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!

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

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!

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

Around Ludlow

I had a couple friends visiting from Cleveland, so we stopped down to Ludlow/Clifton and CCM's library. I LOVE this sweater that I'm wearing, and just recently decided to wear it OVER dresses as opposed to with pants or skirts (it's slightly cropped, so it always rides up with the pants & skirts)

You can sort of see that it has crystal buttons down the back - probably my favorite part of the sweater!

Dancing Girl fountain - I wanted to get in and dance with her, but her pedestal wasn't big enough for me to stand on it as well!

This leather jacket is one of my favorite/most expensive articles of clothing. I bought it while I was living in Florence two summers ago, and spent a TON of euros on it. Totally worth the money, though.

Does anyone else have amazing investment pieces that ALMOST didn't seem worth it at the time?

Sweater: Anthropologie

Dress (underneath): American Apparel

Tights: H&M

Jacket: Moda Italia (handmade in Florence)

Scarf: handmade by my little brother

Purse: thrifted, Coach

Shoes: Urban Outfitters