It's A Hard Knock Life

I don't know about you, but I seem to have accumulated a few closet orphans over the last couple of years: clothes that I like, but that I can't get to play nice with my other items. Or clothes that I like, but that just don't feel right when I put them on. Jeans seem to have made their way into this category since my mastectomy. I crave a hefty dose of femininity in my outfits these days, and jeans usually feel too boyish for my style. So it is with some surprise that I found myself wearing these jeans three times in the last fortnight!

                                                           Jeans: Country Road
                                                           Shirt: Cue
                                                           Top:Veronika Maine
                                                           Shoes: Wittner
I was trying to work out why they felt right after languishing in my drawer for over a year, and have realised that they struck just the right balance for me. All the occasions I wore them were smart casual evening events. The shiny fabric of the jeans and the pairing of heels and fun tops created just the right level of femininity and polish for me to feel comfortable. I wore different tops on each occasion, but the overall appearance of each outfit was dressy and girly. This outfit was worn to a good friend's 40th birthday party, a fun-filled gathering held at her home.

This top has also been something of an orphan. I suspect that on someone with breasts, this would be a little more cropped and the side vents would sit open a little more. On me, the fabric sat flat and the top seemed to be an awkward length. This week, I hit on the idea of layering a shirt under the top and enjoyed both the hint of extra volume over my torso and the flattering effect of a lighter colour close to my face. I also tried a semi-tuck to attempt to resolve the length issue. I quite enjoy the overall look - a bit of school ma'am crossed with disco diva! And I particularly enjoyed finding a combination that gave two orphans an outfit family.

Do you have wardrobe orphans that you are struggling to place?

It's A Hard Knock Life from the musical "Annie".