What I wore today: 10/31/2014 (Clockwork)

I wasn't planning on dressing up for Halloween, but then, a few nights before, I watched The Simpsons' latest Treehouse of Horror episode, which featured an A Clockwork Orange parody, and I realized how easy it would be to put together an Alex costume. 

I've never worn false eyelashes before, and I've always been intimidated by them, so I was surprised by how easy they were to apply. The real secret is to trim them to fit your eye and to actually wait the 15 seconds to let the glue get tacky. 

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

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: 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

What I wore today: 03/28/2013 (Spring Sunset)

Though it's technically been spring for almost a week, we're still having very mixed weather here in Cincinnati. One day it snows, and the next day it's sunny and 60 degrees.

This means that I'm totally wanting to wear dresses and make believe it's warm outside, but I still need to dress in layers and stay pretty covered up. My spring-uniform solution? Wearing dresses of jeans.

Get ready because the dresses over pants thing is very much on its way back (just check the runways if you don't believe me). Don't panic, though; it's an easier look to pull off than you might think. This time around the skirts are shorter and the jeans are skinnier, leading to a more slender, tunic-y silhouette that's much more flattering and less frumpy than the skirts-with-jeans-outfites 15-year-old me wore back in 2003.

A lot of staying warm comes down to simply keeping cold wind out. Dresses over jeans (and indeed long tops and tunics) help, as does tucking jeans into boots. All those gaps where clothing comes together should get more overlap than on warms days. And, of course, extra layers always help. I added this denim vests (just a vintage jacket I cut the sleeves off of) to help elevate the visual interest and the warmth factors all in one go.

Skinny jeans - Pilcro, Anthropologie
"Maritime Anchor Dress" - J.Crew
Brown Boots - Journey's
Denim vest - vintage jacket I cut the sleeves off of
Wide-brim wool hat "Sweaterknit Rancher" - Anthropologie
Long pearl necklace (worn as bracelet) - Nordstrom Rack
Pavé cable link bracelet - J.Crew

What I wore today: 02/06/2013 (Tulips & Turban)

Anthro "The Magazine" did quite a lovely profile of employees' favorite sweatshirts not long ago (see it here). There really is something particularly comforting about a really special sweatshirt. I think the very best ones are warm, comfortable, and stylish. 

I have a particular thing for classic heather gray ones with a twist, and my current favorite is this Proenza Schouler for Target one that I picked up while doing some holiday shopping. I have worn it countless times since then, and I particularly like to layer it over a magenta tank so that a little color pops out.

As for the turban? I became obsessed with this one recently and decided I had to make something similar. After scouring the web for patterns, nothing quite satisfied, so I decided to make a headband version instead with this simple idea.

Sweatshirt - Proenza Schouler for Target
Magenta tank - Target
Skinny jeans - Pilcro and the Letterpress
Sneaker wedges - Target
Knitter turban headband - Made by me

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What I wore today: 12/05/2012 (New Loves)

This outfit features two of my newest loves: the same $30-dollar Target sneakers wedges from this post now in black (because when a pair of shoes is only $30 and you find yourself wearing them nearly every day, a second pair isn't a bad idea) and this gorgeous Italian-made wool hat that I'd been coveting for a long time at work. Ryan thinks the hat looks like something Carly Simon would have worn in the '70s. 

Both items are instant wardrobe classics for me, and help to add interest to a simple androgynous outfit of neutrals for a walk to the library and a big bowl of udon soup around the corner from our apartment. I do love december evenings with my Ryan.

 

Sneaker wedges - Target

"Stevie" jeans - AG, Anthropologie

Striped tank - Gap

Blazer - The Limited

"Sweaterknit Rancher" hat - Anthropologie 

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What I wore today: 10/20/2012 ('80s Hipster)

Ryan hit the nail on the head when he said that this outfit looked like something the artsy girl in an '80s movies might wear. He's so right. When I first saw this hat, I thought it was very Madeline, but, with the right shoes, it reads more Molly Ringwald.

Speaking of shoes, can we stop for a moment and talk about these shoes? When I first saw the Isabel Marant sneakers wedges (or, as Ryan calls them, "sneaky wedges," because the wedges is sneakily hidden), I was a bit obsessed. I loved them for how incredibly unnecessary their were. They seamed to me to represent the pennacle of having fun with fashion. 

But, as they were over $600, I resigned myself to the fact they would never be mine. After all, something that silly rarely generates enough demand to create affordable designer-inspired versions. 

And then I saw them . . . at Target . . . for $30. See: I should do commercials for Target because sometimes I just love them so God-damned much.

 

Sneaker wedges - Target

Red corduroys - Pilcro and the Letterpress, Anthropologie

Sweatshirt - Gap

Blazer - Forever 21

Loop scarf - Anthropologie

Wool hat - Topshop

Studded-bottom bag - eBay

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