Saturday Evening in Sunday Finest

The shadows on my legs are from a cast iron fence out of the photos...

Lacey powder pink top, peplum skirt, vintage hat, cameo necklace...these are a few of my favorite things!

My nails have lil shamrocks on them.  :)

 I wore this little ensemble to church this past Saturday to celebrate coming back to choir after a bad cold kept me away for two weeks. 

My husband took these photos of me.

However--not to sound overdramatic--these photos of me smiling in this sophisticated outfit are only tearing my heart apart, now.  I didn't know when these were taken what would happen a few hours later.
 I don't need to burden you with my personal problems; suffice to say that, because of a very traumatic event, I have been in the process of divorcing my husband.  This particular event is not the only reason for the divorce, merely the tipping point.  (Trust me, any fellow Christians reading my blog, that my reasoning for divorce is biblically acceptable.)

To throw a little dark humor out there: it's really too bad I'll never be able to re-wear this pretty outfit because of the bad memories associated with it.  :)
Or maybe some day I will be able to.  We'll see.

I've really never given you guys quality photos of this phenomenal coat! such a travesty! 
Isn't it glorious?

Everything is thrifted except the Shoes (Payless) and necklace (gift), and even those things are from high school.

Anyway, I want to apologize; after this post, my blogging is probably going to be quite sporadic for a few months. 

+sigh+ I've never had a good St. Patty's Day...Oh, well...There's always next year, right?

Sweet Tooth Suicide

Be prepared for a lot of photos in this post, 'cuz it's basically two looks.  "Basically?" you ask. "What's that supposed to mean?"  Well, here, I'll show you:

 



Coat on.

Coat off.

Haha  :D 
It's amazing how a look can change when you put on outerwear.  It's amazing what properly accessorizing a winter coat can do for a dreary day!  And it's amazing what wearing fishnets can do to a girl's self-confidence level.  AND it's amazing that black is the new black again this year!  There is no substitute for black.  Black is amazing.

Anyway, now that all that amazing-ness is out of my system, let's take this one more time, ladies and gentlemen.  Ready?  Three...two...one...

Coat on.

Coat off.

I called this post "Sweet Tooth Suicide" (lyrics from a song by Shinedown), because I loved the juxtaposition of the ice-cream sweet outerwear look and the black ensemble that lay underneath (like a sweet-faced person trying to hide a dark soul...or something a little less cliche).

Never thought I'd wear baby pink and fishnets together. 
Never thought I'd wear fishnets to church, either. 
Well, I did both of those things on this illustrious day.

Mmmm my backseamed fishnets...I feel like the high neckline and knee-length hem of this dress kept the overtly sexy nature of the fishnets from really presenting itself, which is why I felt comfortable wearing them out of the house (to church, nonetheless).  They added a little edge, but--more importantly--some neccessary texture to the outfit. 

Lots of textures, here: fishnet, patent leather (belt), suede (shoes), fine knit (sweater), silk (dress).

I took inspiration for this outfit from Audrey's all-black ensemble in "How To Steal A Million."

Expect to see a lot more all-black ensembles from me in the near future.  All-black is trending right now, and I'm of the opinion that there is never a chicer color palette.  So be prepared for me to take advantage of this fashion fad while it's around!

Really quickly before I go, I need to shine a special light on these, my marvy-fab new shoes:

Found them on clearance at JCP for $12.00.  $12.00!  Who lets shoes as gorgeous as these Cosmopolitain for JCP heels hit final clearance?!  Well, luckily for me, all the other shoppers at JCP did.  :)
Also: my coat was thrifted from Goodwill for $4.00.  Shop Secondhand First!

Dress: thrifted (orig. GAP) || Sweater: ancient || Belt: White House | Black Market || Tights: old || Shoes: Cosmopolitain for JCP || Coat: thrifted || Scarf: old || Hat: thrifted || Bag: thrifted

What's black and white and plaid all over?

 

Sooo sometimes I wear two pairs of tights when it's cold haha...Hopefully this year I won't let Wisconsin winter pull down my style spirit!  Wrapping up in a little fur always makes a girl feel warmer, right?

And now, dear readers, I'm gonna throw out this plea again:

If you have a piece of art that you like, please tell me the name of it and its artist (you can email me or leave it in the comments below).

I want to do a series of outfits inspired by pieces of art (not where I try to look like whoever is in the painting, but where I wear an outfit in the same color pallette that attempts to evoke the same feeling).

If I choose your idea, you'll definitely get the credit for it and a link to your blog/site in my post.

There's no time constraint to this thing, either...in fact, I'll probably be re-posting this little spiel for the next few blogposts so I get as many ideas as possible, because I've always loved art, but I'm not very knowledgeable about it, so I'm looking forward to getting your input and getting exposed to new artists.

 

Scarf: thrifted || Sweater: Kohl's || Belt: Express || Skirt: Charlotte Russe || Tights: old || Shoes: old || Bag: Forever 21

Haute Faerie Dust

This outfit didn't translate into photos very well...That's always so depressing.

It's a simple outfit, but in person I promise it packs a lot of visual punch. I know it's pale in color, and very plain, but it's all about the movement!  This top is so light, so ethereal, it flows around the body like water.  I was walking, and the "wings" of the top were billowing out on either side of me, and it made me feel like one Haute Faerie.

It was nice to have my legs out again for this 65 degree weekend in November.

Playing tourist in my hometown with a cup of hot chocolate from our local Roastery.

Annnnnd the sidewalk is now my runway.  I should work on my "model walk" hahaha I'm so good at it when my hubby isn't snapping photos of me with my phone, and then I simply suck at it when he is...What's the sense in that???  Come on, self!  I used to act on stage in front of a live audience and not get as nervous; how come I get stage fright in front of a little camera?  Anybody else suffer from camera shyness?

 

Top: old || Tank (underneath): Gap || Shorts: Marshall's || Shoes: thrifted (Anne Klein) || Sunglasses: Marshall's (orig. from American Eagle Outfitters) || Coat: Forever 21 || Bag: thrifted (Louis Vuitton)

 

Keepin' it goin' with the "faerie dust" motif, here's a detail of my mani:
two layers of Sally Hansen "Red Carpet" with a layer of Milani "Silver" glitter polish in between. 
Got the idea from Pinterest.  Yaaaaay! Something off of Pinterest I actually got off my butt and did!  Although...I'm pretty sure I was sitting while painting my nails...buuuuuut you know what I mean.

 

THANKS for reading!

Burberry Girl in a Plaid, Plaid World

I wanted to dress in such a nonchalantly elegant way that it stunned the world!  :)  It was a cold, rainy day, and I wanted to bring a little pep (and prep) and freshness into it.

Also: these are the first pictures you all get to see of the inside of my new apartment...a little anti-climactic, huh? lol I'm standing in from of our linen closet.

I had fun sporting all this plaid...  This is another outfit--like the one in my last post--that I feel is really me.  I felt comfortable and vibrant while wearing it out and about.  And I wasn't trying to impress anyone but myself.  :)  Though if you guys, my readers, like it, I will certainly be very happy about that.



Like my cateyes?  I've been doing that a lot lately...
I've also been really into highlighter.  Trying to find new ways to define my cheekbones.  Any suggestions?

 Plaid on plaid...how English of me.  :)  I'm returning to my roots, I guess.  I was quite the little Anglophile back in high school...even to the point of spelling words the English way, adding 'U's and such where Americans don't.  Someday I'll visit.  :)

 

Scarf: thrifted || Coat: old || Shirt: Gap || Jeans: Charlotte Russe || Shoes: thrifted || Bag: thrifted Burberry ||Earrings: thrifted

The PIANO SIDEWALK. and a BIG thank-you!

My dear readers, I am filled with pleasure, pride, and gratitude to announce that...

I have over 100 followers! 

Having been blogging for just a year, with very limited funds/time and a crappy camera, and from my little place in the middle of nowhere, I can't even tell you how much this means to me! 

Now whenever my family members [rather snarkily] ask, "What's the point of this 'blogging' stuff?" I tell them, "Look at all the friends I'm making!  Look at all the people who care about what I share with them, and who share with me in return!  The coolest part?  I have a bunch of followers from other countries! direct connections with special people I never would have met any other way!" 
And who knows the wonderful places it'll go from here?  Social networking, FTW!  So I'm glad to just keep on keeping on: posting my blog posts, putting photos up on Instagram (@spritzy88), and sharing cool stuff on my Facebook page (link at right).  And this kind of feedback--100+ followers--makes the sharing even more fun.

So, my mom (who has been by far my staunchest supporter) took me out to lunch to celebrate my 100 followers.  :)  Here's the outfit I wore that day, incorporating a blouse she gave me to sort of honor her in return:

This is also the debut of my patterned pants from H&M.  :)  I was soooo excited to find a pair of patterned pants that I actually like and will be able to style with my pre-existing wardrobe.  And they're comfy, too.

As I'm posting these photos, I'm seeing the effects of Instagram and Pinterest and magazine subscriptions hahaha...

What I mean is that this is *gasp* a TRENDY outfit.
 
Patterned cropped pants, sexy statement shoes, a sheer hi-lo blouse, a cropped tuxedo jacket, burgundy lipstick, and even my bangs are all "IN" right now. 
Except for my Rolex and my eyes (lol), I don't think I'm wearing anything NOT trendy. 
How weird.

These photos were taken in the center square of a city next to my hometown.  Actually, the suburbs where I live are all kinda mushed together, sooo it's all kinda the same place, but I digress; the point is that the fountain and gazebo (which you've already seen) are lovely, annnnnnd the following photos showcase my favorite thing about this square:

The PIANO SIDEWALK.

 

 

 

And with that, dear readers, this post draws to its end.  :)  I'll put one more great big THANK YOU out there, throw out a quick Rundown, and see you later!

 

Jacket: thrifted (orig. from Target) || Blouse: gift || Pants: H&M || Shoes: thrifted (orig. from Charlotte Russe) || Watch: thrifted (Rolex)