Hella Leopard Print

Babushka Snow Leopard Hat: $20 (50-on sale in stores), Free People
Bag: $175 (400), kate spade, Nordstrom
Coat: $50 (150), Gap

Top: $10 (58- on sale in stores), Free People
Skirt: $35 (88), Anthropologie

New Socks!

Socks: $9 (15), Free People

For Joseph

Me: Let's go see Kings of Leon!
Joe: Oh yeah, you really like them huh. I keep checking your blog and the first thing that comes up is that guy's face and he's all...uggghhhhhh.




Tissue Tank: Gift, Nordstrom, Free People
Piped Vest: $10, Buffalo Exchange, Moth (Anthropologie)
Gold Foil Pencil Skirt: $45 (150), Nordstrom Rack, Trina Turk
Suede Pumps: $15 (80), Nordstrom Rack, Guess

good times to roll on

White Wash

Top: $47 (150), Ella Moss, Nordstrom Rack
Trousers: $105 (350), Elizabeth & James, Nordstrom Rack
Belt: $28, J. Crew
Janae Pump: $55 (100), Linea Paolo, Nordstrom
Nautical Charm Bracelet: Thrifted

Memoirs of a Geisha

As I was getting ready to go out to dinner this past Saturday, I had to take some serious fire:

"It looks like you're wearing a robe."

"What are you doing? Putting a belt around your stomach?"

"You look like someone I'd get a massage from."

"Did you mean to dress like a geisha?"

This from a guy who wears a Ninja Turtles Beanie. Some boys just don't understand.



Ok, the cardigan does slightly resemble a robe...a robe I'm going to have lots of fun playing with this summer. I'm envisioning it draped over a tank and cut-offs; it's going to be my completion piece!

PS- these are my staple leggings. They make your butt look fantastic and they always retain their shape. They also make you look like a superhero.

"Jasmine" Cardigan: $32 (239), WinterKate, Buffalo Exchange
Nylon Tricot Leggings: $34, American Apparel
Vest: F21
Shoes: Dolce & Gabbana, Greatest. Gift. Ever.

Play on Texture

Leopard print, sequined skirt. Are you KIDDING me.

Clearance rack, I heart you.

I like playing with different textures because it's unexpected but still very sophisticated. Silk, wool, sequins and calf hair...sometimes I feel like a mad scientist.

Bonus: mixing different fabrics is an easy way to keep your wardrobe fresh.

I'm wearing VERY comfortable (because of the hidden platform) leopard print heels because I like how they clash with the skirt, but they do make my legs look a bit choppy; to continue the elongated look of the pencil skirt, opt for nude pumps.





"Pas De Deux" Cardigan: $10 (98?), Knitted & Knotted, Anthropologie
"Purr-fect" Mini Skirt: $45 (275), Nanette Lepore, Nordstrom Rack
"Carly" Sandal: $170 (475), Donald J. Pliner, Nordstrom Rack

Throwback Thursday

When PJs Go Public

Jacket: $22, Forever 21
Dolman Top: $32, American Apparel
PJ Bottoms: $12, Forever 21
Wedges: $30 (120) Urban Outfitters

Fashion Meets Braveheart Meets Mt. Olympus

I love the costume changes in this and crazy wigs. I could live without the creepy little kids though.

Hammer Time

Harem pants, sometimes called Hammer (which came first, the harem or MC Hammer?) pants are easy to dress up and are essentially a chic lounge (re:sweat) pant.

Super comfy, this pair was given to me for promotional purposes- would I have bought them otherwise? No. Well, not from Nordy's; I would have waited for them to go to The Rack. Duh. 100 bones is too much to pay for a trend.

They're surprisingly versatile as well; I wore them through summer with sandals and heels, but they also look good with ankle boots.

I like pairing them with boxy tees to exaggerate the baggy look.

Unfortunately, they're not especially flattering; if you wear them low around your hips, your legs look short and you look like you have a saggy crotch; if you wear them higher up, cinched in around your waist, you get "diaper butt."

My way of dealing with this is to point out my diaper butt to anyone I talk to before they can get a word in.

Probably not the best strategy.



T-shirt: $55 (185), Nordstrom, James Perse
Pants: $110, Nordstrom, Patterson J. Kincaid
Headband: $10 (30), Free People
Heels: ($80 (150), Nordstrom Rack, Sam Edelman

"Fresh new kicks and pants, you got it like that now you know you wanna dance." My sentiments exactly, Mr. Hammer:

Black Tie Affair

When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.

When you go to an awards show, you don't dress like a scrub.

Obv.

A while back my friend Shaun invited me to The Stranger Genius Awards at The Moore Theater.

I was ecstatic. I was envisioning red carpet, champagne, tuxedos and maybe even some sugar plum fairies.

While there were exceptions, what I got for the most part was flannel, Birkenstocks, and just plain old regular fairies.

Shame on you, Seattle. Would it kill you look like you give a shit every now and then?

This is what we wore:





Shaun always looks dapper and seems to shop exclusively at Lucky Vintage, Red Light and Goodwill. Of course, Lucky and Red Light are just glorified Goodwills with the sorting done for you, which you end up paying for.

The metallic feathering on my dress (also from Lucky Vintage) is actually meant to go above the shoulder, as it's just above the arm hole (hidden here by the feathers).

Velvet Dress: $35, Lucky Vintage
Feather Detail Pumps: $99 ($900!), Nina Ricci, Nordstrom Rack

For Princess Fluffy

This Aiko top looks great with skinny jeans and flats, but I've also dressed it up with my silk Hinge pants and wedges. Looks super chic layered with a faux fur vest as well.





Top: Aiko, $60 (160) Nordstrom
Belt: Thrifted
Tapered Jeans: Lux, $19 (98) Urban Outfitters

Throwback Friday

Versus (The White Panda Mixtape) by whitepandamusic

Indian Summer

I wore this dress a ton this summer- the heavy vest is a great way to transition it into fall.




Denisa Silk Chiffon Dress: $65 (300), Joie, Nordstrom Rack

Also. I rediscovered this little gem and have been rocking out all morning:

Boots & Boys

A few weeks ago I hit up The Rack with my sister after cross-country practice, running clothes and all. My mission was to help her and not get anything for myself, which I was doing really well at 'till I found this pair of thigh high boots. They looked pretty ridiculous with my Nike dri-fit shorts and muddy t-shirt, but I figured I could work with them.

When I got home, I googled "how to wear thigh-high boots." Julia Roberts pretty much set the standard for them in 1991, and I wanted to be sure I didn't go down that path. This is what I found:



Thanks, Google. That is a great idea; I will walk around in my undies and my thigh-highs. People will definitely not think I'm a hooker.

Left to my own devices once again, this is what I came up with (for myself, obviously. Maybe you could rock sequined undies and a blazer to work): don't do slutty with thigh-high boots. Don't do skirts because the proportions will make you look too choppy.

This is what I did like:












Ultra lady-like (silk embellished top) and rugged masculine ("Attila the Hun" vest)both make big enough statements to not be outdone (dominated) by my dominatrix boots.

Take that, Google images!

Silk top: $23, Forever 21
Splatter T: $55 (185), James Perse, Nordstrom
Vest: Forever 21
Leggings: $32, American Apparel (fit for super heros everywhere)
Boots: $60 (130), Report, The Rack

ready, set, romper!

This sequin jacket is great because of its coloring, and the matte allows for enough subtle detail without totally going against the floral.

I always love contrasting girlier motifs with gladiators. These sandals are awesome because there's stud detailing going up the backs of them too; I don't know why designers so often disregard the backs of things.




Jacket: $45 (150), Gibson, Nordstrom Rack
Romper: $19 (48), Urban Outfitters
Monoi Sandals: $65, (198), Ash, Nordstrom Rack

what's black & white and red all over?

These silk pants are a great alternative for anyone who has thought about harem pants but doesn't want to actually commit to them. Totally chic, and they don't give you that dreaded diaper-butt associated with harem pants. Success!

The top is actually a full length blouse and looks cute as is, but I tucked the bottom into my strapless bra because I'm like, so edgy.

These strappy sandals are beautiful and worked well for what I got them for (to match a midnight blue bridesmaid dress) but generally I would advise staying away from anything beaded; it's just too delicate. The beads were falling off of these after one night out in Chicago; I would expect way more from designer shoes.

Obviously a black clutch would work well with this but would be understated; I wanted something that really added some pop, hence the overly tacky Vegas purse.

Silk top: $28, Forever 21
Pants: $68, Hinge, Nordstrom (these are now at The Rack)
Heels: $100 (215), Badgley Mishka, Nordstrom Rack
Purse: $1, Goodwill

the russian

Unfortunately when you start a new job and move to a new place, there isn't a ton of time to do much else besides eat grilled cheese sandwiches on the go.

Or at least that's what I've found personally; maybe others are better at multitasking.

(Okay- the other part of that excuse is that I still don't know my roomates well enough to be like, hi, I know I just met you through craigslist, but please take a billion photos of me so I can hopefully get ONE with my eyes open.)

However. What I have found is that I can purchase briefs for boys, and they will email me photos of themselves in said briefs on mountain tops:



Briefs: $28, Calvin Klein, Nordstrom

outfit no. 17

Top: $38 (98) Free People, Nordstrom Rack
Trousers: $58 (108), Bebe
Pumps: $48 (98), BCBG, Nordstrom Rack

These tweed trousers are still on sale at Bebe- they have leather trim around the waist which I think is really tacky, but I just wear shirts that go past it.