Today's "look" was carefully crafted. Why, you ask? I had an important professional meeting at the Gap Inc. offices yesterday (Tuesday), for which I planned and re-planned my outfit for days ahead of time (note the dozens of shirts hanging in the background of the photos below... more on this below!). I wanted to look professional but also chic, though - of course - not overdone. As we discussed last Friday, looking effortlessly fashionable can take a lot of work!
After putting too much thought into one little outfit worn for only one 30-minute meeting, I figured I ought to wear it again today, when I headed to the About-Face offices. Nobody would know, right?! (Shhhhhh.....) Alas, tragedy stepped in. The good news is that my meeting at Gap went well - I met some lovely people and enjoyed talking about my research. The bad news is that I managed to completely destroy my lovely blue shirt just a few hours later....
Blue Sleeveless Shirt by Dimri (via my mom's closet) - Similar-ish
Patterned Cardigan by Sparrow (via Anthropologie Clearance Rack) - Similar
Mulberry Pumps by Dr. Martens - Similar
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| I prefer the look with the cardigan, but I wanted to give my beloved blue shirt a minute in the spotlight before saying goodbye..... |
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| Dr. Marten pumps in "mulberry" color, purchased on a whim for *FULL PRICE* (a big deal for me) while backpacking in Europe w/ my siblings in 2007. |
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| This bag comes out whenever I need to cultivate "I'm a grown up" |
And now for the tragedy... Once I arrived home from my meeting I learned that I had to bring my puppy, Noelle, to her veterinarian for an unplanned visit (she's got an upset tummy... again). The vet's office is a few blocks from where my sister works, so I called her to see if she wanted to grab a bite to eat after Noelle's delightful appointment in which I talked a lot about poop and farts. I had a groupon deal for this tasty spot in the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco. With $50 to spend (after paying only $25 for the groupon!) I splurged with the $27 Organic Fried Rabbit entree (yes, Fried Rabbit).
It was delicious: like the most amazing cornbread-fried chicken but... rabbit. A few minutes into my meal, Hanna asked "Hey, what's on your shirt?!" Huh? Shit. Without realizing it, I'd splashed fried rabbit juice all over myself while eating. It was not very cute. It was also not very launder-able, thanks to all that yummy grease. Oh well. At least I was with my sister instead of during my meeting!
It was delicious: like the most amazing cornbread-fried chicken but... rabbit. A few minutes into my meal, Hanna asked "Hey, what's on your shirt?!" Huh? Shit. Without realizing it, I'd splashed fried rabbit juice all over myself while eating. It was not very cute. It was also not very launder-able, thanks to all that yummy grease. Oh well. At least I was with my sister instead of during my meeting!
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| Organic Fried Rabbit Juice. Bummer dude! |
P.S. - When I started planning this week's Haute Hump Day outfit, I felt like I couldn't see my clothes because they seemed too crowded in my pitiably small closet (I share a regular - i.e., NOT-walk-in - closet with Michael). I decided to pull everything out, and hang it all spaced out along the railing of our loft bedroom. Michael wants to know when I plan to put it back, but I'm in no hurry. I think it looks kind of cool! My plan is to only put an item back into my closet once I've actually worn it. I'm also not allowing myself to wearing anything twice until I've either worn everything, or gotten rid of the shirts I don't feel like wearing.
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| Lined up with sleeveless first, then short-sleeved. I think it's pretty! |
Questions for you:
1) How do you like my outfit (sans fried rabbit juice)? Too much? Not enough? Just right?
2) Any suggestions for how I might get fried rabbit juice out of a thin polyester top?
3) Do you have a great system for purging your closet? What is it?
Don't toss it yet! Try dawn dish detergent!
ReplyDeleteHrmmm... I definitely have some of that hanging around!
DeleteI love the idea of pulling everything out of the closet to see it better, but I don't have a fancy loft rack like you! Instead, I turn around all the hangers at the beginning of the season. Only when I've worn something do I put it back on the hanger the opposite direction on the rack. Then when I go through my clothes, I can see which things I haven't yet worn. If I go through a whole season without "turning the hanger", I donate it.
ReplyDeleteThanks Katie! FYI, my "fancy loft rack" is definitely awesome, but I think having a small closet is key to not over-buying clothes. Kind of like buying a house with too many rooms, you end up buying (or not getting rid of) things because you have the space!
DeleteLove your "turning the hanger" approach... unfortunately in my case the closet was too crowded to work with, so hopefully this approach will work! (before Michael insists that my new decor comes down...)
I love how the cardigan pulls the outfit together. Perfect example of the difference a piece like that can make! Maybe Michael would be more willing to tolerate the tops lined up along the railing if you promise to donate what doesn't get worn by a certain date. As for the grease stains, I wouldn't give up until you've exhausted all your options, including the Dawn suggestion. You might also try baking soda or WD40. Find details about those options on the Internet. By the way - you look FABULOUS!
ReplyDeleteMan, I love that cardigan too. It's one of those pieces that inspires other pieces...
DeleteI've never thought of using WD40 on clothes... google time!
Hi!! I havent tried this yet but I hear Carbona makes a number of stain removers - fat, oil, ink, crayon, red wine and can be found in most stores/craft stores. (I am on a site called Ravelry and I got the info on there just yesterday) maybe you can find it in a store or online and it might work? Like I said I haven't tried it but what do you have to lose? I will be buying some myself soon. I have tried many different ways (dawn dish soap included) and they havent worked.
ReplyDeleteGood Luck!
Thanks for the tip! I suppose I do have $$ to lose if I try too many things to get these stains out... debating whether to put in the time/work/money or to just say goodbye...
DeleteOw, that's a pity about the shirt, it looked great! To get rid of grease stains, I'm by no means an expert but I think alcohol might dissolve them, or benzine; you could also try ironing it at the highest possible temperature with lots of tissue paper underneath to soak up the grease?
ReplyDeleteThanks Poet! Ironing scares me even when it isn't for removing stains, so I'll probably avoid that trick. But I like the alcohol suggestion...
DeleteMy miracle treater is Shout Advanced Stain Lifting Foam for Greasy Stains. (link: http://www.shoutitout.com/en-US/Products/Pages/shout-advanced-stain-lifting-foam.aspx)
ReplyDeleteSeriously....my boys are CONSTANTLY getting grease stains on their clothes. It even gets out the stains that make it through the washer and dryer before I catch them. I treat them about 10 minutes before I put them in the washer. I can only think of 2 or 3 times where I had to treat it a second time and run it back through. Works SO much better than anything I've used before.
Thanks Ashley! I like that this product is targeted specifically to greasy stains... so far your suggestion is my favorite!
DeleteFirst: Lovely how you wound your sentence(s) about eating & poop all into one ball.
ReplyDeleteSecond: IF (and only if) you have NOT tried yet to take out the "rabbit juice" (sounds like it should be a carrot-laden drink), then having it drycleaned should do it.
The dry cleaners can be magical but ONLY if you haven't done ANYTHING with it already.
Third: Love the Doc Marten shoes - the color, the style - yep.
Fourth: Glad you let your clothes out of the closet to breathe...I do not think I have owned that many clothes collectively over my entire lifetime. Just saying.
Fifth - You looked very "put together" in a good way for your meeting. No so much with the rabbit drippings - too funny. Little bunny foo-foo - I do not know whether
I could eat rabbit. Lamb is also delicious, but I have mental issues eating that, also.
LOL - yeah, rabbit juice ought to be carrots not the actual rabbit. Oh well, my omnivorous preferences take me on a lot of adventures.
DeleteDry cleaning is a definite possibility. I usually shy away from Dry Clean Only clothes, to save money, but I don't want to replace this shirt if I can help it...
Use cornstarch! It should soak up any grease, then try shout after :)
ReplyDeleteRe #3:
ReplyDeleteMy friend taught me this for closet management and I'm loving it. I have a portion of the closet for nice, work appropriate clothes. When they get too 'worn' they move to the casual side of the closet. When they are even bad for casual use, they move to household cleaning/painting and/or pj's.
Also, anything I don't wear but hate to part with is moved aside for a period of time. If I haven't gone back to it, I find I can live without it. And, once it's sat out of view, it's easier to part with when the time comes.
Best,
Micole
This is a great approach. It's made me think of my HUGE collection of sleep-shirts, collected by a similar process. When is it time to get rid of PJs???
DeleteThat's cool I have some of those RIP shirts too that sometimes its just easier to say goodbye lol- looks like it's about $4.00 then shipping if you can't find it at a local retail store.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.carbona.com/stain-devils/
Yes, I am still on the fence, but with all the advice I feel like I ought to try something and report back!
DeleteIt's a shame about the top...I like it a lot. Your story reminded me of a wedding I went to where I wore a turquoise silk sheath dress that I'd thrifted. I felt like a million bucks...but sometime during the sit-down reception, I realized that it had absorbed the juices from an hore d'oeurve.
ReplyDeleteTerri - Love the story! It's fun to think of times when we've felt particularly "on" but probably looked ridiculous. Much better than spending a lifetime looking "on" but feeling ridiculous! :)
DeleteGet thee to a dry cleaner.
ReplyDeleteASAP!
Yeah, I think this will be my approach... I'm wimping out on creative solutions and don't want to buy a bunch of products. Also, my dry cleaner has a seamstress business connected, so I could also consult them for a re-vamp of the top!
DeleteFind a seamstress who can take it apart and use it as a pattern for a new one. You just need to hit a fabric store and pick out the fabric. May I suggest a stain resistant one? ;-))))
ReplyDeleteI wish ALL of my clothes were stain resistant!!
DeleteOk... you can always count on me for input and since you asked .... I have several pair of Dr. Marten shoes and never ever pay full price. Check out 6pm.com. I bought a pair originally something like $160 for $32.!! They don't have all styles, colors or sizes but they do have a great selection. I also love saddle shoes and have worn them all my life. Bass had them for $135-$165. I can wear a boys size 6 (kids shoes are wayyyyy less expensive than adult womens). I bought the same bass saddle shoes on 6pm.com for $20!!!
ReplyDeleteDress Barn, if they still carry them, has dressy pants with a label inside that says "Focus". Love love love them. They don't wrinkle, the drape perfectly and they are under $40. I have them in almost every color and never have to worry about how I look because the pants are awesome. The pants you have on look to me like they are stretch fabric so they cling to everything, even your knees.
Sorry I can't help with the stain on your blouse but I am sure you can find a remedy on the internet of take it to a professional dry cleaner, which is what I do.
I love it when people give me tips on unexpected bargains on high-quality merchandise! I don't think I've ever shopped at Dress Barn (the name makes me feel like a farm animal!), but now my curiosity is piqued!
DeleteI spent many years as an organizational consultant so you are on the right track with pairing down your closet but the idea is to mix and match. The concept of putting a garnment back in the closet and not wearing it again until you have worn everything may prevent you from wearing the exact right combination of items together. It is better to eliminate things that you have nothing to wear with but just bought on an impulse, eliminate things that don't fit or that you really don't like. You may not like the oversized orange tshirt that you bought on an impulse or that someone gave to you, but your trash will be someone else's treasure and you can use the donation as a tax write off or post the items on FB if you have the time and sell them for a few $$
ReplyDeleteHere is what I use to tell me clients about how to decide what to keep and what to discard. Think about the guy in high school or college that broke your heart or the guy who scoffed and wouldn't go out with you or the girl that was mean or made fun of you. Really get a grasp on the person or feeling they left you with. If you ran into that person on the street or in the grocery store would you want them to see you in what you were wearing or would be hide down another aisle or cross the street and pretend you didn't see them? If you would not walk up and say "Hi" and let them see how awesome you are right now... get rid of the outfit! Years ago I was speaking at a conference and ran into a guy that in my earlier life wanted nothing to do with me. It's not that I wanted to go out with him it's just that it was not awesome to be dismissed like I wasn't good enough. As it turned out he was over weight, sweating and his shirt was hanging out. He was no longer the heart throb. When he saw me his mouth literally fell open and he said if he had only known that I would have turned out like I did. Too bad so sad for you buddy but lesson learned for me. Now I dress my exterior to match my inner Goddess as the saying goes. We all want to dress nice to go out with friends but nothing motivates someone like getting the last word by being totally awesome.
And on that note... I liked the outfit but felt it needed a focal point. The dark jeans with green sweater and a piece of jewelry provided a focal point. This outfit, though nice, is a little monotone.
Katie, your advice for visualizing yourself running into an old flame or "mean girl" is PERFECTION! I am going to hold my clothes to that standard going forward. THANK YOU!!!
DeleteThat first look was amazing! Loved it. You looked confident and had the outfit to match. (:
ReplyDeleteDefinitely try to salvage the top!
My way of purging my wardrobe is to look through it every four or so months and get rid of anything that I haven't worn in over a year.
Thanks Nat, I'll certainly do my best!
DeleteLove the outfit, especially that bag. I also share a not walk-in closet with my husband. I have spring + summer clothes and dresses in there and all fall + winter clothes and coats in the closet in the spare bedroom. Love your idea of how to purge the closet. I purge regularly, especially when moving. I love getting rid of stuff.
ReplyDeleteNot sure about the rabbit juice -- but it sure sounds good!
Purging the closet is so therapeutic. For me it's almost a way of saying "Yes, THIS is who I am, not that...."
DeleteThe rabbit was delis!
Having been married to a dry cleaner and having the mother that can get out any spot......DAWN dishwashing liquid direct on the spot. It lifts grease out of dang near everything.
ReplyDeleteLOVE the outfit.
This is a unique way of collection I haven't seen like this one, although things you are obsessed with do not go planned but I believe this is done somewhere from your heart
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