The Number of Times Julius Caeser Was Stabbed (23, obviously...)

Works Cited
sweater: j crew
button-up: jeremy's
jeans: gap
boots: steve madden
lipstick: sephora #8

Okay, friends, I need your help. This is literally the first time in my 25 years that I've worn lipstick, so I have absolutely no idea how to do it. Is this color too pink? (I wanted a very RED red but I was totally helpless in the face of the very confident Sephora salesgirl who shoved this lipstick into my hands). Also--do I need lipliner? It's embarrassing, how little I know about this whole lipstick-application business. I was extremely confused in front of the mirror this morning (let's not even talk about the scene at the Sephora counter). In other news, the lip color is so bright that I let it be my only accessory this morning, which I kind of dig as an accessory-strategy. So: is this the wrong color for me? Do I need something darker, something more orange, something more I-haven't-even-thought-of-it-yet?

21 Grams

Works Cited
cardigan, shirt: j crew
skirt: anthro
belt: mommed
tights: target
boots: steve madden

Orange I glad that I have so much orange in this 30 for 30? Why yes, I am, because I think it's my new favorite color, be darned if I look like an escapee from the state pen. To whine momentarily, I envisioned this outfit with my gray wool pencil skirt, and kicked myself a little for not having it in my 30 for 30 pile in the place of one of my 9 shirts that I've barely glanced at. However, I've realized two things today:
1. The blue skirt has a lot more movement and feels a bit unexpected with boots and a cardigan.
2. If I'm going to buy anything over the holiday season, it's going to be skirts, which add a lot more versatility to my wardrobe and would help me wear the dozens of shirts that sit neglected on my racks.
Orange I glad for this challenge, indeed.

Eleventh Hour

Works Cited
dress: loft
turtleneck: j crew
scarf: liberty of london for target
tights: we love colors
shoes: target

Today I was really in the mood to wear some purple but didn't have a stitch of it in my 30 items, so I improvised with some bright tights and a patterned scarf. I'm pleased that three dull blue pieces could be so jazzed up with bright accessories and that a gigantic scarf can bring new life to the dress I've worn a billion times before. It feels a little like cheating on the 30 for 30 when I obscure my dress completely with my accessories, but hey, at least I got my purple fix.

Nine Lives

(very sleepy jet-lagged face)

Works Cited
skirt: anthro
button-up: jeremy's
sweater: j crew
tights: gap
shoes: target
belt: j crew
locket: camp lost and found

This weekend, I was miraculously lucky enough to attend a James Joyce conference in Dublin, and I arrived home late last night. I had a great time but I feel a little like I've been run over by a car and am badly wishing I actually did have nine lives--or at least nine more hours of sleep under my belt. But the show--and my classes--must go on, so today called for bright colors, warm layers and a locket I stole from the lost and found at the end of summer camp. Finders keepers, right?

Four Seasons

Works Cited
skirt: megan nielsen
turtleneck: j crew
necklace: forever 21
shoes: target

And by four seasons, I mean one season--summer, which is what the weather has been like for weeks. It has been beautifully, gloriously, indian-summer-ly warm and I'm in disbelief that I have bare legs when friends like Sydney have snow. This outfit was quick to put together--I wanted to highlight the skirt's shape and buttons, so I chose a minimalist, close-fitting top. The partly-chic, partly-nerdy look of a necklace strung around a turtleneck is strangely appealing to me, and added a little bit of excitement to a more modest silhouette.

The Layering Fairy

Works Cited
sweater: j crew (previously)
dress: h&m (previously)
belt: urban outfitters
tights: gap
flats: urban outfitters

On yesterday's post, Laurelann asked if I had a "layering fairy" to help me put together outfits. Friend, only in my dreams. In reality, there is no fairy, but only a routine I follow so often I'm surprised anyone is still here. Add one parts dress with embellishments plus a cardigan, criss-crossed, and secure it all in place with a belt. In case of cold, add tights. I am still bidding adieu to the pieces that aren't in my 30--this polka-dot dress was a particularly hard one to let go. In the end, I was mollified only by the fact that my other polka-dot dress was already in the pile. Yes, one closet and two polka dot dresses. Shame on me!

Rebellious Streak

Works Cited
dress: h&m (previously)
sweater: gifted (previously)
tights: hue
gold flats: steve madden
necklace: ruche

Today, I've gotten in touch with my rebellious streak because I am:
1. shamelessly recycling an outfit from last year that I loved (hey! it's been a year...who remembers?).
2. wearing a big, jangly, attention-grabbing necklace, the very kind that Christopher hates but that all my girlfriends compliment me on.
3. voting. Doesn't sound rebellious unless you consider that in the U.S. barely half of all eligible voters actually get to the polls today--yipes! So go get your vote on, if you can :)

Worse for the Wear

Works Cited
sweater: jcrew (new! birthday gifted!)
shirt: thrifted
dress as skirt: loft
brown tights: loft
mary-jane clogs: dansko

It's been crazy windy in the midwest! I didn't get around to taking photos until this afternoon, when I was looking a little worse for the wear. This dress, which badly needed a washing this morning, became a stretched out sack by this afternoon. My hair, which looked wavy and volumized this morning thanks to Sydney's awesome hair tutorial, was back to its normal I'm-flat-and-boring routine by 4 pm. Don't believe me? Just look:

I couldn't have gotten here on my own, so I have to thank the wind and my parents' genes for helping my hair reach such flatness :)

Presto Change-o

Works Cited
skirt: anthro (just bought for $19!)
top: anthro (many years old)
tights: gap
boots: c/o Sperry Top-Sider
flats: target
bracelet: christopher won it at a bar (don't ask)

I learned the hard way that a person needs to pack an extra pair of shoes on a rainy day. I'll spare you the embarrassing details (it involves slipping down the steps of a 300-person lecture room in wet boots). Now that I'm older and wiser, I wear a pair of rain boots on my bike ride to school and pack a slim pair of flats in my bag. When I arrive at my office, I leave the boots under my desk and put on my dry flats and--presto change-o!--I look like a grown-up but I have dry feet.

Birthday Suit

Works Cited
dress: loft (only $11!)
sweater: j crew
belt: j crew
weirdly-shiny tights: gap
flats: urban outfitters
brooch: vintage

I really, really, really love my birthday, probably because there was a time where I thought I might not see another one. A birthday has never been a day I lament being older; it's a marker of another year of happiness, health, and life, and I'm always excited to welcome it. Also, I think there's a six-year old inside me who wishes October 21st were a national holiday where confetti rained from the sky and I could eat cake for breakfast. But until confetti starts spontaneously raining down, I'll have to settle for free birthday ice cream from Coldstone :)

Thrifting Champion of the World

Works Cited
skirt, belt, shoes, top: thrifted

Skirt: $3. Top: $2. Belt: $0.79. Wedges: $3. Enormous smugness about an outfit that costs less than $9: priceless. The fact that I thrifted everything I'm wearing was actually an accident, I swear. I planned to wear this checkered top with a gray skirt, but seeing it juxtaposed next to the an identical red skirt in my closet made me feel suddenly monochromatically daring. The shoes and belt helped ground the reds, and once I'd put it all together, I realized that I'm wearing 100% thrifted items. I feel like champion of the world (or at least, of Goodwill).

Fidelity Fiduciary

Works Cited
skirt: j crew
button-up: banana republic (old)
sweater: urban outfitters
necklace: forever 21
tights: loft
flats: steve madden

This morning I put this on with a black skirt and Christopher said I looked like I worked in a bank, which made me think of this song, naturally. Much as I agree with the Fidelity Fiduciary bankers that a tuppence invested will make your affluence expand (thus allowing you to buy more cute skirts) I though it best to switch out the staid black for my orange skirt and avoid the banker look.

P.S. Someone tell me they like this necklace, please. Christopher hates accessories of any kind and begged me to take it off this morning. Too bad for him, I love it and plan on wearing it aaaaaall day. But I would like to share my appreciation for it with someone, anyone. Bueller?

Ho-Hum

Works Cited
skirt: shade (up for grabs see below)
tee: j crew
necklaces: don't remember but possibly forever 21 in the early 2000's
belt: j crew
heels: rampage ($5 can you believe it?)

I feel ho-hum about this outfit. It looks a little stuffy, what with the longer (and poufier) skirt, the high neckline, the bun, and the necklaces. And I think all the color I've been wearing has gotten into my head because for the first time, gray feels blah and I am wishing for some COLOR! So because this outfit is not one of my best, I'm going to try to distract you with other, prettier things, like the fall foliage:



And a handsome smirking boyfriend riding his bicycle next to me.



Endnote: does anyone want this skirt (size small)? I'm not sure it suits me and it deserves a good home. I'll sell it for $15 including shipping. Email me.
Update: skirt has a new home! Thanks :)

Prepster

Works Cited
pants: gap
denim shirt: gap
navy blue sweater: jcrew
flats: urban outfitters
bag: freshly picked

In some ways, this outfit is pretty basic--button-up, cable-knit sweater, pants--but it also combines some unusual elements. I wanted to make a preppy crewneck sweater a little more contemporary, and the courseness/casual-ness of a denim shirt offset an otherwise staid combination. I also love rolled-up sleeves! The striped bag and big bow make the whole outfit a bit more exciting.



I also LOVE the mix of navy blue and black with the sweater and pants, even though this is a rule so many people break these days. Importantly, this is also really comfortable, which is crucial for the 6-hour Ulysses reading group I'm heading off to now...yay!

Professor Lobster

Works Cited
lobster dress: anthropologie
black flats: urban outfitters
cardigan: target
belt: jcrew

Getting sick of the lobster dress yet? Thanks to all your amazingly inventive and helpful suggestions about how to remix this tricky piece, you can now call this the Professor Lobster dress (I'm not really a professor, but neither am I a lobster, so...).



Because the print is wild enough itself, I decided to go for simple black accessories to autmnify and professionalize the lobster dress (maybe later I will remix it with some more interesting color combinations). Layered under a staid black cardigan, the dress transforms fairly easily into something I'll wear in the classroom--it's a nice length and the fun print says "I have a sense of humor" (even if my lame jokes negate this).

P.S. Want to hear why I love my readers? Check out another interview with me at Plummy.