What I wore:: work and the first day of school

Today is the first day of my second-to-last fall semester of grad school.

Did you get that?

That means I have two more years left, but it sounds like less time if I spin it as my second-to-last fall semester. I'm halfway through. Yay!

And I did not wear this outfit today nor would it matter if I had because my classes are all online. I'm way past those Septembers when I'd anxiously pick out my first-day-of-school ensemble, which was inevitably some ill-conceived, overly trendy getup. I'm pretty sure in 9th grade I sported a flannel shirt, jeans and lace-up boots.

Oh. Wait.

Isn't that what's all over the runways this fall? Ah, 90s grunge. So good to see you again. Let me pull my teenage angst out of the closet along with some Doc Martens. Maybe I'll stop washing my hair for weeks on end and sleep with my make-up on, too, since you know, grunge beauty is back.

But whatever. Back to my decidedly non-grungy ensemble. I wore this the other day for work. Nothing special. Just another day at the office. It's hard to tell, but that belt is leopard print.



Top: Forever 21
Sweater: LOFT
Skirt: J. Crew Outlet
Belt: J. Crew
Shoes: Target
Jewelry: Madewell, American Eagle and my own designs

Okay, I know I said I thought I found the perfect picture taking spot, but now I'm not so sure. The background is good, but the lighting sort of makes me look like a little troll who just crept out from under a bridge- all shadowy and creepy. (Unless I take the pictures on weekend afternoon at about 2 p.m. Then I look like a glowing angel with a halo.)

Sigh.

The quest continues.

What I wore:: dinner with friends

Good news, people! I finally found a good spot to take outfit of the day pictures in my house. It took a little furniture rearranging, but I'm liking it. And bonus for me- the room we rearranged (my office/studio/exercise room) is actually more functional now. For example, all I have to do to use my scanner is plug in the USB cable (instead of pulling it out of storage, setting it up and plugging in the USB cable). See? Much more functional.

Okay, okay. We actually rearranged the furniture to make the room more functional, and the good spot for what I wore/outfit of the day just happened to be the bonus (not the other way around). Sometimes I forget that the world doesn't revolve around my blogging habits.

Ahem.

So anyway. Friday night, I went out for dinner with some friends. We were supposed to catch a movie afterward but dinner ran late, so we ended up a nice little outdoor bar instead. Good times, I tell you. Good times. And after the week I've had taking care of our dog, who is recovering from knee surgery, I certainly needed a relaxing night out with the girls.

Happy Sunday, everyone!



Cardigan, H&M
Sequin top, J.Crew (similar here)
Cargo capris, Abercrombie & Fitch
Ballet flats, ??
Necklace, J. Crew
Bracelet, my own design

Fashion:: Design Star, Emily Henderson

Does anyone else watch HGTV Design Star? What did you think of last night's finale? I was happy Emily Henderson won because I really like her overall aesthetic and she just seems like a nice person, too. And isn't it nice when a nice person wins? But I'm not really here to talk about the finale. I'm here to talk about the outfit Emily wore in the second to last episode.

Specifically, this outfit:

Image sources: Left | Right

I'm obsessed. I just love the blue ruffled dress with the tan, heeled menswear-style shoes. So, I went hunting for some similar styles. And here's what I found:


I'm on Sapphire dress from Modcloth | Tissue v-neck T from J. Crew | Hammered NuGold Cuff by Cyndie Smith Designs | Double-lock leather belt from Madewell | Sueded opaque control top tights from Hue | Canyon messenger bag from Madewell | Langford platform high-heel oxfords from J. Crew

The dress isn't identical (*cry!*), but I added a long-sleeve gray t-shirt to give it some interest (and seasonal mileage, since summer is fading fast!). I think I like it! What do you think?

PS- Emily has a pretty cool design blog call The Brass Petal. Check it out!

Dress dilemma: cupcake-ification

I bought the Chocolate Dipped Strawberry dress from ModCloth a while ago. And usually when I buy something new, I can barely wait to get it home, rip the tags off and wear it the very next second.



But this. This has just been hanging forlornly in my closet with the tags still attached, like that sad little kid picked last for dodge ball.

It's not that I don't like it. It's a sweet little dress. But that's also it's biggest flaw. It's too sweet. Too literal.

Chocolate-cupcake-with-strawberry-icing literal.

And so, I've been scouting around, trying to find pieces to wear with it that don't make me feel like I should have a candle on top of my head. I think I've found a few pieces that might get this dress out of my closet and onto the dance floor.

Idea 1- Toughen it up
J. Crew solid ripstop field jacket | Unlisted Shelf Help shoes from Zappos | Madewell fringed chain necklace | Deena & Ozzy zip-front moto satchel from Urban Outfitters


Idea 2- Soften it up
Outdoor cafe cardigan from Anthropologie | Anticipation heels from Anthroplogie | Louise upcycled earrings by Erica Leilani Designs | J. Crew Jericho tote

Idea 3- Embrace the cupcake-ification- add some sprinkles!
Glacier necklace by Surf and Sand Jewelry Design
| Satin bow clutch by Mermaid's Dream | J. Crew Starling heels in rose gold

So what do you think? How should I style this dress?

lust list :: nOir animal rings

It all started with Pete the Porcupine. I fell in love with this cute little critter ring, but sadly, I missed out on it since my size is sold out everywhere. But fortunately for me, nOir jewelry makes tons of other super adorable animal and critter rings (I'm sort of partial to Owen the Owl and Goldie the Elephant).


Clockwise from top left: Pete the Porcupine | Goldie the Elephant | Owen the Owl | Lee the Bee | Butch the Bulldog | Penny the Peacock

what I wore and shoes I need

I realize I post these outfit of the day posts rather sporadically and I'm trying to get better at posting them more often, but the truth is, I'm lazy. Yep. When I get home from work and the dogs are jumping around like crazy nutbags, ready to go outside, the last thing I feel like doing is taking pictures (and just forget about getting pics in the morning before I leave for work). But I did manage to take some pics today. So, here I am. Oh, and Lucy Beagle wanted to say hello.

PS- Excuse the photo quality. I'm still trying to mess with the lighting, the external flash and the camera remote. Some Saturday when I have hours of spare time (ha!), I'll work out this little problem.



Floral dress and white ruffled vest- H&M
Black sandals- Target
Jewelry- NY&Co

I must say, I'm not a huge fan of the shoes I wore today and so, I've launched a quest for the perfect edgy black sandals (I have exactly zero pair). Since I'm on the hunt, I thought I'd share some of my main contenders for possible near-future purchasing.


Clockwise from top: Nine West Extremist from Zappos | Sam Edelman Quintessa from Piperlime | Averill Sandals by J. Crew | Dolce Vita Western Buckle Wedge from Urban Outfitters | Pour La Victoire Kiara from Piperlime

Online shopping :: Madewell

I'm ridiculously, super-excited that Madewell, my beloved J. Crew's sister store, finally sells online! A few things on my shopping list:

neon lights belt | colordrop bracelet | layered ruffles tank | floaty floral dress | city slouch trousers in lantern | fallen needles skirt | the canyon messenger | the sunset sandal

Outfit of the day :: indie artist love

I went to Target the other day for some toothpaste and somehow ended up in the clothing department. I'm not entirely sure how this happened, since those two departments are nowhere near each other. I'm pretty sure there are strategically placed wormholes all over the store. How else would I have ended up there? I certainly didn't wander in on my own. Ahem.

And of course, I didn't intend to buy anything, but then a cute little t-shirt caught my eye. And I recognized the artwork as one of my favorite Etsy artists, The Yumi Yumi Shop. So then, I had to buy it. How could I not, given my love for all things indie and this is sort of indie, right? I mean, the artist got paid for licensing her art, so I'm okay with the big box purchase.

So, aaaanyway, here's how I styled it (the very next day for casual Friday at work, since I couldn't wait to wear my new purchase).

(Excuse the ridonkculous look on my face. I'm still trying to get used to the remote. It doesn't always click when it should and then I make weird faces.)


Top: Target (buy it here)
Cardigan: H&M
Jeans: Gap (similar here)
Scarf: Ruche
Shoes: Nine West (sold out in nude, but still available in black online)

Oh, aqua :: recent shopping

So, since my recent obsession with an aquamarine engagement ring has been squashed*, I'm turning my obsession with the color to other wearables, like dresses and non-engagement-y type jewelry.

Vintage aqua rhinestone earrings and vintage starfish brooch from Merelle | Lampwork beads by Chase Designs | Freshly Minted Dress from Modcloth

I plan to rework the vintage pieces into something new and I'm going to make a pair of earrings with the lampwork beads similar to these I made previously. And I can totally see me rocking out in the Freshly Minted dress with black capri leggings, a boyfriend blazer, and my nude Dolce Vita heels (and maybe one of those aquamarine cocktail rings I love so much).

*A highly reputable local jeweler talked me out of aquamarine since the stone is too fragile for every day wear and tear. So instead, we are looking at blue diamonds, purple sapphires (which look a lot like tanzanite), and possibly, blue-green tourmaline.

Everything's coming up roses...and posies and daisies // H&M Garden Collection

I can't wait to check out the H&M Garden Collection in stores. I'm loving the color palette and prints, along wtih the fact that it's made with recycled material.


image source: hm.com

fashion || rain, rain

It rained for four days straight last week and over the weekend. Poured, in fact. Every time it rains, I mutter to myself about how I need to buy a casual rain jacket for when I take the dogs outside in the downpour and for  other random adventures spent tromping around town in the rain. And then I decide I need new rainboots to match my new rain jacket. So, because I was bored and trapped inside, I started looking for my new rain gear. And if perfection were a shiny rainboot, it would be these lovelies from See by Chloe. I almost plopped them in my shopping cart. Almost.

And then the sun came out again and brought me to my senses.
(Along with the realization that I do not need to spend $200 on rainboots since my cost per wear would be, oh...about $100.)

But they sure are lovely. And they'd look so cute with a casual little rain jacket...

Rainboots, See by Chloe | Trail Model Rain Jacket, L.L. Bean

looks i'm loving

I'm loving Jennifer Meyer's tough leather jacket paired with the sweet floral dress. And Kate Moss' nude meets hot pink Valentino Couture frock paired with the animal print shoes is genius. 
 Jennifer Meyer at a Louis Vuitton party || Kate Moss at The Love Ball

morelle // spring 2010 handbag collection

I've posted about this indie designer before on my other blog (here and here), but I just love the designs so much that I'm posting again on this blog. morelle recently launched the spring 2010 collection of stylish, handmade bags. And not only are the bags beautiful, but the photography is stunning as well.







image source

Shop for morelle handbags on Etsy or on the morelle website.

fashion news // cynthia rowley for roxy

In my dreams, I'm a SoCal surfer girl. I live in a beach bungalow. I awake to the sound of crashing waves and run (read: own) a little surf-inspired boutique/gallery just steps from the ocean. In real life, I live nowhere near the ocean, I awake to the sound of my snoring beagle and I run (read: am owned by) the corporate rat race. But a girl can dream. And a girl can chase her dreams, too, right? And until I finally catch them, I can at least dress the part of a SoCal surfer girl thanks to the surfer-girl-meets-girlie-girl Cynthia Rowley collection for Roxy.

images: roxy.com

PS- Once I do catch those dreams, I'll still awake to the sound of my snoring beagle because her foghorn of a snore will most definitely drown out even the loudest of ocean waves.

PPS- That ruffled, aqua dress? Consider it mine.

happy monday (sort of) and what I wore for saturday night out

Well. This weekend didn't exactly go as planned. It started out pleasantly, with Saturday morning spent shopping at Lancaster Central Market followed by a brief trip to the mall. Then on Saturday night, D and I had a tasty dinner with his parents at Gusto, a local Italian restaurant.

And then, it all came crashing down when I woke up in the middle of the night on Saturday with a nasty stomach bug.

So not fun, people, so not fun.

I'm still not feeling too great, but at least I got through the night last night without incident.

But anyway. Here's what I wore for Saturday night's dinner out. (I followed up this cute number with a lazy day on Sunday spent in my favorite lounge pants and Temple University hoodie- perfect attire for loafing on the couch, watching the Olympics and guzzling mango juice to rehydrate myself.)


Dress: Abercrombie & Fitch; Cardigan, scarf, leggings: H&M; Shoes: random; Earrings: Handmade by me

what i wore // outfits of the day

So I can't guarantee that all of my outfits are interesting and as a result, they will not make posting status on my blog. But in the event that I wear something post-worthy, I'll keep you...uh...posted? Ahem. Yeah. Here are two from this week:


Left: Dress, H&M; Cardigan, GO International from Target; Boots and tights, random
Right: Dress, Forever21; Turtleneck, American Eagle; Cardigan, Banana Republic; Boots, Anthropologie Winding Ruffle boots

PS- please do not judge my photography skillz by these oh-so-beautious pictures. Usually I just hastily snap these with my iPhone or with the timer on my little point-and-shoot. Mayhaps someday, I'll feel inspired to post better outfit of the day pictures, but then, that would also require finding time for photoshoots. So, uh...yeah.

Happy Friday! Have a great weekend!

fashion week // anna sui fall 2010 ready-to-wear -- La femme bohème

image source: style.com

Perfectly bohemian style from Anna Sui for fall 2010, plus a nod to flapper fashion in that gorgeous gold sequined dress. I'm especially loving the first one with the brown dress layered over the aqua and brown patterned blouse.

View the entire Anna Sui fall 2010 ready-to-wear collection.

fashion week // nanette lepore fall 2010 ready-to-wear

image source: style.com

Lush fabrics, sequins and rich jewel tones. I'll take one of each! View the entire Nanette Lepore fall 2010 ready-to-wear collection.

fashion week // rodarte fall 2010 ready-to-wear

image source: style.com

I'm loving the mixed patterns along with unexpected color combinations, floaty fabrics and detailed necklines.

View the entire Rodarte Fall 2010 Ready-to-Wear Collection.

looks from Lucky // march 2010

A few of my favorite looks from the Lucky Magazine's March 2010 spread, "Bright, bold, and spontaneous for spring."


Image source: Scans from the March 2010 issue of Lucky