Cold Light

Amazing winter-y things that happened in the past 24 hours: It snowed for more than 30 seconds (but not exceeding 10 minutes). Ray and I bought our Christmas tree. I indulged in two kinds of latkes at various family Channukah dinners. Take notice that I did not include "learned how to dress appropriately for below-freezing temperatures". I don't know what I was thinking when I got dressed this morning, but it clearly had nothing to do with the weather outside. Please excuse the awful quality of these indoor shots, but there was no way I was going to stand outside any longer than I had to.

I've been on the lookout for a decent maxi skirt for a while now, and go figure, I found a perfect one at Village Thrift for $7. In the past, I always was wary of long skirts because I felt like they made me look even shorter, but they actually have a slimming, elongating effect. It's all about cinching it high on the waist and using the extra length to rock some high heels or platforms.

Tank Top: Forever 21

Belt: Heritage 1981

Skirt: thrifted (Village Thrift- Pennsauken, NJ)

Shoes: Forever 21

Sunglasses: street vendor

The Easy Mark and the Old Maid

I'm settling into the routine of cold. Layers, layers, layers, plus an oversized cardigan to conceal the bulkiness. I went on a bit of a cardigan spree this weekend at Forever 21. Now normally I wouldn't call buying 2 items a spree, except that the cashier so kindly decided to ring me up double, so being charged for the same sweater twice most definitely constitutes a spree. (grumble, grumble, grumble...)

It was totally worth it though. Oversized sweaters are my new best friend because it's one of the few socially acceptable ways to basically wear a blanket as clothes. Unless you count Snuggies as socially acceptable. I'm pretty sure I don't, so I stick with cardigans. The cool thing about my purchases? My "headband" is actually the belt from the other sweater; as you can see, my hair's a bit of a mess today, so some innovation led to this wrap. Pretty good for 7:00am!

(P.S. Don't you love that everything of mine is covered in cat fur?)

Jacket: H&M

Sweater: Forever 21

Shirt: Heritage 1981

Jeans: Forever 21

Boots: Nature Breeze

Sunglasses: street vendor

With the Transit Coat On

Like it or not, Philadelphia has settled into winter. After a few weeks of yo-yoing temperatures, teasing me with the promises of eternal mid-60s temperatures, today's gloomy outcast is a high of 42 and a low of 29. Thankfully we haven't had any snow yet, other than a handful of sprinkles on Thanksgiving morning. I've got to be honest, I do not like snow. Even as a kid, I knew the secret: A "snow day" was only a cleverly disguised "shovel the walk" day. As an adult, I've got the added pleasure of digging out my car and trying to drive to work in an icy mess (or even worse, trying to ride my bike). This year, our new apartment has free heat and internet, so I think it's safe to say my winter will consist of never leaving my apartment and instead enjoying my newly purchased Netflix subscription.

The one thing I love about winter (other than enjoying the snowy view from my cozy apartment) is the outerwear. Sure, it gets a bit monotonous, but I'm still in the honeymoon period of breaking in favorite coats and jackets. I picked up this pea coat from H&M a few years ago for $80. It was a warm coat, pretty durable, and stylish so I shelled out the extra bucks. Of course, last fall I saw the same exact coat (in additional colors) for $30. Go figure. It's still one of my favorites and adds an instant polish to any outfit.

Winter is also the time to steal your boyfriend's sweaters. I've been known to "borrow" Ray's clothes in the past, but I find this look is much more advantageous in the winter, when bulky layers can easily be hidden under an oversized sweater. It also allows me to incorporate newstyle into my wardrobe; we're more or less on the same frequency as far as taste goes, but he also picks things I would never give a second glance to but later realize are genius. Unfortunately for him, he can't get away with wearing my cardigans or t-shirts.

Pea Coat: H&M

Sweater: thrifted (Village Thrift- Pennsauken, NJ)

Scarf: American Apparel

Shorts: thrifted (Closet Exchange- Abington, PA)

Shoes: Forever 21

Tights: L'eggs

Sunglasses: street vendor

Sometimes Our Dreams Float Like Anchors

Today's look is my best attempt at a "casual Friday" outfit. When considering the office I work at, this is incredibly ironic as my outfit is guaranteed to be dressier than our usual status quo during the week. Still, I've owned this blazer for about six months now, unable to create a look that didn't scream real estate agent. I started day dreaming about this outfit in class yesterday, and thankfully this was one idea that translated quite nicely from my concept to reality.

Speaking of class, I can't believe the semester is almost done! It seems like so recently I was starting classes, not knowing what to expect and praying I wouldn't be the oldest one in my courses (I'm not, by the way). And now I'm three weeks away from finals. It's been an interesting transition, getting back into the college life. I'm definitely appreciating it more my second time around. After high school, I enrolled at a very small, women's art school. It was absolutely the wrong environment for me; everyone was catty and competitive. 90% of my courses were studio-related, which perpetuated the competitiveness, and the majority of my academic classes were not challenging enough. I only really enjoyed my art history classes, but ultimately I decided that if I wasn't interested in a teaching career, it was a pretty useless major.

This time around, I picked a much more appropriate community college. While I was worried about a lack of academic challenge, it's been just the right pace to ease me back into a learning environment. Nobody's got delusions about where they are so there's no snobby attitude. The majority of my classmates are also working, so the class schedules have a lot of flexibility. Not to mention, my teachers are incredible. I'm in a very small program, so I can expect to have the same professors throughout my studies. I've already registered for spring courses and I can't wait!

Shirt: Heritage 1981

Jacket: Express Design Studio

Jeans: H&M

Shoes: Anne Michelle

Sunglasses: street vendor 

Blonde Redhead

Nothing much to report for the old blog (It's a v-neck and skinny jeans kind of day), but hark! I finally touched up my routes! I had completely forgotten how bothersome blond hair is.

Selective Inspiration

I've been in a bit of a clothes slump lately. I'm bored to death of my current wardrobe, but I've got no money for a shopping spree. I recently splurged at Forever 21, and after paying my credit card bill the other day, it's safe to say that's not going to be happening any time soon. I love what Kendi Everyday is doing with her 30 for 30 challenge, but to be frank, I've been remixing some of the pieces in my closet since high school. I'm officially in a rut.

Needless to say, I take notice when I see another blogger create a great outfit out of items that may possibly be lurking in my closet. Thank god for Google Reader's ability to "star" blog posts, because otherwise I may have totally forgotten about this post from Tieka at Selective Potential.

Right away, I knew I could recreate her warm and cozy, yet functional, outfit. Actually, I even have the pieces to create a near-carbon copy, but I opted to throw my own spin on it. Inspiration is one thing, but straight up copying is another. Instead, I opted to modify this look to include my favorite fall colorway- navy blue and light brown. I also skipped the knit hat, because I look incredible silly in those. I bought one about three years ago and I have yet to wear it. The socks are actually above-the-knee style, but I think I like them even better scrunched down like this. And, of course, the shoes. I really don't mean to keep wearing them, and I swear I do wear other footwear, but hey- the look called for them!

Overall, I'm really pleased with this look. It required buying nothing new, yet is a pairing I've never tried before. Thanks for the inspiration, Tieka!

Shirt: Forever 21

Sweater: Adriana (New Deal Clothing- Santa Cruz, CA)

Shorts: Abercrombie & Fitch DIY cutoffs

Belt & Buckle: vintage Levi Strauss (Sweet Jane- Philadelphia, PA)

Tights: L'eggs

Socks: Forever 21
Shoes: Forever 21

Sunglasses: flea market