sheer & black.

Happy Monday everyone! Today was the first day of classes of my senior year of college. Weird. Here's an outfit I wore to training/meetings last week. Someone told me I looked very professional; I guess that's what I get for working in an office all summer?

(Photos by my friend Katie.)

I'm wearing:

Top: Forever 21

Skirt: American Apparel

Shoes: Forever 21

Necklace: antique store

Bracelets: made by me, gift

Rings: silver vendor at a festival, gift

Nail polish: Sally Hansen Insta Dry in Mint Sprint

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First things first: I got this locket at my new favorite antique store for $5! There are a bunch of antique stores down the street from my house, and while I was home I finally got a chance to go peruse. I found the jackpot: a little store appropriately called A Little Bit of Everything, which is my new favorite place to find vintage jewelry. And the prices are awesome! (And the owner likes me so she gave me a bit of a discount on a few things!) I'm pretty sure I only want to buy jewelry from there from now on. There are also the usual antique finds, plus a section of vintage clothing, purses, and hats! 

I found the rose ring at Mayhem Fest at a silver vendor, and after 3 sizings, it finally fits! So happy! I've been looking for nifty rings, and this totally fits the bill. 

Now, outfit; this is the first time I have ever worn a sheer crop top. I think I like it? I wish I had thrown in a belt, I look like I have no waist in these photos. Also, apologies for the awkward posing. I have no excuse for that. And I seriously need a haircut. Thoughts?

Time for bed, I have a 9:30am studio tomorrow!

Have a great week!

DCFABB Meetup Recap, #2

Happy Friday! I've been a lousy blogger lately, but I do have an excuse! I moved back to school/college/university on Tuesday, and since I got my room key I've been flitting from meeting to training session to event all week (usually in a bright green polo for my job). I don't even remember when I managed to unpack (I did, however, run out of hangers really quickly!). Thankfully tomorrow is the last day of training/events, so after that I have one full day off, and then classes start! I'm starting to get excited about classes; before I came back to school I was really apprehensive about starting my senior year. But, everything has been going great so far and I'm looking forward to the official start of the semester!

Anyways, in between all my academic commitments, I was able to go to the DCFABB meetup at Violet Boutique on Wednesday night! Unfortunately I got there a bit late so I didn't get to really take advantage of the networking part of things. But Violet has some great clothes and jewelry, with really reasonable prices (which I was not expecting from an Adams Morgan boutique). I got to see Hannah and Katie, and meet Tania, Amy, and Maria.

I actually brought my camera and took a few pictures this time! Katie was also awesome enough to take my outfit photos with her shiny DSLR (I left mine at home in favor of my smaller point-and-shoot).

The lovely Katie! And the angle may seem weird, but that's because she's a skyscraper. Legit.

Hannah!

Some jewelry.

A lovely dress Katie found.

I loved the nifty lights!

A super sparkly purse.

Me and Hannah, verrry blurred. My camera was being finicky, I suppose. Le sigh.

And now outfit photos, courtesy of Katie!

(Ignore my ridiculous pose and annoyingly present double chin.)

I'm wearing:

Shirt: Land's End

Belt: Old Navy

Dress: Urban Outfitters

Shoes: MIA / DSW

Purse: Cath Kidston

Necklace: made by me

Bracelets: gift; made by me

I will be the first to say that this outfit is a lot, er, preppier than my usual attire. But for some reason, I like it. I like to think of it more as classic rather than preppy. After all, my collar isn't popped. (If I ever pop my collar, someone please slap me. Please.) By the time I metro'd to Adams Morgan and walked to Violet (about half a mile away), I wasn't terribly pleased with my decision to wear a long sleeve shirt in the ridiculous humidity. But at the same time, I wasn't really okay with going full on strapless dress while walking around in DC in the evening (me? paranoid? naaah). 

What do you guys think? Does classic/preppy look weird on me? (Although I think everyone can do classic styles, but I could be wrong.)

Have a great weekend! I'm off to get some sleep so I can go run around campus in a bright green polo tomorrow. 

Six months!

I am happy to announce that today, the 23rd, is my blog's six month anniversary! Six months ago, on February 23rd, I published my first post: a sort of DIY review. It wasn't until March that I really started posting regularly, but this first post was still a big step for me.

I'd like to thank all the lovelies ladies who guest posted for me while I was on vacation, the wonderful bloggers I've met at various events, and of course, my followers! Particularly my friends who have supported me on this endevour, and those who have taken my photos (especially my boyfriend)!

Thank you all for being so awesome!

And please bear with me this week; I just moved back to college (for my last year!) and will be spending most of the week running and participating in training sessions and various activities. I will try to do as many outfit posts as possible!

Keep spreading the love :)
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style inspiration: carey mulligan in "an education"

By now, everyone should know how much of an amazing film An Education is. The plot, the music, the acting, and of course, the clothes. Carey Mulligan and Rosamund Pike wear some of the best sixties fashions, and even main character Jenny's (played by Mulligan) school uniform is something most girls would probably wear of their own accord. Here are some of my favorite outfits from the film.

(Images found via Google Images.)

Love the classic gold brocade.

(I recently found a vintage fur hat like the white one in this photo!)

I wish my high school uniform had been this classy!

Happy Sunday!

five photo friday: cats in grayscale.

In case you guys didn't know, I'm kind of a crazy cat lady in training. I have three cats; sometimes I take pictures of them.

Click to see it larger on Flickr!










And the double-exposure effect is due to the reflection of my back door. All shot with my Pentax 35mm.

Have a great weekend!

i feel so classy.

I'm on day two of not working during the week for the first time since May, and I'm not going to lie, it feels a little weird. I'm home, and unpacked, and almost overwhelmed by the size of my closet. I have so many options that I think I'm in a rut! Hopefully I'll be able to break out of it. Sometimes I feel so torn between my more girly tendencies and my rock n roll/punk tendencies in terms of outfits. And then sometimes I want to look classy (see: work outfits).
I know that when I go back to school I'll be trying some new things, style-wise, because I'll have more of a reason to dress up. One thing I didn't like about working the majority of the summer in an office environment was so many of my summer dresses were neglected! Good thing summer's last a good long while in the DC area.

Here's one of my favorite work outfits, that I wore sometime during my last week:

I'm wearing:

Blazer: Silence & Noise / Urban Outfitters (secondhand)

Dress: Rare / Topshop

Heels: thrifted ($5, I certainly get my money's worth!)

Bag: Nila Anthony / Fancy French Cologne

(I was lusting after this bag for months & it finally went on sale so I snagged it!)

Necklace: vintage pendant

Makeup: Urban Decay Loose Pigment in "Shag"

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I won't lie, this dress is unfortunately a little tight on me. But I plan on making a more comfortable version of it once I fully get a hang of my sewing machine. I took a sewing lesson tonight, just the basics, but I really want to start making stuff! My machine isn't your standard Singer, so I'm trying to learn the inner workings of it. I do love me a good peter pan collar, and I love mini shift dresses!

Not really speaking of my makeup addiction that centers on Urban Decay, I recently got my hands on the new Limited Edition 15 Year Anniversary Palette, and oh my gawd, it is gorgeous! Such awesome shades. I've been having fun blending different shades together—I'll have to start photographing my results! And today UD was having a massive sale: I scored two cream eyeshadows, a lipgloss, the eyeshadow transforming potion, and a tinted moisturizer all for $18! So crazy & awesome. Aren't sales the best thing(s) ever? :D

blogger dates ftw!

Okay, so this post is ridiculously belated. But let's ignore that fact for the moment, seeing as I've spent the last four days finishing up my internship, packing, going home, and unpacking. Anyhoo.

Last Thursday Hannah and I met up in Clarendon to check out a cute little coffee shop that was unfortunately closed. But, we found a Starbucks! And just hung out, talking, on a little bench outside because it actually wasn't sweltering outside for a change! We did take advantage of the little coffee shop though, as we used their outside wall as the backdrop! I can't wait for more blogger dates (next up: thrifting!), so much fun! (Psst, Hannah's post is here!)

Here is what I quickly threw together when I got home from workwore:

I'm wearing:

Blouse: vintage

Dress: Delia's (a few years ago)

Shoes: Shelly's of London

Necklace: Urban Outfitters

Watch: ModCloth

Bag: Urban Outfitters

(Photos by Hannah. And please excuse my ugly mosquito bites.)

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Also, please note that both Hannah and I were wearing Urban Outfitters. We share a very bad addiction. 

What's your store addiction? 

wednesday wishlist: do it yourself.

Lately I am all about DIY projects—it uses your creativity, and it's a lot cheaper than buying something made by someone else! I'm trying to save money lately so I've become rather crafty. These are some of my favorites, and some that I want to try in the very near future.

• DIY Sparkly Wrapped Bracelets by Dismount Creative
• Enabled Vintage Key DIY by Maize Hutton
• Mens Shirt to Dress Refashion by Michael Ann Made
• DIY Friendship Bracelet by Honestly...WTF
• Flower Crown DIY by Bleubird Vintage
• Cosmic Shoe Tutorial by Goth Reform School

For more of my favorite DIYs (and ones I'm planning on trying), check out my Pinterest board.

Also, this will be the last Wednesday Wishlist for a while. I'm really trying to save up for future expenses and picking out stuff I'd love to spend my money on is just not helping, haha. I doubt anyone will miss it, but just so you all know. There are plenty of other wishlist-type blogger posts, so check those out in the meantime!

What are your guys' favorite DIYs?

neutrals & bows.

Hello lovelies! I'm posting a bit late because I got tied up/distracted with other things, whoops.
Anyways, this is what I wore this past Saturday, to both the Dog Days DC sale (in the U Street Corridor area) and to a family dinner.

During the Dog Days sale I stopped at the Quarter Life pop-up shop and scored a vintage floral blouse for $15; Current Boutique where I got a vintage Liberty print Gap blouse as a present for my mom for $11 (and nearly a gorgeous pink shift dress, but alas, it was a tidbit too small!); Treasury, where I admired the gorgeous jewelry and the great curated vintage pieces; and Junction Vintage, where I scored a gorgeous ballet length vintage floral Liz Claiborne dress for $20 and matching earrings for $6! My goal was not to spend over $50 and I only went $5 over my limit (this is an accomplishment for me)! Pictures of my purchases to come soon, I promise!

Afterwards I got to spend some time with my boyfriend, and then had a nice dinner with my aunt, uncle, and parents. I've been staying with my aunt & uncle all summer during my internship, and this was the first chance my parents have had to come visit. It was very nice, and topped off with lemon bars I made on Friday (which, if I do say so myself, are pretty darn good).

Anyways, outfit! I really like how these photos turned out; my lens fogged up because it was so humid out and it created a pretty cool effect.

I'm wearing:

Necklace: Swarovski / gift

Dress: shop in Oxford Covered Market

Shoes: Blowfish Shoes

Bracelets: made by me & one from a friend

Eyeshadow: Loose Pigment in "Asphyxia" by Urban Decay

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And now, a rare silly photo! (This is what happens when my boyfriend takes my outfit photos.)

How did you spend your Saturday?