Happy Halloween!

Since today is Halloween, I'll keep this post short & sweet. Here are some adorable pictures of dogs and cats dressed up in costumes. Try hard not to squeal!!

Have a fun and safe Halloweekend, everyone! <3

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Why Can't I Look Like...Lydia Deetz (Halloween Edition!)

Since it is Halloween week, I thought I would do a spooooooky #WCW this week! Let's take a look at our favorite dark child, Lydia Deetz. In Beetlejuice, Winona Ryder plays Lydia Deetz, a dark, brooding teen that's very into death and dying. Her morbid attitude combined with her neutral wardrobe basically makes for Halloween perfection.

I channel Lydia Deetz throughout the entire year (who can resist wearing all black??) but I thought it would be especially fun to get some inspiration for an easy and recognizable costume!

Obviously, the iconic red wedding dress in the film is a staple. However, red is a pretty bold choice for Lydia. The key elements here are the spiky hair, lots of sheer and lace fabric, and of course the pale face with little to no makeup.

Lydia's comfort zone clothing is black. Long skirts, baggy tops, and lace are very important. Short bangs, spiky or straight, are vital. To top it all off (no pun intended), the floppy hat gives an extra brooding touch.

So, are you stuck without a Halloween costume? Here's a set to help you channel Lydia without having to leave your own closet!

Lydia's Key Pieces:All black everything
Choker
Gel for piecey hair
Camera
Lace
Floppy hat

Check this set out on Polyvore for more details on the products in the pictures:

http://www.polyvore.com/why_cant_look_like...lydia_deetz/set?id=138643390

I hope this helps if you needed a quick last-minute costume idea! Enjoy your Wednesday <3

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Monday Inspiration...Oxblood

Happy Monday, kittens! Things have been extremely busy for me lately - I just haven't had time for blogging. Sorry for the lack of posts!

One of my favorite colors that I've been seeing for the fall is oxblood. It was fairly popular last year as well. Deep burgundy is just such a flattering color on almost anyone and in any part of your outfit. I love wearing it as a lipstick, but it could easily be a great sweater, purse, or accessory color as well!

Let's channel some color inspiration today, shall we?

Can you go wrong with brogues and big floppy bag in this gorgeous deep hue? I will be snagging anything oxblood colored that I can get my hands on!

Check out my set on Polyvore for more information on the items pictured:

http://www.polyvore.com/inspired_oxblood/set?id=138641531

Enjoy your day <3

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Why Can't I Look Like...Aaliyah

Today's fashion inspiration comes from a beautiful hip hop star that was tragically taken too soon. Aaliyah was not only an amazing singer and actress, but a real trend-setter. Her clothing and hair was always striking and forward-thinking. Let's take a look at her style choices and try to channel some inspiration!

Aaliyah was all about two great trends: crop tops and baggy boyfriend jeans. It sure helps when you have a rockin' bod too! Also, Aaliyah and bejeweled items go hand in hand.

Menswear is something else that Aaliyah wore a lot. Fitted hats, high waisted jeans, and big sweatshirts and tees. Don't forget the hoops!

Let's look at some inspiration for us, shall we?

Do you like the items in this set? Here's the link on Polyvore:

http://www.polyvore.com/why_cant_look_like...aaliyah/set?id=138216353

Enjoy your Wednesday, kittens <3

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My Five Favorite Albums...

Happy Monday, kittens! I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. My life is pretty hectic right now - I just got a new job, so I'm trying my best to adjust and keep things as normal as possible. Posts may be a little shorter, but hopefully the content is still great!

I really enjoy making lists, particularly musical ones! I am a DJ at my college radio station, so music is something that is extremely important to me. Musical tastes change constantly, but for me, some albums stayed important. I thought I'd share some thoughts on my favorite albums with you!

This is in no particular order, FYI. It's too hard to pick a distinct favorite!

1) Neutral Milk Hotel, In The Aeroplane Over The Sea

I can't say enough about this album. It was one of the first that I listened to when I started to get into music. I grew up reading a lot about Anne Frank, so I think that's part of the reason why I feel so attached to this record (much of it was inspired by her). The wide range of instrumentation, along with the emotional lyrics, really tell a complete story. I was lucky enough to see them reunited - they played my favorite song and I totally teared up! (Naomi, if you wanted to know). Honestly, if you haven't listened to this album, please do. I don't think you'll regret it!

2) Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

I love rap music - I grew up listening to a lot of it. Kanye is my favorite rapper because I think that his lyrical skills paired with his beats/production creates the most magnificent experience. This album is just a perfect marriage of feelings, samples, and catchiness. I listen to this album once a week or so.

3) Helmet Hair, Shazam!, Everything That's Left

This one is a bit obscure - one of my good friends is behind Helmet Hair, Shazam!. He pairs his sweet and sad lyrics with virtuoso guitar playing. If you listen to Owen and his "noodly" guitar, it's very similar to the playing on this album. I listen to this album once a week or every other week - it's THAT good. If you are interested, just comment and I can send you a link :)

4) Owen, At Home With Owen

Mike Kinsella is Owen, and is also a member some of my other favorite bands (Joan of Arc, Cap'n Jazz, American Football). Owen is the solo acoustic project that has garnered him much fame. His lyrics are so sad and poignant, which paired with his guitar and lilting voice makes emotional perfection. This album speaks to me.


5) The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds

What a classic album. You don't have to skip any songs, it's upbeat, and every time I hear it, I hear something new. Brian Wilson was such a genius at layering melodies and creating unique sounds. Pet Sounds is an album that inspired tons of artists, and it's not hard to figure out why.

What are your favorite albums? I love doing lists - I think I'll do some more. Favorite books, songs, and artists. Any suggestions?

Enjoy your Monday <3

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Sunday Inspiration...Long Sweaters

Happy Sunday, kittens! Hope you are enjoying your weekend. I apologize for there being no post yesterday - things get so busy around here! Since it's the weekend though, the posts are short and sweet either way.

Long sweaters are a big trend that I've been seeing (and wearing) for fall. I absolutely love how cozy and snuggly they are - it's like wearing a blanket that is socially acceptable. I thought we'd look at some sweaters to inspire us for our own thrifting/shopping!

Thick and cable knit, woolen, buttons, pockets - all of that is up to your personal preference! That's what's so fun about long sweaters - you can have many in all different styles.

If you like any of the sweaters in the set, here's the link so that you can see prices/styles:

http://www.polyvore.com/sunday_inspiration...long_sweaters/set?id=137889500

Enjoy your day <3

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Fan Friday...Chanel

Happy Friday, everyone!

I've had a few favorite brands since I was younger, and Chanel has always been one of them. There's just something about the pieces that they offer that makes the clothing both fresh and timeless. Karl Lagerfeld and his recent revival of the brand has really cemented Chanel's permanent place in fashion history.

Coco Chanel started Chanel as a brand in 1909, and was extremely successful in using jersey in her clothing to make womenswear a bit more sport focused and less dressy. Obviously, her list of accolades is long: Chanel No. 5, sealing the permanence of the "little black dress" in our wardrobes, as well as those delicious wool suits. Karl Lagerfeld, as current head designer, has definitely heightened the brand. He is extremely forward thinking but grounded - he continues to take Chanel's past and channel it towards the future. I'm so excited to see even more from one of my favorite brands.

Here are some of my favorite looks by Chanel, as well as some moments from the runway.

Coco Chanel, wearing a signature Chanel suit and pearls. My costume history teacher always said that Chanel was her own best model, and I agree!

Some gorgeous early pieces from Chanel - quilting was very important to the brand!

Classic and timeless Chanel woolen suits

Karl Lagerfeld and his Chanel army

Karl Lagerfeld's genius mind at work - The Chanel Supermarket!!!

Enjoy your Friday and weekend, kittens! <3

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Your Thursday Confidence Boost from...Audrey Hepburn

It's Thursday and that means it's time for our weekly dose of inspiration from ladies with major wisdom! This post concerns one of my personal idols, Audrey Hepburn. I've always adored her sweet, calm demeanor and her delicate beauty. What a LADY. Let's take a look at some of my favorite images of her and read some sage thoughts!

“The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.” 

“The most important thing is to enjoy your life—to be happy—it's all that matters.”

“I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.” 

Enjoy your Thursday, kittens <3

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My Fall Fun...

Happy Wednesday, lovelies! I'm going to make this a personal post today. I've been having a lot of fun with fall time scents, nail polishes, and events. What have you been up to with this delightfully cool weather? Here are some pictures of what I've been looking at and buying:

I got some beautiful fall flowers and mini pumpkins from Trader Joe's (as well as a lovely addition of some roses by my darling mom!). I just love the colors! So #FESTIVE

FINALLY got my hands on some lipsticks that are dark enough for me! I'm pale and really enjoy wearing deep shades.

Here are some swatches of the lipsticks. One has more of a pink undertone and the other is more purple. They were also super cheap - only $1.99 each!
Top: Burgundy
Bottom: Midnight Glow

Also picked up a few new cute things at H&M. I can never pass up anything pug related. Also, the hat is really great - it's mint green and pale pink with the black accents. I'm really excited to wear these!

 What have you all been up to/where are you shopping? I'd love to hear some tips! <3

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Amazing Grace...

Happy Tuesday everyone! I'm going to keep this post short and sweet. One of the most amazing inspirations for me is Grace Coddington and her work at Vogue. To think that she started off as a model and now has become timeless in her stylist and creative director work. She's the ultimate role model for working your way to the top of the ladder!

Here are some of my favorite shoots of hers. She is so conceptual and her beautiful scenes are going to live forever.

Enjoy your Tuesday <3

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Photography Inspiration from Warhol...

Happy Monday! I love art - in fact, I can't remember a time when I didn't! My parents enjoyed taking me to museums as a child. One of the first artists I grew to love was Andy Warhol. Pop Art is a fairly easy way to get into art, I think. Bright colors and iconic images are quite easy to remember!

Not only was Warhol an amazing illustrator and screen-printer, he took some excellent photos. They are usually of beautiful celebrities or pop culture icons. They have such a dreamy quality to them that they instantly transport you into Warhol's high profile life. I thought that I would post some of my favorites here to give us some inspiration on a dreary Monday.

My favorites of Warhol's are his captivating and extremely personal Polaroids. How could I pick just one? Here is a collage of many of his greatest.

John Gould in Sea, 1982

People On The Street, 1980

Self Portrait in Drag, 1981

Who are some of your favorite artists? Enjoy your Monday!! <3

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Sunday Inspiration...Lug Soles

Happy Sunday, everyone! Again, today will be a short post but full of inspiration for us. A huge trend for the fall are lug soled shoes. I love how they look - the stacked heel, the outdoors-y feel. I love a good shoe with traction (especially in a practical sense!). Here's a set that I made to inspire us to find awesome lug soles in brown and black:

These shoes are fabulous and really showcase the big trends for fall footwear: lace up booties, Chelsea boots, and cut outs. They all look really cute and comfortable. The best part is: most of these shown above are very reasonably priced!

Here's a link to the set on Polyvore, if you'd like see brands/prices for the actual pairs of shoes here:

http://www.polyvore.com/sunday_inspiration...lug_soles/set?id=137044681

Enjoy your Sunday! <3

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Saturday Round Up: 10/11/14

Happy Saturday! Since it's the weekend, we'll keep this post short. Here are a few things that I've been watching/reading/listening to this week:

Hurry, Everything/Nothing:
http://hurry.bandcamp.com/
Local band, Hurry, rules. If you like fuzzy, lo-fi pop music, give this a listen!

Short Story Thursdays, led by Jacob Tomsky

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Short-Story-Thursday

I seriously cannot recommend this enough. If you feel like you don't read enough in general, or would like more direction in your picks, PLEASE consider joining! It's simple: you email and say you'd like to sign up, and each Thursday morning, you receive a curated short story with some funny words on why that is the chosen pick for the week. Let me know what you think about this if you sign up!

http://news.yahoo.com/video/ellie-mae-plays-runs-rings-074149465.html
I mean... c'mon - cute Frenchie being playful with a deer? This video is GREAT!

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-29556902
I'm always trying to keep up with BBC and health news. This is a wonderful and exciting move forward in kidney transplants! Anything that can help people recover faster is amazing and important to me.

What have you been into this week? Let me know! <3

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Fan Friday...Betsey Johnson

Happy Friday, lil cats! Thankfully the weekend is here. Do you guys have any cool plans?

For today's Fan Friday, I wanted to discuss a brand that is very dear to my heart: Betsey Johnson. As a young girl just getting into fashion, Betsey's fun and whimsical creations really captured my attention. Her party dresses were beautiful, bright, and fluffy. Her clothing looks like a dream for a punk Barbie. Did you SEE her latest collection - inspired by pre-nups, involving the fabulous drag queens Willam Belli and Sharon Needles? Betsey is forward thinking in more than just the fashion sense.

Betsey Johnson on her own is fascinating. She was part of Andy Warhol's hip scene in the 1960s, using Edie Sedgwick as a model for her clothing, and has grown and transformed to each new decade. Her line has spanned from clothing to jewelry to legwear and shoes. Her brand has gone through some ups and downs, but she celebrated her 40th anniversary in 2012. Not only is she a fierce woman (and cartwheeling master!), she recently was on Dancing With The Stars! Is there anything this diva can't conquer??

Here are some pictures of the woman herself and from her collections.

Betsey Johnson - icon.

Some of Betsey's clothing - as you can see, very girly and yet still punk inspired. Lots of pink, frills, and feminine silhouettes! It's like straight out of a children's dream.

Betsey's jewelry is full of charms, bright colors, and fun symbols of pop culture.

From Betsey's latest S/S '15 - Sharon Needles, winner of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 4, carrying Betsey off the runway.

Have a fun Friday, kittens <3

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Your Thursday Confidence Boost From...Joan Rivers

Happy Thursday, kittens! It's that time of the week where we look at a fabulous person and glean some inspiration and confidence from their words of wisdom.

This week, I thought I'd highlight Joan Rivers, the hilarious comedienne who passed away a few weeks ago. To say she was one of my favorite ladies would be an understatement. Whenever I got the chance, I would watch Fashion Police and any red carpet events on E!, waiting for her next comment. She had an incredible take on fashion and pop culture. Her jokes and observations were raw and at times crude. However, Joan's talent was to discuss what everyone else was too afraid to say. She was a friend to the LGBT community, as well as bringing designer fashion to the forefront of our minds (Who ARE you wearing dahhhhling??).

Let's take some inspiration from Joan Rivers today and remember to speak our minds/be open towards all things. May she rest in peace and may her jokes and legacy live on!

 "I enjoy life when things are happening. I don't care if it's good things or bad things. That means you're alive. Things are happening."

"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is God's gift, that's why we call it the present."

Enjoy your Thursday, everyone! <3

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Why Can't I Look Like...Solange

Happy Wednesday everybody! Since I am back to regular blogging now, it's time to revive our usual series where we look at an inspirational lady and take some fashion notes from her. Today, I'm talking about Solange!

Solange is a seriously talented singer....oh, and I guess she has a pretty well-known family too. She is very bold and vibrant, in both her fashion and beauty looks. Her hair is usually big and fabulous, and her clothing makes her stand out. Even though it's the fall time, we can still rock these bright looks. Let's take a look at some pictures of her and dissect what makes her style so special.

With Solange, a lot of the drama and excitement comes from her hair. Whether it is a small afro or a large mass of curls, her hair is always perfection. With hair that's so prominent, her makeup is minimal - except for a pop of color on the lips!

Solange is NOT afraid of bold prints. Even this allover print looks chic on her - it's all about proportions and the cut. 

Solange isn't afraid to mix prints. This look is balanced and colorful, as well as fun. Mixing it up makes your look casual and chic...and will probably have all your friends begging you to style them.

When working with bright colors, make sure the shapes are long and lean. Solange looks like a FIERCE popsicle here! The long coat and dress and the perfect way to balance the bright hues.

Finally, menswear! Solange loves to wear blazers and looser fitting pants. Sexy doesn't have to mean tight clothing! This look is powerful. Pairing a tailored blazer with the trousers in bold neutrals = perfection.

Now that we've seen the staples of Solange's style, here are a few pieces to help us channel her fierceness:

Solange's Essentials:

Boxy trousers

Trim blazer in a solid color

Bright colors

Patterns in separates

Bold lipstick

Mixing prints together

Solid dresses in bright hues

Large sunglasses

Like anything pictured in this collage? Here's the set on Polyvore:

http://www.polyvore.com/why_cant_look_like...solange/set?id=136886622

Enjoy your Wednesday, kittens <3

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Fall 2014 Nail Inspiration...

Happy Tuesday, kittens! It's starting to get chilly around here - hard to believe that it's fall and the warm weather is going away for good :( As you know, I'm a bit of a nail polish addict. There's nothing that I love more for fall than... dark nail polish. SORRY ABOUT IT, PUMPKIN!

I thought I'd post some nail/color inspiration for us on these chilly days when the leaves are falling. I don't exactly have a steady hand when it comes to nail art, so anything that I share would be something that I find easy to do.

I love this! It's fairly simple, with a steady hand or with some tape. You can incorporate any combination of fall colors into it - or as many as you'd like!

Marble techniques are fairly doable(with some time and patience). You can see my old post about marbled nails - using plastic wrap to dab a new color on to your base shade. I think it's great and adds a lot of texture!

Okay, okay - it's a little cheesy..but you have to admit it's cute for Halloween! Also stripes are a very easy nail art technique. Similar with the first picture, you can do as many stripes as you want with unlimited colors. So ~trendy~

The top shades for fall nails seem to be either dark or neutral:

Oxblood/Burgundy

Chocolate Brown

Navy Blue

Dark Purple

Gunmetal Gray

Army Green

Light Pink

Nude

Candy Apple Red (the oddball out)

Here are some great magazine lists, if you'd like to see what the real trend polishes are:

http://www.luckymag.com/beauty/2014/08/fall-2014-nail-polish

http://www.harpersbazaar.com/beauty/nails/best-fall-nail-polish#slide-1

http://www.elle.com/beauty/makeup-skin-care/editors-fall-nail-color#slide-1

http://www.vogue.com/1068407/the-best-chocolate-brown-nail-polishes-for-fall-2014/

http://www.vogue.com/1454445/best-fall-nail-polishes-vogue-staffers/

Happy hunting, kittens! <3

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