pink kisser

to be quite honest, when i started hearing talk of the onslaught of color this season, i got a little bit scared. i live in neutrals. nearly all of my closet is made up of olives, navies, blacks, browns and grays. i like to take risks by layering them together. unless you count the red on my fingernails and lips, i don't do color. (well, not since my elle woods phase my freshman year of college, anyway, which may have created my current fear of color. there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. my freshman dorm room is a key example.) the spring 2012 runways reminded me of skipper's spandexed teen-girl wardrobe back in the day. too much neon. something about it seemed so eighties. so third grade. so unsophisticated. but then, on my way home from a spring trends lecture at neiman marcus in february, i bought a hot pink and orange cropped top (not at neiman marcus, mind you). i wore it the next day, and i felt kind of awesome. then i got a mint green manicure. then i bought a neon yellow button down. slowly but surely, color started to find its way into my wardrobe. and i have to admit, while i still generally prefer to mix it with a tamer piece, i really like it. i don't feel young or unsophisticated. in fact, i feel fresh and feminine and cool.

all of this color has certainly inspired my make-up routine as well. i've always been stumped on how to make my beloved bold lipstick work for the spring and summer months. until about two weeks ago when i was suddenly wildly inspired by bold, pink lips. i bought a couple of cheap tubes last weekend just to try out the look, and i have to say, it's kind of fabulous. i generally gravitate toward more orange-toned hues, but the pink was actually surprisingly flattering on my fair skin. i totally love it.

so the moral of the story here? sometimes trends that are intimidating are actually really fun to ease into. lipstick is probably about the most non-committal way to ease into color, but, hey. i'm trying here, people.

1.kate spade image credit via emily 2.image credit 3.image credit

welcome to fall. now, let's play dress-up.

it's officially fall as of 5:04am today! happy happy happy day! the solstice, cooler temps and the leaves may be right on time, but i'm still a little behind on my fall home decorating and supplementing my wardrobe. my kitchen table is scattered with my box of fall decor and my closet is still full of summer. as i'm still unemployed (gah), my list of things-to-buy for autumn is pretty abbreviated. i honestly have a pretty huge selection of fall goodness stuffed in the back of my closet already, so i really only need a few fun updates to be right on target. here are my top ten must-haves in no particular order:

1. cable knee (preferably over-the-knee) socks in ivory, brown and gray: i love this look and rocked it yesterday, actually, with my one pair of not-very-cool tall socks. i definitely want to make it a more regular occurence. it's surprisingly flattering.

2. sage/olive green textured tights: i'm not personally in to the bright HI I'M WEARING COLORED TIGHTS! look. this, instead, is subtle and extremely cool.

3. mustard a-line skirt: i haven't been able to find a reasonable skirt that fits my specifications, which means that i will probably be sewing one very soon. unfortunately it will not have these pretty modcloth pleats, but it will still look excellent with virtually my entire fall wardrobe.

4. neutral booties: we all know how this search is going. not well.

5. black cigarette pants: forever 21 used to have the best fitting pair for like $12. where did they go!? i also want a few pairs of the minnie pant, or a similar (cheaper) replacement.

6. target striped shirt: every time i've been to target lately, i've picked up this shirt. i don't need another striped shirt. i have no job. but lordy if i don't want it. i love the color and the little gold sprinkle of sequins on the shoulders hints that you've just been to a fabulous party with lots of confetti. i see a lot of great outfit options here, many of which include a skinny belt. 

7. long black winter gloves: this summer, i bought two coats at the goodwill. one, a fantastic vintage black swing coat with tortoiseshell buttons and a mink collar. the second, an eggplant-colored car coat with a faux fur collar and black jeweled buttons. both need an excellent pair of black elbow-length winter gloves.

8. tribal-inspired bone necklace: love this one from la garconne, but, you know. it's $246. no, thank you. i will find a cheaper one sooner or later.

9. red trousers: i find it interesting that i like these pants so much. i don't really do a lot of bright colors and i don't really love red anywhere but my lips or my fingernails. but every time i walk by express lately, i stop to admire these trousers. i want to wear them with a wrinkled white button down, some major leopard pumps, a whole mess of gold bracelets and some bold black liquid eyeliner.

10. navy checked button down shirt: this kills me. in college, i had this shirt. but then i got rid of it. this is why i don't clean out my closet. because i always end up wanting things again. i will continue to scour the goodwill racks until i find a sufficient replacement. it will look super tucked in with my skinnys, some over-the-knee boots and aforementioned socks, a wide belt and a bunch of messy chunky jewelry.

in addition to what i want, i have already acquired and/or rediscovered quite a few things that have strongly influenced my fall outfit plans. you're dying to know, right? i know.

1. slouchy gray cardigans: i have two. they resemble the one above and literally go with everything, including my pajamas.

2. poncho: is it a sweater? is it a blanket? who's to say? i've decided that these are cool again. i have two, neither of which i have worn yet, and one of which i plan to dye a cool color. i love them and their slouchy-ness. i'm also seriously considering picking this ruana (which i lump in the poncho category) up at target.

3. feather earrings: honestly, i think the feather hair extensions are getting a bit out of control. every other eight year old has a pink or a blue one; and for those of us that are on the job hunt, somehow a feather just doesn't really say "hi, i'm a professional".  unless you are interviewing for a job as pocahontas, in which case i highly recommend the poncho as well. the solution? feather earrings. they aren't permanent and somehow i like them better. i picked up two very subtle, yet very cool pairs at the mighty dollar this past weekend. meaning each pair only cost $1. i have already gotten my money's worth out of them and i am just getting started.

4. oatmeal suede over-the-knee boots: these have already received their own blog post, and i think it's clear how much i love them. lucky's fall shoe guide also said stacked heel boots are in. holler.

5. stacked bracelets: my bracelets lately have been out. of. control. i used to be a jewelry minimalist aside from my giant men's watch, but lately, the more of everything the better. i'm pretty sure this is a man-repeller trend, as at least four that i can think of have ridiculed my bangled wrists within the last month, but i love them and i can't stop buying or layering.

6. cross-body bags: a few months ago, my friend ashley saw that i was scoping out the vintage coach bags while antique shopping, was kind enough to acquire her mom's old coach bags that were no longer wanted, and gave me an excellent navy willis bag (above) with a cross-body strap. i was instantly in love and then even more so when i discovered that the exact same bag had recently been re-released with coach's classics collection. i'm so fortunate to have such thoughtful, stylish friends with stylish mothers who like to keep their coach collection up to date. i've also recently discovered that two of my more slouchy shoulder bags can easily be converted to cross-body. i love it when that happens.

and, finally, the onset of cooler temperatures makes me excited to wear make-up and style my hair again. it hasn't been too pretty this summer, but i'm really excited about some of my current beauty obsessions and i think they're definitely shaping my overall fall look...

1. liquid eyeliner: ive been wanting to try this ever since i saw these models in the banana republic mad men collection, but i'll admit, i was scared. i'd never used liquid. that is, until blair demonstrated how awesome and easy it really is. i grabbed a $1 elf tube at target for practice and i am completely hooked. i thought a bold black line might look harsh on my fair features, but my eyes have never looked so bright or defined. i'm completely hooked and i can't wait to check out some other colors.

2. red and gray nails: in the past, i've been a neutral nail gal, but lately i'm really loving reds, deep purpley reds and most recently, gray nails. i always swore i'd never wear anything that wasn't in the pink or red family, but lacey bought me a bottle and gray is actually really cool, sophisticated and surprisingly flattering on my skin tone.

3. dark lipstick (deep red and plum): again, aside from dance recitals, i've always shied away from bold lips, scared that i would look overdone or, worse, like a character from twilight. and again, i was wrong. i can't stop wearing deep red and a dark, brownish-plum color. they brighten up my entire face and i can minimalize the rest of my make-up, therefore streamlining the process and saving precious minutes. i'm also surprised at how sophisticated and pretty i feel with such dark lips.

4. hot rollers: remember when i hot rolled my hair in the eighth grade for school pictures? oh, wait. you wouldn't remember that because i've hidden every possible photo in hopes that no one would see my out-of-control tresses or my sunflower jumper. back then, before i discovered a blow dryer and smoothing creme, it was not cute. but i have lately rediscovered my same set of rollers from the eighth grade and am loving it. my hair holds the curl well, preventing me from having to wash it for days on end, and it's just the perfect amount of undone tousle that no longer resembles the contestants on toddlers in tiaras.

i think the best part about the cooler months for me is feeling inspired again. it is so much fun to play with my clothes, make-up and hair and actually feel pretty when i leave the house; which is something that never happens in the summer when i'm sweaty, stinky, and generally angry. reading blogs, magazines and observing stylish women pushes me to try new things and take a step out of my comfort zone, which is something that i never used to do when i was less confident prior to my twenties. i love that my look is constantly evolving and that taking risks beauty and fashion-wise often gives me more confidence and opens the door to new things that i had no idea i'd like so much. it's fun being surprised like that and of course, it's fun finding a look that is my own and staying true to what makes me feel wonderful. now, go buy something new for yourself and celebrate fall!

images: 1.weheartit 2.threadsence 3.peruvianconnection 4.modcloth 5.target 6.lagarconne 7.express 8.jcrew 9.kendieveryday 10.smartset 11.carolinesmode 12.threadsence 13.atlantic-pacific 14.coach
15.sea-change 16.google 17.pinterest 18.brooklynblonde

bootie bootie bootie bootie rocking everywhere

apparently finding the perfect neutral fall bootie is harder than it sounds. ive done laps at the mall. been to every tjmaxx in the area. surfed every website i can think of. tried on every "it's sort of what i'm looking for, but not quite" bootie i've found. with no luck. the cole haan boot pictured above is the goal. unfortunately cole haan does not really price booties in the affordable range. here are the criteria:

1. must be somewhere in the mid-brown to greige/nude color family.
2. must not have an insanely high heel. but also not a short heel. because booties suddenly become very awkward looking when the heel is too short.
3. must be funky enough to wear with cool dresses and skinny jeans on the weekend, but equally sophisticated enough to wear with a pencil skirt and blouse to the office (when i someday actually have one to go to). i've had no trouble finding cool funky booties. it's the more sleek, professional element that is difficult.
4. the toe of said bootie must not be too round. anything rounder than an almond toe looks extremely strange. also stacked platform toes look strange. case in point? these target booties. they look so weird on my feet. i'm also not too excited about the idea of peep-toes.
5. the height of the boot must be flattering. my black booties surprisingly, though they hit right above my ankle bone, look awesome with bare legs and i would like my new bootie to do the same. 
6. i'm almost 100% sure that laces are not what i'm going for. i understand and respect the grandma bootie/oxford bootie, but it's not really what i'm looking for. a zipper, however, is acceptable.
7. must be approximately $50 or less.

okay so, um, perhaps i'm a little picky. i'll admit it. you have to be picky when you're cheap. there are plenty of $150-and-up options that are awesome. it's the lower price ranges that are the most difficult. i tend to wear shoes out pretty quickly, so i try not to spend a fortune on them. this style is a little too trendy and not classic enough to splurge on. im also blown away at how many red and blue booties there are in the world. seriously? you'd think some fairly basic neutral booties wouldn't be that hard to find in comparison. and so the hunt continues. here are a few maybes:

the forever 21 suedette ankle boots. i feel like while these meet the price and color requirements, something about them looks odd. they look too oblong, maybe? or the heel is too short? would my feet look ginormous in these? i actually tried on a wedge pair of booties at forever 21 last weekend and i loved them, but they didn't have my size and they are not online. frustrating.

the gap leather ankle boots. i think these are gorgeous. they are a little higher up on the ankle than i would prefer, so i'm not sure how they would look with bare legs, but i think they could work. if gap decides to pull a banana republic and send me a 40% off coupon, these would then be in the correct price range and i may order them to check it out.

the nine west francesca bootie. love everything about these. except that my former nine west boots fell apart in less than one season and these just slightly exceed my price range.

the steve madden p-zesst ankle boots. i think the name of these is half the reason i like them. these are a pretty strong contender at the moment. i love the chunky-ness and think that would incidentally slim my leg a bit. i'm just slightly unsure about the color - are they almost too neutral?


and, a few thoughts to close this post:
1. what in the world is a shootie? and how does it compare to a bootie? because they look exactly the same to me.

2. there are a lot of really ugly shoes in the world. like these. what the hell?

3. when i am employed again and when they go on sale, i also really want these for weekends. aren't they they cutest? i'm obsessed.


so what are you thinking? what of my criteria (besides the general price range) should be most important?  i would love advice and input (or other suggestions) as i work toward this (obviously) very important fashion decision!

vive le tour

you can currently find me (until july 24th) glued to my television (or the television at the gym or my parents' house, as i don't get the channel) watching le tour de france. it's probably my favorite sporting event next to the march madness and the olympics. it's exhilarating, interesting and seriously awesome. and, it's an excellent workout motivator. if you're not watching it, you should be. despite recent doping scandals, i still think that the riders are some of the strongest athletes in the world. and a number of them are pretty cute, too. let's discuss christian vande velde, tyler ferrar, and mark cavendish. cute? cute. okay, then.

anyway, before i start boring you with talk of pelotons and sprinters and climbs, let's just get down to the important things. besides being an awesome workout, bikes are cute and trendy. they look cute and trendy on things. we look cute and trendy riding them. just visit pinterest and search "bike" and you'll see what i mean. in honor of le tour, let's celebrate and "put a bike on it"...

i have added these paper source glasses to my birthday list. who doesn't want to sip out of these?

a great play on the famous keep calm poster. blair and josh, i think you guys need this in your bonus room.

all the cool babies are wearing them.

 

it's like the cool girl's version of the cyclist's musette bag. and it comes in three colors.

i like this print very much. get an old book. stencil a bike on a page. put that page in a frame. i think i could accomplish this craft project for less than $5. you could also find a few different bike stencils and do a little collection of prints. cute in a boy's room, a powder room or, heck, your living room.

so fabulous you almost don't want to wipe your feet on it.

the modcloth spoke so sweet dress, which if you can't tell, is covered in tiny black bicycles. be still my heart.

if i had a boyfriend, he would have these cufflinks. love them.

i could go on and on and on, but i'll stop there for now. i'll leave you to go ride your bike. or watch le tour. or buy cute things with bikes on them. also, if you're really in to cycling, you need some of the cool vintage team/riders/ad merchandise from velo-retro. i stumbled across it recently and it is very, very cool. 

goal for the near future: find and buy a cool bike stamp/stencil and craft up some bike goodies.
goal for the not-as-near-but-hopefully-still-somewhat-near future: get a road bike and actually ride on the road, and not in a spin class. it gets a little old. although, if they were to stream tour coverage, i could maybe be a little more excited about it.

vive le tour et allez andy schleck!

images: 1.google 2.paper source 3-6.etsy 7-8.modcloth 9.etsy
*each individual item linked in text beneath photo*

cropped is cool again

today after an early morning appointment with my very cute (and very married) doctor, i took a little trip to sbucks for some iced coffee and a little paper-reading. i like thursdays because the new york times' style section is awesome, albeit a bit pretentious. after reading about karl lagerfeld and men's newfound love for watches of all kinds (apparently they weren't cool for a minute), an article about cropped tops caught my eye. i've been noticing them popping up lately in places like urban and nordstrom's junior department and i have to say, i'm kind of a fan of the trend. especially since "crop top" no longer means the 80's-era belly shirt or the 90's-era cher horowitz look. the more modern crop tops are boxy and only cropped to the naval or so, but apparently anywhere up to the bra is fair game (no thank you). also, apparently men can wear them, too (super double no thank you. let's stick to watches, guys.).

unfortunately, i think this look is decidedly less flattering than more recently stylish long tops, but thankfully the boxy cuts are still pretty friendly, especially since there are quite a few ways to wear them, even if you're not in to baring your midriff...

 

i think when worn with modest, tailored pieces, a little midriff isn't a bad thing. although i still wouldn't be wearing this to the office, i'd wear it just about anywhere else.  

 

i looove this outfit. it still looks completely modern and mature even though a tiny bit of flesh is showing. again, not appropriate in some arenas, but very, very cool in others. my favorite outfit of the post. 

 

i've actually already tried this look recently. lindsey inspires me with her tied up button-downs and so i made it work with a crazy skirt and some platform espadrilles. a bit edgier than i usually go, but i think i really liked it. i've been trying to push my comfort zone lately. with higher-waisted things especially, i think this look can be super cool and super flattering. 

 

as far as cropped tops and the office goes, i love the idea of wearing a slouchy, more modern shirt with a high-waisted pencil skirt and some sophisticated jewelry/shoes. i hesitated to post this photo as the model is about as anorexic as they come and the skirt is shorter than i'd ever wear to work, but i couldn't find another example of the look that i liked. please disregard the scary frame of a girl and the somewhat office inappropriate elements of this particular outfit. the figure-enhancing tucked-in look is sort of achieved without all the bulk and headache of actually tucking something in. 

more appropriate work looks. these shorts are so ugly i want to cry, but you get the idea. a high-waisted pair of pants and you're good to go. i also really like the way the crop on this blouse is tapered. you still get some butt coverage while mastering the look. 

and if you're looking for a more modest cropped look...

 

layer with slim-fitting pieces. a super awesome look for fall/winter. i feel like a small frame looks less like she's been swallowed whole by slouchy layers when a lighter colored crop is layered over everything. suddenly she has a shape again. i want this exact outfit. 

 

layer a crop top with a slim fitting dress or high-waisted maxi skirt (pictured at beginning of post). i saw a similar look at nordstrom on a mannequin and i was hooked. also, if you have something that's a little lower rise, just layer a longer shirt under the cropped top. voila. in my book, layers will always be cool.

and, finally, if you want something a little less trendy and a little more classic, go for a french gamine look. always pretty and always in style.

so while i'm getting busy chopping the bottoms off my lesser-worn long shirts, what are your thoughts? is cropped cool again?

images: 1.sterlingstyle 2.damstyle 3.tumblr via pinterest 4.refinery29 5.johnnytheclown 6.urbanoutfitters 7.jeanasohn 8.freepeople 9.mystylepill