chicago at sunset

I absolutely adore my campus at sunset. Everything's purple-orange-blue-gold and the wind is more of a breeze and it's quiet.

So, obviously, I've moved back into my dorm, and that's the reason why I've been missing for the past few weeks. Classes (biology, organic chemistry, and social science) take up most of my time so I'm afraid posting will continue to be sporadic until my next real vacation.

In the mean time, here are some photos of my room and my new glasses!

Have a good week! Only two days till the weekend!

pennies

I'm almost done packing, and it's still a bittersweet feeling, leaving home! I'm excited to go back to a big city and see my college friends and live by myself, but being home was really nice. I'll definitely miss my family and the people who know me so well.

After a last lunch with one of my friends (that sounds so sad, doesn't it!) I stopped by DSW to see if they had any nice black flat shoes as my favorite flats have pretty much kicked the bucket. I was pleased to find these extremely comfortable leather penny loafers on sale!

They're Anne Klein and soft and I am in love.

a soft throwback

Outfit details: leather jacket from Italy (Peruzzi), H&M top, Express jeans, covington wedges, Fossil bracelet

Well, after two weeks abroad and a week sick at home, I'm finally feeling just about 100% again! I'll post pictures from South America later this week.
It's finally started feeling a bit like fall here, so I decided on wearing these flare jeans with a loose t-shirt and my favorite leather jacket (to avoid feeling too shapeless!). Flare jeans always remind me of middle school (I lived in flares) and the 70s. Also decided to start wearing bracelets (I admit, I was tempted by the phrase "arm party" from The Man Repeller) and here's my new favorite from Fossil. The keyhole reminds me ever so much of Alice in Wonderland.
This is my last week of summer! Friday morn I return to Chicago, and I'm afraid my dad's awesome camera will stay here, so outfit photos, if possible once I start college, will be of considerably lower quality, alas. I'm not sure when my next update will be, hopefully not in the too distant future!

packing!

a very messy start, but it gets better.

 

Tomorrow I leave on vacation to Rio and Buenos Aires, so today I went about packing, and as promised here's a post on how I do it!

First things first, I take out anything I am remotely interested in bringing from my closet and put it out where I can see it. The mess you see above isn't even everything I ended up pulling out.

From there, I start by taking aside and packing all the necessary under clothes/camis/tanks/pajamas. Next, I find a few clothes that are either new or haven't been worn much recently and work on creating outfits around those.

Here are two I put together working with a sheer H&M white blouse and a mustard-yellow sweater from Forever 21:

After doing this and creating more outfits with other pieces, it's time to pack! This is my trusty suitcase that saw me to France and back:

 

I start out by folding everything neatly, while keeping outfits together, like so:

In the past, I'd have started packing by layering these down into the suitcase, but I've found a better option now. Rolling! I find it saves me a lot of space and keeps my clothes from wrinkling. Even the neatest fold can still sometimes leave a crease on delicate items, but rolling generally doesn't. Voila:

From here, all that's left is to put it into the suitcase! Here's my finished product:

One last tip that isn't clear from the pictures: rather than keeping delicate skirts/lace items (as seen above) as the top layer, I always put scarves on top. I fold big scarves up into squares and use them as a buffer between pretty clothes and nasty zippers that could catch on them.

Next post will be an airport-outfit post. Hope you've all had a good day!

textured

Outfit details: sheer lace top from Nordstrom Rack, Modcloth belt, black skirt, Rampage espadrille wedges

I know, I know. I've worn this skirt way too much recently. It's just so perfect with just about everything in my closet! If you don't own a pleated black skirt, I suggest you invest in one. They're so comfy and stylish.

This week I'm going to start packing for my trip to Rio and Buenos Aires, so expect some packing posts soon.

nautical

 

 Outfit details: F21 top, Kohls belt, F21 skirt, Covington wedges (Macy's)

Please excuse the lack of photos today- I've only a few minutes to post before picking up a friend and going for coffee. 

Happy Friday, everyone!

geometry

Outfit details: Georgiou top, Promod skirt and belt, Kimchi Blue flats.

Got this skirt in France, and I've been waiting to wear it again since doing my huge batch of laundry. This is basically the same outfit I wore in France, but I paired it with my black and white Oxford flats rather than the gladiator sandals from vacation to keep it more work-appropriate. I love the geometric print on it, and the combination of browns+black+yellow. Also, it's ever so fun to swish and twirl in.
The wooden bracelet (with the orange design) was a gift from a friend when he visited Australia. The other round one I received free with an old Modcloth order. (I love when they do that.) Please ignore my severely chipped nails! I've been holding off on re-doing them since I want to have them neat right before I leave at the end of this month. That and I value nap-time over pretty much everything else.

I live on the East Coast of the US, so here's hoping Hurricane Irene doesn't give us too much trouble. Pluto (the big yellow dog in the last picture) has been enjoying the cooler temperatures and sunshine...he hates thunderstorms, so his weekend (and thus, mine) will probably not be so carefree. It's been blue skies all week though- calm before the storm, I suppose!

from mum

Outfit details: Loft top, F21 belt, my mum's skirt, Mellow Yellow heels

One thing I can say about my mother is that she's always allowed me freedom to wear what I want (within reason, of course- when I demanded sky-high-heels as a 5 year old she did not choose to indulge me). She trusts my opinion on everything fashion related, and has even when it was perhaps not safe to do so! (My middle school years did not include a decent sense of style.) And, best of all, she lets me borrow/steal things from her wardrobe without getting annoyed with me. This skirt is a very old one she bought while we still lived in England at Marks and Spencer. It used to be ankle length, but I dug it out of the recesses of her closet a few months back and only just had it shortened to a more modern length. I love the colors in it, and it will be perfect with some tall boots for fall!

summer haze

Outfit details: H&M top, Express shorts, Clarks heels

Yesterday afternoon my friend C and I decided to explore around our neighborhood with cameras. We found a small clearing behind an old house and after running around in the grass, had a mini photoshoot. It was one of the last things on our Summer 2011 To-Do list, and we had a lot of fun. It's nice to take a break from everything and frolick like kids!

spotty

 

Outfit details: Loft top, Modcloth skirt, Clarks heels, H&M key locket necklace

Happy Friday!

a scarf in summer

 Outfit details: Loft v-neck, black skirt, silk scarf from India, Clarks heels, F21 necklace, peacock earrings (??)

Wearing scarves in summer was once quite taboo, but there is one way to do it and beat the heat at the same time- wear a scarf as a belt! I've seen a lot of pictures of people using scarves as belts and finally decided to give it a try. Worked quite well with this outfit, I think!

all fired up

Outfit details: t-shirt from Target, Gap skirt (thrifted), Nordstrom belt, Bronx flats (via Nordstrom)

Can you tell I've been loving the color red recently?

make it bright

Outfit details: Target t-shit, F21 skirt and belt, Mellow Yellow shoes

It's been humid and drizzly today, but even with the break from scorching sunlight, it's still sticky and hot. That's summer in the South for you! On rainy days I think the most depressing thing to do is wear neutrals or dark colors- the weather's got that palette covered, so why not bust out the super brights?

Plus this outfit gave me an occasion to wear the new shoes I bought in Paris (on sale to boot, woo!) that are the loveliest shade of royal blue.

a hint of paris

 

I'm still horribly jet lagged (they say it takes 1 day to get over each hour of difference), but I was feeling functional enough to meet my friend for lunch at a little sandwich shop we found nearby. I must say, I'm missing French food already! I woke up craving salads, of all things. I usually detest eating salads since they make me feel like a cow, but let me say that the French know how to make a good salad. 

Thus, in my longing, I decided to wear something I'd bought in Paris- this adorable black pleated skirt. Whilst wandering around near the Latin Quarter, K and I happened upon this small little boutique with affordable vintage-style clothing. We went kind of crazy, trying on just about everything in the store, and ended up buying some wonderful things. In addition to this skirt, I bought a lace dress, which I'll hopefully get a chance to wear soon!

 Outfit details: Mimi chica top, Delia's belt, black pleated skirt, Steve Madden wedges, Revlon lipstick in True Red