2011 favorites

      

My year in outfits- these are some of my favorites and/or reader favorites. It's kind of interesting to look at all of these as a whole and to be able to see some trends. I never really know how to describe my style, but looking at these photos I'd say 1) I LOVE socks. 2) Pattern- influenced 3) Neutrals with pops of contrasting color 4) Casual elements with more dressy ones. A part of me would love to wear heels and dresses everyday, but given my environment (suburbs or college campus) it's not very appropriate. So I like to dress down some of my nicer pieces and give them more of an everyday appeal.

Hope you enjoyed the little retrospective! Which one is your favorite? All of the photos link back to their original posts. Thanks so much for sharing this year with me. Cheers to 2012! It's going to be big- graduation, a wedding, a move, a new home.

xo,
A.

twas the night

Writing to you briefly- stuffed from a delightful meal with even more delightful company. Ready to hit the hay for sure. Apple pie night cap? Check. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas Eve.



xo,
A.

Dress: ModCloth
Clutch: J. Crew
Tights: H&M (?)
Shoes: Steve Madden

flying high

  

I've really been in love with ABC's new show, Pan Am, recently. The wardrobe design is absolutely beautiful, it tells a story all its own.  The 60s has always seemed like an exciting time to me. Change was happening so rapidly and forcing tradition to adapt.  I love seeing how luxuriously flying was during this era, now you can't get more than a complimentary bag of pretzels and maybe a pillow if you're lucky. What happened?

 

Here are a few pieces that reminded me of the show:

1. Edie Wide Brim Hat / 2. Nice as Dice Dress, ModCloth / 3. Women's Front Bow Heel, Amazon / 4. Linda Farrow Luxe Retro Style Sunglasses (similar style at UO) / 5. Gingham Tie Front Shirt, Topshop / 6. Mid Red Gathered Front Shift / 7. KoKo Designer Gold Crystal Clutch / 8. No. 2 Pencil Skirt in Leopard, J. Crew

Ok, back to work. The procrastination break was nice, but all good things must come to an end. Sadly

xo,

A.

december baby

Oh hello December,

I didn't recognize you. You've been so unseasonably warm. I think it's just Murphy's Law. Last year when I went home for Thanksgiving break, I didn't bring my winter coat and I froze my butt off. So, this year I brought it home thinking I wouldn't get outsmarted again. So what do you do? You change it up. I have barely used my coat at all so far.

Not that I'm complaining! I hate the cold. I hate how all of your muscles tense up as you brace yourself against the wind. But I do love the smell of cold and the feeling of warming up after you've been outside for a long time. It makes warm blankets that much more rewarding.







10 days away from freedom!! This will be my last post until I get home. 3 finals, 3 papers & 1 group presentation until I'll be free at least! Well, at least temporarily.

Side note: Aren't these swirls so interesting? Whenever I pass them, I try to imagine how they could have gotten there. My best guess is it was some metal wiring and it stayed there so long that dirt built up around it leaving this ghost image. I mean, or aliens...

xo,
A.

PS. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DADDY! The best father in the world who has always supported me in everything that I do.

Tank: J. Crew sale
Button-up: UO
Scarf: Pashmina, gift
Jeans: Gap
Boots: Steve Madden

hipster thanksgiving

Hey all!

Sorry it's been so long since my last post. This getting dark early thing has really been a deterrent. And you know I'm not a morning person. So anyway, I'm writing to you back at school- flew back to Wake early this morning and now we're 10 lbs heavier on the other side of Thanksgiving.

It was a much needed break, got to see a lot of people I love & now it's nose back to the grindstone to bang out these last three weeks. Can you believe that? Oh so this title- we had a potluck dinner here at school before we went home for break. It was fabulous. I am THANKFUL to have friends who can cook so well! Amen, right? Anyway I wore some variation of this outfit to our dinner and my friend said, You look very hipster Thanksgiving. I thought it was perfect.







So many things to be thankful for- like this boy, my family, and of course you all! What are you thankful for this year?

xo,
A.

PS. I think my hair is getting lighter, is that possible? I thought as you got older it was the other way around!

Button-Up: UO
Sweater & Flats: J. Crew
Jeans: Gap
Scarf: Happiknits
         *Use code: Blackfriday for 12% off!
Nail Polish: Essie, Case Study

sweater weather

Fall, you're my favorite! You can find me on campus hopping from crunchy leaf pile to crunchy leaf pile. Or come over to my apartment and you can share a 2 gallon apple cider with me.





There's this SNL skit with Maya Rudolph that's called Bronx Beat, it was a recurring bit and there was one episode where they talked about sweater weather. I tried to find it on YouTube but to no avail! Does anyone know what I'm talking about?

I was diagnosed with depression my junior year of high school & my mom used to make me watch comedy shows with her to keep me from running through the endless stream of negative thoughts in my head. And for some reason, sweater weather was the only thing which could make me laugh!

xo,
A.

Sweater: Buffalo Exchange
Skirt: F21
Tights: Gap
Socks: SmartWool
Boots: Steve Madden
Gold Bracelet: gift

Kenzie & Kelsi

I finally got to meet the lovely Kenzie and her equally lovely sister, Kelsi! We have literally been talking about getting together since my sophomore year at Wake, so that's 2 years ago. We met up in her hometown Charlotte and they took me to a cool, off the beaten track thrift shop, Buffalo Exchange. Then we hopped over to Southpark Mall and looked around- you could spend days in there. But, stomachs were growling so we left for some Chipotle. It had been way too long! That place always hits the spot.





Kelsi's gorgeous waterfall braid! I've been wanting to try this one out, it looks kind of hard though. Anybody have any experience with it?



All in all, a super fun day! So glad to have met you girls :) Hopefully I'll see you both again sometime soon.

xo,
A.

PS. Check out Kenzie's blog for more pictures!

Outfit Details
Dress: Season Cycle Dress, ModCloth
Jacket: F21
Booties: Steve Madden
Purse: J. Crew
Socks: Cut tights

animal instinct

I've had this cardigan forever, but I never wear it so I decided to pull it out and figure out something to wear with it. I really like how it turned out! I'm doing this post in advance so I just realized everything I am about to say will make no sense out of context!





xo,
A.

tank & socks: J. Crew
cardigan: Nordstrom
skirt: AA
booties: Steve Madden

golden hue

Sorry the extended absence! You know how life goes. This is such a strange, strange time. I feel like I'm tetter-tottering on the brink of adulthood, one small push I'd been a goner. For right now, I get to hideout in this magical in between land, college. But come May, I have no place to be in particular, no one telling me what to do. Which is at the same time liberating and terrifying.







xo,
A.

Dress: Family Affairs, Siren Song Dress
Button-Up: J. Crew
Socks: Gap
Boots: Steve Madden Troopa

falling for fall

Hey pretty people!

Sorry for the long absence, school has taken over. I just got a new tripod and it is beautiful and shiny! I bought the Manfrotto 055 Pro. Well actually it was an early birthday present from my dad, thanks Daddy! I'm in love, it is fairly light weight considering its sturdiness and it has a ball rotating head so that it can literally be set at any angle.

My boyfriend Matt just visited and it was absolutely wonderful. I missed him SO much. I don't know how you long distance couples do it. So now I'm coming down from high and finding it hard to find any motivation to do work.. Suggestions? haha ugh. Apathy is not good.

Autumn is by far my favorite season as I've probably, definitely mentioned before. I got a little trigger happy though because it ended up in the 80s today. Weather, are you listening? Please make up your mind. The other day it was completely freezing, I could have worn a wool coat and not have been uncomfortably hot. I guess it's just that time of year.







How are you all?

xo, A.

OUTFIT:
Button-up: J. Crew
Sweater: Madewell
Silk Scarf: Chinatown, San Francisco
Booties: Steve Madden