What a Jersey Girl Wants.

Take note boyfriend and parents, this is something I would wear everyday and any day. I'm sure most of the Jersey girls I know would feel the same.


photo via mayabrenner.com

How cute is this!!?? Even though these are one sale on gilt today (yo gilt members, get on it!), I'm still not in a position to spend any money, but I long for this necklace. The diamond in the center is really sweet (though I wish you could customize it and move it closer to where you actually inhabit the state), but I don't need it. The plain sterling silver version is good enough for me, especially because then it wouldn't clash with the white gold and diamond heart necklace that I usually wear every day (when the chain wasn't snapped by me being stupid).

To be straight, even though I lovelovelove Jersey, I know I'm not going to spend the rest of my life there. You've read my posts people, I hate hate HATE the cold, and it can get realllyyyyyy chilly in the north dirty. I actually fell in love with California on a family visit there, and dream that that is where I will land, but you never know. Whatever happens, my home state will always be beloved to me, where people go down the shore, we eat amazing bagels and pizza, and if you don't move fast, you get lost in the shuffle.

P.S. lovers, check out Maya Brenner's website even if you're not digging the state charms (which come in all fifty, hello!). Her designs are super beautiful and delicate. I'm also loving her zodiac pendants.

EDIT: Erin says that if you read the website like a literate person, you find out that the diamond can be moved anywhere on the coast!

Apocalypse? We've All Been There.

Once More With Feeling soundtrack stuck in my head. Don't worry about it.


American Eagle Outfitters long-sleeve shirt and key necklace. Zara jeans. Target tank top. Joyce Leslie wool vest. Random tree necklace. Hot kiss booties.

You only get one photo today because my camera battery died, but I think it's quite a good photo and you see the outfit and that my hair didn't have a bad bad day, but it didn't have a good day either. I miss the water at home, it makes my hair so much shinier.

These Zara jeans may be the best jeans I have ever owned. They have a lot of stretch to them, but even if I wear them a bunch of times before I wash them (not that I would do that...) they don't stretch out and leave uncomfortable denim sag in the butt area. Glorious! This shirt is of the burnout genre, which looks really cool but...when it's cold you get a lot of draft. Cool but impractical. I've never been the practical type though. It's also a lot more purple than it photographs. My camera seems to be very bad with it's blues and purples. Loser.

I know you've seen this vest lots of times, but I love it. I love how this menswear inspired piece is actually totally awesome for showing off a tiny waist. It also makes a lot of my more basic clothes more interesting so I don't feel like I just went to class in a t shirt and jeans. I have to be practical at college, but I don't want to be totally boring (all the time). I recently had to give a couple of vests that weren't working for me anymore to a new home (some of my girlies and I do clothes swaps here and there, it's enjoyable), and I've been on the lookout for some new ones. Especially since this heavy wool one isn't going to work in the spring and summer.



pictures left to right via ae.com, revolveclothing.com, and guess.com.

I really like the pinstripe on the white vest, and the light color makes it very spring and summer. Plus, it's American Eagle, which means totally affordable. The faux snakeskin Guess vest is a little flashy, but I love flash, and the double layer styling looks neat compared to your standard vest. I really dig the long slouchy shape of the linen vest, and it would be perfect for pairing with some sparkly jewelry and denim for a date with boyfriend when it warms up.

Romper Room?

This romper might be the closest thing to what I like that I've seen yet:


photo via tobi.com

I really like the pleating, and I know I said I didn't want black, but this comes in a really amazing Aqua Marine color.

I recently joined Gilt, and found this Black Halo romper on it for 88 dollars! I think they only have size 2 and 0 left though. Alas, I'm still holding out for the perfect romper.

The Old Man is Snoring

I'm not going to lie to you. This is what I look like on rainy days:




Columbia jacket, Sperry wellies, and misery painted on my face. I don't like rain gear, but I don't like being drenched even more. The thing that did it for me was walking around in pants soaked up to my knees last year. I wanted to do without that. So I bought the wellies this summer and they serve their purpose. I do sort of wish I was more colorful, but honestly I'm really just glad that I'm dry. I also prefer the sporty type of rain coat because of the more protective hood and quick dry fabric that isn't rubbery thus making me sweat profusely. If I were to do it again, except not on the budget that I actually have, I would love these:


photo via zappos.com

Hunter boots, duh. I actually had hunter boots over the summer, I purchased them from zappos, and it was a fail. Maybe they'd fit my skinner calves now.


photo via altrec.com

Another Columbia jacket, because I like the design, but snazzier. I love the colors and the pattern. Pretty sweet

Now, here's the thing. I haven't yet caved as far as umbrellas go. I don't like them, I don't want to carry one. However, after walking to my saxophone lesson across campus today and arriving with legs soaked from the tops of my wellies to the seam of my rain jacket, I wondered if an umbrella might not be so bad. So I was off to umbrellas.net.

I loved the vintage section best, especially these plaid and tartan versions. And I loved the totally awesome handle of the green one.




photos via umbrellas.net

Still, these are way expensive, and clash with my already pretty bright color pallet. I do like the simplicity and functionality of the Davek umbrellas, but it's not like I can afford those either.

How do you stylishly (or, not so much so), stay dry on rainy days?

Dream Rolls and Green Tea

American Eagle Outfitter's skinny cords. Express cardigan. Mandee top. Wet Seal booties.

Went to Ping's with the girls and JR tonight for dinner. I was in my pajamas all day before this (slept until 11...was generally unproductive...) and I decided to look cute. I like the mix of greys in the outfit interlaced with some browns. Everything's neutral but put together I think it's subtle but interesting.

Curly hair! Since I didn't blow dry my naturally curly locks last night. I actually quite liked the change of pace.

(You Drive Me) Crazy.

Oh the sales, the sales, the salessalessalessales! My fingers itch to perform their deft dance of unsnapping my soccer mom wallet and pulling out my shiny white debit card. Swipe! Sign! Own! Oh sales, how you always come around when my funds are down.

Inadvertently led to shockboutique.com today. Inadvertently led to many many items under $30 that I want to own. Oh the agony. But I thought of a rather fab outfit while drooling over these two pieces.



First off, this screams Wolverine to me, and that's why I love it. In my mind I always want to be more of a badass than I actually am. Maybe this will make me look like one.



I love acid washed denim, and I always have. I like how it makes a traditional denim shirt look far more cute and cool. I think it would be perfect layered under the above jacket.


photos via shockboutique.com

I like the idea of these black studded leggings for the outfit, but I'd probably just pair them with the black skinny jeans I already own.

For the finishing touch, this outfit needs some good black boots. I think the standard go to boot for a rougher style like this would be some flat motorcycle boots, but I personally want to add in something a little more sexy. Preferably these:

photo via aldoshoes.com

P.S. These are one sale for 120 dollars online, and they're only left in sizes 10 and 11 if you're interested. How sad for size 8s like me.

They call me the genre spanner.

Maybe I don't span the genres like Howard Moon, I always fancied myself more of a Vince Noir, but I do span genres in fashion. Mostly because I don't really know how to pinpoint what "genre" my style is. People use words like "vintage" and "retro" and "edgy" and "glam" and...I just wear what I like. That suits me fine.

One fashion genre that I've just never ventured into before is the area of bag lady chic. Olsen twins, I'm looking at you. Yes, they're still the twins to me, I grew up watching their sing along videos at sleepovers okay! They wore matchy matchy clothes! And solved mysteries in little paperback books! I felt as if I KNEW them. Needless to say, I don't anymore. (P.S. always identified with Ashley more).

I digress. So, not too much venturing into the oversized, super layered, crazy prints world for me. It's just not my thing. But this is where things get blurry. I was visiting the ModLife Blog because yes, I am a Modcloth addict and have a wishlist a mile and a half long, and one of the writers posted about this spread. I was perusing it. I liked the photography and the styling as a whole, but it wasn't inspiring. But then I zeroed in on this photo:


photo via fashiongonerogue.com

The carpet bag on the ground by her feet. A carpet bag, with literal carpet, but yet...I was falling in love. So quickly. So then I enlarged the picture to find out the bag was made by Carmina Campus, went straight to their website, found out it was a Disarmy bag, found out that said bags are made out of recycled materials (awesome!)...found out that they're way out of my price range.

Sigh.

And here I was imagining how chic and unexpected I would look on campus carrying around such a bag with my books in it, while the masses lugged about their generic, not terribly aesthetically pleasing Longchamp bags (or fake ones). Well, it's still a really pleasing visual.

Cold As Ice.

Freezing rain on a Friday. Grey skies, wet sidewalks, iced over cars, slippery steps. It's bringing me down man. I also feel the need to say "man" after everything because my brother posted a favorite clip of ours from "The Big Lebowski" on my facebook wall. "Listen man, I had a rough day and I hate the f*@%#$& Eagles!" I love the Dude.

Anyway, back to topic. You know, the never ending glumness of winter. Today I decided to dress in the pallet of the landscape. That actually wasn't the plan, it just happened that way.




American Eagle Outfitters skinny jeans. Charlotte Russe ring. Gifted bracelet and earrings. Fossil watch. Vintage necklace. BCBG Max Azaria vest. Jessica Simpson boots.

I felt like, when I put on these clothes, it needed ice. I love an outfit that's simple and standard that's dripping with diamond accessories. Like, if I had tons of diamond jewelry, I would pile it on while just wearing a white tank and a good pair of skinny flares and Havianas, and I would feel like a princess. Unfortunately, the only real ice in this outfit are the diamonds in my ears, a graduation present from my parents. So i went with this vintage necklace instead. This is one of my favorites. I bought it at a flea market in Cape Cod this past summer from a woman who had loads of vintage costume jewelry, especially 40s era pieces like this one. I wear it with a lot of different things because I can't get enough of it.

This vest...I never know how to feel about it. Every time I put it on, I ask the same questions. Do the big buttons make me look like a clown? Does the trapeze cut make me look pregnant? But I guess I always decide it's at least acceptable and I wear it. I'm a fan of sweater vests like this because I hate actual sweaters for the most part, but I also have a tendency to feel quite cold. It's a bit of a compromise.

Where are You Summer?

Confession: You will not see an outfit of mine today, and you did not see one yesterday, because I am in a rut. A rut brought on by the cold. In case I haven't mentioned this before, I'm sure I have, I HATE THE COLD. And now it's getting bitter and windy and blahhhhhh I can't take it. So I pull on jeans and a cute but not well thought out top of some kind that will cover my arms. Oh, and there have been ponytails and bad hair days. Alas.

I am quite ready for the summer to return, right now would be ideal. A lot of people like Spring and I suppose I like it in the sense that's it's not winter, but transitional seasons don't really please me, just like transitions in general. They're not my thing.

So it's a good thing that all I want right now is clothes for my summer wardrobe, because that means I won't be tempted to spend any of my quarantined "cash money" as boyfriend says. Some things I want for this summer:


picture via fashiongonerouge.com

This entire look. Sparkly short shorts? Yes. Long hair with surfer waves? Yes. Clothes in various shades of glowy neutrals? Yes. Those shoes? Um, yes.


photo via victoriassecret.com
photos via revolveclothing.com

I always peruse Victoria's Bikinis when I long for summer. I can't really tell you that it does anything to quell my longing, but it can inspire me to work out extra hard that day. My bikini last summer was black and I loved it but it's too big now, so I was eyeing up this one as its replacement. Not one for cutesy details, I actually really like the swirly hearts, and my favorite part is the strappyness of the halter top. Maybe my tan lines will be a little funny but lets be honest, I don't exactly bronze.

And lastly, for now. Rompers.

Or Jumpers, Jumpsuits, whatever you want to call them. I was against them because I thought they'd be unflattering, I have a long torso and a healthy butt that I was sure would ruin the fit of the garment. Until I found one on sale at a random outlet shop, tried it on, and ended up snapping it up because it was so adorable. You'll see that in the summer months. But mine is a tube top one, and I was hoping to find one with a sort of drapey tank top shape. This is hard.





Searching the web today, these are the two options I found that I liked better than the rest, but still do not fit my criteria. See, I'm picky about how my rompers should be.

The top one is Juicy Couture and while I'm sure the velour is lush and soft and it looks very cute, I'm not sure what temperature I will be wearing a tank top and pants in (I find layering rompers to be a difficult task), and it's black. The second one is Madison Marcus, and it's also black. I like the pajama-like details, except I don't want to look like I left the house in my pajamas, and it's 100% silk. This is not exactly practical for a messy eating college girl. And I really didn't want black!

I'm going to continue looking for my cotton, drapey, tank top, not black, shorts romper. This is also probably post part one of a million of "Where are You Summer?" Fair warning.

Laundry Day

I liked my outfit today, and I have plenty of clothes that are clean so I don't need to do a load of laundry just yet, but I have run out of photo shoot places in the proper vicinity, and it was dreary and cold and sort of sprinkly today. Well then, to a laundry room!






American Eagle Outfitters skinny cords and flannel. Joyce Leslie wool vest. Wet Seal Necklace. Favorite Jessica Simpson boots.

The lighting was not great and neither was my hair (woke up too late to make it pretty before my classes) and neither was my face, apparently. So here are just some gooftastic shots of me. There are several old motels that were converted into off campus housing, and these pictures are taken in what was once a motel office which now holds laundry machines. You see me laying on the long motel desk, hiding in the cabinet beneath said desk, and talking to imaginary people on an abandoned corded phone.

Side note: I love corded phones. We have one in the kitchen at my house that has been there my entire life (even though we've lived in two different houses). When the power goes out it's the only phone that works and it's still my favorite thing in the whole world to talk on, even though you can't go far.