Bang the Doldrums

Shortly after I woke up today it started pouring down rain outside. Even after a good night's sleep, contemplating going outside in a deluge is a little much for me. Instead of crawling back under my covers, though, I decided to combat my mood the best way I know how: with a good cup of coffee and an outfit full of color.

Shirt: Land's End, Skirt: Zara, Blazer: Forever 21, Shoes: LL Bean

I got this shirt when my mom and I were here earlier in September to set up my apartment. I'm a big fan of gingham and since purple and white are my school's colors, it's like this shirt was made for me. The green skirt was the perfect complement to the purples, too. The colors lifted my mood, the blazer kept me warm and the shoes kept my feet dry while traversing the wet pavement. What more can one ask of an outfit?

In Memoriam: My Target Leopard Print Flats

Sad news: today, I have to retire my beloved leopard print flats from Target. While it's been clear for a while that they weren't going to be in it for the long haul (due to some fraying at the bottoms), I knew I would just wear them until I wore them out. And it seems that day has come. I left my apartment this morning not knowing that it was already raining or that the streets were completely waterlogged. By the time I got to class, my shoes and the bottom of my socks were soaked. Upon examining my soggy shoes, I found it: a hole. I'm all for shabby chic (that's a complete lie), but I can't deal with holes in my shoes. Especially not in this climate. I dragged my feet to my two other classes (still in the rain) and when I got back to my apartment I took my shoes and socks off in the entryway, where both are still drying. I've already started searching the web for a replacement pair (because those leopard beauties were a wardrobe staple), but I thought for now, I'd share some of my favorite outfits featuring one of my favorite pairs of shoes.

And if you have any reasonably priced leopard suggestions, please, throw them my way.

The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)

I swear, the weather gets more horrendous with each passing day.

Dress: Jack Wills, Shoes: LL Bean, Jacket: Urban Outfitters

'Tis the season for long sleeved dresses. While my legs can take a bit of chill, my arms aren't as strong. A few minutes outside and they're covered in goosebumps and the edges of my mouth have turned downward, forming a tight little frown. Thus, long sleeved dresses are the perfect remedy. My arms stay warm and I can still pretend that it's warm out by flaunting bare legs. This dress is one of my current favorites. When my family was on Nantucket earlier this summer, my mom, sister and I went into town one day. I snagged this number at the Jack Wills store (my sister got an equally cute striped sweater). I've been waiting for a cool day to debut it, so at least the weather's doing one good thing for me.

Breaking All The Rules

In my last post, I stated that I refuse to wear tights in September. Yesterday, that was proved patently false.

Dress: Forever 21, Trench: Zara, Tights: We Love Colors, Shoes: Target

Personally, I blame the weather. I would have had no need for tights if the weather had been nicer. As it was, it was chilly and slightly rainy and completely gross. Add in the fact that I had a meeting to go to in the evening, hadn't shaved my legs and didn't want to wear pants and tights were pretty much the only option. Hopefully I can stick out the last few days of September without breaking my rule again, but I'll have to wait and see.

First Days of Fall

And I'm back, now with internet in my apartment. I completed my first week of senior year and I'm trying to get back into the swing of things - and by things I mean homework. Friday was the first day of fall, so I thought I'd share what I wore.

Sweater & Jeans: Forever 21, Shoes: LL Bean, Jacket: Urban Outfitters

I didn't have class on Friday, so I went for a very casual, relaxed outfit. Fall came swiftly to Chicagoland - highs in the low 60s are our current fate. I refuse to wear tights in September so I've been living in my jeans for the past couple days. If I were one of those people who has a 'uniform' - a look that works for them that they wear everyday - it would probably be some variant of this outfit. A striped top and jeans can go pretty much anywhere, and I could dress it up depending on my accessories. I'm not looking into a uniform any time soon though - I enjoy picking something new to wear every day far too much.

Excuses, excuses

My apologies for the complete lack of posting around here. I've just gotten back to school and my apartment has no internet as of yet. Class (senior year) starts tomorrow, but I promise that once I'm settled into my schedule and have my internet up and running I'll be back and better than ever. Or at least more frequent than ever.

Last Fall

I've been gone for too long. I took a trip to Chicagoland earlier this week and was without my computer while I started cleaning and setting up my apartment for this school year. I'll have some posts on decor and decorating an empty apartment soon, but I've been thinking about back to school clothes as of late (of course). I thought I'd revisit some of my favorite outfits from last year.

Classic Collegiate

Blazer and Boots

Clueless-Inspired

Lace and cables

I probably won't copy any of these outfits exactly, but I'll keep them tucked in the back of my mind for when my ideas just aren't flowing in the morning.