Pretty and Punk

Headband: Urban Outfitters

Necklace: Blue Elephant

Cardigan: Betsey Johnson

Dress: BCBG Max Azria

Shoes: Nine West

I love this dress. I bought it a few years ago when paint splatter fabric and prints were a trend. Does anyone remember that besides me? Because of the color palette, this dress has a little bit of a 90s feel in my opinion. Even though its former trendiness and colors make it seem outdated, I wear this garment all the time. This dress is so comfy, and the way the fabric drapes is very flattering; it’s definitely one of my go-to pieces.

Necklace: Urban Outfitters

Cardigan: Express

Tank: Gap

Skirt: Target

Purse: purchased at MoMA

Shoes: Converse

Currently Listening: My Way by Frank Sinatra

I have a confession to make. I make a point of giving my friends a hard time for having all black and gray wardrobes, but the truth is I may be the biggest offender of this crime. For example, my first instinct was to pair this skirt with a black tank top. I realize the black cardigan doesn’t help my case, but I made an effort with the tee, purse, and necklace. Reform doesn’t happen overnight. This pairing was inspired by a recent post from Writes Like a Girl. Both of our outfits are colorful and a tad loud, but I think we make it work. Plus, soon it will be summer. If we can’t wear bright colors now, then when? What about you- are you a monochromatic dresser?

Earrings: Tarina Tarantino

Jacket: Dress Shop (local)

Halter: BCBG Max Azria

Bag: Betsey Johnson

Pants: Banana Republic

Shoes: Stuart Weitzman

Currently Listening: Sun by Cat Power

Like all creative endeavors, there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes for style blogging. This marks day 1 of self photography for me, and it goes without saying that it was tough. I imagine it was pretty amusing for anyone who was watching though. Envision the already awkward act of taking pictures of your outfits while trying to nonchalantly pose while people watch you trying to do so…except you are your own photographer…and you’re hopelessly finagling with a tripod and centering the shot…all while wearing heels. That encapsulates this morning’s shoot pretty well.

So, even though this set isn’t perfect, I’m satisfied with how the snaps turned out all things considered (on top of everything else, I wasn’t feeling this outfit at first and the sun was starting to come out). I think the first photo looks especially characteristic of shots you’d see on a style blog. All this and cracking open my camera manual got me to thinking that it may be time for a new camera. I came across these tips a few weeks ago and after reading them realized EVERY style blogger sets their camera aperture wide…which my camera can’t do. If you have any tips for photography or camera shopping, I’d love to hear them!

Welcome to another edition of Mani Friday. This week, Bridget did an updated version of a classic manicure to go with Monday’s look. There is a really nice balance with this set between the sharpness of the black lines and the femininity of the sheeny pearl pink. The set inspired by Tuesday’s outfit look is part pop art, part watercolor. This floral nail art is really lovely and reminds me of some of my favorite contemporary painters.

The Pink and Black Mani tools include:

- Julep - Teresa

-Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear - Black Out

- Striping Tape

The Black and Floral Set tools include:

- Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear - Black Out

- Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear - White On

- Revlon - Urban

- Nails Inc - Baker St

- Sephora by OPI Betsey Johnson mini - Too Too Turq

- Sephora by OPI Betsey Johnson mini - Yellow My Name is Betsey

- Sharpie Fine Point Marker

As always, be sure to check out Bridget’s post for more information on these manicures.

On a side note, here are a few handmade shopping events going on this weekend:

-Jewelry Jam at Wanderlust Yoga Austin (206 E. 4th St) on Sunday, April 7, 3-7pm

-Austin Nerd Cave Showcase at Tribe Comics & Games (2919 Manchaca  Rd, Ste 102) on Sunday, April 7, 6-10pm

Hat: handmade, artist unknown

Dress: Zara

Coat: XOXO

Ring: Unrepeatables

Purse: BCBG Max Azria

Shoes: Melissa

Currently listening: Violator by Depeche Mode

Today’s outfit is another product of my retro inspiration. I bought this dress when I was shopping for something to wear to a 60s-themed dinner party. To me, the colorblocking combined with the print evoke a genuine vintage feel. This is what I think of when I envision southern California fashion from the Mad Men era.

Headband: Jen Hearts Art

Necklace: I’m Your Present

Sweater: Betsey Johnson

Top: Betsey Johnson

Skirt: Betsey Johnson

Clutch: Target

Shoes: Melissa

Currently Listening: Mars Audiac Quintet by Stereolab

Over the weekend, I had a surge of motivation for improving/working on the blog. The cloudy but relatively dry weather this weekend enabled us to take (what I consider) some great pictures. You’ll also notice few new perspective shots with this week’s posts that I really like. I’ve been playing with the different settings on my photo editor and think I’ve found a new balance that I’m happy with. The next step is to crack open my camera manual to figure out how to change the focus width (i.e. achieve an ultra-clear foreground with a blurry background).

Earrings: Vinca

Top: Banana Republic

Skirt: The Limited

Clutch: Dress Shop

Shoes: Salvatore Ferragamo

Currently Listening: Louder than Bombs by The Smiths

Where do you look for inspiration when deciding what to wear? I’m usually indecisive and have been known to change outfits several times before heading out the door. When I’m not particularly drawn to any piece in my closet, I have a routine of scrolling through my favorite style blogs. Sometimes that does the trick, and sometimes I feel the need to turn to alternative muses.

This week, I ripped through the fifth season of Mad Men on Netflix and played the first few levels of Bioshock (for non-gamers, this is a first person shooter computer game set in late 50s/early 60s), so that’s put me in a retro mood, stylistically speaking. This is my very loose interpretation of that style, and even though the outfit is a little frou-frou, I think it works.

Turtleneck: Banana Republic

Coat: XOXO

Necklace: Toy Joy

Purse: Squid Ink Kollective

Skirt: Urban Outfitters

Shoes: Melissa

Currently Listening: Bavarian Fruit Bread by Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions

For anyone unfamiliar with Texas weather, there’s usually a cold snap around this time of the year. It can make the simple task of dressing yourself seem impossible and downright aggravating. This outfit is a warmer weather variation (for yesterday’s highs in the 60s) on the original outfit I left the house wearing yesterday morning when the temperature was in the 30s. If you don’t have the luxury of being able to return home to change clothes at some point during the day, trying to dress for Texas spring weather is all the more frustrating (and I’ve had my fair share of sweat stains to prove it). The upshot of all this? If you live in Texas, don’t leave your house or apartment until midday when it’s no longer frigid outside. If you don’t have this option (which is most or all of you) and you’ve mastered dressing for Texas spring, be sure to let me know because I still haven’t figured it out.

Cardigan: Gap

Dress: BCBG, purchased at Crush Boutique

Necklace: Urban Outfitters

Purse: BCBG

Tights: Target

Shoes: Melissa

Currently Listening: Three by Black Heart Procession

For the past few weeks, many of my favorite shows haven’t been adding new episodes to Hulu. This lead me to the discovery of tons of Project Runway archives not only on Hulu but also on Lifetime’s website. I haven’t followed the show at all since season 5/since I last had cable, and I forgot how easy it is to become a Project Runway marathon zombie. Now that you all know my deep dark television addiction secret (I can quit anytime I want, really), I won’t tell you how excited I am about the Game of Thrones season premiere next Sunday. Even though I want to. And even though I’ve been reading the series ferociously in hopes of being caught up in time for the third season.