After totally wearing out my black pencil skirt (it has safety pins holding the lining together — ouch!), I bought a new one in purple. It felt like a risk at first but I’ve gotten a ton of compliments on it so far. The next risk was pairing it with so much orange. But if you look closely in the plaid, there are strands of purple woven in so the purple skirt pairing becomes a total knock out!

And the Pinspiration: 

Now onto the Punchline. After lots of deliberation about which pair of Rivet & Sway frames to get, I ended up revisiting the Punchlines in Neapolitan and think we may have a winner! I love the classic shape, the vintage air, the hint of a cat-eye, and I can’t get ENOUGH of the pink! What more could a girl ask for? I was invited to the R&S showroom to see their new collection but I know I already have a homerun on my hands with the Punchline.

If you’re dying to get your hands on a pair of fabulous frames like the Punchline, stay tuned for a Rivet & Sway giveaway!

Linking up: What I Wore Wednesday

Pink and black has long been one of my favorite color combinations. On my 8th birthday, I can clearly remember running around in a bathing suit that was bright pink with black polka dots and a cute little peplum (for heaven’s sake, I’d wear that today). Recently I’ve had an insatiable craving for bright pink and satisfied it with this new Revlon nail polish and pink Clinique lipstick. Of course, a little pink goes a long way. What better to pair it with than all black!

In truth, after a rough week I was really dressing in black to match my mood. And I love the edge of leather, bright pink, and a faux hawk. Besides, dressing in black makes me feel like a Seattlite. (And according to my outfits page, I seem to wear more black than I realize…)

Linking up: What I Wore Wednesday

Hey short hair sisters! Do you rock a short haircut? Want to be featured on the next edition of Short Hair Sisters? Send me a pic of your short haircut from all four angles to sarah@cablecarcouture.com by May 15, 2013. Short hair would be considered anything chin-length and shorter.

(Hint: Having trouble with the layout? You can create this type of collage in PicMonkey.com or the app PhotoGrid, among others. Worst case scenario, send me images of the four photos to be stitched together.)

The last time I got my haircut with the lovely Sophia Simone, we tried something new — the undercut. The undercut been all the rage with short hair recently and is typified by longer layers on the top and a shorter buzz along the back and sides. (Plus she showed me how to achieve a sweet lift in my hair — more on that another day.)

Sophia & Sarah - twinsies!

Here are some of my undercut inspirations from Pinterest:

Source: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8

So short hair sisters, would you try an undercut?

Do you start out your day feeling overwhelmed and uninspired when you look in your closet? If you answered yes, you’re not alone.

With spring around the corner, now is the perfect time to roll up your sleeves for some spring cleaning in your closet. When you have an hour to spare, take some time and start pulling out clothes that aren’t working for you.

Here are five things that don’t belong in your closet anymore:

1. Clothes that doesn’t fit anymore. If you have clothes in your closet that are too tight, too big, or too short, you’re far less likely to wear them. If you have pants that are too long and worth tailoring, put them in a separate pile and get them hemmed.
2. Clothes that are uncomfortable . If you’ve been holding onto that wool sweater you never seem to wear it because it’s too scratchy, it’s got to go. If you have a pair of pants that are great, except they’re too short in the crotch area, put them in a giveaway pile for someone else who will fit them.
3. Clothes that are stained beyond repair. If you have a shirt with an oil stain that you never got out when it was fresh, it’s time to let that go. Same goes for white shirts with stains in the underarms.
4. Clothes that need replacing. Anything discarded in point #3 that you wore regularly and need to replace belongs on your shopping list.
5. Clothes that don’t reflect who you are. Your personal style is constantly evolving so if you see something that you haven’t worn for ages because it’s no longer a representation of who you are today, toss it in the giveaway pile.

After you go through your closet, put all the clothes that are still usable in a plastic bag and take it to your local Goodwill, Salvation Army or community clothing swap so someone else can enjoy them. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure!

If the thought of purging your closet is completely overwhelming to you, consider working with an Image Consultant for a Wardrobe Evaluation. In a Wardrobe Evaluation, we clear our what’s not working, create new outfits with the clothes you already have, and develop a shopping list to fill in the blanks. And believe it or not, we have a blast while we’re at it! As one of my clients said of her wardrobe session, “Best money I ever spent!” Schedule your Wardrobe Evaluation today!

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By far my favorite trend for Spring | Summer 2013 is the color mint. I can’t get enough of it and was tickled pink (or mint…?) when I found the perfect chiffon mint top at DownEast Basics. So in continuation of the trend to name all my outfit posts after songs this year, I bring you One Mint Julep!

This just happens to be my 400th post on Cable Car Couture since 2009! Happy 400!

Linking Up: What I Wore Wednesday | Plane Pretty Sunday Style | The Mrs. and the Momma Best of Friday Style Link-Up | Two Thirty-Five Casual Friday Link-Up | Long Distance Lovin’ Friday Fancies | Visible Monday

Every time you go for a haircut, chances are you take a photo to your stylist for inspiration. Over the years I have taken photos of celebrities to my stylist, as I’m sure you have, too — women like Victoria Beckham, Anne Hathaway, Ginnifer Goodwin. But wouldn’t it be wonderful to derive inspiration from real women with short hair, women without professional stylists on hand off-camera, coiffing their hair to make it perfect for the paparazzi? So today I bring you short hair inspiration from real women.

Can I just say? It takes tremendous courage for a woman to cut her hair short and rock it confidently in the world — I am immensely inspired by you strong women for making it work! Short hair sisters, I salute you!

Don’t forget to check out our pinboard Short Hair Sisters, devoted to real women with short hair. Any woman with short hair is welcome to be a contributor and share photos of her rocking short hair!

 Our short hair board on Pinterest has over 4000 followers, so be sure to check that out as well!

(Note: If you would like to be included in Short Hair Sisters, we’d love to have you! Please send me a photo of your fab hair to sarah [at] cablecarcouture [dot] com.)

Sometimes the best outfits come together randomly on a Friday morning as you stand in front of your closet. That’s exactly what happened for this outfit. And sometimes the best place to take outfit pictures is in the mattress isle at Ikea. Just sayin’.

The Pinspiration

If you’re needing inspiration for outfits, Pinterest is a must. It’s full of great examples of real women remixing clothes from their closets. With these images from Seersucker and Saddles and The Glitter Guide fresh in my mind, this outfit came together easily.

Via: Seersucker and Saddles on Pinterest

Via: The Glitter Guide on Pinterest

Where do you get your style inspiration?

Linking up: Monday Mingle | Best of Friday Style | What What I’m Wearing | Sunday Style

A couple weeks ago, I taught a workshop for women in the community about How to Make the Most of Your Wardrobe. It was well attended and the women walked away with some great actionable tips, including creative ways to tie a scarf. My friend Rachelle Willhite was so kind as to take some photos and video of the event during the “how to tie a scarf” portion of the segment. Here’s a variation on the slipknot, the most common way to tie a scarf, that adds some texture and interest.

A clever way to wear a scarf is to use it as a beach cover-up and tie it around your waist. Many a woman feels self conscious about her body at the beach and a colorful scarf tied as a sarong is a great way to feel more comfortable in your skin poolside. (As a sidebar, I love how my model Faye is beaming in this picture!)