What I wore today: 02/13/2015 (Purple People Eater)

I don't usually get so match-matchy, but, when I saw how cute this sweater looked with these pants, I couldn't help but throw on my favorite sliced-agate pendant and my new purple geode ring. I bought this sweater right before our wedding last year and wore it a lot on our cozy, snow-covered-cabin honeymoon, so I think it'll always make me think of those wonderful memories. 

Ankle boots: Target

Ikat-print pants: Madewell

Leather peplum top: Urban Outfitters

Fringy cardigan: Anthropologie 

Sliced-agate necklace: Etsy

Geode ring: Nordstr0m Rack 

What I wore today: 12/24/2014 (Cozy Christmas Eve)

Not the best photos, sorry. I took them in a rush on the way out the door to the Fohl family Christmas party, and I clearly should have taken more time to select the proper ISO.

That said, I wanted to share this outfit because it is pretty representative of the kind of casual, comfortable look that I've been going to a lot lately. For me, a Christmas outfit should look festive, keep me warm, and feel cozy and comfortable. 

Sweater – J.Crew
Jeans – Anthropologie
Fur snood – Anthropologie
Boots – Jeffrey Campbell, Free People
Socks – Madewell
Ring – Ringly (review post coming soon)

November Wish List

As the weather turns quickly colder, I find myself coveting leather skirts, wool jackets, cashmere scarves, and plaid everything. I've also been on a bit of a skincare and haircare kick lately, no doubt inspired by the ravage of harsh winds and dry air.

01. Anthropologie, 02. Madewell, 03. J.Crew, 04. Madewell, 05. Amazon, 06. Madewell

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

My Spring Wish List

It feels absolutely nothing like spring outside. March has made this Very Hard Winter, if anything, even harder, with temperatures plunging below zero yet again. And so, even something as small as the scent of a honeysuckle candle gets my thoughts turning to the sunny days that must be ahead.

Still, I find it hard to even think about spring clothing right now. I don't think I can remember a time when I wasn't wearing wool socks and a thermal every day.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

What I wore today: 10/25/2013 (Odette)

I bought this lovely top a few weeks ago. It's downy texture immediately gave me the impression of feathers, so, I figured, why not wear it to see Swan Lake? Ryan and I make it a point to go to the ballet at least once a season. Ballet was my very first love, and I'm thrilled that Ryan has taken to it with such enthusiasm.

He took these photos of me just before we left home (thanks, Rye!) and then pointed out that the mockingbird who hangs out on our block was imitating the "beep-beep" noise of my camera autofocusing. I will admit to jumping up and down when I heard it. It was pretty cool. I love our urban mockingbird.

White feathery-textured "Guimauve Top" - Anthropologie

Black and white gingham pencil skirt - thrifted

Black tights - Spanx, Nordstrom Rack

Black quilted-leather boots - Corso Como, Nordstrom

Black bauble "bubble necklace" - eBay

Dinosaur bone rib cage cuff bracelet - Noir Jewelry

My Fall Wish List

01. H&M; 02. Jung ee eun, Boticca; 03. Sisters of the Moon; 04. J.Crew; 05. Frye, Urban Outfitters; 06. Mociun; 07. Tattly

As fall approaches, I long for good leather boots, sweaters and sweatshirts with a touch of sparkle, and long quartz necklaces. What are you looking forward to wearing this fall?

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

Spring Wish List

The arrival of spring has put me in the mood for lots of fun colors, especially brights and pastels! And, as we do some spring cleaning, I've had my eye on a few small decorative items for our home. I've also had my eye on some different styles of jeans like boyfriend, super-high-rise skinnies, and front patch pockets. I think I might need to expand my denim collection a bit this spring. 

Sources: 01. / / 02. / / 03. / / 04. / / 05. / / 06. / / 07. / / 08. / / 09. / / 10. / / 11. / / 12.

How to rock the mismatched earrings trend

I've mentioned before my recent penchant for wearing mismatched earrings. As a near-exclusive wearer of studs, I find it to be a nice way to add a bit of subtle interest to your look. It's one of those things that a friend won't notice or mention until a good two hours into a hangout session (and many won't notice at all), but, in my experience, it never fails to elicit the "what a great idea!" response.

In addition to being a great way to avoid the choice between two awesome pairs of earrings, wearing mismatched studs is also a great way to extend the life of earrings long after loosing their mates. In fact, in the case of the plain-white-peal stud and rhinestone stud seen below, both are earrings I found, never laying eyes on their mates to begin with.

Some of you -- those who love wearing mismatched socks for instance -- probably need no cajoling at this point to mixup your earring drawer and never look back; you might even be excited to try out a more obvious look such a mismatched danglies. 

But, for those of you wondering where to begin and how to keep this trend looking . . . well, intentional . . . I have a few tips to keep in mind. 

The first is that the studs you pick should be relatively similar in size. For example the pavé ball and pyramid above are both about 1/4" in diameter, while the pearl and rhinestone above come in at about 1/8".  In this way, the amount of earlobe showing stays the same on both sides, giving your face an overall appearance of symmetry. 

Another tip is that you should have fun playing with contrasts, which is, after all, the point. In my opinion, the best pairings have just enough similarities (including size) that they work together, but just enough contrast to add visual interest.

For example, in the first photo, both earrings are pavé (a nod to uniformity) but their shape is vastly different: one a smooth sphere, the other all edges and angles. 

In the paring below, the shapes are also vastly different, but the uniform gold color lends a hint of similarity.

And here, both earring share a circular shape but differ vastly on their surfaces, one being a sparkly, encrusted pavé, the other pearly smooth. 

Finally, I love the idea of clashing the essential attitudes of each earring. Much as I enjoy toughening up a girly dress with a leather biker jacket, the idea of pairing a classically preppy pearl stud with a punky spike is endlessly appealing to me.

I hope you have as much fun as I did finding surprising pairings in your jewelry box. And I hope my tips are helpful to those of you that might be a bit tentative when embracing this trend. Vive la mismatch!

Pavé pyramid, pavé ball, golden bee - Anthropologie

Pink pearl - a gift

White pearl, rhinestone - found

Circular spike - Tobi (though not a site I'd recommend)