sunshine = sunglasses!
It is so bright & sunny out today, I was reminded that I have been meaning to post about sunglasses in here for a while, and never gotten around to it.
My ongoing problem is that sunglasses make me look like a bug. The big, round shades that everybody has grown to embrace the last few years just look ridiculous on me. I own at least a half dozen pair of sunglasses, in all different shapes and sizes, but I have yet to find a pair that I really love. The closest to that is my men’s aviators from target, which I have bent to shape my face. They are now crooked and scratched, as I suck at taking care of them.
Which brings me to my next point – designer shades. Everyone owns them, everyone loves them – glasses are one of those things many people splurge on. I have yet to purchase an exorbitantly expensive pair of sunglasses and as much as I always contemplate it, Im just so hesitant.
In my browsings, I came upon these things:
$380 Tiffany’s sunglasses. Who knew?
These look identical to my target aviators, yet they run at $209 from Ralph Lauren:
Check these out: Ed Hardy designer shades.
For $260, these are wayyy too much – between the skull and the spiderweb of fake diamonds, I am not impressed.
These, on the other hand, are very classy. I tend to lean towards Burberry styles, although I still think their prices are ridiculous, their stuff is really nice.
I don’t know, maybe one day I’ll invest in an expensive pair. Right now, I am too afraid that if I spent $300 on a single pair of classes, I’d crush them underfoot or immediately scratch them. For now, I’ll stick to my Ray-Ban knock offs.
Erin & Rachel’s Shopping Adventure
For our final project for this class, we were assigned the task of creating a video montage. I chose to relate mine to my blog, and took Erin to Cambridgeside Galleria in search of a 21st birthday outfit. Our goal was to find a complete outfit in less than $150 and we succeeded!
Click here to watch the montage, which I’ve uploaded to Youtube. Enjoy!
and if i had a million dollars…
It was suggested to me that I write about what I would purchase if I could go out on a shopping spree. Of course a million bucks may be too generous, so I’ve decided to choose ten things that I’d get if I could go on the ultimate shopping spree.
There is no denying that I am a shopaholic. I definitely dont have it as bad as Rebecca Bloomwood, but my closet and dresser are pretty much busting at their seams. The thing about my wardrobe is that I have very few really expensive items. Im pretty sure the most I’ve ever spent on jeans is my True Religions, which I paid $120 for at the outlets. My favorite peacoat from Forever 21 cost $55, and my puffy winter jacket was $2o on clearance at target. So even though I have a lot of clothes, I either got them on sale at great deals or was able to get them with my employee discount at AE or Express. So if I had a significant chunk of money to spend on just clothes or accessories, I’d have to admit that having that amount would probably push me to splurge on the more expensive things.
1. The first thing I would buy, hands down, are the Tory Burch Reva Ballerina Flats in Lime Green/Gold.
2. The next thing would probably be another pair of True Religions, which I have been lusting over for months.
3. I also would love to find a pair of dark Seven’s with the A pocket design in white stitching.
I know, I know the last pair are mens, but why dont they have a dark wash A-Pocket for women?!?
4. I’d have to snag the Longchamp bag, just because it would be so practical. I’d probably get it in black so that it’d function as an everyday bag that matched with everything.
5. I’d also get this hobo, which I have been in love with ever since my post the other day.
6. I have also always wanted a classic burberry scarf so that would probably be next on my shopping list.
7. Next I’d probably go over to American Apparel and buy this uni-sex v neck in every single color. I really cannot justify spending $20 on a plain basic shirt with my budget, but I absolutely love these and if I could, would truly wear them every single day.
Sidenote: I just discovered that you can buy these babies in a 3 pack of different colors for $45 [making the price per shirt $15 instead] or a 7 pack for $105 [also making it $15 per shirt], but you have to get either all white or all black when you get the 7 pack. Interesting.
8. These Steve Madden flat sandals are so simple, but I love them and have wanted them for ages.
9. I would probably splurge on a bright, fun trench – I’ve always wanted something like this.
10. Finally, I’d probably head over to Tiffanys. I absolutely love everything in their sterling silver collection, but since I already have the dangling drop earrings and the necklace, I’d love this bracelet to complete the set
& there you have it – my dream shopping spree!
final thoughts…
As our last class assignment, we were asked to reflect on our overall blogging experience. I’ll just share a few of my thoughts over the last few months.
I’m not going to lie – I was thrilled that I was being forced by a class to create a blog. I’ve always tried to start blogging but never had the self motivation, so the fact that class made me do it was excellent on both ends. I’ve really enjoyed writing about fashion on here – sometimes I feel like a lot of the crazy over the top runway fashion is just ridiculous and too much, so getting down to the local angle of fashion and my thoughts on dressing myself [and often other people] has been a lot of fun.
I really loved writing in here – expressing myself and my opinions has never been something I’ve shied away from, but this was a different sort of expression. I wasnt just sitting here ranting about my day – I had a specific purpose and message.
I really loved seeing the traffic to my blog increase as time went on – obviously on the days when I posted the link everywhere more people clicked on it – but seeing the increase in comments was great, and especially from people who aren’t in the class but just enjoy reading this thing anyways. I loved sharing the blog with my friends and family, forcing them to add it to the RSS feed was great. I loved writing about stuff and having people say something to me later in the day or week – its always rewarding when people read what youre writing, no matter what the outlet.
I think if I could do anything differently, it would just be to force myself to post more often. I had all sorts of great ideas that I’d either never write down or think about in the middle of the day and then totally forget about, which was often frustrating.
There was definitely a surprise when I got a nasty comment from “John Smith” telling me to get off my high horse, that I was just some ugly pathetic nobody [of course he used words that were a lot less tasteful] but I guess thats just the reality of the internet and the online world – people will always have their opinions and the right to share them, no matter how nasty they are.
I really do love the idea of blogs, and I’m hoping to continue blogging. Maybe not necessarily a fashion blog, but I will be working for 6 months, so I’m sure I’ll have plenty of stuff to blog about there.
pearls
Since I wore my fabulous $6 pearls today, I figured I’d write about the wonderful trend that are pearls. I’ve always been slightly hesitant of them – I never knew if they were too old lady-ish or if they looked silly. I really do think that as a young adult, they can look incredibly classy, you just have to know what to wear them with. As I was searching around the web, I stumbled upon this great list – five reasons why you should break out fake pearls. I love it – all the points are so true!
This strand, I kid you not, is $25,600 from Tiffanys. I know. My jaw is still on the floor. When you’re a millionaire, you can go for these.
These babies are $3000 from Tiffanys. Yikes.
Please please dont spend that kind of money. These earrings [okay, they dont have the diamonds] are only $13 on Overstock. Seriously.
This set is only $19.99 on Overstock! Just like the list said, fake pearls are easier to wear, just as cute and I promise – nobody will have any idea if theyre real or fake.
This style strand is great also – and these are on sale from Aldo Accessories for only $10!
Of course my go-to forever 21 had 73 search results when I typed in pearls. Here are some of my favorites:
Funkier pieces are easier to justify when theyre cheaper – these are $8 and even if you only wear them a few times – totally worth it.
I love this piece – the dark pearls can be great too, and it mixes up the funky clustered style. For $8, you really cant say no.
Pieces like these can be fun, but don’t go overboard because too many can look tacky. If anything I’d stick to a simple strand that you can double or triple and a matching pair of studs somewhere. These forever pieces are all 3, 4 or 5 bucks, so grab one or two of your favorites to wear with something simple. Be careful with earrings though – I know if I buy cheap metal ones my ears swell up and hurt after just a few hours of wear.
Definitely rock those pearls though – I love em!
NYT Spring Fashion Audio Slideshow
I found this great little slideshow on the NYT Fashion Page about Spring weather and fashion popping into the city – Bill Cunningham makes some great observations and shows some fun outfits – my favorite is probably the girl in the patterned trench coat with her Tory Burch flats and big funky belt.
I also found this excellent article about how Michelle Obama is changing “wife wear” for first ladies – very interesting comments and observations, and the slideshow of Michelle’s outfits is of course fabulous.
Enjoy!
haircut update
So I complained a few posts back about my haircut that I was less than thrilled about, and over the last week everyone’s been telling me that the cut really isn’t so bad at all. I think my big problem is that I cant find the right shampoo/conditioner anymore – everything seems to leave my hair dull and oily. I know it’s good to use more than one shampoo at a time, and I have three different sets in my shower right now [I know, excessive excessive] but I think maybe my hair has just grown accustomed to all 3.
When I move to my new apartment in a few weeks I plan to toss the ends of all 3 of my sets and find a new shampoo that does my hair justice. In the mean time, I’ve discovered that parting my hair to the side really freshens up my look. Ive always kind of been lazy with my hair – I never used product and I’m so lazy about dealing with it. If I shower in the morning I’ll blow dry it right away, if I shower at night I just let it air dry and then I’ll either straighten it or throw it up the next day. I always let it part wherever it wants, and the most I ever do in terms of styling is putting it up in the glamorous poof that every girl has embraced in the last six months.
I think this part is really great – I’ll have to utilize it more often! Katie Holmes rocks it well here – although my hair doesnt look as great as hers, this is the basic look I’m going for.
ohhh finals
As a journalism major, I dont have any finals, just lots and lots of papers and projects. In the stress of trying to finish all my work, solidify my summer sublet, find furniture, plan moving out [fabulous NU is kicking me out of the dorms two days before I have somewhere to live], pick up my furniture, and still manage to keep my GPA up I have to admit that I havent been looking my very best.
In a constant rush to get out the door as quickly as possible, I’ve found myself feeling sloppy and gross, and I figured I’d write about some simple, fast outfits for those days when youve got so much on your mind, looking great isnt a priority. Or maybe just for those mornings when you snooze the alarm a few too many times.
Right now, I’m wearing ballet flats, basic flare jeans, a white tank top from express layered underneath a thin black long sleeve thermal that I bought at the gap ages ago. I threw on a long strand of pearls I literally bought at Claires for $6 sophomore year of high school, but to dress it up, I tripled the strand around my neck, giving it a shorter, more dressed up feel. The trick to an outfit like this is simplicity. All of your basic plain tops can be paired with a necklace or fun earrings to dress them up without even trying – and it literally takes 5 seconds to throw it all one. Try wearing a pair of your favorite (comfiest) flats with your standard flared jeans and a basic plain top with a higher neck. Pair a bright bold pair of earrings or a fun necklace with it – it takes away from the plain look of the rest of your outfit, and leads to simplicity. Throwing your hair into a messy bun and swiping on some quick mascara are the perfect last touches.
Another great, easy outfit is pulling on skinny jeans and layering a lace tank underneath a vneck. When the tank top shows at the top and bottom it gives your outfit a pulled together look. Layer your favorite spring jacket on over it, grab some hoop earrings and a pair of boots and youre all set to go.
Although I myself am not a huge fan of the pullover sweatshirt, it is the perfect solution to not knowing what to wear. Especially if youve got a great solid tank or tee to layer underneath it that matches the colors in the sweatshirt, you look put together with basically no effort at all.
Another easy solution is leggings. My favorite with leggings are my hanes vnecks from the mens section of target or walmart. Because I’m a layering freak, I always wear one of my longer, colored beaters underneath to add some color and then I’ll throw on a zip up or my boyfriend cardigan. Its easy to add jewelry to this outfit as well – even just some matching studs or dangly earrings can dress up an outfit more than you realize. Of course my default is the hoops because gold and silver tend to match everything, but pretty much any set of earrings will do. Don’t over do it – pick either a necklace or earrings, unless you have a cute matching set that isn’t too overwhelming.
Leggings can also be great with a pull over sweatshirt, assuming the sweatshirt is long enough. Add a tank top underneath and throw on some flip flops or cute tennis shoes and youre pretty much all set to run out the door!
rain rain go away
Today’s weather gave me the perfect excuse to rant about how over the rain I am.
Ideally, I love the rain. I love the way it feels on your bare skin, the romantic notion of kissing in the rain, running and splashing in the rain. And then you get outside and its actually freezing out. Not only is it cold, but its windy, so the rain is pelting your face and soaking your purse and its burning your hand thats holding the umbrella and by the time you get to class or your meeting youre soaking wet anyways. And youre wearing rainboots, so your feet are cold and uncomfortable because rainboots are hypothetically great and practical but in reality they are not warm and they hurt your feet when you wear them for long periods of time and theyre bulky and clunky and awkward. And of course your jeans tucked into them end up hurting your ankles, and your thighs get soaking wet from the rain pelting you and remain soggy for the rest of the day. Not to mention the frizzy hair, destroyed makeup and soggy look you’ve got going on afterwards. And thats when you realize that you hate the rain, and you just miss the sunshine. Or is that just me?
Anyways, I’ve come to realize that in my plethora of jackets I do not have a practical rain coat. I have my puffy cropped jacket with a hood, and I have my ski jacket, but neither are very practical for real rain. And even though I always use an umbrella, with the wind of Boston I always get soaking wet anyways.
I’ll stop the negativity, but really. I’m ready for some serious sunshine.
and the bag dilemma continues…
In searching for bags [and blatantly ignoring the piles of work I have due in the next 10 days] I have been on an online search for bags.
Here are my latest discoveries.
This bag is from Forever, and for $35 I’m not sure how I feel about it. I really need a bag that is practical – I need to be able to stick shoes [flats or heels during my commute and uggs or flip flops during the day], a book, my ipod, my makeup case, a water bottle and possibly my lunch into without it looking overly stuffed or stupid. It also needs to have a practical strap, since I’ll be standing and waiting for the bus, the t and the shuttle in a single commute.
These hobos are both from target, and their straps are totally ridiculous. How on earth could I fill that bag and expect to carry all that shit on that tiny ass strap? Especially the stupid chain link one of the black bag. I love the patent look of it – so fun for a purse or summer bag, but for $22.99 each – its not even worth it if I want a seriously practical bag.
This isn’t a great pictures because its from the “make your own” section of the site, but this is the LeSportSac I am considering. The thing with LeSportSac I’ve noticed is that its huge on the west coast and not the east coast, but it really is the basic same concept of Longchamp with a patterned body and canvas straps instead of solid colors and leather straps. LeSportSac bags are significant cheaper – this one retails for $98. They have all sorts of sizes and designs, some of my other favorites are below.
These patterns feel more fun – I’m not sure how great and practical they are for a work bag. I’d want to go into the store they have in LA and check it out – which might be a perfect 21st bday present to myself, since I’ll be home that week before. Im more inclined to spend the $100 on a bag with a pattern I truly love and the same practicality as a Longchamp – I cant even find a Longchamp on ebay, craigslist or amazon for more than $20 less than their retail price. With that difference, I’d rather just spend the full amount and get a brand new one.
And here it is – the Longchamp. It really just doesn’t blow me away. I dont like the way the brown looks with the leather, the black seems too plain, the kiwi green is too bright as is the pink, and I dont like the color of the red enough. Basically, all the arrows point to not getting one, but I’m just too attached to the size/way everything fits so well inside of it.
This Michael Kors bag is $200, which is a liiittle bit out of the price range [ahha]. I love the buckles on it, but I’m not sure how expandable it is on the sides in terms of getting a significant amount of stuff in it..
Of course in an ideal world I would just wander down to Marc Jacobs on Newbury and pick up this bag. For $495 who wouldnt? Oh how I would die for this bag. The color, the simple design, the size. Birthday present hint. Cough Cough.
passion for fashion 