Style Imitating Art: Leopard I

Leopard I, by Megan Carn

Admitting this might get me kicked out of the style blogging community but...ok, here I go...I don't like leopard print. I can appreciate it on others but, for me it's just tacky. I think I might be repressing a leopard print trauma from my childhood. It happens, you know.

So, for this gorgeous SIA I swapped the spots around with the solid colors and wore this printed teal and red shirt dress with a solid camel colored cardigan. I kept the look kind of cool and chill because I can tell that leopard is one cool cat.

Lips: Colourpop Cosmetics' Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick in Succulent

I did however find this bow that was a free gift with purchase from modcloth one year for Christmas. So, I did manage to have one little leopard touch.

I can't wait to see all the styles that 

everyone else comes up with. I can just imagine all the awesome color blocked leopard print looks!

Cardigan: Eloquii similar | Dress: Target similar, similar, | Leggings: Torrid|Shoes: thrifted similar | Hat: Boohoo | Belt: Torrid similar | Bow: Modcloth similar

Pleats, Please!

What can I say about this Torrid skirt that isn't completely obvious? It's blush. It's pleated. Perfection. End of story. 

The cherry is the quality though. It is made of the softest fabric in the world. I expected a chiffon type fabric but this is actually jersey spun from angel wings. Just sayin'.

Cardigan: Eloquii similar | Shirt: JCP similar | skirt: Torrid | Tights: Walmart similar | Boots: Modcloth similar, similar | Necklace: Shopko simllar | Purse: Thrifted similar

Romantic Noir

I was inspired by Simply Be's Dark Noir Trend Page this fall to recreate my own dark noir look. Although, I find that term to be repetitive so, I'm going to call it "Romantic Noir." I'm having a serious moment with all the gothic victorian details. It feels so Wednesday and Morticia Addams. Lace, high collars, drapey fabrics in dark, rich colors. So, good.

We leave near a cemetery with a wildflower burial ground and I'm a little wooed by the thought of a natural burial. You would actually return to the earth and give life to something new and beautiful. No chemicals or concrete boxes preserving something that was meant to fade away. That just seems right.

Is this line of thinking a little morbid? Sure. But, that's what chilly October days are for.

Dress: Target | Sweater: Kohl's | Tights: We Love Colors | Boots: DSW similar | Lips: Colour Pop's Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick in Tulle

Octobers

“I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” ― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

Is it possible to live an entire year for one month? October is thirty-one days of bliss wrapped in a sweater and covered in hot apple cider. The air is crisp and the sky is the kind of brilliant blue that only happens when the leaves flare up and frame everything in bright orange. It's a time for family and friends. It's a time to embrace every last dying moment of the year.

That is until the wind kicks up, the sky begins to churn, and in your chilly bones you know that something wicked this way comes. The cozy day gives way to the odd, the macabre, the haunting night. Pumpkins stop being lattes and become flickering jack-o-lanterns to ward off the menacing spirits that stalk the streets. That's my October. 

When the calendar flipped from September to October I was determined to greet this time of year with the best welcome I could; something that just yelled, "hello, old friend! I have so missed our time together..." The obvious choice was to wear my Fright Rags's Zeke the Plumber tee to all of the child-oriented activities we planned that day and ring in the month of horror with some inappropriateness.

If you are a horror fan, please do yourself a solid and check Fright Rags out. They have some of the most original prints and often pay homage to some over-looked and underrated titles. Plus, they rerelease old print every month which you can vote on in the graveyard. That's how I scored this awesome reference to the most terrifying episode of any children's show ever.

Lips: Colour Pop's Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick in Tulle

 Shirt: Fright Rags | Vest: Forever 21 + similar | Skirt Kohl's  | Tights: Modcloth | Boots: similar, similar

Style Imitating Art: Be Kind to Books

Style Imitating Art was in honor of Banned Books week! I loved the graphic nature of this poster and although, I didn't have a lot of blue in my wardrobe to play with, I was really pleased to be able to use my Gatsby sweatshirt. Clearly book themed art needed book themed clothes. I kept the lines of my outfit clean and minimal like the lines in the art and used a mustard colored knit hat to pull out the yellows and oranges in the poster and the sweatshirt. I certainly felt very bookish hitting up our local used bookstore to use as a back drop for the photos.

 The Book Cafe is a dream. It's a quirky little place with piles of books stacked up everywhere on the floor, a maze of rooms winding around the building, and collection of vintage trinkets for sale lined up on top of the shelves. I immediately fell in love and felt embraced by the equally haphazard and curated vibes of the place.

Of course we couldn't leave without picking up a few treasures since everything was half off. I found a few old Beverly Cleary books, including the exact edition of Ramona the Brave my mom owned when she was a kid. Now, that copy is nestled on my daughter's bookshelf, sandwiched between A Little Princess and Anne of Green Gables, growing her beautiful, little collection of classic children's novels by one. Almost all of them have inscriptions from the previous owners and in a few years the joy they brought those little girls will belong to my daughter as well.

And the purse? That was from The Book Cafe too because why wouldn't I find the perfect purse at a used bookstore? Yup. This place was the poo.

Lipstick: Colour Pop Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick in Tulle

Hat: Target similar, similar | Sweatshirt: Modcloth | Shirt: Husband's Hand-me-down similar | Pants: Maurices | Boots: DSW similar | Bag: Thrifted similar