Girly Boyfriend and a Girly Weekend

jacket {thrifted} - shirt {Banana Republic} - pants {Gap} - shoes {Zellers} - necklace {etsy}

I have to tell you, I really like the fancy/girly shoe with boyfriend fit pants pairing! I think it pumps up an outfit from conservative casual to - dare I say it - sexy. This may be one of those trends, however, that girls deem sexy while the opposite sex looks on, confused and clueless. You know what I'm talking about! We think baggy pants paired with high heels is down right slammin' but the dudes are certainly not complimenting our pairing capabilities and kind of wishing we were wearing tighter pants, or better yet nothing a skirt. Anyways, I felt awesome in this outfit and that always wins out for me. Feel awesome, be awesome. That's a good motto to live by.

I'm taking a quick vacay this week to visit my Westcoast girls and could not be more excited about it! One year is just too long to go without seeing your besties.

j. 

p.s. photos by my amazing sis-in-law!

One Jean Jacket, Three Ways

So I've been really crushing on denim jackets lately and had been casually trying them on whenever I saw them in a store. For whatever the reason - too light, too boxy, not comfortable - I wasn't able to find one I liked, until this one. I think denim jackets are the perfect summer accessory, because they can casual up a dressier look and even dress up a casual one. Here are three ways I styled my new denim jacket! The first is what I dubbed "tried and true", meaning that it's the most traditional way of styling of the three ways. I decided to go over top of a black dress, which is cotton jersey so not super fancy, and my peep-toe booties. It's easy, fancy enough to go out in but still laid back just the right amount.

jean jacket {Old Navy} - dress {Old Navy} - shoes {ASOS} - earrings {old, etsy I think} - necklace {gift}

So, obviously I had to wear my jacket as part of the infamous Canadian tuxedo, which literally translates to "wear as much denim as possible". The only thing missing from this outfit is a denim vest...and maybe a denim belt for good measure. In truth though, I could've pushed farther and paired it with blue jeans but I think this is a bit more realistic in terms of how I will actually wear this look. I really love the look of a denim or chambray shirt worn underneath a jean jacket. I also think this would look cute with denim cut-offs or just a pair of great shorts!

jean jacket {Old Navy} - chambray shirt {sample sale} - jeans {Old Navy} - boots {Steven by Steve Madden via Century 21}

The last look I styled with my dark denim jacket was my surprise standout of the three. I really loved the way it looked buttoned up and worn almost as a shirt. The only thing was that the sleeve cuffs were straight up cutting the circulation from my arms. We all know the little saying "fashion is pain" - or something like that - but when the only arm movements I could make successfully made me resemble a zombie at best and a t-rex at worst, I knew this outfit needed a slight adjustment. I will have to try out different ways of rolling the sleeves up that high, because I think being able to bend my elbow is going to win over fashion's sake. But I still loved the way it looked enough to declare it standout of the three different looks!

jean jacket {Old Navy} - skirt {Joe Fresh} - sandals {Steve Madden via Century 21} - scarf {I really can't remember, is that bad?}

I can't wait to keep styling my new denim jacket in different ways. Isn't fashion fun? No, just me? OK.

j.

Living Like a Nomad

jacket {Aritizia} - sweater {Jacob} - polka-dot skinnies {Gap} - leopard print shoes {Toms} - purse {vintage Dooney & Bourke} - 

sunnies {Forever 21} - key necklace {flea market}

Every semester Parsons hosts a trend presentation by Trend Union, a Paris based company and one of the world's most renowned trend forecasters. This afternoon was the presentation for Spring/Summer 2014 and I had the privilege of guest tweeting for Parsons during it. This season's theme was titled Nomadism and in a nutshell, it was all about roaming the globe, connecting with nature and basically living a nomadic lifestyle. Inspiration was drawn from the earth and the different cultures that live on it. I thought it was a great presentation and I was loving many of the forecasted trends. If you're interested to hear more about those trends, check out the Parsons twitter account here!

It really got me thinking about the whole notion of living life out of a suitcase and having so few personal belongings that you're able to pick up and move on to the next place should the mood strike you. This lifestyle is basically the antithesis of mine. I collect belongings, crave stability, reject change and usually need a solid few months to wrap my head around a new beginning. As I was sitting in this presentation and seeing beautiful imagery of hippies and gypsies, I realized that I have always been envious of the free spirited. To have the ability to go with the flow and not only be okay with it, but thrive from it, is truly a remarkable quality. 

After an entire life of accumulating 'stuff', I'm beginning to realize that maybe having less things, but with more meaning is better than having just a bunch of meaningless things. Obviously, this can be applied to all of one's possessions but for me it really applies to my closet. I'm not going to make some big (unrealistic) declaration that from now on, I won't buy clothes. I am going to say that I will strive to put more thought into my purchases. I mean, really think about what it is I want, if I have something similar to it already hanging in the back of my closet. I think I should challenge myself to mentally come up with at least five different ways I could wear this new item with my current wardrobe before making the purchase. I love the idea of being able to mix and match the majority of one's clothes with one another.

While I know that the nomad life is not for me, I wouldn't mind borrowing from it from time to time. Living in the moment, allowing freedom to take over and just letting go (both mentally and physically) are not the worst philosophies I've ever heard.

j.

Soap Style: {Sharon Newman}

It's time for the second edition of Soap Style. Today, I am featuring Sharon Newman played by Sharon Case. Sharon used to be one of my favorite female characters but lately she has turned into the biggest train wreck the show has ever seen. Despite being completely emotionally unstable, her style has been steadily improving over the years. She wore the above outfit when she was "playing office" a few weeks ago. I really loved the blazer, especially the royal blue color-blocking and the cropped cut of the body and sleeves. By pairing it with a simple yet interesting silver necklace and keeping the rest of her outfit black, this jacket really stood out. It's just too bad Sharon's taste in men is not as good as her taste in blazers.

j.

Soap Style: {Victoria Newman Abbott}

So, by now you may have picked up on my small huge obsession with The Young and the Restless. I have been a devoted watcher for more than half my life (!) and oftentimes I find myself admiring the wardrobe of several of the female characters. This got me thinking about doing a weekly (or maybe bi-monthly, let's be realistic) feature on the Y&R's style, here on the blog. After coming up with this idea, I did a bit of serious research (ie. Google and Twitter) and turns out I am not the only one obsessed with this soap or the style seen on it. On Twitter, there are so many Y&R fans who only tweet about the show (I thought I was die-hard). My favorite thing I came across though, was a blog devoted to the show's wardrobe. The author of the blog gives you a witty recap/commentary on each episode with a photo of one character's outfit and then provides links to buy the showcase item (or similar item). Since that blog does it so well, I am not going to do the same thing. You can all take a collective sigh of relief --- I know many most of you do not care to know what the latest is in Genoa City (inside joke...between me and the Y&R). So, what you ask, am I possibly going to talk about? Great question. I will pick my favorite outfit to show you here and just give you a quick rundown of why I think it's great (or not...who knows). It will be a style review of sorts. My apologies if this is not your thing, but these are the types of things I think of at 2am. I live for this stuff.

For the first installment of Soap Style, I have chosen to feature Victoria Newman Abbott (played by Amelia Heinle). Arguably my favorite dressed character on the show, Victoria always hits it out of the park (sports metaphors...where did that come from?!) with her power suits and all-around great business attire. On this particular episode she came to the office wearing this gorgeous albeit totally NOT work appropriate (read: cleavage) red cut-out dress. I was in love when I saw the front but it quickly turned to full on lust when she got up to leave and I saw those cut-out slits on the back of the dress. Cut-outs and color-blocking? Way to be on trend Y&R. You did good, real good.

j.

My Homework Is Kinda Awesome

In case you were wondering the kinds of things I have to do for class. This is a small part of a big PR project that I'm working on right now. Now, I'm no cinematographer but...enjoy!

 

j.

J. Loves {Her} Style: Boho Beauty

Meet Sasha Rae. She's from British Columbia, Canada. She is my bestie. And I love her style. Read on to find out why!

 

My two favorite hipsters. Arguably the only ones I like...(I kid, but not really). Yes, that's Sasha's boyfriend. Yes, he's in a band. Yes, they are both ridiculously good looking. But in that effortless, we don't give a hoot kinda way, that just makes everyone all the more envious.

Since Sash and I are living on opposite ends of the continent, we make up for it by daily creeping on each other through various forms of social media. She was at a music festival in Canmore, Alberta this past weekend and Instagrammed (is this a legit verb yet?...I hope so) the above photos. Not only did I creep them, I "liked" them all instantly and, taking my creeping to a whole new level, asked her to send them to me so I could blog about them.

I have had the pleasure of knowing this beauty for nearly ten years and I have got to watch as her style transformed and ultimately grew as she did. Sasha has always had a defined style, from surfer chic when I first met her to what I like to call urban boho - the style that I think she has been honing for the past several years. The thing about style is that, in order to effortlessly have it, I think you need to know yourself and be confident in presenting who you really are to the world. This is why Sasha has always had style. Even though it has changed with her tastes and preferences, she has always known "who she is" - one of her most admirable qualities.

She is the perfect balance of bohemian. She's free spirited yet shows restraint. Wildly creative and fiercely intelligent. Always polished - but not too polished - and never sloppy. Rarely does she brush her hair but always seems to have those perfect bedhead/beach waves that most girls spend hours striving for. She is laid-back yet pain-stakingly detail oriented, all at the same time. And her style has come to reflect all of these things in a beautifully cohesive way.

I better stop this love fest now and simply just say this: Sasha Rae is an urban bohemian and I love her and her style to bits.

j.

Peace & Feathers

Happy Weekend Friends! Hope you all had a good one. I spent mine browsing flea markets and thrift stores in search of a vintage (or "vintage-y" looking) chair for my room, eating way too many eggs benedict and going for a walk along the West Side Highway (to balance out the benedicts...).

feather peace sign tank {H&M} - black shawl {Jacob} - tan maxi skirt {Joe Fresh} -

striped flats {Report via Century 21} - sunnies {H&M}

I'm finding it funny that when I lived in Victoria - land of the hipsters - my style was very non-hipster and now that I live in NYC, many of my outfits seem to be morphing into almost-hipster. I'm not fully there yet, I don't own enough plaid, ankle jeans and loafers to be considered full hipster. I've got nothing on the cool cats who reside in Brooklyn, that's for sure. Kiki and I went to listen to a friend DJ in Brooklyn the other night and once we sat down, I looked around the bar and, I kid you not, it was a sea of stripes and plaid.

Anyways, all this rambling about pretend hipster style has got me thinking about the evolution of personal style. I think a person's style can evolve throughout their lifetime. I think that circumstances play a large role in how we dress. I can feel my style changing but I still think it's a bit scattered. I'm trying to hone it, day by day, but I know that it will continually change to some degree. And I'm okay with that.

j.