Petite Fashion Challenge # 6 - Dress up Your Basics

This month's Petite Fashion Challenge is hosted by the adorable Jess of Stylepint. Her challenge:

"Dress Up Your Basics: Jeans and a tee is a classic outfit starter...for this challenge, start off with a jeans and tee basic look and dress it up to show off your personal style."

I try to follow a 3-step rule when assembling an outfit. Before, I typically overlooked steps 2 and 3, but have come to realize that the extra bit effort goes a long way in adding dimension to an outfit.

To start off, "tee" doesn't necessarily mean a plain Hanes Her Way 3-pack white tee shirt. I try to buy tees with little interesting details or a unique fit. The shirt below from H&M has small perforated details, cuffed sleeves, a slouchy fit, and is just $12.95.

Tee: H&M sz XS (current)  Lace Vest: H&M sz XS (similar)

Jeans: Gap Legging Jeans in "faded dark" sz 00P (buy here)

Shoes: Target Tawny Wedges sz 5.5 (buy here)

Necklace: eBay  Purse: LV Speedy 35

My second outfit is the classic and easy-peasy blazer over jeans look, perfect for "casual Fridays" at work. Instead of a necklace, an oversized silky scarf is an appropriate accessory. I fell in love with this scarf after seeing it on the lovely Cee of To Brighten my Day. Thank you Cee for sharing the seller info!

Tee: H&M sz 2   Blazer: Theory sz 00

Jeans: Gap Legging Jeans in "faded dark" sz 00P (buy here)

Shoes: Banana Republic sz 5.5 (old)  Purse: Chanel flap sz M/L

Scarf: eBay (buy here)   Belt: Ann Taylor Perfect Skinny Belt sz S

Accessorizing is my weakness, but I've been sticking to my goal of at least one mandatory accessory a day, be it a belt, necklace, scarf, or brooch. Slowly and surely, I hope it will become second nature.

Please visit Stylepint's post to see all the other ladies' outfits for this Petite Fashion Challenge!

Petite Fashion Challenge #5: Non-Gloomy Winter Work Wear

For new readers, visit this thread for more information on past challenges or to find out about future ones.

This month's challenge is hosted by Cynthia, a Toronto petite and writer of Shorty Stories. Visit her blog to see her entry and links to everyone's participating outfits. The challenge:

"It's winter in the northern hemisphere...the challenge this month is to brighten your work wardrobe. Create a sophisticated work-appropriate look that has no more than one dark piece (excluding shoes, accessories and hosiery)."

I immediately had an outfit in mind. My coworker styled a "winter brights" outfit for me not too long ago, involving a vintage purple skirt and ruffly floral top. Alas, on picture day I misplaced my beloved floral top (as seen in this post). Unable to find other prints or brights in my tiny closet, I had to make do with this plain ole cream blouse. Now this outfit hardly qualifies for the challenge : /

Blouse: H&M sz 2, fits like 00

Pencil Skirt: Ann Taylor sz 2 (vintage) 

Heels: Ann Taylor Perfect Pumps sz 5  Cameo Bracelet: Topshop

Everything in this outfit is old, but loved. The blouse I got last year after seeing Ping style it so nicely, and the skirt is a thrift store find. I came across an Ann Taylor size 2 pencil skirt and was amazed by how small it looked. I slipped it on and the waist was a perfect, snug fit! It just needed slimming along the hips, and shortening, as it wasn't petites. Crazy to think that current-day Ann Taylor skirts in sz 00P still require costly waist and hip alterations on me (an inflation of THREE sizes!).

I wonder how old this is? Can you judge by the tag?

But would it be worth the cost of alterations? My eyes raced to the material tag. 100% wool and fully lined - test passed! The skirt itself was just $5, so even with the cost of dry cleaning ($5) and alterations ($20), it came out to be much cheaper than any other pencil skirt I own. When thrifting, I encourage you guys to look for unique colors, prints, or textures in skirts that are made with quality materials. If only simple alterations are needed, you can end up with a "different" piece at a great price.

My beloved Hemmingway tailors:

Side/back view to show how small the vintage sz 2 waist fit (I am ~5 ft, 90 lbs):

Oh, just to reiterate how tiny the closet is in my Boston apartment...this is IT. It's 2.5 feet wide, shallow, plus I share it with a boy with large clothes (lots and lots of flannel). I've no choice but to hold another blog sale soon to make way for recent purchases. Maybe next Thursday night (Feb 3rd)?

Be sure to visit Shorty Stories to see all the other outfits. This has been a:

Petite Fashion Challenge #4: "Holiday Party"

This edition of Petite Fashion Challenge (PFC) is hosted by Curls and Pearls. Thank you Curls for hosting! Be sure to visit her blog to see all the other participants' outfits. I've already seen a few tonight and they are AMAZING!

The challenge: "Create a holiday party look using festive colors and/or holiday pieces without looking like a greeting card."

This was a timely challenge for me as I have two holiday parties this week...ho ho ho. I'm sorry guys, I took the easy way out again and used little creativity. After seeing the challenge I made a beeline for my closet and blew off the dust on the only remotely festive item I have. I splurged on this silk dress during J.Crew's winter 2009 final sale, then coughed up $40 more to get it altered all-around.

Dress: J.Crew Terra Paisley shift 0P (see before alterations here)

Shoes: Ann Taylor Perfect Pumps sz 5  Belt: J.Crew olive moss belt sz S

Accessories: Forever 21 - olive tights ($3.50), olive earrings ($4.95), bow headband ($1.50) 

Oh how I wish I had sexy shoes to jazz up this outfit. Alas I shop more for practicality and less for fun, so I only have these plain pumps. The olive tights (see post here) and belt looping are inspired by Anh of 9-to-5 chic. I only did black and gray tights until she got me pumped for the robin hood look this Fall. The belt looping is a simple tip Anh shared earlier this year which should come in handy for many petites...no one likes floppy ends!

For petites who want cute holiday dresses on a budget, I think Target juniors dresses in XS are a decent choice. I saw a lot of lace and ruffles during my last visit, but the bf whisked me out the door before I could make it to the fitting room. Below are some of my picks, all just $20 plus there's always a $5 off online coupon and 3% cashback with ebates.

(Click to shop)

 Refer to this post from one year ago to see how a Target juniors XS fits on me. 

Readers - what are you ladies donning for holiday parties this year? 

Rachel Zoe's Moto Jacket - Petite Fashion Challenge # 3

Petite Fashion Challenge #3 is hosted this week by Petite Little Girl! Be sure to visit her blog to see all the entries by fellow petites.

 

The Challenge: "Pick an outfit from your favorite celeb and show us how to recreate that look for less. Your style icon doesn't have to be petite."

I don't really know celebs—my friends poke fun at me for being completely devoid of pop culture knowledge. It was truly a challenge for me to find an outfit to recreate. I first looked up pics of famous petites, but nothing really resonated with the stuff in my wardrobe. Some considerations below: the Olsen twins (too homeless), then Rachel Bilson (too tomboy), then Hayden Panettiere (no style at all).

As the clock was ticking down yesterday, I stumbled upon this image of Rachel Zoe, celeb stylist. I thought, hey now, finally something I can do. Gray moto jacket: check. Patterned scarf: check. Fab over-the-knee boots and oversized Chanel tote...le sigh. Will have to be substituted by kiddie leggings and invisible designer handbag.

Lace Top: H&M Trend sz 2 - $32

Cardigan: LOFT sz XXSP - $20

Moto Jacket: Topshop Petites sz 0 - $115 (gift from bf)

Leggings: H&M kids sz 11/12 - $8 Linen Scarf: H&M - $8

 Booties: Calvin Klein "Hadrian" sz 6 from eBay - $40 Gradient Sunnies: Chanel

Not sure where Rachel's stuff is from but I think one (1) of her boots may have cost more than my entire outfit. So hopefully this satisfies the "look for less" portion of the challenge!

To make up for the boring bottom half, I tucked an H&M lace trimmed blouse under the cardigan. This is the flowy blouse version of a dress I reviewed back in this post.

Work has consumed me lately so posts here will definitely be more sporadic. I wanted to say "Hi!" to new readers and "thank you" to all past readers for continuing to visit and being patient with my responses : ) Since I'm so behind on blogging, I just ordered a flip cam in hopes of recording short "v-log" reviews of recent purchases while they are still in stores. Stay tuned, and I hope you guys have a wonderful Halloween weekend!

Petite Fashion Challenge # 2: Wear it now, wear it later

Petite Fashion Challenge #2, hosted by Kelly of AlterationsNeeded (my fave!):

"The challenge: Pick at least one item in your closet (not jeans, that's too easy!), and create two outfits, one for spring/summer, and one for fall/winter."

I sifted through my closet, and quickly decided on an H&M peach tulip skirt. I splurged on it ($40) in the Spring and never wore it again. It's slightly too short/whimsical for a business environment, and too dressy for my weekend lounging.

I took the easy way out and winter-ized this skirt with some black tights, while leaving the rest of the outfit (ruffled top, long cardigan) to mirror how I wore it in the Spring.

Outfit for Fall/Winter:
Skirt: H&M "Trend" sz 4, Blouse: Target sz jrs XS, Cardigan: LOFT sz XXSP (buy here)

Outfit for Spring/Summer:

Skirt: H&M sz 4, Blouse: Topshop sz 0P, Cardigan: Martin & Osa sz XS

Wow, makeup and hair looks a little better this time around too. I almost look cross-eyed in the Spring photo; probably not used to being in photographs yet. I would've liked to add some dimension to the Fall/Winter ensemble with a print top, but in the interest of time just threw on hasty black.

In winter I tend to "recycle" all my skirts by wearing them over opaque tights. No need to shave, yay. I think that black tights worn with black pumps has a similar elongating effect as bare legs with nude pumps. Black tights also make shorter skirts more work-appropriate because no real "leg" is being revealed. What do you guys think?

Be sure to check out Kelly's post today for links to all the other participating petites : )

Petite Fashion Challenge #1 - "Do a Petite Don't"

**If you haven't yet, don't forget to enter the giveaway to win Allison Izu jeans! There will be three winners chosen Sunday night.**

Thank you to all the petites who decided to join me in the first little "challenge." Readers, I hope you will check out the participating posts and leave these ladies your thoughts : )

In alphabetical order by blog name (please let me know if I left you out!):

Nelah @52 New Days - capris and a big belt 

Kelly @Alterations Needed - ankle strap shoes

Hanna @Evolving Style - maxi dress
Caramel Covered Everything - bermuda shorts

Curls and Pearls - very wide-legged jeans

Elle @elleandish - wide legged jumpsuit

Elle @Fast Food and Fast Fashion - long dress
Khatu @ I am Khatu - stripes, capris, and wide legged pants

Aradhana @It's a Beautiful Morning - harem pants
Sophia and her sister @Kechiko - maxi dresses

Callandra @Petite Early Morning Style - mid calf-length skirt

Sydney @Petite Gorgeous - oversized shapeless dress

Sydney @Petite Little Girl - long shapeless shirt

Petite XXS - wide-legged capris

Stylepint @Pint Size Musings -denim capris

Kiki @Psyched for Style - ankle strap shoes

Cynthia @Shorty Stories - slightly too long dress

Vicky @Vicky's Daily Fashion - flowy mid-calf dress

Due to my lack of creativity, here I am giving wide-legged pants another shot. The last time I showed such pants, many readers confirmed that they were unflattering. A few suggested trying a more fitted top...and sadly I could only find my pandex-y undertanks:

Tank: Theory one size

Seersucker Pants: Banana Republic 00P

Heels: Marc Fisher sz 6, thrifted

Necklace: J.Crew  Handbag: LV Speedy 25

Heh, heh...and just for fun, a big fat N-O...the same outfit idea but with a baggier top and flats:

Click below to continue reading...

So...what do you guys think? Better than last time? Or still a no? I personally still don't think wide legged pants are for me, but I think we can all agree that a slimming top and some nice platform heels really do make a difference. I LOVE these cognac leather peep toes...I found them at a "Savers" thrift store for $10. If Kerry didn't always mention her great finds there I would have never popped in. The best part is everything is sorted by size!

A fellow petite, MoneyMaus, wanted to participate as well. She posts mostly about personal finance so I am hosting her photos on here : ) She is extra extra petite at 4'10" and 80lbs. Her "dont" were wide legged capris.

With flats...as the "don't" :

And with pointy little heels...an instant "do" for work!

Thank you all so, so much for participating. Some of you have already suggested great ideas for future "challenges" so a different blogger will be hosting each one going forward. Kelly of AlterationsNeeded is doing the next one : )