on trends

Looking at fashion from previous decades, it's easy to nail down certain time periods.

+ Full skirts, pulled in waists, perfectly coiffed hair? 50's.

+ Flowing skirts, hippie jewelry, long straight hair? 70's.

+ Neon, shoulder pads, big hair? 80s/early 90s.

They say because our decade (the 20teens? the 2010s? what do we call it?) lives and breathes fast fashion that our "style" will be harder to nail down. I always thought that since what we do nowadays is a lot more natural (more neutrals, no crazy clothing pieces or hair styles) that we will be considered pretty timeless but I probably only think that because that's what we're living right now and maybe everyone in 1994 thought the same thing (although please, I disagree - this is not cute).

I was thinking about current trends - chambray, print mixing, neon (which I'm still refusing to participate in), skinny jeans - and I wonder if we'll look back at our blogs/yearbooks/facebooks/family photo albums and wonder what in the world we were ever thinking. Are we going to have to explain to our children that mixing stripes and florals (or ya know, plaids because Wisconsin is still firmly in winter) was the cool thing to do in 2013 and it was totally on trend? That wearing a denim shirt with denim pants was completely socially acceptable and not just in Canada (I kid!)? That neon made a resurgence and we (you...) welcomed it back with open arms?

What do you think - are there any trends you think we'll regret or is what we are wearing now timeless and not year-definable?

Shirt: Gap  [exact on sale]
Chambray: Old Navy  [exact]
Jeans: American Eagle  [exact]
Scarf: DIY
Boots: Steve Madden
Watch: Fossil  [similar]
Rings: Galisfly

On a side note, with daylights savings time I now have to take pictures after work again, which means there is more traffic. I take pictures on a little side road, but three cars specifically drove over to me to see if I need help - apparently a girl standing behind her car while it's snowing is a girl in need. That's what you get for living in the Midwest. Here's my reaction after I heard the third car pulling up to me. I just politely declined their help as they awkwardly stared at me and my tripod trunk. That things I do for you...

ketchup and mustard

I'm ready for this week to be over. Two people of 4-person team were pulled into a different department so now we have to cover their duties as well so this week has been a little (a lot) hectic. We're also supposed to get a huge snow storm tomorrow - gross. I seriously hate snow so I ask myself why I live in this state every winter.

The good news is once Friday comes, I get to fly off to the Gulf for a week to spend time with the entire family. Plus Chris will finally be home for a while :) God I've missed that guy.

linking up with wiww.

Sweater: Thrifted  {save / splurge}
T-Shirt: Gap
Scarf: DIY
Belt: Madewell  {similar}
Jeans: Joe's Jeans  {similar}
Shoes: Tory Burch  {exact}
Watch: Boccia
Nails: Deborah Lippmann Stormy Weather {exact}

After my last post about my thrifted Grandpa sweater (did you guys like the song?), Bri asked if I had any tips for thrifting.  To be honest, I haven't done a ton of thrift shopping in my life so I don't have years of experience to tell you how the best way to go about buying clothes second hand. I've only gone to our local Goodwill, Savers and St. Vinny's but here are a few things I've learned from those experiences and from around the internet:

- Take your time. The thing with thrift stores is that there is no display or giant racks of the same thing. Look through each rack piece by piece.

- Try on anything that catches your attention. You'll never know until you try!

- Find out when your local stores have discounts. Our Savers store is 25% off on Mondays. Goodwill has weekend sticker percentages off. St. Vinnys often has a certain type of item on sale. A $4 sweater becomes a $3 - we all know how much I love a bargain!

- Don't forget to wash anything you buy. 

- For all your experienced thrifters, I would welcome any tips you have as well!

dresses at work?

Wearing pants is something that I thought was mandatory at work. I re-read our safety regulations recently and it specifies that legs need to be covered - nothing specifically about wearing pants! For most people, dresses/skirts with tights is a no brainer, but after 14 years of dance recitals, I was certain I would never make myself do that again. After watching girls like Kimmie and Whitney rock cute tights with their dresses and skirts, I was willing to give it another try. I was offered the opportunity to try out some No nonsense tights and leggings, so what's a better way to test out if I liked the dress/tights look than with free tights? 

I'm also unsure how I feel about Louboutin shoes and Chanel bags...

Kidding! Back to the tights. I received these cute purple patterned tights and red corduroy leggings.  The tights were a no brainer. I wanted as much of my legs "double covered" so I wore my old beat up boots (future post to come about upgrading to a nicer pair). Because I am fairly tall (5'9''), most regular dresses tend to be a bit short on me, so wearing tights actually helped me feel less exposed in the thighs. The tights held up very well throughout the day. They were long enough for me so there was no awkward gapping, and the control top meant I didn't have to suck in as much. Now that I know I can actually wear skirts and dresses (as long as my legs are still covered) to work, I'm excited to expand those parts of my closet.

Dress: Old Navy  {very similar}

Tights: No nonsense (c/o)

Scarf: gift from my mom

Belt: The Limited  {save / splurge}

Socks: Urban Outfitters  {very similar}

Boots: Steve Madden  {similar}

Watch: Boccia

I found bright red leggings a little harder to fit into my normal day-to-day wear. I maintain that leggings are not pants to be worn with a short shirt, so a tunic was necessary for me. I wore my leggings with a sweater tunic, scarf and jacket for a walk out with the dogs. The nice thing about these leggings is that they are corduroy so they kept me warmer than some of my other cotton leggings. I would recommend sizing down though, as my pair were a little too large for me. I've been wearing my pair around the house a lot as they are so comfortable!

Jacket: Souvenir from Germany  {save / splurge}
Leggings: No nonsense (c/o)
Boots: Steve Madden {similar}
Hat: Forever 21
Scarf: DIY

Dog: not for sale ;)

Disclosure: Find your pair of affordable No nonsense tights and leggings here. I was sponsored by No nonsense for this opportunity. All opinions are my own.

Deutschland x Zwei

Guten Tag! Another little update from Germany (see the first update here). Since leaving my grandma's, we've been in the city where my aunt and uncle live. I lived here in 8th grade when I went to school here for a year, and it's interesting to see how much, and at the same time how little, has changed. Here are a few snapshots...





The pharmacies are always so fancy here, especially the signs...

...and so are the jewelry stores.

Enjoying a mid day beer down on the river with my uncle.

My aunt makes amazing quilts. She made me one back in 8th grade, and I still use it all the time. She made this one for my cousin, her stepson, for his 30th birthday.

Out in the city with my aunt's dog, Hermione. She's the most playful dog I've ever met. She looks like such a little teddy bear!

Blazer: J. Crew  {exact}
Scarf: DIY
Shirt: H&M
Bag: Mountain Stone via Boston Store  {similar}
Jeans: American Eagle  {exact, on sale}
Boots: Steve Madden  {similar}

We went shopping at Hof - of course we had to go in and look around (and buy a few things)!

Yesterday was my cousin Johann's 30 birthday. Family members, co-workers, and childhood friends all came together to celebrate.

He was thrilled that his uncle, my father, was there.

At 82, my grandma was the first up to dance! Ok, just kidding, but she was having a great time.


Now my second cousins (I consider them first cousins because we're close in age and because our family is so small) are here with their babies. Tomorrow we leave to fly back already. I'm sad to leave, but at the time same I'm happy to going back to my own bed, my own schedule, and not eating all the time (ok, I will miss that).

Tailgating

Yesterday was the first time Chris and I actually tailgated before a Badger game...even though we've been to dozens of games (shockingly, you're not allowed to drink if you're in the marching band). It was also the Halloween game (and Homecoming) so there were lots of costumes out and about. Chris's friend Mike went as Santa, and Chris was...a Wisconsin gangster? Yeah, no idea. I'm not a big Halloween person so I did not dress up. Not sorry.

Sweatshirt: University Bookstore
Vest: The North Face
Scarf: DIY
Jeans: Urban Outfitters
Boots: Frye
Sunglasses: Color Me Rad Souvenir

This month's Budgeting Bloggers is up and can be found here!






Linking up with Modern Modest Beauty.

Holes in my Closet: Black Cardigan

I've been going through and reorganizing my closet lately, and it has led me to evaluate what clothes I wear a lot, and which ones I don't. I wear cardigans and blazers all the time, so I also noticed what I'm lacking in those areas. I've been meaning to get a black cardigan for a while, but most that I find are too short on me. I stopped by at Old Navy this weekend to see if I could find a certain dress, and found this cardigan instead. With a 30% off coupon, it only cost me $13. It's not an investment piece in price, but it is something my closet was lacking.

In a few days for this month's Budgeting Bloggers I'll talk about a few other holes in my closet I'm hoping to fill in the coming months.

Cardigan: Old Navy  {exact}
T-Shirt: Gap
Scarf: DIY
Jeans: American Eagle  {exact}
Belt: Old Navy
Shoes: Tory Burch  {exact}
Nails: Revlon Grey Suede
Watch: Boccia
Ring: hand-me-down from my mom

Have you noticed any holes in your closets? Is  there anything you've been looking for recently?












Congrats to Rosy for winning the Tube Bracelet Giveaway! Thank you to everyone that entered!

Handsome

I'm still feeling a bit under the weather, so I'm going to just leave this adorable picture here instead of subjecting you to my sick face. Hans loved the fabric so much when I was making my scarf that he got his own from the left over scraps. He's a handsome little bugger, isn't he?








Don't forget you can win a human sized scarf for yourself here!

EBEW: Schooltime

This month's Everybody, Everywear theme is back to school. I already wore a back to school outfit last week, but I don't need many excuses to wear my new blazer and scarf!

A note on the blazer: I've been looking for a red blazer for some time now, both for regular outfits and for football Saturdays. I got this baby for $27 (I refuse to buy anything from Old Navy at full price - there is always a sale going on!). It is unlined and a bit stretchy which means it isn't that bulky. The only fault is that the material that makes the lapel and opening of the jacket has folded over fabric that would sometimes stick out. I bought iron-on adhesive (~ $3 at a fabric store) and ironed down the inside fabric. It was super easy and the added stiffness really makes the blazer sit better.

I was debating wearing my yellow loafers but I felt it was a little too Ronald McDonald...

Blazer: Old Navy (exact)
Scarf: DIY (you can win one here!)
Tee: Gap
Jeans: Urban Outfitters
Shoes: Simply Vera Vera Wang
Watch: Boccia
Nails: Seen here







Linking up with EBEW, wiww and real girl glam.

Homemade Flannel Scarf + Giveaway

In my Fall Wish List post, I mentioned that I was going to make my own flannel infinity scarf. I couldn't find any in stores or online that I really liked (or were less than $50).

Now that Chris is 3 hours away, I have a lot more time (and table space) available so I spent an hour making one! I googled instructions (I used these) after debating fabrics at Jo-Anns. I love the way it turned out.

Luckily for you, I had so much fun making my own, I'm making another to give away! See below for instructions to enter. This is open internationally. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway