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

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

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

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)

Fall? Summer? Who Knows...

So today LOOKED like fall, but it definitely FELT like summer. It was cold when I left this morning, but I knew it was going to heat up, so I threw on some sheer tights under this dress. The thing I like most about this dress is that it's so swingy and has the great detail on the chest/neckline

A nice sequined cranberry cardigan and my standby yellow cotton scarf helped keep away the morning chill...

sequin detail on cardigan, edging detail on dress...

Dress: BCBG

Cardigan: American Eagle

Tights: Urban Outfitters

Shoes: H&M

Scarf: Street stand, Florence, Italy

Necklace: DIY (from purse chains)

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

ZIppers & Lace

I picked this lace top up yesterday at Kismet - an amazing little store in O'Bryonville, near campus. One of my favorite skirts is black lace with a nude underlay, but it's getting really raggedy and the elastic is starting to pop out from the lace. It's really on it's last legs, so I was happy to pick up this top to replace the lace skirt. The entire shirt is lace, so I put a black tank underneath, but sometime if I'm feeling particularly racy, I might try it with just a bra underneath and a pair of high waisted jeans...

I wanted something that was going to offset the really feminine lace (I didn't want to be too girly today!) so I paired it with this skirt, which has a great zipper detail.

I bought these earrings at Summerfair (a HUGE art fair in Cincinnati). They're amazing because they're made out of the ends of vintage silverware. If I remember correctly, these were dated from the 1920's.

I found this purse in a tiny little vintage shop when I was living in Italy last summer. It was run by a tiny little old German lady and her daughter, but when I made this purchase, the daughter was out, and neither the old lady nor myself spoke very good Italian. Somehow, though, we managed to agree on a decent price. This is one of my all-time favorite purchases.

Top: Free People

Skirt: H&M

Earrings: Cincinnati Summerfair

Shoes: H&M

Purse: Vintage, thrifted

Rainy Day Comfort

It's been super rainy all day (and cold!) so I wanted to make sure that I dressed warmly and relatively comfortably. Also I had a piano lesson and was going to be sitting in a freezing cold lecture hall for class... ugh.

The shirt I'm wearing is actually inside out - the "right" side is studded (which I like a lot) but I wasn't really in the mood for it today. Fortunately, the studs are small enough that they don't show through to the other side.

I absolutely LOVE animal print... adding small pieces with animal prints are the best way to jazz up an outfit. These shoes are great because they have a pretty high heel and a natural looking print...

Shirt: Express

Jeans: BDG

Shoes: Guess

Earrings: Forever 21

Necklace: Target

Vetements du Jour: Grandparent Brunch

Today's outfit is pretty casual - my Grandparents came over for brunch, and my mom went all out (I probably should have taken pictures of the setup, but it slipped my mind...) My mom got out her good china and made mimosas... so delicious.

The picture's a little dark because of the lighting, but you get the idea. These are my absolute FAVORITE pants (yes, pants - not leggings!) They're a few years old and are starting to fade & get holes, which I am patching up religiously. I want these to last as long as possible. They're the only pants I've ever found like this - mostly spandex but with about 25% denim, they button & zip like jeans and have back pockets and fake front pockets, but they fit like leggings. Amazing. Pretty soon I'm going to get some RIT and see if I can re-dye them their original black...

Sweater Detail - purchased at Anthropologie a few years ago, I never really wore it much until I lived in Italy last summer. It's the perfect thing to pair with summer dresses, especially at night when it gets a little chilly. Plus I can't get enough of the appliqued flowers...

No wardrobe is complete without a pair of red pumps... Bonus points if they're peep-toe & patent leather...

A new twist on chandelier earrings. These reminded me of Monet's waterlilies, plus they're handmade by a local artist. I can't beat that.

Sephora OPI nail polish: Mermaid to Order & Curry Up Don't Be Late

Cardigan: Anthropologie

Pants: Express

Shoes: Steve Madden

Tunic Shirt: Forever 21

Earrings: purchased at Kismet, made by Julz