coulda, woulda, shoulda

top-H&M; vest-vintage Danier; shorts-?? via Winners; boots-Spring; socks-H&M;clutch-vintage; watch-gifted; earrings-thrifted

I could've worn this today because the weather has been super cooperative and we've hit the 22 degrees mark a couple of times this week ( which I thoroughly enjoyed, of course) but...these pics are from about 2 weeks ago. I haven't quite stopped getting dressed since then; I've just had no time to photograph anything... including/especially outfits (which is where I need assistance since I can't take outfit photos by myself...tried, and failed miserably...twice, and then gave up...)

The thing about warm weather in the fall is that no one really dresses for it anymore... we all get into the whole fall-mood, and even when nature gives us a bone...we don't chase it. We wear jeans, boots, scarves, and sweaters, because the calender says it's October (and shows us pictures of orange and yellow leaves, cinnamon flavored drinks, etc.) I know I might regret not seizing the opportunity to wear sandals one more time in 2011, but....let's face it, I've rarely taken the time to reflect on an outfit and actually regret it.

Happy Weekend!:)

DIY lace trim shorts

Although we all know that now is the best time of the year to stock up on summer staples currently up to 70% off, we seldom actually do it. I suppose it's because the browning leafs and fall merchandise displayed everywhere make it a bit hard to think practically, and we naturally gravitate towards the fall garments we're all eager to wear. (although to be perfectly honest with you, Indian summer is my favorite part of fall ;))

In any case, I'm not one to resist a darn good sale, so naturally I snatched these shorts (and an identical pair in hot pink) for all of $6.94! (our local thrift store can hardly compete with these prices!) I knew instantly the ivory pair were going to need a little something-something because: a. I felt like getting my DIY on; and b. I have another ivory pair that's quite similar already!
Since it's already apparent that the 'lace trend' isn't going anywhere anytime soon, I figured adding a bit of lace couldn't hurt :) The whole project took a little over an hour (I timed it roughly by watching 3 episodes of Sex and the City) and cost...$6.94 (since I got the lace trim from my awesome grandma!)


And here's how I wore them shortly after completion :)

 top & necklace-H&M; shorts-Joe Fresh and DIYed; sandals-Bronx

never say never

blazer-vintage; top-H&M; jeans-XXI; belt-Nine West; flats-Old Navy; clutch-vintage; ear rings-thrifted; scarf-Suzy Shier; watch-gifted

I think I shocked a few people (friends and family) with this top; let's just say this is the most leopard print I've ever worn. Lately I've just grown fonder of the beloved pattern, and I figured for 17 bucks, it can't hurt to try it out ;) I'm really starting to see why it's such a wardrobe staple, considering it can be a great neutral to remix and at the same time it can easily be a striking focal point.
It's been 2 weeks since I got it, and I've worn it 5 times already...I suppose I'm a convert now.

Oh, and here's a close up shot of the pretty, pretty earrings I snatched at a thrift store for only 50 cents!!!:) I know; I was quite excited myself! And the best part was that the 50 cents actually went towards a child that the thrift store sponsors in Central America; it's a win-win-win.

p.s.- first time wearing jeans in 3 months...I guess I'm kind of looking forward to fall, what with all the layering options and all (but really this is just my 'glass-half-full' response to what was the coldest day of this entire summer)

technical difficulties...

blazer-H&M; top-Joe Fresh; pants- Pieces; sandals-Nine West; clutch-vintage; watch-

I'm not gonna lie, I'm not the most tech savvy girl you'll meet. In fact, I kind of avoided using a computer until my teens, because I much preferred doing other things. The thing is, I can't deny all the pros for the technological advancements we've all grown accustomed to, but I will say this: sometimes, SOMETIMES, technological advancements can make you feel like a caveman/woman!

Take for instance last week, when in my attempt to change the banner of this blog I proceeded to mess it all up and then spent hours trying to figure out a solution, without any success. In the end, I gave up, slept on it, didn't even think about it till about an hour ago, and finally realized the simplest solution. I'm still not a 100% pleased with the turn out, but it'll do, until my html knowledge improves (or until I get some).

My technical difficulties did not end there though...oh no; my lovely (and very tech-savvy) boyfriend decided that shooting raw files is absolutely amazing, and he got some new program to edit them with, and all these fancy-shmancy shananigans I knew nothing about. Of course, that resulted in me spending nearly an hour on editing the 4 pictures you see above (in comparison, on Photoshop it usually takes me 10min, max!) and in the end, Blogger took 40 minutes (FORTY!) to upload them...

If I wasn't an incredibly calm person, I'd probably have given up and spared you all this little rant...but oh well, at least you've got 4 pictures to look at ;)

Happy Sunday!

the dark side

Most people who know me in 'real' life know I'm a devoted Star Wars fan. That's not to say that I go to Star Wars conventions, or that I've read all the Star Wars books; just have had a long infatuation with the saga ;)) I first saw episode 4 when I was about 7 and honestly believed the force existed and everything.
Why am I mentioning this, you may wonder? Obviously so that you can feel you know me a little better, and because I take pride in my love for Star Wars; but also because International Star Wars day just passed and this weekend there will be dozens of celebratory gatherings to mark the occasion. Will I be going to one?

blazer-H&M

top-?? via Winners
jeans- Forever 21
boots-Steve Madden
bracelet-Forever 21

Of course :)

inspired

In the spirit of full disclosure (or just because I like to give credit where it's due) this outfit was very much inspired by all the lovely ladies who participated in this month's Everybody, Everywear and showed off their wonderfully styled maxi dresses (and skirts)!
I snatched this jersey maxi dress last summer at Forever 21 but haven't worn it nearly as much as I had planned. As fall come around I kind of lost interest in it and packed it away. After seeing several really gorgeously styled maxi dresses (check out Everybody, Everywear if you haven't already-it's pretty spectacular) over the past couple of weeks, I was inpsired to give this summer dress an early-spring twist.

dress-Forever21
crochet top-?? via Winners
blazer-H&M
shoes-Wielde

So, how did I do?

hand-me-down

I love hand-me-downs; mainly because I only ever got super well-preserved stuff from my mom or my grandmothers, and it's nice to wear something they once loved!
The case with this sweater is a little different...it's actually my bf's. He didn't want it because of some silly reason...something to do with the neckline/tightness; so I took it off his hands. That's just how nice I am. He's a lucky guy,right?!

blazer- H&M
sweater-H&M
shorts-H&M
tights-??
belt-thrifted
oxfords- Gido
socks-??

moderation

I don't have a lot of 'rules' when it comes to fashion' there's just things I love, things I like, things I want to try and then there's things I know I should stay away from. For a while, I was very anti-animal print; it just didn't appeal to me. Part of the reason was that I usually saw people wearing tonnes of it at once; I'm talking head-to-toe in animal print. And let's just all admit that's not very flattering.
But, I've come to love a little touch of animal print here and there, as a sort of accent. And funnily enough, the leopard print on this blazer was kind of what sold it to me.
So I guess the moral of this is moderation, at least when it comes to certain prints ;)

blazer-H&M
top-Henna
jeans-H&M
boots-Franco Sarto
rings-vintage, Forever 21, H&M
belt-Nine West

1/5- something 'borrowed'

I'd like to give a shout out to my dear grandma, who let me borrow this top! (and by 'borrow', I mean keep!yey!)
I was just browsing through her closet (it's what I do...) and came across this little number. And then magically it fit! Meant to be, it was just meant to be.

p.s.- don't mind my sloppy bun...i'll try better next time ;) but I'm not making any promises!

top-vintage (via my grandma)
skirt-H&M
silk scarf- vintage
patch bag- made by me
tights- Joe Fresh
boots- Franco Sarto