outfit to look professional (lawyers like that, right?) and classy, but still pretty and fun.

(I'm joking about the husband-finding, by the way.)

(Mostly.)

Outfit:

Dress: Target (Note the fun detailing on the top. It's one of my favorite parts of the dress- it's like a built-in accessory! My other favorite part is the tie at the waist (it blends in) that gives anyone an hourglass shape. In this picture, it also helps that I'm "booty tooching"- just like Tyra Banks taught me.)

Bracelet: Hand-me-down from my mom (I'm not above it.)

Shoes: Hand-me-downs from my great-grandma (They've held up well.) Since the rest of the outfit was black, I wanted a slight splash of color with the shoes. This is the "fun" part I mentioned earlier.

I mean, can you just scroll back up to that first photo for a second a see how different I look in these two pictures?? It's crazy to me how big of a difference an outfit can make. (This touches the surface of why Christy and I are doing these Weekly Wear posts. If you want a full explanation, check it out here.)

Out-of-focus close-up of the much-improved shoes (sorry):

(These things are surprisingly comfortable, by the way.)

So there you have it. My hopefully worst worst ever, and a pretty good best.

Next time I'll try to find someone else to take my pictures so I won't have to pose awkwardly in the mirror.

Oh, and just in case you're wondering- I'm not engaged to any law school graduates.

Yet...

Christy's Weekly Wear

This last week was a scattered one for me, style-wise. I spent the first part of it in Texas visiting my family and the latter part moving into our new apartment in Brooklyn. Not only was I dressing for two different climates (I would take Texas heat any day, by the way) but also for two different attitudes (relaxed vs. unapologetically stressed). Visiting the family was wonderful and so needed. I think they can vouch for my outfits during that visit, which were pretty solid. Moving to our new apartment was...yeah...not great. Moving is the worst. I was intensely sweaty, constantly hungry, and hopelessly dramatic. My attire reflected that.

THE WORST

Here I am with our laundry. The key feature in this outfit is the terry cloth short, which I bought at Old Navy a couple of weeks ago. I justified the purchase by saying that I needed sleep-shorts, but I knew even then that they would become life-shorts. Feel fortunate that you are only getting the front view. Terry cloth doesn't do me many favors in the back.

I've decided to take my "worst" pictures as though I'm being caught off guard. This is to remind me that if I ever become famous, these are the pictures that the paparazzi will capture. My husband and I had a big dispute over which picture adequately reflected my emotions, so I just posted both. Daniel chose the first one because of my pained expression. He was also very against the other one because he couldn't figure out where my teeth had gone. I was rooting for it because even though I look like a drugged cat, I am somehow finding my light and modeling through my anguish. Tyra would be proud.

THE BEST

Top: Forever 21
Skirt: Thrift
Shoes: DSW
Jewelry: Forever 21

I actually took this picture outside of the IKEA in Redhook. Despite how traumatic our IKEA experience was (I am complaining a lot today), I felt pretty great in my clothes. This skirt with its whale-embellishment is the new joy of my life. It is so whimsical while not looking like it belongs on a 90s pre-school teacher. I found it at a thrift store in the East Village whenever my mother-in-law and sister-and-law came to visit. Mama O'Shoney was not so into it. I don't really blame her. You don't see a lot of whales on the runways in Paris.

A better view of my whale friend

The shoes are also worth noting. Hold onto your hats because these shoes have a secret. The same company that made these flats also made THESE:

Wha?! My sweet, innocent flats are CROCS! Now, if you are Mario Batali or whoever it is that normally wears these dinosaur shoes, you already know that Crocs are crazy comfortable. These are actually my first pair, and I have to say, I don't think I sacrifice style in wearing them. I found them on a rainy day at DSW on sale BIG TIME. It was destiny. 

So that's the best and worst of my week! Did you dress well? Did you dress dumpy? Either way, I was right there with you. 

For more information on why we are doing The Weekly Wear, read this explanation.