Some Bad News and Some Flowing Maxi Skirts

Hi all,

You guys probably didn't notice, but I missed yesterday's design post and to be honest this post isn't going to be that great either. Unfortunately for me, someone broke into my apartment and took my computer and my phone over the weekend so I've been dealing with everything that has to do with that. Needless to say, I've had all of zero internet access so I hope you didn't miss me too much ;). It's been kind of a rough month here on my end, but a few maxed out credit cards later and I'm putting my life back together. Anyway, I thought I'd keep my little pity party short and get to the good stuff - maxi skirts!

I didn't have a chance to really pull something together for a trendspotting post, so today I thought I'd just give you little bit of maxi skirt eye candy! I've been eyeballing all kinds of long and flowing skirts for spring. They're so good on those breezy days when it's still a little chilly and the wind makes it impossible to wear a mini skirt (that is unless you like showing off your underwear to the public, no judgements).  And, of course, the vintage lover in my adores how classic a long skirt feels. I think light, breezy maxi and midi skirts are big for this spring so if you haven't picked one up, do it!

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That's all I've got for you today. I hope these pieces I picked out really quickly make you lean to the yay end of maxi/midi skirts. But I might also be biased because I'm a pretty tall girl. 

Thanks for reading along guys! And if any of you feel inclined to make my month a little better, stop by the Etsy store a look around ;)

Let me know in the comments:

Maxi Skirts: Yay or Nay?

Sunday Moment of Zen: Candy Colored Fashion

Candy colored fashion anyone? If you have a sweet tooth and a shopping problem, this video may not be for you. This Lil' Bakeshop video from Marie Claire has pretty pastels that don't feel stuffy and enough sweets to make your teeth hurt. I love how they played on the spring pastel trend here, making it sweet and fun at the same time. I love fashion editorial videos, it's like you get a peek into a photo shoot! Hope you're having a wonderful Sunday and enjoy!

Photo Friday: Who is Julien Pacaud?

If you already know the answer, I envy you. I can't remember where I first stumbled across Julien Pacaud, but I have to say that his site drew me in immediately. I love the retro imagery that he infuses into his collage-like pieces. There is something very wonderful and kind of hilarious about these distinct images fused together to function as one. Each photo tells a story without saying a word, which is why I completely understand that a lot of his work has been for political publications and for literary editorials. Somehow, his use of those very kitschy vintage images from the 60s and 70s does not seem awkward at all or ill-fitting at all.

 

Long story short, I'm a complete fan of Julien Pacaud and would love to have a one of these prints hanging up in my apartment. How cool would this Copernicus print in your living room?  

Anyway, enjoy the awesome art of Pacaud and have a great weekend! 

Thursday Tutorial: Dainty Floral Drop Earrings

Today's tutorial is completely inspired by my friend Julia over at 2 or 3 Things! She did this super adorable outfit post with a pretty floral headband and inspiration struck! I thought, "Man that looks cute, but I'd probably never wear a whole headband full of flowers." And then.....

What I Wore Wednesday: I Love the 90s Edition

Today's outfit post is brought to you by the number 9, as in the 90s! It was 90s night at a club that some of my friends were going to so I decided to use that opportunity to pull together my best 90s outfit. I, of course, thought that had I been older in the 90s I would have definitely gone the grunge route. I have to admit that even when the 90s were well over, my high school style still pulled a lot of my favorite elements from the 90s. I was always all about mini dresses, big shoes, fishnets, and dark lipstick (and a whole lot of leopard print, but that's a different story). I guess there are some things you never grow out of.

Tuesday Trendspotting: Clearly Lucite

Somehow this clear and lucite trend that I've been seeing around the internet seem perfect for the Summer. I've seen it mostly in accessories - I'm sure making see-through clothes is kind of a challenge. When I saw a collection on Who, What, Wear of shoes with clear details it reminded me of one of my favorite bloggers who has been making some really sleek and cool looking clear accessories and now of course I want some! I found some cool examples of clear accessories and Lucite jewelry on the internet, but most of the pieces are out of my budget range. I think I smell a DIY coming. I just have to figure out how to make that happen.

Clear as Lucite by blacknblue featuring christian louboutin shoes

Lipsy neon dress
£55 - bankfashion.co.uk

Christian louboutin shoes
$625 - neimanmarcus.com

Platform boots
ebay.pl

Platform boots
ebay.pl

Oscar de la Renta stiletto heels
$895 - net-a-porter.com

Indian costume jewelry
alibaba.com

Lucite earrings
fashion.1stdibs.com

Ben Amun lucite jewelry
$195 - maxandchloe.com

Josie studded leather belt
$150 - reissonline.com

1950's clutch in clear lucite
$148 - vintagemartini.com

So what do you think? Clear accessories: Love 'em or hate 'em?

Monday Design: 7 Fabulous Kitchen Designs

I don't know what it is about the warmer weather that always makes me want to start using the kitchen more, but it does, like you don't even understand.

I am not a cook. The kitchen is just not where I feel at home. Mostly, I think this is because I've damaged my taste buds with too many jalapenos and too much hot sauce over the years, so I tend to over spice and include too many ingredients. I happen to think most things I cook are delicious, but the roommate? Not so much. This is most often disheartening so I try to stay out of the kitchen until inspiration hits! This is almost always in summer or whenever the weather is warm. Strange huh?

Since my adventures in the kitchen never really turn out all that amazing, I thought I'd stick to something I do know. Kitchen design! It's much easier to offer up 7 cute kitchen designs than a tasty recipe for you all. Hope no one minds ;) So while I pick out the next recipe to burn down my kitchen with, here are 7 kitchen designs that I would love to be playing chef in.

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Are you the head chef in your home? What's your favorite dish to make right now?

Sunday Moment of Zen: Nature Break

Sunday, oh lazy Sunday. Here's a little something pretty and colorful for you. Living in the city I don't get to see much forest, so I take what little escapes from urban life I can get. This little video is of Yosemite National Park in the Fall.



Enjoy! Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

Photo Friday: What to do with Old Floppy Disks

How creepy/cool are these paintings by Nick Gentry? That circle from the back side of floppy disks is used at the pupil. That paired with the eerie pale tones Gentry decided to use as the skin tones gives these painted faces a look that only Twilight fans can appreciate. Some look particularly more vampire-esque than others, but staring into those flat floppy disk eyes sends a chill down my spine. Luckily, I'm a big fan of horror movies and enjoy chills down my spine so I thought I'd share this with all of you! Hope I didn't spook you ;)

I'd love to see these paintings up close, although it's apparent from some of the close ups that Gentry purposefully integrated some of the original floppy-disk colors into the works. I like that some of the labels are peeking through as well. Very interesting pieces. I mean, what else are you going to do with all those floppy disks?

Nick Gentry is a London-based artist and is best known for these floppy-disk paintings. You can find more information on him here. 

Have a great weekend!

Vintage Love: Hawaiian Florals

Chicago weather can be frustrating at best. It's 80 degrees in February and then 40 degrees in March, how does one adapt? Well I think that Spring is finally here! (I hope.) In the week that it was 80 degrees here, I started dreaming about Summer and the beach and all the fun that comes with that. I love the old 50s and 60s Hawaiian patterns that were so popular for the summertime. Hawaii was such a romanticized place and I guess it still is, but you hardly ever see such happy and colorful ads for it anymore. I love looking at vintage Hawaiian print dresses and thinking "Did people really wear those out in public?" Some of them can be very over the top. Still fun though!

 

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What's your favorite vintage summer style?

P.s. I'm having a sale in my Etsy shop for my lucky blogger and Facebook friends! Enter FRESH at checkout for 20% off your purchase! Lucky you ;)

What I Wore Wednesday: The Little Bit of Country Edition

Some days I think that I would make a pretty good cowgirl or country girl. This is one of those days. Something about a jean jacket and western-style boots always make me feel pretty country, but I guess that's from the point of view of a big city girl. Anyway, Spring has arrived! This floral skirt is probably my favorite Spring piece. It's so light and flowy so walking in it is always fun and it's colorful without being overwhelming. The cropped jean jacket I got at Crossroads Trading Co. at the same time that I picked up this dress. I was super excited to find it because I have been eyeballing this cropped Topshop jacket for a while now, but couldn't bring myself to spend $80 on it. Mine was $12. Win.