farblos ::: achromatic and monochrome

An ode to black: Dark shoes for bright months.

2010-05-15T02:08:00.000-07:00

Paul Green, at http://www.schuhpaket.com

New Rock, at http://www.newrockshoes.net

And that's how far...

2010-03-22T14:20:00.000-07:00

...I got with this project. The past few weeks have been awfully busy, full of both good and bad news, and I hope I'll be back to a more relaxed life soon.

Merry Christmas, everybody!

2009-12-26T08:55:00.000-08:00

I hope all of you are having nice holidays and got all the presents you wished for. If not, here are some gorgeous shoes to fall in love (and get obsessed) with.

Camper Ariadna, on sale. But not my size. :( I love the striped heel...as well as their shiny patent leather.

Clarks Band Box. Sold in the UK only. They'd probably look really cute with knee-length wool skirts or something similar.

Camper Rachael. Mine! Thanks, Christkind! The wedge heel makes them incredibly comfy to walk on, and their leather is really soft, which makes them definitely worth their money (I doubted that for a long time).

Clarks Crown Flo. I've been considering buying these for quite a while now, as they'd be another non-black pair in my collection.

Pumps by Vagabond. These didn't fit me, but maybe you?

Dr. Martens Diva Dee. I'd instantly buy these if I knew how to wear them to class, work or the city and not just at night. I just love their goth vibe.

Did I mention how much I adore shoes? They're my favourite part of each outfit, and I could spend day after day browsing the web or local stores looking for a pretty pair. *sigh* And now back to stuffing myself with lots of good food and fluffing the kitties. Have a great day!

P.S.: Looking at this post makes me think that my next challenge should probably include a pair of winter booties.

P.P.S.: Here's a little peek at one of my favourite presents...SITD's new album rot.

Challenge completed (Week 52)

2009-12-22T07:14:00.001-08:00

Since I'll be gone for Christmas soon, I figured out that today would be the last day to complete and post my result of yesterday's challenge.

In a rather half-hearted approach I paired the blouse with a grey cardigan, dark blue skinny jeans, boots and pearls and rushed off to work.

Although I like the combination of the cardi and blouse, I think I'd rather match the two with a skirt and mary janes instead of jeans and boots, which are quite a contrast to the delicate fabric of the blouse. On the other hand, it was a good way to dress it down a little bit and make it class-appropriate. Hmm.

Anyway, since the weather decided it would be a both snowy and rainy morning, it's not like I had a choice. Temperatures have been rising during the past days, and now all the snow finally started to melt...into brownish slime, which doesn't really leave me with many shoe choices.

But, to put an end to my complaints, I'm happy that I finally did wear the blouse and felt quite comfortable doing so (that's quite an issue for me because I feel "out of my comfort zone" easily). Actually, here's why I think I might wear it more often in the future: I simply hadn't considered using it as a layering item before, because it seemed a little too dressy, but never managed to create a nice outfit around it when I did have to dress up. However, with today's experience, I'm confident I'll be able to create alternative layered outfits with a little more glam than usual. :)

Blouse: H&M, challenged
Cardigan: Benetton, remixed
Jeans: Levi's, remixed
Earrings: Bijou Brigitte
Necklace: Flohmarkt (thrifted)

Challenging myself (Week 52)

2009-12-21T06:38:00.001-08:00

While organizing my closet, I came across a few items which I've bought a looong time ago but haven't even worn once ever since.

Partly, I blame mirrors at H&M and alike making us look less pale and more skinny, which have numerously encouraged me to buy pieces which would usually be far off my comfort zone. Have you ever noticed the effect? I find it kinda funny how my face looks really long when mirrored twice by the glass in the back, but I hate how it tricks me into making bad decisions. Plus, I find it interesting that marketing has spent enough time on women's body image and buying behaviour to come up with these skinnifying mirrors (is that a word?).

Anyway, I decided to challenge myself and try to make my forgotten pieces work for my regular clothing habits for one last time - each item at a time, playing around with a different one every week.

For this week, I have picked the black satin blouse displayed above which I purchased at a local H&M years ago. It's been hanging in my closet for ages, and I was about to give it away several times (thus all the ugly wrinkles), but for some odd reason I've always held on to it. I'll try to combine it into different looks until I find atleast one I like.

I think it might work okay with a cardigan, but I'm not quite sure yet. I'm not that good at combining, accessorizing and layering items (simple and neutral, you know - this is what makes that project a real challenge instead of a fun game), so I'll have to see.

Closet chaos

2009-12-21T05:15:00.000-08:00

With Christmas coming up (and a few days off work), I decided it was time for a huge wardrobe clearance. Due to a recent lack of time and motivation (work, studies - you name it...), I've simply been stuffing most of my clothes into the closet, which has caused a major chaos. Shirts are placed next to pants, cardigans are squished besides some summer leftovers, and all in all, I can't find a thing.

Additionally, I've noticed that I'm constantly complaining about a lack of closet space although I'm only wearing a small part of all the items I own, so I'm curious to find out how much I can actually give away or ban to the cellar. Plus, I think it's nice to make some space for new items, and I'm seriously considering establishing a "one in, another one out"-sort of rule.

Somehow, I think the two issues of not wearing what I own and not keeping my wardrobe organized are interrelated, and I hope that a better arrangement will help. So now, I'll be off for some serious cleaning...

On a quick sidenote, spending the weekend doing christmas shopping was nice, but wearing my light grey nubuck boots with all the snow and dirt hasn't been the brightest idea. I hope I'll be able to clean them a little. :s