Where have you been since I last saw you without your trousers on?

For those who don't know me very well: I don't wear pants.

It's not a religious or a political or a feminist decision—and my mother will want me to tell you that I wasn't raised this way, either!—I just... don't... like them. I own a couple of pairs, but for the most part they just sit folded in my dresser as they patiently await the day when I finally give up my dogged insistence on freezing my derriere off in stockings and skirts up here in the great white North.

The title of this post comes courtesy of my dear friend Matthew, who informed me of this line that's often colloquially added to the (unofficial) Yorkshire anthem. Two months ago, in what I thought were the final death throes of a bitterly cold winter (HAHAHAHAHAH), I wrote on Facebook that I was...

"Struggling to figure out what to wear today. Pants? No pants? Pants? No pants?

Decided to stick to my principles. If I die young, bury me pantsless." 

Matt commented with a link to the delightful folk tune "On Ilkla Moor Baht'at,"which apparently advises Yorkshiremen against the foolhardy decision of pursuing pretty young ladies whilst not wearing seasonally appropriate clothing. "You're going to catch your death of cold without your trousers on!" the speaker proclaims, eventually going on to lament the eventual death and decomposition of the subject in a manner grossly reminiscent of Andrew Marvell's "To His Coy Mistress" ("the worms will come and eat you up...").

But this is a fashion blog, not a literary journal.

Blah blah blah, today I put on some pants. Everyone was very surprised, but the sky did not fall, the earth still managed to spin on its axis, and humanity pressed ever onward.

Blouse: Thrifted

Cardigan: Old Navy

Trousers: Forever 21

Shoes: Naturalizer (via DSW)

Rings: Old Navy (cameo), Tres Joli via Etsy (bow), Grandma's high school class ring

Photos: Jill Hakala

I guess that my discomfort led to the awkward, impish smiles in some of these pictures. Here I finally am with my trousers on, dressed entirely appropriately for the weather. Come at me, suitors.

Style Idol: Natalie Portman as Alice Ayers

So, today was supposed to be a day off, but I ended up running a bunch of errands, going to a couple of meetings, and taking a friend to and from work when her car wouldn't start.

Even though I threw on my clothes between outings, I asked my roommate to take a couple of outfit photos. It wasn't 'til I got in the car again that I realized that I dressed just like Natalie Portman did at the beginning of 2004's Closer—her first Golden Globe nominated role. Observe the faux fur lined coats, the clunky boots, the disheveled ginger hair, and the near-perfect withering gazes:

I desperately wanted to be Natalie Portman in high school after watching Closer (and, admittedly, the Star Wars prequels, despite their poor production quality). Her character, Alice, was everything that I desired to be: a young, sexy American girl in London, plucky and resourceful, with a killer wardrobe that was part thrift store, part punk club. She had the best quotes in the movie, so I tried to emulate her and her witticisms whenever possible. I even tried to pull off her short 20s style bob at the beginning of college, which failed legendarily (I looked like I had a Beatles-style mop top). 

The location pictured above, Postman's Park, was also coincidentally my favorite spot to read class novels while I studied in England two years ago. Serendipity.

Some details:

Dress: Forever 21

Cardigan: Target
Tights: ???
Coat: Bought from Lynzy of Sparkling Footsteps

Shoes: Madden Girl, via JC Penney

Earrings: Old Navy
Rings: Etsy; family heirloom

Photos: Jill Hakala

Who are your style idols?