O Denim, Where Art Thou?

Tee: Gap sz s / Cardigan: Forever 21 sz m / Jeans: PacSun Bullhead Black Denim sz 1 (on sale for $32.00, buy here for $49.50) / Boots: thrift store / Necklace: farmer's market
 

One of the drawbacks of taking your own photos is thinking they look awesome until you later realize that, no, 97% of them were out of focus. But three were kind of ok!

I bought these PacSun Bullhead Black jeans a while back on sale in an effort to satiate my desire for colored denim on the cheap. They get the job done, but unfortunately have some drawbacks. Since my review, I've realized that they have a kind of strange fit. They are incredibly tight all throughout the legs (I like wearing them with boots to hide how suuuuper tight they are around my calves, but then again I have dancer calves), but pretty loose around the waist, like stretchy jeans that you haven't washed in a while.

My attempt to find a better pair at Gap, in the form of the 1969 midweight legging jeans (I love the "Russian Red" color) also, unfortunately, was unsuccessful. Those jeans actually had the exact same fit issues: too tight in the legs, too loose in the waist. I think that's what I get when I'm trying on "legging jeans."

Alas, I am still on the hunt for the perfect pair of cheap colored denim. Any suggestions?

Merry Christmas Eve!

Last Minute Gifts, Under $20

1. Fringe Scarf, $10
2. Rose Earring Set, $3.80
3. Moleskine Pocket Notebook (set of 2), $8.95
4. FAIR True Wool Knit Gloves, $9.98
5. Les Petits Macarons Cookbook, $18.00
6. Sock Monkey Hat, $20.00
7. Leatherette Cosmetic Bag, $7.80
8. Primary Confection Measuring Spoons, $14.00
9. Lollia Handcreme, $7.50

 

I'm celebrating my first legitimate Christmas this year, with the boyfriend and his family, and I am very excited. Also nervous. However, I'm sure all cultural confusion can be smoothed away with presents. Lots of them. So, here is my last-minute holiday gift-giving guide, to maybe help some of you who, like me, are not quite done with their holiday shopping. Even though Hanukkah's already started. :)

I hope you all have a lovely holiday season, filled with joy, family, and lots and lots of good food! On that note, I'm off too bake some cookies!

(Posting might be a bit sporadic for the next week or two, given the holidays and the fact that I'm traveling all about, but I'll definitely post when I can!)

Thrifting Win and I'm (Almost) Recovered

Top: Forever 21 sz s ( ($17.99) / Jacket: Zara / Jeans: Paige lowrise bootcut sz 26 / Booties: Max Studio sz 7 (thrifted for $17.00!)



Look! I put on clothes! For the first time in three days, I wore something other than pajama pants, an old t-shirt, and my Northface jacket. I'm (kind of/sort of/almost) recovered, and celebrated by taking a shower and going out in the world for a grand total of 1 hour before I had to get back on the couch and cover myself in blankets and dogs. Baby steps.

Here's the part where I have to ask the boyfriend to stop reading, because I'm about to talk about shoes that I TOTALLY DIDN'T BUY STOP JUDGING ME.

Good. Now that he's gone. I bought shoes. These Max Studio brown leather booties, to be exact. I saw them in a thrift store for $17 and figured the price couldn't be beat. Turns out, I was right; similar brown leather booties are retailing on Max Studio's website for $269. Dang. Thrifting win!

Out of Commission (but back soon!)

Oh my goodness, friends, I have been down for the count this weekend. I seem to have gotten some lovely 48-hour stomach flu, and am just now starting to feel better.

Unfortunately, this meant that I couldn't work on any blog posts over the weekend, but I hope to have one coming up later tonight or tomorrow morning!

Hope you all had a great weekend (and one that was free of stomach flus, to boot!)

Faux Fur Part II

 Top: Banana Republic (thrifted for 68 cents) / Vest: LOFT (gift) / Pants: Gap 1969 Bootcut / Booties: H&M / Bracelt: bought in England for about $2 / Earrings: gift



This is the other faux fur collared vest that mi madre bought me as an early Hanukkah gift (first one seen here). Originally, I'm pretty sure she only meant to get me one, but I tried them both on, wasn't sure which I wanted to keep, and she generously told me to keep them both! Thanks, madre.

I wore this to a casual holiday party with the teachers at my school, for which I bought my very first ornament ever (ornament gift exchange) and learned more about Christmas characters than I ever knew (some other Christmas-themed game involving telling people they looked like Santa Claus).

I'll be doing a review on these two vests soon!

Hope you're having a great day!

Crisp Oxford

Top: Gap sz xs / Jeans: Gap 1969 Always Skinny sz 00 / Flats: Target sz 7 / Shades: Target / Bag: BCBG / Necklace: inherited from my grandmother / Hair pin: Banana Republic
 

 I am a habitually casual hair person. Chronically so. I would rather sleep 10 more minutes than figure out what the heck to do with my hair, so usually it is either a) down or b) in a messy bun. Today's variety was putting a little sparkly pin into my messy bun. Classsssyyyy.

You may scoff, but I'll have you know that I got all the validation I needed when she said "Hey, that clip makes your hair look...done." :)

Also: this is possibly my favorite outfit from the past few weeks. It's so easy and yet it makes me feel all kinds of put together. Thank you, classic oxford, thank you.

Cream & Lavender

 Top: Target / Sweater: Gap body / Jeans: Gap 1969 Always Skinny sz 00 / Boots: Urban Outfitters / Bag: BCBG / Necklace: gift / Blue ring: gift from the boyfriend / Green ring: inherited from my Nana

I wore this while Christmas/Hanukkah shopping over the weekend (4 gifts down, 4 to go!), and for a very specific reason. These boots are really hard to take on and off, ever since the pieces of leather that used to make the zippers easy to pull up and down fell off. Now, they're really hard to unzip, and thus (I hoped) would discourage me from trying on clothes for myself. Seriously, this was my thought process.

It kind of worked. I got lots of shopping for other people done, and only bought a shirt for myself because my mother made me. It's her fault. I swear. :)

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Amrita Singh Blowout on Hautelook

Hautelook (referral) is currently having an Amrita Singh blowout with prices up to 80% off. Amrita Singh makes gorgeous costume jewelry, and there are some great selections on the site. Go check it out! My impressions of AS are that the designs are beautiful, but the materials are a bit cheap. Mostly, they are just very lightweight and do feel like costume jewelry. However, at these prices, I think it's well worth it! Here are a few of my picks for the holidays:

Hope you have a great weekend!

DIY Jewelry

As I've been (fruitlessly) trying to find holiday gifts for my friends and family, I've run across a fair amount of jewelry that I'm pretty sure I can DIY for a fraction of the price. Anthropologie, especially, is a great source of inspiration.

If I can manage it, I'm going to try to DIY versions of a few of these pieces for the upcoming holidays. I chose these designs because they seem to me to require very little talent and few materials; usually just wire and/or chain, and charms and/or stones.

 Coiling Branch Hoops ($32.00)                          Rain Remains Hoops ($29.95)

 Frosted Stone Earrings ($19.95)

I unfortunately forgot where I found these earrings--they've been in my inspiration folder for so long!

 Anthropologie is also featuring these "DIY" charm necklaces. To put together a necklace (here) you choose a chain and up to five charms, customizing the design to your liking. The chains are $18.00 and the charms seem to be around $15.00 each. That means the necklace I put together (above) would cost me $93.00 plus tax and shipping! What do you want to bet I could make almost the same thing at a fraction of the cost?

 

And lastly, alas, I don't think I can DIY these earrings, but they really caught my eye as they remind me of one of my favorite artists, Andy Goldsworthy, and his beautiful work with serpentine shapes.

 But, even if I can't make those last earrings, I sure can try to do the rest! Wish me luck!

Will anyone else by DIYing some of their holiday gifts this year?

Gracias, Hermana

 

Dress: H&M (borrowed from my sister) / Cardigan: Forever 21 / Boots: Urban Outfitters / Necklace: from Costa Rica / Sunglasses: Target

 

Thank goodness for sisters. Not only does mine let me borrow her clothes on the regular, but she also offered to take photos for me so y'all didn't have to see my backyard...again. :)

 I thought I'd show you a bit of the wreckage left over from a crazy windstorm that swept through LA a few days ago. Winds were clocked blowing up to 97 miles per hour (!) in parts of LA, and trees and tree branches were down all over the place. This pile of debris was strewn about my street, until some kind soul (or city employee?) piled it up on the side of the road.

I think one of the best ways to stay in budget while constantly craving new clothes is to live with a roommate who has good style and is almost exactly your size. Thank you, mi hermana, for keeping my closet interesting...by providing me with your closet!