Leather Sleeves

Well...this is starting to get awkward. At this rate, I'll only post blog 12 times in 2012. SO not okay with that. New year's resolution = blog more! For real though I miss blogging. I've used the excuse of being busy for not blogging tons of times, but every blogger is busy. I think I've come to the realization that an important part of being a successful blogger is making time for it, not just using extra time to blog. So, with that said, I'm going to try oh so hard to make more time for my blog. I already have so many posts that I'm itching to do. :)

Now that that's out of the way, I wore this outfit an embarrassingly long time ago. Like...week of Thanksgiving if I remember correctly. This outfit would not work for the current winter temperatures. I wore this when I was in a bit of a fashion rut, so I went for a completely different look than I usually wear. I hardly ever wear flares or completely tucked in shirts so putting them together was super new for me. I've loved it on so many bloggers so I just had to try it for myself. I wore this out to dinner with my family, and the first thing my older brother said to me was "...are those leather sleeves?" Yes. Yes they are. This coat may be a bit of a man repeller, but I still love it. Plus, I replenish/update my brother's wardrobe twice a year on his birthday and Christmas so he can't even talk. He should be thanking me.

Last thing...I absolutely love how these photos turned out. Me and my roommate/fellow blogger Mary found this amazing light right behind our apartment. I'm picturing a winter outfit shoot with this light when we finally get some snow up here.

I hope that those of you who celebrate Christmas had an amazing time with your family! My Christmas outfit post will be posted very shortly :)

Coat: Forever 21

Shirt: TJ Maxx

Jeans: Forever 21

Bracelets: Forever 21, Target, H&M

Necklace: American Eagle

Belt: Michael Kors via TJ Maxx

Shoes: DSW

PS - I need to get a new go-to pose. Hand-on-the-hip is being seriously overused here.

Opposites Attract

For some reason when I wear a very feminine outfit, I feel the need to go in the opposite direction the next day. Example: these outfits. I love both, but if I had to choose to be more feminine or more masculine in how I dress, there's no doubt that I tend to gravitate towards my more masculine pieces. I just feel more myself in some kick-ass boots, black leather jacket, and jeans. What pieces do you feel most comfortable in?

PS - introducing my new hair color! The cooler seasons always make me want darker hair. :)

(no idea why it looks slightly purple in the first outfit photos..it's not purple) 

Leather Jacket: AE, from TJ Maxx

Dress: Forever 21

Tights: TJ Maxx

Scarf: H&M..I think?

Necklace: H&M

Boots: Zappos.com

 "Leather" Jacket: Zara

Gray Top: TJ Maxx

Red Shirt & Pants: H&M

Boots: Fergie(yeah, I was surprised too), DSW

Brights & Stripes

My, doesn't this color combination look familiar? Apparently I wasn't done with the whole yellow-green & blue combo quite yet. I changed it up by adding some stripes and a new blazer from Forever 21. I already have a black blazer, but this one has awesome gold buttons...totally different so I obviously had to get it.

About these pants.. I absolutely love the color of them, but I wouldn't recommend buying them. They stretched out like crazy. I was practically holding them up by the end of the day. Bit of a bummer.

PS - This is my last post with lighter hair. Stay tuned for my new fall do!

PPS - I won my first giveaway today!! I won this dress from Kate of O My Heart. Thanks Kate, can't wait to style it!

Blazer: Forever 21

Striped Top: Old Navy

Pants: H&M

Boots: Diba via DSW (SO old, need to be replaced badly..they hardly have soles)

Bracelets: Forever 21

Silk Scarf: Present from the travel agency we used in Vietnam

Navy Over Neon

Funny story about this outfit: right after I put it on and was happy with it, I looked at the floor of my bedroom and saw the shirt I wore the day before...3/4 sleeve top from Forever 21 that's navy with yellow-green sleeves..the exact color of this sweater. I basically subconsciously copied the shirt I wore the day before. Hahah whoops. Oh well, I still like how it came out :)

Vest: Sears (randomly walked past it, and it was on sale for $7 or something like that..score!)

Sweater: Zara (probably more like "Zara" considering I bought it in Vietnam at a market)

Jeans: BDG, from Urban Outfitters

Boots: Nine West Vintage

Necklace: Forever 21

What's in my purse?

I've talked about my youtube channel briefly on my blog, and I thought some of you might find this video interesting if you're a super curious person like me. If you're into the whole youtube beauty/fashion community you know that there's a TON of 'What's in my bag?' videos out there. I always love watching them, so I thought I'd do one of my own! If you're not interested in what's in my purse, there's a quick outfit of the day at the end too. I also thought posting a video would be a fun change from just photos on here :)

Sheer Love

For some reason, these leggings get a lot of looks every time I wear them. It's not exactly normal to have (faux) leather paneling on leggings, but are they really that different?? I'm always so surprised at just how many people stare at these things! Whether they're staring because they love them or hate them, I love these leggings so much. They're just a great way to spice up any simple outfit.

I think this top is now my third or fourth sheer button up top. They're so easy to throw on for a warmer fall day. And I told you I couldn't stop wearing these boots. They go with everything. Can't stop, won't stop.

Also, thanks to my mom who took these in the middle of making dinner because the sun was going down super fast. Thanks mom!

Top, Leggings, & Spiked Bracelets: Forever 21 (accidental super cheap outfit!)

Other Bracelets & Necklace: Urban Outfitters

Boots: Dirty Laundry via TJ Maxx

Fall Colors, Summer Temps

Well it sure does look like fall, but it definitely doesn't feel like it. When I wore this a few days ago, it was in the high 70s. Crazy! This week it's supposed to be in the 50s, so I'm already missing the warmer weather. Fall weather is great, but it always seems so short lived. Hopefully winter will hold off a little longer this year...not likely up here in Wisconsin sadly.

I really like this ruffle tank top, but it's kind of a weird shape if I just let it hang(super boxy) so I don't wear it very often. Tucking it in a bit did the trick for this outfit so I could finally wear it :) This belt has become such a go-to belt for me when I can't find one that works..it seems to go with everything. I even just got some awesome leopard flats/loafer hybrids(you'll see what I mean when I wear them on here, SO cute). The belt was the only leopard print thing I owned, so I obviously needed another leopard accessory. Okay maybe not need...well, maybe just a little bit. Everyone needs a little leopard(print or actual animal..how cute would it be to have a little tiny leopard?!). Okay, I definitely didn't get enough sleep this week so I'm getting a litttle loopy. Which also means I'll be getting way too much sleep tonight. Can Not Wait.

Top: TJ Maxx

Jeans: H&M

Belt & Sandals: Forever 21

Gold Necklace: Gift from Mom

ps - sorry for all the unintentional headless photos. guessing where I'll end up running into the frame and posing can be kind of difficult.

Concert Heels

These pictures are what happen when I wait til it's basically dark out to take outfit pictures. It just gets dark so freaking early now! One of my least favorite parts about the changing seasons is shorter days. Come back sunlight, I need to take outfit pictures! So, sorry for the lack of detail in these pictures. I guess I could've used the flash, but as a photographer I try to avoid flash at all costs. 

As you can probably tell from the title of this post, I wore this outfit to a concert. Jon McLaughlin and Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers to be exact. Look them up if you don't know who they are. SO good. You can't see my favorite part of these jeans, but they're studded along the pockets. Pretty much why I got them. Also, I'm wearing heels. This is very rare, and my feet were practically screaming at me at the end of the night because they're used to comfy boots. Sometimes a girl's gotta wear heels, ya know?

Jean details from forever21.com

Vest: Just Jeans(bought in Australia)

Tank: Banana Republic

Jeans: Forever 21

Belt: H&M

Bracelets: Forever 21

Shoes: Random store in Chicago(they were reallly cheap)