Leg Warmers

One of my favorite things about the HallowThanksMas holiday season is the number of parties everyone is either throwing or attending. I like parties and, more to the point, I like to play dress up.

A large number of party fashions admired by yours truly, however, are short. Short skirts, short dress, and, well, shorts.

Baby, it's cold outside! Okay, not in Florida, but elsewhere in the world it is cold - too cold - for bare legs. I advise you to stay warm (and look hot!) with a pair of fun, funky, or flirty tights!

A few of my faves from around the net:

Ombre Fuschian Violet tights from BZR

This store and these tights have been splashed all over fashion spreads. With good reason.  These are gorgeous! GORGEOUS.

DKNY All Over Lace Net Tights at bare necessities

The bare necessities website says the color of these is "Black Juniper." To me, that suggests black or a very dark green, but on my screen they are navy blue. If they are indeed navy I LOVE them. If not, they're nice, but not fabulous.  I will say I once splurged on a pair of brick red DKNY tights and boy was it worth it.  Four years later I still have those babies, and those babies are still as soft and stretchy as day one.

Sheer Polka Dot Tights from Anthropologie

Polka dots. 'Nuff said.

Jonathan Aston Chicago Tights from Alex Blake

Razzle and dazzle. Especially those red ones!

There are seriously so so many patterned tights out there and I only have the two legs (and a very short Florida cold season) on which to wear them!  Help me out and buy a pair or two? You're awesome.

P.S. Even during holidays tights are not pants.

Fie on you, Blogger! Fie, I say!

Perhaps it is Blogger and perhaps it is the user (I admit nothing), but I am having a heck of a time composing a grand post for today.

So instead of looking at enjoyable photos from my London trip, I give you...

This is a reminder. No matter where you are in the world, no matter how cute your red pumps are,

Tights are not pants!

Good job with the stripe on stripe, though. Too bad you had to screw it up by wearing tights as pants. Which they are not. 

I meant to write my own post

But I am having waaaay to much fun designing the perfect wedding guest outfit over at East Side Bride.

Come play! You know you want to!

Sources:
Elk-like hair sticks
cozy coat dress
For under the coat dress
Mountain sunset tights for, you know, color
Must have shoes

In the City

Today I am actually traveling again, but you guys have already seen a travel outfit. What you didn't see was my interpretation of a tourist. On Wednesday, before the cocktail dinner shindig, my travel buddy, Carrie, and I met up with the Tara Gentile for lunch at the Reading Terminal Market. Other than lunch and dinner, Carrie and I had no plans so we decided to wander the city a bit.

So what does one wear while strolling the farmer's market and artsy areas of Philly?

For the longest time I avoided wearing black with navy.  I have no idea why; it is really quite sophisticated. obviously, I am writing this before I actually leave for my trip, so I'm still on the fence about the scarf.  The sweater is a v-neck so I know I'll want something to fill in the negative space.  I'm just not sure silver is the way to go...

Yes, those are shorts and, yes, those are tights.  Again, please note that I am not wearing tights as pants. I'm wearing them under (short) pants. But can we please take a second to appreciate these sweet hounds tooth leg cover picked out by my savvy husband?

Awesome, right!?

Sweater: TJ Maxx
Shorts: Hand-me-downs
Tights:Target
Shoes: Gianni Bini circa 2009
Scarf: Hand-me-Down

I also packed some jeans just in case I was too cold to wear the shorts and tights.  I'm stylish, not stupid.

But tell me, what would you put on to tour the big city?

Leavin' on a jet plane

Today, today, today! Today is the day I leave for Philly and a week of "well mannered frivolity" at the Art of Earning Live!  I'm so excited! Are you excited? I'm excited.

I know a lot of people like to, shall we say, dress down for travel, but I just can't do it.  As a child, my mom always dressed me in my Sunday best for the airplane. When I was16 she bought me a swanky black suit just for traveling. I just feel better when I am done up. Nobody notices a tired 20-something in sweats, but when people see a smartly dressed lady, they wonder, perhaps jealously, where she's going. At least, that's what I tell myself.

button by Carbon Copy, via Pinterest

The only problem is, it's warm in Florida and very very cold in Philly. Tricky, tricky. But I think I'm up for the challenge.

Sweater: derek heart, hand-me-down
Skirt: Merona, Target circa 2008
Scarf: gift
Tights: who knows, but please note: I am wearing them as tights, not pants.
Shoes: Franco Sarto, DSW
Book: Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

That should do for the actual travel.  Once I get to Philly I can throw on my warm coat, a hat, and some gloves.

How do you dress for travel?

Tights are not pants

About two years ago I started to see this issue happening in Hollywood, but I never thought it would actually come to my home. Well, not my home exactly, but my town. I was horrified this school year by the repeated appearance of moms wearing tights as pants when picking up or dropping off their kids. This week marks the final straw.  In honor of the holidays and good will toward man I am issuing a public service announcement:

Tights are not pants!

Neither are leggings.

I know it might be confusing. After all, pants and tights do go on the same way.  And I realize some tights and leggings are opaque, which adds to their outerwear-esque appearance.  But even opaque tights have their issues. Take this photo of Lindsay Lohan:

even on (in)famous people, tights are not pants

See how the tights begin to pull upon reaching the thigh thus losing their opacity? It's like a big swash of highlighter right up your thigh.  I'm sure that's an area we all want to highlight.  Plus, Lindsay Lohan. Is that really the look you want to go for?

When you are able to tear your eyes from Lindsay's thighs, spend some time looking at Olivia Wilde's crotch (Yeah, I never thought, I'd write that either).

why, Olivia, why?

Admit it, it's hard to look away.  She has creases and seams forming a runway to her nether regions, and still more seam running up her slightly flattened backside. Why, Olivia? Why?  As for moms taking their kids to school, I DO NOT NEED TO KNOW THIS MUCH ABOUT YOU. Ours is a casual relationship.

This is not to say I don't like tights. I do! But, not as pants. More, as accessories.  Like paired with winter shorts.

see, tights go under (short) pants.

Or, more traditionally, a skirt.

even brightly colored gams look better than opaque-stretched-sheer thigh highlights

So let's review. Which of the following celebrities are wearing pants?

A.

Kristy Leigh Porter

Jennifer Aniston

B.

Emma Watson

Becky Newton

C.

Taylor Momsen

Katie Holmes

Answers: A. Jennifer Aniston, B. Emma Watson, C. Katie Holmes

Did, you get them all right?  Good! You may call yourself a sartorialist.

If you only got two out of three,  I forgive you.  Kristy's black legs and Becky's saucy smile may have confused you.

What! You got only one?  Maybe you recently bought these tights and now you are desperately grasping for additional ways to wear them. Next time, buy pants.

If you got none correct, oh honey, my blog may not be enough to help you because you have bigger problems than fashion. Your friends are obviously trying to sabotage you because people who love you do not let you go out in public without the bottom part of your body dressed.