Merry Christmas!

  

I know it's late in the day on Christmas, or for some people, Christmas has already passed, but I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and share some pictures. This isn't exactly an outfit post but more of a "look how cute my dogs are" post. Anyway... These two pups are Bubba and Ruby, two bloodhounds that my family adopted through an animal rescue over two years ago. I spent Christmas this year with just my mom, dad and sister (and of course my five dogs...), so it was nice but very low key.

I hope you all had a great holiday!

Dress: Vintage, Punk Rock Flea Market

Warby Parker's Class Trip

A few weeks ago, glasses company Warby Parker brought their "class trip" to Philadelphia with their mobile showroom.  The entire concept is quite awesome seeing that the showroom is a school bus and the bus spends several days, or in Philadelphia, 2 weeks, moving to different locations around the city, allowing you to try on their glasses in person instead of getting a home try-on kit.  I had considered getting Warby Parker glasses previously, but then I happened to have won a pair of Bonlook glasses in a giveaway, so I decided to try out Bonlook first.  I truly do love my Bonlook glasses, but Warby Parker's quality is also really great.  Although i still do not own Warby Parker glasses, being able to try them out through their mobile showroom really solidified my opinions on the company and I hope to get my next pair of glasses from them (as soon as I need a new pair!).

I also wrote an article about the event for my school's paper here.  I never realized this before, but the brand actually has a basis in Philadelphia, seeing that the four founders of Warby Parker actually went to school at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.  Also, I never realized where the name of the brand came from before and it is actually a combination of two of Jack Kerouac's character's names.  Both the fact that the brand started out in Philly and that the name is based on Kerouac makes the brand so much cooler in my mind.

Anyway...  I leave you with some really awkward photo booth photos that I took while visiting the class trip. 

 

currently listening to: Nico- These Days

Outfest 2012

Since moving to Philly, I haven't really been able to photograph any of my outfit photos.  The orignial purpose of this blog was to document my style on a day-to-day basis, but trying to take your own photos in a cramped dorm room isn't the easiest thing to do.  I thought that I might just start sharing pieces of my every day life, or mostly of the events which I've been attending throughout the city.  Anyway... I guess I'll just see where this goes.

These photos are from Outfest, an event which is held in conjunction with National Coming Out week to support the LGBT community throughout the city of Philadelphia.  The Outfest event in Philly is actually the largest LGBT event in the country, so it is pretty fun to attend.

I thought it was pretty sweet to capture them holding hands

 Guys putting on high heels...

 

 Brittany Lynn

 A drag king at the event

 Rainbows, of course

At the event there were of course lots of drag queens and kings (I interviewed a lovely drag queen named Brittany Lynn for an article I was writing on the event), high heel contests, penis-shaped bagel eating contests and various other interesting events (seriously though).  Despite the fact that it was a rainy day, you cannot help but be so happy being around such an environment.  Everyone always looks to be having so much fun, and it is just a great time to hang out in the "Gayborhood" (yes, center city Philly is called the "Gayborhood" for the event, hah!).

Street Style

 Photos by Big Rube

http://www.streetgazing.com/2012/10/street-gazing-back-seam-stockings-style.html

Well... It has been a while since I've updated here.  I moved into college in Philadelphia at the end of August and have been doing plenty of fun things throughout the city.  I attended a book signing by Scott Schuman of the Sartorialist and his girlfriend, the lovely Garance Dore, a few weeks ago at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia and I just happened to have been photographed as street style (unfortunately, not by the Sartorialist, haha).  I was photographed a few times, but this feature by Big Rube from the blog, Street Gazing is my favorite. 

The event was great and Scott and Garance were so nice.  I was really impressed by how personable Scott was, shaking everyone's hand with introductions and making conversation, and Garance was just as charming as she appears to be on her blog.  I had such respect for the both of them in the past, but after meeting them and seeing how much they care to interact with the public, I have gained even more respect for them.

I also wrote an article on the event if you care to check it out.

 

Dress: Nollie, PacSun
Blouse: H&M, rummage sale
Belt: Gap, Philly Premium Outlets
Jacket: Vintage London Fog, rummage sale
Back-seamed tights: Target
Shoes: Tahari, DSW
Purse: Vintage Coach, mom's

Orange and Purple

Shockingly enough, I'm wearing quite a few mall items in this outfit.  I, for the most part, buy items through thrift shopping, but if there's a good sale anywhere, I cannot resist.  On Monday my  mom and I went to the Philadelphia Premium Outlets to do some sale shopping, hoping for good fourth of July sales.  Although I was not overwhelmed by the sales, I found some excellent items (an $130 chunky scarf for $8.50, new boots, etc.), including the skirt I'm wearing in these pictures.  I have never been much of a Gap shopper, besides a few inexpensive purchases over the years, but I snatched this skirt for about $6, and a nice pair of pants for cheap (less than $10), as well.

The shirt is something I purchased quite a while ago while on a trip to the mall with some friends.  It was extremely cheap from Wet Seal (a store I usually don't shop at), and I have gotten quite a bit of use out of it over the past few years, all-in-all impressed by it.

Okay, and these shoes... $1.50.  Yes, I'm serious, they were $1.50 at the goodwill outlet, and I was overjoyed to make them mine.  Pretty awesome, if you ask me.

Shirt: Wet Seal
Skirt: Gap, Philadelphia Premium Outlets
Shoes: Rocket Dog, thrifted
Skirt: Fossil, thrifted
Belt: Etienne Aigner, rummage sale

currently listening to: Beach Fossils-The Horse

Yellow Espadrilles

 

Yikes! I haven't updated here since April...
Well, this is a look at what I wore to the velodrome on Tuesday night to watch some racing.  For those of you that don't know, a velodrome is a slanted oval track for bicycle racing.  I live just 15 minutes from the Lehigh Valley Velodrome, or more recently referred to as the Valley Preferred Cycling Center (I pretty much refuse to call it that, though, hah).  I was a competitive cyclist for quite a few years on both the track and road, so ever since I was 10 years old, the velodrome has been my summer hotspot.  Even though I don't race anymore (though I have considered getting back into it for fun...), I still spend quite a few nights out there on Tuesdays and Fridays to watch some racing and catch up with friends and teammates. 

The outfit I'm wearing is entirely thrifted and hand-me-down items; my favorite would be these espadrille wedges which were brand new when I thrifted them, as a shoe store that closed seemingly donated the rest of their inventory to the local Goodwill. Score!

Dress: Ralph Lauren, thrifted
Shoes: Franco Sarto, thrifted
Belt: G.H. Bass & Co., thrifted
Sunglasses: vintage, mom's
Purse: vintage Etienne Aigner, mom's

Strange

yes,these are pretty goofy pictures

Wow, the last time I posted was in February.  I hope to update on here a bit more often, and since my semester in school is coming to a close (2 weeks of classes left!), I will soon have more time to update.  The past few weeks have been kind of weird, for some reason.  The weirdest thing lately though was watching 16 and Pregnant, because I went to high school with the girl and elementary school with the guy on the show.  It was just plain weird to watch.  Strange, funny, weird, and I must admit that the other kids from my old school’s commentary was pretty entertaining (I had to follow everything on twitter, of course).  It is really, really weird that I went to school with them, and bonus points for the fact that my family’s old house is in the background of some of the shots on the show (seriously, the entire episode is of things in my town), haha!  

Anyway, in regards to what I’m wearing, the shirt and shorts both used to be my mom’s years ago; the shorts I found in a box in our attic, and the shirt I saved off of the donate pile at some point, and it has easily become one of my favorite lazy day shirts (though it can be dressed up really nicely, too).  I’m really lucky that my mom kept a lot of her old clothing, because I love discovering and wearing what she used to wear.  Oh, and I also steal my dad’s old things, too.  Vintage tennis sweaters, and over-sized button downs for over dresses?  Yes please!  Oh, and as for the booties I’m wearing, I thrifted them yesterday for less than a dollar---they are quite nice.  

Don’t you just love discovering your parents’ old things?

Shirt: mom’s
Shorts: vintage Wrangler, mom’s
Cardigan: American Eagle
Shoes: thrifted
Belt: G.H. Bass & Co., thrifted
Backpack: vintage, thrifted
Glasses: Bonlook, Simply Fabulous, won in giveaway on The Clothes Horse

currently listening to: Quilt-Young Gold

Mild Winter

This winter has been strangely mild in Pennsylvania, meaning that I don't quite get to wear all of my pretty sweaters (I just thrifted so many awesome ones, so it's quite a bummer), but I do get a bit of early spring weather; I didn't even have to wear a jacket today!  I kind of wish it would snow nicely at least once (the last real snow we had was in October), but for now, I'm loving this weather.

My mom stopped in an Urban Outfitters over the weekend, and apparently they were having an awesome Presidents day sale, so she picked up this cardigan (it was marked down to super sale because it was missing a button), and these socks (which were marked down by at least $10, I think they were about $5, or less) for me.  Thanks, Mom!  So anyway, the remainder of the outfit is of thrifting finds including the button down, skirt, glasses, back pack, and shoes.  I'm always looking for basics staples to add to my closet, and button downs are always something to look for; they can be dressed up or down very easily (even in bright pink!).  The shoes were brand new when I thrifted them, it seemed like an entire shoe store closed because they had quite a nice selection, and I was happy to have been able to snatch up these loafers.  Oh, and don't get me started on this backpack, I am seriously in love with it.  I thrifted it just before the semester was starting in January, and I use it every single day for classes.  I mean, I get a lot of use out of it, and it was only $3, so I'd say that it was an excellent deal. 

Thrifting is quite the addiction, isn't it?

Button down: Ralph Lauren, thrifted
Skirt: American Apparel, thrifted
Socks: Urban Outfitters
Cardigan: BDG, Urban Outfitters
Shoes: Eastland, thrifted
Backpack: Vintage, thrifted
Sunglasses: Vintage Ray Ban, local consignment shop, The Attic

currently listening to: Belle and Sebastian-The Loneliness of a Middle Distance Runner

Plaid

 

This vintage plaid blazer is definitely one of my favorites.  I don't tend to wear it too often, as it is one of those special statement type pieces that are meant to be worn perfectly.  I thrifted it last year, and as I recall, I ran across the store to see this beauty of a blazer.  It also has a matching skirt, but I'm afraid it is way too tiny for me, and I'll even admit that the blazer is a tad bit too small (don't ask me to raise my hand, hah), but hey, I couldn't pass it up! Although it might not always be wise to buy items that don't fit perfectly, this blazer was so special that I couldn't pass it up.

Dress: B. Moss (thrifted)
Blazer: vintage (thrifted)
Shoes: Relativity (thrifted)
Tights: Target

 currently listening to: Sharon Van Etten- Give Out