Smells Like Team Spirit

Jeweled purple is one of the shades that is probably most flattering with my skin tone and my chestnut brunette hair color, and pairs very easily with most of the neutrals that predominate my closet: brown, navy, white, cream, and charcoal. Naturally, purple and black are perfect complements, though perhaps I am a bit biased on that combination; born and raised in Baltimore, I am excited for the game tomorrow, even though I would be considered an absent-minded fan at best. 

This soft blouse is loose and billowy, with broad kimono-like sleeves, and a tie detail along the hip; I found it scattered among piles of bizarre florals and unattractive knits at a massive church sale, while still up at university, before classes had started. An ultimate experience in gleaning and hunting, the Ithaca church sales had incredible finds, for those willing to invest the effort. On this particular day, the last day of the sale, every item was priced at a dime. Its unusual draping and bold color have somehow always salvaged it from ending up in the donation pile, when I clean through my ranks. Last week, it served me well, after I once again pulled it from the bottom of a pile in my drawer, and I could flaunt my home team colors, pairing it with a deep charcoal and black polka dot wool pencil skirt.

This silver rhinestone bird brooch is not intended to be a raven; though I have dabbled and maintain a superficial interest in ornithology, mostly for behavioral study reasons, I always just think of this as generic songbird. For the purposes of this outfit, my mind transfigured the icon into a raven. Strands of long pearl beads wrapped around my neck, I affixed the brooch to a few of the necklaces, giving the appearance of a single piece of jewelry. Certainly a bit more oblique than wearing a purple and black jersey, my resourceful costuming efforts were no less passionate or zealous. Uniforms, off of the field, never appealed to me, no matter how much love and enthusiasm I harbor for my favorite teams. After wearing this, I decided that there is no reason team mascot symbology cannot be applied to jewelry more commonly, in something simultaneously subtle and attractive, but still festive. Sounds like a business plan, waiting to be written, with potential football, basketball, hockey, and baseball consumers.

These cut-out, peep-toe pumps in black and gray mirrored my pencil skirt well. They are exceedingly practical shoes, but, oddly, ones I rarely wear. Extensive wardrobe problems, I suppose; if the meme does not already exist, I should start it.