Wardrobe Tales

So today I decided to spruce things up a little bit. We're talking clothes here, FYI.

My standard work outfit, now that I've hit that post-six months slump is corduroys, a sweater, ballet flats. And I have enough of the same of those three items to mix and match and essentially wear different colors of each, however I'm getting a little tired of my laziness and tendency to repeat clothes a lot. So like, I said, today I decided to mix things up... sort of. Occasionally I think, okay I work at this trendy office place so I am going to bust out my inner-trendy/fashionable girl and get after it. Hence today's outfit choice: Burgundy t-shirt dress, opaque black tights, black ankle booties. Very dark.

Usually I am wearing a lot of green and turquoise and hot pink. Anyway... I went into the bathroom a minute ago and realized that this lovely t-shirt dress is less of a dress and more of, well, a t-shirt. It's from American Apparel and for some reason I thought it had a little more shape to it... turns out it doesn't. And I didn't belt it or anything so it just looks like I am wearing a big t-shirt and no pants. Which is awkward. So this whole "spruce things up a bit" might not be working in my favor.

I can guarantee tomorrow it will be back to cords and flats and a cable knit... hey, I tried!

Oh here's the shirt dress--although sans belt it looks nothing like it does on this trampy Am App model.

From the Bean to La La Land

I have a special place in my heart for Manny Ramirez.

First of all, he’s a cool dude. I don’t think anyone can argue with that. Then there is his hair—dude is rocking some sweet dreds, and it’s always nice to see the different variations Manny tries when wearing his hat/helmet.
Finally, my senior year of college my oh-so-clever friends decided to nickname me Mannie after an especially bad bout with mono. One of them started calling me Mannie Ramirez. It soon combined with my other nickname and I was being called Manny Stamos (on a side note, I feel like I’ve written about this before which makes me sad that I A. am repeating blog posts and B. lack the capacity to actually remember things) so I obviously feel a special connection to #24.

But he’s #24 no more. Away Manny goes, but closer to me? Yep, he’s been traded to the LA Dodgers, soon to play under former Yankees coach Joe Torre. Even though it’s exciting I might be able to catch him in some Dodgers games, my love for the Red Sox runs too deep for me to not wish he’d stay in the Bean. And so it goes—the heart-wrenching world of professional sports leagues trades and drafts (of which I actually know very little about). Manny will be missed.

I do intend to continue spending my nights sleeping in my XXL Manny Ramirez Red Sox jersey. And I will wear it to the first Dodgers game I go to.

Big Tee or Dress Gone Global

I like to think I started the Big Tee/Dress trend, but I have a feeling that we must give credit to some lazy schlub who just didn't feel like putting on pants or a more form-fitting dress back in 1982 or something. (Let's be honest, I am not that original. I am lazy.) Anyway, Rachel Bilson is totally cramping my style. As my friend who found this photo for me said, "bitch is stealing [my] signature move." So true.

Wear a Big Tee to Work Day

I am officially disgustingly predictable. I was just talking to a friend online who was asking me about my office dress code, and then asked what I was wearing today, resulting in the following conversation:

Ramsay: do you ever wear plush jumpsuits to work?
Annie: mm
Annie: no, no plush to work
Annie: we are alll business all the time
Annie: but i do get to wear blue jeans to work on fridays hurrah
Ramsay: is it Cas Friday?
Annie: mm hmmm
Ramsay: what do you wear during the week?
Ramsay: big tees and a belt?
Annie: UM I AM TODAY
Annie: oh my god i am not kidding
Annie: i wish i was
Annie: i am wearing this big black t dress
Annie: and i belted it
Annie: and i have leggings on
Annie: omg i am sending you a photo
Annie: hold on i am going to the bathroom and taking a photo
Annie: brb
Ramsay: thats amazing!!!
Annie: i am so predictable
Annie: and i am pushing the dress code

And here's the photo of my big tee/80s inspired envelope-pushing outfit for work today (taken with my phone, in the bathroom on the 8th floor of The Luckman Plaza):

Big Tee or Dress?

I love big tees. Personal favorite? That's tough to determine. It could be my XXL Manny Ramirez Boston Red Sox shirt. Or my brother's Camp Winona "Staff" tee. Or possibly the hot pink beauty from my dad's old company that declares, "Holt, Hughes & Stamell. We take everything personally." In any case, I love a big tee. I love to talk about big tees and even more, I love the opportunity to sport one.

For this reason, my favorite current trend would have to be the big tee dress. For example, I am currently wearing a fantastic dress, that despite it's J. Crew label, is in reality just a potato sack with armholes. I have so many of these big tee dress hybrids that my closet is overflowing and I could probably go a month never repeating. These are great--you can dress them up, make them casual, sleep in them--whatever! Your life becomes remarkably versatile when you embrace the big tee dress. The other beautiful thing about these dresses--they are usually pretty inexpensive, because let's be honest, how expensive should a potato sack with armholes really be?

If and when this trend dies, as all trends eventually do, hopefully I will be able to find new purposes for my big tee dress. Perhaps at the point I will use them as they were really intended--potato sacks.