Outfits Not Just Clothes

Today kicks off AWP's annual conference. AWP stands for the Association of Writers and Writing Programs, check them out here .  This year the conference is in Chicago, a city that I love and that people I love live in, aka. Kayla.  You may recall her style profile here .   Unfortunately, I am not attending due to time/money/work constraints.  However, if I had been attending this number would surely be in my suitcase: From ModCloth Slap on a turtleneck, leggings, and boots and this baby just screams writer.   And would totally stand out at the book fair.  I was also thinking this dress could be a component of playing around with the layered skirt idea from this post .  With the aid of this slip: ModCloth It would all depend on how much lace at the bottom shows and if the hem of both the dress and slip work to look intentional and not as if my slip were just "showing".  I think this slip and its version in ivory will definitely be finding my way into my closet co

So there are several weddings we're attending this year and the first wave of bridal shower invites has hit!  I'm thinking of doing something a little funky and mixing stripes with florals.  Accessorizing with a bright clutch and statement necklace. I have to admit I'm not a bridal/baby shower fan.  There's something odd about sitting around watching some one open presents.  And of course people's parents are there and it might not be the best time to talk about how you got wasted with their daughter in college, but there's really nothing else you CAN talk about because you don't really know them and all you have in common is knowing their daughter and whenever I'm in an awkward social situation I always think of the most inappropriate thing to say and can't seem to stop myself.   So... I should at least have a cute outfit right? Bridal Shower Outfit by bernadetteulsamer featuring a floral skirt

Collar needs some straightening here... Clouds! My shoe was also featured on my friend Ruth's blog here ! coat-Asos(similar here ), blouse-Anthropologie(something not all that similar, but definitely has the same vibe here ), blazer-UrbanOutfitters(similar here ), pants-BCBG(similar here ), heels- Forever21 , bowtie- AmericanApparel , bracelet- JewelMint Wore this outfit to a poetry reading at the Carnegie Library Sunday Reading Series .  The work of my good friend and poet Christina Murdock was featured.  Christina passed in April of 2010 and myself and several other poets read from her book "Burying the Body" which has almost sold out of the first run and doesn't appear to be available online after a quick search.  At any rate my friend Christina LOVED shoes, so I wore the puppies in her honor and I know she would have rocked a bow tie with the best of them.   These pants have been seen before here and her e, and I'm pleasantly surprised abou

For today's post I wanted to show off some new additions to my house.  This past weekend the husband and I jumped into spring cleaning in anticipation of our new bed! And yes that's my teddy bear Walter in his usual place of honor.  Of course wouldn't you know I'd have a bear with a bow tie! This duvet has put a bird on it! There is ALOT of pillow action here and a awesome profile of Walter. Contrasting bedskirt We got the bed, pillow, sheets, and duvet set at Macys(something similar here ) I am so in love with this bed, I feel like Snow White awakening from her class coffin with birds singing and fawns prancing.  It has definitely freshened up our bedroom and I've been trying to bring more spring into the house in general.  With flowers.  Irises and Lillies for the dinning room table have made the whole house smell airy and light. And I've also decided to change up my regular perfume for the season.  I've been wearing Banana Republ

This is my first pair of jeans that came with a warning label. jeans- Madwell , shirt -Mikkat Market , sweater- Jcrew , shoes- ShoeMint , necklace-Anthropoloige(more nekclaces here ), bracelets- JewelMint I was so excited about this pair of jeans and these shoes that I couldn't wait to get them on the blog, so I did some lay out photos.   It's all about having fun with color and not shying away from it.  To be honest the shoes are dictating the whole thing, which if fine because they are fabulous.  I love a pointy toed flat.  And these jeans are so comfortable, at least they were in the store, I have yet to take them out for a spin, but hope to do so this weekend...or maybe not, they are calling for snow.  Oh Spring Jeans, don't worry you'll get your moment to shine.

Damn I look so skinny here if I do say so myself. blouse- Modcloth , trousers- Gap , necklace-thrifted, bracelet- JewelMint , heels-NineWest (similar here ) A pretty simple look here, just a blouse and trousers, but it's the details that bring it all together into an outfit.  This blouse is just so pretty with the color and the drape and the shoulder detail, you don't need much else to make this pop.  I paired it with standard navy trousers that for me is all about fit and the right hem.  In the shoe photo I pulled the pant leg up a bit, but as you can see from the other pics the hem falls just at the right place for these heels.  The drape of the blouse half-tucked, the fall of the pants and the pointy toes of the shoes make me look taller and thinner, which is always the best detail for any outfit.  

coat/tights-Target(similar here ), tunic-ModCloth(another horse-head shirt here ), shirt- Ralph Lauren , boots-DSW(similar here ),  bracelet- JewelMint , necklace-Cookie Lee c/o Debra Reed (more necklaces here ) I did not intentionally pack an outfit to match the exterior of my brother-in-law's house, but sometimes these things just have a way of working out.   I also must admit that this was kind of a thrown together look.  Or in other words, I didn't do a "dry-run."  You know how sometimes you have an idea for an outfit and you try it on in your bedroom and play music and jump around like a rock star?  Maybe, that's just me, but anyway I thought about putting this button down under this sweatshirt tunic, but I didn't test it out.  Instead I just threw a bunch of things in my suitcase and hoped for the best. And let's talk about this tunic, shall we?  Okay, it's a sweatshirt tunic with a horse's head embrodiered on the front and gold gr

Last weekend I was in Philadelphia and had a chance to check out the Magic Gardens, which I was turned onto by a post from Tick Tock Vintage who has a way better camera than mine, but I still think I got some pretty good shots. There are so many details to notice, pictures, textures, and text. The scale of this whole area is impressive.  Taking it all in you are just blown away. The owl freaked me out a bit. This reminds me of an ancient ruin. No spectacular outfit for this adventure.  There was no way I could even attempt to dress as interesting as the venue, so I decided to just keep warm.  You can check out the Magic Gardens here  and learn more about the artist and the project.