Surviving and Celebrating

Jacket, shirt: thrifted. Skirt: Macy's. Boots: Urban Outfitters (similar here). Watch: Target (here).

I'm back!  And I survived my final review in my architectural studio class, thank goodness.  I'm glad to finally be back to posting because I've missed the blog a bunch!  Posting here is my daily break from school and architecture work, and I was going crazy without time to blog.  I did, however, continue to get dressed everyday, so I've got plenty of outfits to share in the days ahead.

I spent this weekend recovering from review by sleeping until 2 in the afternoon and doing some celebratory thrifting.  Amber and I went to our favorite local thrift stores and went kind of crazy.  We grabbed anything that looked even remotely promising and filled our carts to overflowing.  I couldn't resist snapping a picture because we looked so ridiculous. 

That's my cart on the left, and Amber's on the right.

Of course, after taking an hour to try all of that on, we narrowed our choices down, but still left with full bags of clothes.  What better way to celebrate still being alive after final review than treating yourself to boatloads of awesome clothes?

Not-So-Mellow Yellow

Blazer, scarf: thrifted. Tee, jeans, belt: Target. Shoes: Payless. Sunglasses: gifted.

One of my favorite ways to dress up a basic tee and jeans combo is with a blazer.  A tailored black blazer takes the look from casual to chic, while a bright, slouchier version like my yellow blazer gives off a carefree, fun vibe.   I added some pops of bright berry and tied the whole scheme together with a colorful headscarf.  I found this one on a thrift trip and couldn't resist the bright colors and fun print. 

I've mentioned before that I'm trying to expose my peers to the wonders of headscarfs and I think that they are making progress in accepting the look.  I didn't get any Rosie the Riveter comments this time around.  Baby steps.  Next think I know, they'll all be wearing headscarfs, too, right?  Sure.  

On a side note, next Friday is my final review for my architectural studio.  Final review in studio is basically a huge formal presentation of a semester-long project that has to be absolutely perfect.  Needless to say, the next week and a half is gonna be pretty crazy.  My posting is probably going to be a little sporadic, but I'll do my best because I need my daily dose of sanity now more than ever!

Leopard and Lace

Silk blouse: thrifted. Skirt: Target. Belt: gifted. Shoes: Report via Ross. 

I bought this skirt at Target on major clearance maybe two years ago, and since I've had it, I've worn it maybe three times (once seen on the blog here).  For some reason, it's just kind of hard for me to style.  When I bought it, I was going through my 'I can't leave it because it's such a good price' stage, when I wasn't really considering how well pieces would fit into my wardrobe.  This silk blouse, on the other hand, was a more recent, well-thought out addition to my closet, and definitely one of my most versatile pieces.

Mixing Prints

Dress: Forever 21. Shirt: thrifted. Shoes, watch: Target. Sunglasses: Walmart.

I don't mix prints very often, mainly because I don't have a lot of patterns in my closet that actually work together.  There is just something about gingham and floral, though, that just really appeals to me.  Also, I seem to be starting a little collection of thrifted gingham shirts.  As of right now, I have green, purple, and black.  I feel like between those three shirts and the variety of florals in my closet, I could potentially be doing this prints mixing thing more often.

Blushing Mint

Silk blouse, blazer, necklace: thrifted. Jeans: Banana Republic, gifted. Shoes: ?? Sunglasses: Charlotte Russe. Watch: my grandpa's. Polish: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in 'Mint Sorbet' (here).


I've been loving the pastel trend this spring, so I was excited when Everybody, Everywear made pastels the theme for April.  I realized, though, that while I have just about every pastel possible in the form of nail polish, I don't really have that much pastel in my wardrobe.  I actually bought the blouse and blazer in the same thrifting trip last summer (foreseeing the trend?), but didn't image that I would ever wear them together.  Now, I really like how the mint and blush pink compliment each other with out looking too much like an Easter egg.


I was trying something a little more out there today with the half tuck of the shirt.  I think from now on I'll leave that look to the J.Crew models (seriously, can J.Crew do any wrong?).

Upcycled: Floral Skirt

The other week, I posted the results of my pleather short upcycle, which I was pretty happy with.  This time around, I'm even happier because I absolutely love love love the finished piece.  Here's the before:

Definitely not the most wearable piece.  The length and cut combine with this particular floral felt matronly.  So I grabbed my scissors and took to fixing that problem.  The after:

Skirt, jacket: thrifted. Shirt: Old Navy via Plato's Closet. Tights: Kmart. Belt: Target. Shoes: Payless. Sunglasses: Charlotte Russe. 

It's amazing how much this skirt was transformed by changing the length.  The floral now feels vintage-y chic and the movement of the skirt is awesome.  Also, I would like to just briefly point out that, as promised, I finally wore my blue trench with some color.  I feel very accomplished now. 

Big Hair, Bigger Sleeves: 80's Prom

 

Dress: vintage, rented. Shoes: Payless (here).

As I mentioned yesterday, over the weekend, my architecture school hosted a "Back to Prom" themed event.  The theme was open to interpretation, so rather than just re-wearing one of my old prom dresses, I decided to have a little fun with the theme and went all out 80's.  I scoured no fewer than 7 thrift stores (I started to lose track) and had no luck finding a suitable 80's dress.  I see them at thrift stores all the time, but, of course, as soon as I need one, they are no where to be found. 

I decided to branch out my search to vintage stores, which I had originally not wanted to do because I was sure I was going to pay way more.  However, I ended up finding this amazing little vintage store in my area that specializes in more costume-y pieces and that does rentals!  So for $18, I got to call this amazingly over the top piece mine for the night, and didn't have to worry about storing a dress I would probably never wear again.  Everything worked out perfectly, because I'm sure there is no way I would have been able to find something so fabulous at the thrift store.  I mean, head to toe sequins, poofy sleeves, beading, hot pink?  Crazy 80's perfection.

Only thing that was a bummer about the night was that my hair didn't stay very big.  I wish I had a good picture of it from right after I finished it.  It was huge.

Here I am with my partner in crime and the other half of this blog, Amber, my wonderful photographer!  She agreed to step out from behind the camera just long enough to snap a pic together (and dance the night away, of course).

Super Retro

Top, shorts: vintage. Scarf, watch: thrifted. Sunglasses: Chinatown. Shoes: ?? Rings: snake: Charlotte Russe. knot: DIYed.

I'm not exactly sure what possessed me to dress as if I just stepped off a time machine from the 1940's, but I did it.  I actually really like this outfit, and it makes me wish that I were one of those girls who dressed in vintage everyday.

I did get some interesting comments from my peers regarding this ensemble, especially the headscarf.  I see headscarves around the fashion blogosphere so often that they have become common place for me, but it seemed that my classmates were a bit perplexed by the accessory.  Most of the comments I got had something to do with Rosie the Riveter, to which I replied 'been there, done that.'  

Now, I really feel the need to bring the headscarf into the lives of my unfortunately under-accessorized peers, so I will definitely be bringing out some more of my thrifted and vintages scarves to bring some added interest to a a basic high bun.

This past weekend, my school hosted a conference that gathered together all of the other architectures schools in the South East which culminated in a "Back to the Prom" themed event.  I took the theme to what I considered the most fun extreme: 80's prom.  (If you are a fan of my Facebook page, then you got a sneak preview of my 80's hair.  If you aren't a fan, you're missing out!)  Tomorrow, I'll be posting pictures of my amazing dress.  If you thought my hair was big, just wait until you see the sleeves!

Happy Monday (or at least what's left of it!)