Birthday Suit

 
Dress: TJMaxx. Cardigan: Macy's. Tights, shoes: Target.

The title of this post is somewhat deceiving because I am not wearing my actual birthday suit, but today is my birthday, and this is what I wore.

Actually, that isn't entirely true.  I wore this yesterday, but I also pretty much celebrated my birthday yesterday for two reasons.  Reason one:  Today was "reading day" at my school, which is the day between the end of classes and the start of exams.  Because there was no class today, there was no one to see a cute outfit had I decided to wear one, so I wore it to class yesterday.  Reason two: I have a math exam at 8am tomorrow morning, so yesterday was a much better day/night to have friends over to celebrate.  Today I sat around in a slouchy sweater and treated myself to some thrifting, and now I'm taking a break from studying for my exam.  I know, I know, I go hard for my birthday.

I also like to use my birthday (or in this case, my almost birthday) as an excuse to get super dressy.  I think it's prefectly reasonable to have a satorial celebration of one's exit from the womb.  And I really wanted to wear these shoes.

Borrowed from the Boys

Shirt, purse: thrifted. Blazer: TJMaxx. Jeans: Old Navy. Shoes: Eva & Zoe via Off Broadway Shoes. Watch: my grandpa's.

I found this shirt with the rest of the woman's blouses in the thrift store and it wasn't until I was trying it on and went to button it that I realized that it was a men's shirt.  At that point, I had already made up my mind that I really liked it, so it made no difference to me which side of the shirt the buttons were on.  It's Nautica and really high quality, so getting a $50+ dollar shirt for $3.50 was pretty great, too.

I decided to play up the oversized men's button-up look with some other more masculine items like my favorite oxfords.  This is about as close to the androgyny trend as I'm ever gonna get, but I actually felt surprisingly chic in this outfit.

Have you ever bought a men's shirt for yourself?  Have you tried out the androgyny trend?  Let me know in the comments!

Feeling 40's

Trench: vintage, via my mom. Dress (worn as top): Walmart. Skirt: thrifted. Shoes: Payless.

The final in my architectural studio is a formal presentation, which gives me a highly anticipated reason to get even dresser that I usually do for class, hence this little number. This outfit feels very 1940's retro to me, which I love.  I think it's the combination of the polka dots and the skirt length.  I usually like to wear skirts either at my knee or maxi length, so this skirt is a change for me, but I think the high waist of the skirt keeps my legs from looking too stumpy.

I also just have to talk about this trench coat.  This has seriously got to be one of the nicest items in my closet.  My mom gave it to me this past summer; it had just been sitting up in our attic.  She said she didn't wear it very much, so it looks brand new, but I love all the interesting details like the mandarin collar and the pleating up top that you don't really see on modern trenches.  It's things like this that make me happy that my mom has just the slightest hoarding habit.  

Very Berry

Dress: Charlotte Russe. Jacket: Old Navy. Tights: Kmart. Boots: thrifted, brand new. Sunglasses: H&M.

I'm back!  My Architectural Studio final was this past week, and I had time for absolutely nothing that wasn't architecture, hence my absence.  However, now that the final is out of the way, I have more time for everything else, thank goodness!  I must say, it feels really nice to do things that I don't usually get to, like sleeping for extended periods of time.

The pictures of this outfit are actually kind of deceiving because these tights are definitely not as bright as they look.  They are actually less hot pink and more rich raspberry.  Also, this is another dress that is great for spinning in.  I can't help it that I'm actually a five year old at heart.

Vintage-y

Dress: Forever 21. Belt: thrifted. Socks: H&M. Boots: my old horseback riding boots. Purse: Target. Necklace: vintage.  

I really love this outfit.  It's got a really vintage-y feel to it, and it makes me feel kind of cute and sweet, but in a confident way.  I love the lace peter pan collar and how the skirt flares out when I twirl.  Seriously, you are never too old to put on a pretty dress and twirl.  Try it next time you are feeling down; it's a major mood lifter.

Thankful

This Thanksgiving, I have so very much to be thankful for.  I have an amazingly loving and supportive family, friends who brighten my life, a wonderful education, a roof over my head, and food in my stomach.

I hope that everyone spent the day with loved ones and had lots of delicious food!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Silky Smooth

Top: thrifted. Pants: TJMaxx. Shoes, bracelet: Target. Sunglasses: H&M.

Lately, I've really been into thrifting silk tops like this one.  I almost feel like I'm cheating the system when I get something luxe like silk for $3.  But I really don't mind that feeling considering how amazingly comfy silk is.  The pants are a more structured take on harem pants and are this great satiny material.  This outfit looks polished, but I feel like I'm wearing pajamas.  Really fancy, expensive pajamas.  If that's not a win-win, I don't know what is.