I DID IT! I SEWED STRAIGHT LINES! well, semi straight

I would have never thought to put bright blue with black and white stripes, but YOU my dear roommates knew! I got a lot of comments here that I should look at bright blue fabric. I was then at Beverley's and low and behold there was bright blue fabric for $1.99 for a yard and a half. Good crafting vibes were in the air. (I still haven't hemmed or ironed it, so don't judge, I was just so excited to be semi-done).

It took about two hours for the whole thing... I seriously thought I was going to be done around Christmas time, but it really is easy (and now if you decide to do it and make your own shirtdress and you have any questions, you can email me!  I can give you my novice sewing advice).

Look how well I can dance in it. Good things are in store for this dress.

So, I don't have a fashion question because you guys already answered it!

I do have a camping question though, uhh kinda of the opposite of fashion. I LOVE to camp. Backpack, car camp, setting up a tent in the yard, any of it and all of it. My questions are:
                1. Where is your favorite place you have ever camped?
                2. What are some good things you pack to eat while camping? Bret and I are headed on a       
                    little camping trip and I need to pack some meals and snacks, what do you like to pack?

Cankle Jeans

I've always been confused with the fact that we call straight-legged jeans "skinny jeans".  I always thought "skinny jeans" were the jeans that sat in the back of your closet for the day that you magically lost 5 lbs.  Then, when this "skinny jean" fad went viral, I finally figured out that skinny jeans are really just jeans that are tight from your saddlebags to your cankles.  But, I always felt there should be a better name.  I mean "skinny jeans" was already taken, wasn't it? Shouldn't they just be called something else....maybe, cankle jeans? 

I'm not going to lie, it took me a while to jump on board with this fad.  This (slightly OCD) girl doesn't like clothes that are too tight in all the wrong places.  But, I finally jumped in.  And, apparently I have jumped in with both feet.  And I guess I am really excited about it, too.  

Until today, I haven't worn skinny jeans with anything other than a long shirt.  And as you all know, I really like to live life on the edge.  I'm just crazy.  Today I actually TUCKED MY SHIRT into my skinny jeans.  

Is that allowed?  Well, that is what you need to tell me.  I don't really know if it is allowed.  I just did it...cuz I'm wild.

And while we're all here talking about wild and crazy things.  Why don't we throw in another crazy question.  Do you like this outfit better with the flower or without?

Shirt: TJ Maxx Flower: Icing Kankle Jeans: TJ Maxx 

Belt: Thrift Store Shoes: Target

Do you tuck shirts into skinny jeans?

PS- I'm still packing for my road trip I asked you about here.  Do  you have any other advice for me??

READER SUBMISSION

One thing that is great about getting married (besides getting a fabulous husband) is you get to double your friends! You have your friends, then you get all of your husband's friends, too.  Our reader submission today is actually my husband's best friend's wife.  Sara, from Tell, Love, and Chocolate is one of those women you wish could be your best friend, she's stunningly beautiful, super talented, and probably the nicest person I've ever met.  Here's Sara! (ps- you have to go see her most recent post on no-heat curls.  absolutely genius.) 

Hello duplex, my name is Sara, nice to meet you all!  Well awhile ago I went on a very long trip with my husband...and while we traveled I bought a few things...bowls from Turkey, a bag from Vietnam, chocolate from Sweden (or chocolate from everywhere else we went, it didn't matter to me) and many other things.   Among these trinkets and souvenirs I accumulated this dress.  I bought it in Bali for only $5, put a belt around it, and it soon became my favorite thing to wear.  I trekked through the rest of Asia with this little number. 

 NOW I am back in the states.  And since I am not hugging baby elephants, is this dress still cute?  I was actually really excited to wear it when I got home, but for some reason it has yet to leave my closet. 

(sorry, excuse the wrinkles....like I said its been in the closet for a while!)

(here is a close up, so you can really see the pattern)

 So I need some opinions...should I keep the dress around for costume purposes only, or should it make its first appearance here in the states?

Dress: Indonesia Belt: Anthropologie

Have  a question for the duplex? Email us at asktheduplex@gmail.com

Two Shirts Too Many?

Wanna be our official roommate? Go to the "Our Roommates" link at the top of this page, grab a button for your blog, and link yourself! and no worries, you do NOT have to be a "fashion blogger", we like roommates of all sorts.

Monica and I both take our TJ Maxx Bucks pretty seriously. I had only $10 of TJ Maxx bucks to spend and I bought this little number. I've seen these asymmetrical shirts around, and although I realize it isn't an outrages style or anything, I can't decide if I should keep it or put the $10 towards something I REALLY want.

Heeeyyyy Roommates.

I used to wear shirts under my shirts alll the time, but lately I really dislike wearing more than one shirt. I like layering, just not with shirts I guess. I feel all swaddled in my clothes when I have a bunch of shirts on.

shirt: TJ Maxx pants: Banana Republic shoes: Urban Outfitters

Do you still like the layered top look? Would you keep this shirt? I haven't decided yet, and I haven't worn it besides these pictures, so I feel like I could still take it back. Should I take it back?

p.s. Remember this conundrum? Well, it didn't take 6 months for me to sew, it only took like 2 hours, stay tuned for pics! 

Road Trip!

There is something about road trips that make me REALLY excited.  I'm not sure if it's because I am traveling to a new city, or because I like sitting in the car with absolutely nothing to do...or maybe it is because I get to sit in a confined space with the best person in the world and chit chat for hours on end.

Or, actually you know what it is? I think I like road trips so much because you get to eat fast food for every meal, drink lots of diet soda, and endlessly snack on excessive amounts of junk food (calories don't count on road trips, right?).  

I finish my summer term this Friday (5 days! hallelujah.) and we are leaving for a little road trip.  And by little road trip, I mean 37 total hours of car time (you could eat a lot of calories in 37 hours).

But, there are two things I am quite concerned about.

1. What will I wear for 37 hours of car time?
2. What junk food will I pack for 37 hours of car time?

The thing about a road trip of this nature is, you want to be super comfortable, but you also have to look somewhat presentable as you jump out of the car to go on tours and explore sites (and take pictures in front of the sites).  

Right now I am considering...

.....my spandex black pants (without the leopard)

 .....my "tight" shorts

 .....or, my stretchy jeans.

But, I haven't even considered a top to wear.  Or a hat? Headband? Headscarf? A dress?

So, tell me.  What do YOU wear on road trips?  And, what is the one food item you snack on while you stare out the car window? 

PS- Don't worry.  Although I'll be too busy driving around America to blog, I have several questions I've been needing to ask my roommates.  I will prepare those posts before I leave town this weekend.   After I finish this crazy week of finals, of course. 

Problem to the MAXImum

I asked a little bit ago about work attire and explained how I sit criss cross applesauce* for the majority of my day, and I got a lot of people saying maxi dresses were the solution to my problem. I've never owned a maxi dress, mainly because they are all spaghetti strap, and I refuse to wear a shirt under my dress. Well, ahem, I used to refuse, because apparently I am now doing it. and I don't know how I feel about this. (Well, I feel great about the Maxi because it was only TWO DOLLARS. boo. ya.)

When I put a cardigan over the maxi dress my husband said, "It looks like summer and winter are fighting". I didn't even ask him, so I knew it must be bad if he felt compelled to give me some advice. So then I tried a shirt over, with a little belt and it was all types of bad. So here I am, with a shirt under the maxi dress.

shirt: TJ Maxx dress: kohl's (they were having some weird promotion and I went in to buy goggles and got this blue number instead)

Guys, what else can I do besides wear a shirt under?? How would you style this sucker?

*I once told my students to sit "indian style" and they all looked at me SO confused and one kid said, "I don't know any indians". 

Double Whammy

Ok, guys.  I need you to go easy on me today.  I've had a rough week.  The kind of week where I come home from school and stare at the wall for several hours.

But, I have made it quite difficult for you to be nice to me.  This outfit really doesn't make any sense.  But maybe you could say something like, "Hey, I don't really like this look"-- and then find something nice to say like, "But, I am really liking that hair rubber band around your wrist"- or - "But, I really think that brick is laid nicely behind you"-- you know, something pleasant so I don't go stare at the wall for more hours.

So, I've been seeing this double-collared-shirt thing going around and I thought I'd give it a whirl.

 Chambray Top: Sam's Club Checkered Top: Target

 Skirt: Thrift Store Shoes: TJ Maxx

I gave it a whirl.  And a whirl it was.  But, I may never do it again.
If you walked by me on the street would you think, "What in the sam hill is that girl wearing?"

Reader Submission

This weeks reader submission is Heather from Life of a Passeri. Monica and I have only e-met Heather, but I think she would be a bomb.com roommate! And look at that beautiful dark hair of hers, I think she looks straight out of a disney movie, like Snow White.  Snow White with style. Here's Heather:


Hello Dear Roomies,

I’m Heather, and I have problem. 

I’m 24 year old college graduate who has a taste for childish things, that I don’t think will ever go away. Seriously. One of my favorite movies of all time is Quest for Camelot. I kid you not. Consequently, my wardrobe also, on occasion reflects my love for childish...ness...

Exibit A: Steve the Fish purse. Yes I have actually worn this adorable little vintage guy. Never to work, but when I am feeling especially full of energy, Steve makes an appearance.

Exibit B: Floral patterned rain boots. Need I say more?

Exibits C: Over-sized floral earrings. Tacky? Perhaps. But oh how I love them so.

Exhibit D: Heart-buckle belt. If you tell me I can’t wear this little guy anymore,I might just shrivel up and die. My life is in your hands ladies.

So the question is...when are you too old to be wearing such childish accessories, or is fashion all about letting your inner child free, regardless of age, or is there a limit to such freedom?

Are any of these items possibly too childish? What are your thoughts?


Thank you so much,

Heather from lifeofapasseri.blogspot.com

Have a style question but don't have any roommates to ask? Email us at asktheduplex@gmail.com

Apparently I Have Closet Full of Ill-Fitting Clothes

You're probably looking at this and thinking, uh, not much to ask about a navy skirt and white shirt whitney. Ha ha, think again! While this outfit looks normal from the front, the issue is in the back...

I look so pensive, really I was trying to see if the person that lives on the second story was looking at me.

I bought this skirt about 7 years ago, when I was the exact same size as I am now, but I guess I thought I should buy the skirt 3 sizes to big in case I gained 20lbs??

So now when I wear this skirt, I spend the whole time adjusting it, like I am doing in the picture below. Not cute.

Skirt: F21 Shirt: TJ Maxx Belt: Banana Republic 9 years ago Shoes: TJ Maxx

So here are my options:

1. Use my rudimentary sewing skills to try and take in the skirt on the sides
2. Wear the skirt on my hips, then hem it to my knees (once again using my barely there sewing skills)
3. Keep the skirt as is and keep adjusting it
4. Give it away

What would you do if this was your ill-fitting navy skirt?

If the Shirt Fits...Wear It?

All throughout my childhood my mom very rarely bought clothes for herself.  It probably had something to do with the fact that she had five children.  Five children who took dance classes, trumpet lessons, voice lessons and participated in swim club, basketball leagues, and baton twirling classes (remember that, Whit?).  

But even though she rarely bought clothes, she always looked dynamite. The only thing I can ever remember her buying is Guess jeans.  Whenever we would drive through Gilroy, CA, she would go into Guess Outlet and buy herself some jeans.  The funny thing is, she would buy 2-3 pair of the exact same thing.  

Whether it is nature or nurture...I don't know.  But, all I know is I have followed in her footsteps.  When I find something I like, I want two of them (you know, just in case I lose one...or spill Diet Coke on it..or something) And then I want one in every color.  Does anyone else do this?

So, I know you guys recognize this shirt: (Since I have worn it almost everyday since purchasing it a few months ago)

And, I might have accidentally found it's twin on Clearance at TJ Maxx last weekend...

Except, they're not identical twins.  One is white striped...and one is gray striped.  So different, right?

 Shirt: TJ Maxx Skirt: Shade Clothing

 Belt: H&M Shoes: TJ Maxx

 Am I allowed to have the exact same shirt in different colors?  Or, should I return the fraternal twin gray shirt?

And, The Winner Is....

 Ana from Sweet Serendipity!

Congratulations, Ana!  I think we all know you will enjoy 50 bucks.  Now the question is, what will you do with it?  New pants? New shoes? 10 pair of thrifted shoes? The possibilities are endless.  But one thing is for sure, we would all love to see what you spend it on!

Email us with your address and you should have 50 bucks arrive on your doorstep in no time.

The Underpants Drawer

First things first, TODAY is the last day to enter the GIVEAWAY, so hurry on over and enter.

I'm the youngest in a family of all girls and when I was a kid we had an "underpants drawer" in the laundry room. Because there were so many of us, my mom would just put all our underpants in one drawer and we'd come and get them out when we ran out. I remember one time when I first started wearing a bra, I thought, "I'll just go to the underpants drawer because I saw a sports bra in there once". I wore the sports bra all day and I remember it was so big it went halfway down my torso. 

Why do I tell you this pointless story? Well this shirt is kind of like that sports bra, I have NO clue where it came from, or whose it is. It is also ill-fitting.  

So since the shirt doesn't fit quite right,  I've decided to turn the shirt into a dress. Have you guys ever seen this tutorial?? I don't know this girl, but she's AMAZING:

 

So, I'm going to turn my shirt into a dress. BUT now here's the problem, what color fabric should I get for the bottom? Red? Blue? Tan? I'm lost. I NEED HELP. 

And since I will probably spend like 700 hours trying to sew this thing, do any of you have any tv show recommendations I can watch while I attempt to sew? I have netflix, so I can stream, or hulu or maybe some other resource I don't know about. I need some noise for the background.

Jeans, Jeans, The Magical Fruit

This past weekend my husband went canoeing and cliff jumping with some of his friends....and girls weren't invited.  So what does a lone woman do with her Saturday?  Catch up on homework, studying, and grading papers? No.  Go to the gym and burn a bunch of calories? Nope.  Go to every Sam's Club and TJ Maxx in Knoxville? Ding, ding, ding.  (PS- Sam's Club was sampling peanut butter Snickers this weekend.  FULL peanut butter Snickers.  Not just a little bite.  Have you guys tried those things?  They are amazing.)


Luckily I had a shirt that needed to be returned to TJ Maxx.  And I didn't have the receipt, which means.....FREE MONEY TO TJ MAXX.  Usually I hold on to my TJ Maxx store credit and wait for a special occasion to spend it, but I was feeling a little bit crazy (and possibly depressed that I wasn't canoeing on a lake) and I spent some of it.

I purchased one item that seemed pretty silly.  A floral dress.  That is way too short.

 Dress: TJ Maxx Jeans: TJ Maxx Shoes: Target Necklace: 5 old necklaces intertwined into 1

Since I never got into the whole legging-under-dress thing  (My body and spandex don't get along),  I had to go to my next best option- Jeans.
And, these jeans are pretty similar to leggings- they're like magical jeans- they look like jeans, but they feel like stretch pants.

Since I won't wear leggings and I won't wear this dress by itself....I have two options here: wear this dress over jeans or take it back to TJ Maxx (and have more free money).

But, can you wear jeans under a dress?

On a scale from 1-10, how do you feel about jeans underneath a too-short-dress?

                                                     
1_______________________________________5____________________________________10
Stop it! Don't do it.                                                                  eh, it's fine                                                          Ah, yeah dawg.

Reader Submission

We're so excited to have Alison as our Reader Submission this week. We attended the same college as Alison, and while we were never roommates with her, we should have been! Her craftiness and fun-loving spirit were known all over campus.  In the past few months we have been blown away by her skills, she has taken crafts to the next level folks. See for yourself over at her shop, The Little Tiny.  Here's Alison:

Hey Roomies!

I need your help! No I'm not asking if a woman with hips like these can wear horizontal stripes (I'm doing it, it's already done!) or if I should paint my nails neon green (my baby thinks they are candy) I need help with my statement necklace! I made a tutorial for this really awesome fringe necklace (at least I think it's awesome) and I've made one for LOTS of other people, but when it comes to making one for MYSELF, I can never decide on the length, long or short?! I like it long on other people, but I feel like it might look awkward hanging over my, uh, giant nursing bosoms.

long necklace

When you look from the side it doesn't hang flat, it cascades off the shelf! Then again, maybe that doesn't matter? My husband can't seem to answer this one objectively...so I need your expertise! I've also included some pictures of me dancing in it, because I find you can't tell how things REALLY look until you dance in them.

So, what do you think about statement necklaces? Should the necklace length depend on the outfit? Or does it depend on your figure? Should I go EVEN longer or shorter than pictured? Give me your wisdom!

shorter necklace

Thanks so much for your help!

Have a question? Ask the Duplex. Email us at asktheduplex@gmail.com

Good Point?

So I realize that this outfit isn't life-changing or uber stylish (well, because ususally the things I wear are just earth shattering they're so interesting, like this) but guys! I tallied it up and this whole outfit, including shoes, was $24... hollllaa.

shirt: Banana Republic jeans: F21 shoes: Old Navy

I didn't just come on the internet to brag about my cheapness. I'm wondering if I should keep these shoes? I'm doing a massive overhaul of my house and these shoes are in the maybe pile.

They were $3.99, but I've only worn them three times in like 4 years. Do people still wear pointed shoes? Would you keep them? Do you think I could wear them with a t-shirt?

 

1-2-3-4, Roll It Up a Little More

Have you guys seen this tie-your-shirt-in-a-knot trend that is going around?  Oh, you haven't? Well let me provide you with a visual from the beloved F21 website.

So, that's what I'm talking about.  The Knot Tie.  And if Forever 21 is doing it, we all should be doing it.  Right?  

Well, since I am always looking for more ways to incorporate my 6'1'' husband's wardrobe into my own, I thought this might be a nice alternative to my usual trick of belting his oversized shirts.  

Necklace: 5 old necklaces intertwined into 1 Shirt: my husband's

 Camisole: DownEast Basics Jeans: Gap Shoes: Target

So, you may or may not be thinking one of the following:

1. Monica, stop wearing your husband's clothes.
2. You look like a cowboy in gingham and flared jeans, but with some pearls and a bun.
3. Please stop furrowing your brow in your pictures.  

But, let's not focus on the obvious here.  Let's get back to the Knot Tie.

1. Is the Knot Tie a lame trend that no one should participate in?
2. Do you Knot Tie?