The Florescent Academic

Neon cardigan, Gap Kids. V-neck tee shirt, American Eagle. Pleated floral skirt, Old Navy. Vintage leather belt and bag. Suede Bear Traps booties, thrifted. Golden apple necklace, H&M.

     Yesterday was one of those days when I truly felt like a "college student". I don't mean tossing around a frisbee and going to Sonic with my friends (that was Wednesday!), I mean that I left my dorm room at 8:00 AM and was either in class or worked on school work essentially all day afterwards. From this picture session, I went straight to Panera and studied for two hours. Not only was I feeling supremely studious today, but I felt like my outfit featured some good "academic" accessories, like my backpack and my apple necklace. 

     On a more poetic note, the droplets on the tree behind me were formed during a ten minute storm that took everyone by surprise. Our campus is right next to the hospital and the police station, so the peaceful moments post-rain are often pierced with sirens blasting to and fro. I definitely prefer to spend time away from all the hustle and bustle, appreciating the tiniest details before cramming my nose into textbooks for hours on end!

Stella & Dot for Spring

     Stella & Dot is one of my absolute favorite jewelry companies out there right now. Similar to cosmetics companies like Mary Kay, Stella & Dot hooks you up with a stylist and you host your very own trunk show for your friends. I actually organized one for my residence hall and we had a blast! I bought the Marchesa earrings and let me tell you, I never want to take them off! I'm not getting paid or anything to write about this on my blog, but I will tell you that if you want to buy some jewelry from Stella & Dot that my trunk show is still open until April 6th!

1. Zahara Bib Necklace

2. Contessa Jade Necklace

3. Sofia Pearl Bib Necklace

4. Marchesa Necklace

     I definitely think there is something for everyone! My personal favorites are the Contessa and Marchesa statement necklaces, but I am definitely thinking the most about adding the Odyssey ring (below) to my collection. 

1. Odyssey Ring

2. Camilla Ring

3. Aurora Cocktail Ring

4. Nouvelle Ring

5. Sidwinder Ring

     If you click the links above, it will take you to my open trunk show. The more people buy, the more likely I am to get a discount or score some free jewelry, so even your consideration is appreciated! Honestly, even if I hadn't decided to host a trunk show I would have loved to feature the designs on my blog. From the company's mission statement to their truly wonderful accessories, I am a dedicated fan!

     As if that weren't enough, how timely is this arrow necklace? I know a couple of Hunger Games fans out there who would be swooning!

On the Mark Necklace

The Wallflower Gardener

Dress, H&M. Clutch, Jason Wu for Target. Studded belt, thrifted. Vintage brooch. Green heels, Limelight. 

     

     Despite the fact that this dress has one of the best floral prints I've ever owned, it's not exactly a dress for wallflowers. With the bold print and body-con fit, I definitely felt like I was commanding attention all day. And you might not know it based on this outfit, but I tend to be quite the wallflower at parties and the like. It takes quite some time for me to get warmed up, but I had to amp up the confidence to show off this dress that my mom picked out for me at the H&M in Atlanta. I had originally asked if she could hunt down pants in the same print, but the salesman said they sold out in the first TEN minutes of putting them on display!

     Although the dress is pretty much a standalone piece, I had a lot of fun picking out key details to play around with as well. Anyone could throw on this dress and look fabulous, but the accessories that people choose to add definitely reveal something about their personality. 

     If you like my look, it would mean the world to me if you could run on over to the entry on Chictopia and vote "chic" as I've entered the outfit into the Spring Bloom contest. The prize is a $500 wardrobe from Free People for the winner which is one of my all time favorite brands! Check out the entry HERE.

     What would you add to make this dress your own? I've already got so many styling ideas bustling around that I can't wait to wear it again! 

Glamour Puss

Black cat audition image, Life via Retronaut. Glitter textures via Pugly Pixel.

     A collage I put together in Photoshop because glitter and cats are meant to be together.

The Sequined Classicist

Sequined jacket, Gap. White knit shirt, Talbots (thrifted). Jeans, Pac Sun. Belt and bag, vintage. Shoes, Bear Traps (thrifted). Watch, Timex. 

     

     Does the fact that I feel most like myself in a simple white, three quarter length sleeve knit shirt, jeans, and boots mean that I am a boring person? While I never tend to settle for "minimalism" as my fashion protocol, something about the simplicity of this outfit combined with the nostalgia I feel for certain pieces I incorporated just made my heart sing. For instance, as I was posting about sequins the other day, I realized I had yet to even take the tags off of this lovely sequined jacket that I scored for sixteen dollars at Gap. It's one of those pieces I waited stealthily for as I was not going to give up upwards of $130 for a little bit of sparkle. 

     That aside, every single other thing in this outfit has completely wonderful memories and stories attached. I know that fashion isn't a priority for everyone, but the fact that it serves as one of the most powerful memory recall tools that I personally know of has to count for something. 

The Girly Adventurer

Dress and shoes, thrifted. Cardigan, H&M. Belt, Gap. Earrings, Stella & Dot. Bag, handmade by my Mamaw. Sunglasses, Betsey Johnson. 

     As anyone who takes outfit pictures regularly can attest, the weirdest feeling is having a lot of people around when you are run-shuffling back and forth from your tripod. That being said, I always imagine that I look pretty comical trysting through the woods in my more dainty clothing. I prefer clothes that I can just throw in the wash if anything happens to them because I'm always outside. And after all, if you can't do anything fun in your outfit, is it really worth wearing?

     In other news, my campus is in full bloom. While the peak blossoming time was probably right before break, I managed to snap a few shots of the dogwood trees that were hanging above me in this location. The weather was perfect and despite being still under the weather yesterday, taking these pictures definitely made me feel better.

Style Inspiration: Sequins

Sources: 1,2,3,4,5,6

     Although I don't tend to spend too much money on sparkly duds, I absolutely adore sequins. From the fanciful preppy looks that J. Crew always puts together with their sequined pieces to full on sequined suits, I love the different ways that the adornment can be styled. I tend to go more in the direction of a subtle hint when it comes to sparkly things, but that Gold Dust jacket and shorts (top picture) from Nasty Gal have definitely gotten my attention. I might not be willing to part with upwards of two hundred dollars to satisfy my sequin craving, but I will definitely be ready to pounce on any secondhand recreations of the look!