What I Wore Wednesday with Stella McCartney on My Mind

Let's talk about polka dots. Polka dots are one of those fashion motifs that always seem to swing back around, but never really stick. Part of that reason is because it's hard to get polka dots out of that little girl/Minnie Mouse abyss that people's minds naturally go to when envisioning polka dots. Stella McCarney did it big this fall with her ready to wear collection and I saw this Lucia dress all over magazines. And all of a sudden polka dots were trying to be cool again.

 

via Style.com

So I have to admit when I saw polka dots popping up all over the place I got a little excited because I've always loved them, just never really thought I could pull them off anymore after the age of 17. Unless of course I was going to a rockabilly look. Anyway, ever since this Stella McCartney dress invaded my fashion magazines I've been looking for something that was polka dotty in a way that suited me. And on that note I introduce today's outfit of the day post:

 

(Yes, this is me pretending to be a model.)

Dress: Presence in Andersonville

Tights: David and Co

Shoes: Urban Outfitters

Yup, nothing like the Stella McCartney dress, but I sure do love it. It's perfectly me and I don't feel like Minnie Mouse in it either. Those of you who see me regularly will be seeing this one a lot so I hope it's not an eyesore.

Thanks all!
-Maggie

Style vs Fashion

I was caught by a post on Gertie's New Blog For Better Sewing the other day and if you don't follow her you definitely need to. She wrote this fun post about the amazing costumes in Wicked that took the stance of defending clothing as an art form, as something carrying "symbolic and emotional weight". This led her to ask:

"Which brings me to the question of the day: are you ever made to feel shallow for being interested in fashion and garment construction? Do you think that fashion is a powerful art form, or is that overstating it? Do share!"

So I think I will share! Now, I completely agree with her that clothing plays an immensely important role in the visual representation of a person. Think about going to a job interview or a first date? Are you going to wear your sweats or even just a t-shirt? I don't think so! Well, at least not if you plan on being taken seriously.

Your clothes matter whether you care about/pay attention to fashion or not. Do I get made fun of for caring about clothes, fashion, and style? Sure, all the time. And when I do I probably deserve it because there are certainly aspects of fashion that are frivolous but this is where I think it is important to distinguish between style and fashion. Yes, they are different, but not mutually exclusive.

Fashion, to me, is an art. There are people who devote their lives to studying it, working with it, and predicting it. So when I get made fun of for loving something like this Alexis Mabille evening gown am I nuts? NO! Err, no, of course not. Obviously I know I there would never be an occasion in my life that would allow me to wear this, but I can still admire it for its structure, detail, and beauty.




via Style.com

To me, fashion is art, but in a more fluid and breathing way than you may be used to thinking of it. How is watching this dress walk down the runway different from visiting a Van Gogh in Amsterdam? And in this same way, paying attention to fashion runway shows, magazines, and blogs is a way to inspire your personal style.

Style is uniquely you. Style is what you've taken away from fashion and decided to display to the world as "you". Everyone has style, some just have more appealing style than others or trendier style than others, but it's in every one of us for the very reason I mentioned above. Your clothes matter. You can think fashion is the most frivolous thing in the world, but at the end of the day people will still judge you by what you wear. So why should you not embrace it and make it the most uniquely "you" thing possible? It's true that the first thing people see (besides your face of course) is what you're wearing and if you look like a bum, people will think you're a bum.

However, fashion and style will never be separate beasts. They have to forever intermingle because from fashion comes style and vice versa.

I forget where I heard this, but somewhere I heard a great piece of advice: Dress everyday like you're going to meet someone important, because you never know when you will.

Advocating personal style and embracing inspiration from high fashion is why I started this blog, it's why I read fashion magazines, and it's why I'm writing this right now. So, yes Gertie, I think that Fashion is a high art which is why couture is so expensive, but it also breathes life into the everyday outfit and for that I never feel frivolous or silly (even if other people think I am).

Inspiration Monday

It's Monday once again too quickly. My weekends never seem long enough and they always feel like one long day as opposed to two. I'm obviously getting jipped somewhere here. Mondays seem like the perfect time of the week to do an inspiration post, a day of the week where we all probably need a little bit of it. Today I'm looking for and loving teal. Yup, teal inspiration.

I love teal. It's kind of a problem. So of course I think it's perfect for every season and wear it all the time. It's also starting to infect my life. I'm hoping it's just a phase, but for now I'm enjoying it. It's just so easily combinable, even though for the most part my favorite combination is teal, purple, and pink. But there's something gorgeous about seeing a bright teal patina encasing old copper. I find teal to be an extremely soothing color and completely appropriate for a Monday. 

Phew, that's better. I think I can get on with the rest of my week now. By the way, sorry about the weird photo alignment. I'm still having issues figuring out how to align images in blogger. It's uterly frustrating. Tips anyone?

Now that you know my favorite color, what's your favorite color?

Thursday Obsession

A while ago I started paying attention to the lovely and very talented designer Erin Fetherston, who always has just the chicest and most feminine style. Of course, everyone is talking about her Spring 2012 collection and I have to join in because I want every single piece in my closet.

The Spring collection is etherally dreamy with a punch of 60s Twiggy that can't be ignored. And if I were a twig I would wear every single piece from this collection. Here are some of my faves:

all photos via Style.com
Does this model not look like Twiggy herself? That's obviously why my mind went there, but I think the collection is also very 60s inspired. I love the flowy fabrics and bold splashes of color, even though the collection is mostly pastel you still find hot pinks and vibrant reds.

So, I'll continue daydreaming that I have a million dollars to spend on a whole new Spring wardrobe while you take a peek into Erin Fetherston's actual million dollar (or more!) wardrobe:

UPDATE: Ok so I had to take out the video because it would auto play every time I visited the blog and music would come out of no where (ANNOYING!), so if you wanna watch the video (worth it), here's the link.

So that's it. I'm in love with this collection of clothing. Please, feel free to obsess with me.

What I Wore Wednesday - Fall Edition

 

 Scarf - H&m
Dress - Tulle
Cardigan - Urban Outfitters
Tights - Hot Step
Shoes - Aldo

So this daily outfit post really reminds me of Fall. The colors I've got going on here are basically all of my go-to Fall colors wrapped in one outfit. Also, as my oh-so-observant boyfriend pointed out, yes that is the same scarf from last week's post. I love it. It's warm. Deal with it. I have a lot of spring scarves, not so many winter scarves. Besides, if you couldn't already tell, I love purple. I guess this just means I got the okay to buy a ton of new winter scarves. Oh, it's in writing, looks like I'm going on a shopping spree! Because, as I'm sure you know, you can't buy new scarves without buying new shirts, skirts, and dresses to go with them.

 

 

 

 

The last one is more of an outtake. It was a windy day. 

So it's finally happened, daylight savings time as come and it's making me tired and miserable. When I leave for work in the mornings it's barely light out and when I leave work in the afternoon it looks like it's 10 pm out. Where have you gone sunshine? It's going to get harder and harder to do sunny outfit shoots. I'll try my best to keep them from looking miserable ;)

Until next time!

Maggie

Real Estate Stalking on Chilly Days

As it's starting to cool off here I can't help but thinking about the awful way winter will take over my life soon. I'm remembering freezing night and sludge soaked shoes which is already giving me shivers down my spine. Does winter really have to happen every year?

In an attempt to escape from the tundra in my mind I decided to do a little real estate stalking. After studying abroad in the south of France one fall, my go-to escape from miserable cold are the rolling vineyards and gorgeous golden sunshine of the Côte du Rhône, so naturally that was where my search began.

I always find the most amazing rustic brick homes when searching through Mediterranean homes and this time was no exception (via). Come daydream with me...

I would worry about rain, but from what I remember it doesn't rain very much in paradise.

I absolutely love the big brick details in the kitchen paired with the tile floors. There's something so raw and natural about the wood, brick and tile in this kitchen that makes me feel like only farm fresh foods should be allowed on the table.

If every time I walked outside I saw these rolling green hills I would die happy. Wouldn't you? 

Alright, time to close the computer, climb under this pile of blankets and try to stop shivering.

Vintage Haul for the Esty Store

I finally got a chance to get some new merchandise for the Etsy store and I'm excited about it! I have some work to do taking pictures, editing and getting everything listed, but I thought I'd give a sneak peek here.

Oh and before I forget I have a coupon running right now. Enter FALLFUN at checkout and get 15% off of your order! No pressure, just something to think about ;)

So, if you've stopped by the store you should know that I recommend a size for all of the clothes that I list and that's based on how they fit me. Generally, I fit in a Medium so I try to give and idea based on that. That's just a little back story for the following pictures. Please note that, no, I did not take off what I was already wearing before trying these pieces on. I am much too lazy for that.

 

Ok, I know this shirt doesn't look fantastic in this picture, but it's actually really cute. It's just a tad big on me, but it has the cutest pleats in the front and on the collar. 

 

I have to admit I love this dress and am debating keeping it. The sleeves are a little too short on me, but it fits great, is in fantastic condition and has pockets! I'm a sucker for anything with pockets. This is definitely a vintage dress worth holding on to. 

 

I love the beading in this vintage clutch. Once I get this posted you can see all the details, but it's pretty stained inside and on the back. The front is surprisingly unharmed so I had to get it. It was just too pretty. I think someone else will appreciate it as much as me.

That is probably my downfall a lot of times. If I find an item that has some damage, but is amazing and I think still has a lot of wear left I usually pick it up. So we'll see about the vintage clutch, but I'm hoping I wasn't wrong. 

Here's a peek at everything in this latest haul. I have a ton of stuff from a previous one that's not up yet either, but I didn't take any fun photos there. Since I do all my Etsy work at my parents' house because they have more space I'm usually rushing to get out of there. 

 

Oh I really wish I took a picture of me in that first vintage red dress with the collar. 1) The fit was AMAZING. 2) It reminded me of old super hero costumes from like the 60s. I'm not sure why, my skinny blond friend did not agree, but he obviously has no imagination. Anyway, I'm using this blog post as incentive to get on the ball and actually list these things on Etsy, so get on me about it please! I can use all the help I can get. 

Until next time!
-Maggie

 

What I Wore Wednesday

 

Let me start by apologizing for the half-hearted outfit post. It sort of sneaked up on me and I threw it together really last minute, but enough excuses. Here are some fun patterned tights I just found at Forever21 and an otherwise simple outfit.

 Blazer and t-shirt - Urban Outfitter
Scarf - H&M

Skirt and tights - Forever 21
Shoes - Steve Madden

 These little cowboy inspired boots have been my go-to fall shoes for a couple years now and they're starting to show some wear. It's going to be a sad day when I have to replace them.

That's all for today. I swear next week's post will be full-hearted! Hopefully it will stay warm and sunny long enough for me to get a few more pictures in.

Happy Halloween! Musings on Skull Fashion

Happy Halloween!

It's finally here! My favorite holiday. I'm sure you've already done all your celebrating over the weekend, but here at my office we're having a little Halloween costume contest and munching on candy still. So in the spirit of Halloween I decided to do a little post about one of my favorite Halloween themes and fashion motifs: skulls! Yup, you can be scary and trendy at the same time! Bet you didn't realize that.

Here are some cool fashion pieces I found, mind you, some of them are a few years old, but still fun on a day like today!

I love these shots, so elegant and yet mad scientist at the same time.



via pichaus



via Daily Dose of Lies

 Of course this post would not be complete without these Alexander McQueen clutches, or without Alexander McQueen period, but I've seen about a million DIY's for this clutch so here it is.



via Corridor 40

I love the idea of these more than I love the shoes themselves, but there's gotta be a better version of these out there somewhere. If you find them, tell me. I will most likely own a similar pair before I die.

Now if you don't have a thousand dollars to spend on a clutch. Another great source of some really awesome and original pieces is Etsy! Some of my skull accessories:



via BevaStyles

 

via Winterberry Jewelry


 

via Mood Raven Designs



via MichelleChangJewelry

 







Well, now that I've sufficiently terrified all of you, I can call it a day. Hope you all have a great Halloween and eat enough candy to make your teeth fall out!