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. :)

Right Around the Corner

 Top: Gap (similar, similar) / Sweater: Forever 21 (similar, similar) / Jeans: Gap 1969 Always Skinny, size 00 (same) / Shoes: Target (similar) / Necklace: from Italy / Bracelet: vintage, inherited from my Nana / Bag: from Unique LA  

Today was my favorite day (weather-wise) that I've had in New England as of yet. In the morning it was all blustery winds and bright blue skies, fading in the afternoon to a perfect 75 degrees with a light breeze and warm sunshine. It was the best combination of fall-is-just-around-the-corner and I-don't-want-to-leave-summer-quite-yet. I spent a good chunk of my downtime today (all of it, really) sitting in the sunshine and reading The Sun Also Rises.

Perfect weather, really, for what I was doing the rest of the day, which was Orientation! My program starts classes next week, so this week it's all meeting advisers, signing up for classes, figuring out study cards, and meeting new people. I am so excited to be back in school again, and cannot wait for it to start! Before classes, however, I've got to tackle a big move this weekend into my new/permanent apartment, though it can't be as bad as the Bigger Move across the country, right? :)

In the meantime, I'm going to go enjoy a bit more of this late-summer sunshine. I think I need to store up on it in order to have any chance at getting through my first New England winter.

Hope you are all having a great week!

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!

Counting Down

Top: Gap / Cardigan: from a local boutique / Jeans: Gap 1969 Always Skinny sz 00 / Shoes: Target / Bag: Vintage Coach, via eBay / Sunglasses: Target / Belt: Target / Bracelets: DIY (how to, here!)

 

So the good news is I "inherited" this belt from my mom. Hooray for free stuff! The bad news is is broke all of two hours after taking this picture. :-/ It was a cheap-y belt from Target, so I suppose the fact that it lived for a few years is quite good.

I'm trying to be mindful of what I buy on the (super) cheap and what I spend my money on. Colorful skinny belts that will last a few years? $20, max. But, classic bags or workhorse shoes that will last forever? I'm trying to work up the courage to spend more on those sorts of things. Thus, my decision to buy that beautiful Cambridge Satchel as soon as I move to, fittingly, Cambridge, MA.

Speaking of which, I have only 3 days left working in the elementary school I've been in for the past year, 5 days left at this job, 10 days until I move, 11 until I start school, and 12 until my birthday! Whoah, there. I'm a serious combination of excited and nervous for what the next few weeks has in store. Wish me luck!

Hope you are all having a lovely week!

Simple Stripes & Gold Collar Necklace

 Top: Anthropologie / Jeans: Gap 1969 Always Skinny / Wedges: Target (similar) / Necklace: Asos ($20.87, buy here) / Glasses: Coach

 

One of my goals for beginning this blog was to get out of my jeans and a solid-colored t-shirt rut. I'm trying to wear more skirts, dresses, and patterns, and (hopefully) succeeding. This outfit, I think, is a pretty good example of how jeans and a t-shirt can still be a successful (and not always boring!) look. Note to self: wedges, an interesting piece of jewelry, and a patterned top can go a long way to elevating my wardrobe staples.

The main credit has to go to my favorite statement necklace, this gold collar from Asos. I love how it mimics the lines of a dress shirt's collar, and dresses us an otherwise simple look.

Going on a field trip with the class today, to the California Science Center. 80+ 5th graders and six chaperones...wish us luck!

Petite Fashion Challenge #15: Chic Pin-spiration

This month's Petite Fashion Challenge is hosted by Long Live Classy:

 Find a pic of an outfit you love on Pinterest, and re-create it the best way possible!

 * * * * * * *

I had a few inspiration photos to choose from, but in the end I chose this one because a) it's a bit of a departure from what I usually wear, and b) I want to figure out what to wear with this awesome orange H&M skirt I got last fall.

Inspiration photo:

My interpretation:

Top: Gap / Skirt: H&M / Shoes: Target / Necklace and Ring: Amrita Singh / Bangles: bought in England

 

I was immediately drawn to recreating this outfit because of my very similar orange skirt. However, the amount of jewelry the girl in the inspiration photo is wearing is awesome for her, but a bit daunting for me. So, I tried my best by putting on my showy Amrita Singh turquoise necklace to echo the turquoise in the photo, along with an Amrita Singh green and gold ring, and some gold bangles bought in England (which is about 2 more pieces of jewelry than I would usually wear!).

I don't have a gold belt, or blue shoes (which I really want, now...) but I still think the outfit works, albeit in a bit simpler version.

Until last year I had zero orange clothes in my closet, but now this is, strangely enough, my second orange skirt. I paired the other one with this Amrita Singh necklace too; I really love the combination of orange and turquoise.

Check out all of the other participants (after 8pm Eastern time) over at Long Live Classy!

West Coast/East Coast

Top: Gap sz s / Pants: Target sz 2 (super old) / Sandals: Gap sz 7 / Belt: bought in England / Necklace: bought in Italy

 

It was 85 degrees in Los Angeles today, so I wore this, yet I also spent much the day online window-shopping for industrial-strength winter coats. I've never owned such a coat, having lived 99.9% of my life in Southern California, but suddenly, I find myself in need of one. Because, well, I got into graduate school!!

It's the first school I've heard back from, but seeing as I only applied to two, and they're both in Boston, I can now guarantee that I will be spending the next two years in Massachusetts. My life, and this blog, will soon take quite a big turn as I travel across the country, live in another state for the first time, buy winter coats, and get into the grad-school swing of things! I honestly can't wait. :-D

Motorcycle Jacket & Black Boots

 Top: Gap / Cardigan: Forever 21 / Jacket: Urban Outfitters / Skirt: UO / Shoes: UO / Necklace: Gift / Bracelets: bought in England

 Today, I was forced to momentarily overcome my fear of people watching me take photos of myself in an effort to not lose the fading light. (But only momentarily. It's still awkward.)

A few more things that fell victim to my light-losing-induced hastiness: my absurdly messy hair, the paint that is still on my hands from a day of painting the walls of a middle school for MLK day, the fact that there is a metric ton of pug hair on my black jacket.

Happy Monday!

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!

Grey Skies

Top: Gap sz s / Sweater: from a local boutique / Jacket: Zara sz xs / Pants: Gap 1969 Always Skinny Jeans sz 00 / Scarf: Forever 21 / Shoes: Target

   

This Zara "leather" jacket was one of my best finds in the past few years. I'd been looking for a dark brown, versitile jacket for quite a while, but had never found anything that looked nice enough but was still within my price range. Shopping with some friends about a year back, I stumbled across this little thing, I believe for about $60-$70. Ya, a bit pricey for me, but I considered it long and hard and thought, in the end, that it was worth it. I'm so glad I made the splurge because I wear this thing all. the. time. Yay for Fall so I can start breaking it out again!

Outerwear is definitely one of the places where it can be hard to skimp on cost. In order to have jackets that keep you warm and/or dry, you might have to shell out a bit of cash. Since I live in LA, I'm able to get away with jackets like this (made out of Polyurethane/Viscose/Polyester, though fully lined and surprisingly warm), which cost way less than nice wool ones you might need on the East coast. Believe it or not, I have still managed to find a cheap warm wool coat (on sale for $25!) that got me through 90% of my winter semester abroad in England, also from Zara. So, I'd highly recommend that store if you're looking for decent outerwear on a budget!

Thanks, Nana

Top: Gap sz s /  Sweater: inherited from my grandmother / Jeans: Gap 1969 skinny sz 0 / Boots: DSW sz 7/ Purse: vintage Coach (via ebay)

   

 I just inherited a few beautiful old cashmere sweaters from my grandmother (by way of my mom cleaning out her closet). They are all incredibly well made and of good quality, and definitely give off that vintage grandma-y vibe, on account of they were bought by my Nana 60ish years ago. I love them. And I love wearing them in small central coast towns, just after the rain, where I can take pictures on the street and not worry about embarrassing myself in front of neighbors.  

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!