The World's Easiest DIY: Jean Shorts

Honestly, this might not even be worth a DIY post.... I think everyone and their mother has probably made jean shorts out of old jeans. I do, however, have two tips that may or may not improve your jeans-shorts making process!

Start with: Weird old jeans that you realize you've had since middle school. Note the really strange fade-out at the shins, unflattering flare at the bottom, puckering around the knees, and too-light wash.

Top: from a local boutique / Jeans: Paige petites (very, very old)

 Step 1: While standing, put your finger where you want your shorts to end, then mark just below that with a sharpie.

 Step 2: Fold your jeans over and make sure everything lines up. This will save you from having your pant legs be two different lengths. Cut just barely above your line.

 

 Step 3: Roll up the cuffs to hide the frayed ends, and give your shorts a slightly more finished look.

Step 4: Wear with a loose tank top and no shoes in your backyard. Mojitos optional. (Though possibly mandatory for those of you also in LA. 84 degrees on Halloween day?! Craziness.)

Seeing Double

 
Dress: Ross (about $12) / Jacket: H&M ($34.99) / Bangle: bought in England / Shoes: Target Pearce Pumps
 I guess I'm really feeling this cropped blazer with printed dresses lately. Two in a row!
I actually wore this outfit last week, when I got to dress up all nice 'n' fancy at the elementary school. The kids had all done paintings in the style of Picasso, Rivera, Kahlo, or Dali and were showing off their artistic talent in a fancy little "gallery opening." Too cute for words, really. So, this is what I would wear to a gallery opening. Of art by 8 year olds.
 
Hope you're all having a great day!

Petite Fashion Challenge #11: Vacation Vogue

This month's Petite Fashion Challenge is hosted by Ski Petite. She challenged us to work within the limitations of a vacation wardrobe and "put together an outfit made for sightseeing. It should be one that will be comfortable for walking around in and can last you from the early morning until dinner and drinks in the evening."

Compared to previous Petite Fashion Challenges, for which I've racked my brain for days and barely come up with something in time, this one was a cinch! Two summers ago I took a 3+ week-long backpacking trip around Europe after my semester abroad in England. I traveled with a small bag and two guys who could care less what I wore on a daily basis. My day-to-day staples were a simple dress (that could roll up in my suitcase and come out without wrinkles!) comfy flats (we walked SO much), sunglasses, and a bag large enough to carry a sweater, camera, notebook, water bottle, phone, and wallet.

For this challenge, I essentially recreated my summer look with a fall twist: a knit dress, comfy flats, and big bag for the day....

Dress: from a local boutique / Flats: Macy's / Messenger Bag: Fossil / Sunglasses: Target / Necklace: bought in Italy

 And then I switched in tights, suede booties (comfy enough for a few hours of walking, but not too much more!), and a cropped blazer for night:

 Cropped Blazer: H&M ($34.99) / Tights: Target / Booties: H&M

 Thanks for reading, and check out the other Petite Fashion Challenge entries (to be posted tonight) here!

Target Leopard Print Flats

I have run holes into the bottoms of my favorite black flats. :( The boyfriend advises (and rightly so) that I should really stop wearing them, so I've recently been on the lookout for their replacement. I've tried on a ton of flats from a ton of stores, but nothing has been quite right. My top complaints are: a) too much toe-cleavage (am I the only one who hates it?), b) too wide, and c) not comfortable enough to walk all day in. Boo.

The next pair I'm hoping will be the big winner are these leopard print flats from Target. They are a fantastic $12.99 (but I ordered them for free with a Target gift card!).

A bit different than my old basic black, no? But, hopefully they'll fit my wardrobe (and my feet!) Just as well.

For cute shoes on a budget, I cannot recommend Target enough! I've gotten some great shoes from there including my favorite Elliana Wedges ($24.99):

 and Pearce Pumps ($29.99):

(Ok, I can deal with a bit of toe cleavage. But only a bit!)

 Any recommendations on comfy, cute flats that you can wear all day?

Just Another Lazy Sunday

  

 Sweater: Forever 21 sz s ($17.99) / Shorts: Gap sz 0 / Boots: Urban Outfitters sz 7 /  Belt: Forever 21 sx xs ($3.00) Necklace: homemade / Ring: Inherited from my Nana

 

 I did a bit of shopping this past weekend with a good friend/coworker of mine and got some great things from H&M and Forever 21 (two great haunts for those of us on a budget). My total of 4 pieces (this sweater from Forever 21, a blazer and sweater from H&M, and a deeeeeeeeeeply discounted belt from Madewell) came to $89.65, just under the budget of $90.00 I'd set for myself for this particular shopping binge. No shopping for a bit now, thankyouverymuch!

 

 I'm really happy with this sweater for a number of reasons. What attracted me to it initially was that it plays into the lace trend that is very big for this season, without being overtly trendy or something I wouldn't wear again next fall/winter. It's really more a of a loose knit than lace, but it reminded me of the trend anyway.... As a girl on a budget, finding a way to appear up-to-date without constantly breaking the bank is something I like to look out for. It's also a good staple, a decent mid-weight for our crazy hot-and-cold Los Angeles winters, and is in a neutral cream color that I have hardly any of in my closet. Points all around.

 

 

Happy Monday!

J Brand Jeans for City Year--My Job!

I realize I haven't yet posted about what I'm doing this year, but I figured now is the perfect opportunity. Give me a second to explain, and then I promise I'll get to the style and fashion tie-in!

This year, I am working for City Year Los Angeles, a national non-profit organization that places 17-24 year olds in urban elementary and middle schools to help combat the dropout crisis. We provide tutoring, mentoring, in-class support, and after school programs for under-served communities in 20 cities around the US and two international affiliates. In Los Angeles, 200 dedicated Corps Members are currently serving in 17 schools across the city.

The statistics are staggering. Almost 50% of students in low-income communities will not graduate high school. More than 1 million students will drop out of school this year. High school drop-outs are 3 times more likely than college graduates to be unemployed, and 8 times more likely to be in jail or prison than high school graduates.

Personally, I could not let statistics like this go unchanged. After graduating college this past year, and hoping to start a career in education, I decided to join City Year to (hopefully) be a part of a solution. I am doing my year of service in a 5th grade classroom at an elementary school in South Los Angeles, and I honestly wouldn't want to be anywhere else. It sounds cliche, but I know that I am making a difference every day when I get to help these kids get up to grade level, understand what they are learning, and get back on track to graduate.

So, why post about this now? Well, it turns out that City Year just recently partnered with J Brand Jeans in an awesome move that is both fashion-y and do-good-y. J Brand Jeans is debuting a special limited collection of 3 colors of jeans (vine green, berry and taupe) with 100% of profits from these sales going directly to City Year Los Angeles. The collection will be available online only (http://www.jbrandjeans.com) starting October 18th until it sells out.

To be perfectly honest, there's no way I could afford a pair of these jeans (they call it "a year of full-time service" and not "a year of full-time well-paid work" for a reason, people!), but I really, REALLY hope that you can. And that you'll consider buying a pair and supporting this amazing, effective cause.

To learn more about City Year, check out their website.

To learn more about the J Brand Jeans partnership, check out this piece from The Hollywood Reporter.

And please, let me know if you buy a pair! Also, if you'd like to repost this or spread the word, I surely wouldn't mind. ;-)

Thanks so much for reading.


*Now's probably a good time to say that anything I post in this blog is my personal opinion and not representative of City Year or AmeriCorps*

Skinny Jeans and Striped Tees

 

 Top: Anthropologie sz s ($19.95 buy here) / Pants: Gap 1969 Always Skinny Jeans sz 0 / Shoes: Macy's / Bag: Vintage Coach (ebay) / Sunglasses: Target / Hat: Target ($9.00)

  Thank goodness for Friday. This weekend, I'm going to the beach, doing a bit of shopping, and sleeping in (and by "in" I mean "until 8," because that's how I roll these days). I'm also hopefully spending it all in outfits like this. Tee shirts and jeans, here I come!

 Hope you have a great weekend!

WorkWorkWorkWork

 

Sweater: Gap / Top: Forever 21 / Skirt: Forever 21 / Necklace: Bought in Italy / Shoes: Macy's

 
You guys, these pictures lie. I am not this chipper right now. I worked 12 hours today, 10 of them spent teaching 5th graders (per usual) sooooo....zzzzzzzz. How about some happy-looking photos to cheer us all up?

  Ok, can't even type more right now. Sooo sleeeppyyyyy.
There, this is more what I look like right now:
 
Hope you all are having a good week! 

Orange Skirt

 Today, some photos from the pre-face-unveiling era (and one with half a face!). I wore this outfit to Rosh HaShanah services a few weeks ago, and was happy to remix this new addition to my closet: the bright orange skirt.

 

 Top: Gap sz xs / Skirt: Zara sz xs ($10.00) / Shoes: Target sz 7 (old) / Bag: Vintage Coach, eBay / Necklace: Amrita Singh

 I wanted to bring out the blue in the skirt, and I was happy to notice that it was almost the exact same shade as my new (highly, highly discounted) Amrita Singh necklace.

 

I was worried about being able to work this skirt into my wardrobe, given the fact that I own zero other orange-colored clothes, but I'm happy to find that it's fitting in nicely. Granted, both times I've worn it so far it's been with a white shirt, but....baby steps.

Any other thoughts on how to create outfits around this bright orange skirt?

Oh Hai

 
Sweater: Cashmere, Bought in Scotland / Top: Urban Outfitters / Jeans: Gap 1969 Always Skinny sz 00 / Boots: Urban Outfitters / Scarf: Gift, from Chile

The title? Don't judge. It's what Flickr said to me when I signed in this afternoon. Good enough for me. Also because, oh hai, here's my face:

I haven't been showing my face in photos as of yet for a few reasons. At first, I was weirded out because...the whole internet? Merh. Then...I kind of got over that as I read more style blogs and saw other ladies who were confident enough to put themselves out there. Also, my mom puts tons of photos of our whole family up on her blog already! :) Yup. She has a blog. Go read it!

I also was feeling like I didn't look cute enough/put together enough/make-up-y enough/done-hair-y enough to put full photos out there for you all to see. Now? I guess I'm kind of getting over that too.

  If I go around all day with my non-makeup-ed face and talk to everyone in my life and feel just fine, then I shouldn't worry too much about being seen that way in photos!

I'll probably switch off between full and cropped photos from here on out, depending on how weird the faces I'm making when I take pictures are.
 

So, hi there. Happy to see you!

Sunday Funday

 
Sweater: Macy's, men's sz small /  Shorts: Urban Outfitters sz 00 / Boots: Urban Outfitter sz 7 / Socks: Target

 This is quickly becoming my brunch-and-farmers-market-and-chilling-around-the-house-on-Sunday look. I have woken up for the past few weekends, put some variety of this on, and been sooooo happy all day. I like the play of the covered up/loose top with the tight, tiny shorts. And the boots, of course. Because it's almost fall in Los Angeles (kind of?) so I'm definitely prepared to justify boots.

Man, I wish it were Sunday right now...

Party Dress

 
Dress: Ross sz xs ($12.50) / Sweater: Ross sz z ($10.00) / Belt: Forever 21 sz xs ($3.00) / Shoes: H&M booties sz 7 ($24.99)

 
I've had this dress in my closet for about a month now, but hadn't yet had the opportunity to wear it. Not only was it cheap (yay, Ross!), but I really like the pattern, colors, and flowy material. Can't wait to break out the tights and wear this look all through the winter....
 
 Hope you're all having a great weekend!