Thanks Giveaway Winner!

I've never won a blog giveaway, but I imagine it being very exciting, especically since it is exciting just to announce a winner... and our winner is:

Heidi and Max, send us your email info to claim your prize at asktheduplex@gmail.com

Hope you all are having a great Wednesday. I'm spending a good portion of the morning teaching school children about random acts of kindness. We're all going to join a "Kindness Club" where I'll teach them a special handshake and they get to make awesome hats then go do some service around school. I think it sounds like a promising Wednesday.

July? December? Does it Matter?

Don't forget to enter the giveaway! (You could even enter it and give it as a gift for chrismahanukwanzakah).

Back in the spring I was worried if the red/white/blue outfit I had on was a little too fourth of July for spring. I have a similar question this time of year, except, can you wear patriotic outfits in the winter?

Are these colors too bright? Is there such a thing as colors that should only be worn during certain seasons?

 Do you have colors you don't wear in the winter?

Ridiculous

I'm leaving tomorrow morning to fly to Jacksonville, Florida to present some research at a national literacy conference.  All the big whig literacy researchers from all over the nation will be there.  I'm definitely not a big whig researcher.  I'm just a wanna-be.  And sometimes I think I make decisions that put myself deeper into the "wanna-be" category.

Like own a HUGE pink bag with a HUGE pink bow on it.

I don't know too many PhD candidates who own such a ridiculous bag.

Bag: TJ Maxx Shirt: TJ Maxx Jeans: Gap

I mean, I know it's a ridiculous bag.  But is it RIDICULOUS?  So ridiculous that I should leave it at home as I try to fit in with the big whigs?  It would be pretty impossible to hide when one of my literacy idols walked by....

Should I leave it home? Or, do you think it'd make a good carry-on for my flight? ...even if it is bright pink with a large bow?

Room for Rent

Just in time for the holiday season, we have rooms for rent in our Duplex! If you would like to advertise on Ask the Duplex, here's the info:

Button Sponsors

If you have a blog or small business and would like to add a button to our sidebar, we  have two sizes:

Giveaways:

If you'd like to partner up and do a giveaway hosted by Ask the Duplex, we would love to do that, too! This would be a great way to get the word out about your product.

Product Endorsements:

If you haven't noticed, Monica and I are on the thrifty side of things, but that doesn't mean we don't like quality products. We are both constantly on the search for the best products/clothing/accessories at the best price. If you have something you would like us review, let us know.

If any of this is of interest to you and you would like to view our stats and rates, email us at asktheduplex@gmail.com

Black (well, brown) Friday

My first question is, do you go out on black friday?? If so, what do you get? I've never been... and the more I think of it, I don't really know what'd I get or scour for. I'd like a pair of thick REI socks, a kayak, and more business pants (well, straight leg colored pants that I call business pants) but I don't know if braving the crowds is worth if for those three things (I don't know if kayaks go on black friday sale?).

Anyway, I have a question about these boots (and my face is strategically hid because it was 7am and I was on my way to work and my eyes hadn't fully woken up). So, I think I like these boots? I feel like they are very plain brown boots, but the brown is kind of loud.

Do the boots look off to you? If so, what are all my pant color options for brown boots? Do you wear yours with black pants?

Oh, what do you wear with a pumpkin gut?

Happy Thanksgiving!

From your roommates,  Mon and Whit

I love holidays.  ESPECIALLY holidays that mean I can eat until I'm sick.  I love eating.  Although, I never know what to wear on Thanksgiving-- You have to pick something that allows for belly expansion but you still have to look nice at the dinner table.   

I'm debating between two flowy tops, each with an elastic belt (for the pumpkin gut):  

Do you plan your outfit knowing you'll be very full, too?

What do you wear on Thanksgiving?  

Reader Submission

Growing up I had all older sisters who were all SO COOL in my eyes. And the only thing cooler than them was their friends. They seriously had the coolest friends. Well, I can't tell you how happy I was to have one of my sister's closest friends, Alex, email me with a question for the duplex. Not only is she a knock-out, she is super smart and way talented. And she has a really cute baby. Oh and she needs our help:

Hey everyone! I'm so grateful to Whitney and Monica for having me today! I'm Alex from Peppermint Plum, where I blog about my life as a wife, momma, writer, and photographer in California.

Alright roomies, here's my inquiry... Printed tights are like six month old babies; you really want to take them out in public because they're just so darn cute, but you're a little bit afraid that they will be a tad too loud for the average stranger. As it just so happens, sometimes I like to take my six month old baby girl out in public, while wearing my fair isle printed tights; yep, I'm crazy like that.

So how do you feel about printed tights? A fun alternative to the mundane black legging? A vibrant accessory to an otherwise drab grey sweater? Or a juvenile attempt at warming up my dress and boots look?

At least if you all tell me I'm crazy for sporting these tights, I can roll them up and stick them in the back of my sock drawer; my baby, not so much. Plus, I'm pretty sure her precious little face and sweet smile would win them over.

Are you wearing printed tights this season? What are your thoughts on them??

Thanks-Giveaway

Big news, folks.  We have one of the most exciting giveaways ever.
Have you seen the gorgeous things that Erin makes over at Candy Kirby Designs?  If not, then you have to go check it out.  I almost want to have a child just so I can buy this and this.

Good morning, roommates!

I'm Erin. 

I'm so happy to be back at Ask the Duplex.

You may remember me from my style question that can be found here. 

So, when I don't have some post-wedding crazy bridesmaid bed head, I sew.

and I sew a LOT.

I design clothes for littles and sell them in my etsy shop.
I design and make dolls, too. Handstitched with vintagey fabric goodness.
I also design business cards, birth announcements, christmas cards, etc.
And if that's not enough, I also design and make home decor. Throw pillows and ruffle blankets are my specialty.

So there is a little something for everyone in my shop.  :)

Want to win a $25 shop credit towards  a n y t h i n g  you want?

You can enter the giveaway up to three times! Leave a comment for each entry.

To enter the giveaway:

{for 1 entry}

1. Follow Ask the Duplex 

with Google Friend Connect and leave a comment that you have done so, or if you are already a follower, just let us know! 
 click "follow" on the left hand corner

{for an additional entry}

2. Like Candy Kirby Design on Facebook

and leave a comment that you have done so.

{for a third entry}

3. Follow Erin's blog

and leave a comment that you have done so

And ask the duplex followers can save 15% for the month of november with code: asktheduplex 
{coupon not applicable to giveaway winner's shop credit.}

The winner will be announced one week from tomorrow-- November 30, 2011

A Maxi In The Fall?

Are maxi dresses and skirts summer attire?  I put this skirt on the other day and something seemed off.  It might have been all of the leaves on the ground.  The long flowyness just screamed summer to me.  

But, what if the maxi is in fall colors?  And what if it is still in the low 70's in November? Does that make it doable for fall?

If your answer is-NO! Never wear a maxi in the fall!.....Please skip down to the comments and pretend that I'm not wearing this skirt in these photos.  

If your answer is-Yes you can wear a maxi in the fall...which option is more fall appropriate?

A. Flowy top 

B. Fitted top

Flowy top: TJ Maxx Fitted top: Shade 

Necklace: F21 Skirt: TJ Maxx Shoes: Target

I'm Still Wearing Reeboks.

I was talking to my sister last night and she was saying how she went on a 9 mile walk in Chicago in a pair of flats and the next day almost couldn't walk because her feet hurt so bad because of the poor shoe choice. BUT that situation begs the question, what would have been the right pair of shoes?! Because no one wants to wear a pair of tennis shoes with their normal outfit while out and about.

I know this is a "fashion blog" and 85% of the time I'm posting pictures of me in the wilderness in janky thrift store clothes... but, I've got questions, and I need some answers!

So I've owned these reeboks for 10 years, and they have served me well. They aren't bulky like real tennis shoes but I can walk all day long in them and do some nature walks too. But like all my shoes, they now have holes and are begging to be retired.

Do you own a pair of shoes you can walk far distances in that aren't tennis shoes? I'm desperate to find some.


(Also, totally unrelated, I need a fitted sheet and I've looked everywhere, do any of you know somewhere you can get JUST a fitted sheet for a bed????)

Horizontal Stripes

When I was 14, we had a stylist of some sort come to our Wednesday night church youth group and talk to us about body shapes and clothes most flattering for your shape.

The stylist told me to NEVER wear horizontal strips on the bottom half of my body.  "It doesn't flatter your pear shape body" she told me.

I listened to her advice.  Until today.

 Cardigan: Target  Scarf: TJ Maxx 

Belt: Thrift Store Skirt: Target  Boots: Piperlime

Thanks to Audrey at Putting Me Together who told me to go back to Target and snatch this mustard cardigan (that I passed up on two separate occasions), I also found this skirt on clearance for 5 bucks!  I'll take any skirt for 5 bucks.

I am pretty sure the stylist would tell me that the horizontal stripes are making my wide load look even wider and more disproportionate from the rest of my body.....but what if I tried to balance it out with a bulky scarf?

Shortly after this photo was taken, I freaked out because I didn't know how to get down.  Don't worry, Rhett saved me.  

Is the "no horizontal stripes" rule outdated?  Do you wear horizontal stripes?

Reader Submission: A How-To

One of the best things about having roommates is also BEING a roommate.  We have loved every single Reader Submission because we have the opportunity to be a roommate again and answer some style questions.  Which is precisely why we have this feature on our blog.

We have received several questions about our Reader Submission  feature on our blog and wanted to take a moment to explain a few things.

We have three types of Reader Submissions:

Blog Featured Reader Submission

We leave every Wednesday open for individuals who have a style question and would like to open it up to all of our e-roommates.  To participate in a blog feature you would want to do the following: (a) take pictures of your outfit in question, (b) write a brief blog post about your question, and (c) send us the HTML of your blog post.  

Roommate Email Reader Submission

We also check our email regularly for our dear e-roommates who may not want their face plastered all over the internet.  If you have a style question for Whitney and Monica...you can take a photo of your style question and send it directly to our gmail inbox.  Please specify that you do not want this posted on the blog, rather you just want some roommate advice.  

General Question Reader Submission

If you don't want to take a picture of yourself to send to our inbox OR to be posted for the entire world to see, we love getting general style questions without pictures, as well.  Usually when we get general questions that we have also wondered about we will create a post about your style question. 

To make it as easy as possible, please specify in the e-mail subject line what kind of Reader Submission you are submitting.

If you have any questions about Reader Submissions, feel free to email us at asktheduplex@gmail.com

Can't wait to see all of your style questions!

Swirls and Zig-Zags

Thank you all for the kind birthday wishes, it was a great day. I ate lots of glazed donuts, rode my bike, and hung out with bret... three of the things I love most in life. 

Celebrating being alive

I know that people have mixed feelings about polka dots and stripes together, but I'm curious about swirls and zig-zag lines together? Please ignore the fact that it is a blurry picture.... although this is a blog that is picture-centric, sometimes the sun sets too early.

Do you think it's too much with both the swirls and the zig zag prints? Maybe at night it could work but in the day it's a little too cross-eye inducing?

So, what do you think? Both prints together or no?

Can one tuck in a cardigan?

We've all seen Emma Pillsbury pull this off flawlessly.  But, can the average joe?

And if you're thinking...Well, I don't know....but it would help if I saw a running picture in the outfit before I make up my mind.  Don't worry, I've got that covered.

And maybe now you're thinking...Well, I'd have a better idea if I could see the outfit suspended in the air.. Don't worry, I've got that covered, too.

Cardigan: Target Belt: Thrift Store Pants: Gap 

Shoes: TJ Maxx Socks: WalMart

Okay, but really.  Do you guys ever treat your cardigans like they're shirts?  

Can you tuck in a cardigan?

Happy Birthday Whit!

Guess what guys?  It's Whitney's birthday today!!

We take birthdays pretty seriously around here.  In college, birthdays always started at midnight-- with a dance party and a dessert.  See below for proof. 

Although you cannot see everything that is going on in this photo-- just imagine really loud music (at this birthday, I'm pretty sure "I'm Bossy" was being blasted from our roommate's sub), imagine lots of yelling, lots of laughing, and most importantly-- lots of calories being consumed.

Besides midnight dancing and eating, we always went to Kinkos and blew up HUGE poster size photos of the birthday girl.

Boy, I miss those days.

It's currently after midnight in Tennessee and although Whit's on the other side of the country, I'm celebrating by eating lots of brownies and dancing around my apartment--wish you were here, Whit.

Do you guys have any birthday traditions?

Let's all give Whit a birthday shout out, shall we?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WHITNEY!

Ask the Dudeplex

This past summer Bret and I went to a few different countries in Europe and while we were there we bought this awesome sweater in Switzerland...

My husband has been debating if the sweater is unisex or not, and neither of us can decide.

PLEASE IGNORE MY TENNIS SHOES, We had walked like 400 miles that day

The sweater is definitely big enough to fit him, but I can't decide if it looks too girly.  What do  you think, is the design too girly? Bret declined having his picture taken for the blog, so instead I'll show a picture of him when we were at a beach in Venice, and there were no bathrooms or towels and he needed to change into his swimsuit, so he put my beach cover up on....

This picture is so wrong, but oh so funny

Opossums, Knees, and a Style Predicament

Have you guys ever seen an opossum hide before?  No?  Well, I have.  One time when I was in high school, I heard all kinds of weird noises in our garage, so I went outside to see what was going on.  When I turned on the garage light, I saw the opossum scurry over to a cabinet and stick his ugly face and long snout under it-- with the rest of his body in plain view.  He stood so still, thinking I couldn't see him.  I don't think opossums are very smart.

Well apparently I am not very smart, either.  When I put this outfit on, I was pretty convinced that you couldn't see my knees- just like the opossum thought no one could see his body.  I mean, I had tall boots on and a somewhat long skirt on.  It wasn't until later, when I viewed these photos, that I realized my knees had been showing all day.  I practically have two large arrows pointing at my knees.  You guys remember how I feel about my knees, don't you?

Now that I have brought even more focus to something that really doesn't need to be discussed-- let's change topics to the real point of this post.

Black and brown.

Do they go together?

Shirt: TJ Maxx Skirt: Target Belts: Thrift Store Boots: Piperlime

I don't know.

And if I can wear brown boots with a black skirt, should the belt be....

......brown?

........or black?

To summarize, I have two questions.

1. Are black and brown meant to be in the same outfit together?
2. If they can be, what color should the belt be? Black or brown?