a cartographer of the tangles in your hair

Outfit Details:
boater hat - H&M (you can find some great ones on Etsy)
glasses - Ray-Ban
90s babydoll dress - thrifted and reconstructed (shortened hem and sleeves, added crochet trim)
bag - R&Em
bracelets - Rebecca Minkoff (from a gift bag), vintage (similar one here)
Joie platforms - c/o Joie
lipstick - Revlon Pink In The Afternoon

This was really an outfit for a sunnier day, but my track record shows that I've never been one for practicality - or checking the weather forecast. It was rather overcast; the hat was not for sun-shade but purely to hide the tangled, windblown mess. Up or down, I can't seem to get away from messy hair. To be fair, it is for lack of trying.



p.s. Some of you might have read my post on body image - and many of you had great additions to the ongoing conversation. Well,  Gala Darling wrote her own thoughts on the matter here and then opened up the conversation to fellow bloggers and readers with this wonderfully engaging post (part one - she will be posting more).

My darling, what wonder have we wrought here?

Outfit Details:
Mink Pink sheer navy blouse - courtesy of Threadsence
vintage plaid shorts - Jet Rag
glasses - forever 21Darling Tote - R&Em

(from the actual R&Em lookbook)

Last night was the premiere party for the lookbook I shot with R&Em, and while I wait for pictures from the event (and try to figure out why my USB ports aren't working), I thought I'd share a couple of photos from our shoot. As mentioned in my interview with Nylon, this lookbook was shot the same way I maintain my blog - with my Nikon D90 and a little remote. Bobby and Mara (from the R&Em team) were on hand for a lot of them, so some of them were also taken by Bobby.

I was happy to shoot the lookbook this way, because it's a more realistic portrayal of me: my apartment, my clothes, my makeup - and my animals even made appearances. I hate to use the terms "normal" or "real" when describing anyone, because I've yet to meet a model who was a figment of my imagination and no one really knows what normal means. What I want to say is that I'm grateful to have had so many great opportunities, even though I don't fit the standard model prerequisites: I'm only 5'7, have a healthy amount of meat on my bones and let's face it, I can barely even walk without tripping over my own feet (thanks, pigeon toes).  Experiences like this never cease to thrill me, because I never dreamed I would get to do such things. Thank you to R&Em for giving me such a fun opportunity, and to all of you for your continued support. No one would give a crap about me or my blog if I didn't have such amazing readers - and I really do think you are the best.
 

The Fashion Self-Informed vs. Mr. Navy Blue and Black

Outfit Details:
disco craziness - thrifted
jeans - sold design lab (from a gift bag)
belt - vintage, borrowed from one of my dresses
Blanca platforms - courtesy of Nine Westtop - H&M
Groupie bag - R&Em


I don't have an astutely fine-tuned aesthetic, even if I go through phases that heavily rely on certain details: muted palette vs. vibrant color, overtly girly ruffles and lace vs. that leather jacket I wear too often. I'm hesitant to pigeon-hole myself, because it ends up being really limiting to someone as antsy as me. It's easy to get used to a person dressing a certain way and assume that's what defines them (I do that all the time), but what if you just want to wear things you like, regardless of how well it suits your usual pattern? I didn't think twice about putting this outfit on but when I looked at the pictures, I thought, "this might confuse some people - it's not girly enough."

As with every other aspect of my life, my personal style evolves. I'm still into that same old girly crap that I force-feed you on a somewhat daily basis, but in the end, I wear what suits my particular mood on a particular day. I always respected the people who have such identifiable style, because I'm not sure I have that - or will ever be decisive enough to stick to it. I like it, I wear it.

Maybe this is one of the many things that sets me apart from the real professionals (much respect): I don't really have much rhyme or reason to my style of getting dressed. I just wear whatever the heck I feel like wearing, whether I miss or make the mark. And goddangit, sometimes a girl just wants a little disco in her life. We didn't all get to live in the 70s.

Tonight, I feel like more.

Outfit Details:
favorite shirt - courtesy of Queen's Wardrobe (they have the BEST stuff)
denim cutoffs - had them forever
socks - Urban Outfitters
dany shoes (I know, I wear them too much) - courtesy of jessica simpson collection
bra thing - American Apparel
Woodstock Bag - R&Em

I've never traveled outside of the U.S. I feel like a few people judged me when I told them that. In fact, I know they did - and I resent it. It isn't for lack of cultivation or interest; it's simply a lack of funds. When I was little, we were kind of (okay maybe a lot) broke - vacations were few and far between and usually local. Believe me, I would love to travel (and plan on doing so) - but first, I should probably focus on paying off my debt. In the meantime, I want to maximize my mini-travels. Our little trip to New Orleans made me realize just how much of the country I have left to explore. Here's to road trips and weekend jaunts with close friends. Let's get out of this country city.

p.s. Since a couple of you pointed it out - you can see a close up of my tattoo here.

Oh, my life is changing everyday

Outfit Details:
Coach Moto Jacket - courtesy of Coach
R&Em Gig bag - borrowed for R&Em lookbook
teal silk tank - thrifted
90s skirt - thrifted
Steve Madden Caryssas - Nordstrom
lipstick: MAC Pro Longwear Lipcreme in Unlimitedbelt - from my mom's store (Hourglass Consignment)

Outfit Details:
Living Long Cardigan - courtesy of Threadsence
silk cami - DKNY
belt - thrifted
90s skirt - thrifted
Steve Madden Caryssas - Nordstrom

I somewhat recently thrifted this skirt, and though the 90s kid in me wants to pair it with Doc Martens, an oversized shirt, crocheted vest and a mini backpack - I generally restrain myself. I say "generally" because I'm not promising it won't ever happen; I do watch a lot of 90s tv shows. Here are a couple of ways I've worn it recently: once in New York, once in Florida (at my mom's store). It has quickly become a go-to item; it's easy to throw an outfit together around this skirt. Maybe not as easy as a pair of jeans, but easy nonetheless. Also, epic photo bomb, courtesy of my very pregnant sister. The end.




p.s. the title of this post has nothing to do with anything, except that I was listening to The Cranberries and they fit the 90s theme.

In my place.

Outfit Details:
Cropped eyelet top (also available in mint) - courtesy of Ruche
lace button up - H&M
woodstock bag - R&Em
May five pocket jeans - courtesy of Hudson
blazer style sweater by Aryn K.- ModCloth (super on sale!)
Romance boots - courtesy of Seychelles
Lipstick - Julie Hewett cheekie in Bette

I've been taking a lot of pictures in my room, lately - have you noticed? That's how I know Spring is approaching (that, and being able to wear shorts on occasion). During the colder months and shorter days, my room barely gets any sunlight and it's just a freezing little cave that is solely used for sleeping. As Spring approaches and the days get longer, the sunlight starts to creep into my room for little stretches here and there. Happy happy. I might even move my sewing machines back into my "office" now that I don't have to fear hypothermia. I say "office" because it's about the size of a walk in closet, but hey - I'll take what I can get.

Speaking of sewing, I have a whole lot of that to do, so I'm going to put down the computer and get back to work. Tomorrow I might take the afternoon off to check out some of the lipsticks you all kindly recommended, so I'll let you know how that goes!

When you're wound up so, so tight

Outfit Details:
blazer - H&M
Autumn Ambiance dress and Seychelles Platinum boots - courtesy of ModCloth
Woodstock bag - R&Em
Hue tights - Nordstrom Rack
lipstick - MAC pro longwear lipcreme in Unlimited with Julie Hewett Biba over that (to mute it a little bit)


Whenever I take pictures inside my apartment, Miku appears. She's practically glued to my side anyway, but she can't resist a photo opportunity. She can be in the other room, asleep and having tiny puppy dreams of running through a meadow, but as soon as she hears the camera - magic! There's Miku.

On this particular day, I woke with a sunny disposition that turned absolutely tempestuous by midday. I spent the afternoon and evening in dire need of throwing stuff and screaming, but by the time I got home, it subsided. The second I opened the door, Miku was there, dancing and wagging her little tail, spinning like a ballerina. There is no better cure to a horrible day than a happy, loving puppy. Except, maybe this. The dishes are done, man.

My Only Crime Is Love

(top three photos from guest of a guest)
Outfit Details:
fringe top - h&m (it's actually a dress)
tights - courtesy of HUE
vintage skirt - thrifted
Dany platforms - courtesy of Jessica Simpson Collection
moto jacket - courtesy of Coach
belt - thrifted
lace jacket - made it myself
small woodstock bag - courtesy of R&Em

The R&Em launch party at Macy's was a lot of fun. I have many other photos to post, but I didn't want another day to pass without at least putting up a few photos of the event! Thank you so much to all of my readers and friends who came out to show their support and check out the collection. It was fun to see everyone's favorites - almost every person seemed to have a different pick. Bobby has several, obviously. I actually have several favorites as well, but the one I carried that night (the Small Woodstock in a beautiful blush color) is probably my number one. Have you peeked at the collection, yet? Which one is your favorite?