Pastel Aliens

This is pretty much what I’m feeling right now.

Tee- Wildfox Couture //Bracelet- Dannijo //Shorts- Matthew Williamson //Lipstick- No She Didn’t by Lime Crime //Polish- Fairy Lights by Butter London //Boots- Miista //Scarf- ASOS

Purity Ring- Obedear

On having staple pieces that are not staples…

There’s always that post about “X Amount of Staple Pieces YOU Need in Your Closet.” Isn’t fashion and personal style about being an individual? We don’t all need “One great pair of jeans!” I don’t like jeans, and I don’t need one great pair in my closet taking up space and gathering dust. I define staple pieces as pieces that you own and go with everything else in your closet. These are items that, say you have five, you could grab any outfit you own and at least two of them would work with that outfit. They allow you to play around with your style and try out trends without losing yourself and your individuality.

Now, please forgive my terrible quality bathroom mirror photos, they are the best examples I have of my own staples.

Plaid!

I love plaid, and for me plaid goes very far. Whether its like above, sheer plaid paired with leggings and some boots for comfy and cool, or tucked into a dressy skirt and paired with heels for a night out. I also love plaid shirts as something to just throw on unbuttoned when I feel like I’m just missing something. Vintage men’s plaid has a special place in my heart.

Jackets and Cardigans!

 

I may or may not be an old man. In addition to plaid, I love cardigans. As seen in my example, I’m wearing a girly floral dress. My trusty black cardi keeps it closer to my personal style, but also works with the 90s feel of a ditsy floral dress. Of course there is my striped jacket that is perfect for pairing with good accessories to help dress up a basic outfit base.

T-Shirts and Dressy Dresses!

I don’t mean to brag, but I have a pretty great collection of tees and I love to pair them with everything. T-shirts are probably the most essential staple in my wardrobe because I do so much with them. And lastly, a piece that is not necessarily meant to be paired with anything else, but is something I think I need in my closet: a dressy dress. It stands alone, but isn’t something I wear too often. I think it’s important to have a couple of really killer options, so when I do get very dressed up, I don’t have to try too hard.

All of the pieces follow along with my personal style, but allow me to step out of my zone every once in a while, but still feel comfortable with what I’m wearing. If you’re more of a girly girl and go all out in leather and studs, you just won’t feel like yourself. But something covered in studs that comes in a girly color? Go for that shit.

Fashionably Lost It

Let me just go ahead and warn you that this may come across as some hipster, anti-corporation, stuck up white girl rant. Seriously, if you replace the words “fashion” and “clothes” with “groceries” and “local” I might as well just quit showering, invest in some thrift store overalls, and adopt a pit bull named Garfunkel. Let me also mention that I’m not talking about runway fashion, the beautiful breathtaking art that designers are still sending out at Fashion Weeks across the world have not let me down. 

 

Omg black lipstick? NO WAY.

So it’s been a while, whatever, who cares. Over that. What I’m also over, is what happened to fashion you guys? I’m young, but in the number of years that I’ve been conscious as to what exactly “fashion” is and how that whole world works, things have changed. I remember when I was an adolescent, social outcast who went to a small southern high school filled with kids in cargo shorts and Birkenstocks. I’d spend my afternoons hidden in my room looking over old Vivienne Westwood runway photos while simultaneously watching the Hills and looking at what girls in cool Brooklyn-based bands were wearing. “Oh shit, LC wore bike shorts under her floral top? How Blossom meets Claire of her.”

A thing like bike shorts instead of real shorts or leggings, would be a short-lived trend that would come and go before you could figure out what to wear with the pair you paid $48 for at Urban Outfitters.(But wasn’t that like 2009 or something?) There were little things like that, small trends that would pick up quickly after some socialite or semi-famous cool girl tried it out one day and posted it to ChicTopia, then they would be dead by the next season. Urban Outfitters and their strained attempt at trying to be on the cusp of what is SUPER COOL ATM was the most mainstream it got when it came to those trends.

This is exactly what I expected to happen when galaxy print leggings made an appearance. I thought “Ok, do I want to spend too much money on a pair of leggings that I think are hella cool when everybody is just going to look at me weird in three months?”  But that didn’t happen. I didn’t buy them, I decided I’d rather pay rent on time that month than be hip. Quite some time later I was wandering through Target with my arms full of things I didn’t need when something caught my eye. Was it? No. Couldn’t be. This isn’t Wasteland, or Nasty Gal. But there they were, galaxy leggings for a mere $14. Now I know Target has cool clothes, I own way too many of them, they also have their designer collaborations and bring fast fashion to the masses, but this? It had spread far and wide, and was showing no signs of giving up life anytime soon. Just like an actual galaxy I suppose.

Then it transformed into Hi-Low skirts and dresses at Buy-Everything-for-Super-Effing-Cheap mega conglomerate corporate soul sucking chain Wal-Mart. The mullet trend, still seen on the likes of the Man Repeller and applied to nearly every type of clothing one can imagine at the aforementioned Urban Outfitters, was at Wally World right next to white denim capris with little palm trees embroidered on them.

Where did the creativity and originality go? Where did “oh my god you don’t understand I NEED riding pants RIGHT NOW because they’ll be over soon,” go? To me it feels like a waste to spend too much money on some studded loafers just to see them for 1/8 of the price at some mall store a week later. Is it that there is no “cool girl” anymore or that we are all now cool girls despite our budget or social standing?

Ugh….Fall

Thank you for finally beginning your long-awaited arrival Fall. It’s about time. I get all awkward during warmer months and nearly every summer I make some attempt at wearing lighter colors and saying to myself, “You can totally do this whole girly summer style thing!” Then I just end up feeling fake and frustrated because of the heat. But it’s cooling down! The thing I’m looking forward to this fall is anything but black (though black and I have agreed to remain good friends).

 

 Tee: Wildfox Couture, Slouchy jacket: Dorothy Perkins, Skirt: TopShop, Boots: H&M, Bag: Zara

All of these pieces and colors would pair amazingly well with an all-black ensemble. I love slouchy pieces paired with simple, leather accessories, just Mary Kate it up then surprise them with sleek leather booties. It’s kind of witchy…

 

 

Outfit of the Day(s)

I keep saying I need to put more of myself on my blog, but I’m kind of lazy. I have been posting outfits on Instagram, so while they aren’t fabulous and professional photos, they’re better than nothing!

To me, this outfit is the best representation of my style. While I like everything, I think if I had to describe my style, it would be vintage-inspired with lots of black and too much lipstick. This is seriously a leopard print robe, and when paired with heels and worn over shorts that are too short for my snow white stems I feel like some kind of Vegas prostitute. Which is totally fine by me…

Then I completely stepped out of my comfort zone. There was a little jolt of panic when a coworker mentioned I wasn’t wearing a stitch of black that day. I just couldn’t resist this blue Hawaiian print dress. The orange flatforms were an impulse buy and I’d sat in my room staring at them for days wondering “What the hell do I do with you?” I also love the cold shoulder on this dress, I’m self conscious about my arms, and having that little bit peeking out makes me feel confident and not so covered up on 90+ degree days.

I’m wearing this white shirt now and I never want to stop wearing it. It’s a giant triangle shaped piece of cloth with a hole cut in the middle. I love the way it hangs and can’t wait to pair it with a cropped jacket and leggings once Summer is over. (Oh gosh, has Summer even officially started yet?) I love pairing simple black and white with pops of bright color. My teal moccasins are so damn comfortable and I am in love with this neon pink lip color. The photo does not do the color justice, it hurts my eyes when I’m putting it on.

Another venture from my usual. I got this eggshell button up at Buffalo Exchange forever ago and having a simple button up like that is a necessity. I’ve worn it to court, as a swimsuit cover up, and now tied at the front like a valley girl. I tried the pink lace dress on, not thinking it would ever zip in the back and just to see. It zipped. I cried. I bought it. I got the shoes on sale at Urban Outfitters and they broke the same day, boo Urban. Boo.

White Collar. Blue Collar. Silver Collar. Lace Collar.

I love a good collar. Whether it be on a well-worn button up shirt, a cute little dog, or your friend that has that not-so-secret fetish. Not to sound too fashiony, but collars have been everywhere lately. They’ve technically been everywhere for a long time, but for right now “everywhere” means all of the shops and blogs I stalk.

For me personally, it gets too damn hot here to put on a fitted shirt and button it all the way up. When you pop on a standalone collar, you can toss it over a dress, over a cool tee, or over another collar if you’re some kind of crazy risk taker.

Gold Sequin: ASOS – White Beaded: Topshop – Floral: Marni

Lace: Romwe – Fringe: DANNIJO – Faux Leather: Karl

Don’t want to spend too much cash? Get yourself to the nearest thrift store, grab a men’s shirt, and chop that collar off. Then stud it, dye it, paint it, bead it, fringe it. (Probably not all of those at once or it’ll be some kind of chic vomit.)

You can even fake that coated denim look by choosing a denim collar and using a sponge brush to paint it. Paint it the color of the denim, or dye the denim first to the color you’d like. Once it dries you’ll have that shiny leather look.

 

I’m Crushing on Carrie

Carrie Brownstein is one half of Portlandia, one fourth of Wild Flag, and completely awesome. Brownstein’s wardrobe tends to consist of feminine tops, fitted denim and simple-but-chic footwear. Her signature red lips lend to her girly side, and her comedic performance on Portlandia makes her cute. But it’s when she steps on stage to perform that you realize, despite the sweet blouses and adorable smile, this woman is a total badass. She began her career in music (with Sleater Kinney) and it’s clearly her strong suit. She performed with Wild Flag at this years Coachella, and it’s seriously the only festival news I’ll be reporting.

Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

There are so many great performance shots, but I think this one captures her outfit and this outfit best represents her style. It’s so simple, but she pulls it off so well. The question is, what will she wear the second weekend? Enough of my freaky love letter, here’s an outfit and a bit of an inspired remix.

Blouse: Jil Sander

Jeans: J Brand

Boots: TopShop

—–

Blouse: ModCloth

Shorts: Miss Selfridge

Boots: Acne

Street Style Brunch

NOLA Fashion Council and Revival Outpost hosted a street style brunch on Sunday. I didn’t get to attend the brunch during Fashion Week, so I’m glad I was able to stop by this one for a bit. It was at the super fantastic Ste. Marie in the CBD. On to some photos, I’m seriously hoping you’ve got a good browser and internet connection. Maybe steal your neighbor’s.

Here’s a shot of the fabulous little crowd that had gathered before I had to leave.

I didn’t even have to try to make him look worthy of a street style shot.

Yes. I wore a chopped up denim vest and neon pants to brunch. I was so happy the Ste. Marie has a very modern interior.

We’ve got the ladies of the Revival Outpost/Blue Dream, including R.O. owner Christina. Third to the right is Ragdoll owner, Rachel.

Of course the ladies of the Elizabeth Chronicles looked fabulous as always. You can’t quite tell, but Rachel has colorful printed shorts under her sheer white top. It’s a great way to start incorporating brights into your wardrobe.

We got to chat with Charles and Victoria, who are an adorable couple with great style.

To the right, we have Jasmine of Sequin Crush. I love her mustard crop top and colorful headband.

And of course, a food pic! I had the Andouille Benedict with crawfish. Nothing will ever taste good again. Ever. Seriously.

black on black on black

I love black. I love sheer. I love flowy. I also think an all black, sheer and flowy ensemble needs a little plastic. Not just plastic so you can pay for said ensemble, but plastic to add texture. Too much sheer and flowy and you’ll look like smoke, or a shadow, or possibly a Ringwraith/Dementor. Fear not, patent isn’t only reserved for the 60’s and early 2000’s. Everything comes back, and if you know what you’re doing you can definitely tote a giant patent messenger bag. Or maybe patent creepers? Or a shiny vinyl watch?

Top: Alexander Wang

Dress: TopShop

Watch: NIXON

Shorts: ModCloth

Ring: H&M

Bag: 3.1 Phillip Lim

Creepers: ASOS

Catch Up

I tend to fall of the face of the Earth and let weeks pass by without me even realizing it. But I’m sure anyone who reads this regularly has noticed that by now. So it’s cool. Right? Anywho, here’s what has been going on:

• I attended New Orleans Fashion Week for Slow Southern Style and took oodles of photos. Check them out, along with my recap HERE!

Loretta Jane (photo by me)

 

• I interviewed Kaelah of Little Chief Honeybee for the Southern Fashion Bloggers.

photo courtesy of Little Chief Honeybee

And that’s about it. Not much. Oh well.