Luckiest Girl in the World

...or at least in the Target five minutes from my parents' house...

I went to Target last night to pick up my dad a birthday present and a card, and I always like to take a quick spin around the clearance rack in the women's department (I've been trying to buy everything but tights on sale lately)

I perused a few racks & mostly found weirdly made winter basics (you know, those long sleeved t-shirts that are extremely wide & short) BUT by the time I made it to the last rack, I stumbled across a treasure trove:

ALMOST THE ENTIRE RODARTE COLLECTION

it was as if no one had bought anything except for the lace cardigan & the skeleton tunic (the two pieces I really wanted - but I'd never seen them at my Target, so I'm not sure we ever got them in...) By far the most expensive piece was the leopard dress at a whopping $11.25. I picked up a navy tulle blouse, the lace t-shirt, and the leopard dress for under $25. 

I don't think I'm going to get so lucky with Gaultier - the only Target near me carrying it is all the way on the other side of town. I'm not coveting as many of those pieces, though...

Snow Flower

It's no secret that I love minidresses, and this is one of my favorites. I bought it this summer to wear to a party that required something comfortable, cool, and very washable. Forever 21 is one of the best places to find a dress like this, and it's also very winterizeable (my spell check is telling me that's not a word, but I don't really care!)

Today I woke up (well, I couldn't really sleep last night so got up might be a more appropriate term) and it was snowy & dreary. I got these tights at a HUE sale a few days ago - and found out that the HUE store up here in Cleveland is one of only two actual stores.  I feel lucky now because I loooooove their tights! Anyway, I've been hunting for a great pair of green tights & snatched these up before they sold out for St. Patrick's Day. They look a little more yellow in these pictures, but trust me - they're an extremely neon green. When I stopped for coffee this morning, a business man asked me if I needed batteries for them (haha)

I thought they'd go perfectly with this dress - they're close enough to the bright green that the go, but not so close that it's too matchy. With my boots & my big sweater (bought two sizes too big for optimal coziness) I'm feeling like a slightly glammed up version of 90's grunge...

Also, I think this umbrella is adorable. I'm super-fair skinned (you wouldn't know it from my pics because I'm always brightening the colors) and I'm always telling my mom I wish it was more acceptable to carry a parasol around in the summers. She found this at H&M and gave it to me for Valentine's Day. I might just have to bring back the parasol...

Dress: F21

Sweater: Silence & Noise (Urban Outfitters)

Tights: HUE

Boots: Steven, Steve Madden

Umbrella: H&M

Gloves: Ten Thousand Villages

Relax (Don't Do It)

I'd been spoiled by the warmish weather we've been having & woke up absolutely freezing this morning! I dragged myself out of bed and didn't make it much further than my futon before I curled back up & turned on the TV instead of being motivated and working on my thesis before class like I'd planned...

The clothes I put on for the day are barely more than PJs - my little brother's old flannel, my Frankie tee, and some new HUE black denim leggings (I refuse to call them jeggings...)

My hair's getting long enough that I can style it a little - I tried a faux-hawk today & I think it looked pretty awesome. I'm kind of loving it!

This is also my faaaavorite mug. I always drink my coffee out of it in the morning & my tea out of it at night

I wish I'd had more time to do what Frankie says... too bad I have about 40 more pages to write in the next two weeks...

Flannel: American Eagle

Frankie Tee: Target

Leggings: HUE

Socks: Men's dept at Macys (men's socks are always so much warmer than women's!)

Monogrammed Mug: Anthropologie

i'll be your girl backstage at your show

After going to a really fantastic folk night on Sunday night, I woke up feeling rock-starish. All I had all day was 3 hour French class (that's what I get for deciding to try for fluency in a second language)

I pulled out my shiniest skirt & mixed a couple prints (including this leopard cardigan - after leaving it at a friend's for a few days, I've been wearing it with EVERYTHING!)

I look a little washed out though... I need to remember not to forget the blush!

Black T: F21

Cardigan: INC, Macy's

Skirt: Express

Tights: HUE

Boots: Vintage

Salsa Night

This weekend, I sat in on a friend's radio show and then went to Salsa & Meringue night at Oberlin & wore one of my favorite dresses. I bought this a few years at Target, but only in the past year or so I've been able to find ways to wear it that aren't too dressy. I thought the big ruffle at the neck & down the front would be perfect for salsa dancing!

I rolled the tops of my suede booties down because the mouth was so big that they flopped around when I walked. Rolling the tops reveals the silver lining & makes the booties fit a little more snugly. I wore my sheer silvery-purple tights over my deep purple ones to create an opaque effect with the same silvery shade as the boot linings!

You can't really tell (and I forgot to take a photo) but my earrings are tiny clusters of disco balls. Great for catching the light while dancing!

Ice Cold

I got my new booties & my sunnies in the mail today! The boot color is PERFECT - you can't really tell in these pictures because of the overcast, but they're a wonderful deep indigo. The mouth of the shoe is a little wide for my taste, but they'll be great with skinny jeans or my deep blue tights. They'll make their actual debut this weekend when I'm visiting in Oberlin!

I love the sunnies, too - they have a great vintage feel and they were a steal at only $5! Actually, this whole outfit was a steal - other than the leggings, everything was bought WAY on sale. I'm trying to only buy new things on sale to keep my budget down... 

Silk Top: H&M

Leggings: HUE

Sunnies: Urban Outfitters

Booties: Kimchi Blue for Urban Outfitters

Purple Mountains Majesty

Adding a little spice to my standby grey cowl neck dress with some sheer purple tights - you can't tell very much in the photo, but they're kind of shimmer. I can't wait to get my new booties in the mail, these will be PERFECT with them!

Dress: H&M

Tights: H&M

Belt: Vintage from Grandma

I succumbed...

So I finally succumbed to the online shopping snowstorm binge. I spent last night perusing Urban Outfitter's sales, and came across two things that I've had my eye on forEVER. 

deep blue/purple suede booties - I know they're impractical in the snow, but I've been wanting a pair for the summer & I can't wait for them to come in the mail!

instead of the heart shape sunnies I mentioned in my last post, I sent out for a pair of these clear plastic round frames. I'm hoping they'll look ok on my face shape, but i LOVE clear frames and I think these will be amazing come springtime...

Heart Sunnies

photo borrowed from www.theglamourai.com

After seeing The Glamourai sporting these sunnies on her blog, I've been eyeing them in black on Fred Flare. I like these better than the ones at Urban Outfitters because they're very subtly thicker on the outside rim instead of consistently the same width all the way around...

I've been sporting the same oversized cat's eye pair since my beloved purchased-in-Italy Wayfarers fell on the sidewalk & cracked in September, and I'm thinking maybe some hearts are just the thing to jazz up my sunnies a little bit. I'm already making the freshmen at my college a little uncomfortable with my cropped hair & faux-fur coat, so why not go all out, right?

So what do you all think? At $11, the price is DEFINITELY good, but Fred Flare's shipping is a little high - almost $8 unless you can pick up the purchase in the store (I'm not visiting New York anytime soon...)

Sale Sale Sale!

Wow, I've been out of the loop! I've had bronchitis and was in the hospital on Tuesday, but now I'm back at my parents' house for the weekend and on the mend...

One of the best things about being home is shopping sales with my Mom - she always helps find the cutest things! Today we were at Macy's to find a few last minute accessories for her for a Gala we're attending tonight for my old high school, and stumbled across a 70% off sale in the INC department!

I'd been eyeing this cardigan for MONTHS and was sure by the time the sales hit it would be sold out or out of my size. Today was my lucky day, though, because there was one tucked waaaaaay back in the small section. I'm pretty sure someone was hiding it, but there's no getting past me. I always go for what looks like it's trying to be hidden - that's always the best! My #1 sale rule is start at the back first - the best things are always hidden deep!

I love the detail - combining two of my favorite things, rhinestones & leopard print. 

This tunic has been out since the fall & I've always thought it was pretty, but never thought about purchasing it til it was only about $20. It's a size too big, but I think that might be OK since it's a tunic - better for wearing with tights & leggings!

again with the rhinestones... INC's fall stuff was FULL of rhinestones. My mom picked up this AMAZING grey top with puffy sleeves and a detachable rhinestone bib necklace, very similar to the bib on the cocktail dress I wore to the Opera Gala in November. I was so jealous! I'll post a picture if she'll let me...

My mom also got these for me at Sephora - she always remembers to use her rewards card (which I always forget to do...) and racks up TONS of points. This is the new 500 point reward, (r to l) Dear Diary..., I'm With Brad, and Personal Shopper. I'm wearing I'm With Brad to the Gala tonight with my red dress... I've been wanting to try it, and I was so excited when my mom passed these to me for V-Day. I'm kind of addicted to nail polish - I especially love dark colors with sparkle. Let me know if you guys think there are any I should try!!

Good Morning, America!

I think the boxers I slept in last night are so awesome that I had to do a post about them. They're a map of the Paris Métro. When I graduated from high school, I went to Paris and London for a few weeks with a bunch of friends and bought these boxers for my little brothers. Immediately upon my return, I regretted not getting a pair for myself!

Luckily for me, my littlest brother went on a tour of Europe last summer with a vocal group, and was fantastic enough to remember and pick me up a pair! My littlest brother is a fashionisto in the making...

my favorite sleep t-shirt is a Charlie Brown shirt courtesy of the drama department at my old high school. When I was a sophomore or a junior, we did You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. The promo shirts the cast wore around were yellow featuring the Charlie Brown stripe. For some reason, it's one of the best-fitting t-shirts I own!

on my toes: OPI for Sephora in Mermaid

Golden Girl

I found this amazing gold skirt at a vintage store last summer. I try not to wear it very often because I love it and the gold cracks a little bit every time I wash it. 

One of my favorite parts of the skirt (besides the gold part) is the fact that it has GIANT POCKETS! so amazing...

Gold Skirt: Vintage - tag says "The Emperor's New Clothes, NYC" (I love it!)

Embellished Tank: Abercrombie & Fitch (from high school)

Cardigan: Olivia & Grace

Boots: Vintage