Fall blazer for Spring

I recently found a houndstooth blazer on the clearance rack for $20 at my local H&M. On further inspection, I think this might be the same suit pieces as seen on Alterations Needed, Extra Petite, and Stylish Petite back in 2011! Kind of weird how it made its way to my local store now in 2013. However, my blazer doesn't have the elbow patches or the polka-dot lined inside pocket, so maybe this is a different renewal edition. Sometimes I forget that Kelly, Jean, and Annie are indeed tiny petites in their size 2's. I felt this H&M sizing definitely ran small. I had to take the jacket in size 4, with sleeves shortened (another $20 in alteration cost), and the skirt in size 6!

I was sort of bummed that I would have to store away the brown houndstooth blazer in the back of my closet to wait till Fall to wear it.....until my eyes landed upon page 135 of the March 2013 J.Crew Style Guide....men's section again....

.....granted it's a lightweight silk-linen jacket being advertised here, it gives off the same effect as a houndstooth jacket from this Fall 2012 J.Crew catalog clipping:

Both can pass as Spring looks, no?

Lastly, I was excited about the "real" chest pocket on my blazer. I don't own any handkerchiefs or pocket-squares, but I do have several handmade hair scrunchies lying around. Making scrunchies out of scrap fabric use to be my hobby back in junior high school, haha. Although scrunchies are out-of-style for a long time, who knew they'll come in handy now...

....and still useful in tying the hair back when they go awry.

Maybe I should pick up this hobby again!

The man in me

I don't know what is in me lately, but I'm attracted to the way men's clothing are layered. Again, in the J.Crew December 2012 catalog, I kept flipping back towards the men's section for outfit ideas.

Other looks from the J.Crew men's section I'm loving:

from page 105

from page 120

Makes me wonder if women styled these men, or I'm turning masculine, haha.

Other inspirations:....I found these guest judges from Project Runway All Stars Season 2 Episode 3,  Jeffrey Costello and Robert Tagliapietra to be adorable!

Fashionable lumberjacks, layering with plaid and checks is wonderfully perfect for this time of the year. But it looks like these guys always look like this though...who knew they design such pretty women clothing (http://www.costellotagliapietra.com)!

J.Crew December 2012 Catalog inspiration

Who here gets giddy when they receive the J.Crew catalog in the mail? I do! My two favorite catalogs in the world are Anthropologie and J. Crew. I have saved many of their catalog clippings for over a decade it seams as my fashion inspiration. I'm glad I now have this blog to share the images I love (instead of piles of faded pages in flimsy folders, cluttering up my space, and a nightmare to rid of when moving). In the new colorful J.Crew December 2012 catalog, I actually gravitated towards the "neutral" palette. It reminded me how much I love wearing cream, dusty grey, and camel in the winter. Too bad I don't live in the cold Midwest anymore, otherwise I would be shopping for shearling, Irish fisherman sweaters, cozy cable-knits, and camel suedette pants!

And here are the pages from J.Crew December 2012 catalog that is the source of my inspiration today: 

The "Gifts for Him" inside the front-flap cover was what initially got me buzzing.

  Why do guys always get the best timeless pieces? This is why we love menswear!

from page 24-25

from page 26-27

hunky guy smiling at you from page 119.