Is That So Wrong?

Candie's vest.  Forever 21 button down.  American Eagle jeans.  Frye boots.  Vera Wang for Kohl's earrings.

Got a new chi for Christmas which means I can have straight hair whenever I want again!  Yay!  Still need a trim though.

Fam was supposed to spend the day in the city, but due to a massive blizzard, the aftermath of which was still limiting all public transportation this morning, we bagged it and rescheduled.  Went to the mall to see a movie instead, Mom chose "The King's Speech."  Basically now I just want someone to give me a one way plane ticket to London as a belated Christmas present, no matter that I have no money whatsoever to support myself there.  

Time to go run on the treadmill until I can't feel my legs, or I just get massive cramps like last time because I'm ridiculously out of shape.  Cheers!

Merry, Happy, etc.

Random vest and tank top.  H&M belt.  River Island skirt.  New Look boots.  Tights bought in London.  Fossil watch. Claddagh ring bought in Ireland.  Vintage necklace.

Thrown together Christmas outfit, since I spent half my day serving the needs of last minute shoppers down at the mall (yay retail jobs!), then I had to wrap (because I do things last minute too), and shower (sometimes I'm hygienic).  I enjoy/it makes me sad that half of this outfit was bought overseas, because I feel like it's a nod to the island I fell in love with and the people I love that I left there!  Had to buy a claddagh in Ireland because none of the ones that have been given to me by family fit my tiny fingers, and I found one in a size five, so at least it fits my right ring finger, if not my left.

I don't think I've showed this skirt on the blog before, but it got a lot of mileage in Lancaster (particularly at the clubs) and is perhaps not the best choice for Christmas since it's made for making you look bootylicious and not for sitting and eating.  No matter, it looks good after I spend a half hour getting it zipped over my ass, so it's worth it.  And I'll still eat my weight in cheese anyway.

My winter roots are disgusting me.  I am not trying to go for the weird "ombre hair" trend people, but when there is less sun my hair does not get naturally lightened, and this is what happens, since I don't dye my hair.  I also need a trim, but that's another story. 

Okay, last thing.  Ignore my brother's cat in the second shot.  She and I are actually mortal enemies (other mortal enemies include: Michael Buble, sometimes Mandatory Metallica, and these pens at work that don't let me scan their barcodes) and she snuck her way into the photo.  

Annnyyywaayyyy, this is more verbose than I meant it to be, since I'm really not feeling very Christmasy.  I need to change that, probably.  Merry and Happy, drive safe, and enjoy the fam time.  Lots and love and kisses from a psycho blogger you occasionally find amusing. Aimee out. 

Look, I wouldn't know from jolly.

Thrifted Zara blazer.  BDG jeggings (UO). New look wedges.  BCBG top.  Topshop earrings.

My flat mates and I went out for our own personal Christmas dinner last night, at an Italian restaurant in town, and it was really lovely.  Hollie and I shared a bottle of Spanish red wine that the waitress recommended that was really good, I enjoyed my canneloni, and to top it off with chocolate cake and ice cream was just perfect.  Not to mention there was a magician coming around to the tables who amused us to no end, since we all apparently turn into children when shown magic tricks.  We ended the night with a cocktail at a bar just a few doors down, and all was merry.  

I was really excited to have a reason to worry about what I was wearing, though in retrospect I should've asked Hannah to take a close up of my earrings.  Oh well.  Totally obsessed with these wedges, I wear them every chance I get. 

Can't stay and chat, I still have one more 2500 word essay to bang out before I can truly relax.  Luck to the rest of you suffering through finals week!

Got a first aid kit handy?

Because my style is damaged (damaged), damaged (damaged), HOW YOU GONNA FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT!?  Ahem.  Yeah, so, we're all friends here, we can be straight with each other. 1) I listen to the aforementioned Danity Kane song way more than I should admit to.  2) Most of what I've been wearing for the past few months = boring.  I mean, even a lot of the outfits I've posted make me wrinkle my nose and go "laaammeee".  I want to seriously revive my 'drobe, but I'm broke.

Just as I'm feeling this clothing revitalization coming on, I clicky click on over to see what's new at Nasty Gal, strictly for giggles because I've never been overly in love with what they have to offer.  I wish I had some quaint southern phrase for how surprised I was that I loved just about everything, but I'm yank through and through.  In any case, a lot of the stuff is even more reasonably priced than I remembered, and I suddenly see my meager paychecks of the future winter break that are supposed to be for gas going "poof" before they even have time to hit my bank account.

What I want (need):

This lace maxi skirt worn with a leotard (excuse me "bodysuit") reminds me of this topshop skirt that I am absolutely in love with, but cannot afford.  I also think it would be so amazing in the warm weather with a leo without sleeves, a super thin tank thrown over it, and some long necklaces.  Like a goth hippy.  (But I will never look goth, my mother always tell me how "fresh scrubbed girl next door" I look.)

I love that this tee is called the Pendelton Slob Tee, since I've recently bought into the appeal of Pendelton prints, but this is SO MUCH BETTER, because it's neon.  It's the Vince Noir in me, I can't say no to dayglo.

Basically I never wear animal prints, because I don't wear a lot of prints in general, but, this top is ridiculously hot.  Maybe it's the awesome way they styled it, or maybe it's the model, but I don't really care.  Can't you just see it with skinny back pants, stilettos, and these-are-so-big-so-you-can't-see-my-face-because-I'm-famous sunglasses?  I'd pretend I was an Olsen going out for coffee or something.  And I hate style referencing the Olsens!

I want to wear this skirt with thick tights and an aviator jacket, right now.  And at $38.00, this one might even actually make its way into my closet.

This is just the tip of the want iceberg, I could go on.  But then, that would bore you, so just click over and do your own drooling, while I hike to the learning zone for round two of today's paper writing.  Lame.

I'll be home for Christmas.

My nose will not stop running.  I have 2000 words to write before Monday and 4500 to write before Friday.  My flat mates have flown the coop for the weekend, thus I have no moral support in my vicinity, unless I run to the house next door and have a breakdown to Liz (entirely possible).  

Silver lining: 8 days from now I will be on a plane headed back to my country of origin, seated between JC and RJ to be exact (SO MANY INITIALS), with a massive headache from plane noise.  But I will be GOING HOME.

So, in the interest of blogging something and being so not attractive at all right now, here are the people/things I miss and the activities that top my "to do" list upon return.

My favorite Boy.

The fam. (Extended fam, you count too, but could you imagine if I tried to get pictures of all of you up here!?)

My girls, versions 1.0 and 2.0.

Making my legs looks like this again:

Shopping. (funny hats not required)

And honorable mentions/photographically challenged mentions:

 my car

my bed

Mom's cooking/anyone cooking for me except for me.

Defeating Sly Cooper 3 with John.

Gettysburg and all the people who go there!!! (well, maybe not all of them, but a bunch of them for sure!)

Are you far from home just waiting for your holiday break so you can high-tail it back?  Let me know what you're missing!

Witty title...I got nothing.

H&M skirt.  Top and nude tank found at TK Maxx.  Tights bought in london.  New Look wedges.  Topshop earrings.  Forever 21 and vintage rings.


Last night I went to a Christmas meal at the Dalton Rooms with the Writer's Society, the only society I seem to have been able to be loyal to while here in England.  This is kind of funny, because I joined it so I would force myself to read my work out to people and accept their criticism, two things I hate to do, so you'd expect me to hate everyone just because of my bad attitude.  However, I don't mind reading aloud so much anymore, and have nothing but respect for the help I've received (particularly on the misleadingly titled "Zombie Story" that I've been working on).  I also happen to enjoy everyone's company, what fun!

So, the Dalton Rooms is a classy looking place, and I assumed Christmas meal meant you did some sort of dressing up.  I wracked my brain all day for an outfit, and this was the result, after going into town and trying on loads of clothes because I just didn't know if what I had back in my room would work!  I had to get something from Topshop before I left the country, but I've yet to find a piece of clothing that I totally adore that isn't well out of my price range, so I picked up these lovely earrings.  According to the Who What Wear emails I get (do they annoy anyone else?  and is anyone else somehow unaware of how they were coerced into receiving said emails, but too lazy to stop them?) long, shoulder grazing earrings have returned to the forefront.  I went through a stage of huge earrings pretty much all through high school, and a hoop stage about two summers ago, but I think I dig this, as long as I keep the design pretty minimal.

Tried some fun makeup as you can see in the last picture as well, but I can't take credit for the idea, saw it in Cosmo of all magazines.  I liked it though.

All in all, successful night.  Good food, good company, good drinks (I had this amazing champagne cocktail called a "Gold Digger"), and it tuckered me out enough that I actually fell asleep before 1am.  Magic. 

In the morning I'll be with you.

Yesterday I tried to blog, but a breakdown was imminent, so that didn't work out.  Here's the thing...I have to write more essays than my brain can handle the idea of, all while anticipating being home in two weeks, and dealing with the bittersweet feeling of leaving my new love England and getting back to my homeland and all the people I love.  And...when I'm stressed I forget to eat, or I just survive on sugar/caffeine...and then bad things happen.  So I just choked down a double beef burger to keep my body from revolting, and I need to head back to the library to write about Kant, Locke, and Leibniz, but first I wanted to squee over something.

I kind of adore the clothes in the new William Rast collection coming to target, and it's available the day after I fly home!  Here are my favorite looks from the preview.

I want the silk blouses in every color (okay, so the pink and black I've seen, but they're both lovely) plus the black leggings from the first picture, plus I'm loving the bomber jacket, the fringe jacket, and that hot high waisted skirt.  It makes her waist look so tiny!  I mean...her waist probably is really tiny, but still, it's a good look.  And I don't care if the davy crockett comments resurface in response to the fringe jacket, you and I both want to wear the hell out of it, don't lie. 

Also, the detail of the black ribbons as bow ties, though not new, is driving me crazy with it's chicness here.  I must try it. 

You can check out the rest of the preview photos here.  Let me know what you dig!

If you feel me, shout a little bit louder.

H&M Jacket and belt.  Kohl's tee.  American Eagle Outfitter's Jeans.  Frye boots. Vintage necklace.

Woo outfit post!  It's been freaking forever!  The thing is, I looked decent on Thanksgiving but I forgot to get someone to take pictures before the food-fest, after which I needed to remove the belt I had around my waist and I just lost all interest in being photographed.  I think the one picture of me from that night just shows me shoveling food onto my plate.  Since then, I've basically just been leaving my room in whatever is most functional for the library or lectures, which is not cute.

I'm wearing the vintage necklace you first saw in this post, but which doesn't really show up well against this outfit in photos.  (Is this because my point and shoot camera sucks in this capacity? - I DON'T CARE.  Ahem.)  

This tee is part of the random "Hang Ten" line now at Kohl's, which I guess is geared towards the Pac Sun worshippers that got dragged to Kohl's with Mom and are perusing the juniors section.  I can't remember why I stopped there one day...I think I was killing time after a doctor appointment and before work, and I actually fell in love with their super soft tees and tank tops.  This top used to be more voluminous (and less likely to flash midriff), then the wash happened, but I still like it.  I also bought a tank that I wear the hell out of, but haven't documented here yet.  I supposed I should get on that.  The stuff is mad cheap too, check it out.

Stream of consciousness: This cropped H&M jacket makes everything I put it on with a little bit classier and a lot cooler.  Remember how I told you my hair's been getting real long?  Proof!  Man, look at those hips, I need to run more.  And why do I have the shiniest forehead on the planet?

"It's Mariah Carey. Can't you hear the screaming?"

I'm trying to force myself into the Christmas spirit, but I'm not back in America yet and I have three papers to write as well as two take home finals coming up in my near future before I can even think about preparing for my homeward journey...and I just typed "homework" instead of "homeward" at first.  UGH.

I've also been supremely grumpy lately, because I'm in a relationship with the library again (and I'm already ready to break up) and it's decided to go from mildly cold - 40s/50s - to freaking FREEZING here in England.  According to Yahoo! News the "freeze" is going to last for weeks, aka, AS LONG AS I'M STILL FREAKING HERE.  My hatred for the cold is well documented, perhaps overly documented, and after a slipper catastrophe (that I don't want to talk about), I am without fuzzy goodness for my feet while I slave away at academia in my room and with boyfriend Library.  So yesterday something terrible happened, I caved and asked my mother to order me a pair of Uggs.  I have forever been against these boots that give 3/4 of the female population of America (and England) marshmallow feet, and which I once heard an Australian on tv describe as "The shoes you throw on to take out the trash."  And yet, I am anxiously awaiting their sumptuous warmth encased in ugliness.

This has made me suddenly want a wardrobe that is as warm as possible, no matter how ridiculous.  This is not usually my goal, since I'm a terribly impractical person.  But in any case, you don't want to see my library outfit, so here are some ridiculously warm things I'd buy if I had the money.

1. Abercrombie and Fitch Vanessa Sweater ; so big and cozy and grandpa, and I don't know why I like it because I'm a sweater hater

2. Urban Outfitters scarf; boys scarves always appeal to me more.  I also want to order the model as well - yum.

3. Urban Outfitters mittens; these are lined in FAUX FUR.  They're also the cheapest thing here. NEED!

4. Urban Outfitters Hat; the biggest trapper hat I've ever seen, it would engulf my tiny head, I want it so badly.

And, in case you were wondering, after five minutes of Christmas music I switched to a song on repeat that, well, let's just call it Tonight (I'm Blankin' You) by some, sexy latin man.  You can take the girl out of the party...

'Tis the Season for Beauty Sets

'Tis the Season for Beauty Sets by geemia on Polyvore.com

So, maybe it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but tell that to the English!  Christmas decorations are popping up all over!

That was a joke, I'm aware that Thanksgiving is strictly an American holiday.  I don't know why you people don't think I'm funny, damnit.

In any case, all the Christmas hubbub in the retail industry just makes me excited for the days when I'll be strolling in the malls back home, where I'll be assaulted with "Feliz Navidad," crowds of eager shoppers, and christmas decoration overload.  You know, all of the 6 full days I'll have in America before Christmas.  Everyone close to me knows that their gifts are going to come in the form of the souvenirs I've picked up on my Euro trip, which is a shame, because I love combing through gift sets and crowded stores.  No, seriously, I do.  And for a girly girl like me, the beauty gift sets are the most fun to peruse.

These are my suggestions for you if you're looking for a set for the makeup obsessed girl in your life...if she has the same exact taste as me.  But my choices have foundation!  If she's constantly on the search for the perfect mascara, Sephora's LashStash kit gives her a dazzling array to try.  If she's a big fan of the Nars line, give her the famous Orgasm set, with two blushes, one of which is the namesake, and the namesake gloss.  Or maybe she's whining about how her makeup brushes suck and scrubbing them in the sink with her hands (Ahem, me a half hour ago), so she'd love a brush set in an oh so cute bag from Mac's Tartan Tale line.  

I for one would be giddy to find any of these sets under the tree.  I've chosen from my two favorite brands, Mac and Urban Decay, as well as from Sephora, Rock for Ever, and Nars (I still haven't tried the orgasm line yet, but I want to!  There are only so many times you can type orgasm without feeling weird!)  If you want to know what any of the sets are, their prices, or where you can get them, just clicky-click on the picture!  Ta!

Aussie Label Love

When I was in the beginning throes of adolescence and awkwardness, I always wanted to be one of those uber cool SoCal skater surfer girls who had tomboyish style but still exuded a feminine hotness that got all of the boys.  The problem was that I didn't have the coordination to skate or surf, I hated winter sports way to much to even attempt to snowboard, and I didn't have the legs (or the tan) to make cutoffs, a painted on tee, and sneakers look as good as they did.  

Because of this, it's no surprise to me that I fell in love with the Australian brand Insight last Spring when stumbled upon some of their ridiculously cute shorts during a polyvore search.   On yet another polyvore search (for leggings), I rediscovered them again, and oh how I long to be back in the states with money in my account.  There is so much I want!

1. The Last King Leggings were what came up on my polyvore search, and with my love for neon and all things wack, of course I adore them.

2. I want to wear the Heartbeat Dress out with a boy in the summer time with my hair down and curly and rocking my flip flops.  I just feel like it's adorable and incredibly alluring at the same time.

3. The Warming Coat would be a great fall coat if I were back on my home campus (too bad it lacks a hood though, that's no good here in England).

4. I love bikinis.  I love the Almost Paradise Bikini.  Wait, is it too soon for this topic?

5. The Spotlight Dress is a version of the type of dress I like to wear out: standard boycon fit but the pattern gives it a little quirk and edge.

Maybe this summer I'll get to get my hands on some Insight pieces, and feel a little bit more like those cool chicks I envied.

Portrait of the Blogger as a Young Woman

Spent the weekend in Dublin -  and it was perfect.  I mean, it was cold, which is not my ideal, but it only rained on one of our days and it wasn't for the whole day, I got to do some really fun things, I met some fun people...and it was just exactly what I needed.  You know when sometimes you just have to get away from where you've been, because unless you get a change of scenery you're just going to keep doing everything wrong?  That was me at the end of this week, and Dublin has absolutely revived me.

1. A Bridge over the River Liffey

2. A view of the single remaining medieval tower of the Dublin Castle

3.Christ Church

4. Enjoying the best Guinness of my life in the Gravity Bar at the Guinness Storehouse

5. Joyce Quotes referring to different landmarks looked out over Dublin.

6. A Better shot of "Trinity College" view.

I spent two days in the city where Joyce and Yeats lived and wrote.  I drank Jameson Whiskey and Guinness with the Irish. For a little while I was in the country that my father's family came from.  I had some great laughs, a cathartic heart to heart, a wild time, a relaxing stroll, a food coma, coffee and bailey's, and a good kiss.  Thanks Dublin, seeya on the flip side.  

If I Were A Boy

New look leggings and men's flannel.  Target tank.  Internacionale hat.  Frye boots. 

Boys flannels might just be the best thing ever.  I have one snatched from an ex who bought it from a thrift store for a hick theme party, but during the packing for europe extravaganza it did not make the cut.  I now sorely wish I had brought it, along with more comfy sitting around clothes in general, because I'm a messy girl and I'm constantly spilling stuff on the two hoodies, one pair of sweats, and one pair of yoga pants I brought with me.  

Basically, I was craving a borrowed from the boys look, literally.  There are plenty of flannels cut for girls out there in stores, especially right now as we're delving into winter.  I have one from Urban that I like a lot, but I wanted something really oversized and clearly not made for a woman.  Otherwise it just wouldn't hang the way I wanted it: really loose.  I also see a lot of boys wearing these beanies with extra fabric that slouch, and lucky for me they've been making some for the girls now too.  The one I really wanted was a super chunky knit one with studs from River Island, but I couldn't shell out the 20 pounds for it, this one for 6 pounds was more in my price range, and you can't tell, but it has a sporadic covering of sequins!  Shiny!

I conceived this kind of outfit in my mind the same day one of my flatmates proposed that I dress as a boy to elucidate a certain someone's...preference.  She was kidding of course, but it's still funny.

Be sure to check out my Videojug site Fashion in Real Life for my extended take on fashion.  My latest article is about ignoring the haters and dressing/blogging for you.

STELLLAAAAAA!

Something you probably wouldn't know about me from reading this blog: I'm a gym rat. There are few things I enjoy more than a long, hard workout (yeah yeah, all you immature people out there like me, giggle), and due to my uh, sporadic personality, it's basically better for everyone that I hit the gym on the regular to keep my head in check.

What I'm going to wear to gym it up is not usually something I spend too much time thinking about, but my "gym style" so to speak, has certainly evolved since I first began hitting it a few years back.  I used to always wear knee length shorts and cotton t shirts, since that's what I had an endless supply of for gym classes and lacrosse practices in high school.  Since then, I no longer wear cotton tops to work out in, since they're generally sticky and icky and don't wick away any sweat, and trust me, people of my caliber of sweat glands need that.  I also have a newfound affinity for cropped leggings and short shorts, but much of that is attributed to a new body image.  I also mostly lean towards sport tank tops, due to the aforementioned sweat issue.  

At the moment, my gym wardrobe is looking a bit slim, since I could only pack so much to bring with me to England.  it's making me long for some sassy digs to chase the burn in, and we all know that the queen of the high fashion gym wear is Miss Stella McCartney, who's designs for adidas are always drool worthy.  Here are my picks (in my dreams) which mostly come from the gym, running, and yoga lines, but she's got great stuff for golfers and tennis players too!

From left to right

Top Row

Run polyester shorts, Small sport bag, Velvet gym tights

Middle

Yoga performance pack away tank, Cover up core pants, Core performance seamless tank

Bottom

Run performance 3/4 tights, Charoit Runners, Cover up Core Sweat Pants

For the record, those are $180.00 running shoes, and I never spend that much on runners.  I like Asics or Saucony and I go to DSW and get a pair for 60 bucks every few months, after I blow out my last pair on the treadmill.  But, if I had money to burn...well, you know.

I'm sorry...am I drooling?

Those of you who spend much of your days tooling around the blogosphere, particularly the fashion one, have already probably seen the various posts by bloggers involved in the upcoming Coach holiday campaign.  If you haven't seen the video just released, check it out here; all the bloggers are really fun and adorable, and their answers to holiday questions are candid and charming.  Plus, there are sparkly clothes.  AND, there is the sexy man to the left in the picture above.

Name: Casey Taylor.  Occupation: Model.  He's from Canada.  And if you have eyes, you can see that he's beautiful.  I suppose he is involved in the campaign because coach wants to promote their new mens line to both the fashion conscious male demographic, and the "I want to feel like I look as hot as that guy" demographic.  And he might also just be eye candy, but I'm okay with that.

I believe now would be the correct time for me to say something about how Casey has modeled for some of the top designers in the world, been in loads of print ads, walks a mean runway, and can wear a suit like no other.  But who am I kidding?  Casey, call me, I'm sure I'm available. 

Confidence is a must, Cockiness is a plus.

Thrifted Banana Republic dress.  Frye boots.  Tights bought in London.  Target socks.  H&M belt.  Francesca's Collections Necklace.

Don't love my hallway?  Too bad, it's raining outside, and I'm not in the mood to go try to commandeer a bar/academic building or something.  I had to wear my big coat because it has the best hood out of all my outerwear, and it would cover my whole dress so I wouldn't get soaked, even though it made me sweat.  

In any case, I only had one lecture today, which didn't even last a full hour (it's an hour and a half), and I decided I wanted to be cute today.  I've been watching a lot of the kardashians in my free time (Kim is my favorite, in case you were wondering) so I think that inspired this very body conscious look, though I'm not looking as svelte as Kim at the moment, and I wasn't going to trek across campus is towering heels...even if I wanted to.  

I think I'm going to try and be productive...somehow...possibly just by going to get myself some coffee.  Ta lovelies!

It's just a rough patch, rough pumpkins.

Juicy Couture Top.  Joyce Leslie Vest.  American Eagle Outfitters jeans.  Frye boots.  Random assortment of necklaces.  Forever 21 ring.  Fossil Watch.

While taking these pictures, I suddenly got frightened of all the people bustling around since it's lunch hour here, and began to freak out much like I imagine a small bunny would in a similar situation.  Except add my usually deep voice squeaking out "WHY ARE THERE SO MANY PEOPLE!?  TAKE THE PICTURE QUICK!?"  To my poor flatmate Hannah who was just doing me a favor.  I need to get over these random floods of embarrassment, especially here.  Everyone just thinks I'm a loud, extroverted American anyway, and doesn't really give a damn what I do.

Anyways, I made myself respectable for class, SHOCKER.  Minus the hair, that is not respectable.  I don't even know what to call that, but it's what happens pretty often now that it's longer.  I love straightening it though, I feels so long to me!  Hopefully there will be good pictures of that soon enough.

I don't even know what else to say about this outfit, but I do want to apologize for the douchey look I'm giving you all in the first picture.  I do that weird lopsided smile thing when I'm feeling too shy or too smug to flash all the teeth, and while it's cute when boys do it, it's not when I do it.