dress it up

The love affair with this jacket continues...... Just go with it.



F21 dress, Target jacket, Steve Madden boots



I had kinda forgotten that I had these boots tucked away at the bottom of my closet. They helped toughen up my sweet little eyelet accented dress.

Made in the USA

I love videos on how things are made. And as a fashion Professional I love when things are made in the USA. Keeping manufacturing jobs in America is important for our national economy and makes things soooo much easier when dealing with the actual production process. Calling up your factory in Texas to tweak a zipper pull is faster and simpler than your factory in Indonesia.

Here's a little blurp on Club Monaco.

Club Monaco's Made in the USA lineup brings iconic menswear pieces to life in select factories here in the states, not only keeping American manufacturing alive, but giving you some quality goods that'll be around for the long haul. Overseen and designed by VP of menswear design Aaron Levine and consultant Michael Williams (of A Continuous Lean), the collection merges modern design with all the hallmarks of heritage pieces to produce limited edition gear, like handsome ties crafted out of dead stock fabrics. Let Levine and Williams walk you through the process. (source)

Are you tired of the camo yet

Well I'm not! This jacket is getting sooooo many miles.

It seriously goes with everything! I love to add a cluster of brooches to a jacket, it adds a little color and texture. In high school I worked in a Gap store, and you can imagine how much of my 2001 wardrobe was purchased with that discount. This belt is a men's belt from that era that I've just never gotten rid of. Am I secretly a hoarder....?!



Target jacket, Gap turtle neck, Old Navy skirt, Gap shoes and belt



Beautiful

As much as we try to keep our beauty outlook full of positive affirmation, even the most self-confident among us can have critical moments when we look in the mirror and don't like what we see. Decades of social conditioning and promotion of one stereotypical ideal of beauty can do that to a girl. But those so-called flaws we think we have are not what the rest of the world sees when they look at us.

Need proof? Dove just released a new video that sets out to prove that we are really our worst critics. The brand commissioned a forensic sketch artist to draw portraits of women based on their descriptions of themselves, and then again based on other people's descriptions of them. You can probably guess where this is going: The participants were overly critical of their own faces, pointing out supposed flaws that weren't actually noticeable, while the descriptions from other people led to flattering, stunning images of beautiful and confident women.

Not to give the plot away, but let's just say that the participants had a lot of feelings while looking at the portraits side by side. After we finish weeping at our desks, we're going to go find a mirror and think long and hard about the usually hypercritical thoughts that run through our heads upon gazing at our reflections. You should, too. (source)

Shine On

I did warn you that the shoes would be in heavy ro-ro. 

It was a kinda freaky weather day so I ducked into a random hotel to snap a picture. I am noticing that my feet look really small in these shoes! I even changed but my poses a little, enjoy :-)

Brooks Brothers blazer, F21 tee shirt, Gap jeans, TopShop shoes.

One of my favorite Treasured Trinket pieces. 

Shiny Ponies

I'm a size 5.5 if anyone wants to gift me a pair....

Birds on a Wire, on my skirt

I've worn this skirt so many different ways, none of which I felt were cute enough to share. 

F21 sweater and skirt, Sam Edelman booties

And even here I'm not in LOVE but I did really LIKE it. This skirt has the cutest little birdies on it and in real life it's too long for my taste, so I hike it up! #ShortPeopleSecrets

These old things

I forgot I had these shoes. Which if you follow this blog you might ask "How?! She wears like the same 5 pair." Well I was just discussing this with a friend and fellow blogger. Although I have a quite a few shoe options I really tend to wear the same shoes rather often. It's a mix of whats easy to grab, what can make it through the day, and "hey, I'm feeling these shoes right now and not the others." So for a while I forgot these shoes were in the closet. Of course now that I've "found" them, I can't take them off.  

vintage jacket, F21 tee, H&M pants, TopShop shoes

Didn't I say white tees go with everything.

Found this jacket in a Cleveland thrift store for like $3 or something. I cut the shoulder pads out and voilà, vintage treasure. I don't usually do well with vintage so this was a pleasant find. This was my other bad hair day. 

Expect to see 'em again!