Dutch Tilt

Today I went back to the art supply store, but this time to get supplies for my drawing class. We happened upon this little alleyway between Chestnut and Sansom streets with adorably decorated poles; how cute! My friend Ayanna helped me take outfit shots today, and appropriately enough she had her first digital photography class yesterday afternoon. She was telling me about the Dutch Tilt as she ran around me in circles and crouched and jumped; it was pretty intense and some passerby stopped to watch the "professionals" (ha!) at work.

I ordered this dress back in January thinking that it would be great to throw on when the weather warms up, but I felt bad just leaving it sit in my closet for another couple of months. At first I wanted to wear gray tights, but the day was gloomy and cloudy enough as it was. I decided to bring a little "pop" to this gray day with this great pair of royal blue tights. It seemed like everyone had something to say about them, mostly strangers I passed by as I walked between classes. Note to self: bright tights = great conversation starter

Blazer

Dress - Forever 21, $16

Belt - vintage

Tights -  Kohl's, $3

Boots -  Bass, $40

Scarf - DIY

Late Again

I was supposed to wake up and go to the art supply store (which owns my soul and all my money!) with my friend Shannon, but I overslept and kept her waiting for half an hour. I'm sorry Shannon! Regardless, she was a great sport about helping me take outfit photos today. I was mostly late because I had no idea what to wear. I knew that today would be one of the only sunny days this week. Wow, that sounds really bad (am I prioritizing blogging over friends and school? Hopefully I won't go down that slippery slope!). 

This dress is my favorite. It's my go-to piece when I'm stumped, probably because the pattern compliments a lot of different colored pieces.It used to have long sleeved and a higher neckline, back when it hung in my grandmother's wardrobe. She had no reservations when I asked her if I could use some of her old frocks for a project, probably because she was the one who taught me to sew in the first place. It's one of like, two dresses that were still wearable after I took scissors and thread to them. Perhaps this summer it would be in my best interest to take a sewing class. 

A close-up shot of my lace top

Dress - vintage/altered

Cardigan - Forever 21, $15

Tights - Hue from Marshall's, $4

Flats - thrifted, $3

Belt -  vintage

Ring - Charlotte Russe, $4

Nail polish - "I Don't Wanna Be A-Lone Star" by OPI

Thumbs Up

Just a review of the design work I've done this past term. Winter term was color theory, and now we're moving onto 3D design. Several hours and two very sore thumbs later, all of my work was hung up on the wall. It's going to be reviewed next week. Hopefully I'll get a thumbs-up! (See what I did there?)

Part of my final project, with the preliminary panels underneath.

My favorite painting I've done all term, for sure.

These textures were really fun to make. My professor wanted us to be as inventive as possible, she wanted to look at them and not know how they were made. I just wish this wasn't so blurry!

Playing for an Audience of One

It's almost the end of March and subsequently the end of my spring break. I'm not a winter person, and if I had it my way it would be 80 degrees and summery year-round; I guess that means I'm not a spring person either. But my point is that it's much too late in the year for it to be so cold outside! 40 degrees? I mean really.

Yesterday I went outlet shopping with my mom and found this lace-embellished shirt at Banana Republic. It's almost exactly the same as one I've seen in H&M, one that was sold out before I made my mind up to get it. This skirt used to be mid-calf length, but I hemmed it over the summer and have been wearing it non-stop. My new brown sandals are really comfortable and easy to walk in, too. I'll be easing out my winter boots as we move into the month of April; I think socks or tights with open-toed sandals are perfect for the in-between temps that come with spring. Though tonight I'll most likely don my boots before I venture into the city for a concert.
Oh, that's right! I'm seeing my favorite band play the Trocadero this evening. The show came at sort of an inconvenient time. I'm actually going by myself, just me and my camera and my new 35mm low-light lens. My friends that I usually go to concerts with are home on break until this weekend, and the show was sold out before I could find anyone else to go with. As if that would keep me from missing Cold War Kids play live!

White lace tee - Banana Republic Outlet

Floral skirt - thrifted/altered

Red Hue tights - Marshall's

Brown braided sandals -  Ross

The Sun's Not Yellow

Another lazy day: I slept in, fawned over the espresso machine in the kitchen I had missed so dearly, and several new dresses came into my possession. I order one online last week and found two more at the Salvation Army today, along with a lace collar top. It's a floral print (surprise! not.) and sort of cropped so I'm pretty much at a loss as to how to style it. Especially because my wardrobe for the next week and a half has been confined to what I could fit into a small suitcase and carry-on bag. The temperatures are slowly rising so I layered a cardigan and blazer instead of wearing a coat. This is also the first time I'm wearing this pair of knee-high socks. Yay for trying something new! Boo for being super-late trend-wise.

Red dress - Alloy.com

Blazer - thrifted

Gray cardigan - Forever 21

Gray knee socks - Urban Outfitters

Brown boots - thrifted

The Ides of March

Today is the first day of my almost-two-week-long spring break! Winter quarter is officially over with; I had my last critique with my drawing professor today and hopped on the train home immediately afterwards. I picked these jeans mostly for comfort, but also because I don't wear them nearly as often as I should. They have a really nice stretch to them, and I knew I would be running around like a chicken with my head cut off, throwing random afterthoughts into my suitcases and boarding the train. 

I bought these booties today, and by "today" I mean three hours ago. I can't keep myself from making obligatory Target runs every time I come home. Shampoo and deep conditioner were the only things on my shopping list, but these guys were only $7.48! Though I am still getting used to walking in them, the heels are taller than what I'm used to.

On Friday I found this bag, along with several other fantastic pieces, at the Salvation Army in Center City. It's big enough to hold my camera, sketchbook, and wallet.

Lace top - Marshalls, $12

Bleached jeans - New York and Company, $10

Black booties - Xhilaration, $7.48

Floral bag - thrifted, $6  

Away At Sea

My new remote made an accidental appearance

What I like most about wearing nautical -inspired outfits like this is that it's easy to look put-together and still feel comfy. I feel it's the accessories, like a braided rope belt and loafers, that make an everyday striped tee and red skirt look like they belong together.

My skirt is a knit that feels almost like a sweatshirt material, and I always feel more comfortable in tights than I do in pants. This skirt actually was part of an empire waist dress until last night: I was editing my closet, trying to decide what to take home and leave there for good, and I came across this red dress. I had only worn it once several months ago and then it proceeded to shrink to an indecent length after I washed it. I thought, if only the skirt sat at my natural waist, it would be long enough to wear out. Then I had one of those moments where a light bulb went off, and so I went at it with scissors and am pleased with the results! The best part was that no extra sewing or stitching was required, because the waistband had a finished seam on top already and I just trimmed off the extra bits. It was an awkwardly made dress anyway, I mean, who in the world could comfortably use pockets that are at an empire waist?

My gear: school bag, cargo jacket, and tripod

I found this brick wall-enclosed area behind my dorm building. Some grass lines one side of the sidewalk with some little bushes on the other side. It's generally free of pedestrian traffic, so maybe this will be my go-to spot when I'm left to take my own pictures.

P.S.Is anyone else counting down the days until spring? The spring equinox is on March 20, only twelve days away!

Navy striped tee -  Gap

Red skirt -  DIY

Gray tights - DKNY

Brown loafters - Payless

Braided belt -  Forever 21

Pocket watch necklace - Gift

Cut-Off

This past week has been eventful, but for all of the wrong reasons! I won't get into the nitty-gritty, but one of those reasons would be that I dropped my laptop last Saturday. I know that sounds bad, but it wasn't dropped as in slipped-from-my-hands dropped; in an emotionally overwhelming moment of despair, I tripped the cord and sent my poor Pearl Pink computer plummeting to the tile floor. It landed with a frightening crunch and when I opened the lid I found that the LCD screen was covered with erroneous black sickle shapes. It time to invest in some new technology anyway, and even though my mom wasn't willing to shell out for my expensive dream computer (Macs, anyone?), she was gracious enough to send me a new laptop in order to register for classes on time.

On the other hand, this vest didn't cost me anything more than five minutes of my time. It used to be a kid's denim jacket with a big mud stain on the sleeve, courtesy of my little brother, that was sitting in the garage waiting to be sold at a yard sale. It was too small for me to wear with the sleeves on it, I think it was a kid's size 8, so I just chopped them off and made myself a vest! I layered it with a lot of sun dresses during the summer instead of cardigans. I found this golden cross pendant at a flea market last summer, too. I love the way the turquoise beads contrast with the ornate gold color of the pendant. I think it's a great statement piece, and I can throw in on with just about anything when I don't have time to put a lot of thought into my choice of accessories. But I'm hoping that if everything goes my way I'll have more time to laze around in the mornings before class, put together decent outfits, and maybe have some coffee, too, before I rush to my classes that ideally don't start until past noon. I'll let you know if it all works out!

And a quick shout-out and thank-you to Samara who helped me take pictures today! Isn't the dove print on her sweater great?

Black ruffle dress - Gap

Red tights - Hue

DIY denim vest - Gap Kids

Black Boots - Bass

Necklace - flea market