YESSSS RM Black Friday Sale

I just got this in my inbox. This is what I live for, y'all.

If the online sale is anything like the recent NYC sample sale, you might be able to snag zippers and studs galore. Thank goodness I have half of my holiday gifts purchased!

What are your Black Friday plans? It looks like I'm making the rounds at the outlets, hitting up Target for $8.99 SATC DVDs, and slinking into work later.

School Colors

Dress, Jacqueline dress from Anthro; open cardigan, Urban Outfitters; 
belt, Anthropologie; tights and Kady boots, Target; school bag, Longchamp.

I didn't really think about this while running around wearing this, but this is definitely a school colors outfit. Like, wear to a basketball game and screaming at the top of my lungs school spirit outfit. I can't say I really embraced wearing gold through undergrad. That and my aversion to wearing black explains the complexity of my closet dilemma.

This is what I wore to hang out at home with the cats, go to a meeting, and attend class. Skinny jeans, a cami, and a cardigan have been my uniform while not working but today I felt inspired to put an outfit together. I've been reading Kim's blog Anthroholic and feeling simultaneously inspired by her outfitting and shocked at how many  Anthro pieces I seem to have accumulated.

Oh, and I got a seasonal job! School is wrapping up shortly and I'm so glad to have something to do for my six weeks off.

Autumn Leaves

Tunic and leggings, Forever 21; blazer, Anthroplogie; boots, 
Jeffrey Campbell; bag, Hayden Harnett; bangles, Anthropologie.

The leaves and my hair are almost the same color now, ha.  Actually I hope it's not so orange in real life. I've really been putting off getting a good hair cut and style for a long time--the roots and unruly tangles are getting to be a real nuisance. I guess I'm enjoying having a Blake Lively moment until I make a hair appointment...

This is what I wore to support friends and local artists at ICE Atlanta. Originally I thought leggings as pants would be a horrible choice, as it is actually frigid a few days of the week. But the studio space for the event was toasty and jam-packed with bodies. Will update on my goodies and new favorites later today!

Since it wasn't a school day, I felt inspired to put together a weekend ensemble using Lar's tried and true formula. Simple, comfortable, but stylish. I don't know what I would do without the blogosphere!

Say it out loud

Tee, American Apparel; leather jacket, Anthropologie; jeans, 
J Brand; corset heels, Free People.


Friendship rings, Marc Jacobs special items; 
nail polish, OPI Pamplona Purple.

Another quick casual outfit. I wore this around town to run errands and grab lunch with one of my fave ladies. Having so much free time is bizarre. I couldn't imagine living my life like this where I am just a lady who lunches. And shops. Although I suppose it might be interesting in a "my life is a Woody Allen film" kind of way.

I love this jacket and still feel a little crazy for buying it. Atleast it is convertible so there are different options for wearing it - from edgy and urban to ladylike and prim. This is what I wore to go pick up this:

Is anyone else attending a screening tonight? Apparently at 24 I am still a huge dork. I also spent an embarrassing amount of time in front of the New Moon display trying to decide which shirt I wanted.

Ahh, I'm excited! It's going to be super fun times.

Starting from Scratch

I think it started when Annabel moved to Blogger from Livejournal/Chictopia. Her style is defined by combining crisp, flattering basics in neutral colors. I am constantly envious of how put-together she looks without ever wearing anything that felt too trendy or gimmicky.

I, on the other hand, am crazy about incorporating color and wearing frilly girly things every so often. And whenever I have an "I have nothing to wear!" day, it's because the mix of things in my closet varies from wedding appropriate garb to punk concert wear.

While yes, I know what my personal aesthetic is, my wardrobe looks totally schizophrenic. My current closet as it is now leaves me overdressed or standing out for every occasion. I just want to start from scratch and wear only black and white basics until I sort this out. Am I the only one?

Things that are on my list as I clean my closet:

The perfect v-neck tee

Madewell boyfriend v-neck

The perfect pair of dark wash skinny jeans

J. Brand 912 Pencil jean in Ink, $159

The perfect printed top

St. James Meridien II Sailor Top, $85

The perfect oxfords

Frye Erin Oxford, $168

Anything else I should include? Alexander Wang tees? A specific brand of leggings? What about blouses? And I guess I should try to foray into slacks again. Pants suggestions?

Peter Pan Blouse

And one more layer for class:

Blouse and belt, Anthroplogie; jeans, H&M; boots, Frye;
cardigan, American Apparel; bag, Longchamp; Frups cat.

While I have probably complained more than necessary about dress codes in general, it is the unspoken mode of dress in my grad classes that really gets me. I voiced this to one of my lady friends over dinner the other night, and she balked. She insisted that I get over it and just wear whatever I like.

And yes, my life in B school did sound a lot like Legally Blonde.

So I branched out today, just a little. Color and a side pony?! Outrageous. I even painted my nails a crazy purple. Maybe after the Thanksgiving break I'll even venture into shorter hemlines for class.

This is what I call my "Peter Pan" blouse. I love that it is such an unexpected color in a prim and ladylike shape. It also comes in a dark grey and purple, which are both equally excellent. If I was still working (and bringing home the bacon), I'd have snatched up atleast one more color.

I know. I know!

Tee, Urban Outfitters; jeggings, AG; vest, Forever 21;
kicks, Converse; bag, Longchamp.

These are the AG jean legging/jeggings with the elastic maternity-esque waistband. They're super comf but have stained my sofa and two bags. Apparently this is what I wear when I don't work in the service industry.

I wore this out this weekend to run errands and attend a joint birthday party. I didn't make it out to Fashion Over Atlanta as I originally intended due to a plethora of meetings. This upcoming weekend is magically open, however, to check out ICE Atlanta.

So while it is inopportune for me to be unemployed right now, I would probably want to kill myself if I was doing anything that took time away from my crazy term papers these past two weeks. I really didn't know if I was going to be able to post before final exams, but I kept receiving (real life) comments about the lack of updates. Jiners, you're barely alive!

So to update,
1. Being the face of unemployment has me at a loss for what my personal style aesthetic is anymore. Sticking to a dress code for work ultimately made me want to wear super casual hipstery things on my days off. I had a really lonely collection of graphic tee shirts and sneakers as well as an untouched selection of businesswear.
2. I am going to continue to channel my energy and effort into business school, so updates will be sparse for the next two weeks.
3. Alternating being swamped with work and looking aggressively for seasonal jobs is exhausting. At this point it looks like I will just be holding a big eBay garage sale. Anything so I can relax till next semester when student loans are possible.

The Cornhole

Google Maps, why did you mislead me?


Centerpieces at the wedding


Mask, wedding favor; Corey Lynn Calter corset dress.

A few weeks ago, the mans and I embarked on a roadtrip to the Midwest for a wedding. The drive was torturously long and dangerously rainy most of the way. And once we got past the Tennessee state line, everything was pretty flat and everyone was really white.

Despite the arduous travel conditions, once we arrived, everyone was super hospitable. The wedding itself was very inspirational. The bride constructed so many decorations by hand, and every element from the origami place settings to the handmade paper invitations to the carved pumpkin centerpieces felt warm and personal. An added bit of fun were the masks provided for each guest. Mine even ended up matching my dress!

And speaking of dresses... I planned far in advance to wear this corset dress, only to find I stuck out like a sore thumb at the wedding. How was I to know that a typical Saturday night date outfit with dress, big hair, and shiny shoes would be out of place? I felt like I was dressed in a Lydia Deetz costume by mistake. Whoops.

Corey Lynn Calter Corset Dress

Not only did my outfitting fail me, technology failed me as well. The Maps app led us into mysterious cornfields and random neighborhoods trying to locate the return point for tux rentals. It turned out that the shopping center wasn't indexed on maps/satellite yet. I can't imagine what I would do or think if that happened in Atlanta.

So I guess next time I head back to the Midwest I need to pack a better map. And leave my Bump-its at home.

Happy Halloween Weekend

I didn't realize how absent I've been!

I'm sure it didn't help that midterms were the past few weeks and I was out of town the past two weekends.

As for news, I inadvertently may have put myself out of a job, so that means I'll finally be up to date in the blogosphere. More updates and more adventures, hopefully. At the very least, more photo sessions.