Saturday, October 29, 2011

Holla Halloween

So I wasn't sure I was going to be attending any Halloween parties this year, since I'm a hermit and I don't have any friends who like to throw parties. It's sad, because Halloween is my favorite holiday! But last night I got dragged along to a party and I had about ten minutes to throw this together before we left.

Now I have an unfair advantage when it comes to throwing together costumes, because I am a costume addict. I have huge tubs full of costumes that I hoard like nobody's business. One, I never ever get rid of an old Halloween costume until I'm sure I can't squeeze my ass into it anymore. And two, I have been performing at renaissance faires for the past 14 years and thus have acquired a large number of unique handmade pieces that are easy to mix and match.

So for me this costume is kind of lame. I mean, the wings don't even match the rest of the outfit, which is SHAMEFUL, because I do have black and gold wings somewhere, they are just buried in storage right now. They are also about three times the size of these wings and would therefore have made the car ride to the party very uncomfortable. As it was, wearing a coat was impossible, so I froze my ass off just walking to the car. It's so unfair that Halloween has to be so cold here! 

I may or may not be attending another party tonight, and there's still a few days until Halloween itself, so I might have another costume or two to show you guys. We'll see!




blouse/bodice-Ophelia's; skirt/coin belt-Euphoria; wings-Walgreen's; boots-Wal-Mart; belt-my mom/DIY; tights-Spirit Halloween; necklace-gift; petticoat-Hot Topic

Thursday, October 27, 2011

are you gonna let me in

So today I decided to finally take my self-timer and tripod out into the wide world. It made me crazy nervous, but I went to a big park where I knew I'd be able to find a few spots without tons of people around. It was super frustrating trying to focus and stuff, but maybe that will get better with practice. So the shots aren't my best, but I know they'll get better. I did end up staring a few people down who seemed to think I was putting on a show for them. Can't a girl take pictures of herself in public in peace?!

Anywho, on to the outfit. These boots! Oh goodness, these boots. Would you believe they cost me $7 new? One of the perks of working at a clothing store (aside from the discount, obviously) is that you find out about deals like these. We were having a clearance sale, and I was dragging out all of the old clearance stuff from the back room. My manager didn't think I should bother going through all of the old shoes, but I looked through them on my break and found these beauties. Clearance + extra 50% off clearance + my employee discount = $7 boots that no one else had.

This shirt was a gift from my dad a few years ago. Unfortunately it didn't fit quite right so I never wore it. Then one week I went through my closet and DIYed the heck out of a bunch of old tees, and voila! I have a new rad tank top. I was thinking of doing the same thing again soon with a new batch of tees, since I really don't wear tee shirts very often anymore. Maybe a special blog post with some no-sew DIY tee shirt alterations? We'll see. 








 Jacket-Urban Outfitters; Shirt-Helmet Girls; Skirt-Forever21; Boots-Hot Topic; Belt-Wet Seal; Sunnies-Sunglass Warehouse; Necklace-Hot Topic

Monday, October 24, 2011

Honey won't you let me in

Today was a wonderful, almost 80-degree day that felt super nice after our first few days of grey, drizzly fall. I had to take the opportunity to bust out this top. It's one of my favorites, but I didn't wear it nearly often enough this summer. It has a matching floor-length wrap skirt which I don't wear as often. The two together make a bold statement, but the top with jean shorts is pretty casual.

The top and skirt set was a hand-me-down from my mom. I think she got it as a gift from an ex-boyfriend and didn't feel comfortable wearing it, but it has absolutely no bad memories for me and I love love love it!

I think every other part of this outfit has been featured before on the blog. They're all pretty central parts of my wardrobe and I tend to incorporate them into a lot of looks. 







blazer-forever21; top-my mom's; necklace-two geminis; shorts-hot topic

I wanted to take a moment to talk about my photography. I take all of my own pictures, except for a few I get my boyfriend to snap for me. He's not a photographer, but he puts up with me and I appreciate it. Taking my own pictures means I usually stay inside and use my self-timer against a blank wall, and that is starting to get very very boring. I'm an amateur photographer with the goal of going pro, so I do often go out with my camera and snap some nature shots or the occasional portrait session. I'm considering this--is it too weird and too hard to take the self-timer work outside? I want to start getting better pictures and I want to be able to switch things up. I'm very concerned about people watching and judging me, and about things like focusing and adjusting settings outside of my room, which is an easily-controlled environment.

What do you think? Have you ever taken self-timer pictures in public? Is this something I should even be worried about?

Saturday, October 22, 2011

timber timbre timber timbre

Today's outfit is a good example of how I make the best of my limited shopping options. Everything I'm wearing came from either Forever21 or Wet Seal. I hate hate hate going into Wet Seal. All of the people who work there are super rude to me, and most of their clothing is the worst kind of skanky. But they do have the occasional gem, and they always have sweet clearance sales. Yesterday I was working and I saw they were offering any 5 clearance items for $20. I picked up a couple pairs of boots that are normally like $30-$40, a swimsuit, a body-con skirt, and this asymmetrical skirt which I have been eying for a couple of months. I'm definitely pretty proud of myself. Wet Seal may be horrible, but it's one of the few stores in my mall that has clothing I'm sometimes willing to wear. I just look for pieces that aren't sequined or bedazzled in any way, and I pretty much always stick to clearance. At least it's cheap.

Forever21 is one of my favorite stores because their prices are always so reasonable. Unfortunately the nearest one is about an hour away, so I don't get there very often, but I always find something excellent and affordable. They always have a huge quantity of stuff to sift through, and like I said, CHEAP. Forever21 was my bread and butter this summer when I was all about lace and high-waist shorts.

This oversized stretchy belt is a favorite of mine... you can see it pop up here, here,and here. The dark brown goes with basically everything, and I love the oversized closure... very adorable. Wide stretchy belts are something I basically stayed away from until this summer. I didn't like the stretchy look, but now I realize that they're super comfortable and they add a nice waist to any outfit.











Shirt-Forever21; Skirt-Wet Seal; Belt-Wet Seal; Earrings-Forever21

Thursday, October 20, 2011

the colors!

I was very satisfied with my outfit today. The skirt is one of my favorites, the tights are new, the boots are awesome and new... and the colors! The perfect fall colors fit together so well. My couch is rust-colored, just a little redder than my tights, and sitting on it I felt like the perfect embodiment of fall.

These boots are a really good example of an excellent thrift find. You won't always find the perfect thing when you're thrifting--thrift stores are obviously hit and miss. But if you go in with an idea of a few things you might want (some kind of boots, a long patterned skirt, etc.) it gives your hunt focus and makes the whole process much more fun. Sifting through loads and loads of people's old crappy clothes gets tiring after a while. If you have a goal, it's easier to know when the trip is successful. And you can still find fun surprises, of course.







shirt-forever21; skirt-forever21; tights-charlotte russe; boots-thrifted; necklace-Two Geminis Mint; scarf-forever21; jacket-urban outfitters; sweater-pacsun(like 6 years ago); bag-ixchel; tail-KC Ren Fest

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

no patience!

I had absolutely no patience for taking pictures today. I was feeling frustrated when I got dressed and completely dissatisfied with my outfit. I need to sit down with my closet and figure some things out, I think. Also I need to do laundry. But seriously, I felt like there was no point in even getting dressed today. I have to go into work early, so I'm just going to have to put on my uniform in a few hours anyway.

I think I need some new inspiration. I just feel like a lot of my outfits don't really correspond with the image of myself I have in my head. It would also help if I had someone to take pictures for me. I'm getting sick of this self-timer stuff. It just takes so long, and I can never get it right, and I have to stay inside, and ARRRGGGHH!

I think I'm also feeling some pressure not to re-wear my favorite pieces very often, since I'm posting my outfits here and on lookbook now. Is that something I should even be worrying about?





blazer-forever21; dress-t.j. maxx; tights-forever21; necklace-forever21; boots-wet seal

Monday, October 17, 2011

I'm under your spell

So I dressed today without realizing that most of my clothes came from Hot Topic. I bought a lot of stuff there while I worked there. A lot of what I bought was band t-shirts, and I used to wear those pretty much every day, so realizing I was wearing all clothes from Hot Topic wasn't a rare occurrence.

My style has changed a bit, though, so today I was surprised. These shoes were one of my favorite finds at Hot Topic. I got them during a clearance sale, so after my employee discount they were crazy cheap. Plus they were an online only item, so no one else around here has them.

The corset top is one of my favorite kinds of tops. They're actually really great for people with tiny boobs, like me. I most certainly don't have to wear a bra, and they fit tight, which looks good on my scrawny frame. They tend to look pretty bad on well-endowed girls because they draw a lot of attention to curves. On me, it's just kinda edgy.

These shorts were the first pair of cutoffs I've made in a long time. The original jeans had a lot of rips in them when I got them, so they were in tatters pretty quickly. I like the way they fit, though (they're men's!) and I couldn't let them go. I love love love love love men's skinny jeans. They're tight in all the right places, and they have regular-sized pockets. They also tend to rise a little higher on me because guys need a bit of room around the crotch. I don't, of course, so I just pull them up. PLUS PLUS PLUS these have a button-fly. Totally perfect. I'm glad I bought a second pair of the jeans before I quit my job at HT.







shorts-cutoffs from Hot Topic; corset top-Hot Topic; boots-Hot Topic; tights-Urban Outfitters; sweater-so old I can't remember

Sunday, October 16, 2011

the devil's in the details

So yesterday ended up being way more exhausting than I thought. The drive down to Kansas City took us an extra 2 1/2 hours, and the drive back an extra hour. So I didn't end up getting any photos of my outfit. I'll recreate it again soon so y'alls can see.

Anyways, though, I gots some clothes on today. I'm wearing one of my purchases from yesterday--a leather hair leaf thing. I've been eying these for no less than 15 years--since my first renaissance faire. Either I didn't have enough hair, or I wanted something else more, or I thought they were too expensive... but this year my mom bought one for me! I'm very happy with it.







Jeans-Urban Outfitters; Sweater-Forever21; Belt-Forever21; Hair Leaf-KC Ren Fest

Friday, October 14, 2011

polka polka polka dots!!

This dress came from the salvation army store here in town. It was like $5, and they were having a 50% off sale, so I got it for $2.50...I KNOW RIGHT OMG. It's tailored for someone with a slightly curvier figure than mine, but it fits really well considering it was thrifted. It has shoulder pads, which would have horrified me a couple years ago, but I like the shape it creates. This is a dress I could totally imagine my mom wearing when I was a little kid. I'm pretty sure she wore nothing but polka dots in the 80's, before I was born.

Okay I'mma be honest. I didn't wear this out of the house yet. I just had to show it off, and I couldn't post what I'm actually wearing today because that is my pajamas and then straight to my work uniform. Not very cool. But tomorrow I'm going to the Kansas City Renaissance Festival, so I'm sure I'll have a sweet look to post for that. It'll be my first time at a faire as a civilian in a looong long time, so it might be kind of uncomfortable for me, but I'm sure to get some sweet photos since I don't have to hide my camera.



Dress-Thrifted; Necklace-Forever21

strike me if I lie

SO--lightning bolts! Lightning bolts have long been my favorite shape. Where some girls might prefer hearts or stars or skulls or what have you, I'm all about the lightning. So when I found this blouse 30% off at Francesca's, I was all over it! It's actually really really long--so long I could wear it as a dress! It's sheer, though, so of course I'd need a slip or something (I've been searching for the perfect slip for weeks!).

The necklace was one of my favorite finds at Hot Topic while I worked there. We had them in the store and I wasn't sure I should buy it, being poor and all, but then it went on clearance and we sold out. So I ordered it online during a clearance sale and ended up getting it for something like $3. It broke recently, but I managed to fix it, so it's really turning out to be one of my favorite pieces of jewelry.

I've gotten a lot of compliments on these shoes. I don't wear heels very often, but these are so freaking awesome that it's worth the suffering. Would you believe I got them at a halloween store? Let me tell you, if you want some unique and inexpensive tights, socks, shoes, or really anything else, check out a seasonal Halloween store on November 1st. They usually pack up and shut down within just a couple days of the holiday, so you have to be quick, but they reduce prices like crazy and there are always great things to be found, like these shoes.




Blouse-Francesca's Collections; Skirt-Thrifted; Neclace-Hot Topic; Earrings-Claire's; Shoes-Spirit Halloween

Thursday, October 13, 2011

son of a gun!

This skirt is one of my thrift finds from the other day. I absolutely love how easy it is to find patterned skirts like this at thrift stores. These kinds of skirts usually look horrible on the rack, so I just grab a few of the most ridiculous-looking skirts I can find and then try them all on. 

I've found that while shopping in thrift stores I have to completely ignore the sizes on the labels. For one thing, standard sizes seem to change all the time, and for another, I'm not necessarily going to wear the clothing how it was intended to be worn. If there's something I like, it's likely the only one there, and god dammit I'm going to make it fit somehow.

This bag is one of my favorite buys of the year. A good bag can do wonders for otherwise kinda boring outfits. And a bag like this that's so neutral and AWESOME will be a part of my outfits for a long time. While I was in school I used it as a backpack, and now it's just a purse. I got it on clearance, too!





Skirt-Thrifted; Top-Wet Seal; Boots-Wet Seal; Necklace-Icing; Bag-Urban Outfitters; Sunglasses-Sunglass Warehouse

Star Quality

I've had this jacket for ages and I love it! I just wish it was a bit thicker so it could carry me through the whole winter. It's usually too short to reach the top of my jeans or whatever I'm wearing, but since I've recently fallen in love with high waists, it works perfectly. 

The necklace is one of my favorites. Every time I wear it, I get tons of compliments. My friend Jacki got it for me at one of the many renaissance faires we went to together. I've had it for years, and just this last spring I found the vendor it must have come from, and he had a butt load of others in a similar style. It took all of my willpower not to buy them all.




Jacket - Urban Outfitters; Top - Wet Seal; Belt - Wet Seal; Skirt - Forever21; Tights - Urban Outfitters; Shoes - Urban Outfitters; Necklace - Renaissance Faire

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Casual daaaaay

These are the most expensive jeans I own. They were about $60. I love BDG jeans, because they always fit so well and look super rad. But they're soooo expensive, so I usually get them on clearance. But these...these I had to have. They're an important basic. I needed some jeans with a higher waist. And I love the color.

These flats were also an important purchase for me. There was a pair at Urban Outfitters that I wanted for a long time, and they finally went on clearance, so I headed into the store. But when I got to the clearance rack, I saw another pair with a double strap, and I took those home instead. I'm still not sure if it was the right decision, but I do really love them.




Jeans - Urban Outfitters; Sweater - Charlotte Russe; Belt - Forever21; Flats - Urban Outfitters