Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Tuesday Top 5: Gimme the Details!

A couple weeks ago I was reading the always-amazing Karla's Closet and came across this outfit:

So glamorous, right?

Now, the thing that makes Karla always-amazing, besides her perfectly defined jawline, is that homegirl knows how to do details: just look at the jacket, the shoes, the hat, the earrings, the sunglasses, the brooches, the nail polish, oh my! She's a beautiful girl with a killer sense of style, but it's really the details that make her outfits so memorable.

Looking at her photos, I had a profound epiphany. It went something like this: "Winona, stop wearing boring outfits. Be more like Karla! Work on the details!"

You know the old adage, "Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off"? Well I'm trying the opposite: "Before you leave in the morning, put one more thing on." It helps me focus on those easy-to-overlook details even when I'm rushed in the morning, and on more than one occasion it has ensured I wore pants to work. Phew.

Here are some little details I've been adding to my outfits before I leave the house:

1. Flower hair accessories. Lots of flower hair accessories.

My first order of business: head to Etsy and spend my life savings on flower-themed items for my hair. I got a giant red rose clip, a blue flower headband, and these yellow rose bobby pins that I absolutely love:

Put on a potato sack. Stick a rose clip in your hair. Feel put together and chic!

2. Watches

My boyfriend has a great watch he got as a gift in high school: it's silver with a blue face and he keeps it by the door to remind me daily of how great it would look with all my outfits, but he never wears it, and he won't let me wear it because he says I'll break it. [Editor's note: This is a completely reasonable thing to say, especially since I borrowed his ipod last week, added "Lean Like a Cholo" to his playlist, and then dropped it on the treadmill.]


Anyway, the point is: it was time for me to take charge of my own watch destiny. I love the look of men's watches, so I bought my own for $2 at an antique store. I also unearthed a couple of my great grandma's old Timex watches, and the giant, rhinestone-encrusted watch I got at a seaside giftshop a few years ago. Sometimes I wear them all at once, but I'm still late everyday, because none of them work.

3. Sunglasses

I favor vintage aviators the size of dinner plates, but round with polka dots or hot pink heart-shaped ones are good too.

My BFF Katelyn and I are happy to model some options.

4. Shiny, Happy Shoes

Life is too short to wear boring shoes. That might sound like a quote from Forrest Gump's mom, but seriously, it's so true.

When I wear my neon plaid flats instead of basic flip-flops or boring sneakers, good things always happen--I might have a good hair day or win the lottery or find a perfectly good donut on the ground. And spring is such a good time to try some bright, sunny shoes like these. Or how about these?

Definitely not boring.

5. Knee Socks


My friend Becca and I recently visited the Sock Dreams outlet in Sellwood, and it was awesome. If they had been serving mini muffins and screening Seinfeld episodes, I would have thought I'd died and gone to heaven.

I bought a pair of cream-colored knee socks, and I've been pairing them with bright blue tights and brown boots--the combo is really pretty and surprisingly subtle. I think Karla would approve.

Are you detail-oriented when it comes to fashion? What's your favorite way to make an outfit stand out?

24 comments:

Casey said...

Love it, Winona!!

Penny Dreadful said...

So true - I would also like to give a shout out to brooches, which are uber-easy to slap on a jacket or dress before you run out the door. Love the hairclips, I just got a mega short haircut so need to find some fun ways to be girly when I need to.

Unknown said...

Winona, this is before your time, but your watch comments made me giggle while reminiscing about the days when I'd wear my entire (extensive) collection of Swatch watches at once. I would even string them together to make headbands, belts, whatever. Sadly, I think those memories have kept me from embracing accessorizing as an adult... or maybe I'm just lazy.

Anonymous said...

I think I'm going to start giving your idea a shot--adding something before i leave every morning. Accessories are usually the last thing I think about!

EvaNadine said...

i love seeing other bloggers simply dripping with accessories, but often when i try it out myself, i just feel overdone. im wondering if i actually LOOK that way, or if i just need to adjust to wearing them.
either way, i have really been trying to accessorize my outfits more -- it takes an otherwise yawn of an outfit to *YAY!*

Sara said...

Love your new "add something on!" mantra. I feel so vanilla that I need the reminder to spice me up too.

Anonymous said...

Oh great, now I'm about to spend a fortune on Etsy on flower-themed hair accessories.

My bank balance hates you Winona, but the rest of me loves you. Great post!

Anonymous said...

Sometimes I feel like I'm not as focused on details as I should be. I'll have to be more mindful of 'em!

Law Girl said...

Love your accessorizing! I like wearing dangly earrings or fun shoes to perk up a boring outfit.

Also I'm looking for a big red rose clip to wear for my wedding in August. Any suggestions?

FutureLint said...

Yeah, I always feel like I'm lacking in the accessories department because I don't want to look too crazy... I'm trying to wear a few rings or bracelets most days now, but generally it's just my watch!

Gio Goi Jacket said...

Thanks for that! Great post!

Meg said...

Special request for Scott Christ's Top 5 Fashion Tips

Kelly said...

I've been doing the same thing lately - trying to add one accessory more than I usually would. It's slow going, somehow I'm still awkward with lots of accessories, but I'm getting better!

WendyB said...

When are you having the "buy lots of Wendy Brandes jewelry" epiphany? Try to give me some advance warning, so I can load up on inventory.

Renée T. Habashy said...

What a fabulous post! Your writing always cracks me up. I completely agree with the idea of adding something. It's actually the advice I offer to a LOT of my clients to help perk up their outfits. And those wedges are adorable.

Abigail said...

I just checked out Karla's blog and she is super cute! Also, I have been thinking about stealing a watch (ie, borrowing) and you have just confirmed that I ABSOLUTELY MUST.

Jess said...

Shameless plug warning!!:
Check out my little tiny Etsy shop where I sell flower hair accessories I make!
www.etsy.com/floralovely

Jess said...

Oops that would be
www.etsy.com/shop/floralovely

Lisa said...

Ooh I see those rose clips in your new profile pic! Very nice indeed. I love details in clothes and accessories. My usual tricks for adding details to an ensemble are statement earrings, cocktail rings, or necklaces.

Esti said...

I am allllll about the pretty hair clips Especially because my mamma owns a salon and I still have 78594753 butterfly and flower clips from when that fad ended and she stopped selling them (I have stopped wearing the ones with the glittery flapping wings).

Other things: scarves. Even if they're just looped through my purse strap because I'm getting sweaty from trying to look chic.

Valerie said...

I totally bought some flower bobby pins from there today! Woot! Thanks for the recommendation!

allegria said...

love those heart glasses



http://legssmiles.blogspot.com/

Becca said...

Ahh, sock dreams is the BEST! And free shipping online = Love.

www.majormusthaves.com said...

Great tips...

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