Resolutions

Ah, the new year. By now, everyone jokes about how we've all given up on resolutions already (although there's always a sad, nervous little twinge at the end of every 'screwed-it-up-already' joke). Every other commercial is for online dating, a weight loss program, class action lawsuits, or (my personal favorite) get out of debt/tax liabilities free! Of course this is probably because I'm out of work and watching Bravo reruns all day, not because it's a new year. Anyway, I thought I'd share my three style resolutions & inspiration for 2012.

1. Inject more color into my wardrobe. 

Milly Spring '12 RTW, 
Style.com

Courtesy of J.Crew, 
"Looks We Love"

Skirt, J.Crew, $158

As I've written about before {here},  I'm a big fan of black. I also have way too many white, gray, and navy pieces, but I can't seem to shake off my neutral security blanket. This year, though, I'm going to make a conscious effort to add more bright colors to my wardrobe. I've already started a little bit, with the orange Minnie pants & magenta wool Cafe Capris (both J.Crew), but the confidence I get when I wear those colors has inspired me to look for more bright hues in the future.

Last week I also paired my fuchsia Cafe Capris with a teal cashmere crewneck sweater, and I loved how it looked! So I'm also going to make an effort to wear brights with brights, not just with neutrals all the time.


2. Collect more printed pieces, especially polka dot, geometric, and colorblocked patterns. 

Milly Spring '12 RTW,  
Style.com

Diane von Furstenberg 
PF '12, Fashionologie

As a college student, it's super easy to get into the plain T-shirt/jeans/flats/optional sweater or jacket routine. But the style rut thing doesn't end after college - when I worked part time at a bank while going to community college, I found myself stuck in the boring 9-5 uniform rut: cardigan/dress skirt or pants/blouse/low heels. Anyway, my comfort zone is solids, so this year I'm trying to inject some fun into my wardrobe. I do have a good deal of stripes in my closet, both the nautical & preppy varieties, so I'm looking to add pieces with geometric, polka dot, and colorblocked patterns. 


3. Go for a more glamorous, modern look with a mix of chic and edgy accessories.

Necklace, Bauble Bar

Necklace, J.Crew, $158

Dior, photo c/o Fashionologie

I come from a pretty traditional Southern family, and the women I grew up around dressed pretty conservatively - think twinset sweaters, pearls, shapeless Ann Taylor sheaths, low heels from the 80s, the same dated leather purse they've had for 30 years. It's hard to have much of an individual style when that's what you grew up assuming that's how you'd one day be expected to dress. But as I've gotten older, I've started to break out of my comfort zone in terms of accessories - and this year, I'd like to keep it up. Lately I've started collecting bold, edgy statement necklaces, and I'm always floored by how a single piece can totally make the outfit. In 2012, I'll be scooping up pieces that mashup classic and edgy, tough and traditional. I'm loving modern, interesting takes on classic pieces, like the Dior bag above (obviously not in my budget, but I can dream!).


What are your style resolutions this year? Are you looking to add more color, prints, or edgy accessories to your wardrobe?

[86] DIY Glamour Girl Sash

Silk Tricotine Sophia Gown, J.Crew

With the holiday season in full swing, I thought I'd share with you all my DIY version of a crystal-embellished party sash :)

My college hosts a black tie ball for junior women every February, and since I'm a junior next semester I get to dress up! I purchased a J.Crew wedding gown for the event last year from the sample sale ($20! I had to!) but it's rather plain, so I wanted to dress it up a bit with a jeweled sash - except all the sashes I loved were super expensive! I truly believe adding the words "bridal" or "wedding" to anything automatically makes it at least 3 times more expensive.

J.Crew, $265

Nordstrom, $300

Anyway, I decided to make my own sash (or try, at least). I went to a local craft supply store looking for ribbon, beads, sequins...nothing too cheap-looking, nothing too gaudy. I eventually came home with: a spool of 1" wide black satin ribbon, white fabric marking pencils, clear/silver seed beads, and clear adhesive beading glue. My initial idea had been to sew the seed beads on by hand, which probably would have looked more like the J.Crew sash (pictured above), either in a chevron pattern or just as a solid beaded rectangle. Fortunately, my inner lazy girl persuaded me to get the glue - I know it's winter break and I'm pretty much unemployed, but I still don't want to hand sew 1000 seed beads in crooked, awkward lines for 3 weeks.

The finished product

Thankfully, this glue didn’t “stain” the satin the way most glues do. I used a wide popsicle stick to spread the glue around – it’s super thick, so if you try this project be sure to grab a few popsicle sticks and work in small sections at a time. Since the glue is easiest to work with right out of the tube (and starts to get hard quickly), I did 1 – 2” sections at a time, laying down the glue then sprinkling the seed beads on top. Be sure to press the beads into the glue to help them set securely, ideally using a small piece of cardboard or very sturdy paper. Let the beading set in a well-ventilated area for 24 hours – if you’re lazy like me, you can even do half of the beading (7.5”) in one day, let it set, then come back and finish it up. After it dries, you should be good to go!

My total cost (glue, beads, ribbon, white pencils): $13

Seasons

Today (in Richmond at least) it FINALLY feels like winter! I know, I know...winter hasn't officially started, but thanks to festive Starbucks cups, snowflakes in store windows, and the almost daily influx of holiday catalogs in my mailbox, it feels like it should be winter. I'm a December baby, and as much as I love fall ("autumn" is one of the prettiest words in the English language, and I have an obsession with stepping on really crunchy leaves), winter is probably my favorite season.



I think there is just something so wonderful about feeling the sharp, cold air against my face while the rest of me is bundled up in a warm coat and every imaginable winter accessory. The coffee shop in campus starts carrying peppermint syrup & I can order my favorite indulgence again - peppermint lattes :)


For today's post, I wanted to re-cap my fall finds & spending. And after going through and listing all of my purchases, I'm realizing I really need to budget my spending! It's so easy to buy and buy without realizing just how much you're actually spending. This represents about 4 months of shopping, but holy cow, I need to check myself into retail therapy rehab...



Shoes: $185

This season I added several new pairs of shoes to my admittedly modest collection. I bought 2 pairs of flats, both by Report, from Shoes.com (nude ballets) & Nordstrom (black pointed toe). Earlier in the season I also snapped up a pair of faux leather black boots from Target ($30), as well as the glitter-embellished leather sandals from the J.Crew Warehouse Sale ($40).

Report, $50 on sale (Shoes.com)

Report, $55 @ Annual Sale (Nordstrom)

Mossimo Supply Co, $30 (Target)

Tops & Sweaters: $111

This fall - much to my checking account's dismay - I realized that most of my sweater were too small, REALLY outdated, and/or had been eaten for lunch by moths. As I shared in earlier posts, I purchased a navy blue open cardigan from H&M ($30), a yellow 3/4 length cardigan from the J.Crew Warehouse sale ($20), and a Bergdorf Goodman chevron-stripe cashmere cardigan on Ebay ($22). I also bought a Madewell crystal-embellished bow tee ($8), a purple oversized Modal tee from Target ($10) and 3 other basic tees, also from Target ($21).


Pants: $82

Most of this stems from my ongoing love affair with color (and the J.Crew Warehouse sale). I snapped up the purple wool Cafe capri and black wool Minnie pants ($15 each) at the sale, plus the bright flame stretch twill Minnie pants ($50) and ankle-zip dark wash denim Minnies ($2!)  I purchased on Ebay. 



Jackets/Blazers: $40

Considering how I've fallen madly in love with blazers and jackets this season, I'm proud of myself for not going overboard here. I purchased an Ann Taylor LOFT black tuxedo blazer back in August from Ebay ($15), and a navy knit boyfriend blazer from Macy's a little over a month ago ($25).


Jewelry & Accessories: $102
Again, as much as I love jewelry in particular, kind of surprised I didn't go more nuts here. One of my only Black Friday buys was this cute pair of earrings from Forever 21 ($4) - I usually try to steer clear of supercheap, poorly made clothes & accessories, but for the price I just couldn't resist :) I also purchased the double-row chain link necklace in silver from J.Crew ($50), and my Ebay find for the season was the Lee Angel faux pearl necklace I wrote about last time ($18). I also bought a teal infinity scarf ($17) and a black and white printed umbrella ($13) from Target.

Necklace, $55 on sale (J.Crew)

Earrings, $4 (Forever 21)