Nude as the news

Dress/Tunic: Ruche
Skirt: Old Navy
Necklace: Buffalo Exchange
Shoes: Seychelles, from Buffalo Exchange
Ring: Thrifted
Sunglasses: OC Shades

I'm so happy that I can finally wear this dress/tunic! I bought it at Ruche sometime late last year and haven't had an opportunity to wear it. It's pretty oversized and I think it's long enough to pull off as a dress, but I haven't figured out how to style it up. I recently got this skirt from Old Navy during their friends and family sale and despite the bumpy seams (I need to iron it better), it's everything I've been wanting! I think they're a really great pair. I love seeing how other bloggers have worn this dress, such as the Clothes Horse, Mademoiselle Robot, Lulu Letty, and WishWishWish. It can be really challenging to find versatile pieces that aren't super basic. I'm sure this little number will find its way into many spring and summer outfits after a much needed dress up date with myself. Those really are the best kind of dates!

Shoes and well kept secrets

I've said it before and I'll say it again... if I could change one thing about my body, it would be my feet! More women than I realized can relate to this, which is so relieving because I've been embarrassed about it for a really long time. For those that don't know - I've been cursed with very wide and flat feet. The struggle to find shoes that fit correctly has been a battle I've fought since I was able to walk. It's been extremely challenging to work with both of these qualities, but I seem to be finding more luck with online retailers. Evans has a great selection of wide width shoes. I recently bought three pair of shoes from them pictured above. In the past I've bought a pair of boots, simple black flats, and some heels and I wear them all religiously. It's funny because every pair of shoes I've bought from Evans have been black! I think next time I'll try to branch out color-wise.

So if you have the same problem as me, don't let it bring you down. I've never had shoes so comfortable and feel like they'll last longer than a season. There's a reason why I now have 6 pairs of shoes from Evans. It's 100% worth every penny.

Paper heart

Dress: H&M, from Crossroads
Cardigan: Old Navy
Shoes, Bag, Belt, and Ring: Thrifted
Paper Doilies: 25 cents at Brown Elephant!

I have a lot of tote bags and this one has to be one of my favorites. It was $1 at Salvation Army and it's a little San Francisco trolley with wooden handles. I've never been to California, much less San Francisco, so I feel like a bit of a poser when I wear this! Haha. But I absolutely adore it and it goes with pretty much anything I wear.

I'm really excited to use these paper doilies for some craft projects I've been wanting to do. Spring break is officially over and it's back to reality - never having time for anything fun! I complain and complain about not being able to do stuff, but boy did I get a lot done this past week! I got a new bed (Ryan and I have been sleeping on a floor for 2-3 months... it's a long story!), new desk, new bookcase, and we fixed our cable service and got a replacement phone for Ryan. All of these things have been floating around in my to-do list and we finally got them done. Yay!



P.S. I just bought 3 new pair of shoes that I'm really excited about at Evans. I'd been waiting for them to have another 20% off code and they have one on their website right now. It ends tonight at midnight, so hurry! More on those purchases tomorrow. :]

Oh hey. It's me again.

Dress: SJP Bitten, from Crossroads Trading Co.
Cardigan: Old Navy
Bag: Thomas Paul, from Fred Flare
Shoes: Evans
Bookcase: Craigslist! So excited about non-messy books!

Ah, Spring Break! It's nice to meet you again. I wore this yesterday for a day out with my boyfriend. We've been together for almost 4 years, and living together for 3! It's so ridiculous how we met - so embarrassing that I used to lie to people about how we knew each other through friends. Ha! I was actually downloading music off of him and we started talking and I basically fell in love. So dorky! We talked for about a year and then he moved to Chicago and we settled in together! I consider myself very lucky to have met someone like Ryan. He's hilarious, we have a million things in common, and we've been comfortable with each other from the very beginning. It's not an easy thing to explain, but we just get each other. It's as simple as that.



So the other day I took a different way home from work and passed by Elly's Pancake House. I haven't been able to shut up about how freakin' PERFECT it looks! Aesthetically pleasing - yes. Food-wise? I was blown away! We ate there yesterday and I got their chorizo omelette and it tasted just the way Mom makes them. SO GOOD. These guys just opened up about a month ago, so if you're ever in Chicago, make your way to Elly's! They're also opened 24 hours, which might drive Ryan wild because I'm always going to want to eat there haha.




Of course we saved room in our bellies for a much needed ice cream sundae from Bobtail Ice Cream. I need more days like these!

Wrapped up in books

Tunic and Leggings: H&M
Boots: Evans
Headband and Scarf: Urban Outfitters

I've been really busy lately trying to get caught up in school and working every day in between. It's stressful and I don't really have time to think about what I'm going to wear. Because of this, I've been wearing the same old thing. The H&M stripe tunic is a couple weeks old and was only $6 (not on sale)! They also have a navy stripe version, but I like the pink better. So far I've worn it with my grey boyfriend blazer, oversized cardigans, and denim jacket. Sure, it's boring, but it's comfortable and takes less than a minute to throw on.


Tunic and Leggings: H&M
Boots: Ebay
Necklace: Buffalo Exchange

This is another variation of the last outfit. This tunic was only $15 at H&M and I'm obsessed with it! It's the perfect fit and length in both the front and back. Needless to say, I managed to squeeze in some minor retail therapy after class within the past couple of weeks. The good thing is that I'm totally in love with everything I bought and everything was priced way lower than normal. More on the other pieces later!

Searching the world for what's right here

{My hair was out of control this past December and it really shows in this photograph. Still, I'll always love this photo from Fall 2009.}

Outfit posts are scarce these days, I know. Here's a few old pictures to make it look like I'm not completely slacking off. In all actuality, my life is busier than ever. I'm going to be at school for 12 hours today; 7 hours of class, and 5 hours of getting caught up with class projects. I feel like I've been a senior in college forever. It's only six weeks into the semester and my brain is already checked out and exhausted. I am so ready to be DONE! I'm graduating in three months, but I'll still have 8 more credit hours to complete for the summer. It's incredibly bittersweet.

I need some serious collegiate motivation. All I can think about is how I want my life to be once I'm done with all of these tedious projects I've gotten myself into. And by tedious projects, I don't mean this blog! This is one of the few things I look forward to working on in my spare time. Lately I've been thinking of new banner ideas and sticking to one font. {REALLY OBSCURE IDEAS, OLIVE.} I've also been bookmarking tons of projects I want to do from Design Sponge once the weather allows me to sit in the park and get my hands dirty. I'm constantly inspired and even though it causes slight distractions, I'd have it no other way.


{Going clockwise: Summer 2009, Fall 2008, Winter 2009}

Oxford comma

Brown: Bakers, from Brown Elephant
Gold: Made by Elves, from Brown Elephant
Maroon: Trotters, Thrifted

I have a very strong desire to find THE perfect oxfords. The maroon pair I've had for a while and I recently found the brown and gold pair at Brown Elephant during two separate trips. I find that it's really difficult to turn down a pair of shoes that are exactly what you're looking for, but may not actually fit. First, I'll just say that I only paid $5 or less for each pair. How can you turn that down? The brown pair are EXACTLY what I've been wanting, in a size 7, and show little to no wear (I'll also mention that these are still selling at Bakers for $50) but they're just too narrow. The gold pair was originally sold at Urban Outfitters sometime around 2007. I remember when we got these and how I never understood how someone could pull them off. These do actually fit at a size 8 but I just don't think I can pull them off. And lastly, the maroon oxfords SHOULD fit - they're a 7W. As many times as I've tried to work them into different outfits, my feet just say NO.

So here I am, with 3 gorgeous pair of oxfords, and still somehow oxford-less. I will be patiently waiting for some company (Evans, are you reading this?!) to make an oxford that isn't painfully narrow, cheap looking, or super expensive.

Or maybe some of you readers out there already know of a brand that I don't know about? Please let me know!

Cozy nooks and secret passages

Blazer: Thrifted
Shirt: H&M
Skirt: Old Navy, Thrifted
Tights: Nordstrom Rack
Shoes: Evans
Necklace: Renegade Craft Fair
Bag: Vintage Saks Fifth Avenue, Thrifted

This shirt is becoming my favorite and least favorite shirt in my closet right now. It's perfectly slouchy but it's one of those shirts that has a longer hem in the back than in the front. The only way I can wear it without looking completely ridiculous is tucked into a basic skirt or tucking the back into a pair of jeans. Pretty inconvenient, but it's usually worth it. That bag is one of my craziest finds at Unique Thrift Store. Just as we were being re-introduced to the pyramid stud, I find this gorgeous navy bag with pyramid studs for $5! The kicker was that it's vintage from Saks Fifth Avenue. I don't wear this bag nearly enough.

Lastly, I thought I'd introduce you to a couple of old companions and their beautiful new picture frames that I got for $1 each. I searched high and low for the artist of the first print but couldn't track it down! This photo does no justice to the colors and the detail of the frame! The second print is from Berkley Illustration and I think it's the sweetest photo ever! It comes with a little card that reads: "This cute little couple lives in a yellow cottage full of cozy nooks and secret passages. You may find it a bit peculiar, but their best friend is a grey cat from France". Yeah. I'm in love.

I think I love you, I think I'm mad

I think it's safe to say that if you listen to St. Vincent, you're head over heels for Annie Clark. I got a chance to see her live in Austin for the first time during SXSW last year and everyone around me was in pure awe of this woman. I've never seen so many people take pictures of a musician before they even picked up a guitar! It was a serious case of indie-paparazzi. With a face like that, I suppose I can't blame them. And that style! She, without a doubt, has the vintage modern style down to a science.



And of course, Annie isn't just a pretty face. She's a musician, and a really talented one at that. She just has this very ethereal thing about her that most people don't have. I love listening to her speak in interviews about her music and how she based songs on Actor (her latest album) off of film scores she created for scenes in her favorite films. Or how she created midi files in her Brooklyn apartment to create a sound and transferred those midi sounds to guitar. I have a lot of respect for people that know who they are and how they can execute their work in a way that reflects their personality. I can only dream that I'll have that kind of creative freedom when I have my own career.



If you aren't familiar with St. Vincent's music, I think the best way to describe it is charming with a sprinkle of evil. I am crazy about this 2 minute video where Annie talks about one of her shows last year at SXSW and then briefly touches on what she loves about her music.



...or you can check out her Austin City Limits performance of "Marrow" and let the music do the talking.



*All pictures were taken from St.Vincent's last.fm.