I got up early this morning. I heard my phone vibrate, assumed it was my alarm and jumped out of bed and turned on the lights. Then I realized it was 2:30 am. Whoops. I never fully got back to sleep, so I got out of bed a couple of hours later and washed my hair (yay!) and picked out a decent outfit to wear.

I wanted to be comfortable, but suspected my boss would give me the side eye if I came into work wearing jeans again. So I went for a long skirt. I threw on a black button-down and was going to leave it at that, then I realized it’s not 1995 and I’m not an extra in The Craft. I added some color and some horse hair tassles and took photos before the sun was even fully out.

Also, I owe you folks a picture of my ear. That’s not code for something weird- I got three studs in my cartilage in January and have been meaning to take photos of it since then! I went to Chameleon tattoo in Cambridge, where I got my second tattoo TEN YEARS AGO. Wow, does that make me feel old. I was lucky enough to go in when Owen was there. He did a great job with the piercing and I contemplated asking for his hand in marriage until I saw that someone had beat me to it. Seriously, so adorable.

Sweater- H&M
Shirt- Express
Skirt- Eileen Fisher (swapped)
Necklace- Covetous Creatures

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Over the weekend,I watched an older independent film that didn’t get much attention when it was released. Too bad, because it was pretty good. It was Harry Potter, ever heard of it? In all seriousness, until Sunday I’d never seen a single Harry Potter movie. When they were first released they didn’t appeal to me and only when the last two were released (and looked quite dark and mature) that I was interested. I figured it’s best to start at the beginning, and filled up my Netflix queue. Well, damned if that first one wasn’t completely charming and funny and totally entertaining. I guess I’m not quite as morose as I thought. Can’t wait to get through the rest of the series.

On a slightly related note, Disney is re-releasing Beauty and the Beast in theaters. Who cried a little when she saw commercials for it and heard the songs? Um, not this girl. Nope, not at all.

Grey. Again. It really is my favorite of all the neutrals. Now, let’s discuss maxi skirts. It may be unhygienic and a safety hazard, but I want my maxi skirt to cover my feet completely. I want my hem to graze the floor. And when I see a maxi skirt that stops at the ankle or (dear god) right above the ankle, I get faint. Maxi means maximum, ladies. Go for the length and the drama. Are you in the same camp as me, or do you prefer to not sweep the floor with your clothing?

skirt/dress – Forever21
sweater – American Apparel
boots (like you can see them) – Sam Edelman
necklace – H&M

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Happy New Year! 

I hope you’re as excited about the new year as I am. And I hope you’re feeling good this morning and not overly hungover. I spent that last night of 2011 gorging myself on Chinese food, making loads of noise, and laughing. A lot. I even got a midnight smooch (thanks to my dear friend Hayley), so the year is off to a good start. The one thing I didn’t do last night is bring out my Nikon, so I’m stuck with one fuzzy outfit photo and 2 instagram shots of my accessories.

Getting dressed for a night out always involves some level of judgement. The only full-length mirror in the house is in my parents bedroom, so I usually have an audience when trying to decide what to wear. Like last night. My first 5 outfits were vetoed, and when I decided on this one, the following conversation ensued:

Me: Is this skirt too short?
Mom: Well… for a 28-year old it is. But you don’t look 28 yet, so I guess it’s okay.
Me: Oooookay. Thanks…I think. (Internal dialogue: Did my mom call my skirt slutty??)

On an unrelated note, anyone have space for a blogger and her two cats? I promise not to make too much noise! In the end, my mom was right. The skirt was really, really short. But I used girl logic (opaque black tights make anything short look acceptable) and went about my night. Now, when I said technicolor, I meant it. Dig it, man.

shirt- Old Navy
skirt- Swapped
boots- Jeffrey Campbell
necklace- H&M

Ikat nail stickers (from here), DIY neon rhinestone bracelet, gorgjana wrap bracelet, and random beaded bracelets.

My fortune for 2012. I am downright giddy about it as it seems like an excuse to be ridiculous on multiple occasions.

How was your New Years Eve?

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 On Wednesday, Katy and Alison hosted a great holiday party for Boston-based bloggers. And since I never miss an opportunity to dress up, I was in attendance. And I was in good company as there were a LOT of well-dressed ladies in the room.

Holly; Brittany; Amy; Michele, Alison and Katy; Kiki, Brittany, and Helena

Helena, Laura, and Smita; Jessica, Amy, and Alana

I’m seeing a lot of silver in the stores these days, but I’m feeling gold for the holidays, so I took to etsy to find a vintage gold skirt for the night. I found the perfect one (from this seller) and after raising the hem about a foot, it became the skirt I had dreamed about! I paired it with a swapped shirt and the most amazing pumps i’ve ever owned, thanks to Best in Shop‘s Becca! Now, let’s just pretend my hair isn’t a greasy mess!

shirt- swapped, J.Crew
skirt- vintage
shoes- Loeffler Randall
necklace- J.Crew

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Just one ruffle, though. I wasn’t going to post this outfit because it’s not my most exciting outfit, but it’s a good example of how I dress when I want to be comfortable but I also have meetings during the day and have to pretend to be an adult. Also, I’m just thrilled to be out of bed and getting dressed. I spent Thursday through Sunday in bed with bronchitis. Now I know that bed rest isn’t going home and sleeping after work, it’s spending 16 hours a day sleeping because your body needs it.

I’ve officially created a monster. Chloe refuses to stay away when I’m taking outfit photos! But to be fair, she is always dressed for the occasion.

blazer- swapped
cardigan- Anthropologie
shirt- H&M
cords- Gap
boots- Jeffrey Campbell

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Ever since seeing the Glamourai mix multiple polka dotted items, I’ve had a yearning to also cover myself in polka dots. It took me forever to find the right shirt and the right skirt and make sure the polka dots were indeed different sizes. My perseverance paid off, though, and I am happily polka dotted today. I am also mixing black and brown. So, multiple prints? Check. Black and Brown? Check. Awkward blogger pose? Check!

shirt- Lord & Taylor (forget the brand name, sorry!)
skirt- Forever21
boots- Forever21
necklace- H&M

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Yawwwn. For someone who didn’t do a lot this weekend, I sure am tired. Maybe it’s been the existential crisis I’ve been experiencing with my hair. I’ve reached that length (and time of year) that drives me crazy. My hair gets tangled up in my scarf and coat and stuck under my bag handle. I’ve been going through pictures of the various hairdo’s I’ve had over the years, which has just left me even more undecided. Shorter? Longer? Wavy? Straight? Bangs? I need a hair fairy to walk up to me, tell me the absolute best look for my hair, and then, umm, do my hair for me. Any thoughts on your end to solve this crisis (other than telling me to quit the dramatics)?

I wore this on Friday to go to Sowa’s open studios. If you’re in Boston, it’s a great way to spend Friday night. Head over to 450 Harrison Ave and you can peruse the many artist studios that will be open to the public, and there’s a huge vintage market too! I spent the evening at Emily Muller’s studio, simultaneously admiring the clothes and cursing my teeny bank account. I wore my DIY silver-sleeved blazer in honor of Holly’s birthday, since she is the most creative person I know.

blazer- Swapped and then painted
turtleneck- H&M
shirt- J.Crew
jeans- Lands End Canvas
shoes- Jeffrey Campbell

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Or rather, fancy tights. My unofficial theme for the week has been funky tights. Dunno why, but I like it. I’ve amassed quite the collection of tights since I started blogging. Before this, I think I had black tights, black tights, and maybe a pair of navy tights. However I vaguely remember one particularly awesome outfit from high school. It was a blue sweater, denim skirt, bright pink tights, and black fishnets over the tights. I was so cool.

Yesterday’s oufit:

Laurie B. sweater (from Swirl)
J. Crew button-down shirt
H&M pleather skirt
Forgot the brand of tights, sorry!
Steve Madden combat boots

Today’s outfit:

Laurie B. draped cardigan (again, from Swirl)
American apparel tee
H&M skirt
Express tights
Rocket Dog boots
J.Crew and Forever21 necklaces

And… you may have noticed that my sidebar looks a little different. Well, I’m proud to welcome Shopbop as my first advertising partner. I have no plans to overrun the site with ads and paid links, and actually turned down a few previous offers. But it’s a pleasure to associate myself with a company that I love shopping with because of their fast shipping, great customer service, and fun lookbooks!

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Remember when I went on and on about the ridiculousness of trying to buy Versace for H&M? You should, it’s only two posts back. Well, I said I would not attempt to get in on another H&M designer collaboration unless it was the long-rumored Tom Ford collaboration. Well…

Marni. MARNI! You know what that means? No frilly party dresses that I have no where to wear them to (ahem,  Lanvin). No obnoxiously bright prints and cuts that border on Jersey Shore attire (sorry Donatella). It means a collection of beautiful, well-cut clothing that can be worn for real life. Take a peek at the pics below and then see a video (featuring a skirt and jacket I’m already drooling over) here, pop over to ING and set aside a little savings account (because this line will be a bank account breaker), and start getting together your posse for Marni and H&M tailgating. See you there in March!!

images from fashionista.com

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If you were to meet me in real life, you’d notice that I have very good enunciation. I (generally) use proper grammar. I am proper and polite and I am not intimidating or tough at all. But in my head, I am a total and complete badass. And this badass tee from Kingdom of Style totally speaks to me. And it says “Go into a shady bar and order a whiskey shot. Play some Metallica on the jukebox. Steal someone’s motorcycle.” Now, I will never do any of these things (lost my taste for whiskey years ago and motorcycles scare me!) but at least I can pretend to be a badass, right?

I literally couldn’t wait until a more appropriate time to wear it, so I wore it to work. The blazer did a nice job of covering up some of it but I still felt badass underneath it all.

Look at me, I’m so cool I can’t even look at the camera.
 
 
Annnd…last night, two of my favorite things came together: bar method workouts and sparkly things! To be more specific, Bar Method Boston hosted Elizabeth Cole Jewelry in the studio, offering a generous discount on jewelry that ranged from glitzy and outrageous to…badass and spiky. I spent the whole workout thinking about the pretty baubles and once class ended, I got these earrings.

A little bit industrial, but still refined and small enough for everyday wear.

 

Chloe cat disapproves of my pretending to be tough. To be fair though, I do chase her around and smother her in kisses and sing to her.

blazer- Surface to Air
shirt- Borders & Frontiers collaboration with Kingdom of Style (available to purchase here)
pants- Gap
boots- Sam Edelman
necklace- H&M
earrings- Elizabeth Cole Jewelry

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