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

Wedding Week: The Fashion

We have photos! I'm so excited to share more details of our wedding now that our photos are ready. Every day this week, I'll share a bit about some element of our wedding. Today is all about fashion.

I found my dress at BHLDN (story here). It's the Lita by Catherine Deane. I love how Edwardian it is. I just suits my style perfect. I designed the necklace, inspired by some photos of Edwardian and 1920s designs, and Ryan's mother was lovely enough to make it for me. (Isn't she so talented?) I carried a Kate Spade pencil case as a clutch. After struggling for a while to find the perfect shoes, I realized that I just wanted to wear my favorite vintage leather riding boots with fair isle tights.

With the boots as my something old, the dress as my something new, and my ring as my something blue, I was just missing the something borrowed. I didn't have a plan until the morning of the wedding when my bridesmaid, Sarah, brought over a few of her mother's vintage furs. It was 6º Fahrenheit (-14º Celsius), so they were the perfect cover ups. 

The flower crown was a last minute decision too. I tried to make my own veil, and it just wasn't working out, so I called my florist two days before the wedding, and asked  her to make a crown. It was initially too big (it just looked too editorial), and I considered not wearing it, but ending up just hacking it up a bit with scissors. 

Ryan wore a custom suit from Indochino with his Asos chelsea boots. He and his groomsmen had raw cotton boutonnieres that I made with Ryan's sister. My mom made my bridesmaid's lavender bouquets. Their dresses are from BHLDN, and their necklaces are from Bauble Bar. 

I was inspired to choose gray for the bridesmaids because Ryan said he wanted to wear a gray suit. I think they looked very wintry and elegant. I love how everyone looked when we came together, and it was thrilling to surprise Ryan with my look. He had no idea what to expect. 

All photos by Braun Photography

What I wore today: 12/21/2013 (Sugar Plum)

Last weekend, Ryan and I saw The Nutcracker (Thanks for the tickets, Annette and Leah!) We were having unseasonably warm weather, so we ate tacos in an open-air restaurant and walked around downtown. It was lovely. 

"Cast & Crew Ankle Boots" - Jeffry Campbell, Free People

Pink ballet tights - Capezio, Discount Dance Supply

Vintage suede mini skirt - thrifted

Lace blouse - Anthropologie

Crossbody bag - Phillip Lim for Target

Horseshoe "Lucky Icon" necklace - Anthopologie

What I wore today: 12/07/2013 (Snow Day)

I love the snow! I don't think I'll ever outgrow the excitement of the first big snow of the year (or the second or the third or the fourth!)

It started snowing Friday night while I was at work. Ryan met me there after so we could eat Japanese food and do our Christmas shopping. It was kind of nice to shop in a nearly empty mall in the middle of a snowstorm, and my Subaru got us home safely (I drove Ryan to pick up his car the next morning once the roads were plowed).

Saturday was bright and sunny, with lots of light reflecting off the beautiful snow and barely any wind so it didn't feel that cold. My mom and I got lunch at a wine shop and went to my first wedding gown fitting. It was a perfect snow day!

* * * 

This coat is from Forever 21. One of the biggest pieces of advice I can give you is to buy lots of Forever 21 coats. They are cheap as hell, which means you can buy a variety of trendy patterned once, which means you don't have to wear basically the same outfit all winter long(since your coat is often all anyone sees of your outfit). I have one quality neutral coat and a bunch of trendy Forever 21 coats.

As for the hat, Ryan bought it for me at Topshop on our last morning in Chicago last year. At lunch, my mom told me, "You should never not wear that hat again." Ha!

Alcott Dress - Anthropologie
Brown leather riding boots - vintage
Fair isle tights - old
Portable Pocket Belt - Modcloth
Green felt hat - Topshop
Aztec-print coat - Forever 21

What I wore today: 09/02/2013 (Looking Like a Picnic)

I wore this gingham dress on Labor Day to celebrate the end of summer. The blue gingham always makes me think of Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, but Ryan's reaction to the dress was that I looked like a picnic blanket. "But in a good way," he promised.

I just read Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates, which is this wonderful novel about Marilyn Monroe, and I think reading about her put me in the mood to wear a wiggle dress. Although my hourglass body type is best suited to sexy, fitted silhouettes, I am usually drawn to a more boyish, gamine look. But, on occasion, a girl still wants to get her wiggle on.

FIY, that's not a real tattoo; it's just something I drew on myself. I'm digging trying out temporary tattoos lately to get an idea of what a real tattoo would look like.

Blue gingham wiggle dress - Ruche

Leopard horsehair skinny belt - Anthropologie

Vintage jellies - thrifted

What I wore today: 07/20/2013 (Straw & Stripes)

Last Saturday, we met up with friends and family to see Ryan's brother's girlfriend's roller derby bout. Roller derby is one of the most fun sports to watch, and it's even more fun with a big group of people, a bucket of beer, and a hot dog. This is what I wore.

There's something to be said for the versatility of striped shirts. They are one of my favorite basics, a go-to item that I can't get enough of. 

Here, I paired a favorite short-sleeved version with a straw hat and a vintage skirt. I like the way the girliness of the skirt balances out the masculinity of the hat. 

Striped t-shirt - The Gap

Vintage circle skirt - Check Lays an Egg

Quilted flats - Modcloth

Studded-bottom bag - eBay

Straw fedora - H&M
Leopard belt - Anthropologie