5 of 30: Plaid and Floral

Dress: Jack via ModCloth; Belt: J. Crew; Floral headband: ASOS; Flats: Blowfish via TJ Maxx

Really digging this outfit. I gave up trying to dress for fall. Although temps were cooler today, it was still warm, and just a little windy (hence the indoor photos). This outfit is something I would have worn -- and did wear -- in the middle of summer. Added the lovely floral headband for a little extra cuteness. Alternate shoes would be my white Fluevog oxfords.

If it actually got cooler, I would wear the outfit with this GAP Maternity cardigan (from 2007), one of my favorite pieces of clothing that I never bothered to put away with the rest of my maternity clothes:

One last photo with beautiful Stella the cat.

And hey! Did you notice the little remote in my hands? I finally figured out how to set up the tripod and use the remote. These are self-portraits. :-)

xo, Gladys

4 of 30: Hearts

Today, two different versions with the same dress and shoes.

Dress: Loila via Speedy Girl; Cardi: Freeloader via Amazon; Tights #1 and #2: Happy Socks; Oxfords: Fluevog CBC (Radio family); Necklace: ModCloth

As you can see, the leaves are falling, but the temperatures are still warm. Anyway, this shift dress is totally adorable. Little pink hearts and pockets! And it's one of my favorite hues of blue -- the jewel tone just works with my skin color. ModCloth carries the dress but my size sold out a while ago. What luck when I saw that Speedy Girl had it on sale a few weeks ago, and for $10 cheaper!

Don't you just love the necklace? :-)

So I did two versions because I didn't know which pair of tights to use. The first pair is super-bright pink and doesn't seem to go with the cardigan. The second pair looks better, but it's purplish and thick, and it's not as comfortable. But I think that next time, if I do wear the cardigan, I'll just use a more neutral color for the tights (black? brown?). And I think I'll change out the shoes. The white kind of makes it look like I work at a hospital. O_o

xo, Gladys

3 of 30: Pumpkin Patch

Top photo with one of my favorite young ladies (good friend's daughter). Bottom photo with the hubby. Top: Uno Core via Amazon; Jeans: Gloria Vanderbilt, hand-me-down; Shoes: Blowfish via Amazon; Purse: Ralph Lauren via TJ Maxx

It was so hot today that I was getting rather peevish about the weather. Is it fall or isn't it? I know, I know...I remember the past four or five Halloweens being very warm. The fall here likes to tease us at the beginning of October, saying "Ta-da! Here I am!" with a few days of nippy weather and even some rain. Then it runs away and hides for the rest of the month. I know it will get to freezing in one, maybe two handfuls of weeks, but I was totally looking forward to wearing skirts with tights and cardigans. And when you've chosen your 30 for 30 items based on the expectation of cooler weather, deciding on your outfit for a very warm day becomes more difficult.

Anyway, I like today's challenge outfit much better than the last one. Plus, better hair and decent makeup. I did wear jeans again but it was because I was going to a pumpkin patch with a group of young kids and I needed to choose, you know, function and durability over beauty. I wish I had worn shorts and a loose cotton top given the weather, but I wasn't going to wear my nice dry-clean-only 30 for 30 shorts to all that dirt and dust and farm animals, adorable as they are. (Speaking of choices, I edited a few of my 30 for 30 items with a bit more practicality in mind.)

The kids had so much fun, and so did we. After picking out our pumpkins and paying, we ended up getting dinner at In-N-Out and spending more time at our friend's house, where we hung out and watched Rango and Megamind until the kids started nodding off (hers) or melting down (mine, who fell asleep in the car on the way home).

xo, Gladys

Hairy Decisions

OK, that's it.

After seeing this:

I've decided that I'm growing my hair out this season.

Good-bye, short A-line. It was fun while it lasted.

xo, Gladys

2 of 30: Purple and Plaid

UGH. I KNOW. WHY DID I EVEN BOTHER TO TAKE PHOTOS TODAY? (Except that I needed to document that I am doing this challenge?) No makeup. Bad hair day. An outfit that just looked blah-de-blah-de-blah.

Dress-as-skirt and belt/tie: Tulle via Amazon; Top: Must Have via Amazon; Booties: Blowfish via Amazon; Bracelet: Kohl's

By themselves, the top and the dress (worn as a skirt) don't look so bad. I really like dolman sleeves. But I think I needed a more form-fitting bottom to balance the looseness of the top. I wore my jeans the day before so I couldn't use those. The one pair of shorts in my set of 30 for 30 items probably would have worked, but I just didn't think about it.

Problem was, I didn't have too much time. Again, busy with house stuff. My mom came over to help out, and we ended up just cooking and dealing with a grumpy, whiny toddler all morning. We managed to get out of the house mid-afternoon to go to a carpet place in town and check out their selection and prices. I didn't know the first thing about buying carpet so this trip took longer than I expected. At least the sales rep was nice. I guess I'm not the only person who asks all sorts of questions because she doesn't know the first thing about buying carpet.

So. I wore the outfit without the plaid waist-tie/belt, but for the photos I stuck it on my head to camouflage the bad hair. (And I was inspired by blogger Kristine. Or Polly.'s recent DIY on tying scarves on her head. She obviously looks way cuter.) I also thought it would be nice to use as a necktie. But probably for a different outfit.

Finally, for something more fun, I present to you the Shakespeare Insult Kit (via Tastefully Offensive).

To the creepy dude yesterday who followed me to the parking lot from my eye doctor appointment only to start wandering aimlessly among the parked cars when I noticed him following me: "THOU VILLAINOUS HALF-FACED LEWDSTER!" Okay, I feel much better.

xo, Gladys