beads and polka-dots {frocktober, day 14}

Dress (remixed): Ruche, Sweater (remixed): Francesca's

This sweater has been a favorite of mine for a little over a year now. For some reason it almost always encourages my hair into a messy bun, probably because it's so comfortable and I feel so carefree in its giant polka-dotted embrace. 

It also works quite well for a Frocktober sick day, which this certainly was. Yesterday was rather terrible. I left work around 1pm, went by the store to get a handful of cup-o-noodles (I know - but don't judge me. Everyone has their sicky cravings. Those things are weirdly delicious. Ramen all the way!), and headed straight home for sad couch noodle-eating. I napped for a few hours and then mustered up the strength to take a few photos. 

My husband was laughing at me during this shoot because he said he could tell I was "holding in the sickness" while I was standing there in the road. I definitely went right back into my pajamas as soon as we were done! 

Even so, I do love this outfit. This dress is perfect for layering like this because of the pretty beaded collar. 

I got a few new Ruche pieces in the mail last night that I'll be wearing this week - I'm currently wearing this dress, and loving it! It's such a pretty floral. I just can't wait for the weather to cool so I can wear it with scarves, tights and booties. 

I also got another gift from my husband which made me almost burst into tears (it was the cold talking), the long-awaited As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes. I honestly have just started reading it and have already squealed and/or said awww about a dozen times. I cannot wait to read it all. 

ruffle it

top: the shopaholic, dress: ruche

One of my favorite things to do is bizarrely layer blouses over and under my dresses. 

This sheer blouse kind of spoke to me on Friday when I was choosing my work ensemble. I've often layered lace tops over my dresses (confession: doing that right now), and definitely cozy sweaters. But I don't own a lot of sheer blouses. I hate to say it, but I find them pretty inconvenient. 

I love the idea of sheer. Especially sheer sleeves, and lacey things. But I'm not a fan of the required camisole, because bra straps are obnoxious. And strapless bras are even worse. And no-bra is just dangerous. These are real issues of the clothes-wearing woman.

I usually go for the typical tank top underneath something see-through, but it always manages to look tacky to me. It's very hard for me to find sheer tops that I really like. The necessary undergarment is always distracting.

Enter the sheer + dress combo.

There are always solutions. I really love adding items to my closet that can be used for many purposes, and this top is definitely one of them. Tucked into a skirt, paired with skinny jeans, layered over a dress.
And the fact that it's navy is a huge plus. Navy is one of the most amazing remixing colors. It used to be a fairly limited color, but now that people have opened up to the navy + brown (which I adore) and navy + black combos, the possibilities are endless.