long story

I am so so so into maxi dresses right now. It's amazing how a dress that is so forgiving and so comfy can be so sexy and dramatic at the same time. Perfect combination! Whether long sleeved or sleeveless, a print or a solid, dressed up or casual and easy, the maxi dress is always stylish. (Did I mention that I am SO into maxi dresses?) Here are some of my favorites... and sorry, but I have a lot of favorites. :)

-S. 

Skinny Strap Chiffon Maxi Dress, ASOS

Missoni Rona Jersey Maxi Dress, Net-A-Porter

sketchy

Wednesdays are always super boring for me, so last week I decided to go with my mom to her art class on Wednesday nights. I've been sketching and drawing for a few years now, but this whole painting thing is entirely foreign to me. So far all I have completed is the blocking of the figures on the canvas--and even that needs some serious editing. It'll be interesting to see how things start to unfold once I add a bit of color and paint into the mix! I'm one of those ridiculous people that want to be good at something from the start  and dive right into the deep end. I get the feeling I have a harsh reality check coming my way... Wish me luck! Here's the photograph I'm going to paint. And continue on to see some of my old sketches. :)

Happy Sunday!

-S.

maxximum

Generally speaking, I am an equal opportunist when it comes to shopping spots. I am just as easily excited at the Goodwill as I am in Neiman's. Among my favorite places is T.J. Maxx. At places like these, digging and sifting through the crappy stuff before you find any good stuff is pretty much guaranteed. Lucky for me though, my T.J. Maxx is pretty well stocked. So I was running errands with my mama yesterday and we went in to T.J. Maxx to return some things she had kept for nearly the full 90 day period trying to decide if she liked them or not. She didn't. All this is fine and dandy (the three shirts she returned weren't that cute anyway) except that there's no such thing as a return at T.J. Maxx. It will inevitably end up as an exchange plus the purchase of all the other things you see while you're there. But when you end up with deals like I did, who can complain?

Purchase #1: Escada Dark Blue Pleated Palazzo Pants.

Regular price? $2,650. What I paid? $89. Yeah, seriously. I almost cried, I was so happy. AND they're nice and long so I can wear my 5-inch platform wedges and they don't suddenly turn into capris. 

Purchase #2: M by Missoni Maxi Dress.

Regular price? $445. What I paid? $140. And I love me a  good maxi dress. Plus, it just so happens that my mom just got me a vintage 99 cent necklace on eBay that will look amaaaaazzzzing with this dress. 

On a slightly different note... 

While I was in T.J. Maxx I noticed a bunch of dresses hanging on a rack. It was definitely not the clothes that caught my eye as much as it was the tag. I knew the designer! However, I also knew that this was the designer's first venture into fashion in a long while. Don't get me wrong, obviously I adore T.J. Maxx, but if my first collection ended up on their racks before the season was even up I'm pretty sure I would cry for at least a week. Needless to say, I did not mention to the designer what I had seen. 

Till next time, darlings!

-S.

GKODB!

Kappa klassy.








-S.

writer's block

speakinloud

Being the hopeless scatterbrain that I am, I live by lists and notes to self. But please, no Mead composition book for me, thanks! I'm on the prowl for a cute, unique journal in which I can record my musings and oddball neuroses. Maybe the pretty paper will inspire some pretty writing too... 

-S. 

So This is the New Year... And I Don't Feel Any Different

I have obviously taken quite the hiatus from my beloved blog. I now work at StyleCaster doing pretty much the same thing! Now that the holidays are past and a routine will begin to settle in (I hope...), I'm resolving to keep this baby of mine updated more regularly! I will also post links to the things I write for StyleCaster. Hold me to this, y'all! You know my focus can be a little, uh, scattered....

What's everyone's New Year's resolution!? 

-S.

Confessions of a...

I'm fairly certain my father genuinely believes I am a "shopaholic." I have always denied it vehemently! But with this latest discovery I've stumbled upon, I may find myself spiraling down into the all-consuming depths of a relapse. I can already feel the urge to load up a shopping cart, full of mostly unnecessary things, slowly creep up on me! I'd like to introduce you to my friend, Rightcliq, by Visa. 

Image courtesy of Visa

Rightcliq is a service with the mission to "put the shopping power in the hands (and laptops) of consumers, according to its website. With Rightcliq you can capture and save items at almost any online retailer. The product and pricing information will be saved to your "Wishspace," a virtual storage unit for all your e-commerce cravings. You can organize your list with a feature called bundles that separates the items into different categories and types. With Christmas coming up, it's the perfect way to organize your gift lists! To avoid the panic some people feel when purchasing items without a second opinion, Visa included the option of sending you Wishspace to your list of friends so they can view the items you're considering and offer up comments and ratings. Only adding to the convenience (and the dangerous temptation, as I've learned through the all-too-easy one-click shopping on iTunes) of this service is the option to save your billing and shipping data so you can simply auto-fill these spaces when you reach the checkout page of any given online store. Fortunately, it's VISA! So you don't have to worry about your information's security. Not only does Rightcliq require certain password fortifications, it also asks private security questions and will put a 24 hour lock on any account that incorrectly logs in three times. After you've bit the bullet and purchased those to-die-for pumps or that decadent vintage Louis Vuitton briefcase (ahem... not that I know anyone who'd kill for one of those...), you can save your purchases and tracking numbers. The key to all of this is that you can finally kill the clutter and get rid of the endless unidentifiable webpage bookmarks saved in your Wishlist folder. It's all centralized in one user-friendly location: wishing, looking, sharing, buying, tracking, everything! 

I am officially obsessed with this new gadget! It will revolutionize the way I shop online, not to mention make it far more convenient. Go to their website to see for yourself. All you have to do is sign up, install the plug-in, and start saving to your heart's content! Enjoy ;)

-S.

Red Leather, Yellow Leather

The year was 1999. I had just begun fifth grade. I was shopping for back-to-school clothes. This was my first encounter with leather.... or, actually, "pleather." My mom and I were in Gap and I spotted a garish pair of dark brick red plastic leather pants. I had to have them. You see, my tendency towards outlandish fashion started early on. Much to my dismay, my older and wiser mother vehemently refused to indulge in my youthful appetite for trends. So I spent the next week leaving her notes asking for my beloved red leather pants. When this didn't work, I enlisted the help of my friends and their parents. Finally, she gave up and gave in. Off to Gap we went! Needless to say, I never wore them. And, the tags remained intact until I finally admitted the next year or so that I was not planning on wearing them and they were toted off to the local Goodwill...

Photo: bootknockers

I've done a little growing up since I was ten. Not too terribly much has changed, though. I still purchase clothes I think I "have to have" and find them shoved in the farthest recesses of my closet years later with the price tags still attached. I still am a sucker for trends and whatever is new and exciting in any given moment. However, I'd say my tastes have refined, if ever so slightly. I am once again, almost eleven years later, desperate for a pair of leather pants! But this time around I'll pass on the red. And this time around I'll opt not to squeeze my body into stitched together tubes of synthetic fabric-- real leather only, please!

Surprisingly enough, a pair of leather pants is a versatile component to any wardrobe. While they will inevitably add a slightly rebellious tone to your outfit, there are a million and one ways to tame the temptress by pairing your leather lovelies with a soft knit or neutral colors. But, I say, what's so wrong with playing the part of a bad ass now and then? Just ask James Dean... or Catwoman...

-S.

Photos: Dr. X's Free Associations; Fashion's Most Wanted. 

  "Fashion is made to become unfashionable."  

-Coco Chanel

Click below for a few examples!

Working Girl

Photo: StyleCaster

I start an internship program at StyleCaster today! The only thing I was specifically told to bring was my laptop.... Blast! My laptop?? I have nothing even remotely cute in which to carry my not-quite-slim-enough little Mac! So while my first-day outfit is unavoidably damaged by whatever oversized bag I have to lug around like a sloppy bum, I have already taken the initiative to add a cute briefcase to my Christmas wish list. Aren't you proud of me for being so proactive about the issue at hand Admirable, I know. ;) I'm thinking vintage designer. Nothing nylon or excessively bulky. Something with just enough room for a laptop, wallet, my Ray-Ban's, and a little Dr. Pepper Lip Smacker of course....

Happy Monday, from StyleCaster's newest "Junior Team Member"!

-S.

Ornamentation

My adventures into the wonderland of dress-up and costumes always starts out so innocent... and it always ends up infinitely more involved. Such was the case last night. My mom has begun her annual holiday decorating craze. As she decked the windows in the kitchen with little glass ornaments, I picked up the pretty yellow star and told her I wanted to wear it in my hair. One thing led to another, and before I knew it she and I were conducting a full blown photo shoot. What began as a request for her to take a picture of the simple starred style rapidly progressed into various contortions of my hair, decorated with bits of holiday ornamentation I would spot around the house , and a messy slew of outfit changes. Somehow, from a sickening cloud of hairspray and abundant layers of silk satin gowns tossed haphazardly around my room, a spread of some cool photos emerged....


-S.