One Dress, Three Ways

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you all to, arguably, my favorite article of clothing currently in my closet. Whoa...perhaps that's too strong of a statement. Well, it's definitely my favorite dress currently in my closet. Ok, I feel better about that. I would hate for that skirt or these boots to get jealous now...

Anyways, friends meet striped dress. I bought it in the summer and it is the gift that just keeps on giving. I've basically been wearing it year round, just throw on some tights and you are good to go. Oh yeah, I also loved it so much I went back and bought it in another color. You should know that I am a stripe hoarder, who specializes in horizontal stripes, specifically navy and white ones.

Outfit 1: dress {Joe Fresh} - necklaces {Banana Republic} - woven belt {Old Navy} - clutch {justfabulous.com} - neon wedges {Kensie Girl via Century 21};  Outfit 2: dress {Joe Fresh} - necklaces {Banana Republic} -  fuschia belt {Loft} - navy jacket {Jacob} - wedge booties {Dolce Vita via Century 21};  Outfit 3: dress {Joe Fresh} - blazer, necklace & shoes {borrowed from Kiki}

One last remark about the love of my life dress. The best part of all was that she cost a mere $20. Thank you, Joe Fresh, for being so awesome.

I hope you all got a kick out of my ridiculous and somewhat awkward posing above. I really do amaze myself some times. One thing I learned while editing these photos was that I could do with a good, old fashioned posture lesson. Stand straight young lady, sheesh!

Happy Monday!

j.

Marvel in the Unexpected

I went on an interview today. For a summer PR internship at a luxury Italian menswear company. Interviews always make me a little nervous, despite the fact that I've been on a zillion of them. I don't know if that is necessarily a good thing. Back in the day (by this, I mean six, maybe seven years ago...) when I was looking for a summer job during my undergrad, I kinda had this thing for becoming a receptionist at a hair salon (don't ask....I also have a slightly less glamorous dream of being a check-out girl at the grocery store). Anyways, I applied to many salons and went on many interviews, but sadly I never did get my dream job as a receptionist. I did, however, become an expert at going on interviews. Fast forward a few years, a degree in business and several real jobs later and you get me going on my very first fashion interview. The nerves subsided once I got to their ridiculously nice office on Fifth Avenue and I think the interview went well. But, as those hair salons taught me, one can never tell.

tan trench {Kiki's, H&M} - gingham button-up & navy necklace {Banana Republic} -

grey tiered skirt {Banana Republic Outlet} - neon wedges {Kensie via Century 21} - photo credit {Kiki}

I also have another interview tomorrow at a PR agency. I don't want to jinx it, but this is kinda, okay big time, my dream internship. It's basically perfect for me, as I am for it. So, keep your fingers crossed for me and hopefully I will blow them away with my expert interview skills and obvious modesty.

By the way, this little outfit you see above was styled by Kiki and I during our humongous photoshoot for that really huge project I keep blabbing about. I loved the unexpected pairing of the gingham button-up with the feminine tiered skirt. I'm also pretty much in love with those wedges. Because they are neon. And wedges. That I can walk in. Win. Win. Big win.

j.

Keeping it Simple

I have a confession to make. Usually if you see a photo of me wearing heels, I've just put them on for the photo and then I go right back to wearing flats or boots. Whew, I feel so much better. Not this time, friends! That's right, I actually wore these puppies to class. AND travelled home on the subway still in them. Notice how I said travelled home? Okay, so I cheated just a bit. I bought these suede wedge booties on my way to class (Manhattan is a bit of a problem for this shopaholic) and was bullied into changing into them by a shoe snob friend (nice guy). I even got off at the wrong stop (due to an impromptu subway photoshoot with a different friend - highly difficult, somewhat obnoxious, don't recommend, want to do it again) and had to walk in them. My feet were not screaming bloody murder by the time we got to our building so I consider this a success and even more, money well spent.

white blouse {Loft} - necklace {thrifted} - blue belt {Loft} - rock ring {Urban Outfitters} -

dark denim skinnies {Flying Monkey via Century 21} - suede wedge booties {Dolce Vita via Century 21}

Some things I've learned this week:

1. Registration at ALL universities is vague at best. There are gazillions of rules, requirements and details that can be difficult to make sense of. (Minor registration issue that will hopefully be sorted out tomorrow.)

2. With the right pair of shoes, I can walk in heels without looking like a drunk donkey.

3. Volunteering to work at your design prof's booth at the NY Gifts Tradeshow is great networking and makes you feel all warm inside (perhaps a sign I do not do enough good deeds).

4. They were not kidding when they said get ready for sleepless nights in our orientation. Holy homework!

5. Most fabric stores in NYC give students up to 10 free swatches a day. This is a whole lot more exciting than it sounds.

6. Rats really do live in the subway.

7. I am not afraid of rats if they are safely below me and not at risk of coming into contact with me. (I was the crazy taking photos...ca-ra-zy!)

8. I now walk like a New Yorker (a fellow student told me this as he ran to keep up with me). This is irony at its best considering I am the slowest walker of all my friends back home.

9. Food off the street is delicious (even when you have no clue what you're ordering) and cheap.
**After receiving a panicked phone call from my Mom asking if I was eating food left on the street, I feel the need to clarify that I am referring to food purchased from street vendors. (Big difference!)**

10. You must always, always double and triple check all requirements for your academic program. Once you think you have it down, you best check one more time (see point 1).

j.

Crazy Boat Lady

Welcome to part two of M and I's mega photoshoot. You can check out part one here. One quick outfit change in the parking lot (class act right here) in the little town of Koloa and we were off to find new backdrops. Enter decrepid boat on stilts. Complete with a crazy boat lady. Well, to be fair, she was more confrontational than crazy. She definitely thought that we were crazy. Okay, so here's the story. We saw this boat and felt it would be perfect as a backdrop. There was a lady working in the adjoining yard, so being the respectful young ladies that we are, we decided to ask her permission for me to pose in front of the boat (OK, fine. M was the respectful one who asked). Turns out she worked for an ocean tour company and this was one of their out-of-commission boats. What we thought was simply a courtesy question turned out to be a completely foreign concept to this skeptic. In a not-so-friendly manner, the boat lady interrogated us about what we were going to do with the photos. Here we go, I thought. Try explaining a fashion blog to someone who wears wool socks with their birkenstocks on the regular. I gave it a go, being sure to emphasize that I only wanted to stand in front of the boat, not get in it or anything crazy like that. Her feathers continued to be ruffled at the thought of the boat's name (and hence the company's name) appearing in the photos. What she thought we were going to do with the photos remains a mystery. I quickly assured her that the name would not appear in the photos as I would only stand on the one side of the old boat. I was about to tell her to forget it when she reluctantly agreed, probably only because she was tired of talking to the crazy girl wearing wedges. We seized our opportunity and M snapped a few pics of me posing in front of the old brute. Moments later a truck pulled up and a man got out. I thought, oh great here we go again. With a smile on his face he asked if we were making fun of his boat. Quite the opposite, I told him. M relayed that we had just asked "his wife" permission. He swiftly and determinedly corrected her mistake. Ha! Don't blame ya, buddy! He chatted a minute longer with us, telling us what he planned to do to refurbish his baby. His parting words to us were, "I better see those pics on Facebook!". Now that's the response I was looking for.

fuschia lace blouse {Urban Outfitters} - best tank ever {Costco!} - dark denim skirt & yellow belt {Old Navy} - aviator sunnies {Windsor} - green wedges {The Bay} - flower hair clip {ABC Store, Kaua'i}

Since we decided not to loiter for too long by the boat, we moved along and found this old white garage for me to pose in front of. Turns out it was covered with a weird chalky substance that came off on my hands. Why I decided to smell my hands is beyond me, but I did. And they did not smell pleasant. So being the classy lady that I am, I rolled my skirt up and wiped my hands on the inside of it. What? I wasn't about to wipe them on the outside of my skirt!

Between the crazy boat lady and the gross chalky garage, we managed to get some good shots and have lots of laughs. Stay tuned for the third and final part of our mega Hawaiian photoshoot.

j.

Winter Wish List

1. Blue suede studded loafers {Loeffler Randall}. Blue suede shoes. Bedazzled blue suede shoes. Need I say more?
2. I love me a little cape. Particularly this little plaid number {Dorothy Perkins}. Who else loves that it is perfectly acceptable for grown women to wear capes? Like we're super heros. Because let's face it. Most of us are.
3. Sexy. Nerd. Glasses. It's inappropriate to feel this way toward an accessory. And even more inappropriate to blog about it. But I do. And I just did. Moving on...
4. I am not only bursting with excitement at the plethora of possible post titles that this particular item will come with. I also happen to think fur vests look kinda badass. In a 1920's kind of way. This one will be mine {BB Dakota Janika via Urban Outfitters}.
5. I need (and I really mean need, not want) a pair of everyday winter shoes. But they have to be comfortable. And stylish (obvi). And go with everything. I'm sorta in love with these ankle booties {J Crew}. But the over-indulgent shopaholic with no limits in me wants a pair in each color. Sort of defeats the purpose of an everyday shoe...
6. I know it's very trendy right now. Which I kind of hate. But I can't help but love anything aztec. Seriously love. Like this beautiful sweater {BB Dakota via Polyvore}. That I would do slightly frowned upon things for.
7. I dare you to find something more festive than metallic finger nails. I dare you.

This post took an obscene amount of time. Obscene. It was supposed to be Saturday's post. Oh well. It was so much fun to put together my winter wish list. And I could have made it ten times longer. But I practiced restraint. Barely.

What are you asking for this holiday season?

j.

Wedge Envy

So. Bad things happen when I don't leave the house all day. And have a credit card. And access to the internet. Very bad things. Bad but beautiful. Very beautiful things. See below for the babbling to stop.

Did I mention they're beautiful?

I ordered them from the somewhat elusive website called ShoeDazzle. It's not set up like a regular online store. It's more of a "showroom". With a sampling of shoes. Not too many. You can also take a brief style quiz. It then shows you shoes you are supposed to like. To be perfectly honest, I don't fully understand it. All I know? Every pair of shoes is $39.95. That's right. $39.95. And get this. Your first item is 20% off. And as if it could get any better. Free shipping. Or so I thought. I was about to check out with my $31 purchase. Score! But then? Canada. No free shipping to Canada. Blast! Add $9. Oh well. The 20% off cancels out the shipping. Still $40 shoes. Not too shabby.

I can't wait to show you these new pretties in an outfit post real soon. I hope they fit. I've never ordered shoes online before. I ordered a half size bigger. I figure better too big than too small. Fingers crossed. I really shouldn't get in the habit of this. Online shopping that is. I have to save my pennies for Palm Springs. Where there are outlet malls. Remember how I feel about outlet malls? Insert heart flutter here. I should mention I feel the same way toward Target. Which is also located in Palm Springs. I can barely contain my excitement. I know you feel the same way too. Obviously. (Not.)

j.