Why are you my clarity?

This song.  Is my life right now.

Heh, I'm such a girl. ...but at least I'm a girl with really awesome boots.

Tomboyish

Mmmmm lookit those pasty white ankles poking out.  ;)

Actually, while I'm on the subject, I'd like to make AN OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:

I am going to try to fight peer pressure

and stay pale this summer.

There: now it's out there, and I can't take it back.

I mean, honestly, I'll probably end up with a slight glow: I love laying under the warm sun.  But there are so many reasons for me to really try to avoid sun exposure:

 

1.) It's healthier for my skin.  Hopefully I'll age better.  And skin cancer-y stuff kinda runs in the family, so I'd like to avoid that, too, if possible.

 

2.) I wear more of my vintage wardrobe in summer, and it looks sooo wrong with tanned skin.

 

3.) It'll be cheaper/less stressful.  I won't have to worry about having ugly tanlines, I won't have to pay to go tanning, I won't have to buy tanning oil and lotion (and sunburn ointment...heh heh).  All I'll have to do is work a sunscreen application step into my morning ritual.

 

4.) I will never look like a beach bunny or Cali girl or surfer girl or whatever other sterotypes you can think of for tan females.  My body and face just aren't set up that way, and whenever a person tries to be something they're not, it just looks sad.

 

Anyway, the whole "pale is pretty" thing really seems to be making a comeback right now.  "Safe sun" is HUGE.  And the pin-up look is always "in."

 

Anybody else gonna join me in the

fight to stay fair-skinned this summer? 

I know it'll be hard when my pasty thighs start hanging out of shorts, so I could use some back-up and support! 

Let me know in the comments!

Before I go, I'd like to point out that by shopping secondhand, this whole outfit cost me less that $40.00 (accessories included).  I love secondhand shopping!

Sorry so blurry: wanted to show off my shoes, but it only kind of worked.

Hat, Blouse, Shoes, Watch, & Bracelet: thrifted || Sweater: thrifted (orig. J.Crew) || Jeans: Forever 21

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

I wear your Granddad's Clothes...

Sorry for the language, but...HAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA !!!
Ever have a song you just play over and over and over and over etc.?  This is that song for me (currently)...maybe because it's the story of my life.
(...so if you didn't watch that video yet, you'd better do it now! or the rest of my oh-so-witty prose will be even more nonsensical than usual...scary thought, eh?)

I keep trying to explain to my relatives (on that one side...my consistant readers know which side of the family I mean) that wearing secondhand clothes (being a secondhand rose) is no longer some reviled thing, and I don't have to shut up about it if something I'm wearing is thrifted (heck, almost my entire wardrobe is thrifted! and I'm proud of it!).  The general public is more than OK with thrifting; eco-friendlies totally support it; and now this song by Macklemore is on all the hit radio stations!


Yes, yes, Mr. Macklemore.  You do look incredible.  :)  Let's you and me and Mr. Ryan Lewis thrift together sometime!

Anyway, in the spirit of wearing grandparents' clothes, here's my granny-chic outfit:

I found this beautiful skirt in a resale 'shoppe' in my hometown.  This wool skirt from the '50s now represents prettymuch the entirety of my winter vintage gear...We'll have to flesh that out a bit more eventually.  Man, it's hard being me...  #firstworldproblems

Sweater: Shopko || Skirt: Dime-A-Dance || Socks: old || Booties: thrifted || Necklace: thrifted || Broken Rolex (lol) : thrifted

Before I go: 

If you agree with me about the benefits of shopping secondhand, 

and if you haven't already, 

click the button in my sidebar about 

Shopping Secondhand First 

and take the pledge yourself!!!

Enjoy your day, dear reader!

Red, White and Cute

You'll have to pardon my silly faces and the lack of [creative] photos for this outfit...it was COLD! ...and mom was taking these photos of me right after church...is that blasphemous somehow?  lol  Sunday best!  You still get the gist of the look, right?

Love wearing same color shoes and tights!  Especially when they're my favorite color: RED! 

The photo below is my "brrrr it's freakin' freezin'" face.  :-P

While rocking the side pony.  Like a boss. 

(Well, a girl can dream, anyway.)

Don't worry: you'll see this dress again when it's warmer out!  It's the nicest little sweetheart neckline halter dress.  Usually I'm not a huge fan of tulle hanging out the bottom of a skirt, but on this dress it just works.

Sweater: Charlotte Russe || Tights: Wal*Mart || Shoes: Target || Dress: Goodwill || Bag: St. Vinnie's (I added the ribbon.) || Lipcolor: Revlon (love) || I'm also wearing an additional petticoat from Hot Topic

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

 

 

I Shop Secondhand First.

Lots of photos with my dog lately, I know, but she's just such a great costar!

This past weekend it was so warm that I wore a skirt this day, and shorts the other (post to come)!!!  All of us Wisconsinites couldn't believe it was November!  Buuuut our lovely state cured our doubt yesterday by snowing. 
This is why I love good old WI: it always keeps me on my toes, I'll never be bored.

I love the colors I got to wear in this outfit...jewel tones are so rich and beautiful, and the pattern on this skirt is one of my favorites.  It's the same pattern my grandma has on some wallpaper in her house that I've always loved. 
And this tweed hat is the first hat I ever thrifted.  I've had it for years.  It's definitely a man's hat, and very old, and I love it.

Hat: thrifted || Sweater: Target || Skirt: thrifted (orig. from Express) || Shoes: Target || Scarf: old || Bag: thrifted (Louis Vuitton) || Belt: H&M

 

Speaking of thrifting, I wanted to share a pledge I've recently taken.  I hope you, my dear readers, have all noticed the new widget on my sidebar.  Please, join me in taking the pledge below, if it's something on your heart. 

This whole thing was started by Bella at the Citizen Rosebud, a wonderful blogger who has inspired me for quite awhile.  Check out her original post regarding this pledge and see how you can get involved!  :)