The Most Perfect Mini Skirt

I recently decided that it was time for me to invest in a nice black mini skirt. The past few years I have been living off of two styles of black American Apparel skirts, a Uniqlo skirt, and a couple thrifted finds. And yet none of them seemed to fit that image of the perfect black mini skirt that I had in my head. Additionally, most of them are fairly cheap, and thus their fabric is thin, or just not quite as well constructed as I would like. Being petite yet curvy, it's a challenge to find a good skirt. My waist to hip ratio is significant, which often gives me the issue of having the too-big waist that slides up or sideways while I walk (because I need to size up for it to fit my hips), or I've even had instances where skirts will fit but the seam along the back will split after some wear, Kim Kardashian style.

I knew that I wanted a 60s looking mini skirt, preferably wool, that was well-made, but also not insanely pricey. Sometimes it's important for me to remind myself that quality over quantity can make a big difference, though. Just last night I was shopping with some friends and I decided to pop into J Crew. I had remembered seeing a mini skirt style on their website, and having worked at Madewell a couple years back, knew J Crew always had a good selection of classic, usually wool,  skirts. The issue with wool skirts is that there is typically no stretch, which again, can make sizing difficult for someone with hips. But then I found this skirt. It was in fact the one I had seen on the website. It somehow has a bit of stretch, and fits me perfectly. I've already worn it for a test run, and it doesn't slide around at all while I walk. I kind of want to go buy one in every single color. I love its simplicity, yet it has nice zippered pockets that give it a modern twist. And on top of everything, it is so so comfortable. I couldn't ask for more. And for $90 (I used my student ID to get the student discount that J Crew and Madewell offer), it's worth it to splurge on a staple piece every now and then.

Apologies for not being able to find a picture of a model wearing the black style of the skirt. I'm hoping to finally get my act together and start posting outfits again, so hopefully I can just show it myself.

Charlotte Olympia Trick Or Treat

I almost shared this collection when I started my blog, simply because to me it's relevant all year round. I love Halloween and any accessories related to it. But I managed to hold off and wait until October to post it. It's Charlotte Olympia's 'Trick Or Treat' collection from last year. While each piece is amazing and perfect in its own way, there are no words to describe my love for those pumpkin shoes. I scour ebay monthly to see if any happen to pop up in my size. The only downside is that there are no ghost themed accessories, but hey, you can't win em' all. I hope you enjoy this collection as much as I do. It really speaks for itself.

October 1st!

It's October 1st, which means that Fall is feeling more and more real every day! Despite the forecast having 80 degree weather tomorrow and Friday, blegh. I'm so stubborn that I've already started wearing fall clothes, sweating through each day, hoping that it will change the weather. Hopefully soon enough. 

Anyways, I wanted to share my eyeball manicure that I gave myself this past month. It was my first ever attempt, and while there are definitely things I want to change about it next time around (making the eyes even bigger, making the iris a darker color, and the background color brighter), I think it went pretty well for a first attempt. They got a lot of compliments, and I can't way to try to do them again. I think it's spooky enough to be relevant for October.

A lot of people asked how I did them. For those of you that are interested in giving it a go, this is the tutorial video that I used. This girl is adorable, and her technique is really helpful to make the eyes look right, but with realistic nail skill expectations. Enjoy, and Happy Halloween Month! 

If you follow me on instragram, you've probably seen that I switched over to a more witchy looking manicure as of today. It was recently shown on a Modcloth post, and I knew I wanted to try it out. Which is weird because since when have I been one of those girls that's always changing up manicures? Usually my nails are a blank slate. Oh well, for now it's something I'm enjoying. I definitely want to try to paint little ghosts on them as it gets closer to Halloween! In the meantime, I'll be wearing fuzzy coats and buying lots and lots of pumpkins and Halloween decorations! 

Maude The Not So Noticeable Shrimpton

So I never thought I'd share a children's book on this blog, but I came across the most aesthetically pleasing book last night. I babysat my boyfriends niece and nephew, and like most times I babysit, we read a few books before bedtime. They had gotten some books at the library, and his niece wanted to read one called Maude The Not So Noticeable Shrimpton by Lauren Child and illustrated by Trisha Krauss. The cover was already very visually intriguing, so I myself was pretty excited to read it. And lo and behold, sometimes it's okay to judge a book by its cover.

Long story short, it's the story of the Shrimpton family. The entire family is obsessed with standing out, and gaining as much attention as possible. Except for their middle child, Maude. She blends in and goes unnoticed practically everywhere she goes. For her upcoming birthday, Maude decides that she wants a pet goldfish. Her parents, being the ostentatious folks that they are, instead get her a tiger and show it off as they take it on walks as a family. The book ends (spoiler alert) with the family running out of tiger food, and the tiger eating everyone except for Maude, who the tiger didn't notice, stating that, "sometimes, just sometimes, blending in is the very best talent of all."

I loved how although Maude doesn't like attention, she still wears cute outfits throughout the book. I feel like with personal style, a lot of people assume that people dress the way that they do for attention. I personally don't love attention, but do love wearing strange clothes, so I really related to that, possibly unintentional, part of the book. Its dark humor is also entertaining and the illustrations are gorgeous. It reminds me of a Wes Anderson movie, Emily the Strange (if any of you remember her), a little bit Edward Gorey, and maybe even a little bit Where the Wild Things Are. I'm planning to buy the book, simply because I love the illustrations, and Maude's dresses throughout the book are fantastic. We even ended up reading it a second time, and I noticed that time around that Maude is hidden in the background of some of the scenes. It's wonderful, and I recommend that you check it out. I found most of the illustrations from the book, but if you too would love to buy it, here's the link to it on amazon. I definitely plan on looking into this author and illustrator a bit more.

In Defense of Alexa Chung

Alright, I'm sure tons of people have already read this title and rolled their eyes. Over the years, I've started to learn that a lot of people out there really dislike Alexa Chung. Everyone has their reasons, and no, I don't know her personally at all, but she is without a doubt a huge inspiration to me when it comes to getting dressed each day. I don't remember where I first discovered her; probably on a blog. I don't even really remember when I realized how much I loved her aesthetic. But she manages to always combine 60s looking modern and vintage pieces in such a way that I relate to. I've always loved dressing classically, and I feel like she manages to capture that same aesthetic that I myself like to go for. Yet she still, like me, loves to incorporate weird accessories and pieces into her wardrobe, and still look mod most of the time. It's perfect, really. Additionally, while she does have some pricier pieces, a lot of her pieces are still attainable. She seems to shop at most places that I myself could also shop at without feeling too out of place.

And on top of all of that, she seems to be a very down to earth person, and she's often quite funny. There was one interview of hers I heard recently where she and her interviewer prank call a couple of her friends. She has a great grasp on awkwardness, and accepts herself for who she is. She's also very big on not taking fashion seriously, which is so important. Her style is often described as a  combination of tomboy and feminine - another thing that I relate to. In fact, I'd say that describes my personality quite well. If you were to ask most people that know me, I am a tomboy. However the way that I dress doesn't always translate that, and I admire how she manages to capture that concept.

Ultimately, it's really just my opinion. But I have a huge folder on my desktop filled with her favorite looks of mine that I'll look through when I'm in a clothing rut. If you're on board with me, I've chosen my favorite looks of hers to share here. It's quite photo heavy, so I apologize in advance.