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9/28/15

one of those weeks..

The last week has not been great for me. I got sick in May, and by the end of June I was feeling much better. I thought that I was back to 100%, but the last two weeks have kind of slapped me back and been like, Ha yeah, not quite. I've had to drop a few classes, and because I had no flexibility left in my classes on my course to graduation, I ended up having to push my graduation date back a whole year. For two classes. Sucks. Trying to look at the silver lining, though, is that 1) I'm not going to kill myself from stress now, 2) I might actually get to study abroad next fall!! I'm so excited. It's all I've wanted to do since I came to college. But much more about that later.

Another thing that happened yesterday that made my bad week not quite as bad is that I got a call from a clothing store in town about coming in for an interview. I had applied there like over two months ago. I had applied at a lot of places, but sometimes people take forever to call back. Whatever. I ended up taking a job at a sandwich shop and I hate it. For many reasons. So I was really excited that I got this call. I have an interview on Tuesday. Fingers crossed it goes well, and I can quit the hellhole that is my current place of work.

So trying to take my mind off of my current woes, I've started dreaming up some cute outfits to wear to my maybe-soon-to-be new job. And then I realized, hey. Polyvore. So I put them together so I could actually look at them with my eyes instead of with just my thoughts.

work3
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Obviously I can totally afford all of these clothes :)


*Also, when I worked at the Limited last year, they had some fairly rigid rules on what you can and can't wear. If you aren't wearing head-to-toe Limited brand (excluding shoes and accessories), then you can only wear solid black and white pieces. No gray. No black and white stripes. Each article of clothing has to be a solid color, and it has to be black or white. Also, if you are not wearing "dress" pants of some sort (like if you are wearing jeans), then you have to be wearing a blazer too.

So I have no idea the dress code for other stores, but I'm thinking in terms of somewhere close-ish to what the Limited had (hopefully more fun and flexible though).

9/17/15

absence

I haven't been on here in awhile.

Actually I feel like 50% of the posts I've written over the last year or two have been some variation of "Why I haven't been blogging lately".

The main reason is because I don't like taking photos of myself. And I feel like there's only so much I can write about fashion without actually...showing some of my own ideas as well. I mean, I don't know about you, but almost all the fashion blogs I read include photos of the blogger wearing, in their own way, all the fashion they like to talk about. And since my blog is completely lacking that element...I start to get uninterested in writing about stuff. Or more specifically, I start to think people get uninterested in reading this blog.

6/10/15

The "second wardrobe"

"Do what you can
with what you have
where you are."
(Theodore Roosevelt)

I've been really into reading blogs about minimalist fashion and capsule wardrobes. (The first one I came across and really enjoyed was this one.) I've started to notice that people tend to treat their entire wardrobe, every article of clothing that they have, as if it were two separate wardrobes.

One that goes on the blog.
One that goes to the gym and/or the bed.

I find this fascinating, because I don't think I've ever done that. Stacy and Clinton from What Not to Wear would be horrified to learn that I wear the same clothes to class, to the grocery store, to work out in, to sleep in, to go shopping in (they do get washed in between, so... yeah)...

I do have a few items that stay strictly in certain wardrobe "zones": obviously I don't wear my jeans to work out, and I have a few t-shirts that are only worn for sleeping.

It's definitely good to have clothes that can work in multiple ways and in multiple parts of your life, but when ALL your clothes can...well, it gets very boring.

Although I still love reading fashion blogs and even writing on this one, the act of getting dressed in the morning has become just something I have to do. It's not exciting.

And I want to change that; I want to look forward to picking out my outfits every day. Unfortunately, it seems like it's not something I can do right now. Partly because I don't have a lot of money (thanks, school) and therefore cannot buy any new clothes; and I can't reach back to some of my older clothes that I still love because they don't fit. I got sick this spring and one of the medicines I take from that is a steroid. Look, I don't know if you have ever had experience with these devil pills, but they make it really hard to not gain weight. They just make you want to eat. It's not a physical urge; you don't feel hungrier than before. It's a mental urge, just constantly feeling like eating, but not actually needing to but then still doing it anyway.

Anyways, all this has led me to a fashion standstill, one that consists mainly of leggings, sometimes jeans, graphic tees, and flip flops. Seriously, not the ugliest outfits you might see, but definitely some of the most boring you will see. Total snooze-fest.

So here is where I'm asking for help.

Has anyone experienced this before? Been stuck with a mundane wardrobe due to random circumstances that aren't changeable at that moment? How did you get yourself out of that rut while spending minimal to no money?

I think, if I had some extra money and I was not up in (hopefully temporary) weight, this would be a fantastic opportunity for me to really examine my lifestyle and how I want my clothes to work with it, not to mention being able to play around with my style and start to figure out what style, etc that I love not just in magazines or on Pinterest or on other blogs but on my body.

Sadly, this is not the case right now. Which just gives me an even bigger challenge. And that's okay. I think fashion wouldn't be as interesting and entertaining to me if it were easy. Having lots of money, buying whatever I want, looking good while wearing anything...they're dreams we have that could result in an end product that might not be so...enjoyable. It sounds backwards, and maybe I'm wrong, but to me, anything I accomplish is much more satisfying if I had to put at least some thought and work into it. I think, for me, fashion is not an exception to this.

But still, I could use your help/advice/wisdom/experience if you'd like to give it.

6/5/15

Blast from the past, part I: When the 90s go bad

Last week my mom brought over a big cardboard Xerox box filled to the brim with old photos that she asked me to scan to my computer. Now, so far, all these photos were taken AT LEAST ten years ago, although many of them are 20-25 years old. Like, I wasn't even born yet it some of them. But the great thing about going through 5000 old family photos is getting to see the fashion from that time period. And not the fashion that old magazines or old tv shows present; fashion that YOU YOURSELF wore. In real life. In public. Around other people. With eyes. 

The horror.

The wonderful, hilarious, ridiculous horror.

Shall we begin?

Thug life.
(Spring 1990)


6/3/15

Summer whiteout

"I know white clothing is supposed to enhance that summer glow, but writers don't tan."
(Diablo Cody)

The only time I ever wear an all-one-color outfit is if that color is BLACK. I like black clothes. A lot. But in the summer time, when it's 104 degrees out with 70% humidity (thanks Kansas), wearing all black just looks (and feels) a little...heavy. So why not try switching it up and going all WHITE? I mean, white is just as inoffensive as black, and despite what people say, I think wearing all white works with any skin tone, regardless of its paleness (or lack thereof).

But wearing all white can start to drift into bridal territory, so to curb that I'm-getting-married-today vibe, go full color with the accessories, and keep the hair slightly messy and undone (or whatever is the opposite of how you would style your hair on your wedding day).

Here's some ideas to copy inspiration for going all white this summer:


1.  A simple sleeveless t-shirt dress...

T by Alexander Wang


2.  Pleats 'n whatnot...

darkvictory.co.kr


3.  A sweater for cooler days (does that even happen in the summer? somebody come kidnap me out of this state)...

photo


One issue that comes up a lot when trying to wear an all-one-color look is that if there are separate pieces, especially by different brands, then the colors might not "match"; this can make, in the case of all white, one of the pieces look a beautiful bright white while the other sits there like a dingy mess (even if it isn't actually a dingy mess).

I think the best (or at least, the easiest) way to remedy this is by mixing up the textures and materials of each piece. For example,

4.  Wearing a cotton button-up on top and a lace pencil skirt on the bottom...

photo


So are you into this look? Or is it just a bit too...well, white...for you?

All maxed out

The maxi skirt certainly isn't a new or unusual trend; like skinny jeans, when the style popped up I was not a fan, but after years of it continuing to be a style du jour, it began to grow on me until I finally caved and bought my own maxi dress. No regrets.

It may seem counter-intuitive, breaking out the longest skirt you own right when temperatures start to rise and everyone is stripping off their winter layers, but there's something indescribable about the feeling of the easy-breeziness of (most) maxi skirts while not having to worry about flashing your undergarments (or worse) (which I consider the one and only negative of mini skirts).

No matter where you are or what occasion you're wearing it for, there's a maxi skirt out there for everyone.
 

1.  Go casual with jersey knit and a t-shirt style top...
 
shopbop.com

6/2/15

Hello, goodbye: back to blogging, closet cleanout

Well it's certainly been quite a long time since I've posted on here.

One reason is because the last eight-ish months have been...eventful, to say the least.

But I think the main reason is because I struggle - struggle with doing one thing consistently and indefinitely. Even things that I truly enjoy. It's not just fashion and blogging; it happens with crochet, guitar, writing, yoga, diets, and planning for the future. (No big deal on that last one, right?)

But I am back and I am delighted.

Whenever I read others' blogs, if they take some kind of hiatus (or something about the blogging suddenly changes), I'm always curious as to what is happening in their life that caused the shift. So when they explain it, even if it's just an overview, I think it's a really great way to connect with people reading the blog on a more personal level (as in Hey! I'm a whole person, not just a fashion blogger! I have other parts of life that are important to me and I want you to get to know this side of me as well!). So that's what I'm going to do.

The very eventful last 8 months year has consisted of: