What I wore today: 11/27/14 (Thanksgiving)

Thanksgiving is always a fun, if somewhat challenging, holiday to dress for. I tend pick out earth-tones, which is a pallet I don't normally wear much of. Add to that the challenges of staying warm, looking nice, and wearing something that facilitates napping on your brother's sofa. 

Our Thanksgiving meal was delicious. My brother made a smoked turkey and a roasted one, and my sister-in-law's mom brought these yams that were cooked with fresh oranges. I made cranberry sauce as usual and two pies. Recipe posts coming next week. 

My niece Claire, who is almost 11 month old now, tried the potatoes, the yams, and even the cranberry sauce. She's an adventurous eater. 

Sweater dress – Missoni for Target

Cardigan – Anthropologie

Boots – Frye

What I wore today: 10/20/2014 (High Line)

This fall, I bought myself my first ever nice wool coat. I think my taste has finally evolved to the point where I can invest in something like this, and I'm really happy with my choice of this lovely bi-tonal coat from Madewell. Lately, I feel like I could just live in Madewell. 

Ryan took these photos of my on the High Line, the lovely new(isn) green space that runs through Chelsea along an old rail-line they were going to tear down. It's a real coup too because, other than Central Park, New York is really lacking in good parks. I guess it's hard to keep any space in Manhattan from quickly turning into a building. 

As far as green space goes, I'm really spoiled living in Northside here in Cincinnati because there are several preserved forests within the city just walking distance from my home as well as an incredible cemetery/arboretum. Anyway, the High Line is really special. I'd like to run on it the next time we go to New York. 

Coat - Madewell

Hat - Anthropologie

Sweater - Phillip Lim for Target

Jeans - Gap

Boots - Free People

Bag - thrifted

Fall Wish List

01. Moorea Seal, 02. Madewell, 03. Madewell, 04. Urban Outfitters, 05. Amazon, 06. Moorea Seal, 07. Converse x Missoni for Nordstrom, 08. Target, 09. Moorea Seal, 10. Madewell, 11. Moorea Seal

As with home decor, I'm really excited right now about neutrals, good quality materials, and basics with a twist. I've been drawn to well-designed minimal pieces lately. Whether it be a delicate piece of gold jewelry, a great leather bag, or that perfect go-with-everything scarf, these are the pieces I continue to love and wear season after season, year after year. 

Home Office Wish List

With all of the work I do from home, it's so exciting to finally have a home office. At the moment, it's still just a chair and desk surrounded by boxes and random piles of things, but I've already spent hours at my desk writing, recording podcasts, and editing photos.

As with the rest of the house, I'm trying to balance masculine elements with feminine ones and harder things with soft pieces. For my home office, I've been drawn to lots of white, gold, and lucite, with bits of unbleached canvas and dark wood to keep things grounded.

Having a space of my own to focus on my writing and other projects feels like such a luxury, and my biggest hope is that working in a fresh, dedicated space will help keep me motivated, focused, and inspired as I continue to make strides toward my goal of supporting myself full time with my writing.

01. Target, 02. Terrain, 03. IKEA, 04. Anthropologie, 05. Madewell, 06. Target & Target, 07. Target, 08. Anthropologie, 09. Madewell, 10. Madewell, 11. Anthropologie

What I wore today: 07/23/2014 (Waistland)

I'm excited to share an outfit post for the first time in a while. With things so hectic in my life lately, I've been drawn to simple basics and classic outfits.

Though I love a good Canadian tuxedo, I think black denim might be the classiest way there is to wear chambray. It makes it less casual but still easy.

I'm obsessed with these shoes. I think they look like hooves. I've wanted something this style forever, and for some reason it didn't occur to me to look at Target until just recently. Target always has the best 20-dollar, design-inspired shoes.

I've worn my favorite vintage Moschino belt many times over many dresses, but this is actually the first time I've worn it with jeans. The benefits of high-waisted styles!

Bonus tip: if you're uncomfortable with the way high-waisted jeans make your butt look (flat, mommish, too 1996), try tucking in just the front of your top. It still gives you that retro-sexy silhouette, but without the dreaded mom butt.

Chambray tank - Cloth and Stone, Anthropologie

Sweater - Anthropologie

Black high-waisted skinny jeans - Paige Denim

Belt - vintage Moschino, eBay

"Kacie Peep Toe Booties" - Taget

New Home Wish List

01. Anthropologie, 02. Society6, 03. Anthropologie, 04. Target, 05. Jonathan Adler, 06. IKEA, 07. Terrain, 08. Anthropologie, 09. Urban Outfitters, 10. eBay

As we settle into our new home, I'm striving to decorate in an invested and enduring way, choosing pieces and making decisions that feel sophisticated and timeless.

As with fashion, I'm often drawn to masculine things with whimsical touches. I want our home to feel industrial and luxe but with plenty of softness, humor, and warmth.

As for colors, I'm really excited about slate-y grays, woody browns, and milky whites, with pops of metallics.

What I wore today: 09/21/2013 (Fall Floral)

I love nothing more than a good sweater. The best ones add interest and warmth to an outfit with minimal effort. I just bought this lovely floral number at Anthro. The first day I wore it, I took a walk in the woods and got burs in it! I then spent the next half hour sitting in a bar (because that's where my walks in the woods lead to), drinking a lambic, and picking burs out of my sweater.

"Stitched Flora Cardigan" - Anthropologie

"Serif" Jeans - Pilcro and the Letterpress

Deep-V t-shirt - Americal Apparel

Mens leather belt - Obey, Urban Outfitters

Neon necklace - Madewell

Bag - Phillip Lim for Target

What I wore today: 09/16/2013 (Blush and Lace)

I've mentioned before that I can't get enough of classic gray sweatshirts. I especially love ones that have a bit of a twist or a surprising detail of some kind, and I really love when that detail involves lace. Something about gray sweatshirts and white lace just makes me swoon.

I picked up this cute Phillip Lim for Target bag yesterday. Even though highly-anticipated collections like his always sell out online immediately, I can usually count on finding good stuff if I go to a store (without waiting in lines or anything); that's the advantage of living in a not-super-fashion-aware city. This time, I couldn't make it to a store until two days after the collection debuted, but I went to a far-out suburban Target in the lamest part of town and, to my delight, they still had all the items I wanted to try on. Yay!

Gray sweatshirt with white lace detail - Anthropologie

Rose-colored jeans - Gap

"Everly" ankle boots - Jeffrey Campbell 

Cross-body bag - Phillip Lim for Target

What I wore today: 08/07/2013 (Austin Finds)

This outfit post is all about things I brought back from Austin: the neon-and-nuts bracelet I made during the TxSC Prom, the skirt I bought at Buffalo Exchange, and the bag I got on a previous trip. It's made from one of those neon plaid totes you get in Mexico. My family always used those for laundry when I was a kid.

The other thing I brought back from Austin was a desire to try to take better self portraits. Too often, I get frustrated by time constraints and the difficulty of setting up a shot (focusing on a subject that's not yet in the frame, etc.) But Elizabeth of Delightfully Tacky, who takes amazing self portraits for outfit posts on her blog, gave me lots of great tips that I've been dying to try. She posted a really helpful tutorial on her blog too. So, if you weren't at TxSC but are interested in improving your self-portrait skills, fear not.

Once I came home, freshly inspired and informed, I headed to Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum to try out all of Elizabeth's tips. I also shot in full manual mode for the first time, something this book helped me prepare for. (Thanks to Ruche for bringing it to the clothing and book swap last Friday!)

It was a challenge. I didn't get the focus perfect on every shot, and some are a little over exposed. But I'm still very excited and proud of the outcome, and, most importantly, I'm looking forward to my next outfit shoot. 

Yellow blouse - The Limited
Yellow and pink floral skirt - Thrifted from Buffalo Exchange in Austin
Suede ankle boots - Target
Neon chord and metal hardware nut bracelet - DIY
Bag - some little shop in Austin, years ago

What I wore today: 06/29/2013 (Pattern of all Patience)

The bad thing about cheap Target dresses with elastic waistbands is that you have to wear a belt with them. The great thing is that they force you out of your lazy dressing pattern by insisting on an accessory. See this dress styled for winter here. 

I was feeling the subtle southwest affect of this dress's print when I decided to wear huaraches. I used to wear colored huaraches that we bought in Mexico all the time as a kid, so, when I saw these at Urban Outfitters, I couldn't pass them up. I love the nostalgia that clothing can so easily induce.

What articles of clothing make you nostalgic?

Navy and teal print dress - Target

Patterned belt - Anthropologie

Rainbow leather huaraches - Urban Outfitters

Necklace - J.Crew Factory

Straw bag - Target $1 rack 

What I wore today: 04/06/2013 (In Indy)

For my birthday, Ryan drove me to Indy to see the Ai WeiWei exhibit at its only midwest stop. We had dinner at a little American-new-cuisine restaurant with a prix-fixe menu, and stayed the night in a downtown hotel. It was a lovely trip, and a wonderful way to celebrate my birthday. This is what I wore to dinner.

Strangely, though birthdays are all about getting older, the exercise of spending a special day doing whatever I want always makes me feel a bit like a little girl again. For that reason, I always tend to pick our a girly dress and embrace things like afternoon tea and flower crowns.

Burgundy and magenta lace dress - Anthropologie

Rose gold pouch - Marc Jacobs for Target

Burgundy patent-leather t-strap shoes - Target

Hexagon ring - Mocuin

Engagement ring - Richter and Phillips, designed by me