Boots!

So, I want to get a pair of knee high boots with a slight heel, but I can't decide if I should get them in brown, black, gray or another color.  As a result, I have set up a poll to ask all of *you* what color *you* think I should get.  Please look to the right of this post and let me know what you think by voting in the poll.  If you decide on Other, please post in the comments what other color and why.  The poll will be open for a week and will close Oct. 7.  Thanks for your help!

For a visual of what I'm thinking of, these Bandolino or Anne Klein or Sudini boots are approximately the styles I would be looking for. 

blue and challenges

1234Keeping with yesterday's subject of color, today, I am (mostly) monochromatic. Sometimes, you just feel blue. Today is my day for blue. However, I don't think I look boring because I have incorporated my super awesome knee high tan suede boots (tucked under the jeans because my calves are just too big to fit them AND jeans in there) as well as a gray/brown vest with a blue pinstripe running through it. This outfit works because its not entirely blue and therefore boring. There's enough going on with the vest and boots to keep it from being boring. Being comfortable with color doesn't just mean being able to wear one stand out color amongst a whole bunch of neutrals, but rather also means being able to combine colors, even the same color throughout an outfit, without being boring.

1234I was inspired by this post by The Small Fabric of My Life. If I had seen it earlier than yesterday, I would definitely have participated. Seeing as I discovered it 2 days into the challenge, I decided not to. However, while thinking about the challenge, it occurred to me that in order to make the challenge work one would have to make use of layering and incorporating items in various modes. This made me want to wear a brown jersey dress with a sheer long sleeve shirt underneath and knee high boots. Unfortunately, I wasn't completely sold on the look of the tan boots with the brown dress and the fiance finished up my decision for me when he said he just didn't like the look, something about the color of the boots and the dress just not looking right together. This led me to wanting to layer one of the sheer shirts as well as wearing my boots. Add in some jeans and a vest and voila, I have an outfit!

1234Back to the Capsule Wardrobe Challenge. The rules are that you have to make 5 days worth of different outfits using only 10 items of clothing (including shoes) and 5 accessories with hosiery and underwear not counting as items of clothing. I think its a great idea and may end up doing it (w/a modification or two) sometime soon. I think the point of the challenge is to make you think differently about your clothes so that each piece becomes multi-purpose. This makes a LOT of sense as a law student on a budget since I have no choice but to make just about every piece of my wardrobe be able to fit into several categories of life, ie. work, school, going out and just relaxing at home. In essence, multi-purpose is a way of life.


P.S. The picture of Luna the cat is in this post because the fiance wanted to make sure that both cats were represented. Since Sherbert was in the Ikea post, I decided to let Luna be in this one.

Cooling Down and Color

1234It seems that since Fall officially started last week, the weather has decided to cooperate (for now). I love cooler weather! Sweaters and jackets and scarves and boots all make me very happy. Yesterday morning when I woke up it was 50° F so I got to wear a comfy gray v-neck sweater and jeans. I added a hot pink tank underneath for a pop of color along with matching hot pink pumas. When it gets cooler its really easy to just slip into dark boring clothes. Have you ever noticed how much grays and browns get worn from October to March? Its just plain sad! That's why I like to add bursts of color when the weather cools down. Today for example I'm wearing mid-wash jeans, brown leather boots, a red sleeveless blouse and a cream cardigan.
1234The necklace I'm wearing is one that a co-worker's sister in law made. She makes beautiful jewelry and I fell in love with this necklace when I saw I could layer it to change how it looks. I have become more attune to chunky necklaces since reading this post and this from Inside Out Style about the proportions of large busts and larger necklaces.
Back to the original point. Obviously, I'm not afraid of color. In fact, I love expressing myself through color. Unfortunately, too many people, especially law school students and lawyers in general are afraid of color. I understand the need for a great versatile dark suit, but a brightly colored or jewel toned blouse or button down underneath is MUCH better than a standard white or cream blouse. It shows personality, the ability to think for oneself and just plain looks good, all of which are qualities any client would want their lawyer to possess.

I am Style-ish giveaway

Head on over to I am Style-ish for a great giveaway!  Even though I'm a bit hesitant w/regards to their sizing, I love the Devon Dress, the Brooke Dress and the Kara Dress.  
Aside from the giveaway---I also make sure to check out I am Style-ish everyday in order to incorporate ideas for my own wardrobe.

Cooking in Style!

1234So I wasn't sure what to write about today until I started cooking dinner. You see, I have this gorgeous apron that I wear when I cook. I LOVE it! I came across it on etsy at sassy apron about a year and a half ago. I fell in love with the print and the sweetheart neckline. Wearing this apron while I cook not only protects my clothes from whatever I can spill on them, but also makes me feel cute and feminine as well.

(Please ignore the sweats!)

Ikea rocks

I've decided that for my weekend posts, I'll concentrate on other places where style is important. One of these is at home. I love home decorating because, let's face it, we're at home a large portion of the time. And since the Fiance and I are kind of homebodies, it's especially important that we like the way our home looks and feels.

One of my favorite home furnishing stores in the world is Ikea. It is so much fun to go in there and just look around and see different ways of decorating. The store style is simplistic modern. Most or all of their items are sleek and streamlined that can be incorporated into just about any home. Luckily we don't have an Ikea where we live. That might sound odd since I love Ikea. But the truth is, that if there was an Ikea store nearby I would be there ALL THE TIME and wouldn't have any money left over for important things like food and rent and gas.

That said, I love Ikea for its style and its affordability. We have a lot of Ikea things sprinkled around our house. Today, however, I'll focus on one of my favorite. A super cool awesome friend of mine from work asked me if I could take her Poang Chair and ottoman off her hands since she no longer had room for it. I jumped on that real quick. It turns out that the chair looks great in our den AND is really comfortable. I have recently taken to sitting in it by the window and reading homework in it. It offers the right amount of back support while still being comfortable. That I also have the ottoman makes it awesome for stacking up all the stuff I have to read. It turns out that my cats love the chair and ottoman too! It is covered in black and orange hair (SO thankful for vacuums). As such, next time I go to Ikea I'll probably buy a darker chair cover so the hair isn't as obvious. Regardless, it's an awesome chair and if you're thinking of buying it or another comfy reading chair, I definitely recommend it!

Happy Friday!

1234Happy Friday!!! Fridays I have one class at 9 am and then I go to work at a small local law firm. Being able to work while in school has been a godsend. I am able to make some money, but more importantly, I gain some important experience. Because I have to go to work, on Fridays my wardrobe is business casual. This tends to be a nice pair of pants, heels and a sweater or cute top, a skirt with a cute top, or a dress and cardigan. Luckily the only real rules for business casual at my firm is that no jeans allowed, (although denim skirts are ok) and no tank tops or tube tops. Other than that, there are no hard and firm rules. Of course I try to look my best because appearances matter. As such, I plan on displaying my business casual wardrobe on Fridays.

Today I wore a classic white 3/4 sleeve fitted button down blouse, a pair of gray slacks, black heels and a dark gray purse. In terms of jewelry I wore a pink freshwater pearl necklace. I love the look of a fitted white button down. It is one of those items every woman should have as a staple in her closet. Whether its to layer over with a sweater or wear under a suit or wear alone, a woman wearing a well fitting white button down tends to look classy and put together.

P.S. I got the purse for my birthday :)

Turquoise

My Details post for the day. This necklace is from Mexico and it is made with dyed coconut shells. A friend of mine went to Mexico to visit some family. While she was away, I took care of her doggies. In thanks, she brought me back this necklace. I love wearing it with a white blouse, it makes the turquoise color pop.

Support

When I am deciding on doing something big, I like to have the support of the people around me.  Support is often necessary for success.  Support can take many forms: constructive criticism, sounding board and cheerleader are some examples.  However, there is another type of support that is often overlooked.  Bras.  

Every woman needs a good bra that supports, lifts and keeps the girls under control.  This is especially true for women that have been gifted in this particular area.  I know this because I am one of them.  Recently, I went and got a bra fitting while shopping at Belk.  Before the fitting, I was wearing a 36 or 38DD.  Since then, I've been wearing a 36G.  That is a 3 cup size difference.  Not to get too personal, but the difference is INCREDIBLE!  Before, the girls weren't at all supported and essentially sat against my chest.  This caused a lot of back pain.  Also the underwire cups would dig into my ribcage because there was nothing in the structure of the bra that would hold the girls up.  After just a few hours of wearing a bra, I would be in pain and have no remedy.  Now they're up where they need to be and it looks like I've lost 20 lbs.  All from wearing a bra that fits.  

I definitely recommend that you get yourself to a bra fitting specialist to make sure that you're wearing the right size bra.  Believe it or not, a woman's body changes throughout the year and even more so over her lifetime.  Even though the bra you're wearing now might fit ok, it may not be the right size or even the best fit for you.  A bra fitting specialist can definitely make sure you're wearing the right size as well as recommend different brands, styles or types of bras that fit your lifestyle best.  Remember ladies, these women do this for a living!

Details

Since I'm on a budget and can't go shopping every time I want a new outfit, I like to change things up with details. These include necklaces, earrings, brooches, scarves and belts. These tend to be or at least *can* be less expensive than a whole new outfit, blazer, skirt or pants AND have the added ability of transforming a plain (albeit very cute) chocolate colored blazer into something special. For example, today I'm wearing a hair pin that I got from etsy shop Sew Lovely as a brooch on my jacket.

The reason I decided to add this flower to my jacket is that, even though I love this blazer and the idea of a blazer with jeans and a tank, I wanted to add something special to it. So, what better way to add something special than by adding a super cute textile flower brooch on a rainy day? (Picture of brooch on jacket to come)

Now comes the fun part, I am going to Challenge myself to add some sort of detail to outfits at least 3 times a week. Anyone else want to join me?

Hello World!

Being "fashionable" while in law school is kind of hard. I'm not working full time therefore not making any real money, I have lots of classes to attend and lots of homework to prepare for said classes, and sometimes, there just isn't enough energy to want to make an effort. Nonetheless, I am going to try to make an effort. I enjoy looking cute and put together. So I have started this blog and will do my best to look cute and put together. This of course is a goal that I know I may not excel at 100%, but I will try.