Tension

I wasn't in love with this outfit, to be honest. I thought all the pieces actually looked pretty good together, but between the awkward length of the cardigan with respect to the oversized pockets on the dress, the way the full neck of the dress made the neckline of the cardigan sit funny, and the skirt hiking its way up all damn day, I just didn't feel very put together.

I only added the skirt as an afterthought, because I noticed that the bottom couple of buttonholes of the dress are starting to tear, and I wanted to spare them from further damage by leaving them open. This is not the best design for this dress; the fabric doesn't stretch at all, so sitting down puts a lot of tension on those bottom buttons. I think a more permanent solution would be to sew the bottom of the dress closed from the hips down, and have the buttons as decoration only. That way the tension would be distributed evenly across the whole bottom portion of the dress. It really only needs to unbutton about halfway in order to get it on and off anyway.

The skirt, on the other hand, is not fixable and is totally out of here. By the end of the day I was beyond frustrated with readjusting it, and I was ready to take it off and burn it right there. It was a cheap thrift store purchase anyway, so I'm not too sad to part with it.

Cardigan: American Eagle outfitters
Dress: All Saints
Skirt: thrifted
Tights: MP (via Sock Dreams)
Shoes: MIA

Memory Fades

This cardigan is an oldie but... well, it isn't as much of a goody as it really should be, in all honesty. I hadn't worn it in ages because I vaguely remembered it being sort of itchy, and sadly it was even itchier than I remembered. By the end of the day I had to take it off because the tattoos on my arms became raised and painful.

For anyone who doesn't have tattoos, this is a common phenomenon. Skin irritants, excessive heat, and other factors can cause even long-healed tattoos to occasionally become puffy and raised as if they're brand new. The pair of tattoos on my upper arms is several years old, but even the very first one I got, back in 1993, still gets irritated every once in awhile. What's odd is that it isn't always the entire tattoo either; sometimes it's just a small section, but it can really be uncomfortable.

By the end of the day I was cursing this sweater and vowing to pack it off to the Goodwill, but it's so darn cute that I might see if I can line the sleeves instead (the sleeves are fairly tight, otherwise I'd just put a long sleeved t-shirt under it). Just look at how great it fits me, not to mention the sweet little butterfly embroidered on the hood. That's the reason it has languished there in my closet instead of being donated years ago. So either I'll figure out a way to fix it, or else it'll languish awhile more until my memory fades and I'm suckered into enduring it again.

Sweater: Miss Me
Dress: J. Crew
Tulle skirt: Noa Noa
Boots: Miz Mooz