Knee High

I'm sure you remember the scene in Pretty Woman when Julia Roberts is fixin' to go out on the town and she uses a Sharpie to cover the scuffs on her heels.  This was the state that my usual over the knee Jessica Simpson boots had been in for some time.  So, instead of feeling like a hooker every time I put them on, I decided to bite the bullet and buy a new pair.  Imagine my glee when I found these amazing Calvin Klein Averie Platform Boots at Nordstrom! I haven't been a skirt and boots type of gal until lately, simply because I've packed on a few LB's over the last year, but I've been hard at work in the gym and felt like I could finally strut these babies with a leather mini.  Other than the striped sweater, everything else is from a thrift or vintage store!  The skirt and jacket were great finds at Goodwill, while the necklace came from a local antique shop here in town.  You seen in worn with stripes before here, and the rich gold and candy colored stores give a monocromatic look a much needed splash of color.

Jacket, Skirt, Necklace : thrifted/vintage | Sweater : Banana Republic | Boots : Calvin Klein Averie Platform Boot | Socks : Velvet Heart (and a gift from my future mother in law) | Ring : Francesca's 

Bracelets : Stella & Dot, Lipstick Rose, J.Crew 

Don't forget to enter the giveaway here for the Lipstick Rose Ram's Head Clutch Bangle, happening this coming Friday!!

xoxo,
sarah

Straight Hair Don't Care

I've written, cried, complained, and whined about my straight hair on many, many occasions.  It's baby fine, stringy, and plastered to my head, but sometimes I just don't have the time or energy to spend on curling every.single.day.  I've tried dry shampoo, I've tried volumizing shampoo, I've had layers cut, I've tried not washing it for a week and nothing ever gets me the beautiful, long, thick tresses that Jennifer Anniston has. See the third picture?  My futile effort at back combing left a rat's nest on the back of my head.  Awesome. Nothing like the appearance of wallowing in the bed all day, right?  Bed head ain't for me, y'all. I long for thick hair that has oomph!  Do you any of you fine hair beauties have any suggestions, products, techniques that seem to work?  I'm probably well beyond repair since my hair feels like straw from heat and product exposure, but it couldn't hurt right?

Also, I wanted to give a little shout out to Benevolent Jewels, the company that I purchased this necklace from.  They have such a super cool concept and donate money back to a different cause every 3 months. What a wonderful way to pull in two passions: accessories and charity!  They have a fabulous selection of pretty things, all at an unbeatable price point,  so be sure to check them out :)

Dress: Banana Republic Tweed Fit and Flare Dress 

Jacket: F21 Street Chic Faux Leather Jacket $18.90 on sale!!

Boots: Zara, old

Bag: American Apparel Large Leather Carryall Pouch

Tights: Merona Opaque Tights

Necklace: Benevolent Jewels Frost Garden Collar Necklace use code JEWELS25 for 25% off!

** Style Note - I am very high waisted, so in BR I buy petites because the waist and hem are both way too long in a regular size**

xoxo,

sarah

This is my Edgy

I've been a blog stalker for several years now and it's always interesting to see how the style of some of my favorite fashionistas has evolved over the years.  Some go from preppy to edgy, some go from casual to dressy, and some go from obtainable to downright expensive as they become more and more popular.  The latter is super annoying in my opinion, simply because I feel like that person becomes less and less approachable and their choices can alienate parts of their audience.  Success comes with it's perks, especially in an industry that thrives on materialism.  I've caught myself (on several occasions) being addicted to "stuff" and having to really take a look at myself and scale back.  Whether it's quality over quantity, or it's simply revisiting why you decided to write your blog in the first place, it's always good to come back to earth periodically. 

I got an email from a reader and it basically said "Do you always look like this? Do you ever wear flats? Is your hair always curled?  What's your secret?" It got me thinking about who I am as a blogger and who I am as a person.  I've read a thousand posts from different gals about the "bubble effect" of a fashion blog.  It's a snapshot of how you want other people to see you from afar.  Is it biased?  Maybe a little.  Is it unrealistic?  In my case, no. My clothes, accessories, and "stuff" are a representation of who I am as a person.  I like some expensive things, but I absolutely destroy them and get the most wear for my buck.  No matter how successful or unsuccessful I am or am not, I will always shop at Target and Forever 21.  I thrive off seeing an expensive outfit in a magazine or on a website and recreating it from a lower price point so everyone can wear the look.  I'm preppy, quirky, classic, edgy about once a month, and live in my workout clothes, no makeup, and dirty hair on weekends.  Hell, I've had these boots for two years and I just started wearing them this season because I just couldn't see how they would look halfway decent on me.  There is absolutely no method to my madness and no formula to the way I dress.  I just get up in the morning and do it, solely based on how I feel that day.  And by the way, these are the most comfortable jeans I've ever worn.  For real.

One last note - I wear a ton of stuff over and over again, just in different ways, that's not necessarily a new item every single post.  These items are eventually no longer available, so I have added similar items at the price point that I purchased my item in the banner below my actual links.  If the item is still available, it will be in both places.

Tank: One Clothing via TJ Maxx

Denim: Rich & Skinny Relaxed Balboa Ankle Cropped Jeans

Boots: DV Dolce Vita Jamison Bootie via Ross

Bag: Alexander Wang Emile

Necklace: Factory Brass Plated Crystal Necklace 

Glasses: Ray Ban Aviators

Bracelets: Stella and Dot, F21

xoxo,

sarah

Ragin' Cajun

I'm currently in south Louisiana for a wedding and am enjoying some wonderful southern hospitality.  This is my first trip to Cajun Country (minus a couple trips to New Orleans in college) and I am loving the accents, the food, and the weather!  I snapped these photos before I hopped on the plane yesterday.  A cold front blew into Dallas and I was so thrilled to be wearing boots and a sweater.  I obviously am still loving my maroon skinnies that I got a couple weeks ago that you last saw here.  They are so soft and comfy and I am so glad that I didn't ruin them when I accidentally left them in the dryer.  They didn't even shrink.

I wanted to get y'alls advice and input on what you'd like to see more of on the blog.  I have a couple things in mind, but I'm not quite the best judge of an audience.  I don't want things to get boring around here, so let me know what you want!  I'm open to anything.

Off to the wedding!  Enjoy the rest of your weekend :)

Sweater: Old Navy

Denim: F21

Boots: Steve Madden

Scarf: Zara

Bag: LV

Necklaces: J.Crew, West Avenue Monogram Necklace

Bracelets: vintage Hermes, J.Crew