Black, white and everything inbetween

The June rain has been really bumming me out. I've been in dress-mania! Case in point, I just picked up a really simple brown dress, and a pretty little green one from Goodwill yesterday. All these summer dresses and no where to go but rain puddles.

To somewhat console myself, I've taken to planning my summer outfits and doing a little mixing and matching, so no matter what occassion (really formal to super casual and everything in between) I will be dressed for success!

Enter the formal outfit. I love this fitted bustier style top. It's so comfortable, flattering, and classic. My favorite combo is with the black skirt, but I think it also looks smashing with a pair of black slacks.

The skirt and pants are both from Goodwill, and I've had them in my closet for a while now, as they are good classic pieces -- the best part is I paid $5-8 for each of them. The shirt was a little pricier as I got it at a consignment shop, it was $25, but this seems like an investment piece.

I had wedding attendance in mind when I purchased it, but it would also be suitable for nice dinners, the theater, and other places where I want to look crisp and classic. Oh and the shoes! Another Goodwill find, at $9.99, they were a bit of a splurge for me, but they were unworn and I love the little front strap.

But, what if there's an event that's sort of fancy, but you don't want to look over-dressed? Enter the sun-dress with coordinated shrug and heels. I was disappointed with the pictures of this dress, you can't see the beautiful navy color of the shrug and shoes -- they match amazingly well.

I'm picturing a busy day: tidying the house, going to the grocery store, getting an oil change for the car, shopping at Goodwill for more dresses, etc. But, after this busy day I'm meeting with a friend for a nice dinner. Well, I'll wear just the dress and flat sandals during the errands, and throw the shrug and heels into my purse. When it's time for dinner all I need is a quick change and voila, I'm ready for an evening out. One of the best things about the outfit is everything is from Goodwill: shrug: $2.99, dress: $5.99, shoes: $4.99.

As I've said, I love dresses, it makes getting ready so easy. There's just one piece: the dress and maybe a few accessories and a sweater. Wham-bam-done. When you wear a shirt-pants combo, you have to make sure your pieces match, fit, and look good together. Dresses are simpler in my opinion except: (A) It's hard to find one that fits properly (B) They can be chilly. At Goodwill I always make a b-line for the dresses, because no matter how many you have, they almost always come in handy.

Case in point, I found this blue dress on the same day that I found the dress just pictured at Goodwill. Two dresses in 1 day? Is the price right? Is the fit right? Then sold! It was mid-winter, so I had to tuck them away in preparation for summer, but at $5.99 each I can't really complain. Plus, I found this shrug on the same day for$3.99.

I like to style this one a bit more casually. Oh, and I love my big clunky wedge heels. (Yes, another Goodwill find at $5.99) They are surprisingly comfy and I'm not kidding. I walk around in them for hours without a murmur of regret. Plus, my Napoleon complex is soothed as I am almost as tall in these as I am in Matilda.

Some variety and experimentation in the wardrobe is a good thing. My friend found this very funky skirt at Goodwill one day. I don't have many high-waisted items in my closed, and the few I have are rarely worn because they are so hard for me to pull off. But, I loved the colors, the poofiness, and the unique look of it (even though it's just a run-of-the-mill H&M skirt).

I think when I wear this skirt I'll wear more bangles, and more beads around my neck. The skirt was $3.99, so I nabbed it. I've had these sandals for along time, they're Paolo's that I found at Value Village, and they are really comfy and versatile.

The frequent wardrobe changes and running around the house made Lexi confused. With all this discussion about Goodwill hunting, penny pinching, dress hoarding, accessory coordinating, and wardrobe changes...I'm sympathetic....