OK. so a while back I had this whole song and dance about “oops purchases” and then I never wrote about them.. Partially because my closet is so damn messy that I had trouble locating things in there, and also because I was a little lazy about executing any kind of magic that it would take to turn ugly into ooohh la la. Tonight, my friends, that will all change. I just had a giant coffee and I am ready to go.

Lets start with this white button down, which has rather interesting pockets. When I bought it at H & M what look was I going for? safari ranger? park greeter? old man living in FL (no offense to all of you old men who live in FL reading this)

What’s a girl to do with this hunk of junk… I think it has a lot of potential so let me see what kind of magic I can work… enjoy my awkward modeling skills.

So, as you’ll see in the intro clip, I have this strange article of clothing, which I am determined to make useful.

The first outfit transition, which makes the top look a little better, involves a dark, high waisted skirt, and a thick, patent leather belt. Not only did this hide half of the shirt, removing the boxiness of it, but it also creates a waistline, which was totally MIA when I was wearing this shirt solo.

Look 2 is made up of the safari shirt, high waisted skirt and belt from look one, but also a long, knit cardigan. I then belted the entire ensemble to emphasize that waistline.  This look is the best, in my opinion, because it’s concealing safari shirt almost totally, but let’s those pockets stick out in a, “wow, what’s that shirt under there” kinda way.

Lesson to be learned?

a) don’t give up on ugly clothes– where there is a will there’s a way… unless it’s ugly beyond repair

b) defining that waistline can totally transform a look… ways to do that almost always involve a belt. Even if you have a few layers (so long as they’re not super thick), toss a belt on top to bring out those curves, baby!

Now let’s talk about how Ms. Jay would totally rip me apart.. especially that uncomfortable arm presentation thing I kept feeling the need to do. whatever. and just ignore the thumbs up– it seemed like a really good idea at the time.