[duck] statement glasses

So I have this pair of glasses that I bought purely because it was cheap and I wanted something so horrifically ugly that I knew I could pull off. Well, I'd wear them every now and then as a last resort but recently, I lost ALL of my prescription glasses except for the fugly ones. That being said, I ran out of contacts so I had to wear the fugly ones for awhile. Anyway, I've only been able to find one outfit in which the glasses work really well with the outfit! I wore the black boatneck dress Ali made with grey ruffly trim, black leggings, black flats, glasses, and this soft beanie from the Gap by Helen. The beanie never looked good on me but since I have short hair now, I tried tucking all of my hair into the hat, wore the glasses, and in my opinion looked pretty dang fly. Now, the rest of the days NOT SO MUCH! I am wearing business-professional-esque clothes, not hipster, trendy ones in which the glasses add, not subtract.

So I took a look at these girls- how the heck did they manage to pull them off so effortlessly?!?! I guess I need to step up my game! I think the Asian girl looks especially awesome with the funky blue skirt paired with neutrals with bright pink lips. That. Is. Totally. Doable. Alright, no more scared-ness, I'm going to try this combo.

Christmas Casual

HR sent out an e-mail this week that says to the effect, "Ok, you guys convinced me. Christmas casual for the rest of the week!" in which I responded with a grimace. Holiday sweaters, tacky vests, lit-up necklaces and bouncy Santa hats. There's nothing more I dislike than wearing straight up casual jeans and a T-shirt at work unless the event calls for it.

For the rest of the week, this is what I wore:
TUESDAY

skirt: Express brown pencil skirt

top: collared white shirt w/brown/pink flower print

shoes: Aldo flats

tights: n/a

cardi: cyan blue J.Crew, thrifted

jacket: black corduroy

[quack] I didn't care for this outfit much- the Express skirt was purchased from my aunt probably 8 years ago and I've been holding onto it thinking I'll get to wear this name brand item some day when I am a big girl! Well, I've been wearing it that's for sure. And that elastic this is TIGHT! Also, the shirt didn't quite go well with it even though I thought I covered it up with a cardi. I was just in the mood for something bright but not too crazy. This was a 'meh' outfit.

WEDNESDAY

pants: brown

top: Ruffle-esque sleeve neutral light brown shirt, gift

shoes: Aldo flats

cardi: bright yellow cardi by Banana Republic, gift

jacket: NONE because it was freaking 60 degrees out

[quack] I was in super casual and comfortable mode. I actually really liked my outfit for this day. Soft, comfortable, neutral, calm- I mean heck, I wore a cotton shirt, pants, and flats! The only color I added was the sweater but only because it was the only item in my 30 for 30 that was thin and long sleeved. Everything else were quarter-length- well, except for the pink ruffly cardi but the yellow one caught my eye first and was thicker!

THURSDAY

skirt: salmon pencil skirt, thrifted

top: Ruffle-esque sleeve neutral light brown shirt, gift

shoes: Aldo flats

tights: n/a

cardi: cyan blue J.Crew, thrifted

jacket: brown w/gold glitter thread blazer, Anthropologie

[quack] Ah, I had packed the night before. All I could think about was the HR lady's e-mail about being Christmas casual and Thomas pouting, "I'm not going to wear black! It's Christmas!!" Oh, and Oli said that too! So, sub/consciously I decided I was going to wear the outfit I intended to wear a month back- the cyan cardi with the bright salmon pink skirt! Perhaps it was the sudden urge to brighten up the Holidays that did me in, but I pranced around all proud like. I mean, it's winter but I'm dressed in Spring-on-Coke colors. Oli gave me my first Anthropologie clothing piece for Xmas yesterday! This awesome brown w/gold glitter thread blazer had a sweet little Equestrian-esque blue folded ribbon on the right lapel. Love, love, love. It looks a little homeless, a little glamorous, a little quirky, a little homemade, and did I say homeless? When people hear me tell them they look a little homeless, they get offended, but to me, looking a little bit strange is a major plus for me. If you ever get that comment from me, you know I'm in love with your outfit. PISH, POSH!

[duck] post xmas

Purple zebra print shirt by Miley Cyrus, black work pants, black boots.
Add scarf and a black blazer. Pretty banging!

Lovin the whole not shopping for clothes for 30 days thing!! Since i don't have 30 outfits yet due to weekends and uniformed events, I'm a bit behind.

Oh, last friday i wore the company celebrate it shirt w.jeans and my white boots with the fur. Yeah, boy!!

Tomorrow, or this morning if you want to get technical, I want to wear my salmon skirt with cyan cardi. I miss color. Once iim done with this challenge, I'm coordinating my red hooch heels with my red skinny belt. Everything else will be long sleeved and conservative. After that, black skirt with neon yellow top. Edgy, a bit dressy, but colorful and creative.

[outfit so and so] DUCK

Ok so I sort of lost my black skirt for the time being, but, for the time being, suppose that grey skirt is black. And suppose the whole look is more cohesive than what's being portrayed here. Ha! This was my department's appreciation dinner last night. My hands are awkward as usual and I took off my glasses, hence the very squinty look. Anyway, I designed this e-card and Jess sent it out to all of the employees to save time, money, and TREES!!!

Hola. [DUCK[

A couple of more outfits to post that I forgot in the last post:

I wore my white winter boots (with the furr) with brown cords tucked into them. Forgot what my top was but probably doesn't matter too much b/c I was COLD and wanted a jacket, any jacket, to keep my warm.

Tomorrow's outfit:

Wow, I've been really out of the whole 30 for 30 lately. Mostly b/c I have a mini uniform for casual Fridays and a children's event, plus I had to wear a suit for a business dinner. I guess I could have worn something nice of my outfits, but the only thing that really changed is that I wore my suit pants but I kept true to my top and my shoes. I love wearing a suit! I don't get to do it often but at least I do get to wear it. I probably wouldn't care too much wearing it at all times, but every now and then I feel spiffy. I heard you're supposed to dress like your boss. Well, my boss that night wore a suit- he and I were the only ones of the bunch, but better to be safe than sorry. And I was safe. I think.

[duck 5] Outfits 3-7?

I know, I know, it's been, what, 10 days?! I knew that Helen and my schedules would be hectic, but even though I didn't take pics of my outfits, I kept putting off posting the items that I actually wore. Well, to be honest, I've been a very very good remixer seeing that it is my first time!

Outfit #3

Cardi: Aqua, Thrifted

Shirt: Striped purple/green/white pattern, second hand

Skirt: Black stretchy pencil, TJ Maxx

Shoes: Black heels, Payless

Belt: Turquoise, thrifted

[review] For my first official day to work, I was stoked about throwing this together. Funky colorful pattern layered with a bright aqua cardi and belted at the middle to tie in the deep hues? It was business-cute perfection. I was feeling low about my self esteem the day before because I wore my same outfit for Day 1 and with my dorky glasses, therefore not feeling too hot. So, I took it upon myself to wake up early for this outfit and try to look as business professional as possible. Luckily I did because I ended up in an impromptu meeting with one of our execs for about 3.5 hours. They say to dress like your boss- my boss's boss wears shiny shoes everyday and my actual boss wears suit dresses but my department dresses business cas.

Outfit #4

Dress: Teal sweater dress

Shoes: Nude suede pumps

Tights: Navy diamond print

[review]

The teal dress was purchased from a discount store called Beall's outlet. I normally don't care for their clothes but it was one of the first articles of clothing I bought when I started my new job. It's very flattering but a bit tight and short. Thankfully I wore dark tights to kind of conceal its length (by blending in) but really though, I don't think it's super appropriate for work. I kept tugging at it, but it's very comfortable and the color is a deep, really nice jewel tone.

Outfit #5 TUES nov 27

Sweater: brown/black/white striped glittery sweater

Skirt: Black stretchy pencil, TJ Maxx

Shoes: Nude suede pumps

Belt: dark brown, 2nd hand

[review] I was going crazy wanting to wear skirts but so scared of the cold. You see, we don't have central heating in the boondocks so we rely on fireplaces and heaters. Well, we only had one at the time but my determination to dress up overcame my fear of the cold. I did compromise and threw on my boots to cover my calfs. Thank goodness I kept the knee-lengthish booths in my 30 because I needed a cute pair of fall/winter appropriate shoes. I had considered keeping on the short ankle boots but figured even though the ankles were more comfy, the knee-length ones were better in terms of style and versatility. Plus, I can wear them with skirts or pants!

Outfit #6

Cardi: Yellow long sleeved, Banana Republic (gift)

Shirt: B&W floral print cowl neck, 2nd hand

Skirt: Black work pants

Shoes: Black boots

Belt: Turquoise, thrifted

[review] I wore the boots outside of my pants to continue making a statement. Well, tried too. The tops I had on were so-so, but at least my legs were warm. I swear, I've been wearing nude tights underneath my pants each day due to the weather! Even though our Dress Code changed drastically, I ended up following their rules by wearing hose under everything. Ha. Ha. Not intentionally at all- BUT they do make really nice breathable socks for heels!

Outfit #6

Shirt: Ruffled blue/white collared dress shirt from The Limited

Pants: Brown slacks

Shoes: Nude suede pumps

[review] This was my brother's bday dinner! It was Thursday- we went to Culture Club first at the PMA in downtown, then walked over to one of our fave spots, the Leisure Club, and had a super nice simple dinner there. Melissa came with us since we were her ride. I don't think she expected our night out to turn into a Chinese family affair in honor of my brother's 20th! I distinctly remembered what I wore because I thought, "Man, I wish I dressed nicer for my bro's bday!" Alas, I had on something fairly simple but comfy for shiz.

QUESTION: My work requires me to wear certain types of clothing due to special events. Should I have taken that into consideration? I thought I did, leaving 2 -3 articles of clothing out as wildcards. Luckily I did because 3 of my outfits were this:

Uniform #1 @Snowball Derby

Shirt: Experience It! shirt

Pants: Jeans

Shoes: Tennis Shoes

Uniform #1 and #2Casual Friday/Derby

Shirt: Celebrate It! shirt

Pants: Jeans

Shoes: Aldo Flats

Uniform #1 and #2

Shirt: Celebrate It! shirt

Pants: Jeans

Shoes: Throwback MHS shoes

Uniform @ GB Chamber Dinner

Suit: Calvin Klein

Shirt: Liz Claiborne

Pants: Suit

Shoes: Nude pumps

[duck 4] Outfit 2

So I wore the salmon skirt/ruffle cardi yesterday at work. Well, I also wore my awful geekazoid glasses too. My co-worker was like, "Is this the salmon pink skirt you were talking about?" "Yes... but I don't think the color is appropriate for work!!" "Girl, it's OK. You're our graphic artisse" "THAT'S what I keep telling myself!! But it's still not working!!!"

Yeah, so did I mention I'm a creative in a conservative finance industry? Any chance I get to show off a little bit of my creativity I do- but now I'm trying to hone in my style so that it is conservative and businesslike, yet not suppressing my nature. I looked a little wacky yesterday with the whole ensemble(tights included). So, I made up my mind to rectify it today- try to look a little nicer.

Purple/Green print top: secondhand

Cerulean Blue Cardigan: thrifted

Belt: 2nd hand

Skirt: TJ Maxx

Pumps: Payless

I even put in contacts and straightened my hair. Even though my supervisor wasn't in today, I kept thinking to myself, "What if I run into someone important?" and lo and behold, I ended up meeting with the VP to discuss plans. In my transition from full time student/ part-time waitress/ part-time technology firm graphic designer to full time graphic designer at a finance industry, my dress has changed significantly. Worried about what to wear, I would at first try to play it safe and mildly boring. Then, in my 4th day at my new job, I decide "screw it, I want to look like me!" I thought "Oh, well I've been dressing so professional each day, let me just wear something totally frumpy and creative." That day I go out to a luncheon, if you will, and meet all the board members and 50 of their clients. "Oh, don't worry about Crystal, she's our graphic artiste." Well, lesson learned: you'll never know who you'll be in contact with. So while I was in frump artist wear, my colleagues were in suits. Did I mention it was my first time meeting the CEO and another VP of the company? Yeah.

Picture coming soon.

<3>

Wait a Quack...

I guess we never explained who we are and who olivia and duck (hence, oliduck) are.

This is a story of two cousins Helen (Olivia) and Crystal (Duck) who once started writing letter to each other as youngsters and angsty preteens. How we chose Olivia and Duckie as our penpals names, I can't even remember. We've grown up and grown old(er) and still love being crazy and creative together.

Here's a diary of our clothes and tidbits of the lives that we lead in them.

Weather, why do you hate me?

[Olivia 1]

Currently wearing:

Uggs

COH grey, distressed jeans

Madewell beige, crewneck sweater

Anthropologie cream pea coat.

Current weather:

60 degrees, humid, and raining. FML.

Yesterday I had high hopes of picking out my 30 for 30 (props to Crystal for her skills, love those ALDO shoes!), cleaning out my closet, and not freezing from surprisingly cold Atlanta weather.

I did clean out my closet and streamline -whittling down to my 30, and probably post up pictures on Friday. I really think picking a 30 not only makes getting dressed easier in the morning, but it really pinpoints the weaknesses in any shop-aholic.

Here's what I learned about myself:

1. I thought I was obsessed with neutrals.

I am.

HOWEVER, I also have some funner, eclectic pieces I could work in to my daily outfits that too often get stuck in the back of the closet. 30 for 30 actually clarifies your style into exactly what you want to express, and shows that what you wear really is a reflection of yourself.

2. I buy with my heart not my head. (see my current accessory crush above: JCrew hat!)

Tank tops, nail polish, socks. You name it, I'll buy it. Anyway, to the point: I buy things that I don't need. I spend money on pretty things, all things in moderation at least ... ;) and not warm sweaters that can easily fit into my wardrobe. When you buy things, you should know your closet well enough to see how it fits.

3. Style isn't about WHAT you have. It's about HOW you wear it.

Simple as that.

My 30 for 30 will be up soon, I SWEAR. I have major papers looming over my head, and finals creeping up on me. I dressed up like the weather today, very blah, please forgive me, but made sure my hair and makeup looked decent. Do you ever use hair and makeup to compensate from a not-so-wow outfit?

Style on,

Helen

[duck 3] Kate Middleton's Style

I know, I know, Kate is kind of a common choice as she has made several best dressed lists. However, why the heck not? She's young and she has classy taste. She likes quality blazers/jackets, wearing dresses, heels, and best of all, bold hats. Anyone who wears old lady church hats and can pull them off publicly gets an "A" in my book.

Sometimes, I wish I could be royal so I would have an excuse to wear my over the top headpieces. Nah, I still wear what I want, where I want. I do what I want.

[duck 2] day 1

So today's plan flowed strangely well. I picked out my items yesterday with about 2 or 3 wildcards, and decided to match one today. I've actually worn this outfit to the office before except sans tights, geek-a-zoid glasses, and belt. It was super cute, at least I thought. Anyway, it was cold, hence my ballet tights, but I decided to dress up anyway even though I was supposed to spend the day nailing shingles to my new garage with my sweet hubs. He comes rushing through the door and says he needs to go to town for some work. Me? I'm already dressed and ready to go, strangely enough. So I grab my bag, laptop, camera, and set out to civilization. Turns out, I spent about 7 hours (I'm still here...) at Barnes and Nobles. Quite nice to be reading you know! I love me some B&N- it's super relaxing and I get to read all I want. Loves it.

So, Helen, how's your day going?

glasses: ZenniOptical.com (btw, $8 prescription. no joke. I have 5 pairs, but lost 3, now I'm forced to wear the super nerdy ones not as a fashion statement but as a necessity. Oh wells)

cardigan: the Limited

belt: 2nd hand

skirt: thrifted

tights: Danskin (yes, my ballet tights)

shoes: naturalizer

www.AngriBunni.com

I knew the tights were sort of a bad idea, but I went with it anyway. When I saw the pics, I immediately took them off, and the belt as well. Too much. In design, we say KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid.

[duck 1] 30 for 30 challenge

So Oli and I decided to start our very own 30 for 30 challenge. Perfect timing since the holidays are around the corner! Basically, we pick out 30 items from our closet (jackets and accessories not included) and we remix these items for the next 30 days in hopes of creating a new and amazing outfit. The catch is that we don't go shopping for these 30 days as well. It'll be hard but ultimately worth it since the holiday season is KIND of a drain on my tweed pocketbook :).

Here are my 30 items! I forgot to take pics of my cardigans, but may do so later!

- 6 pairs of shoes

2 button downs

4 pairs of pants

3 skirts (pardon my crappy pic)

7 shirts

These are listed above, but I love this shot :).. These were the shoes I got on Black Friday that ultimately made me start the challenge and stop buying for myself. I was looking for a nude comfortable flat that would be versatile in matching- matching complete.