200

Can't believe I actually made it to 200 posts.  I know I'm not the most reliable blogger, but thank you to those who keep following with aplomb.  You are my bread and butter.

Forever 21 dress.  Blazer found at Macy's.  Frye boots.  Betsey Johnson sunglasses.  Bracelets were a gift from boyfriend.

Today is staggeringly beautiful, with the temperature at a balmy 70 degrees, sun, and not so much wind as we are usually wont to have in the burg.  I was so excited to finally break out this outfit that I had created in my head ages ago, but was too cold to wear.  Fact: the cold forces me to be less fashionable because I hate it so much.  All I think about is keeping it out and that usually leads to the warmest (not cutest) things I can get my hands on.  Some may call this an excuse, it isn't.  I could try harder, but I am too upset by the season.

I also like my messy bun quite a bit today.  And props to boyfriend on the bracelets, he picked them out all by himself!

Some of you are probably noticing the little purple and turquoise ribbon pinned to my left lapel.  I wearing it in solidarity with Students Against Sexual Assault (SASA) who are working to promote awareness and prevention of sexual assault on campus.  Do you go to the burg?  Stop by SASA's table in the Cub, take their survey (it will take up about one minute, really) and wear your ribbon too. 

I'm going to go take a walk in the sunshine!  Kisses!

Transitional

American Eagle Sweater.  Forever 21 vest.  BDG leggings through Urban. Frye boots. Fossil watch.  Vintage necklace.

I've been getting progressively sicker this past week, but after finally getting a doctor to prescribe me antibiotics on Saturday, I'm feeling just about 100% today.  Also, it decided not to rain in the burg and was lovely and breezy, leading to perhaps my first fall type outfit of the year.  I do so despise all seasons but summer really, but if you can't beat em...

And please ignore the less than ideal setting for these shots.  My blog photographer insists that the reason she didn't answer me all day was that her "phone is dead."  Hmph. 

Birthday Girl

Forever 21 dress.  Candie's for Kohl's heels.  

So, this kid turned 21 on Saturday!  My fabulous accessories in these shots include a tiara and giant birthday button from my roommates, a glow necklace that says "birthday star" from my mother, and my new and wonderful boyfriend.  When we walked into the bar, which is clearly an attempt at an Irish Pub as you can see from some indications in the final photo, I was definitely getting stared at.  I'm obnoxious enough not to care though, and when I left, clutching boyfriend's hand and still wearing my heels like a champ, I thanked the many people who wished me a happy birthday.

Birthday presents that night included the Tanqueray (yummmm), an LIT, Magners, tequila...and this was all after a beer sampler at dinner with my man.  Yes, I am still suffering, but it was worth it!  And yet, I still have an essay on the history of Surrealism due at 4pm that is killing me...

Ta for now, loves!

Seniority

American Eagle shorts.  Payless sandals.  Forever 21 hoops.  Betsey Johnson sunglasses.  Top found at Marshall's.  Fossil Watch.  Charlotte Russe bracelets.

I originally wore jeans and a tshirt to my philosophy seminar this morning, because I was cold in my apartment, but changed into this outfit after I realized it was freaking hot outside.  This top is perhaps a little risque for the daylight, but I'm a senior, and I no longer care what the people on this campus think.  And all important bits are covered.  And a little bra never hurt anybody.  

But what I'm really excited about today is the release of the Missoni for Target line, which I ran off to check out not long after philosophy let out.  Missoni is one of my all-time favorite designers and I've been anticipating this for months because let's be honest, it's probably the only Missoni I will own in my entire life.  I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised.  In my opinion, the collections for Target aren't always of great quality (I mean, they're target clothes) and not worth the more expensive price tags.  Plus the more "designer" styles don't really agree with my shape (re: normal).  But I actually liked just about every piece I tried on today.  The mini dresses actually account for the fact that a lot of women have these things called hips and boobs, the sweaters are slim and gorgeous, and iconic Missoni prints are all over all of it.  I picked up a few pieces that I know I will enjoy wearing the shit out of.  

So, I recommend you actually check out this collection.  Just don't get in a fight like some of the ladies over in LA...and try not to cry over the crash/exceeded bandwidth on the Target website.  Thank the powers that be that nobody in Hanover, Pennsylvania wanted to check out the collection this morning.

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!

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. 

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.  

Go to Heaven for the Weather

Not to England though, unless you're fond of perpetually grey skies and imminent rain.

Forever 21 top.  H&M skirt.  Target tights.  Frye boots.  Vintage necklace.

Yes, yes, I did style this skirt EXTREMELY SIMILARLY here, but let me tell you why.  Right before I left for England I was thinking about how I saw a woman wearing a pencil skirt with flats and a tshirt, and it really worked for her.  It happened to be the exact skirt I'm wearing above, just in olive green, so I wondered how I could style it myself in a way that didn't look too overdressed for every day.  I stood in front of the mirror in my room, wearing it with a tucked in white t shirt and these boots and frowning, and then Ma goes "I think maybe if you wore it with something that had more volume on top."  WHA BAM!  This outfit, since I had bought this shirt just a few days before.  So, really, props to Ma for that stroke of brilliance.

In any case, I like the way it makes the skirt go from office appropriate or nighttime to casual.  Sorry for the wrinklies, I had to take rather tedious bus rides to and from Morecambe today.  Never have I ever, in my life, lost something on a night out (minus maybe my dignity) until Wednesday night, when I lost my phone at a club.  Lucky for me it was still there, unlucky for me I decided to lose it at the club farthest from campus.  

Love love this necklace, which I picked up at a vintage fair in Chelsea that I stumbled upon last month.  I was on my way to the V&A and then I caught sight of the signs outside the Chelsea Library.  Priorities, you know.  Love this top for reasons we discussed this summer.

Sidenotes: I love how ridiculously green the grass is, especially as the backdrop for the second shot.

Yes, I ripped this title from the song by The Audition, who I am completely obsessed with right now.

As if.

Forever 21 sweater.  H&M blouse.  BDG (urban) leggings. Frye Boots.  Gifted necklace.

Ahaaaa, did I say I'd be posting today's outfit tomorrow?  I lied.  You see, tomorrow's kind of a special day for me, so I figured I'd want to post about tomorrow, tomorrow, instead of today.  Ah repeating the same word always gives me a grammar crisis.  Anyway.

So do I not look like I just dashed out of the pages of a J. Crew catalogue?  I stood in front of my (rather tiny) closet this morning, declaring "I'm tired of looking boring!"  To no one in particular.  My roommate answered "You look fine!"  Of course, at the time I was still in my pajamas, my white hanes t shirt and soffee shorts, but still, fine is not what I usually go for.  This outfit is not as interesting as I'd hoped for...You see, the button down blouse is sheer, which I love, and kind of longish, also awesome, so what I really need is a cropped sweater to wear over it, because I buy longer cut sweaters for my torso usually, like this blue one.  The desired effect would be something like this: 

Literally the ONLY image I could find of this outfit, but you get it.  Really sheer really long blouse, and if you look close you can see her teeny little cropped sweater over it.  I actually like how the blouse covered her high waisted mini skirt too, but you can still see it because the blouse is so sheer.

Sidenote: this is the outfit Cher wears to take her driver's test, since she can't find her most responsible looking shirt.  The scene where she fails played through my head a hundred times when I failed my driver's test the first time.  I also thought of the moment this photo shows "I'm buttcrazy in love with Josh!" the first time I realized I was in love.  Yes, I identify with the movie Clueless, and I don't care who knows it.

P.S. saw the changing of the guard today!  Still want a big fuzzy hat!

Thems the breaks.

Target leggings and tee.  Payless sandals.  Forever 21 vest.  Charlotte Russe necklace.

I really liked this outfit that I put together for work.

When I got to work, my boss made me clean toilets.

Fail. 

If I'm right then prove me wrong

Forever 21 top.  Target tank and bag.  Mandee sandals.  American Eagle jeans.  Gifted necklace.  H&M hair clip.  Fossil watch.

Went shopping with Ma for things I need for England before going to work for a closing shift.  I really really really wanted to wear heels with this outfit, but it just wasn't going to work out if I had to be running around at work and possibly climbing ladders, because I ALWAYS have to climb a ladder when I least expect it.

I'm in love with this bag.  It's the only faux leather bag that I've ever loved this much.  So perfect all the time, especially the price.

The hair, ah.  I had a hairtastrophe this morning when I was trying to make it pretty so I could leave it down (which I feel like I almost never do lately).  A curling iron, straightening iron, and too much curling product later, it was not happening, so I improvised.  Not too shabby if I do say so myself.

Note on yesterday's outfit: a friend of mine mentioned to me today that he wasn't sure how keen he was on the socks.  I agree (sort of, first of all because I hate to agree and second because I just love those socks), but if I wasn't wearing them wouldn't the outfit just seem a little...slutty secretary?  Is it that way anyway?  I don't know.  At least I didn't wear it out of the house.  But hey, not everything I put together can be magical in every way.  I accept it. 

Cha Brah

Random OTK socks from somewhere by school.  Forever 21 tunic worn as a dress.  New York & Co Blazer (old).  Guess heels.  Forever 21 ring.  Mom's ring.  LuShae Jewelry ring.  Aldo hoops.

So...hanging out with my ladies to watch Project Runway and...this is what I wear?  Can you tell I don't get out much lately?  

Bought these socks like a million years ago because I've always wanted a pair of the 70s tube sock esq over the knee socks.  Maybe I've watched too many episodes of "The Girls Next Door" (THE ORIGINAL WITH KENDRA NOT THE STUPID NEW ONES), but to me they say "I'm cute and young and sexy".  Yup, one pair of socks says all that. 

The blazer hasn't been out of the closet in a while, even though it got a ton of mileage in my high school mock trial days.  Funny how I didn't remember it when I was searching for a boyfriend blazer...The heels are just killer, I got them for a deal at DSW and rocked them all night long at my cousin Emily's wedding.  After I finally figured out this outfit (I started with the socks and worked from there), I just piled on my favorite sparkly jewelry and figured I was good to go.  

ENGLAND IN 11 DAYS!  ARE YOU PUMPED!? ME TOO!

P.S.  Enjoy that view of my father's massive safe.  

I'm all strung out...What do I wear?

Ah summer.  The perfect time for turmoil of the personal life kind and weather that just will not cooperate.  What does a girl like me want to do when the going gets tough?  Lay on the beach and soak in vitamin D.  And yet the weather insists on being highly uncooperative.  Lame.

Needless to say, I am feeling decidedly less va-va and more blah, and my style choices generally reflect that, though I don't want to look like a soccer mom deep in her "I never think about me anymore" rut.  I'm a huge fan of a super soft grey batwing sleeve top that I found on sale at Lord and Taylor months ago, and I think I want to live in tops of a similar nature every day.  At least for the rest of this week. 

My requirements are simple: soft fabric, muted colors, cheap.  Lucky for me, this does not seem to limit me.

1. Forever 21 $12.80

2. Forever 21 $17.80

3. Asos Fairtrade Cotton Batwing Top  $30.44

4. Asos Birds of Paradise Feather Top  $30.44

I threw in the feather top at the end for those of you that need a little funk even if you're sporting a t shirt that is purposely made about a size too big for you.  (It comes in black too -clicky click!)

Summer Nights

Alright, I am not a huge fan of the Spring.  I don't love how the weather fluctuates between 90 degrees and hot and gorgeous and then wet and rainy and chilly.  I can't wait until the weather is hot and gorgeous all day and all night.  That means really cute date outfits!

I'm super broke, so when I found this dress on Forever 21's website for $14.50, I was pretty thrilled.  It's so perfectly boho and comfy looking.  I perused the website for the perfect accessories to complete it.

I like the idea of pairing a boho dress with some hot sandals instead of flat gladiators, some turquoise and silver jewelry, and a funky blue bag for a pop of color.  Plus, the entire outfit comes in under $100 which is always good!