weekend uniform
blue on blue
We took pictures of my outfit in record time today: 7 minutes. Oh yes. That's efficiency. But really it was because cars kept passing through the alley way where we were shooting and I was getting nervous. Like sweaty nervous. And that's never good. The last car just stopped and stared at us and I awkwardly side stepped out of frame back to our car. Maybe they were just waiting to take pictures for their outfit today, I sure hope so. Or maybe their car stalled out and they needed us to jump them. They were waving their hands and yelling help...
Anyways, back to me. I've been thinking a lot about cobalt blue and what I could do with it. (Total "Waiting for Guffman" reference -- anyone catch it?) As I was drowsily fumbling through my closet this morning I stumbled upon this top and remembered I had a pair of tights that matched perfectly. I had to go through a few versions of skirts before I got the right one. This skirt came to me by way of my mother. She has an enviable skill of finding gems on sale. I believe this skirt was $20? Outrageous. It's also a size too small. Hey -- you win some and you lose some and I never turn down free.
Speaking of blue, did you ever see that Arrested Development episode where Tobias wants to join the Blue Man Group and so he paints himself blue? Well I feel like him today.
There's got to be a better way to say that.
day and night
If The Shoe Fits...
I've had a few questions about my Forever21 oxford heels, so I thought I'd pass along the link to the shoes and a quick review as well.
I had been looking for a cute pair of high-heeled oxfords and had found a few but they were a bit out of my price range AKA they weren't free. So what do you do in a moment of cheap dispair? You turn to Forever21, that's what you do. Within minutes, I found this pair and immediately ordered them. I'm dangerous like that. Then the fear set in -- will they fit me? Will they look too cheap? Who am I? Why am I here? I tucked away the existential questions for another day and waited for my shoes to arrive. As I've
A week later my shoes arrived. My nerves were calmed when I slipped them right on. They fit like a glove, perhaps a glove that fits really snug around the tops of my feet but I'll take it. They still fit. And you know what they say?
If the shoe fits, wear it, review it and blog about it.
What: Forever21 Bianca Vintage Booties
Price: $23.80
True to size? Because of the style of the shoe, I would go up about a 1/2 size for comfort reasons, but it fits pretty close to size.
Available now? Yes! Find it here.
Comfortable? It depends on how you define comfort. If you think comfortable is a pair of new tennis shoes, then no they are not comfortable. If you find walking on stilts comfortable, then yes these shoes are way better than stilts.
Price: $23.80
True to size? Because of the style of the shoe, I would go up about a 1/2 size for comfort reasons, but it fits pretty close to size.
Available now? Yes! Find it here.
Comfortable? It depends on how you define comfort. If you think comfortable is a pair of new tennis shoes, then no they are not comfortable. If you find walking on stilts comfortable, then yes these shoes are way better than stilts.
The Good: Price -- a great value for such a trendy piece. I didn't want to spend too much so the price was just right for me.
The Bad: Needless to say, the shoes are not made from real leather. The don't exactly look cheap, but they definitily don't look expensive. If you are looking for something with a bit more quality, check out this pair or this one.
The Ugly: The height and thickness of the heel. Unless you are a trained professional high-heeled walker (as I am) then you might struggle a bit with these. The heel tip is about a 1/4 of an inch think and things could get tricky if you need to get somewhere fast. There isn't much forgiveness with these shoes, by the end of the day your knees will not be speaking to you anymore.
Overall: 3 out of 5 -- for the price of the shoe, you can't beat it. I will definitely get my $24 worth this spring.
So there you have it. My first review. If you would like me to review something you've seen me wear, just send me an email and I'd be happy to share my thoughts! :)
The Bad: Needless to say, the shoes are not made from real leather. The don't exactly look cheap, but they definitily don't look expensive. If you are looking for something with a bit more quality, check out this pair or this one.
The Ugly: The height and thickness of the heel. Unless you are a trained professional high-heeled walker (as I am) then you might struggle a bit with these. The heel tip is about a 1/4 of an inch think and things could get tricky if you need to get somewhere fast. There isn't much forgiveness with these shoes, by the end of the day your knees will not be speaking to you anymore.
Overall: 3 out of 5 -- for the price of the shoe, you can't beat it. I will definitely get my $24 worth this spring.
So there you have it. My first review. If you would like me to review something you've seen me wear, just send me an email and I'd be happy to share my thoughts! :)
Stolen Goods
So we celebrated Valentine's a week late since we were on the road for the real date. We're always late so this was appropriate and about 2 months earlier than last year. B took me to Pei Wei, the Gap and to see Valentine's Day. He really knows how to sweep a girl off her feet. The movie was cute*. In fact, I really liked it. I didn't ask my husband's opinion but he did say it wasn't as bad as he expected. And that's good enough for me.
Now onto the outfit. I got this shirt at Anthropologie about 2 years ago. It was a bit snug when I bought it but it was some ridiculous price of $20 so I snatched it right up. Being straight out of college, I wasn't really a patron of Anthro, so I couldn't resist. Today was the first time I'd worn it since then. It's such a pretty shirt but kind of hard to pair it with things. It's a bit short to wear with pants so I decided on my black pencil skirt. To give me more of a silhouette, I added the belt and viola! Instant Anthropologie. Okay or maybe Semi-pologie. The skirt I'm wearing was also an amazing deal -- $10 I think? Maybe $20. I can't recall it was so cheap.
But the necklace. Well, you see the necklace is a whole other story that I probably shouldn't tell you. Okay, well since you asked...in college I worked at a local gift shop. I would wear the jewelry during my shift but sometimes I would forget to take it off and end up with it at home. Most of the time I would take it back**. But this little jewel of a necklace ended up with me somehow. I found it two years ago when we moved. So all of that to say I accidentally stole that necklace. But you know what they say? One man's trash is another man's treasure. That doesn't fit with this situation, does it? Let's just call me a criminal and move on.
*Please note that I have a very high tolerance for cheese-factor movies. If it has hot celebrities, a bad script and love, I'll see it twice in the theatre and then buy it to watch forever. Add 5+ A-list actors, some milk duds and I'm in bad movie heaven.
**Most of the time.
a little help from my friends
What I am about to tell you is true. I've told 2.5 people this story (Well, technically 3 but I'm pretty sure only 2 of them were listening). But since we're friends and I'm desperate, I'll share.
Last fall I went to the optometrist because I had been having headaches -- and I wanted glasses.Yes, I wanted glasses, these glasses to be exact. But my husband wouldn't let me buy them without a prescription (aka so insurance would cover them. Shouldn't fashion therapy also be covered by insurance? I'll check in to that...) Let me tell you, I was a woman obsessed. I wanted, needed those glasses. I was ready and willing to lie and cheat my way to those trendy eye-correction lenses. So I made an appointment with the local eye doctor. I'd had reading glasses before so I didn't think this should be a problem. But I was wrong, so very wrong.
Once I got through the preliminary tests, the doctor came into the exam room. He started running through the exam with me. I was giving varied answers to his questions. Squinting here, hesitating there. Just as I thought that I was failing with flying colors, he looked up from his clipboard, pushed his glasses down on his nose and asked. "I'm sorry but why exactly are you here?"
I looked around the room for a window to escape. I knew I had been caught. "I have headaches?" I answered.
"Well, you have 20/20 vision. So I don't see a problem here." Then he thanked me for coming in for my annual eye exam even though it's not something that many people with my "gift of perfect vision" do.
Needless to say, I walked out of that doctor's office $120 lighter and without my pride. More importantly without my awesome wayfarers.
Since them I've been picking up fake readers and I can't seem to find any that look real. Most of the ones I find at urban outfitters or forever21 are HUGE on my face and it looks like I'm wearing one of those disguises with the fake nose and mustache's attached. I just can't bring myself to fork over $140 for fake glasses, so I'd really like to find a pair that's fairly cheap. So all of that to say --- does anyone know where can I find some authentic looking fake readers? Do you have a pair that you like to wear? Just point me in the right direction and I would be eternally grateful :)
rambling (wo)man
lucky
I say all of this out of total self-frustration. Instead of planning out my clothes for the next day, I read magazines, watch hulu or play iphone games with my husband until we fall asleep. I usually have a pretty good idea of what I want to wear or I dream about outfits (sick, I know) but this morning was chaos. I had no idea what to wear. I was already running late and was about to call it quits and throw on some overalls and a bucket hat (my back up plan, haven't used it since '94), when I saw this:
Bingo. I immediately knew that I could re-create this look in no time. I found this sweater easily as it was the only sweater still hanging in my closet. I found my belt under the bed and my shorts in a corner, crumpled up and crying. Oh and I got to wear my new shoes from Forever21. They are a bit tight, but I just couldn't bring myself to return them. As me and my size 10 (sometimes 11) feet have learned -- cheap shoes run small. No pain, no gain -- right?
black and blue
Today is what I like to call a Muesday -- a Tuesday that feels a lot like a Monday. All day at work I kept thinking "why am I this busy? is it Monday?" My calendar and husband assured me it wasn't. My workload on the other hand had Monday written all over it.
So I have to confess that my blazer is navy and my pants are black. Gasp! Actually I liked the effect of mixing the two colors and wished that it translated better in the pictures. The tank I'm wearing has this cool effect of light blue stripes fading into black. My husband said I looked like a rock star today. A rock star who politely sits in her cubicle while secretly listening to Taylor Swift on her iphone, that is.
Goodnight, Detroit. This rock star's bedtime is 10 pm.
(p.s. I've had a few people ask about my initial necklace. The B is for my husband, Bryan, and we got it on our honeymoon in San Francisco a few years back. I got it at Anthropologie. I didn't see it online any more, but I have seen it still in a few of their stores. I also found a similar one on urban outfitters: http://bit.ly/98ZOch)
lumber jill
I was feeling kind of woodsy today with my denim shirt and boots. I told that to my husband and voila! he found this fantastic lumber yard with stacks and stacks of wood. I've got a sneaky feeling that my husband is magic. He has a few other magic tricks up his sleeve like pulling cash out of ATMs, lighting matches on any surface and making wine disappear. The day he pulls a bunny out of a hat we are going on the road.
I got my denim shirt at Old Navy this weekend. I was so mad at myself last fall when I didn't pick up a denim shirt at Gap. I kept waiting for it to go on sale and before I knew it they were all gone. Lucky for me Old Navy is always a bit behind and I snagged this one up. It's more of a tunic than a shirt, but it covers my bum so I don't mind. A covered bum means full permission to wear only leggings underneath. And underwear, of course. But that's it.
So we are complete losers and didn't celebrate Valentine's. I had the cutest outfit to wear had we decided to celebrate. But we were on the road all day yesterday and by the time we got home our celebratory options had been limited to drive-thru or delivery. We chose drive-thru. Which I tweeted about which resulted in Taco Bell now following me on Twitter. Nothing says romance like cheap and dirty mexican food.
Oh p.s. I'm severely allergic to cedar trees and their pollen haunts me every winter. Guess what I'm sitting on up there? Cedar trees. Dead cedar trees to be exact. I've never felt so justified.
You want to see something adorable? Of course you do. This is what I did this weekend:
A weekend filled with nephews, sock monkeys, birthday cake, my sister and shopping. Now that's a good weekend.
words to live by
You've got to get up every morning with a smile on your face
And show the world all the love in your heart
Then people gonna treat you better
You're gonna find, yes, you will
That you're beautiful as you feel.
-- "Beautiful" by Carole King
As cheesy as it may be, whenever I'm in a bad mood I play this song by Carole King and I feel better. Maybe it reminds me of my mom singing to it when I was little or maybe I just like the words. Either way, I thought I'd share it with you. Just a few words to make Monday a bit more bearable.
Do have a bad day mantra?
And show the world all the love in your heart
Then people gonna treat you better
You're gonna find, yes, you will
That you're beautiful as you feel.
-- "Beautiful" by Carole King
As cheesy as it may be, whenever I'm in a bad mood I play this song by Carole King and I feel better. Maybe it reminds me of my mom singing to it when I was little or maybe I just like the words. Either way, I thought I'd share it with you. Just a few words to make Monday a bit more bearable.
Do have a bad day mantra?
snow day
Three things I learned today:
1. it is always good to own a sled. (we found a great hill, but alas had no sled-like thing to slide down it with.)
2. snow will blind you, if stared at long enough.
3. rain + snow + low traction boots x clumsiness - my ability to walk without falling down = a hurt ego and bruised leg.
For everyone north of Texas who is probably laughing at me right now -- I do not know how you do it. People in the south go crazy over this snow. Last night we saw cars drive into medians, ditches, other cars -- you name it people were plowing into it. How do you guys manage to function in this weather? Also, major props for fashion bloggers outside of Texas. All I wanted to wear today was a sweatsuit but instead I went with layers. So many that I might actually look a bit homeless. I could have lost the hat and scarf, but I didn't want to take my chances. Better safe (and slightly hobo-looking) than sorry.
I wouldn't classify this outfit as a shining moment in fashion for me. I just took all of my favorite pieces and threw them on. I am debuting my new jean shorts though (or "jorts" as my husband so lovingly refers to them as). I got them a few weeks ago and love them. It was weird buying shorts in the middle of winter, but I'm glad I did. It makes me wish for summer that much more.
My husband is off to his guy's weekend and I'm at my parents with my sister and nephews. Hope everyone has a great weekend! Stay warm :)
