Red October

Ambassador X along with two of her cohorts have been held against their will by Rupert Retail and his henchmen in an abandoned warehouse. Her special thrifting powers have been reduced to fatally low levels because she's been deprived of seeing the color red for months.

 My mission: To infiltrate the building undetected and allow Ambassador X to see my outfit in all it's red glory to restore her mega thrifting powers. The fact that it's mixed prints and mostly thrifted will only maximize the effect.
I must hurry and locate the shut-off valve. The effects of the spiked frozen yogurt I gave the guard will wear off in mere minutes!

I really hope the Ambassador likes my outfit. I kind of put it together at the last minute. This sassy red trench's last appearance was back in February here. The skirt was last seen in action here, and the blouse here.

If I'd been called upon to complete this mission just 5 short years ago, I wouldn't have been able to do it. I just absolutely did not wear red! I felt it wasn't my color, but I decided to give it a go one day and realized it suits me after all. I've been hooked ever since.

Mixing prints has never been a problem though, I was doing that back in high school. My feelings are, as long as the colors coordinate, then it's ok to mix the prints. Easy!

Have you ever become fixated with a color or particular pieces of clothing in your closet and you just wear them to death for about a month? I'm obviously going through a red phase. I believe it all started with the acquisition of this red dress. For some reason I've also been obsessed with this skirt and plaid blouse. I've worked out at least three other ways to wear them together.

There's nothing like a comfy shoes, easy fitting skirt and blouse and a trench in a fun color to get a lady through the day's missions. 

Ambassador X is safe, her thrifting powers have been fully restored. The thrifting community can breath a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, in the fray Rupert Retail escaped. No worries though, he can't run forever. Sooner or later, he'll end up in a thrift store or yard sale and I'll nab him!

 

October isn't over yet and neither is my red phase. What are you fixated with this month, a purse, an accessory, a piece of jewelry? Hope you're indulging some of your own obsessions as well. I'll be linking up at Monday Mingle and  Patti's Visible Monday.

Until we meet again, live long, thrift, wear red and prosper.

The End.

Style Agent 909's wardrobe on this mission:

Gallery red trench: thrifted

Liz Claiborne plaid blouse: thrifted

Jones New York skirt: thrifted

Gianni Bini sling back clogs: via Dillard's

Fossil purse: via Dillard's (on clearance last year)

Decisions, Decisions

Paper or plastic, credit or debit, left or right, heels or flats, this or that? These are the mundane, non-life-altering decisions I'm sure most of us make on a daily basis.  And let's not even talk about the most mind boggling question of all: "What am I going to wear today?"
This past week, though, I had a serious decision to make, at least in my book. I was half way to work (about 20 minutes into the trip) and realized I'd forgotten my cell phone at home, something I rarely do. I almost broke out into a cold sweat! Barreling down the freeway at 75 70 mph, I couldn't decide if I should turn around, go back home and get it or live without it for a day. Mind you, there's computers with internet and phones at work, but there's nothing like having my own little link to the world right in my hot little hand. Well, I quickly checked my purse to make sure I at least had my wallet. I did. Whew! I decided I could live without the cell for a day. At least I had money with me to buy something at the thrift store. Which would be worse for you, leaving your wallet or leaving your cell phone?

Here's another situation I'm often faced with, more so in the big city than out in the  rural area where I live. I'm approaching a traffic light and have to stop. And right outside my window is a guy with a sign indicating he's homeless, lost his job, broke, war vet, blind, deaf, hungry, etc. Sometimes he may even have a dog with him. To make matters worse, I'm usually chowing down on a hamburger or something at the time. I have to make a split decision about what I'm going to do. I'm sorry to say I haven't developed a standard response to this situation yet and that my decision usually depends on my mood. Sometimes I give some spare change, sometimes I offer to buy food, and other times I just quietly ignore the person.  What do you do when this happens? When I approached the blind, deaf, homeless, broke (and thankfully dogless) guy at the traffic light this week. I didn't give him any spare change. I was selfishly saving it for a cup of frozen yogurt.

I have a great camera. But I'm still learning how to use it. So sometimes my photos aren't really what I'd like them to be, but I post them anyway. The flip side of that situation is feeling like I said something really stupid in a post or it just didn't make sense. Which is worse in your opinion; stupid posts or bad photos? Sometimes I do both
 . . . at the same time!
 I've been wanting to thank you all, my fellow bloggers for helping me make  a decision couple of weeks ago when I purchased a pair of sweats that I wanted to refashion. You offered all kinds of great suggestions. Thank you so much. Turns out though, that they weren't too small after all and I kept them as they were.
I need to call upon you all again for help. A few posts back, Madame Lotta Prada posted a horoscope. It got lots of views, but not a lot of comments. So I'm putting it out there for my fellow bloggers to help me decided if it should continue to be a monthly feature. The poll is at the bottom of this post.

Here's a couple of things I don't even need to think twice about: linking up at Visible Monday and Monday Mingle. Those are no brainers!
What decisions (non) life altering or otherwise, have you had to make lately?

Pendleton plaid wool jacket: thrifted
L.L. Bean Slim Leg jeans: thrifted
Van Heusen blouse: thrifted
a.n.a denim vest: thrifted
Gianni Bini boots: via Dillard's (clearance, last year)

Do you like the idea of a monthly horoscope?
	Absolutely!
	No Thanks. I'll get mine from the newspaper.
pollcode.com free polls

Asian Leopard Dressing

     Can you read my shirt? I can’t. For all I know it says, “kick me” but when I spotted in one of my favorite thrift haunts, I couldn’t resist it. I love clothes with exotic logos and markings. It’s a tank top, something for summer, but I wanted to wear it now. I knew right away what I would pair it with so could. Leopard! A leopard turtleneck to be exact. Seriously, is there anything that an animal print won’t go with? I’m pretty proud of the thrift factor 57 %. The ring has a story behind it. I’ll share in another post.

     The scene:  A little old abandoned church. I pass it often on the way to work,  always intending to stop, but never really having the time. So, this particular weekend, while Stephen and I were out and about, not only did we stop, but took some pictures too. I think it’s quite charming even in its run down state, don’t you?  So, when you’re out this weekend I hope you get a chance to check out what’s behind those gates or on the other side of that tall wall or that curious little thrift store that’s been calling your name. Oh, and be sure to take pics, because I know you’re going to be looking fabulous when you do.

Pssst….The cargos I'm wearing, they’re actually slightly flared. I just folded them over a bit and then rolled them a couple of times to make a cuff. Not sure if you knew this trick or not. Try it. It works!

Classic Elements leopard turtleneck: thrifted

Faded Glory cargos via Walmart (clearance) circa 2009

Asian print tank: thrifted

Gianni Binni “My Way” clogs via Dillard’s (still available here in black)

Cato vest: thrifted

Coach purse: gift from Stephen

Shades: random, thrifted

Bracelets: thrifted

Western Glam: Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?

     Hey, isn’t there a song by that name?

     Have you ever noticed how a predicted trend just seems to fizzle out or worse yet (sometimes for the better) just never comes to fruition? I’m thinking that’s what happened to the “Western Glam” trend. When I saw this look was coming down the pike, I thought, “uuuuoooohhhh weeee, now I’ve got an excuse to sport all my western gear.” Not that I care if it’s “in” or not, I wear it all the time. Being from Southern Cali, I’m used to a little western vibe that seems to be ever present to some degree or another. Nevertheless, I was sad to see it didn’t become the season hit, I thought it would. If there’s one look that I’ll go a little overboard with, it’s this one. I held myself back this time though. See, no hat.

     Now, back to my original thought. Yes, there was a song by that name by Paula Cole, back in 1996. My how time flies. As for western glam, I’ll be sporting that look on and off. Why? Because I like it. I hope you'll do the same. Wear what YOU want regardless of whether it's a hot trend or not. 

P.S. Thrift factor= 83%

Cabi Jeans: thrifted
LizWear shirt: thrifted
Long cardigan, Eddie Bauer: thrifted

Ring and buffalo head nickle belt: Thrifted  

Various necklaces: thrifted

Yep, thrifted.

Gianni Bini clogs via Dillard's. 












Sincerely, 
Sheila, Style Agent 909