The Pros and Cons of Backless Loafers

Jail House Rock

Wearing

Shirt - Zara | Jeans - BDG from Urban Outfitters | Shoes - Steve Madden

Whenever I wear this outfit, I feel like I should be in a 1950s style music video that takes place in a jail.  I think it's the bold black and white stripes on the top that make it feel like vintage prison jumpsuits.  However, I just really feel like I need some back-up dancers.  The first time I wore this outfit was a few weeks ago when I went to see Finding Dory with my friends (side note: if you haven't seen Finding Dory yet, it's a must see.  I've already seen it twice.).  They offered to be my backup dancers so hopefully in the next month or so we'll drop our first music video.

To keep the 'vintage jail aesthetic', I kept the styling very simple.  Plain black jeans, black oxfords, and no jewelry had just the minimal look I wanted.  Perhaps red lipstick would have been better for the 1950s music video part, but I can't stop wearing nude lipstick at the moment.

In other news, my photographer/mom is already getting better with the manual focus lens.  I'll be going to Portland sometime next month, so hopefully by then we'll both be a pro at it.

Elizabeth xx

Wednesday on Saturday

Wearing:

Dress - Zara, Shoes - Steve Madden

Today I was channeling my inner Wednesday Adams.  To me, she's really not that far off from a style inspiration; her combination of collared dresses and a black and white color palette are perfect for me (not to mention her bad-ass attitude).  The only trouble I had in completing my look was the braids.  Fun fact: I don't know how to braid.  I know, I know... I'm sure you're thinking how can I be interested in fashion and not know how to braid?  Honestly?  I'm not sure either; the whole concept of braiding has always been incredibly confusing for me.  If I had a dollar for every time someone told me, "I can teach anyone how to braid," I would be incredibly wealthy.  Anyway, I had my mom do the braids for me; maybe someday I'll figure it out, but today is not the day. 

Elizabeth xx

Lace Love

Wearing:

Blouse - LC Lauren Conrad (old), Culottes - Boohoo, Oxfords - Steve Madden, Sunglasses - Target

Makeup:

Eyeshadow - Maybelline 24 Hour Color Tatoo in Bronze, Mascara - Estee Lauder Double Wear, Lipstick - NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Rose Pink

Look!  I actually pulled my hair back for once!  For the longest time, my hair was too short to pull back (and before that, I just hated pulling it back), but after seeing some people with similar haircuts to mine and seeing them with their hair back, it inspired me to finally bring back the hair tie.  I used to not like pulling my hair back, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the style.  

For this look, I was inspired by the Victorian trend that hit the fall runways.  Lace always gives off an antique/vintage look because it was so predominant in the Victorian and Edwardian eras (eras which I adore).  To give the blouse a more modern edge, I paired it with my culottes from Boohoo and these black oxfords.  In regards to makeup, I wanted to keep it more subdued so I kept the lip rather nude but added a bit bronze eyeshadow and mascara.

Getting into the routine of college has been surprisingly stressful.  I thought since my university is in my hometown and the fact that I'm not living in the residence halls, it wouldn't be too difficult of a transition.  It's really not too bad, but being in the middle of mid-terms, it feels 10x more stressful.

Elizabeth xx

Pastels and Polka Dots

Wearing:

Coat - H&M, Blouse - H&M, Shorts - American Apparel, Shoes - Steve Madden, Purse - Zara

Lipstick - NARS Satin Lip Pencil Rose Pink

So I haven't posted in a few weeks; that's for a couple of reasons.  Firstly, I graduated earlier this month.  I had a ton of family over, and for about a week I was just crazy busy.  Second, remember when I was complaining about computer issues a few of weeks ago? No?  Well, I thought my issues were all fixed until last week when it started acting up again.  Turns out I needed a part replaced, so I just got my computer back with a new chip.  It really just an annoying hassle because I just got this computer in October, so I just feel that I shouldn't need to be replacing parts already.  Finally, I had a three day orientation at my local university.  Unfortunately I got waitlisted at FIT, so until I hear from them, I'm moving forward with starting at the local school.  Now I'm back home and everything is fixed up, so I'm more than ready for a summer of blogging.

I've always loved H&M.  I don't live anywhere near an H&M (in fact the closest one is about three states away), and people are always shocked when I tell them there's not an H&M in my entire state.  So whenever I travel, I make sure it's the first place I stop.  I'm always in love with what I buy there too (I still have the first sweatshirt I bought from there when I was 11); for example, this jacket has become a staple in my life.  I wear it with almost everything; it's heavy enough for fall and light enough for the spring.  However I think my favorite thing about it is the color.  After putting together this almost entirely black out, the pink was the perfect pop.  Finally, I added the white purse from Zara which perfectly brought out the white polka dots.

I'm excited for what this summer has to bring; honestly, I don't have anything planned right now, but I guess that's what will make this summer exciting: the unknown.

Elizabeth xx

Here Comes the Sun

Wearing:

Dress - Kensie, Jacket - Mudd, Shoes - Steve Madden

Makeup:

Eyeshadow/Eyeliner - Sephora, Mascara - Bourjois

A bit of a change in location; do you like it?

Well the school year is almost over, meaning graduation is near.  My mom and I realized that we hadn't sent out my grad announcements yet.  My mom wanted to use one photo, while I wanted to use another.  Our compromise?  Take new photos.  We decided to go to a local park because at the time it was much more green there than my neighborhood.

For this shoot, knowing that the photos would be sent to family, I decided to go for something a bit more classic.  I've been waiting for an occasion to wear this dress, and I think this shoot was perfect for it.  It was a bit breezy that day, so I added black tights.  To keep the look classic, I decided on these black oxfords and neutral eye makeup.  However, right before I left for the park, I threw on my leather jacket because I think it's more me.

Because the photos turned out so well, my mom and I had no trouble choosing a photo, and my grad announcements turned out wonderful.  :)

Elizabeth xx

Shadows

Wearing:

Jumper - Primark, Skirt - & Other Stories, Shoes - Steve Madden, Socks - Target, Purse - Zara

Eyeliner - Tokidoki Perfetto Eyeliner

Lots of shadows and a breeze make it rather difficult to take successful photos.  A lot of my photos ended up with way too many shadows on my face, which I personally didn't care for.
My outfit inspiration was a mix of 1940s retro and school girl.  The skirt, socks, and shoes came easy to me for styling, plus they're currently some of my favorite pieces, but it was a bit tough for me to decide on a top.  I kept going back and forth between this jumper and a button up.  When I did decide on the jumper, I tried tucking it in before finally deciding that it looks best out.  The white "pearls" on the jumper made me pick the white purse because it brought out the white pearls more.  Finally I added a dramatic cat eye because I felt that above the neck was lacking.

I only have a couple weeks left of school, and then I'll be graduated!  I can't wait to be blogging all the time this summer!

Elizabeth xx

Camel Coat

 Wearing:

Coat - Boohoo, Blouse - Forever 21, Jeans - Kohls, Shoes - Steve Madden, Socks - Primark

Lipstick - M.A.C. Red with Cherry Liner

I apologize for my absense; these past two weeks have consisted of early finals, essay deadlines, preparing for AP exams (which are this week and next week), and a very ill timed prom (I post about it soon!).  However, I have now taken two of my exams and turned everything in that I needed to.
Because of everything going on, I actually shot these photos weeks ago.  I ordered this camel coat from boohoo which I absolutely adore, unfortunately though that was one of the last days where it was actually cold enough for me to wear it.  Now it's actually been pretty warm around here, with the exception of a few rainy days.
Not to overshadow the coat, I decided to wear neutral tones: blacks and whites.  Skinny jeans and a tailored blouse are something that I wear all the time; the shoes, on the other hand, I recently picked up from a thrift store.  They are brand new Steve Maddens, and I picked them up for $6!  They're slightly too small, but for only $6 I don't mind that I can't wear them all of the time.  Finally I added my favorite red lip to pop against all of the neutrals.

(P.S.  As of recent my brand new laptop has stopped working, so it's in the shop.  This means that I will be posting even less than I would like because I'll be sharing my mother's computer.  Hopefully it's nothing major, and it will be back home soon.)

Let's Mix

Wearing:

Jacket - unknown, T-Shirt - Forever 21, Skirt - & Other Stories, Purse - Zara, Boots - Steve Madden

Lipstick - Bite Beauty Matte Lip Crayon in Aubergine

Almost two years ago, when I was in London, I stepped into a magical store called & Other Stories.  I immediately fell in love, but at the time I couldn't afford anything in the store.  After arriving back home, I thought I would order something off their website, but alas, they didn't ship their products to the US.  I kept waiting, and it wasn't until recently when they finally started a US site (I have a post about it here).  I had forgotten that they opened a store in New York, so when I was there last month I was pleasantly surprised to stumble upon one!  Of course I wanted to buy the whole store, but I decided to just start with this amazing skirt.  I've been obsessed with two trends recently: neoprene and the midi skirt length; both of which this skirt has.  It's also amazing quality, so I will definitely be purchasing more from & Other Stories! <3

Styling this skirt, I deciding to do some pattern mixing.  First I picked the striped top, then I went for the leopard print ankle boots.  Because the patterns are so different, and I have the skirt separating them, I think they work incredibly well together.  I added my white leather jacket that I picked up at a small boutique in Paris and this new purse that I bought at Zara on my recent New York trip.  Finally I put on my purple lipstick because it had just been too long since I had last worn it.

Elizabeth xx