*girl in a cardigan* Update

Hi guys! The new year is coming, and while I don't really do resolutions, I'm definitely feeling the motivation vibes from all of you out there. So I've updated my etsy store, *girl in a cardigan*, with a couple of new items, and will be adding every couple of days this week until I get everything listed that's lying around my apartment. Stop on by and take a look, tell your friends, maybe even find a treasure for yourself! The vintage barrettes above are only $5! 

What home can be considered complete without a vintage horse accent rug? Not yours, am I right?

And an oldie but a goodie, these vintage red suede pumps have been in the shop since November, and I can't believe they haven't found a home yet! They're in awesome shape, you guys, and are Italian. Size 8.

I'd love it if you all would take a look at my wares. What's your favorite item? Drop me a comment and let me know! I'm contemplating a giveaway when the store is complete, so convince me. Get there by the link in my sidebar, or click here.

Happy New Year soon!

Bazinga!

My sidekick Paige came and spent the night at my place last night. I used to be her babysitter way back in the day, but now she's fourteen and in a band and taller than me and stuff so we're pretty much at equal coolness levels now. She also likes editing pictures so these first few are courtesy of her skills.

We were walking downtown and I pointed out a bridal shop, and she insisted we go in. It was actually pretty cool, and we found some irresistible tiaras. The one I'm wearing is just a very simple design, but I loved it so much I've bookmarked it mentally. I think wearing it with my hair down would be pretty and simple, just my taste. We also stopped at a few local shops including Buffalo Exchange, which never fails to deliver something  awesome. Paige left with this cool Kensie cardigan that's kind of cape-y. 

She's back home now, but it was fun to get to spend such an extended amount of time together. We don't get to do that very often anymore. Now I'm just hanging out at Joe's place. We're listening to Smashing Pumpkins together with his two new headphone sets, and he's on his brand new Macbook Pro, a Christmas present from his family. Jealous. What? Who said that? Not me. I've got my awesome HP whatever that's fat and heavy and runs Vista. What's there to be jealous of?

I made this necklace last week. It's actually red, not orange. Soon to be in the etsy store!

Also I wore rings today.

Value Village cardigan, Gap via Value Village t-shirt, handmade necklace, Celebrity Pink via Buffalo Exchange jeans, various rings

I'll clip the wings time flies on

I wandered down to the parking garage today to try a few photos, and boy was it worth it. It's winter break and I live very near a college, so there aren't very many cars in there right now, leaving me lots of room to play. I did get caught a few times, but luckily not by anyone whose car I was using to balance my camera on!

Do you guys love my tights? Joe got them for me for Christmas. He definitely gets the boyfriend of a style blogger gold star! They look so perfect with my new ankle boots. Which I will not be wearing tomorrow, for the first time since I got them. 

Today's photo experience has also convinced me that the color of my boots should be called "Parking Garage," because despite the fact that they are brown and the pavement is grey, in some shots they blended perfectly. You could hardly tell I was wearing shoes! 

Target cardigan, Old Navy top worn as a skirt, vintage brooch, Delia*s tights, Kenneth Cole Reaction boots

Day 3 of every day.

I realize this outfit is...similar to yesterday's. Similar as in, the same color scheme, same basic type of pieces, same shoes. Still, I think it's cute, and I have been spending the whole day cleaning and doing a crapload of laundry so I wanted pants again. (FYI- in this case, a crapload=about four.)

I did drag myself out of the apartment to do an actual outfit photo shoot, which I haven't done properly in awhile. This is an unfinished staircase leading down to the parking garage in my building. I've been meaning to try out some pictures here, and it was a cool location.

Hm. Well it seems I have run out of things to say. End of blog, I guess. S'later!

Pacsun cardigan, Mossimo via Goodwill t-shirt, Roxy via Goodwill black skinnies, Kenneth Cole Reaction shoes, Macy's necklace, mom's belt

Back in the Swing of Things

I've been getting requests to show off the new ankle boots I was gushing about yesterday, so your wish is my command! Ah, yes, dear readers, I cater to your every whim promptly and with great joy. Plus, come on. They are fab. 

Confession time: my apartment is a disaster. I took photos in my bathroom last night cause it's honestly the best lighting I can get, but also because I would otherwise be standing amongst piles of holiday-related detritus, and the shoes would be hard to see. I did leave the Zip-it package lying on the bathroom floor in the picture for naked verisimilitude. What's a Zip-it, you ask? A genius drain-unclogging invention necessary to counteract the very non-genius design flaw of drain plugs that are not removable and give you an approximately 4 millimeter opening from which it is nearly impossible to extract the hair that will inevitably wash down and clog said drain, no matter how diligent the shower user is about collecting and discarding any hair shed during the showering process. It's basically a long flat plastic stick with a loop on top for holding, and upward-facing thornlike points along each side that snag hair and yank it out. I was super impressed, I only spent a few minutes and my drain was clear and functioning again. I appreciate any product that makes the process faster, because unclogging a drain is super gross and kind of makes me gag.

Here you may note the phenomenon which plagues me, known as the no-butt butt. I have no butt.

I was going to talk about my outfit and how my pin looks like the ones the fellowship get from the elves in one of the Lord of the Rings movies (can't remember which, need to watch again, I guess), and how I have trouble styling this sweater, but I talked a lot about drains and hair and such, and I feel you now may be bored of this post. Sorry for the gross factor today, the next one will be much prettier in topic. Your wish is my command!

Ann Taylor Loft via Goodwill cardigan, Pacsun tank, vintage brooch, Celebrity Pink via Buffalo Exchange jeans, Kenneth Cole Reaction ankle boots

I just like to smile. Smiling's my favorite.

I'd like to say I'm disgusted with how faithfully you all have been updating your blogs despite the busy-ness of  the holidays, but in fact I am just ashamed of myself for being so remiss. To make up for it, here's a picture of my friend Robert putting a sweatshirt on a dog.

Now here are a couple of really bad quality pictures of my Christmas day outfit.

I loved my red Buffalo Exchange dress. It was festive and comfy, and gave me an excuse to wear the Charlotte Russe tights you guys are probably getting sick of. I'll get better shots of the shoes later, because I'm ridiculously excited about them. They are Kenneth Cole Reaction suede ankle boots I saw on a shopping trip with my mom and grandma a few weeks ago. They didn't have my size, but my mom is sneaky and tracked them down online. I have been wanting ankle boots for years, but they never fit me right--the opening is always weird and big and awkward looking on my tiny chicken legs. But these are perfect! And the color is a lovely sort of smokey tan that matches everything. Get ready to see them a lot, cause I'll be wearing them all the time. You may think when I say "all the time," I say mean it in the adorable, hyperbolic sense of the word. But actually, I mean I will be wearing them pretty much every day. Except when it rains, cause I haven't put leather protector on them yet. But I will still wear them around the house and such on those days. Mmmmmm....shoes. 

Oh, sorry. I went somewhere else for a minute there.

I wrapped presents. Now it really feels like Christmas!

I can't tell you guys how happy I am that it's winter solstice today. Let the lengthening of days commence! I'm already dreaming of a time when I can go outside at four and still have hours and hours of daylight left.

This skirt, which is actually a very dark purple color, was a purchase from yesterday's shopping exhibition. It was four bucks, but I had store credit so it ended up being seventy-three cents. It was brand new, tags still attached, and it's suede. I kind of threw this outfit together today because I wanted to try it out, but honestly I'm not quite sure the best way to style it yet. I think it will look a lot nicer in warmer weather when I can do bare legs, but then again deep purple suede has the weight and color perfect for fall and winter. 

I am especially excited today because I sold my first item from my etsy store! The buyer wanted it to come in time for Christmas, and the post office said it should get there Christmas Eve, so I've got my fingers crossed. Wouldn't it be a bummer if my first customer gave me bad feedback? Anyway, it's good to have a sale under my belt, and I will definitely be putting some new items in the shop this week. If you liked the necklace I wore yesterday, you're in luck! I just need to take a few photos for the listing and it will be up for sale.

Buffalo Exchange FTW

Seems like a lot of you have already responded to my post about Black Swan...some differing opinions for sure. I know not everyone will agree with me about its brilliance, but Joe and I are both a bit infamous for liking weird and dark movies. The Coen Brothers, David Fincher, Stanley Kubrick, Michel Gondry (what up, Eternal Sunshine?!), all of the directors we like are a bit on the creepy side. Relatedly, I was a little perplexed to find out that Natalie Portman is following up Black Swan, her best, career-defining, most complex performance to date, with a romantic comedy co-starring Ashton Kutcher. Blech, so disappointing. But I guess when you go that dark into a role, maybe you need something dumb and easy right after.

But that's not really why I'm gracing you with a second post today. No, the real reason is so much better. A couple of my friends came to visit me today, and we had a blast eating pizza and ice cream and wandering the streets lit with Christmas lights (aside from the guy on a bike who followed us for half a block saying "Hey, I bet you ladies have some stories to tell. *rides alongside us for a few seconds, we don't respond* What, no stories?") Aaaand...we went to Buffalo Exchange! I try no to go there too often because I always find amazing stuff that I shouldn't be buying cause I don't have the money to burn, and though they are a secondhand store, they're rather pricier than most. We all tried on weird things, and found some items we couldn't live without.

You guys, I wanted this leotard so bad. I could just see myself sewing Y's all over it and going as Karen O for Halloween. (See this post for context.)

This was one of those dresses where my initial gut reaction was eww, yuck, and then .5 seconds later turned into this is awesome. Tori (seen here clutching a dress she wanted to buy but decided against) and Megan (seen also wearing the same dress in the first photo) were skeptical, but wanted me to buy it after I tried it on. Megan loves to go shopping with me, she says everything I pick up is something she would think is ugly if she saw it, but as soon as I pick it up and say I like it she thinks it's cute too.

We all loved Megan's poodle (kitty?) skirt here, which she tried on because she was shopping for an outfit for the Dance of the Decades at her college, and we thought it would be fun. Really cute, but it didn't make the final cut. And here's me in a Hipster Musings-worthy ensemble that actually went a little too well with my weird braided hairdo.

And, finally, a cute little red dress Megan brought in to try on, and was passed on to me when it was too small for her. This one came home with me. How much, you ask? Ten fifty. And I can wear it on Christmas!

Note: for anyone who came here through Clothed Much, I hope it isn't cheating that I included a fitting-room-only outfit, but I just couldn't resist. I honestly would wear that leotard in public!

Oh hai

I spent the last week doing a whole lot of not much, hanging around watching Bones and ignoring my library book which is due tomorrow...then I was like, didn't I used to have a blog or something?

On Friday Joe and I got to see Black Swan, as it got a wide release and came to the theater a block away from my apartment. I certainly can't give it a blanket recommendation to anybody, since it's a tough, gutteral, creepy, intense, and rather disturbing film. But Joe and I both loved it and want to see it again soon. I didn't really see many movies in the theater this year, as there was a dearth of quality content, so I hope it doesn't diminish the impact when I say it was my favorite film of the year. Of course Inception and The Social Network were both excellent and thought-provoking, with clearly visionary screenwriters and directors. But the fierce performances in Black Swan and its portrayal of ballet, of all things, as sinister while ultimately beautiful, will probably stick with me longer. And my immediate desire to see it a second time speaks to it's effectiveness and depth. I'll warn you, it's been categorized as a psycho-sexual thriller, and while there is more to it than that, it's a fair description of at least the second half of the film. You will cringe, gasp, and probably avert your eyes from time to time. I do have to commend Darren Aronofsky (the director) with managing to inject so much sexuality into Black Swan without a stitch of blatent nudity (though there is plenty implied). So, fair warning if you want to see this movie. 

Anyway, that's about all that's significant lately. I did finish my Christmas shopping, so yay for that. And I made this necklace I'm wearing. Do you like?

Are you Paul McCartney?

I'm pretty sure not one person saw me in the outfit today except Joe. One of those days. I was hoping to get outside at some point since the sun was shining in the midst of what is supposed to be a solid week of rain but no such luck. I'm wearing the fabric necklace I made recently as a bracelet, and I think I kind of like it better that way. Also, sorry about my hair, which had no thought put into it besides this: *gets out of shower* hmmm, I guess I'll throw my hair back in a bun until I get around to fixing it later. *hours later, time to take outfit pictures* I want to wear my hair down, but not do any work. *takes hair out of bun, clips front part back with a clip* Kinda frizzy and unkempt. End.

Also, I'm in love with this grey belt I took from my mom. It's the perfect shade, and looks so sophisticated and spiffy with basically everything. I think grey is my all-time favorite neutral. It's less harsh than black, matches more stuff than brown, and is more interesting than white or cream. I love the idea of it with pinks and other bright colors, or mixed with red and/or green for holiday dressing.

He turned into Gary Frick!

As most of you bloggers out there are well aware, there is a severe disconnect between blog trends and IRL trends. Stuff we see all over the internets is nowhere to be found walking the streets where we live. I happen to be sporting two examples of this here: the topknot and over-the-knee socks. 

Now, when I log into my Chictopia I get the impression that it has become a requirement for the style gallery that featured outfits must include thigh-high socks. Nearly every front page outfit includes them. But I can honestly say I don't think I've ever seen someone wearing them in person (besides myself, of course). Likewise, with the topknot, it's the hairstyle du jour online, but when I tried it for the first time on Saturday my friends all reacted with a combination of surprise, approval, and feeling the need to touch/pat said topknot while giggling. A friend of mine who recently returned from Australia swears everyone wears them down under, but agrees that it's still uncommon in the states. At least from what I've seen. Anyone come from a town where they're not so rare?

The first morning I attempted the topknot, I was skeptical. First of all, no matter how much I brushed, pulled, and cajoled, I couldn't get my hair to lay flat and smooth. It seems my follicles are very set in their downward-growing ways, and are unenthusiastic about the idea of being yanked up and secured in the opposite direction.  I did the best I could, then popped on a headband for good measure, and looked in the mirror. 

Hmmm.

That is certainly interesting. A lump of hair stuck on the top of my head. Just....sitting there. Like it's perfectly normal or something. Needless to say, it was a bit disconcerting at first. But as I went about my business, occasionally catching glimpses of myself in a mirror or window, I warmed up to the look. I felt chic and a little bold. I was embracing the whimsy of fashion. Even Joe seemed to like it, though when trying to predict his reaction I decided it could go either way. So I tried something new, took a little risk, and was happy with the result. It may have been the world's most inexpertly executed topknot ( I can spend forever getting dressed, but after five minutes on my hair I usually give up and call it good), but it was fun and cute, and no doubt I will look back on it someday and laugh. Good naturedly, of course.