Happy Halloween from our Little Fairy

We had to get her dressed up, even though we weren’t joining my family this year like we usually do for trick or treating. Our friends (who live in our building) Mike & Kati emailed us earlier today to let us know they wanted trick or treaters -- which was the perfect excuse to get a little costume together for her after all (and stock up on some candy for David and I… October 31 rolls around and I start to go through withdrawl if I don’t have a fun-size candy bar).

V was an eager trick or treater. Plus it helped that she was in LOVE with the “yos” (shoes) she got to wear (thanks, Kelley!). The past few weeks I’ve caught her rummaging through her drawers in an attempt to find these Tinkerbell shoes. When I pulled them out to complete her fairy costume tonight, she couldn’t stop talking about them. David made her wings (the guy can cut anything out of construction paper in 5 seconds flat), and Elise bought her the little tulle skirt for her birthday this past summer. The onesied pot-belly hanging over the skirt is all Vi.

Hope your Halloween was safe and happy, and full of whatever you'd dig through multiple bowls of candy to find. 

Dressing for Your Skin Tone

It's that age old question that girls have been asking each other since the 1950's: "What color season are you?"

More recently, Stacey asked if I could share some advice on how to dress for your particular skin tone -- a really great question. Wearing colors that complement your hair, eye, and skin color will make or break an outfit. You'll look much more put together if you stick to the colors that enhance your natural features.

So I did a little research and found that "color seasons" are broken down into three basic categories per season:

• Clear Winter, Cool Winter, Deep Winter
• Light Spring, Warm Spring, Clear Spring
• Light Summer, Cool Summer, Soft Summer
• Soft Autumn, Warm Autumn, Deep Autumn

Here's the thing... I could type it all out here for you, but you'd probably be better off checking out this link and this link, which explain it infinitely better than I'd be able to and provide charts that teach you the best colors to wear based on your hair, eye, and skin color.

So for example, I confirmed that I'm a Clear Winter (something my mother and grandmother have been telling me my whole life):

What's cool about finding out what colors will work best for you is that it explains why you can wear certain shades of colors, but not others. For example, if I tried to wear a light sage or mossy green, it would wash me out. But I can go for a kelly or an emerald green, which would complement my dark hair and lighter skin tone.

Of course, this isn't the be-all and end-all. You might find that you span a couple of different categories, or even that you like the way a certain color looks on you even though it's not in your recommended colors. (Like for me, I never wear as much purple as this chart recommends because I don't like it all that much. But I do wear red, which isn't on there.) The colors listed are a guideline. There are numerous similar shades within each of those colors that might work just as well for you. Use this as a tool to get in the right neighborhood, and experiment from there.

The 5 Houses of Halloween

Here's hoping you're cozy and warm inside on this hurricane-y Monday! Since I know you're looking for something to do between watching alarmist weather reports, scarfing down "Hurricane Necessities" (i.e. Ho-hos, fun-size packs of M&Ms (they were on sale!), and Cheetos), and waiting for your basement to flood, here's another little trip down Casey's Memory Lane. Also, it includes some Halloween advice. Besides, with Sandy trekking up and across the coast, who knows if Halloween will even happen in the eastern half of the US? So keep popping those M&Ms and escape into a land where Halloween still exists. This is my hurricane gift to you.

My Halloween memories mainly smell like Three Musketeers and Milky Ways.

We'd eat chili and cornbread every year, wait for it to get dark as we excitedly pulled on our costumes (over our turtlenecks, to ensure we were warm enough), and then wander into the dark neighborhood, my dad close behind with a flashlight. When our plastic pumpkin buckets were mostly full, we'd head back to the house to sort through the loot, dispose of any Mary Janes and black licorice, and eat as much candy as we could before Mom and Dad issued their "HOW MUCH HAVE YOU EATEN THAT'S YOUR LAST PIECE" warning.

What could make or break Halloween were the houses you hit up for candy. Growing up in a townhouse community was the best -- hundreds of houses crammed together. Of course, with that many houses to choose from, you knew you'd knock on the doors of some duds. I've found that houses at Halloween can be divided into one of five categories, and can tell you a lot about the people handing out the goods:

1. Porch light turned off, fence locked, shades drawn: Clearly scarred by Halloweens past, devoutly religious, or those who don't want to risk getting mugged by overly aggressive and germy children. Don't even walk up their driveway or steps -- assess from the road that there is no sugar to be had and move on. 
2. Bucket or basket on the well-lit porch: These people hate the sound their doorbell makes, still don't want to risk getting mugged, or are watching TV show premieres in the basement and want to guarantee they only have refill candy during commercial breaks.
3. Might-as-well-give-out-raisins stingy: Dentists, granola moms, economists... there's nothing worse than "here's one Dum-Dum lollipop" unless of course you do end up getting a box of raisins. Or a mini bag of pretzels. What the heck. Have you ever MET a kid? Were you ever a kid yourself?
4. The regular houses, with non-spooky decorations: They have kids or grandkids who are also out trick-or-treating, usually toss a couple fun-size candy bars into your plastic pumpkin, and comment on how sweet your costume is, even if you're dressed like a face-melting zombie.
5. The kid's best friend: Generous handful: Also read, Home of the King-sized Candy Bars. Typically adults who are still kids, who are more dressed up than you are, whose houses are decorated to the nines with fake cobwebs, and who are more interested in freaking trick-or-treaters out with their man-sized Mickey Mouse costume (yes, this happened) than commenting on whatever you're dressed up as. Worth it. 

Here's to hoping trick or treating still goes down on the East Coast! And if it does... be the good house on your street, for crying out loud.

Girl Friday: Libby

I have another sister, and her name is Elisabeth, but we call her Libby for short. I featured her once before, but this time, you get the whole enchilada. She's got hair like Taylor Swift. She barely had an awkward stage. She had/has way more friends in high school and college than I ever did. In 10th grade, she nicknamed herself (as a joke) "The Amaze." The thing is, it stuck. My family and her friends actually call her this.

I'd say that Libby's style is sort of a mixture of Erin's style and my style... but then I remember that she wears zebra print (tastefully) whenever she can, rocks lime green socks like it's normal, and has a rainbow of ankle boots (including two pairs of high-heeled, sherpa-lined ones) that only she can pull off. So I have to admit that, even though she's my little sister, her style is really her own -- and she's inspired me to try all kinds of new things (like ankle boots, prints, and bigger earrings, to name a few). Lib infuses her sarcastic, free spirit into her clothes, and the outcome is artistic, sometimes normal, and always a little bit crazy. (Don't let her answer to the first question fool you.)

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The Twenty Ninth: Describe your style in a few words or a phrase.
Libby: Simple, fun, and practical.

TN: How has your style evolved over the years? 
L: I used to be very shy about my clothes. I was never a risk taker. During junior high I had 4 or 5 standby outfits that I mixed and matched -- things that were safe and wouldn't draw much attention. Somewhere towards the end of high school, I bought a pair of zebra print heels that changed my life. After that, I was willing to try anything -- animal print, neons, leather pants... It's taken me a little while to figure out how to mix these elements into my personal style tastefully, but I'm learning how to incorporate my wild side into fun, easy to wear looks.

TN: Any fun/embarrassing clothing mishaps or stories you'd like to share?
L: During middle school, my go-to outfit was a pair of straight leg jeans (sometimes my brother's), a turtleneck, and an over-sized flannel shirt, topped off with a scrunchie in my hair. I also went through a phase where I wore red Crocs everywhere. Yeah. I've come a long way.

TN: Who are your style influences? 
L: Hm... mainly people I see on the street, Pinterest, blogs like The Daybook and A Beautiful Mess, and my sisters...

TN: Where's your favorite place to shop?  

L: It kind of depends on what I'm looking for. Target for pants and some shirts, American Eagle for jeans. I like places like TJ Maxx and Marshalls for one-of-a-kind items at a decent price. Also Forever 21 and H&M.

TN: How do you pick out an outfit? 
L: The weather and my activity for the day really determine this a lot of the time. I'm a college student and a nanny, so I like to keep things comfy and functional. But I usually start with one thing I know I want to wear (shirt, shoes, or even hairstyle) and find other things that work with that item. A lot of trial and error.

TN: What's your favorite thing in your closet to wear and why?  
L: I love boots. They really help to pull a lot of my outfits together and I love the way they look. I also love wearing fun prints, like my "African animals" dress (see above pic).

TN: Any shopping tips or fashion advice you'd like to share? 
L: When I find something I like, I think through the clothes I already own and try to match it with what I already have. If I can't think of at least two ways (or occasions) I would wear it, I usually skip it. This keeps my wardrobe limited only to clothes I really love and will wear often.

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As you can see, my sisters provide a lot of inspiration. Thanks for interviewing, Libs!
(And special thanks to my other sister, Laura, for helping take these pictures!) 

Boot-Sock Cankles

Aside from the fact that the title of this post might make a good name for an obscure Indie band, I think we need to talk about wearing socks with boots and how there's potential for some real problems.

I have some questions for the socks & boots wearing community. I need reassurance that I'm not alone. A lot of people wear long, high, woolly socks with their boots. They look polished and put together, and no one questions what most likely lies underneath:

I got in some really great calf stretches while trying to take these pictures.

Hideous sock-cankles, created by pulling knee socks over jeans. It's unavoidable, right? I always flash back to wearing tights to Sunday School as a 6-year-old: they'd bunch around the ankles like melting elephant legs, no matter how hard you tried to hike them up.

Now, I know there are alternatives to wearing knee socks with your boots, like leg warmers or those 3-inch cuffs that you can wear around your calves to make it look like you're wearing tall socks... which... by the way... what if those get misplaced and all of a sudden you're wearing cable garters around your knees? Clearly I'm not brave enough to try them and need the security of full-length socks, with their cuffs grounded around my feet. Pathetic? Maybe.

What about those of us who don't have stick-slender calves? What about wearing polka-dot socks? Look at the obscene ovals these polka dots turn into when I pull them up over my denimed legs. Is this acceptable? Any shape other than stripes turns into deformed version of itself. Do I stick to stripes and innocuous one-color socks?


What if you want to wear socks & boots to a friend's party, but you know they have a no-shoes-in-the-house policy? Do you risk having to embarrass yourself at the front door as you slip off your boots, bearing your elephantine sock-cankles to the world? Do you quickly tuck your socks up into your jeans, as though they were never there when really, the every guest at the party now has your lumpy ankles burned into their memory?

I have issues, people. Problems. And not of the mental variety. Although you might be led to think that after reading this post. Once again, I am bearing my little fashion soul, and asking for your input... I've been making do with my knee socks, but I feel like maybe I'm missing something. Are you harboring boot-sock cankles too? Is it just the way it is?

Clothes for Cheap: Madewell Ankle Strap Shoes

From Madewell:

Similar, from Old Navy:

Granted, the shoes from Madewell are mini-wedges and the Old Navy knock-offs are flats. But if you're going for a classic sort of Parisian look, you can't beat the $112 price difference. (Plus the ones at Old Navy come in pink and citron as well.)

Happy Tuesday!

Halloween Costumes I Have Known & Loved

The race to prepare for Halloween began October 1. My siblings and I had a matter of weeks to come up with and put our costumes together -- my parents were strong believers in "making our own," so we didn't run off to the store and grab the nearest princess or superhero costume. Preparing for trick-or-treating was a painstaking and creative process. If our costume was more clothing-based, we spent afternoons rifling through our dress ups bin and our parents' closet, looking for pieces that would add to the realistic quality of our get ups. If it was materials-based, my parents would provide us with the necessary cardboard boxes, trashbags, or egg cartons and help us execute our masterpieces.

Over the years, I was a reporter (dad's trench coat), a princess (in the pic above -- my mom altered her gorgeous lace dress to it fit me), a die (yes, my sister Erin and I were a pair of dice. Picture skinny legs and arms sticking out of square cardboard boxes fighting to get out the front door... it was awesome), and, in turn, The Purple Crayon (my sister's sporting it in the above picture. Mom made it for my older brother, and growing up, it was a rite of passage to be the Purple Crayon for Halloween. Every single one of my siblings has worn it, and my mom still has it waiting for the grandchildren to grow into it.).

As I got older, my modus operandi year after year was to come up with an initial plan at the beginning of the month, and then at about 5 o'clock on October 31, change the whole thing. My ever-patient mother helped me come up with last minute costumes many times (the trench-coated reporter was one such costume... another involved a kimono and some eyeliner). One year, I wish I had changed my idea last minute. I was 11 or 12 and getting cocky, so I came up with what I thought was a fool-proof plan to throw on an easy costume in order to get the maximum amount of candy with the least amount of effort. I got one of those goofy pumpkin leaf bags that people use for outdoor decoration, cut leg and arm holes, stuffed it with newspaper so I'd look like a jack-o'lantern, and trussed it up around my shoulders and neck with tape or something. I hadn't thought through the fact that as I gallivanted from house to house, the leg holes on my second-rate costume would begin to widen. I slowly lost newspaper throughout the evening like an incontinent child, and by the end of the night, I looked like a jack-o'lantern after it had sat on the front porch weeks past Halloween. That was the beginning of the end of trick-or-treating for me.

I love that my parents saw Halloween as an opportunity for us to build and create. My siblings and I collectively have worn some incredible homemade designs (robots, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, bags of jelly beans...), and I think we anticipated trick-or-treating all the more as we plugged away at making our costumes here and there, day after day after school. I hope to give Violet the same kinds of Octobers as she grows up: creative, anticipatory, and full of memories.

Girl Friday: Courtney

This is my friend, Courtney!

When I originally asked Court to do an interview, I tried to put her style into words... the best I could come up with was skater/goth/pirate/fairy coolness. Quite the awesome combination, right? Courtney's closet is an extension of her personality -- she's is her own person, through and through --  imaginative, unique, and edgy (and that's just on the surface). My favorite thing about Courtney's style is that she always dresses in a way that ensures she's ready for adventure. She's one of my favorite people to get into trouble with and prank friends with. Up until recently she carried a box of plastic silverware and a blow-up Christmas penguin in the back of her car, just in case.

But I digress. Here's Court's interview!

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The Twenty Ninth: Describe your style in a few words or a phrase.
Courtney: To keep it "simple" I'd say semi-gothic steam-punk rock.

TN: How has your style evolved over the years? 
C: Evolved? You mean like when did I actually start caring? Embarrassingly recently. Actually, not really caring allowed me a long and wonderful childhood... okay, one that's continuing in many ways, but I started getting into the punk/skater look in high school and it started morphing from there. At this point I really enjoy a variety of looks but lean toward edgy most of the time.

TN: Any fun/embarrassing clothing mishaps or stories you'd like to share?
C: Well, I can't think of any real mishaps, though I have had the misfortune of being called "hey dude" from behind in college... ouch. I think the other person was more embarrassed than me actually... but I just blamed it on having the body type of 14 year old boy. Hey, some are hourglasses and some are... well... pencils. And that's okay.

TN: Who are your style influences? 
C: Hmm... gotta go with Cyndi Lauper for this one. Or Cher. Okay, I might be kidding a little bit. I get ideas and inspiration anywhere: from something I see in a store, to an artist's illustration, to my own imagination... yeah, yikes. The Victorian steampunk theme is one of my absolute favorites so I enjoy incorporating it, and I've also gotten ideas from anime art. I enjoy doing my own take on goth and punk looks and can get ideas for those from magazines or online.

TN: Where's your favorite place to shop?  
C: I like Tilly's, PacSun, and Hot Topic. Oh and L.L. Bean. Hahahaha, just another little joke there. Forever 21 and Target have great prices, and Urban Outfitters and Buckle... well... I like to look around in those occasionally.

TN: How do you pick out an outfit? 
C: Close my eyes and grab at random. Hah, no it just looks like I do that! There is actual method to my madness! Really. Okay, it's mostly experimentation. I usually start with a theme or one item I want to wear and work everything else around it. A lot of times I scrap my initial idea and start over. Sometimes I even factor in little things like what the day's activities will be like or the weather or what event I'm going to! Psshh... details.

TN: What's your favorite thing in your closet to wear and why?  
C: Don't know if I have one absolute favorite, but I do have a weakness for interesting shoes and jackets. I also like skinny jeans since they're so versatile and I'm a big fan of shorts with boots. As far as colors go, it's black all the way. And don't anyone start on how black's not a color 'cause it doesn't matter. It pretty much speaks for itself in its amazingness. And I'll refer you to my husband Noah for a detailed logical argument on why it is, in fact, a color.

TN: Any shopping tips or fashion advice you'd like to share? 
C: Just a few thoughts. DON'T: go for outrageous just for outrageousness'(?) sake or to get a reaction from people. This approach doesn't tend to get attention in a good way.  At the same time, DO: be yourself! Be adventurous! If there's a style or item you like, go for it even if it's not the most "trendy" at the moment. You can always ask a close friend or someone who's fashion you admire how they think it looks or how to make it work. But don't feel pressure to just copy what everyone else is doing or only what's "in." There are way too many people doing the style-clone thing as it is. Also, being told "you sure don't seem to care what people think of you" can be a good or bad thing! 'Nuff said. And you can always go to this amazing blog called The Twenty Ninth for fashion advice...

Casey, I'll take my 20 bucks whenever.  =)

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Thanks for interviewing Courtney... your check is in the mail. Hahaha. NOT.

Plum Pudding & Cranberry Sauce

My friend Erin texted me the other day asking for suggestions of what to wear with burgundy/cranberry red jeans. I thought it'd be a good question to cover on the blog since this deep red is a hot color this season.

Some color/pattern ideas:

• Ivory/Cream: I recommend cream rather than white because of the warmer tone of the jeans. Typically cream looks better with warm tones, and white (although it really will go with anything) looks better with cooler tones (blues, purples, etc.) because it tends to create more of a stark contrast.
• Charcoal Gray: A good Fall color, especially if it's a dark heathery gray. It matches well with other rich Autumn tones, and the heather of the gray adds some interest and contrast to the flat color of the pants.
• Blush Pink/Peach: At first glance, you might think this is a disaster waiting to happen. Here's the thing... If you keep the different pieces of an outfit in the same color family (in this case, reds/oranges), most of the time it'll work. I particularly like a light pink/peach (IF you can pull this off with your skin tone -- skip if it washes you out!) with burgundy because it provides a soft, feminine contrast to the bold dark color.
• Black: Because dark red and black is always edgy and awesome. 
• Floral: A pattern on top will add interest to the outfit since there's a larger concentration of color on the bottom half. Pick a floral pattern with shades of burgundy/pink in it to keep the look cohesive.
• Coral/Red-Orange: Another monochromatic option, for when you're feeling bold.
• Stripes: Another pattern option -- keeping the outfit interesting. And stripes are always a good go-to. 
• Navy Blue: Because burgundy/cranberry walks the line between warm & cool colors (it's basically a mixture of red (warm) and purple (cool)), in the same way that pink and coral bring out the warm rusty undertones in burgundy, navy blue will bring out the cooler, plum ones.

That's all I got!

Currently Loving...

Just a couple of things that are making October extra cozy and colorful...

• My Minnetonka moccasins: After two years of buying fuzzy-lined knock offs at Target, I finally decided to get a pair of Minnetonkas (thanks to Venture Card points). They're worth it: amazingly soft & comfy to walk in, they go with everything (I chose a neutral brown so I could wear them with blacks or browns). I'm in love.
• Turquoise earrings: I was growing tired of my cubic zirconia studs (only the realest of the real for me) and I wanted something kind of unexpected but classic to wear every day. I like that these are a fun but still neutral little pop of color. And the nice thing is even though I can't afford real diamonds, turns out I can afford real turquoise.
• Battle Born, by the Killers: The current background music at our house these days. This album takes me back to my Springsteen roots (thanks, Mom & Dad). If you're down with that kind of thing, I recommend checking it out.
• Hot chocolate & hot apple cider: I only very occasionally drink coffee or tea (I hate coffee aftertaste, and tea just isn't compelling enough for me to attach myself to... it's glorified water), so when Fall rolls around, I like that I can finally join all my steaming drink sipping friends with a mug of my own. Homemade hot chocolate (read: made by following the instructions on the back of the cocoa container. Yes, I am gourmet) with a heaping handful of mini marshmallows is where it's at. Hot apple cider is also where it's at... but do NOT order it at Starbucks. That stuff is just heated apple juice (don't believe me? Watch them make it). Take the $5 you'd spend there and buy a jug of cider at the store and heat it on your stove top with a cinnamon stick and whatnot. You're welcome.

What are you loving this Fall?