OOTD - Cozy Sweater

I became obsessed with it on the SimplyBe website but it was a whooping $75. I love that website but a lot of the clothes are priced very high. Being that $50 is a splurge for me (recent fox sweater purchase excluded, of course), I was like, "the f*ck you mean $75?" But, I stumbled across a coupon code for 30% off and one for free shipping and I got it for $45. Which is a pinch easier to swallow.

A spoonful of coupon codes makes the medicine go down in the most delightful way!

I was a little skeptical at first because I expected it to be a more fitted on the bottom. Seriously, is a fitted, slouchy sweater so much to ask for? Gawd! But after I got it all put together in an outfit I loved the bagginess. It was perfect for a cold day at the pumpkin patch. 

Buuuuuuuuut, in the one day that I wore it, it got snagged twice and one of the baubles fell off. I don't know if I was being excessively rough or what but, it happened. Because I am super awesome, and know how to weave yarn into fabric, I was mostly able to get the snags back in and I will be sewing the bauble back on when I get a chance. Still mostly please with the sweater though.

Oh, and the scarf! I love this scarf! It has little drawings of women holding umbrellas*. It's so cute. I will have to get a closer picture of it the next time I wear it. Also, I'm really into this vest. It goes along with the leather/studded/butch thing that's been happening. Which, I am way into. Especially, with this cutesy, pink, baggy, bauble, heart sweater. It's opposite heaven.

*Quick aside, which is totally necessary. I call all the scarves I own from modcloth by their product names. This one is called Rainy Day Regale. I also own a scarf named It's a Crewel, Crewel Summer and I am definitely keeping my eye on the When and Wear scarf.

Trick-or-Treating post to come!

One Fine October Day

We piled on the cozy layers and braved the chilly air to go to a pumpkin patch last Saturday. We normally go to Basse's, which is absolutely adorable and has tons of fun things to do but, we accidentally missed the last weekend for it. So, we went to Meadowbrook Farms instead. It wasn't as established as Basse's but, it had some awesome activities, great food, and it was a lot more laid back.

Here are some of the highlights of our day.

Chickens

I'm going to do a full outfit post later.

My Nephew, Burger. He had so many layers on he couldn't move!

Bouncy House

Photo op!

The Petting Zoo. There were so many goats they were totally overtaking us!

"No, goats! No drink my juice!"

Hayride

"No, I no want that one. It's orange"

We were the last ones to go out on the hayride and we were racing the setting sun to pick our pumpkins. After my finicky child found a "not too orange" pumpkin, we went to my sister's house and warmed up with some homemade acorn squash soup. It was the perfect October day.

I will post trick-or-treating pictures and costume pictures in the next few days. We've been really busy with the house stuff and our Halloween party isn't actually until tomorrow. 

See ya later, alligators!

OOTD - Studded Boots and Socks

Um...I think maybe Target should sponsor this post or something. I am really into pairing feminine pieces with harder pieces. I just love the way the studded motor cycle boots contrast with the flowy, floral skirt. It just takes the outfit to a whole new level.

I'm also really in love with the extra warmth and texture the socks add to the outfit. If I graded myself I would give myself an A+ (extra credit for all the colors...colorful outfits just do it for me). Based solely on my own grading criteria of course.

OOTD - Leg Warmers

I was on the fence about leg warmers as I feel it's one of those trend that a lot of people make fun of but, I secretly really liked them. I'm a huge fan of any type of knitwear. If I could wear sweater bras, I would. Seriously, slap a cable knit on it and I will put it on my body.

So, here I am saying, if you don't like leg warmers...too bad! I do! And I really love them with heels. I was saving up for these from Urban Outfitters until I found these similar looking wedges at Target with a buy one get on half off sale. I am pretty pleased with them. They are comfortable, easy to walk in, and adorable.

I kept the rest of my outfit very basic to let the legwarmers and heels be the shiny star. Also, anything a Midwesterner wears instantly becomes 43% tackier and since I was already rocking something that others might consider questionable, I wanted to keep it as chic as possible. 

Now it's your turn! Go out and rock something you've been afraid to try!

OOTD - Fox Sweater and Ankle Jeans

One of the trends this season that has had me utterly captivated is the animal motif sweater trend. I'm not completely sure about this, but I think it was J. Crew that first came out with them? But, as usual, I was late in discovering this trend.

At the end of summer, I was browsing the aisles of Target, already clutching a few treasures, when I passed the women's clothes section. And there, hanging innocently on a rack, completely unaware that it was about to change my life forever, was a neon colored fox sweater. I dropped everything and ran to my love. I quickly shuffled through the rack to find my size, to find the sweater that was going to come home with me. But, the rack was sparse, clearly picked over already. There were only a few left and none in my size. "No bid deal," I thought, "I'll just get it online."

Of course, this was not going to happen either. The sweater wasn't even pictured online anymore. Complete devastation descended upon me. I immediately set out on a hunt for a different fox sweater. Every sweater I found was either sold out or hundreds of dollars, or both. Owl sweaters I could find. But, the sly fox sweater remained elusive. Until, I ventured on to Modcloth.

Modcloth had two of the most adorable animal motif sweaters I had seen yet. This and this. But, the price! Was I willing to spend that much? I had to think on this one. The next day, I decided to take the plunge. But when I logged on to my computer, I saw I had made a huge mistake. They were sold out. Again, I had discovered something I couldn't live without and again I lost it before I even had it.

Then a couple weeks later I got the email from Modcloth that the friends of the forest sweater was back in stock and there were only three in my size! I didn't hesitate for a second and I'm really glad I didn't because it was sold out the next day.

A couple other noteworthy points, this is my first pair of ankle skinny jeans. I tend to wait forever to warm up to trends because I listen to critics who say, "you can't wear that with your body shape!" I didn't start wearing skinny jeans until a year ago and I really regret it. I really liked Torrid's ankle zip stiletto jeans but shyed away from them because I read an article that said if you have short legs, don't wear ankle skinnies. But, I was picking up a sheer black button up and I found a $50 off of $100 coupon code. Since the shirt was already 50 dollars I thought the risk of buying the jeans was pretty low.

Basically, I love them because they make me feel like Audrey Hepburn. They make my feet and ankles look really dainty. I think the trick here is to wear shoes that are open along the top to visually elongate that part of your leg to counteract the cropped jeans.

Don't ever let anyone tell you what you look good in! Always try it for yourself!

Also, two dollar whimsical statement ring? Score!

See ya later, Alligators!

Style Imitating Art Time!

This week's Style Imitating Art was nothing short of daunting to me. The colors and the overall aesthetic of the art is quite different than my own. Husband, on the other hand, loved this one.

South Wind, Clear Sky by Katsushika Hokusai

 I drew inspiration from the strong but minimal colors and graphics. I barely have any red because it clashes with my coloring so, I am literally wearing every red piece I own in these pictures. Most of this was pulled out of the deep recesses of my closet and I actually had to pull the grayish green (they are more green in person) tights out of my bedroom garbage where I had thrown them a few days earlier for having a holes behind the knee. Luckily, you can't see the holes in these pictures. The red and green are right on for the picture and the belt's crackled pattern ties in quite nicely to the cracks on the mountain.

I find it so interesting how doing this always gives me a greater appreciation for art I wouldn't normally pay much attention to.

See ya later, Alligators!

OOTD - Leather Skirts and Book Clubs

Hello world! How are you? I did something really exiting this week! My cousin and I decided to start a book club (with a boozey twist) and our first meeting was this week. Each month we are going to pick a book and create a drink to go with it. For the first meeting, I picked Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Very fitting for the month, no? It was the most fun I have had in a long time. There was so much wine and laughing and zombie candy. I absolutely cannot wait for next month!

So this is what I wore to the meeting.

What is that? Oh, yeah! A (faux) leather skirt! I have been lusting after leather skirts since I first started seeing them last fall. I was over the moon to find a few at Forever 21 + and despite the low price, it feels really luxurious. The material is buttery soft and I am in love with the exposed zipper and the quilted side panels. I debated between the one I got and this one here because, the color and the cut are much more my style. But, the final decision was made because I have piles and piles of colorful skirts and zero blacks one. Thus, I might get more use out of this one. I am so thrilled that I made the choice that I did. I have worn this skirt twice since I got it in the mail this week and that doesn't even seem like enough. It somehow keeps making it's way into my hands when I am getting dressed in the morning.

I bought this lace peter pan color awhile ago but, this is the first time I am wearing it. I am considering this collar an unintentional splurge because I discovered this tutorial, that shows you exactly how to make this collar for a couple of dollars. Oops...But, I still love it and I am excited to incorporate this into more of my outfits.

See ya later, Alligators!