Stripes and Penguins

I have a special thing for button down shirts. They're right up there with my penchance for dresses. Especially short thigh bearers. But i digress. I added two mens' button downs to my ever growing collection of shirts. One is fairly simple, with vertical green and white stripes, while the other seems more appropriate for a pimp who has an affinity for penguins. So of course, i got them both. And being the very patient woman that i am, i wore them the first chance i got, the first ensemble was worn to school, the other was worn to work for "Casual Friday".




Mens' Shirt-thrifted, vest-Macys, jeans-dots, boots- gojane






Jacket-F21, Mens' Shirt- Thrifted, Jeans- F21, Boots-Target
Photocredits go to my sisters, Lachmeister and Nimsa!!

Designer Spotlight: Suno

The spring 2009 collection for Suno designed by Maxwell Osterweis, has left me feeling giddy and inspired. The collection showcases the Kenyan kanga cloth and according to the site, the collection was inspired by the women of coastal East Africa, as well as the women from downtown New York. Although the garments are designed and developed in NY, they are produced in Kenya . The vivid hues and patterns of these garments are fun and whimsical and would easily add a touch of spring to any wardrobe.

Photocredits go to Piperlime @ Refinery 29

Indigo And Gray

I absolutely love these indigo shoes. These shoes are a marriage of my favorite shoes. Eye-catching color=check, peep toe=check, plus it takes the classic maryjane style shoe and makes it very funky. Love these. Pieces like these are always great because they add a bit of excitement to any outfit. Especially like the minimal colored ensemble that i'm rocking today. Seriously,it seemed like no one looked at my face today, people eyes seem to gravitate to my shoes. I guess now i know what to do if i get a HUGE zit right in the middle of my forehead. ha!












Blazer-Sisley, shirt and jeans-f21, scarf-target, shoes-nine west thru ross

Brocade

I really like transformative pieces. Like this brocade jacket i found while hunting (shopping) a few weeks back. It makes my simple all black ensemble seem like i put more thought into it and refines the look into something that's quite relaxed yet office apppropriate. I'm actually wearing my high-waisted pants, but i could not be bothered with the tiresome task of tucking it in today .






Jacket-Thrifted, Shirt- Target, Pant- Go Rave, Boots- Gojane
Photocredits go to the Manfriend!!

Black Mondays: My Shirt is a Skirt!

I tried unsuccessfully to learn how roller skate this weekend. I went with the Manfriend and my siblings, all of whom know how to skate, and each tried their best to teach me the secrets of great skaters. I'm a little sore from the falling, but all i suffered was a bruise to the ego from falling infront of 7yr olds who kept skating circles around me. But for the most part it was great fun, rolling around the edges of the rink, using the walls to roll myself forward, and crashing into things to stop myself from moving. Ahh, good times. Afterwards, i was off to dinner with some friends. I got to see a good friend that i hadn't seen in 2 years. The best part is that our friendship hasn't changed one bit. We seemed to carry on from right where we left off. Who's weekend can top that?






Top- this skirt(old navy), skirt - Macys, Tights- CVS, Shoes -Bakers , Belt-Thrifted
Tank (only one strap seen) -Target
Photocredits go to the Manfriend!

Sprucing Up Creme

I have a ridiculous habit of leaving items unworn in my closet for really long periods of time. Instead, I ended up wearing the same 10 items over and over. Take this cream turtleneck dress that 's been gathering dust in my closet for the past year. It was given to me as a gift from my mom and i fell in love with it because of my affinity for most things short, but there never seemed an appropriate to wear it. Either the event was not right( its too inappropriate for work and its not on my level of comfortability for play) or the weather was not right. So after a 1-second deliberation, i decided to wear the dress but instead of donning my usual adornments of necklaces, i opted for a scarf to add some interest to the look. Then i proceeded to run around campus to catch up on some homework.

** Is anyone having problems viewing my pics?








Dress-Gift, coat- urban behaviour, tights-ross, boots-target, bag-franchesca, scarf- thrifted
Photo credits go to the Manfriend!

Lemons

The sun was nowhere to be found today and in its stead was gloomy rainfall and chilly temperatures.It wasn't the fun kind of wet weather that inspires puddle jumping and makeout sessions in the rain. Nope. This was the "jump back into bed and get cozy till the weather gets nicer" kind of weather. There was fog and the color seemed to be been drained out of nature's usual splendor. I'm a strong believer of the school of thought: when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Or lemon pie. Or lemon bread. Or lemontinis. Or lemon smoothies. Or anything that can be made using lemons(i wonder what other eatables can be made with lemons). So i made lemon smoothies and added my own splashes of color.








Cardi- My mother's, Dress-H&M, Tights-Target, Shoes-Bakers, Coat-F21, Necklace & Belt-Thrifted
Photo credits go to the always enchanting Manfriend!

Muted Colors

I didn't think gray and navy would mix this nicely till this morning. There was a little help of course from layered gold necklaces and the usual suspect of bangles, but i like the outcome.






Cardi-Poof Excellence, Shirt-Xoxo, Pants-Macys, Shoes-Madeline Stewart
*p.s : my eyes look kind of squinty in my recent photos because the sun is shining directly into my eyes

Photocredits go to the spectacular Manfriend!

Black Mondays: Gold Chains

Welcome to another edition of my black monday ensembles. This time there's no bursts of color, just the black palette. It gave me chance to show off the scarf that one of my coworkers gave me just for being AWESOME! I joke. I'm thankful to be surrounded by mostly kind coworkers. This particular coworker so kindly brought this scarf back for me from her trip to New York (Thank you Ms. Susie!!)







Coat-f21, shirt -random club top, pants-victoria secret, bag-franchesca, boots-gojane,scarf-gift

Photo credits go to the Manfriend!

V-Day Pt. 2: Ladysmith Black Mambazo

For our V-day celebration, my Manfriend and i had a delicious dinner that he made and ended the evening by attending a concert to hear the uplifting music stylings of Ladysmith Black Mambazo of South Africa. If you're not familiar with them, i suggest you give them a listen. Their concert was nothing short of charming. From their performances, to their interaction with the audience and each other, the concert was uplifting and entertaining. Many couldn't help but sing/hum along.( i say many, but i really mean myself and the Manfriend, i couldn't really hear anyone else above my humming).
My favorite part of the performance was when the lead vocalist informed the audience that anyone who wanted to go onstage and sing and dance along with the group was welcome to do so. A few brave souls went to join the group, dancing along while the audience cheered them along. In restrospect, i wish i 'd gone onstage(i suffer from an intense case of stage fright). However, I made a promise to myself that the next time i 'm present during an "audience call" i will be among the brave who dare to stand up and out in the crowd.
I'm wearing a frothy vintage pink dress that i reworked into something more modern and "me" for the V-day occasion. I think the dress used to be a prom dress or bridesmaid dress, i'll post pics of it later and let you be the judge.

Valentine's Day

Nothing says love like putting in a little effort simply because it will bring a smile to your loved one's face. I hope everyone's V-Day was filled with lots of reiterated love from sweethearts, friends and family. I couldn't resist wearing this simple but vibrantly red printed dress. I'll be back with more details as to what i did for my Valentine's Day.







Dress:Tramp Clothing,Tights- Target, Boots-chinese laundry, sweater: Borrowed from my sister

Photocredits go to my sweet Valentine and Manfriend!

Wishing For A Ride On A Vespa

Ever wonder what you'd wear if you had the chance to explore the Italian countryside on the back of a vespa? Very random, yes, but when i was supposed to be studying the complexities of Microeconomics, i did wonder. And this is what i came up with for a day of exploring Italy on the back of a vespa . Ahh dreams... However, i'm off to class and work afterwards. But a girl can dream right?

New Boots!! Jacket -f21, Sheer blouse-Macys, Gold Cropped Shrug Target ,

Jeans- Macys, Boots-Target

Photocredits go to the kind Manfriend!

Trenchcoat

"Detective"...that's what my 8-year old brother said to me this morning. Actually his words were, "What, are you a detective today?" Little brothers, gotta love'em. I've had this trench coat in my closet so long i've even forgotten where i got it. Although i suspect its something i "borrowed" from my mother's closet and never wore it or gave it back. Sorry mom :-) A good friend and "work bestie" got me the necklace i'm wearing. I was incredibly surprised i liked the gift because only a handful of people in my life can accurately pick out things i'd wear. So thank you again!!!

Dress -DVF, Coat-Vintage, Tights- CVS, Boots-Target, Necklace-Gift, Bag-Franchesca's

Photo credits go to my wonderfully patient Manfriend!

Short

I had 2, yes count them 2 exams this morning. So not much thought was given to my outfit for today. Exams seem to suck the creative juices out of me. Today I simply threw on a tunic sweater, and I’m wearing a strapless dress underneath to give it some added length to make it work appropriate. After posting the pics, i realize my outfit may not look too work appropriate from the poses. It is.

Sweater - Go Rave, Dress (Worn under Sweater)-F21,

Tights -Ross, Boots -GoJane

Photo credits go to the Manfriend!