In Memory

I have some sad news: my lovely mother in law lost her battle with cancer on Sunday.  The Mr. flew to be with his father for the funeral.  Since my in laws live overseas, it was not possible for both of us to go.  It is still to soon for me to do a post about her.  In the next few weeks, I will share with all of you what an amazing, wonderful woman the world has lost.  Today's outfit is in memory to her.  The sweater shawl I am wearing was a gift from her.  It is an extra special gift because my father in law got it for her when he was in Romania.  I was touched that she gave this to me, since I know how much it meant to her.  I don't wear this often (for fear of ruining it), but today was the perfect day to wear it.  The skirt is something I thrifted at Goodwill recently (Lapis), as are the shoes (Kenneth Cole Reaction).  The top is from Target, and I can't remember where I got the belt.  I wore the sweater shawl all day, but without the shawl, this is a great casual outfit.

At the office

Around Town (probably thrifting)

How to Avert a Wardrobe Malfunction

I ended my experiment two weeks ago (end of April) and have to say it has been a great experience.  The purging of my closet has begun and I can't wait to be done with thinning out my wardrobe.  This whole experience has taught me to value what I have, be creative in what I wear, and most importantly: to have fun!  I have also discovered how much I enjoy thrifting.  Part of what has made this last 6 months or so, so much fun is being able to wear all my thrifted items.  I love the idea of thrifting: it is eco friendly, it is local, and the dollars raised usually helps a good cause.  Since I have always enjoyed treasure hunting and bargain shopping, thrifting really is the ideal way to shop for me.  I have decided that this year I am going to make an effort to purchase clothes and accessories from thrift or consignment stores at least 85% of the time.  I am also going to start sewing again.  I used to do this on a regular basis, but with my sewing room in total disarray, I haven't been doing any sewing.  Which brings me to the topic of this post.

I wore a skirt I recently thrifted at my local thrift store to work today.  Only to discover that it was way too big with a high probability for a major wardrobe malfunction.  Unfortunately, this discovery came about as I was walking to my place of work.  Realizing I needed a quick, no-sew solution, I put my noggin to work and came up with this (you will need two heavy duty paper clips for this solution):

                                      

The Problem

The Solution.....

The back of the skirt

Fold left side to make a faux dart

Clip with heavy duty paper clip

Repeat on right side

The faux darts are ready

The finished product

Cover with top (shhh.. no one has to know :))

Viola! Wardrobe malfunction averted.

Needless to say I went straight to the office supples closet, picked up two paper clips then headed for the bathroom and fixed my skirt.  I wore this all day long without any issues, and the skirt looks well fitted.  As for where I got this lovely ensemble: top is from Target, skirt is ICE, and shoes are bebe.