Androgynous

With my super short hair, I decided to do a little experimentation with an androgynous look tonight. I'm heading out in a bit for sushi with my fried Cory, and since I generally dress very femininely, I thought it would be kind of cool to play around with something I wouldn't usually wear! I had flats on at first, but thought that was a little TOO masculine, so I switched into these velvet-strapped heels I got a few months ago but haven't worn much yet...

I'd been lounging & studying all day in a Bonnaroo t-shirt my brother picked up for me this summer, so I just threw on some black jeans & a cropped tuxedo jacket for a suit-like look... I think I like the whole outfit!

Cropped Tuxedo Jacket: H&M

T-Shirt: Bonnaroo, gift

Jeans: BDG, urban outfitters

Shoes: BCBG Paris

Cleaning Day

sooo... first of all, let me apologize for looking so awful! I'm having a little dinner party tonight & I never do my makeup in the morning if I know I'm going to be needing it to look extra nice that night (I always like to look fresh when I'm fancy, and I hate taking off makeup that I put on in the morning just to put more back on!)

Anyway, I wanted to post something I relax in, and also I wanted to post this because this sweater is one of my favorite things. I've had it for about 10 years, and it's aged very nicely. It was one of my first pieces of clothing from a "high school" store & I wore it constantly in 7th grade. 

When I was a little kid, my mom dressed me VERY fashionably (I'll have to dig around & see what pictures I can find!) and I always got most of my clothes from the Limited Too & Gap Kids & places like that. It was a HUGE treat for my mom to FINALLY let me buy something at Abercrombie & Fitch when we went back-to-school shopping before 7th grade (my first year at my town's brand-new middle school). I picked this sweater and a pair of (I kid you not) army-green suede pants. I thought the pink on the top with green on the bottom made me look like a mermaid... or something...

Anyway, I still love this sweater, and I thank my mom for making me get it in a Large, even though the cool girls wore super-tight clothes. If I'd had my way, this sweater would be way too small now! The only thing I wish is that it was a little longer, instead of that awkward 90's not quite cropped but not long enough to wear with leggings length (optimal for showing an inch of belly with your low-rise flared jeans)

Do you guys have any pieces of clothing left over from childhood that you still love to wear??

I'm also loving this new nail polish... I need to take a better picture of it, but after I cleaned my kitchen & bathroom (in prep for the party) I manicured myself with this awesome new color I picked up at Sephora... It's called Blue Jean (I think... I'm too lazy to go get the bottle back out of my drawer) and it's deep navy with a lovely shimmer. I adore short nails with dark color, and this blue is great...

...awkward pose & weird eyes because my anti-redeye edit went a little bonkers...

Sweater: Abercrombie & Fitch (ca. 1999)

Jeans: BDG (urban outfitters)

Shoulder Pads

I purchased my first sweater with shoulder pads yesterday... I need to replace them because they're too small, the sleeve keeps slipping under the pad & making me look deformed, but otherwise I LOVE the look. This sweater has a little bit of a military feel with the gold buttons and the shape around the bottom, but I really like that it's a cardigan and not a jacket. You can't really see, but under the gold buttons there's black lace. I'm really happy with it!

Military Cardigan: Forever 21

Tank: American Eagle

Black Jeans: Express

Boots: Steven, Steve Madden

Apartment, Sweet Apartment

Sooo... today I didn't really get dressed for real. I wore a white T with jeans tucked into my new boots. Apparently, though, that made me look like a lesbian with my cropped hair. Oh, well...

Anyway, I'm FINALLY settled in and unpacked in my apartment, so I thought I'd post a few pics. Most of my furniture are hand-me-downs from my parents covered in black slipcovers, but my accent pieces are mostly in shades of teal and lime green. Cheerful!

Asian-inspired lamp purchased at a garage sale

silk flowers, Target

love pillow, gift

pink & black striped pillow, Target

shades of green pillow, vintage (part of a pair)

seaglass chimes, gift

black & white prints, Target

glass bowl, Target

handkerchief (as tablecloth), thrifted

Finally, someone in my building moved out and left a HUGE stack of really weird records in the laundry room. My friends & I went through them and there was nothing I wanted to listen to, but I did find some with really funny covers that I want to frame and hang up at some point...

Fishnets & Wool

It was FREEZING today! But I wanted to show off my new boots, so I pulled out my trusty cowl-neck sweater dress (though it's so short some have argued it's just a sweater...) and some fishnets over sheer black hose.

I'd been eyeing these boots on the Steve Madden website for awhile... I love the look of a feminine outfit paired with heavy lace-up boots... I'd really love a pair of Frye Engineers, but they're a little out of my price range right now!

photo courtesy of Chictopia

Dress: H&M

Tights: Express

Belt: Vintage

Boots: Steven, Steve Madden

Casual Thursday

I've been having a lot of insomnia, so today I woke up late & had to throw on something fast to get to a class and a bunch of meetings! I need to look somewhat professional, because my last meeting of the day was a review of my thesis outline with my advisor. I picked this silk blouse because I love the big floppy collar, and the cardigan is one of my favorites!

I picked up this little red flower at Trader Joe's the other day - I can't get another cat (since Winnie's staying with my parents) but I wanted something alive and colorful in my apartment...

Cardigan: American Eagle

Silk Blouse: Anthropologie

Jeans: Mika (purchased in Italy)

Earrings: Handmade (purchased at Summerfair)

Flower: Primrose, Trader Joe's

Shades of Gray

It was cloudy & cold today, and I was inspired to dress in shades of gray. When I'd first bought these tights, I was afraid that they'd make my legs look bruised... Instead, I like them a lot!

I also really love the high-waisted zipper skirt. In the summer I pair it with a black tank top, but this is the first time I've worn it this winter. I like the look of long sleeves with a mini-skirt. I think it's sexy without being too slutty...

My friend Arielle came up to visit for the long weekend, and I really loved the bright sapphire color of her dress - her eyes are really blue, so the bright blue is a fantastic color on her!

On Me:

Turtleneck: Express

Skirt: H&M

Tights & Socks: HUE

Purple Wings

I needed something comfy & flexible for piano class today - I love this sweater! I added a couple statement jewelry pieces to give a little excitement to what would be a pretty boring outfit & tried out my cowboy boots for the first time since coming back to the cold. I've been afraid to get them salt stained, but since I only had one class and no walking today, I figured they'd be safe!

Smurfette

I was feeling a little blue this morning, so I was inspired to pull on these tights under the rainbow patterned minidress I hardly ever wear. Comfy and fun... Then when I stepped outside, it was super sunny and my mood instantly rose!

Blue Tights: Hue

Mini Dress: T-Bags (Anthropologie)

Shoes: BCBG Paris

Man's Shirt

Well, it was only the second day of school and I was already running late. To make it to class on time, I threw on a pair of grey leggings & a lace tank under this man's dress shirt I found forever ago. A couple of quick accessories and some wool socks & I was ready to go!

Leggings: HUE

Lace Tank: Vintage Victoria's Secret from Mom

Shirt: Express, thrifted

Bracelet: local artist

Watch: Fossil, Barbie 35th Anniversary Ed.

First Day of School

It was my first day back to classes, and the weather was horrendous. I needed something cozy to brave the snow, so I threw on this sweater dress (with a VERY generous cowl) and a pair of thick woolly tights I picked up in Chicago. For a quick pop of color to pull me out of my winter blues, I dug out this bright red Birkin knockoff - it's gorgeous and big enough to carry around a few notebooks... (although, I feel bad calling it a knockoff - I bought it when I was living in Florence, and it's handmade from real leather...)

Dress: H&M

Tights: unknown - picked up in Chicago

Boots: Steve Madden

Bag: Vera Pelle, purchased in Florence

Moving Day

my room is a sea of dresses & jewelry... i really need a good clean out...

look forward to pictures of my lovely apartment come monday!

Yum-O

in lieu of clothes, here's a sample of some of the fantastic food I've been eating lately...

pastrami...

reuben...

pickles...

(all consumed at the amazing Katz's Deli in NYC)

pineapple fried rice from Yum-Yum, 9th & 46th, NYC

sashimi at Wild Ginger, Hyde Park in Cincinnati

loaded nachos (a little blurry from my unsteady hand after a couple beers...)

delicious delicious Touch of Sunshine beer, brewed fresh at Rockbottom in Cincinnati (Fountain Square)

daily fashion shots will resume MONDAY, when I will be moving back out of my parents' house and into my apartment... I'm a little apprehensive about the move back out on my own, but I'll figure it out! Wish me luck!!!