Stripes on Stripes

Merona pants, blazer, and tank // Forever 21 necklace // Gap sunglasses // Old Navy shoes 

Grey Jeans, Stripes, and a Messy Sock Bun

Uhoh, better post this turtleneck and coat before Spring FINALLY gets here! 

The most exciting (and, ahem, timely) part of this post is my hair. I have successfully gotten on an every-other-day shampoo schedule. Fresh shampoos are still greeted with my usual 45 seconds of bang styling and the rest is up to nature - but waking up on a non-shampoo day presents a slept on hot mess. Usually, I spent my unused washing time on a quick curl job with my flat iron. But sometimes, I still oversleep and other measures need to be taken: hence this bun. 

Yes, it is a sock bun, but I don't love the donut-y preciousness your typical sock bun creates. So my solution was to put my hair in a high pony with a band, slip the sock over the band, messily twist my hair around the sock, and pin at will. This gives the fullness of a traditional sock bun but with a casual edge.

Style Stalking: Grey on Grey with Bows and Sequins

I came across this picture on Bows and Sequins and it reminded me that I recently(ish) bought grey jeans just like this! I had an old pair that I wore to death in grad school, and I was finally able to replace them. The only problem is, I've been having a hard time making them look sophisticated and fresh. But Jessica's grey on grey action with a giant pop of pink is giving me a lot to think about...

Ombre Jeans with Lace Blazer

These are the ombre jeans and jellies I got at Forever 21 after the dermatologist waaay back in May! 

The jacket is from Choies, which is kind of a Chinese Forever 21. They have very trendy pieces from a variety of Chinese brands. I was wary about the fit and quality, but the size guides made it easy to figure out which size to order (this is a Medium - I measured the shoulders of a well fitting blazer I already own). And the quality is much better than expected - this blazer was both delicate and sturdy. The package took a zillion years to come, but it ended up being worth the wait. I'll report back on fit/quality consistency next time I order.

Pink Ombre Necklace and Menswear Trousers

I don't know if you can tell, but this was a VERY windy day! These are the pants that match this blazer (also a super windy day!). All of these pieces are either kind of old or very old - this was kind of a "whatever" outfit. But it seems like the less thought I put into a look, the more compliments I get! I paired the menswear-ish pants, watch, and tee with floral sandals and the pink necklace for a fun contrast. The wind is responsible for my hairdo...

Gray Surplice Cotton Dress with Teal Wedges

Although I've been super psyched to wear m new fall clothes, the weather has been unseasonably warm. I declared it my mission to go through my closet and wear all of my dresses/skirts that don't work with tights, while bare legs were still an option.

This old, super comfortable Velvet dress finally bit the dust when I washed it after this wear. It was so thread bare that this last wash/dry tore a significant hole in the fabric.  But i think it went out in a blaze of glory, getting a last burst of life with this cool Akira necklace and matching Target wedges.

similar Dress // similar Shoes // identical Necklace

BaubleBar Necklaces · Call it SPRING Wedges · Kuhl Dresses

Silk with Sweatpants and Gladiator Heels

This was my wild card look, and I kind of wish I has skipped it. With everything else being SO classic, I felt like I wanted one look to be representative of  Now. But I think I went a little overboard... This was cute in person, but the grey of the pants against the grey of the rocks and the grey skies just didn't look right. I also changed in the back of the car, so my shirt tuck came out a little awkward.

These shoes are knockoffs of the Extreme Dior Gladiator Platforms Carrie Bradshaw wore in the fist Sex and the City movie! Steve bought these for me when we first started dating, so I thought it would be a cute touch to include them. 

similar Shirt // similar Pants (or try Zara stores) // similar Shoes

Weave Me Alone

It is officially summer, but I still have a ton of school looks in the archives. Here's a super flattering work - but super boring - work dress that's been in my closet for a while. I decided to swap out the matching belt and add a few textured pieces to give this wool number more of a warm weather feel.

Dress Calvin Klein (similar)

Belt gift from Dad (similar)

Bracelet Mom's ("Did you rob that woman?!" -Jill) (similar)

Shoes old - no label (similar)

Sunnies Gap

Citizen's Arrest

These are an oooold pair of pale grey Citizens I dug out of the bottom of my summer pants box - hence the semi-awkward length. They are also extremely low rise, so I left the back of the tee untucked to keep my buttcheeks under wraps!

Jacket Halogen (similar)

Necklace Nordstrom (similar)

Tee Old Navy

Belt Michael Kors (similar)

Jeans Citizens of Humanity (similar)

Shoes Gap (similar)

WHEN SKIES ARE GREY: DAY 3

These are those old boots I don't love, but are good for a little variety. But I realized that they match pretty closely to the bag we got at the Nordstrom event - aka my Spring work tote.

The t shirt was an impulse buy right after the nine billionth wedding dress store I visited. So much shopping, so little buying. So I grabbed this, tried it on over the TWO shirts I was wearing and decided it was for me. I planned on just wearing it with jeans on the weekend, but I like how it looks here. The stripes are navy and the sleeves are this awesome acid wash gray.

Blazer Spence (similar)

Tee Forever 21 (bought recently in store)

Bracelet Kenneth Cole (similar, similar)

Pants Old Navy (similar)

Boots Steve Madden (similar)

WHEN SKIES ARE GREY: DAY 1

This week's theme occurred by accident. The original idea was to show some cute rainy day looks, but the rain never got bad enough to dress specifically for it. I did realize, however, that I found myself reaching for items to match the grey skies outside.

 

Earrings Forevery 21 (similar)

Bracelet ebay

Top H&M

Shrug Express (similar)

Pants Jessica Simpson (similar)

Shoes Payless (very similar)