Announced: Petite Fashion Challenge # 17

Ok, first things first, I'm in Boston!

I've been here for just over a week, and have slowly been settling in. I'm staying in a sublet for the summer in a pretty cool part of town, and attending one super-intensive summer language class. So far, so good, except my head is actually exploding with verb conjugations and the 400 new vocabulary words I've memorized in the past 6 days. Oy.

Now that I'm a bit more settled, I'll be back to regular posting asap! I'm kind of living out of my suitcase, as I have 0 hangers to my name at this point (ah, cross-country moving...), so some of my outfits might be a little strange. Also: East Coast summer. A few days ago it was in the high 50's and in a few days it'll be in the high 90's. And there will be thunderstorms. I don't understand...

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On another note, Petite Fashion Challenge #17 has been announced!

This month's challenge comes from Sew Petite Gal:

The Challenge: Candy Colorized

Take a bowl full of colorful candies (M&Ms, Jolly Ranchers, jelly beans, etc.), close your eyes, and draw 2-3 pieces.  Now use those colors (+ a neutral of your choosing) to form the basis for your ensemble.

**Extra brownie points if you post more than 1 colorful ensemble or if you add a DIY element (because I love DIYs so much!) :D**

 

Head over to her blog to sign up!

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Hope you're all having a great week!

Be Right Back!

Today was my last day at the elementary school, and man, am I going to miss those kids! They made me laugh all year long, inspired me to pursue my passions, and taught me a thing or two about the world. I am so grateful to have been a part of their 5th grade school year.

So, I'm off to Boston in a few short days! In the mean time I'll be packing furiously, running a myriad of errands, and finishing up other aspects of my job. All of that means I probably won't be able to blog for about a week, and that my next post will most likely be from my new digs on the East Coast!

Hope you are all having a great week so far!

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!

Petite Fashion Challenge #16: Summer Wedding

 

This month's challenge was Summer Wedding: Create an outfit for a summer wedding (the dress code is up to you). For bonus points try to make your whole outfit, head to toe, come in under $100! (Or, exclude shoes and accessories to meet the $100 mark.)

Here is my entry:

Dress: Anthropologie (very old, but I remember it being on super-sale for around $60) / Shoes: Target ($24.99) / Clutch: inherited from my Nana / Necklace and Earrings: gifts

My outfit came in for a (estimated, due to the age of the dress) total of $85.00. Hooray for gifted bags and jewelry!

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Here is the list of participants this month (in the order in which they signed up):

Glamorous Petite

Tiny Bits of Nonsense

Contrary Kiwi

Hello, Framboise

Dieting Fashions

Couture Coco

Little Flowers

The Little Dust Princess

Keeyatch

Easy Petite Looks

Katattack2000

The Fashion Firecracker

yoo hoo, anhie boo!

After all, the best things come in small packages...

Jane Squared

Chibi Chic

That's a Pretty Hat

The Petite Fitting Room

Petite Fashions Over 40

Musings of a Cardigan Fiend

Food/Fashion Lovers Anonymous Nationwide
Mix and Match Fashion Style

Phiphi's Blog

Petite Lifestyle

The Small of It

To Brighten My Day

Sew Petite Gal

Just Tututiny

Petite Adventures

Really Renata

LaBelleMel

Snapshots of my Closet

Shorty Stories 

Petite in the City 

The Other Pocket

Diary by Kimberly

A Petite Treat

A Perponderence of Fashion
Really Petite
Petite and Hungry
Extra Petite
KTR Style

 I hope you all enjoyed this challenge; I'm glad I got to think about my wedding look in advance, and can't wait to see what everyone else came up with!

Brights & Blues

 Top: Old Navy Tie Hem Blouse sz s ($10.99, available in charcoal for $8.99 online!) / Jeans: Gap 1969 Always Skinny sz 00 (same) / Bag: Fossil men's messenger (similar) / Bracelets: "inherited" from my roommate / Necklace: bought in Italy / Glasses: Coach

 

I hope everyone had a relaxing and meaningful Memorial Day weekend.

Thank you to anyone who commented on my Academic/Professional post recently; I really appreciate knowing there are others out there who think about similar questions regarding blogging and the professional world!

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This weekend, after going to my cousin's bridal shower in Santa Barbara (which was compltely lovely, by the way! So good to spend time with family), my mom and I stopped by the Camarillo outlet mall on the way back. We power-shopped our way through and came home with some pretty good deals! A backback for me for school (yes, apparently I am starting middle school, not grad school!), a heavy winter coat, and a Le Creuset tea kettle in an adorable bright blue, all deeply discounted.

 Did anyone else take advantage of weekend sales?

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! 

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!