forever 21 round-up

What do you say we kick this week off with my personal favorite find, the Rag & Bone sweater of Pinterest dreams that Forever 21 chose to recreate for only $30?  

Told ya.  That is good stuff right there, and they continued to kill it with the basics the past two weeks.  Read on for great white blouses, a perfect red shift dress, and some really cute wedges.  

snapshots & selfies

left: dress & wedges - target  right: dress - isabella oliver, clogs - old navy

left: jacket - forever21, old, dress - target, sandals - sam edelman

right: jacket - j crew factory, dress - old navy, sandals - forever 21, old

dress - sonnet james, scarf & hat - forever 21, old, espadrilles - soludos, old

So at this point, the question is: could I wear more stripes?  My iPhone says I may want to take it down a notch.  

effortless: calling for, requiring, or showing little to no effort

You know what irritates me? I am not one of those spontaneously stylish people who wears piles of jewelry just because they feel like it. I buy it, love it, hang it up in a pretty places and admire it, but almost never wear it. No jewelry in these pictures. Zilch. Probably hasn't been for the last 10 posts. And because I absolutely can't stand to sleep in jewelry I don't really have any "signature" pieces or anything that I never take off. Apparently effortlessness isn't very me.

Another non-effortless thing I do: I totally lay out my outfits the night before, because if I don't I'm almost ALWAYS late. Maybe I should start laying out the jewelry too hmmmm...

Basically, I put a lot of work into looking like I didn't try very hard, which is a ridiculous oxymoron. Soon I'll be having to PRACTICE doing that ultra-cool thing where you just wear your jacket sitting on your shoulders...

wearing: cape-asos, dress&sweater-forever21, tights-commando, boots-gojane

gatsby dog-blogger's own

"Maybe if they all could be combined - art, rock and fashion. Those were always my favorite things."-Stephen Sprouse

A leaf fluttered in through the window this morning, as if supported by the rays of the sun.

I know my boyfriend hates the time I've got him waking up, but it's hard to deny that there's any other time of day that better suits capturing a beautiful image. I may hate the darkness that begins at just 5 pm, but I don't hate the bright, glittery sunlight that comes in the window so much earlier that it did before. It certainly beats being woken up by a buzzing alarm clock.

Today we have one of those fantastic Sundays where there's really nothing we NEED to do. Sure I have laundry going, and we'll probably take the dogs on a walk later, but other than that it's likely that I'll fill my day with coffee, reading blogs, and catching up on my DVR.

wearing: flare jeans-gap1969, bird blouse-charlotterusse, felt floppy hat-forever21, clogs-poppybycoach, jewelry-forever21&limited, "daisy"dog-myown

"Maybe if they all could be combined - art, rock and fashion. Those were always my favorite things."-Stephen Sprouse

Fads are the kiss of death. When the fad goes away, you go with it.

Wonder of wonders, I actually managed to sleep through my jet lag haze last night and get dressed like a human being this morning! Most of the outfit is comprised of clothes that I got while on my trip to China. My favorite newly acquired piece would definitely be this jacket. A camel coat is something I'd been contemplating for a while, and when I saw this version in the window display at H&M in Hong Kong I literally marched in, tried it on, and got in the checkout line!

The booties are my low-budget answer to the perfect shearling Burberry booties everyone's been obsessing over. Honestly, they're as comfortable as my Litas, and have a rugged quality that's perfect for marching around in the cold.

I realize this outfit is a little bit of a trend overload, but in my opinion, all the 'trends' that are so in style this season aren't really so "un-classic." Camel? Regardless of its ubiquity at the moment, it's not like camel won't be cool ever again. Military? It's popped up so often that I hardly think it's fair to say it'll soon be "out." A shearling aviator jacket is arguably a completely classic style

As for this Mulberry Alexa look-a-like? Well, let's just say that I hope someday it WILL be timeless. I love the style that much.

wearing: coat,dress-h&m, boots-gojane, bag-night market, scarf-f21

"Maybe if they all could be combined - art, rock and fashion. Those were always my favorite things."-Stephen Sprouse

The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.

So tomorrow morning at 3:30 am I'm heading off to the airport for a LONG flight to Shanghai. From there - Yiwu, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and back again, and to say that I had a hard time packing into a carry-on sized bag would be an understatement. My dad thought lugging my giant suitcase from trains to airports to cabs would be a pain (and he was probably right). Even with my lack of clothes, I'm so excited, China was the most amazing place to visit the first time around, and I get to go even more places with more of my family (and my boyfriend) this time around. Sadly, I had to leave my new coat behind - too much tropical weather and not enough suitcase space. But when I get back to the November cold I doubt you'll even see many of my actual clothes through the fuzzy, leather exterior.

Penny Lane eat your heart out...

jacket-nastygalvintage, plaid shirt-f21, jeans-gap1969, pumps-stevemadden

(PS : the winner of the giveaway was Tiffany Christie - expect an email from CSN Stores' marketing department with your gift code)

"Maybe if they all could be combined - art, rock and fashion. Those were always my favorite things."-Stephen Sprouse

perfection

It may not be Burberry, but I sure am glad I held out on all the other versions made up to now - this baby only runs $44.50. I can sacrifice a buckle or two for a couple thousand dollars.

"Maybe if they all could be combined - art, rock and fashion. Those were always my favorite things."-Stephen Sprouse

life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity, or registering wrongs

So to say these shoes got a few stares yesterday would be a lie - they command attention. But the statement they make is interesting & pretty. The color of the suede is actually pretty hard to nail down in person, because it veers between rosy and a mousy grayish tan. Of course, the ambiguous nature of the color means these go with just about everything in my closet, so expect to see them a lot because the comfort level is kind of remarkable. If you were lucky enough to get a pair, I commend you: I was on the phone with Solestruck several times to find out when exactly they'd go up, and I'm glad I was because about 2 hours later they were completely gone. To be honest, I hadn't cared much for the Lita before seeing it in this shade.

Today we had our TV unhooked because we're getting set up for DirecTV tomorrow, so I'm enjoying Jane Eyre once more on my Kindle - although I have to say, I feel like I'm enjoying it for the first time. This book was never meant for children's eyes - not that it's inappropriate, but Bronte's language was meant for those who would savor it rather than suffer through it.

These are just a few of my highlighted passages:

"What a singularly deep impression her injustice seems to have made on your heart... Would you not be happier if you tried to forget her severity, together with the passionate emotions it excited? Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity, or registering wrongs."

"I sometimes have a queer feeling with regard to you--especially when you are near me, as now: it is as if I had a string somewhere under my left ribs, tightly and inextricably knotted to a similar string situated in the corresponding quarter of your little frame. And if that boisterous channel, and two hundred miles or so of land come broad between us, I am afraid that cord of communion will be snapt; and then I've a nervous notion I should take to bleeding inwardly."

Sorry to go all 'dorky english major' on you, but I just couldn't keep from sharing - I highly recommend it.

on to the clothes: dress,cardigan,tights,necklace,hat-forever21, shoes-jeffrey campbell

"Maybe if they all could be combined - art, rock and fashion. Those were always my favorite things."-Stephen Sprouse

all the small things

Well my attempt at a low-key weekend was pretty much relegated to Sunday, since we didn't manage to be very low-key at all on Saturday. Somehow cheering on a friend at his bowling tournament Saturday morning (and by cheering on, I mean drinking perfect bloody marys in the bowling alley bar) turned into buying tickets for Kool and the Gang, which turned into dressing in every vintage 70s piece I have and dancing until my feet hurt so bad I almost took them my shoes off on the way home.

Luckily, the concert ended early enough that we were in bed by midnight, so I actually did something useful with my Sunday. I finished my weekend cleaning early enough to bake a homemade pie - crust and all - and sit down with my book (Jane Eyre, re-reading it since I remember loving it the first time around and it was FREE on my Kindle - all the good classics are free on kindle).

In other random news I'm pretty excited for this coming week since

a) my taupe suede Litas are coming Tuesday : )

b)we're getting DirecTV Thursday which means I get my very own DVR...this sounds small but you've no idea the amount of football I've watched since living with this man all year

I also despise Mediacom since they like to have FOX "outages" every time a new episode of Glee is on

c) and I'm foregoing getting my nails done this week to get my hair worked on, which is desperately needed, as evidenced by the heidi braids i'm sporting to hide it here

on to the clothes: olive cardigan-f21, wedges-stevemadden, jeans-gap1969, bag-fossil

"Maybe if they all could be combined - art, rock and fashion. Those were always my favorite things."-Stephen Sprouse

find a job you like and you add five days to every week

So what I assume would be a pretty low-key weekend spent at home was anything but when a bunch of hometown friends showed up for a visit and made the weekend one very long marathon of a party (which was totally worth the lack of sleep I forced my body to endure Friday thru Sunday!)

Even though I slept a full 8 hours last night I still don't think it was quite enough catch up...I had a bit of difficulty keeping my eyes open today. I had some motivation to wake up and get going this morning though - it's finally cool enough to wear my fall clothes and my office is completely dress-up friendly.

Even my post-weekend exhaustion couldn't keep me from being excited about the fall weather we've been having. I've officially decided that I'm over bare legs and have completely reverted to wearing tights with anything shorter than mid-calf. This was, I suppose, my farewell to summer outfit (although I couldn't resist wearing my new fall accessories). Hellllooooo dreamy army green suede booties. Hiiii chevron striped mixed media satchel.

wearing: dress-bananarepublic, headband-loft, satchel-fossil, booties-gojane, necklace-f21

"Maybe if they all could be combined - art, rock and fashion. Those were always my favorite things."-Stephen Sprouse

the times they are a-changin

This weekend was possibly one of the best I've had in months. Three days of fun and family that were seriously needed. The rundown of good things I was blessed with are pretty long, but I'll highlight the big ones.

1) The best shopping trip ever! I don't see my family a whole lot anymore, so a whole day of shopping with my mom was such a treat, and it seemed like all the good deals and cutest shoes were just coming our way. I took home so many great finds (and so did my Mom...too bad we don't live close so we can't share).

I can't wait to wear them all!

2) The Kindle Darrell bought me for my birthday finally came! Sounds small, I know, but whenever I managed to download 5 books for $15, I was pretty thrilled.

3) I got some really fantastic work-life news.

4) We got another puppy! I already have my little maltese-poodle mix Gatsby, and ever since we had to separate him and my former roommate's dog I've felt like he needed a playmate. (Plus, Darrell has sort of been wanting a more manly breed of canine.) Enter Daisy - The Great Gatsby's love interest in the book - a beagle basset hound mix that completely stole our hearts.

I'm also loving being able to mix in some transitional clothing.

wearing : military jacket-target, dress-forever21, platforms-jessica simpson

"Maybe if they all could be combined - art, rock and fashion. Those were always my favorite things."-Stephen Sprouse

some people save their clothes for "special occasions" - i say, the occasion is that you're alive and you woke up today...you may as well look cute

I can't really use lack of inspiration as an excuse for my lack of posting - if anything I've been even more so. The outpouring of fall images and concepts in the blogs & magazines has been exceptional this year, and I feel like every single aesthetic applies to my life - something I haven't felt since the over-the-top gypsy hippie look of '08. It's as if all the good grown-up clothes came out right when I finally needed to start wearing them, and I've been piling up magazines pictures and filling folders with images for the past few weeks - all in the hopes of creating a closet full of clothes I love to wear. With caution, I began the process of collecting a few pieces that make want to get dressed up again.

A few things I've checked off my list:

a leopard print coat (from topshop...i'm kind of freaking out over how amazing it is)

black wedge boots

brown wedges in a menswear style

the tan hat from my last post - i about died when i saw that the one on olivia palermo was ACTUALLY available at a reasonable price for us normal people to purchase

The one thing I may be most excited about, however, is this rvca hat. I can't really wear a small fedora - they don't suit me - but this wider brimmed version just reeled me in.

Plus, a girl needs to keep her head warm right?

dress & shoes - forever21, hat - rvca

"Maybe if they all could be combined - art, rock and fashion. Those were always my favorite things."-Stephen Sprouse