I'm Baaaaaaaaaaack

Works Cited
tee: urban outfitters
sweater, wedges: target
tights: leggs
skirt: kakalina rose vintage

I returned to the Midwest last night after an amazing trip to the Northwest, where I saw a boatload of my best friends from college (I MISS YOU GUYS!) and drank as much Seattle coffee as I could get my hands on. I'm still battling the cold I picked up somewhere between the champagne and the couch I slept on New Year's Eve, but I'm of the get-dressed-and-pretend-you-feel-well contingent and I've decided that today I'll start to feel better if I just wear some bright colors and start hacking away on my unfinished syllabus for next semester and the reading I didn't have time to do on vacation (eeks!).
P.S. I'm so happy to be back with the internet!! I've missed you, old friend...

Hemming and Hawing

Works Cited
shirt: c/o little ocean annie vintage
skirt, belt: thrifted
tights, sweater: j crew
boots: indigo (clarks)

I found this belt and skirt on my prodigal visit to the Goodwill yesterday. I love the look of wool pencil skirts, but they are pretty expensive if you buy them new at retail stores. Luckily, I've had incredible luck finding vintage wool pencil skirts in great condition for about $3 apiece at the thrift store. This skirt was half off ($1.50) and I spent about 20 minutes last night hemming it from dowdy-below-the-knee-length to a more flattering length. In short: it was another pretty awesome find.
P.S. If you like vintage and you're looking for something sparkly for New Year's Eve, Annie has a few covetable sequined pieces in her shop right now (Annie, you're the best!). xo

Catch-22

Works Cited

sweater: anthro
button-up: jeremy's
dress: loft
tights: j crew
shoes: target
snow: awesome

LB, who also has this striped anthro sweater, requested that I remix it again. It is a kind of tricky piece to remix in the winter, because it's cotton, but I figured if I layered it over a dress and button-up, I could keep warm and add a little oomph to the oft-worn loft dress. So here goes, LB, your wish is my command. Speaking of wishes, mine came true and it snowed. Can you tell I am elated? Growing up in California means that every time it snows, I get inappropriately euphoric and leap around in the street like gold is falling from the sky instead of frozen water. Although I hope I never grow out of my snow-love, I do worry that it's scaring the neighbors a little...

Twenty Questions

Works Cited
turtleneck, cardigan, belt, boots: j crew
skirt, socks: target
tights: gap

I love this outfit, but sadly my photos didn't exactly cooperate. Normally I'd avoid posting medicore pictures, but I am determined to plow through the 30 for 30! The turtleneck and long cardigan risks looking a bit librarian, which is precisely why I like it. I find that the longer I get dressed, the more I notice my penchant for nerdy-looking pieces and combinations. Some of my sartorial flames? Lots of cardigans and muted colors, turtlenecks and jewelry, a hidden passion for argyle, and a longing for a pair of big, dorky frames.

These are my Confessions (No. 12)

Works Cited
pants: gap
tee: target
sweater: j crew
scarf: street stall in SF
boots: j crew

Confession du jour: these are actually jeggings that I'm wearing; don't tell anyone. I was lured because they have real front and back pockets, and they look amazingly like normal jeans, except that they have 30% lycra content and slid easily and snugly into boots, unlike my regular jeans which bunch up and drive me nuts. And they bring to mind Christopher's complimentary adage about high-lycra pants: "They look just like regular jeans, but extra-tight. Awesome."

Count to Ten

(my out-of-the-house layers)

Works Cited
skirt, tee, sweater: j crew
belt: mommed
tights: target
boots: steve madden
scarf: target
coat: jeremy's

I'm having one of those very irritable days (ladies, you know what I'm talking about). However, I have found that counting to ten, taking a few deep breaths, and eating half a box of taffies are having an excellent effect on my mood. Do you have any fail-safe tricks (or Ben and Jerry's flavors) for cheering yourself up on cranky days?

Fond Farewell

Works Cited
pants: gap
sweater: filene's basement
white tunic: target
wedges: thrifted
necklace: F21

Today I'm saying goodbye to the rest of my closet. These black pants were hard to part with, but I know it'll be too cold for them soon. Farewell, my folded friends, I'll see you in 30 outfits!
Tomorrow I'll post my 30 pieces, and I'll see you on Monday with outfit 1 of 30. xoxo.

One Last Fling

Works Cited
dress: loft
chambray shirt: old navy
sweater: urban outfitters
tights: leggs
socks: target
boots: clarks (indigo)
scarf: h&m

I've decided to do another 30 for 30 (see my first one here). Starting next Monday, I'll build 30 outfits with only 30 pieces, so this week feels like one last fling with the rest of my closet. Today's outfit is an amalgam of pieces that almost made the 30 but that I cut at the last minute--my black dress with a ruffled neck, a comfy chambray shirt, one of my favorite sweaters, and the boots-that-saved-me-last-winter. Today, I'm also trying out the knee socks again after last week, which my sister tells me was a little much. Thank goodness for the honesty of siblings, right? The socks are a bit more demure with tights and helped keep me warm when it was chilly this morning.
Anyone else trying a 30 for 30, either on their blog or in real life? I'm a little nervous for the next one, but excited about the pieces I've picked, which I'll post about this weekend.

Rock 'em, Sock 'em?

Works Cited
skirt: target
sweater: h&m (old)
socks: target
boots: j. crew
earrings: nobletown vintage

I have been a little wary of the thigh-high sock trend, but after seeing it on Kyla, Sydney, and Kendi, I decided to reconsider. Armed with a birthday gift certificate (thank you, Claire, I love you!), I braved the steep $3.50 price and I am officially converted. They are super warm and a little bit sexy, even though they're covering you up. Plus I feel like I look a little fancy even though I'm mostly wearing stretchy fabrics. Win!
Have you tried thigh-high socks? Would you? I was so skeptical but now I'm totally sold--they are cozy, warm, and make me feel ultra-pretty.
P.S. The only thing this outfit is missing is a big, black cocktail ring, which I don't have, but you could! Enter the giveaway here.

Megan Nielsen, You Are a Genius

Works Cited
tee: j crew
skirt: megan nielsen
tights: we love colors
boots: steve madden

This skirt is from my friend Megan's gorgeous, lovingly-handmade collection (featured also on Kendi Everyday and What I Wore). She deserves all the praise she's been getting, because this skirt is gorgeous, flattering, and has beautiful details like iridescent buttons and sleek pockets. I love wearing a piece with a story--this skirt feels extra special because Megan is my midwestern neighbor, sends me the sweetest emails and comments, and writes the funniest tweets--and I feel like we're a little closer now that I'm wearing a skirt she spent so much time with!

Daredevil

Works Cited
dress: urban outfitters
sweater: j crew
belt: thrifted
flats: urban outfitters

Sometimes when I'm in my closet in the morning, I have to actively resist my vanilla streak. This dress, for instance, always makes me reach for navy or teal sweaters, but I forced myself to be a daredevil and tried it with mustard and chartreuse (you only live once). As it turned out, the mustard was a real winner but it was too warm for it. So chartreuse it was!--and I found that I loved the un-matchy combination so much that I even wore totally different-colored belt and shoes, even though they were the same ones I wore the day before. This, my friends, is living on the edge.

Comfort Clothes

Works Cited
dress: loft
gray tee: target
scarf: bought in camden market
flats: target

Today I am feeling very under the weather, but Christopher and I have un-cancellable dinner plans so I forced myself to crawl out of bed, take a shower and get dressed. And all I wanted to wear were comfort clothes--so of course I turned to my favorite ever dress. In cases like this, I never want to wear jeans--they are too constricting!--so it's always a jersey dress.



I'm not getting any awards for creativity with this one, but like Elaine says, it's all about the little details that make an outfit new and different. Plus, I'm feeling pretty proud of myself just for having clean hair and being in a vertical position. And if I'm feeling optimistic, maybe I don't even look like I spent all day napping and feeling sorry for myself :)

Blaze(r)s Boylan

Works Cited
dress: ruche (also worn here, here, here and here)
sweatshirt: american apparel
vintage wool blazer: thrifted
boots: steve madden
bag: urban outfitters

This outfit came to me right before I fell asleep the other night, in that funny interlude where one is struck by sleepy inspiration for a paper topic, or where you put your favorite earrings, or a good outfit combination. I had been wondering how to wear this blazer when this combination came to me (sometimes I wish more important ideas would come to me before sleep, but I'll take what I can get).



It's gotten pretty chilly around here, and I wanted to wear the awesome vintage wool blazer I thrifted a few weeks ago. I'm not much of a blazer person, because I have wider shoulders and sometimes I worry they make my shape more masculine than I like, so I wore it with a feminine printed dress. I tried to tone down the seriousness of the blazer with a hoodie underneath (conveniently, it also keeps the wool collar from being too itchy). I love the transitional look of bare legs with boots and how it makes the look feel more rustic than schoolgirl-ish.



And the mix of textures here is unusual for me, so eat your heart out, J. Crew.

Welcome Back to the Fold, Tights

Works Cited
skirt: DIY (pattern at freshly picked)
shirt: target
belt: thrifted
tights: hanes
boots: steve madden
trench: old navy

Today has been an insanely gorgeous fall day, very brisk in the morning and warm and sunny by the early afternoon. I've had some meetings and volunteered at a local middle school, so I wanted to be comfortable and covered. This skirt is a big longer than a lot of the skirts I wore this summer but it's a terrific length for biking and a nice alternative to jeans on these cold and hot days.



Even though I totally have winter panic like Megan, I also love the cooler temperatures and I was excited to put on tights for the first time this morning. They are so much more comfortable than jeans and pants--so even if they make you feel a little more "dressed up," you actually feel like you're wearing pajamas...delightful.

Blue Collar Copycat

Works Cited
skirt: target
tee: gap
belt: jcrew
sweater: jcrew
flats: urban outfitters
necklace: forever 21

Last week was an off-week when it came to getting dressed and not surprisingly, I also felt down in the dumps. So this week I am trying extra-hard to dress cheerfully and feel put-together because I think it will help me feel more mentally composed, too.


(oh, shades of gray, be still my heart)

Today I am unabashedly copying Kyla of Blue Collar Catwalk, on whom I have a huge girl-crush. I saw her wearing this awesome lace skirt with a long cardigan. I snapped up a version of the skirt for myself ($8, woohoo) and paired it with other ocean-hued neutrals and a long cardigan. All I'm missing are some sweet glasses and badass confidence.



P.S. If you want to waste some time today, Katy Rose published an interview with me here; if you like, you can vote for my entry in a Talbots contest here (I don't think I stand a chance against Dip-Tea who has about 10 times as many votes as me, but it's worth a shot!).

Trends and Timelessness

Works Cited
dress: anthro
sweater: j crew
belt: target
wedges: thrifted
earrings: bought on the street

I don't follow trends/runway fashions/seasons very closely, because they seem to change so quickly and I don't know a single person who can afford to update her wardrobe every season. But I was happy to read that a more minimalist aesthetic may be coming into vogue, and to catch wind of lots of clothes in camel, grays, blacks, and navies. These have always been my go-to combinations because they feel timeless.



If I'm going to spend money on a garment, I'd like it to be something I could wear for years and look back on without regret. I want to look back in twenty years and still recognize myself and my sense of style. My family teases me for having a wardrobe without much color and with more gray sweaters than all other colors combined, but there is something very appealing about a simple palette. I think it lets your natural beauty and personality show, and I love that.
What about you? Do you follow high fashion closely? Or are you like me, secretly pleased when you see a trend on the runway that you've been wearing and loving for years?