Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Skippy Says: Ode To Potatoes (OOTD)

My grandpa was a potato geneticist. Yes, you read that right. He bred potatoes, wrote his PhD dissertation on the genetics of potato breeding, and made my grandma sleep in a separate bedroom so that he could sleep with his piles of books on potatoes. Curled up into a little ball, he took up about 1/6 of the bed, leaving the rest for his potato books. Even in his last days at the hospital, potatoes were on his mind. Although he was barely able to speak, he mustered enough energy to tell me to go home and make sure the new potatoes he was breeding were properly covered with a damp cloth.

It should come as no surprise, then, that I love potatoes. I love them in any and all forms- fried, baked, mashed, you name it, I love it. When Ryan and I first started dating, I hid this love of potatoes from him. My 17 year old self thought he would think it was "too Russian" and therefore find it (and by proxy, me) unattractive. Oh yes, it's true. He still hasn't let me live that one down. I'm glad I'm over that little phase, because lord knows it would kill me not to pile my plate high with mashed potatoes this Thanksgiving. Buttery, delicious mashed potatoes. I'm trying to wear all my tights clothes and pencil skirts now, as seen below, because after Thursday it may be a while before I'm able to again.








Shop:
- Forever 21 top (no longer available)
- Zara dress worn as skirt (not available online, may still be available in stores. Buy similar skirt here or here)
- BCBG belt (no longer available. Buy similar here or here)
- Fergie booties via DSW (not available online. Buy similar here or here)

84 comments:

  1. I love those boots!!! The wedge on them is a plus. I need height for my little, 5 foot self.

    Potatoes? I really like sweet potatoes...does that count? lol

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  2. I was going to say love that skirt...instead, love that dress! I have a very old Zara dress in almost the same colour that I prefer to wear as a skirt too but I prefer the material of yours...it looks a little thicker and therefore dressier.

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  3. droooool.
    um i love the colors you paired here. BOLD!!! Need I say more ;)

    www.ashlouise.blogspot.com

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  4. Cute! I LOVE potatoes too, that's really cool that your grandpa was a potato geneticist. Awesome boots :)

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  5. Ha! I love potatoes too, but I don't have a family history with them.

    That top is gorgeous! One of my favorite things I've seen you wear so far. You just have excellent taste :)

    www.chillairandperfume.blogspot.com

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  6. I love potatoes too. There is something comforting about a good bowl of mashed potatoes, lol! I think this is my favorite outfit from you! What beautiful colors. Heather

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  7. i love the potato story. and great outfit!

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  8. Hahaha, love this outfit...so cute. And, mashed potatoes are pretty fantastic...I agree :)

    Annie
    The Other Side of Gray

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  9. Oh, this outfit is so perfect! I am loving your style. It's so feminine and ladylike, but still sexy at the same time. Love it!

    And I hear ya about eating wayyyy to much on Thanksgiving. I've tried to step up my running this week to make up for all of the calories I'm going to eat Thursday and Friday. =)

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  10. Adorable outfit! I love the color combo and that belt :)

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  11. I hear that, fellow 5 foot tall sistah :) And sure it counts, I love sweet potatoes too (even more than regular)

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  12. Thanks!! I wore it as a dress a little bit ago (maybe last week?) but I'm loving it as a skirt too. It is pretty nice and thick!

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  13. Thanks Megan! I think it's really cool too, but I think besides you, I'm the only one :)

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  14. Aw, thank you so much Hannah!! You have some great taste yourself girl.

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  15. Wow, thanks so much Heather!! I'm totally with you- mashed potatoes are my comfort food. Pasta, risotto, mac 'n cheese- I don't like them really or get any comfort from them- but give me a big bowl of mashed potatoes and i'm good :)

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  16. Thanks Annie!! Aren't they though?!

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  17. Aw, thank you so much for your sweet words Tiffany! I was planning to step up my game at the gym too, but unfortunately it looks like I have to work more than I thought and then spend my evenings cooking to prepare for the big feast Thursday. Oh well, I'll try to make up for it next week :)

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  18. Haha, this potato story is so cute :D
    I love every single element of your outfit here!

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  19. What a cute outfit! At first, I thought the top was a print of little chickens (which would have been kinda perfect for Thanksgiving)!! Anyhow, love the top, skirt, and ankle boots! And what a good idea to wear all the tight things now! (Soon, my belly will be a bit puffier too!)

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  20. lovely top, the print is very pretty! I like the belt and shoes too. THe color of the skirt is stunning! You look fabulous in this outfit, especially against the blue stairs.

    Thanks for stopping by my blog by the way!

    mongs
    mythriftycloset.blogspot.com

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  21. Hee hee I love potatoes too! Indians put them in everything:D

    lovely skirt :)

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  22. It's insane how much you remind of my friend Irina - especially with the comments about the potatoes. Love that skirt - that shade of blue is so pretty.

    http://loserlike-me.blogspot.com/

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  23. Love your dress as skirt and those cute pleated boots! Potatoes are fantastic and I will be eating plenty of them myself come Thursday. Bring on the mashed potatoes!

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  24. I love the story about your grandfather. Who doesn't love potatoes! I love the top you're wearing, it's awesome.

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  25. Thanks Samantha! Unfortunately they are not chickens, but that would be so cute!

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  26. Aw, thank you so much for your sweet words!!

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  27. I know, one of the many reasons Indian food is my FAVE!

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  28. I'll take that as a compliment since you called her a friend and say thank you :) And thanks for the compliment on the skirt too!

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  29. Thanks Cara!! Glad we'll be indulging together :)

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  30. Thanks Winnie!! And I don't know, I've met some people who don't like potatoes, but I think they're nuts :)

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  31. Imagine, if you will, that you're at a third grade spelling bee. Squealing children have gradually been eliminated from the competition until only two remain: Kelsey the Spelling Maestro and Ray Something-Or-Other the Horrible. It was your typical battle of good versus evil. The crowd holds its breath in anticipation of the word Kelsey the Awesome will be asked to spell. The Principal approaches the podium and announces, "Potatoes." Confident in her ability to spell out the name of her favorite vegetable, Kelsey strides up to the mic: "P-O-T-A-T-O... S!" Silence. Tragedy. Sadness. Despair. On that fateful day, evil triumphed over good. Ray-Ray-Whats-Her-Face won the Bee by spelling out the word "address." Even that sad event, that failure to spell her favorite vegetable correctly, however, could not sway Kelsey from her deep and abiding love of the potato. And they lived happily ever after. With Kelsey convinced that Ray cheated. Somehow. Probably by bribing the Principal.

    Oh God. Potatoes. PO-TAY-TOES. I love them. If woman and vegetable could wed, I would be all up in their business. True story.

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  32. Well, that just makes 2 more things we have in common- oh yeah, I am the spelling QUEEN. I can spell anything. I can't tell you what it means, but I can spell it. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.
    I'm so glad you share my potato love :) ANd I hope one day you'll get the justice you were cheated from :)

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  33. THANK YOU! Finally someone accepts that I was cheated -- CHEATED!! -- out of a victory. No one in my family believes me. Grumble grumble.

    There's a place here in Seattle that apparently has amaaaazing mashed potatoes. If you come out for a visit, we can load up on mp's and then storm Anthropologie all hopped up on the potatoes' buttery goodness.

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  34. One grandpa was an electrical engineer on a submarine and the other engineered warheads. That's the Soviet fate :P

    I too love potatoes - doesn't matter how they're made as long as they're steaming hot on my large Russian ceramic plate (the white ones - you know what I'm talking about, right?).

    I LOVE that shirt! It looks just like the Marc Jacobs one without costing a bundle. You always look so fun :)

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  35. The top is killer! And you know who else loves potatoes? Our pup! I am not even kidding, our neighbor gifted us some beautiful potatoes (don't ask me why, we have some very generous quirky neighbors), that I'm holding onto for the upcoming holiday. I cannot find anywhere to store them though, because every cabinet I put them in the pup starts scratching and crying at. I would love to see what she would do with them if we let her see one up close, but fear she would ruin my beautiful potatoes!

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  36. Um, that's pretty much my idea of a perfect day!

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  37. I know exactly which ones you're talking about! And potatoes definitely do taste better on them :)
    And thank you! Definitely not marc jacobs- forever 21 for like $17. But I wish! Maybe one day :)

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  38. Thank you! That's so funny about your pup! I can definitely relate :)

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  39. LOVE this skirt on you, it's a beautiful color. The whole outfit here is fantastic. I am also a potato lover, although I do not have as personal a story with them my mother swears if it weren't for potatoes & milk I would have starved in my childhood because that is all I would eat. I am still alive & kicking, and SUPER excited about mashed potatoes this Thursday :)

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  40. First of all, what a great background! Blue steps, perfect. :)

    Second, I love everything. The blouse, the belt, the skirt, the shoes...

    And the story of your Grandpa. He must have been a great guy!

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  41. That top is so fun - I love the print and colors!

    My BF is Irish and potato jokes aside, he would die if we tried to have a Thanksgiving without them - so of course we've got like a 20lb bag for the two of us.

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  42. great outfit - i love the skirt :)

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  43. Thanks Loren!! Glad to find a fellow potato enthusiast :)

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  44. Thanks Madeline! He was an amazing man. I'll definitely write more about him in the future :)

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  45. Thanks Lisa!!
    I gotta say I;m with your BF on this one :) a 20 lb bag for 2 sounds just about right :)

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  46. No worries, I tried to make it look like a skirt :)

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  47. I LOVE potatoes too! And the Zara dress is pretty fab.

    Jamie
    Www.HandlingWithGrace.blogspot.com

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  48. You look stunning-the print of the blouse is amazing and your hair *sigh* perfection! How neat that your grandfather was a potato geneticist-people's family histories fascinate me!

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  49. Wow, thank you so much for your sweet words!! I think it's pretty neat too :)

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  50. Definitely digging your location for photos! Also, that outfit is beautiful.

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  51. i absolutely LOVE this printed blouse and i've been looking for a cobalt skirt like what you're wearing! i couldn't tell at all that the skirt is actually a dress so great job styling everything!

    and you're just like my hubby with the potatoes!! he could eat them at every meal and mashed potatoes are his fave too. :)

    cute & little

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  52. Thanks Kileen!! I think zara might still have it, and it was only like $35....I also linked to some similar options at the bottom of the post for cobalt lue skirts if you want to check them out :)

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  53. Loving the combination of this outfit. Great idea of adding the black and yellow top with the solid blue skirt!

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  54. Skippy you look gorgeous today!! I love how you mixed the colors and the blouse is fabulous!!

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  55. That outfit is beyond gorgeous girl! I LOVE IT!!! So rich and chic! I love potatoes too. :D

    http://sassyuptownchic.blogspot.com/

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  56. Thanks Sayaka!! One of the few things that actually looked good on me from Forever 21, so I snatched it up :)

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  57. Thanks Kim! Yay for meeting another potato lover :)

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  58. Thanks for dropping by my blog. Your's is great and this outfit is fabulous!

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  59. I love this story. Thanks for sharing it.

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  60. Your blouse is beautiful. Your grandpa seemed fun and I have the same love for potatoes as you do. I am from Idaho so I suppose it's only fitting but I could not ever imagine holding back for one day about my love affair with the robust veggie. I am glad you came clean to Ryan.
    Cheers,
    Bre

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  61. Thanks JG! I'm so glad you enjoyed reading it :) And thanks for taking the time to leave that comment to tell me that, it really made me smile.

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  62. Lol, it was definitely a tough secret to keep from him :) Thanks Bre!!

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  63. I always look forward to the wonderful stories that you tell. Needless to say, I sat here, eyes riveted on the screen. You're an amazing storyteller!

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  64. Wow, you're so sweet- thank you so much! It's funny, when I'm talking and not writing, I can't tell a story or joke to save my life- I get too excited and go straight to the punchline :)

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  65. i love this print

    texturetexture.blogspot.com

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  66. I also Love potatoes, I think the blue and purple ones are my favorite, they have so much personality. Thanks for coming by my blog it is nice to see that someone enjoyed it enough to come back and read it twice.

    Here's to larger clothes till New Years

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  67. I love the blue and purple potatoes too, but really, I love 'em all :)

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  68. You look fabulous! Love how you've combined the skirt and the top!

    http://styleservings.blogspot.com/

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  69. I absolutely love this look and your blog! <3

    freelycourageous.blogspot.com

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  70. danielle & dinosaur toesNovember 27, 2011 at 8:30 AM

    i adore this outfit, and those boots are amazing!

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