DENIM LUXE

You may not know this, but after the age of 19 I started hating jeans. Mostly because around 19, I discovered that once you regularly shaved your legs, dresses were amazing to wear. Oh, the freedom! And also because grown-up jeans that fit grown-up me cost grown-up money. And I would rather wear a plethora of $15 dresses than search the far corners of the world for $85 jeans.

But, luckily for kind-of-grown-up me, these were only $19 from Old Navy and they feel awesome, thanks to 1% spandex. I've never been a fan of the Laguna Beach casual feel of light wash denim or denim with *gasp* holes.  I mean, I am from New York, and we're nothing if not fancy. So, naturally, I fancied it up with faux fur, jewels and bright ass orange lipstick. A little casual luxe on a crisp fall day, dahhhhlliing.

Old Navy Jeans|  F21  Striped Sweater|Mom Faux Fur Vest| J. Crew Necklace| Target Booties | Lipstick Milani Sweet Nectar

AUTUMNAL TRUTHS

Ah, yes, fall is here. Leaves are turning, the temperature is slowly but surely dropping and we're all practically breathing pumpkin spice flavored air. These are all autumnal truths and feel very routine, except for that this year the pumpkin spiced air I'm breathing is in North Carolina and not Georgia. I'm living in a whole new state right now, you guys! 

My job has moved me to their newest location in the heart of Charlotte, N.C. and I'm still adjusting. I feel like I'm betraying my northern roots by having two southern cities under my belt, but so far I find Charlotte to be very charming.

Since I have no relations here (my man-friend helped me move, but he'll be gone soon so I'm sad), the highlight of my day is getting dressed and oh my god, that sounds horribly sad. You know, I'm not gonna think too deep on that one before I get all up in my feelings. Let's talk clothes!

This get up was me trying to welcome a crisp fall day, but as the case goes in the good ol' south it was still 80-something degrees. I didn't mind the undesirable temperature because I got a bunch of compliments, including some kind words from the gals at the Kate Spade store, and like, duh I live for compliments. LIVE FOR THEM. I'm a needy millennial. What can I say?

Some quick details: This skirt was $5 from Goodwill and it's amazing. It was a size too big, so I used the bow that was supposed to tied at the side as a belt. Now it looks like a much trendier paper bag skirt. So clever, right? Geniuuussss! 

 Marc by Marc Jacobs Purse|  Belk  Chambray Top|Fiore Boutique Polka Dot Tights| Anthropologie Linkbloom Bracelet| Cathy Jean Booties | Gap via Goodwill Skirt

MATCH POINT

I think it's safe to start regularly shaving our legs now, isn't it ladies? I mean, as I type this, it is 84° and sunny -- I couldn't feel better.

And I'm on a roll. Yesterday was a pretty good day too, for many reasons, but mostly because it was free ice cream day at Haagen Dazs! And also because, despite a nine-hour back-breaking shift at work, I felt lovely! 

Someone tell my why these shoes are not advertised as the best god-damn shoes ever ever ever!? Okay, so these are clearly made in the likeness of Keds classics, but only cost me $6 (and to low cost manufacturing I am eternally grateful). I could buy a pair of these for every day of the week and not feel the emptiness of my wallet. 

It is in my nature to be opposed to tennis shoes, probably because it is in my nature to avoid anything slightly athletic (don't make me sweat, please). But I'd seen these styled in a very clean and classic (dare I say, preppy?) way that I'd wanted to try. 

With equal parts comfort and classic cool, it turns out that I love it. I didn't feel like a hobo, which is how I normally feel in tennis shoes. I just felt very airy, how a great Spring day should make you feel. And given the opportunity to go all the way and pair it with a swing skirt and, duh, classic stripes, well, I might as well've been playing tennis. Wait, this is what people wear to play tennis right? 

 F21 Shirt, Rings|  LuLu's  Skirt|Fiore Boutique Arrow Cuff| Anthropologie Linkbloom Bracelet| Wal-Mart Shoes | Goodwill Necklace, Purse

 

EASY & ILL-PREPARED

My old-fashioned Caribbean mother tried to instill the value of looking like something when you may have nothing (we were in between nothing and something) in me at an early age. 

"People don't see how much money you have, they just see you, so look presentable," she would tell a clueless 10 year-old me. Under her watchful eyes, my uniform was always pressed and my shoes were always agleam. 

And then I grew up and out and away. And now I have a very lovely couch in my room that is mostly used as a second closet. Now, preparing outfits in advance is a luxury. I have to have the time (or an increased care level that day) for it to happen, and it doesn't often happen.

This means I'm usually found 20 minutes before an occasion scrambling pieces off of my couch, ripping tags off of unworn potentials and swearing at myself. And what you see here is the outcome. 

I had a wonderful Sunday off and was summoned by my male companion. I had four hours to get ready, 7/8ths of which went to watching Canadian teen dramas on Netflix (Instant Star, anyone? You, in the back?). 

The last 1/8 went to sliding into this. A glorified t-shirt, pretending to be a dress, featuring "I'm-really-cool-can't-you-tell" cut outs, a second skin cardigan and flats --- easy like a (lazy and ill-prepared for) Sunday morning. 

 F21 Dress, Cardigan, Locket|  Wanted  Coral Lario Flats|Fiore Boutique Watch, Arrow Cuff, Earrings| eBay Purse| Belk Vince Camuto Bracelet 

*please note that these were taken with my iPhone. How's that for ill-prepared? I'm acing life. 

MONOCHROMAYBE

A wise man once said, "if you're thinkin' of being my baby, it doesn't matter if you're black or white," but what happens when you're thinking of an outfit? What if you want that outfit to be BOTH black AND white? 

And then, what if you're like me and you can't just take black and white alone? What if you want to throw some burgundy/oxblood/wine (or whatever they're calling that color) up in there? These are legitimate concerns regarding this issue.

This black and white monochromatic-ness has evaded me for the longest, mostly because when I was going through my teenage all-black-everything phase I was asked, quite often, if I only wore black because I thought it made me look skinnier. 

That old adage had nothing to do with it, though. Black made me feel grown-up and gave me an attitude boost. But I stopped wearing it because of society's rules! And, also because, you know, I really do like being a walking rainbow. 

I wore a variation of this outfit in the past week and I felt like Angelina Jolie circa Billy Bob Thornton (let us never forget the tattoo) all day long. Lucky for me, monochrome is a Spring "thing" this year, so my desire to wear black is making a timely comeback.  

*Sidenote: I am questioning my internal style clock for its desire to wear black in the middle of one of the sunniest seasons. Why internal style clock? Why?! 

F21 Sweater, Button-Up, Necklace|  PacSun  Leggings (shamelessly worn as pants)|Charlotte Russe Boots| eBay Purse| Belk Vince Camuto Bracelet | M.A.C. Lipstick, Rebel

 Let's be clear about this purse. I appreciate the aesthetic of the Celine Boston tote,but as it stands, I cannot afford one. That said, I don't find it necessary to punish myself by not having a cute purse, dammit. I found a respectable look-a-like. It looks close enough to Celine's to please me, but still is not an exact duplicate, thus, not making it a cheap knock-off. And there we have it. See my "judge me if you dare" face below. 

A WALK IN THE GARDEN

It was Spring for about a weekend in Georgia, and accordingly my legs sprouted roses. I've accepted the cyclical arrival of floral patterns, embraced it even. 

This go around, neon technicolor floral is everywhere and I can't for the life of me latch onto it. It's like an acid trip met a few blooms and now we have a trend. I.DON'T.GET.IT. I mean, I get it, I just don't feel it. Which is fine, because I don't have to like every hot new thing that pops up. Imagine what our lives (and closets) would be if we did that? Oy vey. 

What I am feeling is the softer side of the garden.What caught me were the muted tones, pastels to be accurately trendy, because it would go with a lot of what I already owned. What made me almost turn away were the fact that they were jeans. 

You never know how much of a contortionist you are until you have to wiggle into a tight, woman-hugging pair of jeans -- and my goal in life is not to be a contortionist. But one of my goals was to find a great pair of floral jeans, so for the sake of a dream I wiggled to and fro until (hallelujah, thank the god of botany) I found what you see below.  

F21 Top, Floral Denim, Ring|  Fiore Boutique  Necklace, Watch|Goodwill Denim Button Up| Nordstrom TOMS

I leave you with the wisdom of Miranda Priestly. 

WHERE TO GO FROM HERE

It took me three days after taking these pictures to really figure out what to do with them. I'm even having a hard time trying to figure out what to type right now. 

So that my brain doesn't explode because of a blog post, I'll just keep it simple (until a later date when I can work through my thoughts and form big girl sentences): look at my outfit, girl! I am fine, fresh, fierce and I got it on lock.

Dressing up for me doesn't stop when the blogging does. I think it's safe for me to add boutique girl to my list of about-me adjectives and because of that wonderful title, dressing up is as routine for me as...well, going to work. I consider that a perk of the job. With all that said, you should know that this was a workday outfit.

Inspired by the Pantone Color of the Year, Emerald, (and the fact that I got this skirt for free ninety-nine  from my job) I floated around all day in this ensemble. When I say float, I mean it. The movement of this skirt makes me feel like I'm gliding on water as the magnificent mythical creature I was born to be. 

And, I mean, who doesn't want to feel like a magnificent mythical creature?

Nordstom Top,|  Fiore Boutique Skirt, Bracelet, "love" Necklace | F21 Ring, Locket | Goodwill Quilted Crossbody 

I know chunky arm parties, arm candy and stacking are having a (long) moment,

 but I'm really enjoying the simpler, daintier side of jewelry. 

COUNTY FARE

The county fair's a come to town! I don't have much to be overly excited about these days, so something as down-home as the county fair is the highlight of my life. I was embarassingly giddy.

Being lured in  by the flashing lights and a remixed version of Ginuwine's "Pony" (that alone should've warned me), the first ride I went for was something called the Musik Express.  I kept sliding around in my seat and imagining that I'd be catapulted out to my death if I didn't hold on to the safety bar for dear life. But it was fun! 

After that rattling experience I stuck to the traditional rides: the ferris wheel and the carousel. I look forward to those the most because they carry the classic spirit of the fair. I almost convinced myself that I was at an old carnival swishing around in this vintage-cut swing skirt. It's a go-to of mine, especially when I want to feel like I jumped out of the 50's.What can I say? I have a soft spot for swishy skirts & old-fashioned anything. 

H&M Top, Bracelet, Hat |  F21 Skirt, Necklace | Wanted Shoes Lario Flats | M.A.C. Viva Glam Nicki Minaj, lipstick

BECAUSE I'M HAPPY

I swear I'm a happy person, I swear it. Don't be misled by the chronic bitchface. I was pretty happy here. Happy that I was attempting a post, happy that I was getting to wear my utilitarian jacket and happy that I didn't have to go into work until noon. It's the little things, isn't it?  

What I'm not happy about is the fact that fall is less that two weeks away and I am still sweating in even the lightest of jackets. 

I am impatiently awaiting cool, yet sunny, 70° weather. I want to make use of all of my cardigans. My tights, scarves and boots are collecting dust. That's 3/4 of my closet that's out of commission because of this southern weather!

In protest of the sun I am retiring all of my summer attire. This is the last I will wear of my shorts and I'm saying goodbye to coral (the color that defined my summer). That'll show you to overstay your welcome, Summer! 

H&M Top | Thrifted  Shorts | F21, UrbanOG, Assorted Jewelry | Nordstrom TOMS wedges | Demure Boutique Jacket | Earthbound Trading Co. Clutch |  M.A.C. Vegas Volt, lipstick

A LOT OF ORANGE & A LITTLE NEON

Serving up "sit-like-an-Indian" realness! Kindergarten was a great time, wasn't it? Aside from this iconic sitting pose, it was the peak or creativity for many. Crayola was my best friend, but luckily, with this neon resurgence, I can channel crayola creativity once more. 

You see, this is a pretty classic prep outfit that everyone has: a button up and navy shorts (high waist if you're nasty). What I have done, with a dose of my crayola creativity is add a lot of little color. Shoes, necklace and belt, all from Fiore Boutique (my job, also where this post was shot), make me feel a little less boring when wearing this. 

When all fails, Roy G. Biv your way through summer! Yes, I know neon is not a part of the rainbow, but it should be. Nature...get on that. 

H&M Oxford Shirt | Thrifted Navy Shorts | Fiore + Thrifted,Jewelry | 

Fiore Wanted Shoes patent loafers - Gyp