Author: the outside lane

Happy. That about covers it.
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New Romantic

the outside lane

Trying something a little new here using Polyvore.  If what I wear gets more than one compliment, I’ll show it to you, tell you where to find it, and how much I paid for it.  I do tend to hang on to things forever, and I rarely buy a whole outfit at one time (a piece here, a piece there), so it might not help you know exactly where to shop, but it might give you an idea of what to look for.

Below, you will see what I am wearing today.  At least, you will see an approximation.  I can assure you that nothing I have on comes near costing $1200. 

At the moment, I can’t get the embedding feature to work, so if you’d like to see the collection of what I am wearing today, click this link.

It’s ruffle blouse day.  I love this Miley Cyrus/Max Azaria blouse for the frothy chiffon ruffles, and the one pictured is the exact style.  I love this so much, I also have it in purple.  I bought both at WalMart for $12.  The ruffle cap sleeves are just long enough that they are legal for the office.

I am wearing it over a spaghetti strap tank, with the top three buttons undone, with a vintage, multi-strand necklace underneath.  The necklace is altnerating tiny chains of gold and tiny, creamy pearls.  I think I paid about $20 for the necklace in an antique mall.

The pencil skirt I’m wearing is tan.  I also bought it at WalMart, from their George line.  Believe it or not, WalMart has some good clothes.  I wouldn’t buy shoes there, and their underwear leaves a lot to be desired, but the George, Max Azaria, and especially the Norma Kamali collections have some great looking, long lasting pieces.  I love the Norma Kamali collection in an unholy way.

The pale gold, hidden platform, slingback, peep toes I am wearing are by Carlos Santana (no kidding!  His shoes are amazing!), and I bought them at Ross for $14.99.

I have a seersucker jacket hanging on the back of my chair in case I get cold, or I need to look more professional.  It is a one button blazer from Chadwicks of Boston, and it was $24.99.  I’m not going to recommend this because the fit is slightly off in the arms.  It’s like the sleeves aren’t sewn in correctly.  However, it fits well enough that I’m not going to send it back.  It’ll serve it’s purpose.

The earrings belonged to my Granny.  I suspect they are Avon.

This type of blouse is a great piece to have in your wardrobe because it is so versatile.  Buttoned up it is modest, buttoned down it is edgy. I also pair this top and tank with gray trousers, gray mary janes, and a black cropped sweater for the office.  It looks equally good with blue jeans, and wears well with canvas shorts, too.

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Women Worth Knowing: Meet Donna

the outside lane

Aunt Donna with one of the women she admires, Michael, the big O, and Boom Pa.

Donna is my aunt, so I’ve known her since I was old enough to register that the pretty blonde lady was part of my family.  She is married to my mother’s brother, the world reknowned Uncle Junebug, who has recently traded in that monniker for the new and improved Boom-Pa.  But this is about Donna.

Since childhood, I have mentally associated my aunt with words like stylish, cosmopolitan and progressive.  To me, she always seemed like she’d been plucked from an artsy gallery party in Manhatten and set gently down into whatever scenery surrounded her.

We are a full-on military family, so save for a couple of my toddler years, we have never lived near enough to see each other often.  Rather, I know Donna from a handful of visits in my childhood, a couple of funerals and weddings in my adulthood, from the miracle of technology that is e-mail and Facebook, and from the usual family chatter.  As an adult, my word association has expanded to include fighter, fabulous, and feminist.

I have never seen my aunt looking less than chic, being the sort of woman who can stride into a room wearing a black turtleneck with black trousers and a Burberry wrap, appearing as though she has just stepped out of a frame in Town & Country.  She carries herself with an air of late afternoon wine tastings, weekends in the Hamptons, and is very, very West Egg if you know what I mean.

Donna is the style icon of my family.  I’d like to introduce you to her.

Meet Donna.

Name: Donna

Age Range: 63

Preferred Job Title: Retired

Industry: Construction

Describe your family: Small, straight, gay, level headed, wacky, kind, passionate, average, extraordinary, neat, messy, funny, dour, smart, artistic.

What does the first hour of your day look like? Although it’s probably only been 16 hours since I saw my grandson, I am rushing around with great anticipation in the morning getting ready to go spend the day with him again.

The last hour? Knitting or reading, but lest you try to stick me in the “sweet, old grandma” category, you should know that I often go to bed so pissed off that I have a hard time sleeping. That’s why I sometimes know it’s better if I don’t watch the news.

What makes you feel successful? Completing anything

What brings you joy? Oliver, flowers, a shoreline, birds, sea glass, cornbread, Obama, seeing tea bagger protest signs with misspelled words.

What women do you admire? Gold Meir, Hillary Clinton, Sister Mary Annunciata, my mother, my daughter.

What do you like best about your closest friend? She has got a definite political opinion and takes no prisoners.

What do you like best about yourself? I’m sure there are times when I am not easy to be around, but I know there are times I am gobs of fun.

What advice would you give boys about girls? No means NO.

How do you overcome adversity? Prayer is soothing, but you also have to get busy solving whatever problem you have.

How do you want to be remembered? Never quite understood that question because at best (unless you kill six million Jews or part the Red Sea) you will only be remembered a generation forward. Maybe two generations if you were crazy Uncle Bubba who escaped from every Veteran’s Hospital south of the line.

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Style I Understand

the outside lane

This segment of comments came up on a Jezebel post today.  Since it actually sounds like something I could do easily on this blog, I’m asking for your input.  Take a look at this and let me know what you would add to it, or what you think isn’t important. 

Peppermint  I wish there was still a magazine like this today. Fashion magazines have pages and pages of bathing suits, but nothing about looking stylish and put together at the office (hell, I think Corporette may be the only blog that focuses on office fashion).

I can see it now: the cover of the magazine would have Condi Rice in a beautiful blouse or perfectly cut suit. The ads would have pearly J Crew tweed skirts, glittering Banana Republic necklaces, and Tahari suits. There would be a make-up section devoted to covering under-eye circles, covering blemishes (from acne to age spots!), with introspective discussion from women of all ages on what “office appropriate” make-up is — and how to do the bare minimum to look alert and professional in five minutes! With a core audience of women 20-60, there would, of course, be product reviews of anti-aging products, with all the intelligence and scientific explanation of Beauty Brains.

The clothes section — oh, the clothes section! Rather than hawking denim miniskirts, the magazine would skim the stable of women’s office clothes sellers for “timeless essentials” and “lol look at this trendy thing!” every issue, and offer advice for dressing cute items up to office standards. It would explain how to choose a suit, how to choose clothes to go under the suit…

Oh, and there would totally be underwear reviews. Like, Spanx section! And “these leggings are cheap shit, don’t buy them.” And accessories! And shoes!

The true charm of the magazine would come from an interview once a month with a powerful businesswoman, interviewed looking gorgeous but in workwear, explaining how she got where she was and offering both career and fashion advice. Oh, and there would be less input from “celebrity stylists” and more from, like, “Executive Suiting Guru at Ann Taylor XYZ.” Or maybe celebrity stylists who, like, tell you how to do really cute celebrity hairstyles but tone them down for the workplace. Yeah.

Wow, that was a long ramble of my imagination of the perfect magazine. Anyway, dammit, magazine industry, I wear office wear five days a week and street wear two days a week! I know you want to sell fantasies, but I need to buy suits!

 

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Needful Things

the outside lane

I have had the worst luck with buttons lately!  I’ve lost the buttons off two shirts, and one button off my pants.  Fortunately, I carry safety pins.

Things you should never be without:

Safety pins

Bandaids

Tissues

Spare tire in your car

Money for a phone call–do pay phones exist anymore?

Cab fare

Lady bandaids, if you are a lady

An emergency contact list, kept in the same slot as your drivers license.  In case of emergency, this makes it easy for EMTs or police to contact your people.

Things I am never without:

See above, plus, sunglasses and good lipstick.

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Women Worth Knowing: Meet Lane

the outside lane

I suppose I should answer these myself, shouldn’t I?  As for introduction, I’m Lane.  I met me years ago.  It was a cold, snowy December, in the wee hours of the morning when I decided to arrive.  Christmas Eve, actually.  I was gorgeous.  Everyone says so.  But my best quality is my modesty.  I’ll tell you all about it.

Name: Lane
Age Range: 30s
Preferred Job Title:  For the purposes of this blog, I am the presenter
Industry:  hospitality

Describe your family:  My family is a fantastic hodge podge of people.  Technically, I am an only child, but truthfully, I have three sisters, Jamie, Karen and Amy.  I have one brother, Chris.  I have a nephew called Jeffles.  I have these amazing in-laws, who have accepted me into their hearts as though I were born into this last name.  I am married to this man who loves me for who I am, and who makes it easy for me to be myself and feel good about it.  He doesn’t bat a lash when I come home with a new project, even though he has to know it’s only going to last six hours.  I am married to a good, good man.  There is my mother, my fierce, sturdy, beloved mother.  My TJ.  My father and his wife.  There are my amazing friends from far and wide, my aunts, uncles and cousins, and the in-laws of the same variety.  And there is Thor.

Thor is the center of my internal solar system.  He is my delight, and my passion, and my hope for the future, and there is nothing better than just watching him go.

What does the first hour of your day look like?  I get up and make a cup of coffee, then turn on the computer.  I spend 15–30 minutes checking email and social networks, then spend the next 30 getting ready for work.  I play Thor into wakefulness and get him dressed, feed him pre-breakfast while he watches Pinky Dinky Doo, and then we’re out the door.

The last hour?  This is it right here.

What makes you feel successful?  Like every other mother I know, I feel successful when my child succeeds.  Man, I want you to know that the day he was potty trained, I felt like I had climbed Mount Everest.  When he accomplishes something, I feel like I’ve done well.  Prior to having a child, and outside of motherhood, I feel successful when I can see that I’ve helped someone.  When a friend tells me that my words have made an impact, or someone lets me know that a blog article has touched them, I feel successful.  I like making a difference.

What brings you joy?  Oh–my little family.  I am in heaven on a Sunday, sitting on the sofa, watching football with my boys.  Mundane things bring me the biggest joy.  A text message from my electronically challenged mother.  A one line email from my husband.  Couples events with Jamie and Wes.  Being able to give someone a gift.  Being able to make someone laugh.  And on cold days, the butt warmer in my car seat brings me great joy.  And naps.  I.love.naps.

What do you like best about your closest friend?  I love her honesty, and I love that when she asks me to be honest, she means it.  And I love that she never gives up, never gives in, never says die.  And I love that I could stand back to back with her in any situation.

What do you like best about yourself?  I like that I am willing to admit when I am wrong, and that I want to learn.  I hate being wrong, but I’ll admit it when I am.  I apologize when I should, and I do it sincerely or not at all.

What advice would you give boys about girls?  I ask this question because I want to have everyone’s advice handy when Thor is old enough to need it.  The advice I would give him is this:  Be honest and be kind.  Offer girls the same respect you want, and the same respect your father and I have always given you.  Girls and boys are different, but they both want the same thing, and that is to be liked, to be treated fairly, and to enjoy their lives.  You get that straight and you’ve got it down.

How do you overcome adversity?  I whistle in the graveyard.  I face adversity with stubbornness and a sense of humor.  Bad things happen to good people all the time.  That’s life.  You just keep going.  You have to find the humor and keep going.  The key is that you just never stop.

How do you want to be remembered?  I really don’t need to be remembered.  It’s shocking to write that and realize it is true.  I am perfectly happy in my obscurity.  If my son grows up to be a happy man, that’s enough for me.  If I am known for anything, I want it to be for having raised a joyful, happy, good man.  I’m no Rosa Parks, or Margaret Thatcher, or Marie Curie and I’ve made my peace with that.  That’s okay.  I’m living the now.  My eulogy should consist of, “You know Thor?  Yeah, she did that.  She and B did that.”