super deals

i'm officially on vacation! or shall i say "staycation" since i've got nowhere to go? i've been working almost nine months straight so it feels a little funny to be home with not much to do. whenever i get that feeling, online shopping seems to come to my rescue. i found that even though fall is practically here, there are still some great deals to be had. surprisingly--great deals on quality stuff. if i wasn't trying to save my money (god help me), i would swoop all these up in a second:

60% off!

rachel comey tosh beaded sandals from mick margo. the soles of rachel comey sandals seem so soft and comfortable, and the little beads on the vamp add a special touch to simple black shoes.

70% off!

vpl chartreuse patent sandals from creatures of comfort. i like sandals in funky colors, especially since the majority of my clothes are black, gray, or white. the slight platform also makes it seem like they'd be good for walking.

60% off!

cacharel lurex mini dress from shop adele. i can't explain what it is exactly that i like about cacharel, but i just do. this dress would be good for going out or new year's.

57% off!

reyes dot print cap sleeve top from shop adele. this top isn't my regular style, but i think that's why i like it. also, i wear a lot of black so even though this is red, it would fit in pretty well with the rest of my clothes.

75% off!

rachel comey silk cape dress from hampden clothing. ok, i cannot figure out why this dress hasn't sold out completely! it's a size too big for me, but i can always sew it smaller, right? right???

it's hard to resist such good deals, but as i mentioned before, i'm trying to save. i probably won't buy any of the above because none of them are things i "need". i do need cardigans, though, so i'll pick up a couple mid-priced ones for the fall. then the plan is to dress up my old clothes with new accessories like chains, belts and socks. yep--socks. the subject of accessories soon to come!

star printed dress pt. 2

90% done with the dress. i hemmed it up, but was careful not to go too short because that would have thrown the proportions off. then i removed the sleeves and had to finish the now raw armholes. i made some facings, then stitched those down to the armhole seams. the darn things still flip out though, so it looks like i'll have to hand sew them to the inside of the dress. sewing takes so much longer than you think.

latest inspiration

from dior homme 2005. my favorite look for both girls and guys. yeah, the show is three years old but i think this style is pretty classic--the blazer, fitted jeans, downtown sneakers. i'm convinced that shoes can make or break an outfit. for example, if the guys in the pics below were wearing square-toed pilgrim shoes, well then, that just wouldn't be a good look.


what i wore to some random fashion show thing last night.

now that i look at it, maybe i should get a bow tie.

blazer - thrift store
plaid shirt - thrift store
gold scaley belt - roommate's
pants - h&m
hi-tops - vans

hoping for fall

it's been rainy for the past week so it's time to put away the rompers and sundresses. i've been looking through the fall catalogs and am getting really excited about the shopping options, especially shoes. i decided that you can never have too many boots...i usually wear black, but these colored booties would be a much fresher alternative.


i love the chunky shorty heels, and the good-looking leather. i want them both!

both frye from urban outfitters

preview pictures are up

check it out here.

swag belts

when fashion show pictures get uploaded to style.com, i admit that i just glance through them really quickly, and i only check out the designers i'm interested in. then i never actually look at them again. i've realized that this can be a bad thing. case in point: a little while ago, i volunteered to help a friend find inspiration pics for work outfits. i hadn't looked at any of the spring/summer pics in about 6 months. this time i browsed through every single designer's set, and studied the looks for anything that could be translated for the office. the revelation? there's tons of awesome little details i missed the first time around. in particular, how come i didn't notice before that i'd wear every single outfit from the vena cava show? or that i needed one of their blinging swag belts in my life?



since i mostly wear super plain clothes, a belt like the ones show above would add a lot of pizazz to my uniform of jeans and t-shirt. but now that summer is practically over, there's no way i could find the belts for sale now, if they even were retailed at all.

where, oh where could i get myself a swag belt? i tried e-bay and etsy but didn't find much. but then, by sheer chance, i came across the "body jewelry" of bliss lau. the first thing that popped into my mind when i saw her work was, (and excuse the regression to my teenaged self) "these are so effing cool!"




they aren't cheap but they can be worn in a myriad of ways: belt, necklace, vest, etc. further googling yields this as a to-buy item:

thankfully, it is 70% off. even with the low price, though, i'm on the fence about purchasing it, seeing as i just acquired enough basics for five people. but if i add up the total of the basics i bought, the dollar amount tidily matches the price of the belt. maybe this week i'll return all those t-shirts i ordered. yes, i can definitely live without those.

star printed dress

i hit up one of my favorite thrift stores today and was all smiles when i saw this dress:



it's exactly my size, which almost never happens, so i think i'm gonna have to keep it. once the sleeves come off and the hem gets shortened, i think it will look like a modern little number from sonia rykiel or jill stuart.