Thank You, Internet

 Top: Gap / Sweater: LOFT (Buy here, currently 50% off, for $22.50! Small sizes unfortunately sold out, though) / Pants: LOFT  buy here, $59.50) / Flats: Target (similar with cap-toe, here for $19.99) / Necklace: bought in Italy / Glasses: Coach

 

I wanted to say a quick "thank you" to the internet today, and primarily to the style blogging community out there.

Overall, I have been AMAZED at the kindness, love, and support that flows through the style blogosphere; I have met some truly lovely women whom I greatly admire, and I completely enjoy making those connections. We all know that the internet (and, obviously the world), is full of not-so-nice people, but what this community has taught me is that it is even more full of kind, creative, and loving people, from whom I draw endless inspiration and support.

So, that's all to say a great big "thank you" to those of you who follow, comment, or just stop by for .01 seconds, and to those of you who put yourselves out there on your blogs every day and face the big scary Internet with humor and grace. You all inspire me to do it, too.

Hope your week is going well, and thanks, as always, for stopping by. :)

Ruff Stuff

Sweater: H&M / Vest: LOFT / Jeans: Gap Always Skinny 1969 / Boots: DSW / Bracelet: vintage, inherited from my Nana / Necklace: bought in Italy

Happy (belated) offical first day of Fall!! I, for one, am very happy that it's here. It seems as if New England got the message and is obliging us with blustery winds, a morning chill, the the first hints of changing leaves.

* * * * * * * *

My boyfriend calls this vest (and my other, very similar one) my "ruff." This is a reference to that part of my dogs that forms a collar-like mane around their faces....

Exhibit A:

 (That's Won Ton, the king of the ruff)

 Exhibit B:

(Won Ton and Mu Shu, whose ruff is only slightly less pronounced!)

Yeah, they're cute and all, but I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the comparison. :)

Hope you're all having a great Monday!

Back to School

 Top: Gap / Cardigan: Zara / Skirt: Target / Shoes: Crocs, via Zappos / Necklace: bought in Italy / Belt: bought in England / Glasses: Coach

 

 

 

 

Well, my first two weeks of grad school are over, and I'm (almost) all moved in to my new place! What a crazy past few weeks it has been!

 

I'm learning a new language (German), continuing with a slightly older one (Hebrew), taking two other fantastically interesting classes, getting trained for my new job, finding furniture for the new house, and getting into the groove of grad school life in general. So far, so good! Lots of studying in coffee shops and spending time outside, soaking up the last, gorgeous rays of late summer.

 

Hope you have all had a great week! And happy (almost) Friday!

Designer Backpacks and Other Oddities

Top: Gap / Skirt: Thrifted Urban Outfitters ($13.00, down from $58) / Bracelet: passed down from my mom / Necklace: bought in Italy / Sandals: Gap / Backpack: Coach ($70, down from about $270!) / Glasses: Coach

Please pardon the pouty face! 

Sometimes, you find what you're looking for in the strangest of places. In this case, in the Coach Men's outlet store.

My mom and I went outlet shopping a few weeks ago, before I left for Boston. We wandered about the Camarillo Outlets north of LA for hours, finding a few things we needed and, the oddest purchase of all, this backpack.

I wanted a backpack because I knew I'd be biking a fair amount over the next two years, and I've finally realized how bad a cross-body bag laden with books is for my back. Yes, I'm going to grad school and not middle school, but c'est la vie, I thought it was for the best. :) Enter: this Coach backpack. (I know, it sounds weird to me, too.)

The sturdy canvas and leather, the idea of Coach quality, the simplicity, and the classiness all made it feel like so much more than a middle-school backpack. Also, it was $70, down from a completely crazy $270-ish! So, I now own a Coach backpack? Strange to say, but awesome to have around. My back already thanks me!

p.s., I waterproofed the canvas and leather with a camping-and-outdoors spray a lot like this one,
  (the Sales Assistant said it was already weather-treated, but I wanted to make super-sure) to prepare for the MA rain and snow, and so far it has held up fantastically in the summer storms.

p.p.s. Your comments on my recent post were so so sweet. The Boyfriend was very proud of his pictures and the reaction they received. :)

Hope you're having a great start to your week!

Nana & Grandma

 Dress: Modcloth student senator dress / Belt: from a dress bought in England / Clutch: vintage, inherited from my grandmother / Necklace: from a local boutique / Sandals: Gap / Sunglasses: Target

  

Three thoughts on the outfit today:

Firstly, these colors went together way better in real life! The dress is slightly more green than it comes off in these pictures; here, I think, it clashes a bit with the clutch. C'est la vie.

Secondly, though I really like the style and color of this dress, the cut is a bit strange. It fits snugly on the bottom half, in a true pencil skirt fashion, but (as you can see) the top half is cut quite loose. I'll be taking it to my tailor, along with another skirt I've been meaning to get fixed, soon. And I don't mind the wrinkles because I'll mostly wear it casually and hey, clothes are meant to be lived in!

Thirdly, and most importanly: I truly cherish the things I have inherited from my grandmothers, such as this clutch. I would cite them both as major influences in my life and in my style. My Nana was full of understated elegance and absolute grace; she dressed in a completely classic fashion that, to me, was never out of style. My Grandma was a fashion model for much of her life (including a stint as a bikini-clad pinup girl during WWII!); she never shied away from trends and simply made clothes look good. From them, I have inherited (among a few other things), this clutch, some gorgeous costume jewelry, a silver bracelet, a strand of opera-length pearls, a stunning diamond ring I am far too young to wear with confidence, and even a couple of outfits from their heydays. I am eternally grateful to both of them for so much inspiration in my life.

Soon, I'll be posting a few pictures of both of them, chronicling some of their fashions throughout their lives, and hopefully drawing even more inspiration from them going forward.

Hope you are all having a lovely week!