Preppy Gal

Here's a sticky-sweet prepster look for you all, my darling readers!  :) 

Like the photos?  My mama took them at Subway over lunch today hahaha... I'm so fancy.  -_-;;;

I do love this look though...I feel prettyyyyy, oh so prettyyyyy.  :D  My new (to me) floral embroidered carpet bag is magical!  Especially for around the holiday season; it holds SO MUCH STUFF while still being utterly adorable (and a semi-fad right now.  BONUS.).  I've been shopping and shopping and shopping lately...mostly for gifts for others, but I do give in to the [more-than-] occasional selfish purchase-whim.  *sigh*  I'm just a girl, after all. 
I've had a blast with this holiday season: writing and mailing cards, running to the thrift store for decorations, visiting the new Penzey's (spices and seasonings) shop downtown (ohhh the wonderful smells), shovelling snow (which we finally got!!!), singing at church and at concerts...it's all so quaint and lovely and gives me a legit warm, fuzzy feeling inside. 
I love Christmas time...it's so...I dunno...SPARKLY, I guess.

Headband: old || Pearls: gift || Rose Pendant: thrifted || Sweater: GAP || Tunic: H&M || Leggings: old || Boots: old || Bag: thrifted

 THANK YOU for reading! 

Sorry for so few pictures today, but just wait until Christmas Eve!!!  I have the cutest lil outfit planned...red, black, white and polka dots. with a hat, of course.  ;)  a fabulous "Sunday-go-to-meetin'" hat. 

HOPE YOU'RE ENJOYING THIS SEASON AS MUCH AS I AM! 

Eeeeeeee I LOVE Christmas!

Pink Champagne puts a Feather in my Cap

I think we all know that I love me some glamour...

I wore this to my family's Thanksgiving party.  My hat was a big hit.  :)  Thanks for the inspiration, Anna Dello Russo!  Your fearless, fabulous example gives me the courage to put goofy things on my head, too!
I spent a long time on my makeup and used more than, like, the three products I usually use (concealer, eyeliner, & blush...woo fancy).  And I even curled my hair (I never do hair) so the hat would look its best.  I was INTO this look, people!!!

So, I've told you that my hometown offered some wonderful spots for photos...here's one right across the street from my building: the town's old train station.  They refurbished it into an office building, now, but left all its charm and a bit of the train track to boot! 
The next time I want to really pose some pictures, I'll have to find a steam machine and do some watery-eyed, retro, "farewell, lover"-type shots. heehee

I went shopping on Black Friday chiefly to get my paws on the above-pictured tennis bracelet.  I've always wanted one like that, buuut I didn't want to pay out the nose for my bling-bling.  And the sweater (that's so soft, it feels like bathing in pink champagne heaven a la Dita von Teese) was a bonus Black Friday find!

Did you have any luck on Black Friday/Cyber Monday?

Let me know in the comments! 
I hope to see your finds featured on your blog, soon...

 

Hat: Forever 21 || Sweater: Shopko || Skirt: Charlotte Russe || Tights: ? || Shoes: Payless || Tennis Bracelet & Cholker: Shopko || Bangle Bracelet & Ring: gift

Plaid is not a fad: it's always rad, and I'm so glad!

Please pardon my title...

Looking at these photos trying to figure out what to say about them, one thought kept running through my head: my gosh, I've had these pants for soooo long!

They were a gift from my BFF, Piera.  :)  Back in the day when I wore pretty much only black, red, and grey they were a completely neccessary edition to my wardrobe!  She bought a matching pair for herself in blue, purple, and green plaid.  I'm sure we coordinated wearing them a couple times, 'cuz we were really cool kids.
Unfortunately, when I posted this outfit on Instagram, she informed me that she has long since gotten rid of her pair.  No more matchy-matchy twinsies days.  Shucks.  :P

HEADS UP!  Here come some kooky poses: 
(I was wearing kooky pants; I think it's only fair to do kooky poses then, right?)

Pssst: you're getting sneak-peaks of my new apartment in these photos!  It's totally a WIP, but I painted yesterday, so you'll hopefully be seeing photos of it soon.  It'd be nice to post something besides my outfits that I got creative with...maybe I'll do some makeup craziness sometime soon for a change of pace, too.  Thoughts?  Would you mind that, my darling readers? 

Also: I'm officially as of this second just deciding to ask for your help for a series I want to do. 

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.
For a bit of a preview: the first piece that I'll be tackling is "The Kiss" by Gustav Klimt:

 

Anyways, I just want to show off my accessories one last time...

 



...and then I'll sign off!  :)

'Bye all my loves!!!  Talk to you soon! 
(And please don't forget to comment with an idea [or several] for my upcoming series!)

 

Beret & Sweater: Wal*Mart || Pants: gift || Purse: thrifted || Shoes: Target || Bracelet/Necklace: Charming Charlie || Earrings: thrifted

 

 

NYFW Outfit Day 4

I had a tricky situation on hand this particular evening: I needed an outfit to go straight from church to drinks with friends at a casual pub.
Conclusion?  Skinnies and a blazer!  Works for everything.

Anna Dello Russo said: "There's nothing sexier than excess."  I decided to rock that vibe.  My outfit needed sprucing up since I went with all neutral colors, and I wanted to add some kind of trendiness to an otherwise classic look.

Rundown of the bling-bling:

Tiny angel on tip of lapel: gift (it's holding my birthstone) || All gold brooches: thrifted || Silver and Crystal brooch: handed down from my great-grandmother || Watch and Bangle: thrifted || Charm Bracelet: handed down from my grandmother

 

 Photo cred goes to my little brother.  He's always my best photographer!  :)  I gave him a hard time when he tilted the camera for the above shot, but look how cute it turned out!  Shows what I know, eh?  Thanks, boo!

Jewelry: see above || Skinnies: ELLE for Kohl's || Shoes: Dana Buchannan for Kohl's || Blazer: MaxRave || Scarf: thrifted || Clutch: thrifted || Sunglasses: Target

Thanks for reading!

"Fever"--Michael Buble

Play the video and listen to the song while you check out the following post.  :) 
It was my mood music for this outfit.

And now, for those in want, may I present to you a bit of:

(...with a little bit of leg.)

 (...OK, OK, with a lot of leg.)

This is what I wore to dinner on Saturday night.  The hubby took me out to celebrate my birthday.  :)  As such, it was a prime opportunity to be ridiculously overdressed. 

And so I was.

hoity-toity Queen for a Day

I really do think my husband's cache of combat boots classes up the picture, don't you? 
These photos were all snapped at my house by my loving hubby when we returned from dinner and drinks.

My accessories need a moment in the limelight here:

Faux fur wrap and lots of sparkly things!!!  Now THAT's a birthday outfit!

You get a glimpse of my nail art in this photo.  I am constantly updating Instagram with my nails, so please feel free to find me there!  I'm kind of obsessed with Instagram right now... @spritzy88

Some giggles...

 And now, ladies and gentleman, I have a question to put to you all:

Upon my recent perusal of magazine pages, I came across an article which informed me that slits were making a comeback.  I personally think a slit is a much more generally friendly way to display some leg (rather than a micro-minidress or whatever), so I'm content with this movement.  The only qualm I have is that I'm afraid of looking trashy, and slits can sometimes do that.

What about your thoughts, dear readers, on this matter?   
To slit or not to slit?

 I seriously want to hear what you all think.  Leave a comment or tweet @spritzy88 about it.

And now, dear readers, I will leave you today with "the Rundown" and the giggles.

Dress: Forever21 || Sparkles: gifted || Wrap: Gift || Shoes: Anne Klein (thrifted)

completely unretouched photo

 

It's a Mary Tyler Moore thing.

 My mama was snapping some shots of this outfit at the strip mall after we had a lunch date (hoity-toity ladies-who-lunch, that's what we are), and a gentleman walking into a shop called out, "Looks like a Mary Tyler Moore thing!"  I shouted back, "I do my best!" while thinking to myself, YES, now I don't need to think of a title for my blog post!  That's always the hardest part for me.  Don't know why.

The fabric is light as air (and quite sheer WHEE).

This outfit is a pleasure to wear.  And it made a couple of little old ladies very happy to see it, too!  :)  That's my favorite.  I'm hoping it reminded them of their past...

I've noticed that, while some fashionistas would take this dress and try to update it and make it modern, I'm not like that.  I'm aware of fashion and trends and stuff, but there're several reasons I call this blog a personal style blog and not a fashion blog.  One of these reasons is that when I wear vintage, I try to keep the rest of my outfit as authentic-looking as possible.  I don't mix time periods.  And I don't feel costume-y when I wear this stuff; in fact--I'm proud to say--I feel most comfortable wearing vintage and retro styles.  It makes me feel pretty and happy.  So why throw on a leather biker jacket and ruin that [just to be hip]?  But, that's just me.  :)  If you're one of those fab fashionistas who likes to twist things to modern, go for it!  I admire those sensibilities, 'cuz I don't have them.  (Never fear: there IS a biker jacket in my wardrobe; you'll see it some other day.)

 This dress is a new favorite for sure.  I don't wear a lot of blue, but this periwinkle shade is a winner!  Especially when my skin returns to its typical pallor--er, excuse me--alabaster state, I think the result will be quite an ethereal aura.  Well, I hope so... At least, a girl can dream.

Beauty in the details...

Dress: thrifted || Collar: H&M || Hat: Forever21 || Shoes: gifted || Purse: thrifted || Gloves: Forever21 || Sunnies: Marshall's || Watch & Cuff: thrifted

Before I sign off, I just wanted to thank everyone who's helped get me to 40 followers on GFC!  I've only been blogging (part-time, as I can) for a few months, and already I've got 40 people who care to read it.  :)  I'm flattered...

Well, I'll see you later!  If you want to see me sooner (haha) go ahead and follow me on Twitter/Instagram/Pinterest!  I'm kind of especially addicted to Instagram right now...  @spritzy88