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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

Suburban Cowgirl

I picked up these fantastic vintage leather & snakeskin boots at Universe of Clothes near NYU. I've been looking for the perfect pair of cowboy boots for YEARS - preferably vintage, because I think there's something unnatural about shiny new cowboy boots. I spotted these in the window, and dismissed them at first because the store tag said they were a size 7.5 (I'm an 8.5 at the smallest). The salesgirl was super nice, and brought out TONS of boots for me to try on from the storage room. However, none of them were quite right, so on a whim I stuck these on. They're a little tight, but I think after a few days of wear, the leather will stretch into perfection.

the stitching detail is what attracted me at first - feminine and subtle...

I think the snakeskin adds an exotic element that's not too crazy - I'm not a big fan of really "out there" cowboy boots... Plus, these hardly have ANY wear on them. Either someone took super good care of them, or they've hardly ever been used... I can't wait to start adding them to outfits and seeing what I can come up with...

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

A Little Advice on Tall Boots

I absolutely LOVE over the knee boots. I got my pair four or five years ago on sale before they were popular. People were always giving me really strange looks when I'd wear them out, but now I'm getting TONS of compliments. The only problem with my boots is that since I got them on sale, my actual size wasn't available - I had to go a size up, which isn't too bad but it makes them a little difficult to walk in sometimes. I'm considering talking to my cobbler and seeing if there's any way the soles can be taken down a half size or so (not sure if that's even possible!)

I also think it's VERY difficult to wear over-the knee boots without looking like a hooker (hopefully I've pulled that off). My best advice is to keep the skirt short, but everything else long and NOT revealing. That's why I chose to pair them with this sweater dress - despite the short skirt, on one would ever accuse this dress of being too sexy on it's own! Finally, ALWAYS wear tights or something - don't show too much leg above the boots...

Sweater Dress: H&M

Boots: Steve Madden

Tights: Betsey Johnson

Belt: DIY out of gifted scarves