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

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...)

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.

Christmas Covet List pt. 5

I am so loving animal inspired jewelry right now, and for Christmas I would love nothing more than a fantastic cocktail ring adorned with some sort of bejeweled exotic cat. The three photos below are all awesome examples I've found through Etsy (though I wish the second one was a little more clear - it looks gorgeous!)

I found this one a few weeks ago and, regrettably, forgot to copy down the seller's name... When I went back and did another search tonight, it was nowhere to be found. I'm assuming such an awesome piece was sold pretty quickly... I love the "diamond" accents on the fur and the "emerald" eyes. Sweeeeet...

However, my less-than-successful attempt to give credit to the seller of this ring did lead me to a couple more beautiful rings:

This piece is sold by ChezVous and is a vintage piece from the 80's - loving the 80's right now (who would have ever thought that I'd be craving a blazer with shoulderpads??? that's for another day...) It reminds me of the jewelry they would display at dig museums when I visited a few archaeological sites during my summer in Tuscany - Roman-era rings were very similar!

Finally, my absolute FAVORITE piece - a handmade knuckle duster by Fleathers... agh I even have the perfect outfit to wear this with. It would also be a perfect addition to a "Modern Dorothy" look - Lions, Tigers, and Bears indeed!

Christmas Covet List pt. 4

Now that I'm starting to get a (very) little bit of hair back, I've started scouring places like Target, Forever 21, and Urban Outfitters for inexpensive, jeweled, elastic headbands (regular headbands give me terrible headaches!) A few days ago, I bought a bunch of hair accessories (to be posted ASAP!), and when I was perusing the Anthropologie website, I came across this lovely example. I can't wait to have enough hair to be able to start wearing accessories (I'm hoping by New Year's!) I keep thinking about Natalie Portman growing her hair back from V for Vendetta - her bejeweled Oscar has been serving as my short hair accessory inspiration... I've got a copy of it printed out and taped up in my bathroom!

and... my future hairstyle - as soon as it's long enough, I'm planning on getting it cut like Audrey Tautou's in this photo...

Accessories for the Fun of it

This watercolor is hanging in my bathroom. I THINK it's a purchase my mom made at Summerfair (a huge art show in Cincinnati) a long time ago, but I may be wrong... Anyway, it sums up how I've been feeling lately. I'm trying not to buy any new clothes, only the occasional accessory to spice up what I already have. These are a few of my more recent purchases:

(clockwise from top left) Black Fur Hat: Target, Pink Knit Hat: Urban Outfitters, Nail Polish: Sephora (Blue Jean), Plaid Tights: Betsey Johnson, Tie-Dye Leopard Tights: Forever 21

I almost died when I saw these tights at Forever 21 - I actually had to dig around a LOT to find my size - I'm pretty sure someone was hiding them, because when I finally found some that would fit, they were buried in the wrong tub with a bunch of different headbands. What do you think - too much?

I love Betsey Johnson - everything she does is so fun! These tights are one of my favorite recent purchases. They're kind of a weird material (not very stretchy), but they look fantastic with my favorite long black t-shirt.

I've also been buying a lot of hats lately (obviously) - this pink one is super comfy!

Grandma's Goodies

My mom's mom has always been super-stylish (she was voted Best-Dressed when she graduated from high school in 1950), and I'm always wishing she'd pass on some of her old costume jewelry or accessories. When I was in high school, she brought over her prom dress, and I was devastated when it was clear that I'd NEVER fit into it. I'm 5'8", and my grandma is 5'2" at the most. That's never going to work.

However, my dad's mom grew up in a tiny, tiny town in northern Ohio - on a farm no less! So, imagine my excitement a few months ago when she sends me an AMAZING handmade, hand-embroidered dress that my great-grandmother made for her in high school -- AND that it fits me perfectly! Pictures from my photo shoot back in May will be up soon (I recently stumbled upon them on my mom's camera) -- you'll get to see what my hair looked like pre-chemo, as well!

Anyway, these things accompanied the dress - I recently took them out of the freezer (placed there to ensure that any mothballs or other wool-loving critters disappeared) and was thrilled to find that the gloves fit me like, well, a glove! They'll be the perfect compliment to my favorite green scarf this winter! My grandma also told me that she has pins for the hat somewhere, and as soon as she finds them, she'll send them to me. I hope she can find them, because I'm thinking the little black hat will look lovely with a piece of lace when my hair grows out to a pixie length!

The jewelry comes from a jewelry box she sent me YEARS ago, when I was little. It was full of vintage costume jewelry, and I'm ashamed to say I didn't appreciate it for what it was worth at the time. These are the only pieces I can currently find, and I wear them all the time (well, with the exception of the barrette!) I'm hoping that I packed the jewelry box in with my old dress-ups when we moved a few years ago, because there are a few specific pieces I can't get out of my head that I'd love to wear!

Stop & Smell the Flowers

Today I had a meeting with my French professor, since I missed a big exam - She's EXTREMELY stylish (about 60, and a former designer for Victoria's Secret - I hope I'm that stylish when I'm her age) so I always try to look extra polished on days when I have her class. I found this skirt in the back of my closet the last time I visited my apartment, and I can't believe I forgot about it! I'd bought it about 3 years ago for a New Year's Eve party (after a VERY long search for a pencil skirt that was fitted enough for my skinny legs) and even though I'm still really skinny, I've gained a lot of weight in strange places because of the steroids I was on, so it barely fits... I can't wait to get back to Pilates to get toned up again!

The sweater is a great find from Urban Outfitters - I've been looking for a big grey sweater to replace my favorite one (it died a very noble death by overuse after many, many winters). Now I'm on a search to replace a couple of my solid colored turtlenecks (my winter go-to staple for under all kinds of dresses) - mainly a couple of black ones...

I love the buttons up the back of the skirt - sometimes I would unbutton the bottom one if it got too hard to walk around, especially in heels. This skirt is so hard to keep smooth - the material is very difficult to iron, and it picks up wrinkles at the drop of a hat...

Details from the purse - I bought this in Paris, from a tiny shop full of these hand-beaded purses made by a tiny old Frenchwoman. I wish I'd bought more than one! It's extremely roomy, and has a HUGE bone button to keep it closed. The handle is bamboo, and I couldn't get a picture of it because my camera died. The only thing I wish this purse had was an interesting shoulder strap - it's so big that it's a little hard to carry in my hand or on my elbow if it's got a lot of stuff in it! I've thought about adding one, but I don't want to ruin it!

Skirt: Bebe

Turtleneck: INC, Macy's

Sweater: Silence & Noise, Urban Outfitters
Shoes: Steve Madden
Purse: unknown shop, Paris
Earrings: American Eagle

Back in Action

Wow, I've been gone a long time!

I kind of decided to take a little break while I finished up my treatments - chemotherapy does not generally mix well with looking cute every day. But now that I'm done, I'm looking forward to really getting this blog rolling!

As a welcome back post, I'm excited to put up a few pictures from the Cincinnati Opera Ball After-Party, which I went to last weekend with my friend Andrew. I found this dress a few weeks ago, and was SO excited to have a reason to buy it. I've been really loving the bib necklace trend, and this dress really, really plays that up. I'm kind of disappointed that the jeweled bib isn't detachable (but there's a good chance I'll change that in the near future and take it off & add a ribbon)

Anyway, I'm back for good now, and hopefully I'll start having some much cuter outfits to share in the future!

My grandparents gave me this crystal bracelet for my birthday, and I LOVE it - but I hardly ever wear it because I'm afraid of losing it! They had bought me the earrings at a craft fair we went to together right after I was diagnosed with cancer, and bought the bracelet later to match. Both are handmade by a close friend of theirs. She's having a sample sale in a few weeks and I can't wait to go - she makes beautiful jewelry out of vintage beads and crystals, but it's SO expensive, so I'm really looking forward to what I might be able to find at a discounted price!

Me with a couple of friends in a candid shot from the party...

Dress: INC, Macy's

Earrings & Bracelet: handmade by local artist

Shoes: thrifted

Houndstooth & Ripped Denim

I was feeling extra tired when I woke up this morning (a terrible bout of insomnia kept me awake last night) so I kind of just threw on the most comfortable thing I could find. I've had these jeans for about 7 years - the holes are all natural wear, nothing man-made about them! I'll throw them away only when they become obscene...

I picked up this jacket last fall in a shop in Bloomington, IN while I was visiting my brother at IU. It's one of my favorite jackets because of the shape and the giant hood. The hood makes a big collar when it's down, but it's sooooo warm when I put it up. Usually I don't like hoods, but this is a definite exception.

Jacket: Yada

Jeans: Rock & Republic

T-Shirt: American Apparel

Boots: Steve Madden

Sunnies: Ralph Lauren

Comic Book Leggings

I picked up these leggings a year or so ago, but never got much use out of them until recently - they're a little sheer to wear during the day with a dress this short, so sometimes I'll wear them over a colored pair (usually yellow so you can still see the comic...). I decided, though, that they'd be perfect for a Saturday night out...

I was super excited to have a reason to wear my new shoes - they'd felt comfortable walking around the store, but I was nervous for a whole evening... I was thrilled to NOT get any blisters or anything. I think I have a new favorite pair of shoes...

With such crazy tights, I wanted to keep the rest of my outfit simple, so I paired them with this plain black mini dress (although, it does have some really great slightly puffy sleeves - you can't really tell from the pictures) and a strand of pearls...

Tights: Hanky Panky

Dress: H&M

Shoes: BCBG

Necklace: Forever 21

New Shoes

So I've Kind of told myself that I wouldn't buy anything new unless I really, really needed it. And then I went shopping with my mom today and came across these amazing heels.

I've been looking for a pair of winter strappy heels to wear with tights & thick socks.

I love these because they've got a little bit of velvet on them - different than the other bandage heels I've seen around. Plus, they're super comfortable, so I'm hoping to get lots of use out of them. I've been wearing my heeled oxfords nearly every day to class, and I'm thinking these will be a good pair to throw into the mix.

Shoes: BCBG

Bracelets: some H&M, some thrifted

Gold Scarf: Gap

Pearls: Forever 21

Watch: Fossil (Dad's)

Scarves, Scarves, and More Scarves

As many of you may have noticed, I'm currently bald. Because of this, I've been getting TONS of scarves as gifts and have amassed quite an impressive collection. I was never much of a scarf wearer, and even now I don't wear them on my head. However, after LOTS and LOTS of practice, I've finally started to be able to wear my scarves in a casual way that doesn't look too stupid (at least I hope not!)

In lieu of an outfit post today (because it was rainy and I never got around to taking a picture of what I was wearing) I decided that I wanted to showcase a few of my favorite scarves. I'd say I have about 50 in all shapes, sizes, and materials, and lots of them are extremely beautiful and handmade.

This scarf is one of my oldest and most favorite - it came in a box with the Barbie 35th Anniversary Fossil watch that my grandma gave me when I was a little girl (too little for such a fancy scarf & watch, so I'm glad my mom held on to them for me for a LONG time). It's an amazing accent piece for black dresses (I actually wore it today with a red dress, but I prefer the pop it has against black) and it's a great conversation piece. Unlike some of my other scarves, though, I never pin it - I'm too afraid of ruining the silk!

(Winnie likes Barbie, too...)

This is another favorite, purchased from a flea market when I visited Paris with friends in high school. It's got some AMAZING fringe as well - beaded with the little rosettes just dripping off the ends of the scarf. I bought my mom a matching one in lavender, and usually we just use them for decoration because they're so delicate, but I'm thinking I might need to actually wear it sometime soon...

This scarf came from Paris as well - courtesy of my little brother, who picked it up at the market at Mont Martre - he knows how I have a weakness for sequins & shimmer, and this scarf fit the bill. The best part about it is that it's SO huge that usually when I wear it, I fold it into a skirt and keep it in place with some vintage flower pins. It's a little hard to walk in (and get out of in the bathroom) but it's totally worth it because it's completely unique.

Winnie gets in on the action trying to steal my gold sequin scarf...

Finally, William and I had sushi at one of my favorite sushi restaurants yesterday, and he got the famous "Pizza Plate." We're unsure of why the restaurant serves on this plate (because it's a Japanese restaurant and most definitely does not serve pizza) but one of us will get it occasionally and we always get a little bit of amusement out of its incongruity...