Tailor-Made

So I mentioned this lovely light jersey top that I got from Urban Outfitters that had fake leather rosettes framing the neckline a while back. Unfortunately, when I bought it, the neckline was super-low...and I'm not really one to layer tanks a lot, I don't really like the feeling of it. It turns out that the low-cut neckline was actually the back. But with long hair, I couldn't really see the practicality of keeping the lovely rosettes on the back of my tank, so I figured I'd do a little bit of editing. Besides, fashion is an interpretive form of expression, right?

So here's the tank as it looks now...and I love it! I cannot believe it was only $10.

Urbanized

I sincerely hope that other people were able to experience the true joy and happiness that was Urban Outfitters' "Sale's on Sale" event. Essentially, everything on sale was...another 50% off. Amazing, right? Things tended to run on the expensive side, like $29.99 or so, but I was able to snag two great items for $20 each...which were $10 each with the discount.

The first item is a really pretty black tank top with a leather rose trim (well, probably fake leather). I didn't take a picture of it on me, because it's ridiculously low-cut and I'm planning to shorten the straps enough that I don't need another tank underneath it. The best thing about this tank is the trim; the stiff fabric ensures that it won't droop after the first laundry run.




The next item is this great pleated dress in a basic shade of blue. It's a bit on the big side for me, but I still really like it. When worn by itself, it looks a little cocoon-like, and I would probably only wear it like this if I was trying to evoke a more laid-back, boho/indie style.


If I wanted to look a little more crisp (or...a little less poufy), I'd wear it with a belt. I couldn't find my usual thick black belt, so I opted for a satin ribbon. It gives basically the same effect...which I love! It really enhances the pleating. This dress was so worth $10.

City Footsteps

I'm trying to think about practical college shoes to buy, and I'm thinking of investing in a nice, comfy pair of everyday shoes, like ballet flats or moccasins. I usually opt for ballet flats, but I'm thinking of getting a really nice pair that's totally comfortable and doesn't have a hint of future blister causings anywhere. I don't own a pair of moccasins currently, but at Nordstorm Rack I tried on this incredible soft, pliable pair with a squishy inside that seemed like it would make any walk to class bearable.

I've been thinking of getting a pair of little leather booties to wear during colder times, when it's not summer but not winter, because sneakers aren't really my thing. I'd go for leather rather than suede just in case I do encounter snow, where suede would be rendered white and crusty in a mere couple of days. Here are three little leather picks from Urban, each $29.99

Strip-Strap

In my quest to update my shoe wardrobe, I have been attempting to decide what type of shoes I would like. I've been looking at a lot of nude-coloured styles lately, because I love anything that will lengthen my legs in the least. I've also been quite captivated by the edgier, more strappy sandal styles with buckles and studs and bits and bobs.

This pair from Urban caught my eye, but alas, they are $58.


So I think these will be my new summer sandals: they were $20 from GoJane. The quality of the sandals may be dubious, but I will likely use them for the rest of this summer and a bit of next summer.

Splurge vs. Steal: Black and White

So, while browsing Nordstrom's post-anniversary-sale-sale-offerings, I came upon this wondrous piece of bandaged greyscale goodness:


But alas, even on sale it's $116.90. Definitely not budget-friendly. Thank goodness there's this alternative at Urban Outfitters!


Though the Urban dress is decidedly less formal, I love it to pieces. It's $48, and I'm kind of considering buying it...except for the simple little fact that I don't exactly have an occasion for it and I have a plethora of other dresses that I should probably wear before purchasing a new one. But isn't the print lovely! I'm even considering getting it in a -gasp- colour!


I know, I know, potentially picking the coloured one over the plain one is pretty life-changing. But it's just a possibility! I happen to like the colour combination in this particular dress.

Hold Your Money

My latest obsession? Cute money holders from Urban Outfitters. My only wallet at the moment is a kate spade zip-up, and I really want a "real" wallet for college.

These hinge wallets have been everywhere. Forever 21, H&M, Urban Outfitters, Wet Seal...you name it, they've got a wallet like this one. I personally love this watercolour style print, because it reminds me of a Monet painting. For me, personally, I'm looking for a kiss-lock wallet, and this has more of a hinge-style closure. $20.00


I really like this wallet. It's a full wallet size, the colour is fun and punchy, and the twist lock on it is just a great added detail. I love closure details; kiss locks, buckles, and twist locks are always fun for me. $14.99


I would get it, but...isn't this cute little coin purse tempting? I love the contrast between the girly pink and the zipper flowers. Sigh, if only this was a full size wallet. $19.99

Envisioning

What I would wear my beauteous cutout oxfords with...if I owned said beauteous cutout oxfords.


A pair of simple, sheer black tights to shield me from the cold.


A floaty, sweet lace dress that is so sheer it requires its own slip (nude, to be sure...white would look tacky and cream might be too sheer itself).


A coated linen blazer, putting me in the "hipster blazer-wearing folk" category without making me into some goth punk (not that I have anything against leather jackets and studs...just perhaps not with this look).


Oh, and Santa? If you happen to be listening, I'm a size extra small (for the white dress) and have size six feet.

Isn't She Glove-ly

One of the most popular gifts to give around the holidays is a cute pair of gloves or mittens. This is actually a popular gift that I give out, just because it's fun personalizing peoples' handwarmers in ways that fit their personality, but you know that a cute pair of gloves is an indispensable item. So, for those of you trying to find quick gifts for people, here are some glove-ly picks from Urban Outfitters.

Also, I have a lot of posts that I was going to do for November, but alas...it's about to be December. Sorry guys! I'll try and get them all up tonight.

Striped Crochet Convertible Glove, $14.99


Lady Button Gloves, $14.99


Rugby Striped Glove, $9.99

Cut it Out, Oxford!

While cutouts and oxford may not seem like they would be a good pair...



...perhaps one ought to reconsider?

I, for one, am in love. Perhaps I'll splash out on these instead of a new pair of boots...after all, these can be worn year-round and I can only wear boots when it's really cold outside.

Slithering Style

A long, long time ago, while I was browsing Fabsugar.com, I came across a "Style This" challenge based on a scenario where you're having drinks with your ex. The "this" that Fabsugar wanted us to style was an incredible serpent ring, from Boucheron. Unfortunately, it also had an "incredible" price of $2,180.


For a while now, that snake ring has been stuck in the back of my head. I love jewelry with little details that make people take a second glance, and this is a perfect way to add a little bite to an otherwise cutesy outfit. So, you can imagine my pleasant surprise when I happened upon this little treasure at Urban Outfitters for only $16.00.


I'll let you guys know how it looks...I'm buying it in gold, personally, because it resembles the Boucheron ring the most. I loved the Urban ring at first glance, but now that I'm writing this post I realize that it doesn't quite have the same fierceness of the Boucheron ring. But hey, such are the perils of being recessionably chic...I'm still going to love that Urban ring with all my heart.

A Ruffle of Disappointment

If you remember from previously, I adored this top while it was online. And just my luck...I found it at my local Urban, reduced to $9.99! But unfortunately I wasn't able to buy it, because it was really not flattering at all. If you're looking to order this top online, I would definitely try it on at a local Urban Outfitters before buying, because on some people the ruffles can be a little much. When I tried the top on, I had the straps shorter than the model, so that may have had something to do with it, but on me, the ruffles were a tad bit...much. The top looks soft and delicate in the promotional shot, but on me I felt like the vibe I was giving off wasn't soft and boho, it was froufrou and poufball. As far as petite people go, my chest is a pretty good size (sigh...awkward), so that may have been part of the reason why the top two ruffles just seemed to stick out way too far.

Is it bad that in theory I still kind of want it? It's only $10.00...

Aviation 101

So at the beginning of the summer, I convinced myself that I was going to buy a pair of aviator sunglasses. I've never really spent money on sunglasses because I don't wear them that much, but I really really want a pair of aviators. However, at the beginning of the summer I was going through my don't-buy-lots-of-small-things-save-up-for-big-things phase, and thus I was convinced I would be able to save up for a $100+ pair of Marc by Marc Jacobs aviators, or even Ray-Bans. It turns out being a teenager without a job doesn't exactly lend itself to investment spending. So now, the philosophy is still saving up for things I really want, but in this case what I really want is a pair of aviators and unfortunately they aren't going to be quite as designer as I had hoped.

I'm trying these pairs on next time I hit up Urban:

Metal Rimmed Aviators, $14.00


70's Aviator, $18.00

Urban-Loving Lips

To continue the last post about Urban Outfitters and its mystery beauty section (I had no idea!), here are three lip products that caught my eye...each for different reasons.

The first product is this lip marker, by Bella. I love the idea of really natural-looking lip stains, and I think that this would do wonders on those days when my usual lips are looking totally non-pigmented and when I don't have time to do a full face. Plus, they're useful at places like the beach where you really don't want to look like you have too much makeup on. Even though $12.00 is a pretty good price for a lip marker, I probably would leave this beauty wish on the shelf, because sometimes these lip marker-esque products can go horribly awry. I'm fairly sure they won't let me test it out at Urban Outfitters, either.


The second product is this amazing mini lip gloss set by tarte cosmetics. Like I said in my previous post, I love any sort of product that's miniature, because it allows me to indulge my beauty product-loving self without having to feel like I'm wasting too much. Plus, these are perfectly purse-sized! My usual problem with travel-sized items is that they usually come in sets where I only want some of the items but to be honest...I think that I would love every single colour in this set. Some may look a little strange at first glance but I've learned (after a lot of misconceptions) that you should always purchase a louder lip gloss colour than you think you need, because they always sheer out. That could just be because I don't enjoy globbing on my lip gloss. But the red/pink duo seems safe and fun, as does the gold gloss. The coral colour looks a tad orangey, but I imagine it will be something like the High 90s slimshine from MAC, which looked a tad bit scary in the tube but turned out to be a lovely coral colour for lips. The two nude shades look like they would be great for work...the brown colour does look a bit dark, but I'm willing to bet that it's a lot more nude in real life. Did I mention that this entire set is on sale for $20.00? I am so hitting up Urban Outfitters tomorrow to see if they stock it.


And finally, another one of those items where you never really know who came up with the original idea. Everyone loves Crazy Rumors' tea and coffee flavoured balms...especially this company called Tea Time. The set includes lip balms in the following tea flavours: sweet lemon tea, vanilla chai, orange spice tea, peppermint, ginger peach, apple cinnamon and strawberry mint. Sound familiar? I thought so.

Urban Decay/Outfitters

I made this amazing discovery recently that I wanted to share with you guys...the beauty section at Urban Outfitters! Well, at least, Urbanoutfitters.com. But still! Who knew that the indie crew that fosters Anthropologie and Free People would have a beauty section? Granted, it's pretty limited, but I found something that you might like.

A recent trend for those that love colour but don't want to go overboard is to use coloured eyeliner. A simple line of navy blue or teal can add instant spice to a look without going crazy. Plus, for those that are used to a line of black eyeliner, using navy blue or dark purple can often help to make your eye colour pop without looking that different from black.

A product I've recently heard a lot is Urban Decay's 24/7 eyeliner pencils. I've been wanting to try them out, but I haven't really gotten the chance to. So, imagine my surprise when the perfect opportunity to give these little pencils a spin popped up at Urban Outfitters! This set of 5 Urban Decay eye pencils is only $29, which is about $6 a pencil. Personally, I love anything that's travel-sized, especially if it's in a set like this, because I love to vary my beauty products and I inevitably will never use up a full-length eyeliner pencil. Not that I'm planning on using up a travel-sized one either, it's just that I don't feel as bad buying more beauty products when they're mini.


This set contains 5 colours, Lucky (dark copper), Zero (black), Covet (blue-green, or teal), Electric (light blue), and Lust (indigo-purple). Well, at least, I'm pretty sure those are the colours. What's unfortunate about this set is that 3/5 of it is really loud colours, which is good for those people that want to try something new or that like loud colours, but bad for me (aka the queen of neutral colours). If you're unsure about what the colours will look like, you can test them out at your nearest Sephora, or head over to KarlaSugar, which is the most wondrous blog for those who often harbor beauty lemmings. She's got swatches of most of the pencils, so you can get a sense of what the set offers (and what the other colour choices are).

My personal favourites, after looking at that swatch, are definitely Gunmetal (dark grey/silver), Baked (gold), Rockstar (dark purple), and Stash (dark green/antique gold). My love for Stash hasn't been helped by the fact that I saw it on Temptalia as well. Sigh...

Feather Fascination

While watching this past week's episode of Project Runway, I noticed a fashionable hair accessory on one of the more fascinating designers, Kenley. Some may love her and some may hate her, but I often find myself on the fence. Her own fashion often fascinates me, and I often try to take accessory tips from her, but the clothes she makes are not always within my taste. She is a great designer though, even with her personal notes (such as the ever-famous Kenley laugh) which may or may not have been a figment of Bravo's editing team.

The accessory that caught my eye was Kenley's feather fascinator. Fascinators, I should say. She wore one in the opening sequence, where Heidi brought out the bedazzled drag queens...


...and another one in the final portion, where the judges critique the designs.


Though feather hair accessories have been bouncing around for a little bit, I never found myself drawn to them until now. I'm trying to expand my accessories range, currently, to spice up my neutral wardrobe, and I'm thinking about purchasing a feather hair accessory of my own. What do you guys think?

If I were to purchase one, it would most likely be from Urban Outfitters. Here are a couple of selections, each around $18.00.

Dillards Deals

A pleasant surprised arrived in my email today, from Dillards -- they're offering an additional 40% off all items already on sale. Unfortunately for me, no physical Dillards store exists in the vicinity of Chicago, but I still love looking through their offers. Though they may have a grander selection, sometimes, than my neighborhood retailers like Nordstrom and Macy's, the shipping costs often do not make purchases worth it. However, during sales like this, I often try to find formalwear at a discount. It requires a lot of wading through unattractive clothing, but this time it has most definitely been worth it. I often find gems like this tank top, which retails for only $20.40 but looks like it could have been found at a high-end boutique...or at the very least Anthropologie. I could see this worn with black skinny jeans or a black high-waisted skirt for a girls' night out, or under a cardigan and with shorts for a summertime barbecue. And for those of you in the professional world, feel free to stick a cute tank like this underneath a dark grey or black suit...though I'd pick one with smaller flower detail.


This khaki skirt also could be part of a chic urban boutique's repertoire, with its pleated details and banded bottom. I styled it, bargainista style, with a top and flats from Urban Outfitters. The total? Just around $30.

Urban Topper

If you haven't already, I would definitely suggest checking out the sales at Urban Outfitters...seriously, I'm having such a hard time choosing between all the gorgeous picks! I already pointed out a pretty basic black dress (note: wear a slip underneath it please! It's totally sheer...I had no idea...), but here are some lovely tops brought to you by the Urban sale:

Silence and Noise One Shoulder Ruffle Top, $24.99

Though this top may seem tacky to some with its one-shoulder styling and ruffle trim, this isn't a bad way to step into the boho-chic look rocked by fashion stars like Mischa Barton and Nicole Richie. It's nice for staying cool in the summer, and the cinched-in waistline defines your waist no matter whether you're pairing this top with sandals and shorts, skinnies and stilettos, or a high-waist skirt and some killer gladiator heels.

Lux Cumulus Cami, $29.99

Words cannot describe how in love with this cami I am. I saw it first when it wasn't on sale, and gazed longingly at this promo picture. It's just so light and airy and pretty and girly and...perfect. Alas, when I looked at the shots of this top in other colours I realized just how sheer and impractical it is. It's way to sheer to wear alone (at least for me, unless I did a strapless bra), and it wouldn't have the same gorgeous effect layered over another tank. But maybe you all feel differently?

Hawks by Geren Ford Silk Slip Top, $29.99

I was so excited when Geren Ford started selling his separate, less high-end line at Urban Outfitters. I always would stare wistfully at the full-price pieces, until I realized that this little gem was tucked away in the sale section. I mean, call me crazy but why is this piece on sale while some other, not nearly as sell-able pieces, are sitting there with ridiculously huge price tags attached to them? Granted, this is a pretty simple top, but it echoes a lot of the neckline trends in Geren Ford's main line. It's also sleek, sexy, and well-priced. Never mind the slightly difficult bra situation.

Kimchi and Blue Lace Inset Tank, $19.99

This tank completely stole my attention when I first saw it. Subtle neutral colour palette...elaborate embroidering by the neckline...looks like it costs much more than $19.99...what could go wrong? This top looks gorgeous from the front, but this was too good to be true. Literally.

Is it just me, or is the lace back extremely tacky? I love the front, and I have long hair so the back would be obscured anyway...so maybe I'll take the plunge and buy it? I'm still debating. But really, Kimchi, couldn't you have just gone with a simple black jersey back? The lace takes it from hipster Urban to teenybopper JCPenney. And that's definitely a step down.