Boom in the Trunk

Hey everyone! Sorry for the lack of posts, I've been in moving-mode for the past 3 weeks and now that I'm finally settled in and not living out of boxes, I can share some exciting news with my Chicago readers! Tiffany Tucker of Fat Shopaholic has invited me and a few other bloggers to join her at her event Boom in the Trunk. It's at Beauty Bar on October 27, 2011 from 7-9:30. Plan on getting there early to receive a gift bag for the first 150 people! There will be Dj's and performers, a fashion show, and hello - $10 manicures! And P.S. This is a 21 and up event.

Please RSVP here via Facebook invite. Hope to see you guys there!

Hoarder in the Making

From Left to Right: Made in Belgium, from Buffalo Exchange, $12 // Made in Turkey, from Unique Thrift Store, $5 // (My newest addition) Made in the USA, from Unique Thrift Store, $5

Just a short post to show off a new addition to my carpet bag collection! I didn't really need it, but you can't taunt me with details like that and a $5 price tag. It's too cruel! I don't want to be a hoarder or anything, so I may have to eventually sell or trade one of these in the near future. For now, I'll just study the insane amount of detail that goes into the production of this style bag. It's intriguing!

Happy Labor Day!

So long bare-armed sun-filled days in the park with a good book, my lover (though he looks super grumps in this photo!), and our favorite summer mixes.

Well guys, it's Labor Day and you know what that means. It's (un)officially the end of summer! I'm a little sad that it's over, not going to lie! I enjoyed my summer, and though it wasn't always easy (financially), good things are on their way this upcoming season. Ryan has been unemployed for the past 6 months and I'm so excited that he finally got a great job lined up this past week! It's kind of funny, he actually has to work today on Labor Day but neither of us are complaining. Anyway - I try not to get too into my personal life on my blog, but that has been a major turning point this year for us. So happy that we're back on the right track!

Color Stories

Cardigan: Anthropologie // Top: Old Navy // Belt, Clutch: Vintage // Skirt: Gap // Shoes: Style 369 // Sunglasses: H&M // Watch: Art Effect

So, Monday was my birthday. I am now 24 years old! It amazes me how fast time flies, especially after your 21st and 22nd birthday. I'm getting up there man! I'm really hoping for a better year... the past couple have been bringing me down. I won't get too into detail but I'm super hopeful that the next year will be better. If I manage to save some money for November through January, I'd love to take a trip that isn't in Texas. I'm only mentioning this because a friend of mine found $116 round trip tickets from Chicago to New York! I've never been and the idea obviously really excites me.

Anyway, on to my outfit! It's like night and day from my last outfit post which is funny because the majority of my clothes sort of work together, but I end up going from one extreme to the other sometimes. Regardless - I love this outfit. It's a little corporate but I try to have fun with color every once in a while. I'm a sucker for kind of muted, earthy fall colors so when I saw this Anthro cardigan, I knew it would work with everything I own. Think about it - it's the perfect pop of color against forest green, burgundy, navy, camel, and a dark goldenrod. I love it even more because it also works for cooler summer days and the length is just perfect with any high waisted look. Not to pat myself on the back or anything, but this tortoise, gold, white, blue-green, and an orangey red color story is making me long for another month of summer fun.



P.S. If you didn't notice, I got a haircut! It was shockingly only $24 at Floyd's Barbershop in Wicker Park. I think Mandi did a fabulous job. Also, Chicago was not allowing me to go without a cowlick in this post. Forever windy in the Windy City.

Shoe obsessions

The last time I actually went shopping was at the beginning of July, yet it seems like it's been forever ago. I only bought a few things here and there, returned some, and have worn the rest. Actually, I did buy a coat from the store I work at, but I used money I made from my shop so in my eyes, it doesn't count! It's a blessing and a curse that I've been so broke lately because I'm seeing SO much that I need. Every year I manage to scour up everything I'm lusting over into a wishlist and only end up buying one or two items. This year, I'm trying to be good since money is so sparse. I really need to focus on buying the right footwear to get me through the 6-7 months of fall/winter that Chicago is so famously known for.

Through scouring the internet for the best styles in shoes my size, I always seem to forget about Torrid. When I think of past footwear styles by this company, I think of 5" heel, patent leather hooker shoes. Needless to say, that's not really my thing. Recently I've noticed that they have seriously stepped up their game in terms of styles available in wide width. I'm super stoked that they're having a buy one get one half off sale, but I have to really simmer down my wants into needs.



The Nina // Camel Oxfords // The Serina // The Lola

Love the Nina flat, but I know I'd only wear it with a couple of black shift dresses in my closet and that would be the end of that love affair. I'd definitely get a lot of use out of the camel oxfords, so those are on my needs list. The Serina flats I'm still considering as a need, and as much as I love the Lola style, I realize that they're not a total necessity.



The Wendy in Brown and Black // The Lucky in Brown and Black

I love the Wendy, especially because of the wedge but realistically, I am on my feet 5 days out of the week with 8.5 hour workdays. I probably couldn't wear them to work and I'd be too tired to pull them off after hours. The Lucky has a more sensible heel with a 1/2 platform and 3" heel and after seeing this post from Calivintage, I realize that the brown booties need to be on my feet immediately.



The Lucy // The Tasha // The Toya // The Trusol

As much as I love the tall boot styles above and others on their site, there still isn't a style that I'm obsessing over. What I'm really looking for is a brown mid-calf flat-1.5" heel boot with little embellishments. The Trusol is a popular style that I've been seeing the past couple of years, but is only currently available in black. The Tasha is great but I'm kind of over the knee high look. Crossing my fingers that I'll find the perfect pair!

American snapshot

It's been nearly 2 months since my last outfit post and my hair has probably grown about 2 inches since my last haircut. As I've said in previous posts, life has been nonstop crazytown since I came back from my trip and I've been putting things like getting a haircut on the back burner. Plus, haircuts cost money and that's something I've also been lacking these days.


Top: Acne, from Crossroads // Shorts: Forever 21 // Sandals: Evans // Bag: Thrift // Necklace: Renegade Craft Fair // Watch: Art Effect // Bracelet: La Mariposa // Sunglasses: Free People

All stress aside - I'm happy to be making outfit posts again! The backdrop in these photos are from a garbage truck that was parked in front of the alley to my apartment. Pretty stoked to see that before a day of errands and clearly kept it in mind for an end-of-the-day photo op. The top I'm wearing was a fabulous find from Crossroads. The retail price on that tee has to be like 9 times what I paid for it. It's a size small, which begs me to question how designers size oversized garments. Anyway- the fabric is so yummy and easy, I want to wear it everyday. Not the greatest shape in photos, but I don't mind. It's comfy and so are my favorite $15 Forever 21 shorts that seem to go with everything. It's pretty clear to me that I'm all about staying comfortable for the remainder of SU11, haha.

Before I end this post, I have to mention this woman that nearly put herself in incoming traffic only to ask where I got my bucket bag pictured in these photos. It's funny and also kind of scary what we will do for fashion!

La Mariposa

One of the best parts of my trip was a shopping date with my sister Rita (check out her blog - she has an incredible archive of refurbished furniture every week). Instead of going to the mall, which I also did but at a different time, we went to the Bishop Arts district and to a few shops on Henderson. The sad part of it was that we decided to go on July 3rd and little to our knowledge, a lot of the shops planned on closing for the holiday weekend. Such a bummer! We found the loveliest little vintage boutiques with the prettiest sea foam green exterior that was just begging me to stop in. I guess I'll have to go back next time. One boutique that I couldn't miss was a hot pink shop called "La Mariposa". I was in LOVE.







There are a lot of things that I gravitate towards, but I don't know if anyone really expected me to be blown away with this shop as much as I did. It did a couple of things to me. It took me back to my childhood with all the Mexican embroidered dresses, cute little bright colored woven change purses and of course all the turquoise you can imagine. It was so full of memories and inspiration because it was so authentic. Then it got me thinking about where we are in fashion right now and everything is a duplicate, a hugely manufactured copy of my culture. I'm not here to preach about it, I just found it intriguing. While I was here, my niece and I bought friendship bracelets and I got a fantastic ring from one of those trays in the second picture.

I wonder if there were shops like this in the Midwest, would they survive? Is this just a Texas thing or would these trends be strong enough to survive heavy traffic cities like Chicago?

Come tomorrow, I'll be on my way back home

I can't believe I haven't blogged since June! I have to admit, July felt like forever and while I've been documenting most of my time, I haven't had a chance to breathe and work on blogging. The first week of July I flew back home to Dallas and had a great holiday week with my family. Part of the festivities included a long overdue graduation party, a massive trip to Sephora, and finally getting a smartphone (which I'd end up having to get replaced in less than a month but more on that later). As much as I love Chicago, I really miss home. I never remembered Dallas having so much charm. It was so refreshing to go back revisiting old spots, people I used to know, and visiting new places I seemed to have overlooked so long ago.



My sister Rita made my graduation banner and decorations. She bought all of these vintage sewing patterns and made the letters with the illustrated photos on the packaging and paper flowers from the actual patterns. She gets me. My sister Andrea should still be mentioned as she did most of the actual event planning. I love my sisters!



And talk about the cutest graduation cake ever. Strawberry cake with vanilla icing... my fave.



My Fourth of July was spent watching my youngest niece Alyssa in a parade, hanging out, laughing, and playing games with the rest of my family. In the evening, I sat parked in my grandmother's neighborhood of 50 some odd years with my mother and her mother watching fireworks. I can't remember that day being any more perfect. I'll never forget it.

So the rest of my July went a little something like this: First week spent at home, 6 days of work in a row, 6 days of my brother visiting Chicago, massive flood in my apartment due to an insane storm, phone totally wiped out, and 6 days of cleaning it up/fixing damages. But I am alive! I survived July!

Vintage Virgin

Well, it's the last week of June and it's definitely been the longest month ever. I've been so stressed out that my skin has been breaking out because all I can think about are possible changes in my life. But that's normal, right? Anyway, thank goodness for my week vacation in Dallas! I leave July 1st and I'll be back in Chicago on the 7th so I'm super excited about that. Even though all my vacations in the last four and a half years have been to Dallas, I can't be bitter. I miss my fam! On top of that, my brother is visiting me in Chicago a week after I return to the Midwest. Yay for family!



Speaking of family (I love a good segue), I have been obsessing over Vintage Virgin, a fashion blogger that is also a mom. Her look isn't 100% my style, but I appreciate that she styles her vintage pieces in a very current way. Just seeing her blog really inspired me to bust out my vintage clothing and play around with my more modern pieces. It seems like an obvious thing to do, but sometimes I ignore the more unique pieces in my closet because my newer pieces are just easier to style (aka I've been caught being lazy, haha). Anyway - her story really got me thinking the other day. I know I've been one to speak about how little time I feel that I have to spend blogging, but if this mom can do it, and OFTEN, then maybe time isn't an excuse for me? Maybe there's something deeper that passes photo opportunities and the like that I'm not willing to admit. Hmm. Food for thought.

Shop Olive

SHOP OLIVE is finally open! I wanted to go the bigcartel route, but honestly, I can't justify paying each month to sell my clothes through their site! So, in all of my cheap glory, I worked some html magic on Tumblr to create my resell shop. I hope you guys find something! Most of the sizes are 14-18, some size 20/3x in the mix, as well as shoes from 7-8 Wide. As always, thanks for reading!

$41,000

Top: Anthropologie // Pants: H&M // Necklace: Talonalia // Bracelets, Cuff: Art Effect, and Erica Weiner // Shoes: Bass, from Zappos // Sunglasses: Buffalo Exchange // Bag: Borders & Frontiers, from ASOS

...is how much I owe in student loans. But more on that later. There are a lot of outfit things going on in this post that I'm excited about! I'll start with the top. I bought it on a whim at Anthropologie and it's become one of those tops that everyone I see tells me they love. It has a great weight to it and I can play with the sides of it to manipulate the shape. The pants are easy breezy and another on the whim purchase from H&M. I've only worn them a few times in the past couple of months but they really are perfect for this weird in-between hot and cool weather we've been having in Chicago. And the shoes. The shoes have a funny story, but honestly I'll spare you guys the details because it's kind of ridiculous. Basically, I returned like 4 different pairs of shoes through Zappos in order to get to these and the customer service girl told me that I was banned from any more exchanges. I'm really pleased with these shoes though, so I guess in the end everything worked out.



All excitement about my sort-of recent purchases aside, I have put myself on a serious spending ban due to student loan repayment plans starting next month. Such a bummer, I know. I'm actually in the works of putting around 25 or so things online to sell if anyone is interested! I have some SUPER cute things to sell and a lot of them I've never worn more than a handful of times. So please be on the lookout for that within a week or so.

My favorite daydream

Blazer: Gap // Tunic, Shorts: Forever 21 // Boots: Evans // Sunglasses: Buffalo Exchange // Cuff: Nakamol, from Art Effect // Necklace: Free People // Bag: Thrift

I've been looking high and low for an ankle boot perfect for the summer. Boots are kind of essential for me since I'm on my feet for long periods of time as a full time sales girl. Even if it's just one day a week, my feet feel much better by the end of my fifth day if I wear my boots or my white sneakers. It's funny because I have this image in my head of what I want but I cannot stress enough how difficult it is as a wide-footed gal to find cool and comfortable shoes. Does anyone out there know of any websites that have a nice selection of wide shoes? I have a lot that I know of and check daily (Torrid, Evans, One Stop Plus, New Look, Zappos) but I'd love to know if there's something I'm missing!

Forgive me...

I've been such a bad blogger. You may see consistent Tumblr posts from yours truly, but when it comes to making an actual blog post, I've been pretty lazy these days. Not to mention the weather has been absolutely terrible for motivation! Still, I found time to take the dress pictured above to my tailor for shoulder alterations and it was well worth my money (especially considering that I bought it for a mere $13 on ASOS last summer). I've been aching for a pair of espadrilles, and I think these from Style 369 may do the trick. I really feel like they'll go with nearly everything I own. The necklace will be a replacement for my other Laura Lombardi necklace that was taken from me... ugh, it's a really long story. Thankfully Urban Outfitters is carrying her jewelry now because I get a company discount (though I secretly wish they had my original one because I loved it so so much). Sally Jane Vintage has had this bag for a while, and I can't justify the price but gosh is it nice to look at.

I still haven't bought rings like I promised myself I'd do. I think these stacking rings are a great start for me and the price isn't bad for 14k gold filled and sterling silver. Lastly, all I really want this summer is good music to listen to. I already went with Ryan last Monday to see Bonnie Prince Billy for free downtown in Millenium Park. As I've said before, that is my favorite thing about summers in Chicago. It was a great start to my summer and I can't wait for more!

Blue Valentine

Dress: H&M
Shoes: Evans
Necklace: Talonalia
Bracelet: Species by the Thousands, from Renegade Handmade
Bag: Aldo
Tote: Borders & Frontiers, from ASOS

The sun is officially on our side in Chicago and I was finally able to debut this dress that I bought back in February. As creepy as it sounds, when I saw this dress on the rack I instantly thought of Michelle Williams. It was around the time when Blue Valentine came out and I could not shake every second of that movie out of my soul. I would literally wake up with that Penny & the Quarters song in my head every morning for about two weeks! In fact, thinking about that movie still makes me sad. It damaged me! Anyway - all sad feelings aside, I LOVE Michelle Williams. She's always seemed like my kinda gal, even during the Dawson's Creek days. I saw these press photos for Blue Valentine with her wearing this lovely blue dotted vintage inspired dress. Aren't our dresses so similar?

The Wild, Weird, and Creepy

Just a quick post highlighting a couple of my (almost) everyday pieces of jewelry. The skeleton bracelet is by Verameat which was a gift from Ryan for Valentine's Day. It's adjustable and supposed to look like a "monster hug" when it's wrapped around your wrist. Pretty adorable, right? Definitely the cutest Valentine's Day gift everrr. The ID bracelet is by Species by the Thousands and has a really gorgeous eyeball that was engraved into the metal. I got this at Renegade Handmade with a gift certificate I got from my sister for Christmas. I have an odd eye for jewelry (no pun intended). I do like simple jewelry, but my heart will always prefer the wild, weird, and creepy.

Stripe Season

Blazer: We The Free, from Crossroads
Top: Gap
Shorts, Necklace: Thrift
Shoes: H&M
Bracelets: Verameat, and Species by the Thousands

Today's outfit is definitely inspired by one of my favorite brands, J. Crew. I've been a fan for years because of their incredible ability to make prepster clothes not preppy, and instead, cool, fresh, and relevant. In a way I'm glad that they don't carry my size because I know I'd be in trouble! Their brilliant styling continues to make me look at my own wardrobe in different ways. So really, I blame them for giving me the idea to pair my blazers with ripped up jeans and silk blouses paired with sneakers. None of it really makes sense but in the end I'm happy I took an unpopular idea and made it my own.

The latest is the greatest

Blazer: Gap
Blouse, Sunglasses: Buffalo Exchange
Jeans: Target
Flats: Art Effect
Bag: Aldo
Necklace: Renegade Craft Fair
Bracelet: Verameat

Sooo... I got my hair cut! I've been waiting for this change for months and I'm so happy it finally happened. It's been almost a week and I never want to go back! I'm a low maintenance kind of girl, and this new do is so easy to do before work. I love it! The bag is also a new addition to my wardrobe. I hadn't bought a new bag in forever! All of my bags are vintage, with exception of a few totes, my MBMJ bag that I bought in 2006, and my Fossil bag that I got last Christmas. Everything else is thrifted/bought through consignment. I should make a post about my purses because they all say a little something different about me. This new one was a perfect new addition. Perfect color, perfect shape, and perfect for spring!

Getting Pantsy

First Row: Levis "Slight Curve" Slim Jean, Dorothy Perkins Linen Peg Trousers, Torrid Cropped Pants
Second Row: Converse Jeans, Gap High Waisted Cropped Jeans, Old Navy Boyfriend Jeans
Third Row: ASOS Peg Leg Pants, Dorothy Perkins Red Kick Flare Trousers, Jessica London Hot Pink Capris
Literally 1/4th of my closet is full of dresses and all I want to wear right now are pants! Go figure, huh? Above are all of the pants I've been coveting (including a couple of pairs that I've bought... the Converse jeans fit me like a glove and the ASOS pants are in transit to my apartment). It's not that I'm over my little collection of dresses, I've just never given pants much of a chance and with so many cute variations for spring, how could I resist?

It's always been a challenge for me to find jeans and pants that fit me properly. I have a straight hip and thigh (I find that most jeans in my size are cut for hourglass figures), and a 27" inseam. I have really short legs, I know! I'm really curious about the new Levi's "slight curve" jeans, and was so pleased to find out they come in plus sizes. A lot of people I know swear that white jeans only look good on super tall and thin girls, but I say screw 'em! I know I could rock a pair of white jeans, it's just a matter of finding a pair that skim my legs perfectly. I think it's really easy to get discouraged with negative messages like that, especially from girls my age. It's times like these where I really appreciate the strong community of women around the world that don't take no for an answer. You ladies inspire me!

Wild as the wind

Jacket, skirt: Gap
Top: Forever 21
Belt: H&M
Shoes: Thrift
Bag: MBMJ
Sunglasses: Future Garb
Necklace: Renegade Craft Fair
Bracelet: Verameat

Just a quick outfit post to start the week off right! We had gorgeous weather this Sunday, despite wind and clouds (you have to pick your battles in the Midwest). My hair literally goes everywhere when it's windy and honestly, I can't take it anymore! So I'm getting a much needed haircut this Tuesday. I can't even explain how excited I am, and normally I'd be a bit nervous but I trust that the girl I'm going to will do a great job. Wish me luck you guys!

Little place in my heart

I've recently made an executive decision that I should probably not buy any more clothing unless I absolutely can't live without it (and believe me, I have my spring trend wishlist). I don't know that it will be that difficult seeing as how how badly I'm in the mood to update my accessories. I've been interested in buying a shorter, simple, but interesting necklace and there are definitely a few that have caught my eye.


Top row: Moth House; Bottom row: Need Supply (Garnett Jewelry, and In God We Trust)

I just love the simplicity of a small everyday necklace. As much as I love sweet and feminine styles, I love little hints of badass - aka that In God We Trust necklace that I've been obsessed with for what seems like forever. At $40, I guess I should just bite the bullet and buy it already (I just wish it were on a 20" chain).


From left to right: MaryJohn, SD Marie Jewelry, Monkeys Always Look, RootsJewelry, Jorgensen Studio, RootsJewelry, Handmade Division, Michelle Chang, Indigo Silver Studio

More than anything, though, I've been wanting to update my ring collection. I actually only have a couple because as you may have read in previous posts, I have the fattest fingers ever. All of the rings I have posted are from sellers that offer custom ring sizes. I'm saving up to buy most of them, but I'll probably start with the customized word ring, which will be "1987", the year I was born. I found a lot of affordable layering options for the word ring, so now it's just up to me to figure out which ring will be on what finger.

Here comes the sun

Dress, Belt: H&M
Scarf: Art Effect
Tights: Nordstrom Rack
Bag, Shoes: Thrift
Bracelet: Verameat

As much as I hate losing an hour of sleep for daylight savings time, I love that it means we are getting closer to spring! Most of my wardrobe is transitional, which means I get really bored of my clothes since I'm constantly making them work for all seasons. In the photo I'm wearing a somewhat thicker cotton dress that's essentially a shapeless sack and looks terrible on its own. I knew I could make it work, and at $15, I figured why not give it a go. I wore this last summer with sandals and flats and when it turned into fall, I wore it with boots, and now that it's winter transitioning into spring, I'm wearing it with tights and ankle boots that I thrifted. I'm kind of over it, but it works, and everyday is a new day... so here's to giving an old piece in your closet some new light!

Shades of light

Lately I've been seeing little hints of spring and the anticipation of warm weather is killing me. I'm actually embarrassed to admit that I've lost sleep thinking about spring outfits! I decided to put a little bit of my day dreaming to rest and bought these sunglasses with a gift card to Nordstrom, but ended up returning them because I wasn't 100% in love with them. Even though I really tried to talk myself into getting a nice pair of sunglasses, I'm still not completely sold on the idea. With so many affordable options out there and so many styles coming in and out of style, I'm wondering is it really worth the investment? (Probably so, but I'm trying to get real here!)


House of Harlow 1960 - $125 // Urban Outfitters - $18
Cat eye sunglasses look best on me, and I really love both of these. I wish the UO pair were a little classier like the House of Harlow pair, but the look is so similar that I'd be okay settling for the cheaper option.
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Karen Walker - $170 // Anthropologie - $24
I think this is such a fun style! The Anthropologie pair actually has four different color options... even more fun! I chose the dark green in the photo, but I'm loving them in dark orange.


Karen Walker - $180 // Need Supply - $18
Obsessed with all things coral. The pair from Need supply are peachier, but I'm obsessed with that too so whatevs.


Super - $161 // Nastygal - $40
Can we say identical? Obviously, the Super version has darker lenses, but honestly, you couldn't get closer to the original version! I noticed that 80's purple sells these copycats for $10 but are sold out in tortoise (black is still available).


Illesteva - $160 // ASOS - $25
I love a wacky color, but these would make me crazy in tortoise. I think this style is so adorable, though!

A sparkle a day

As this product review comes to a close, it seems as though today's Sejour item is sold out! It's definitely a highly coveted blazer as I've only worn it once and got a ton of compliments on it. I really can't wait to wear this with white skinny jeans in the summer and heels (baby heels, since I'm a wimp in anything higher than 2")!



Blazer: Sejour
Tee: Crossroads
Shorts, Bag: Thrift
Necklace: Free People
Shoes: Seychelles

Lady bird

This lovely beaded tunic is made of the softest fabric. It seriously feels so good, I never want to take it off. I've paired this with a black blazer with my hair tousled up in a ponytail and I've worn it just like this, plain and simple and off the shoulder with my Sejour leggings (that are the-best-leggings).



Tunic, leggings: Sejour
Cuff: Nakamol, from Art Effect
Bag: Thrift
Boots: Evans