simplify

As my finances are not looking likely to multiply in the near future, I have been reevaluating my ability to look stylish. It is somewhat despairing to fall in love with $600 shoes but then wake up every morning to a choice of shoes that cost between $2.99 (beach flip flops) and $90. Also, lately I have resented almost everything in my closet, so it is time to simplify. It really hit me hard when I was recently watching an episode of my favorite, "What Not to Wear". Clinton held up a huge stack of crap clothes from one girl's personal closet and said, "for this pile of crappy, cheap clothes, you could have one great cashmere sweater." He picked up another stack- "This could be a great-fitting, tailored pair of pants", and so on. It really made me think. I have a closet full of Forever 21, Target, and some items thrown in just because they were on sale. Some of this is because I needed something specific to wear yet couldn't afford to spend more than $30. But now I realize, this is no way to live! I am going to work harder to not spend money unless I have enough to buy something high quality and useful.

Especially since I plan on going back to grad school, I think I need to make my wardrobe very basic and interchangeable. No one will notice that you don't have a different shirt on every single day, as long as you always look great and comfortable with yourself. Back in high school I got stuck in the "more more more" mentality, and for some reason I got hooked on the habit of not repeating an outfit for at least 3 weeks. The problem with that is, your favorite clothes don't get worn as often, and you end up wearing less-than-cute outfits just because you don't want to repeat. Well, now I want to totally reverse that ideal and make sure I look good everyday, rather than just looking different everyday.

One celebrity known for always sticking to the classics (and always looking amazing) is Angelina Jolie.


If dressing simple is good enough for Angelina, it is definitely enough for me!

Angelina pictures taken from Teddy & Moo's

a trend too far

Dance inspired shoe trends have been popular lately. When ballet shoes first came out en masse, I wasn't a big fan. Flat, squat-toed shoes are not the most flattering on my athletic-built calves. I did find one pair that I wear often, but I prefer to stick to pointier shoes if they're flat. I was even more wary of jazz shoes when they arrived. I always hated how they looked, even when I was 12 years old in my jazz dance class. They have grown on me, and they no longer come just from Capezio in nude or black. These metallic shoes from Urban Outfitters actually go very nicely with simple, basic-colored outfits.



An even newer shoe I've seen recently is not strictly dance-inspired, but they are just a step too far for me. they are menswear-inspired, but for the sake of this post I'll also say that they are also inspired by tap shoes!
Ok, what kind of normal girl could pull these off? You'd have to be nearing 6 feet tall & somewhat androgynous to pull off these extreme menswear wingtips. I am just waiting to see if these new shoes will gain as much popularity as the ballet flat or even the jazz shoe.


crazy wingtips also from Urban Outfitters..available in lace up or slip on!

Saw Shrek last night...

...and all I kept thinking about was how his vest looks exactly like the one I saw by Patrick Robinson for Target. The vest didn't work on polyvore.com, so this is as close as I could get. It wouldn't be hard to dress like Shrek!

beach time!

Tomorrow is going to be my first beach day of the summer, and I can't wait. I live about an hour's drive to the beach, so I can't go every afternoon, but it is easy enough to spend free days there. Here are some items that every girl should have in her beach bag.

1)say it with me now...sunscreen. My favorite (and I was a lifeguard for years, so I have experienced a LOT of sunscreens) is good ol Coppertone. I use their new continuous spray waterproof lotion on my body and their Faces on my, well, face! I have found them both to be good and most importantly, the Faces has never made me break out. I also like to add a thin layer of cheap Australian Gold gel with bronzer over my sunscreen. It gives your skin a nice glow while you're on the sand.
I have to admit that I love a tan. And not a PC tan, but a real sun tan. I have tried all kinds of self-tanners but none give me that nice golden look that the sun can. And I have never found an adequate sunless tanner for my face. I always wear sunscreen, but until I can afford the $25 per Mystic Tan, I will have to get my summer look with the help of the sun.

2)2 towels! Take one big towel to lay on, and another to dry off with. It is nice to keep one un-sandy!

Missoni anyone?


Okay, Lands' End is cute too

3)Thin-frame sunglasses. Thick frames leave yucky tan lines, but you don't want to leave your eyes unprotected. Aviators are perfect for the job.



urban outfitters, marc by marc, & marc jacobs (both at bluebee.com)

3)After your fun, your post-beach smoothie, and showering to get the sand out of your hair, you need to replenish your skin after all that salt and sun. (and unfortunately, you might have to soothe a sunburn too). The very best thing I've ever found for post-sun skin is Sun Butter from Basin. It is so creamy and smells good, but most importantly, it makes your skin hydrated, smooth, and can prevent peeling if you remember to apply it everyday. I used to work at the store that sells this (so I might be biased!), but so many people came in to buy this and so many people swear by it. I got a pretty bad sunburn last summer, and this stuff took away the redness within a day and really soothes sore skin (it contains aloe).

Hopefully everyone gets a chance to go to the beach this summer. There is nothing more peaceful to me than floating in the salty water and getting some invigorating sunlight. To me, it's almost as good as a day at the spa.

shoe of the day

Chloe triple strap shoe at net-a-porter

I have been semi-obsessed with these shoes since I saw them on Kate Bosworth. Since she has perfect tiny legs, they probably would make most other girls' legs look a little stumpy. Of course, that would not stop me from buying them if I had the chance!


photo from Teddy & Moo's

planning ahead

I have been doing a lot of contemplating my future. What to do, what to do...grad school? law school? corporate world? Well I needed to take a break and look at my future with a FASHION angle! Unfortunately, my college/walking around campus wardrobe was pretty basic (read: boooring) and would most likely carry over into my post-graduate endeavors.


Between student loans and rent, I don't have much money to truly indulge my love of beautiful clothing.
So if I choose the law school route, I have this kind of fun to look forward to:

I would not practice criminal law, so no need for stuffy courtroom shoes!
And if grad school is the answer, hellooo Capitol Hill!

...or maybe even a PhD:


So basically I have no idea what I want to do with my life...except shop.

a little late, but...

The past few days have consisted of job searching, polyvore.com, and ogling the pictures from the Met Poiret Gala. I know that they are posted everywhere but I just have to put my favorite looks and favorite people here.

Kate Bosworth is one of my all-time favorite Hollywood people. She looks beautiful in Prada and definitely evokes the era of Poiret.

What a gorgeous, classy couple. Emily Blunt looking elegant in Calvin Klein.


Mischa Barton is mature and refreshing in Giambattista Valli. She has great taste when she's not rocking the diaper-jeans!

Johnny isn't looking so cute wearing Britney's hand-me-down boots, but Kirsten is wearing another great '20's look from YSL. I know this showed up on some worst-dressed lists, but she pulls is off and you know you'd love to wear something this outrageous if you had a chance.

photos of Kate & Emily from fashion.elle.com/blog, Mischa & Kirsten from fashion.verbatim