Daily Wear 12/25: Merry Christmas!

What gifts do I have for you? A blurry photo of me awkwardly standing in front of a tree!

cardigan: old navy, dress: red apparel, tights: jcpenney, flats: american eagle

I'm at my parents' house, and my sister is a lot shakier than my tripod.  I think you can still make out my outfit, though.  I'm wearing my birthday dress again because I think it makes a good Christmas dress too.  The leopard flats were a Christmas gift from my shaky sister.  I think they may just give my black flats a run for their money.  Because leopard print is a neutral, right?

I hope all of you had wonderful days with your family and friends and got everything you hoped for! I opened presents way too early this morning, slept most of the day, spent lots of quality time with my family, and now I want to get back to all of that.  Before I go, though, I'm going to leave you with some photos of the decorations at my house.  Why? Just because.

I'm sorry this post is lacking in the words department, but honestly I just want to eat more and watch episodes of Glee with my sister until I fall asleep.  I hope you can forgive me this one time. Also, I'm not sure anyone is reading anyway :)

Daily Wear 12/23: Denim Jacket

jacket: rodarte for target, top: thrifted, pants: american rag at macy's, flats: target, brooch: great grandma

You see that extremely happy/ slightly goofy look on my face in this picture?  That's entirely due to the jacket I'm wearing.  My boyfriend stuck with me through the emotional roller coaster that was Sunday: ecstasy when I first discovered the jacket of my dreams, depression when it was sold out on Target's website.  And instead of being freaked out by my emotional attachment to clothing, he went out and bought me the jacket (and the baby blue dress!) as early Christmas presents.  So I guess I'm pretty happy about him too.

As soon as he gave it to me (well, after I squealed and jumped around for a bit), I started planning outfits with the jacket in my head.  I really liked the styling with the bow top in the Rodarte for Target advertisements, so I pulled out this blouse that I thrifted in Florida over a year ago.  Like the dress in my Festivus post, I have hardly worn it because, with big puffy sleeves and a bow, it always seemed too fancy for school.  But, continuing my new tradition, I'm making occasions for special clothes, and I think the shirt is casual enough for everyday wear with this jacket to balance it out.  Oh, and my legging jeans, which I am still finding difficult to take off.  The brooch is another piece passed down from my great grandma.  My little sister particularly had her eyes set on this one, so I'm trying to wear it more to justify never giving it to her.  I think it was the perfect little addition to this outfit.

I'm done with all of my shopping and wrapping, so I'm going home to my parents' house finally.  I plan to watch a lot of reality television and snoop around for hidden presents with my little sister.  I hope you all are having wonderful holidays! Happy Festivus!

Fashion Inspiration: The Supremes

I know that Christmas isn't even over yet, but I'm already looking forward to New Year's Eve.  I don't have any plans for the evening, but, regardless, I've already started thinking about my outfit.  Because that's what really matters, right?

I've got a thing for girls bands (and I don't mean the Spice Girls).  I'm talking about the many groups that popped up in the 50s and 60s, with songs about crushes and heartbreak and subtle synchronized dances to match.  I love the catchy hits produced by the Shangri-Las, the Ronettes and every other group just the same, but the group that sticks out particularly in my mind is the Supremes.  And this is entirely because of their costumes.  Sequins, heavy beading, ruffles, bows... otherwise known as everything that I love.  I know Diana Ross is kind of creepy looking, but she is also the most glamorous woman alive.  And that cancels out how much she resembles this individual.

This was a long way of getting around to the fact that their look is everything I want to achieve on New Year's Eve.  Heavy eyeliner, gaudy earrings and all.  I'm pretty sure that the Rodarte for Target baby blue swiss dot dress would be the perfect way to embody Diana Ross for the upcoming holiday, but I haven't been able to find it in stores yet.  I'm fairly sure that my sneaky boyfriend got it for me for Christmas, though, so now all I need is some back-up singers to make my girl group dreams come true.

What are you all doing for New Year's Eve?  And, more importantly, what are you wearing?

Daily Wear 12/20: Festivus Party

dress: thrifted, belt: f21, tights: jc penney, flats: target

Last night I went to a Festivus party, and except for a vague connection I made in my mind to Seinfeld, I really had no idea what that meant. My lack of Festivus knowledge didn't end up mattering, though, because after a few drinks, it seemed like the only tradition followed was the airing of grievances. There were talks of lifting a car as a feat of strength, but no one followed through on that.

I wasn't sure what to wear to a Festivus party, but after seeing calivintage's Festivus titled post (with that peplum cardigan! ah!), I was inspired to dress in traditional festive colors. I didn't have anything red that was just right, so I pulled this green brocade (that's what it's called, right?) dress out of the back of my closet, where it's been for a long time. I thrifted this dress in high school and then never wore it out of the house. I have a lot of dresses like that - I buy them because they are pretty, and then I never wear them again because I can't find the right occasion. I've decided, though, that I'm going to make a conscious effort to make occasions for these dresses. They deserve to get some fresh air, even if it's only on the way to class. (They also deserve to be ironed, but obviously I'm too lazy for that.)

I've got lots of errands to run today. I'm hoping some of them lead me to Target, so I can drool over these Rodarte pieces in person.

I have no money (Christmas shopping cleaned me out), but I usually tend to find some in situations like this.  :)

Oh, and before I go and make bad decisions,  I wanted to let you know that I started a Chictopia account.  I was putting it off for awhile because I really hate change, but now I'm glad I gave in.  I'm still not completely sure what I'm doing though, so any help would be greatly appreciated!  Hope you're all having great Sundays, and I'll post again soon!

Daily Wear 12/18: Dinner Date

After editing my senior paper, grading a last stack of papers and an obligatory trip to Disneyland with my brother (don't even get me started on how much I hate Disneyland this time of year), I'm done! I can't tell you how long I've wanted to write that, and for awhile there, I certainly didn't think I'd be writing it on here.  Thank you for all of your super sweet comments and encouraging words on my last two posts.  They were exactly what I needed to get over that last hurdle.  And just to clarify, this wasn't my last semester of college.  It was only my last fall semester.  I just like to countdown every single last that I can to make myself feel better.  :)

Now that I'm on break for five weeks (!!!!!!!), I can't wait to lay around for entire days and read what I want without feeling guilty.  I've also got a roadtrip and quite a bit of crafts planned, and I plan to keep writing through all of it.  Just to show you how committed I am, here's an outfit for you:

shirt: american rag from macy's, skirt: f21, tights: target, flats: old navy, bracelet: great grandma's

Tonight, I'm going out to dinner and then to a going away party later. A year ago, my boyfriend and I went on our first date, and we're getting sushi at the same restaurant tonight to celebrate. There's really no need to dress up, but I took the opportunity to do so anyway. I was wearing black skinny jeans earlier today, but I switched into this fitted skirt and sheer tights to make the outfit a little more fancy. I'm also wearing a bracelet passed down to me by my mom; it used to be my great grandma's. I've managed to get a lot of her old costume jewelry, despite my sister's best efforts to sneak some of it away. I hardly wear this bracelet because I'm so scared it'll fall apart, but I figured that tonight was a worthy occasion.

Again, thank you so much for reading and leaving me lovely comments. I promise to keep this up!

Fashionable Finals Distractions

Two posts in one day? What is this?? Procrastination, that's what.  I've got one take-home final and a paper to edit, and then I am done with my last fall semester as an undergraduate.  It's basically nothing, but because of that, I can't even start.  So, I figure as a way to distract myself, I'd let you know about my distractions from school when I wasn't writing in this blog.  I'll focus on the fashionable ones, though, because I'm sure you have no interest in my obsession with Dexter.

1. Skins

Due to the amount of homework I typically have, my Netflix is rarely utilized, but in an attempt to get my money's worth, I started watching Skins around Thanksgiving.  For those of you not familiar, Skins is a British show featuring teenagers acting the way very few teenagers actually act.  It's like Gossip Girl, but with more nudity, drugs and foul language.  In other words, it's extremely entertaining and, unfortunately for my studies, addicting.  I could go on and on about this show, but what I really want to show you is Cassie.

I suppose there may be something wrong with my favorite character being a psychotic girl with an eating disorder who is constant saying, "Oh, wow." But one look at this girl will make you realize that the personality of the character is irrelevant.  Sequins, lace and eclectic accessories (like a fake bird in her hair!) are much more important to me than mental disorders, and Cassie's outfits had plenty of these elements to make me look past all of her problems.  As soon as school is over, I'm going to start watching Season 3, and I hope there's a worthy replacement for Cassie.  But of course I'll keep watching anyway because this show is that good.

2. Ebay
In high school, I spent a large amount of my free time on Ebay.  I gave up after awhile, though, because I rarely won anything and my heart couldn't take the disappointment any longer.  A couple of weeks ago, I decided to give my lost love another chance.  I still rarely win anything, but I did manage to score these beauties a couple of days ago.  They should be arriving soon, and I hope they will make all of my past heartbreak worth it.

And, finally...

3. Fashion Blogs!

photo from: darling darling

Though I may have been a wimp and cancelled mine, I still have been following plenty (too many) fashion blogs on Bloglovin (which I am in love with because it makes my life so much easier).  I have been particularly in love with calivintage and Darling Darling lately.  Their blogs provide me with way more fashion inspiration than any of the magazines I still subscribe to.

photo from: calivintage

Daily Wear 12/16: I'm Back!

I went a little cuckoo for awhile.  After my birthday, reality set in, and I realized how little time I had left to finish my senior research project and all of my other final papers before this semester ended.  So, in a move that probably alienated whatever small amount of readers I had, I deleted this blog in order to focus on my studies.  Though I realize there's probably no one left reading this to care, I'm back! Constant pestering from my friends and an inspirational post from Rachel did the trick.  And I've got big plans for this blog during my break from school, which starts at 2:30 PM tomorrow.  I promise I won't desert you again!

Before I get back to studying and grading papers, though, I want to show you my outfit for today.

coat: f21, pearls: charlotte russe, top: target, pants: american rag from macys, flats: old navy

If I still look a little cuckoo, it's because I am.  Finals aren't quite over yet. This is what I'm wearing to meet with the professor I am a teacher's assistant for and to my biology final later this evening.  I do not believe in dressing down for finals.  When I'm taking a test, I want to feel good about myself, and I just don't think that's possible in sweatpants.  So, I tried to dress up a little today, and to me, nothing's fancier than pearls and faux fur.  I saw this coat on sale at Forever 21, and I had to buy it because it's the coat of my dreams.  I will admit I use that logic to justify most of my purchases.  My sister bought me the necklace on Monday at Charlotte Russe.  I usually don't even walk into that store because everything they sell is usually too trendy (in the bad way), but I'm glad Monday's trip resulted in this beauty.  They make me feel much more glamourous than the college student that I am.

Of course, I'm still dressed for comfort, as I'm going to be sitting down most of today, but I'm doing comfort in a sneaky way with this loose shirt and my new legging jeans.  I would like to end this by saying that legging jeans are the greatest piece of clothing ever created.  My roommate has been preaching the wonders of these babies, and I finally gave in.  And I'm glad I did!  I'm wearing stretchy pants with an elastic waist, but no one can tell! It's going to take everything within my power not to wear these everyday.

Anyway, I'm off to get some work done.  All of you bloggers that manage school full-time and great blogs, I am in awe of you.  Please tell me all of your secrets.