Replacing Basics

My wardrobe has a few key items that I wear often.  My American Eagle "jeggings" and my Graceland boots.  I don't like spending a lot of money on clothes or shoes because they can so easily get damaged, but if I find something I like I'll just keep buying it again and again.

But what happens when the store let's me down?

Take American Eagle for example, I have been a dedicated customer for over 15yrs!  But this past year I realized their jeans just aren't the same anymore, what am I going to do!!!  A few years back I jumped on the "jegging" bandwagon and haven't looked back.  (Actually I have a stack of "boyfriend" jeans I don't know what to do with.)  When I visit The States I pick up a pair of AE "jeggings" or have my Mom send me a pair for the holidays, it's the easiest way to keep stocked up overseas.  But the pair I bought back in March 2014 just didn't fit right, I tried to shrink them, I tried everything, and yet after 30 minutes they are baggy and falling off.  I thought I bought a dud pair and had my Mom send me another pair for Christmas.  They're not as bad but still I can't keep them on all day because they just can't keep their fit.  I compared the labels of my old jeans with these, old jeans 99% cotton + 1% spandex, new jeans 99% cotton + 1% elastane.  Supposedly spandex and elastane are comparable, but I'm telling you the jeans just don't have the same fit anymore and they are impossible to shrink to become more fitted.  I am highly disappointed.  I actually think I might have to try out a different brand, it's not like I can wear the same 3 pair of jeans that do fit for the rest of my life.  Anyone else notice the difference in the American Eagle jeans?

Another dilemma on the horizon, is my favorite autumn-winter boots are wearing out and I can't find anything comparable in the stores right now!  To some they are extremely ugly boots, I must admit when I first moved to The Netherlands I never would have worn them.  But time wears you down, and you end up adjusting your style.  And actually you'd be surprised how many outfits these boots go with.  I can wear them with "jeggings" & "skinny" jeans, none of my other boots can handle the extra material of the "skinny" jeans.  I can wear them with light or dark colored jeans.  And because of the sneaker like sole I don't mind walking distances in them.  I could go on and on.  Anyway, I've been occasionally checking the 2 stores that carried them and they don't have anything like them anymore.  I have the feeling I am going to have to either pay more money elsewhere or find a different style.  I know the stores have to change styles every season, but that doesn't mean all of the people do.  I should have bought 2 pairs when I waited a month for the sale, arg!  Any store let you down recently by discontinuing a shoe model?

My sister-in-law did tip me off to a store worth trying here in Eindhoven for jeans, but that doesn't solve my shoe problem.  I'll let you know if I can find replacements to my basics!

Bye! Dag! Adios! Namaste! Salut!

:) Danica

Polyvore - Outfits #2

Last time I mentioned Polyvore I focused on one particular member and the great outfit combos she pumps out, but this time I just want to focus on Fall.  And outfits that I can actually recreate thanks to similar items in my closet... and a couple pieces that I would like to see in my closet.

The 1st Fall outfit is centered around the wrap/poncho.  I absolutely love the grey poncho!!!  I have one at home with a mix of pinks, blues, & beiges but a solid color seems to be easier to dress up and down. I also like how she has mixed the grey and brown, never thought of doing this.  If you want to see more of her ideas you can find her via this link.
 

The 2nd Fall outfit is simple, and can be worn everywhere.  It looks so easy, just wrap up in a warm cardigan, slip on some ballerina flats, toss on a scarf to tie it all together and you're gone.  I could see myself wearing this many places.  And what's even better, it can all be found at H&M.  More of her outfit combos can be found here.

 

The 3rd Fall outfit I like only for the awesome print and color combos of the cardigan.  The boots aren't my style, I prefer ankle boots.  But the cardigan, wow!  I might actually have to find something similar and add it to my closet.  A friend of mine has one in wool, which isn't my favorite fabric but there is hope of finding one here in The Netherlands.  For more of her outfit combos look here.


The 4th Fall outfit isn't from Polyvore but it still caught my eye.  (Found all of these outfits through Pinterest, btw.)  This outfit is nearly straight out of my closet, and I was happy to see this combo.  Makes me think I am occasionally on the right track!  But I must admit, I'm not into backpack purses, even though it looks convenient.  For more follow this link.
 

Now with these outfits in mind, I'm ready for the cooler weather and an excuse to wrap up in cozy thick cardigans!  Do you have any outfits you're excited to get back in to this Fall?

Bye! Dag! Adios! Namaste!

:) Danica

Polyvore - Outfits #1

For anyone out there interested in fashion, you have to check out Polyvore!  Maybe you are great at coming up with stylish combinations and want to share your ideas with the world or maybe you're like me and desperately need help coming up with stylish outfits.  Either way, Polyvore has something for everyone... they even have home decorating tips.

I mentioned Polyvore way-way-way-way back in March 2012, in a post about my clothing style.  There are a couple members that were brought to my attention via Pinterest (love the combos they create), and then there was the original one that even drew me to Polyvore, dixi3chik.  I have no idea how I even stumbled upon this site, probably during a Google Image search!  Anyway, it's definitely helped me to come up with fresh ideas or even just to learn how to combine clothes I already own.

So today I wanted to highlight one of the other Polyvore members I follow, steffiestaffie.

Here are 4 different combos she came up with that I can actually apply to my closet.  No I don't own the exact clothes she is presenting but I do have comparable items.  Thanks for helping me layer and adding pops of color!  Not to mention finding a reason to pull the white pants out of the back of my closet!  (After a scroll through Polyvore yesterday I realized it's time to get myself tan or gold spring/summer shoes!!!)

Any of you check out Polyvore for ideas?  Any of you adding outfit combos to Polyvore?

Bye! Dag! Adios! Namaste!

:) Danica

Bedrijfsetentje

Business Dinner = Bedrijfsetentje

This weekend my family's company hosted a dinner party, something they try and do at least once a year.  We've gone to an array of restaurants through the years, one of the most memorable until now was Landgoed Wolfslaar.  It's a Michelin Star restaurant located in a beautiful old villa tucked away in the woods.  This years choice was also quite unique, we dined inside an old windmill.  De Meulen is a quaint restaurant attached to a historical windmill called De Korenaar.  I wish I could say this post was about the delectable food (I'll include a couple pics thanks to a colleague Suzanne) or all of the lovely people that work at our company but it's not.  It's about my outfit (my husband is probably rolling his eyes right now).  I knew right away that I wanted to wear an unworn black dress that has been hanging in my closet for over year.  It's a great dress, skin tight yet forgiving, falls just below the knee, and has a boat neck.  I've pulled it out many times and yet it always seemed just that bit too much.  Finally I had an event to wear it to, the only problem was, it's sleeveless and it's very cold here.  This meant I was going to have to layer it up in order to wear it to the business dinner.  I'm not into fashion, and have very little understanding of clothes, so the best idea I had was to wear a cardigan and pantyhose.  (Of course I also asked around hoping someone would have a better suggestion but nothing suited me - even asked Party411.)  I made my husband watch as I tried on at least 6 different cardigans and boleros, all of which he just laughed at, saying I looked like the preachers wife.  I eventually settled on a small silvery bolero (aka shrug), it was the most flattering of all the unflattering cardigans, if that makes sense.  Once dressed for the party I realized I had completely dulled the outfit down.  The black dress, black pantyhose, and black heels all blended together.  And the bolero kept me semi warm but took away from the neckline and fit of the dress.  But no matter what, I knew I wasn't too flashy and I was more on the conservative classic side of style.  Being that I am the GM's wife and daughter-in-law of the owners it was appropriate.  Then as everyone filtered into the party I realized I was dress like all of the women about 20 yrs older than me and that all of the women my age were wearing skin tight black pants (also an option I had shown my husband)!  Arg!  People tried to be polite and say that I looked nice, but I know what they were thinking, ha-ha!  Besides the uncomfortable pantyhose which I hated from the moment I struggled to put them on, I also had to suffer through shoulder pain.  Somehow the day before the party I hurt a muscle in my shoulder, the pain slowly grew until I could barely move my right arm (and I'm right handed).  I managed to feed myself during the dinner, but my husband did have to pour my water and help me with my jacket... in the end he looked quite the gentleman.  No matter the outfit or pain, it was a lovely company dinner and I look forward to the next one... thanks to the in-laws for a great party!

New Hat

I don't often wear hats, mostly because I'm afraid of the dreaded "hat-head" when I take it off (I have the type of hair that immediately fills with static or gets a strange ripple across the back).  But I keep seeing this hat around and I was just positive it would suit me.  Technically it's a cap, it has a lot of different names one of which a military cap.  During the summer I couldn't find what I was looking for (cotton/twill), but then the other day at H&M the winter (wool/polyester) version popped up and I was sure to buy it!  H&M call it a flat cap but if you look up a flat cap, it's similar but not quite the same.  Maybe it's just the female version.  Needless to say it's super cute!  I wore it the first opportunity I could, and my niece's soccer in the middle of December was just the right excuse.  I'm sure it helped keep me warm, hat's are there to serve a purpose.  But I have to be honest and say I wore it purely because I liked how it looked, how vain of me!  Sure times will arise that I'll actually use it to stay warm, giving me more options than the one white knit beanie I own.  Actually I own other hats, but I don't think I'll be wearing the leopard print cuffed hat I bought in the 90's that's still lurking in one of my drawers. 

Which reminds me, why do we keep these things?  Anyway, I just wanted to show you all my new winter hat, and the one I hope to find during the summer.  Speaking of summer hats, I still regret not buying a straw cowboy hat with seashells I fell in love with while dress shopping in 2006!  This doesn't happen to me often, but it was one time I wish I hadn't taken the cheap road and put the hat back on the shelf.  Maybe the next time I'm back in Florida I'll find another one.  And if there are any men reading this post, I promise you there is a difference between the two hats pictured besides the color, ha-ha!

Clothing Style

My clothing style... casual, sporty, preppy.  I don't think there's a name for it because I myself don't even know my style anymore.  It was so simple when I lived in Florida, it was hot hot hot, so that meant less what better.  Less was also easier.  A fun tank top, a pair of denim shorts, flips-flops, maybe some jewelry and I was done.  I didn't live in NYC or LA, I didn't have to think about being trendy or stylish.  Plus I weighed a lot less (a lot younger), making it easy to buy clothes and look nice in everything.  Then I moved to the Netherlands, where I consider the women to be quite stylish/trendy (not all of my friends agree, I would never survive where they're from).  For years I refused to buy clothes here, their style was far from mine.  Over time I started to give in, even though I look ridiculous in most of the Dutch clothes.  I've figured out a way to combine the Dutch and American clothes so that when I leave the house I still have an ounce of confidence left.  One of the biggest issues I have with style/trends is it's impracticality.  As you might have read in many of posts, I walk a lot, and everywhere.  When it's an hour round trip to take my daughter to toddler swimming class, do you really think I'm going to bust out the heels?  I get sweaty, it rains often, do you think I want to risk messing up any of my nice clothes or jackets?  I have a 2 1/2 yr old - I get dirty often, I'm home a lot, and I'm constantly cleaning or running errands; most trendy clothes just don't suit these situations.  Plus, I'm frugal (cheap), I don't want to wear my expensive clothes to run to the grocery store or to drop my kid off at school.  So this leaves me wearing jeans and cotton shirts most everyday.  I went to a birthday party recently and as I looked around at the Dutch women they were all dressed in some version of the same outfit.  A blazer or short leather jacket, a scarf, skinny jeans, and some type of ankle length shoes.  The scarf; I don't understand how they all do it, it would drive me crazy, I would feel as if I were being choked the entire time.  And the skinny jeans; it took me forever to understand this trend, I like loose fitting jeans and dare I say it, boot-cut.  But like I said, I occasionally try out the trends, and for the life of me, I can't find a pair of skinny jeans that fit me right.  I have decent legs, you'd think skinny jeans would suit me, but I also have a decent size midriff thanks to having a child and my eating habits.  And in order to get the pants to fit my waist, the legs end up being too loose.  My sister-in-law loves fashion and trends.  She looks nice, it looks fun, but there are few outfits of hers I would ever wear.  She tries to help me, she'll dress me up, put me in front of the mirror and wow, I look ridiculous.  How does an outfit that looks so trendy on one person look so silly on me?  It's not that I don't have the confidence to wear it, it's just not me.  I went to a party over the Christmas holidays, I gave in, dressed a bit more on the Dutch side, everyone noticed, everyone complimented me... and when I got home the first thing I did was strip it off because I was outrageously uncomfortable.  I put on my jeans, a tank top, a zip-up sweatshirt (all American Eagle, the only brand I truly love), and I could breath and relax again.  I'm not blind to style and fashion, even though my outfit choices might appear that way sometimes.  I look at websites and store fronts, they have so many great ideas.  But they also have so many layers and accessories.  I'm not on the thin side, and I'm constantly hot, layers are the last thing I want to wear.  My mother loves shopping, fashion, and make-up, what happened to me?  Don't think I'm not vain, because I can be.  I might be dressed casual but I'm always clean and have on make-up, I wouldn't leave the house otherwise.  (There is only one day a week I leave the house without make-up, toddler swimming  class days.)  I wonder if I'll ever find my style again... it's not just the move here that's changed my views on style, I'm getting older, what used to be acceptable no longer is.  Sometimes I flip threw my clothes and wonder how it's possible to own so many t-shirts with logos (long & short sleeve) or so many polo's, where are the blouses?  I try, and I try, I order a million things from H&M, keep one thing and ship the rest back.  H&M is one of the few places I shop in the Netherlands, mostly I count on my birthday or Christmas and the jeans my Mom mails me!  I keep telling myself once I have a car and will not be forced to walk everywhere my time will come... I'll be able to dress impractical and stylish, and will not have to worry about being hot and/or the climate conditions.  But until then, everyone is just going to have to deal with my boring, "relaxed" style.  I found a picture from dixi3chik/Polyvore, it's the closest thing to how I dress (and unbelievably, it's considered country, wow, didn't see that coming - my husband's probably chuckling right now).