Green and Gold

All I want to do is wear strange clothes that fit my mood and soothe my mind. I talk about clothes so much on this blog because that is literally what I made it for. So I can talk about clothes. My clothes, usually, and in lots of detail and expressive language. I want the colors I'm wearing to fit together well and to make me happy when I see them. I want to dress exactly how I want to look like and create this image of who I am. There are many future versions of my look, but underneath it all runs a cohesive aesthetic. I'm not really a sophisticated sort. I like color and texture, and am too messy and rough around the edges to ever master the sleek and polished look. I do have a bit of hair-envy of girls who can just throw their hair however they want and have it look great, but that's because I spend X amount of $$$ throwing a bunch of product in my hair to make it somewhat manageable. It doesn't even have those cute natural curls, it is literally just a mass of frizz when nothing is in it. So I slap some gel around, and it helps it stick to its natural wave. I sometimes dream about looking all business-ey and boss-woman like, but I'm a mess, and I'd miss my real clothes. Truthfully, I'd rather wear what I like to wear, I'm just more entertained by the idea of looking like a real fashionite. For now, I'm just a small-town thriftstore kid wandering through the suburbs.

 

I remember walking through these spaces of empty air and empty lots only a few months ago, and now they are filled with houses and the frames of future homes. It usually never bothers me, but this is the one spot that started me thinking of all that, and I can't get over the idea in my mind that the places in which I stood and moved and ran in are now just ghost spaces inside somebody's house. I'm probably just getting old. I told my boss the other day that I was born a grannie. That may or may not be true.

Anyways, I loved the rich yellow tones of the scarf paired with the darker green. I found this beautiful dress as a lucky find at a thrift and the scarf was from one of those trinket/random clothes stalls that popped up for two days on my campus. I rarely ever buy anything yellow, but this time I couldn't take my eyes off the bright velvet scarf, and I ran back after class to grab it because it haunted me in the back of my mind. It's funny how some things will follow you. Am I the only one?

Sweater - Target

Dress, belt, hat - thrifted

Boots - Macy's

Scarf - booth

Earrings - flea market

<3 The Magpie

Brick and Teal

I started collecting these Milani lip creme things awhile back when they first came out, and I'm really glad I made myself get one of each color when I could find them, because they were a limited edition and are no longer sold. I'm wearing the darkest shade in these photos, and I definitely felt rather daring with such a bold color on my lips. It's like this rusty brown, but also a deep red shade that really, and I mean REALLY, stands out on your face. If you want to be noticed, this is the shade for you. I actually didn't expect it to look this dark, as it appears lighter in the tube, but it dries dark, especially if you layer it. I decided to pair it with the tropical looking shirt I'm wearing, because of the brick red background. So naturally I reached for teal next, because brick red = teal? but it all worked out in the end. I would say it's a fall-tropical look - like if Hawaii had an Autumn, this is what it would look like. Oh, I liked how my nails matched my purse as well.

I really love color pairings that are unusual, as in anything not often seen in most people's wardrobes, but are actually really beautiful together. I have found that the biggest hurdle to cross in color mixing is the block most people have set in their minds against anything different than what they are used to. It's difficult for me to understand, as I like to experiment and play with color, but if people have grown up with certain color palettes, and are suddenly exposed to something that they have never known, they are immediately opposed to the initial idea of it. I admit though, that I've personally been trying to overcome my own color biases, so maybe we can all learn together. If one of my outfits makes one person think about overcoming a certain color distaste, just for a little bit, that would be one of the greatest things ever. Nothing I wear is just to make myself look pretty, there is always a purpose and philosophy behind it. And if I end up looking good, well, no complaints here. ;)

Cardigan - Banana Republic

Sandals - DSW

Earrings, ear cuff - Claire's

Necklace, skirt - gift

Bag, shirt - thrifted 

I found the bracelet lying in a parking lot :)

<3 The Magpie

School Kid

 

This is definitely what I would call a School Day Look. I have normal days looks and then I have School Day Looks. SDL if you prefer. SDLs are exemplified by their usually cohesive flow and look of planning. When fashion sites or people talk about that "perfectly thrown-together look", I just laugh in my head, because that stuff is still all planned out. I DO have a small knack for throwing outfits together when I've been in a rush, and I've even have them to turn out pretty great, but I usually like to plan my outfits out at least a day before-hand. That way, I get to see what shirt works with what skirt, or what jewellery goes best with my overall look. Different elements often change last minute, as I find out that I actually want to wear a certain hat, or maybe that one thing over there goes better than what I had originally planned to wear. So even with my most structured looks, there is still a spirit of spontaneity and a creative fluidness to my concept of "planning". Which probably works best for me as I am not a real "planning" person - it allows me to have some structure and discipline to my usually chaotic endeavors, but also allows me to be myself while the lack of true rules lets me make those last minute snap-decisions my brain loves. This outfit is particularly schoolgirl-ish, with the boater hat, pleated skirt, and twin braids... I try to not look like a baby, but I couldn't help but love the outfit! Guess that's all that matters really :) (p.s. Does anyone else struggle with deciding if a sentence should have a period or not, if there is a smiley face at the end of it? It's a really difficult mental decision for me for some reason!). or maybe :) ?.......Why.

Anyways, this outfit was worn during the sunny summer, just look at that golden tan. I get tan easily; 5 minutes outside in a parking lot just talking, and bam, golden glow. It's the one nice thing about my skin, as I struggle with a high oil level and lots of zits. Yay for forever teenager skin! I have been trying to wear more sunscreen, even in the winter, and I don't like purposefully tanning as I've found out how harmful it is for your skin. So I just let it do its thing, and if I dust a little bronzer over my cheekbones in the winter and fall, nobody's the wiser. *winky face* (is that better than a real emoticon symbol? WHY IS THIS SO DIFFICULT)

 

Hat - Target

Shirt - gifted

Skirt, earrings, shoes, bag - thrifted

<3 The Magpie

Dip-Dye

I admit it: I've been hiding something from you. I got the tips of my hair bleached to dark gold over the summer. I have good reason for not posting about it though! I've been busy! I've been late with posts! School! Work!  I'm still trying to go through my backlog of photos!
I finally wanted to show you all, now that it's DECEMBER (gasp!). I've never had my hair dyed professionally and I cut it myself, so going in and having it done by a pro was a fun and exciting thing for me to do. I've wanted to have that color done for ages and ages and finally just decided to act upon my whim. Gold hair edges! Yay! I have found that it adds a bit of edginess to some more of my prairie-house-meets-school-girl looks, and acts almost an accessory with the added bit of color. I love it so much. It honestly felt like it was always meant to be as both an extension of my personality and style.
 
So from now on, I will try to alternate between getting older posts up, and showing the newer posts with my current hair style. Luckily, this mess of a blog is all mine, and I am entitled to make it however I want. Ah, the joys of being me.

I remember wanting to wear an outfit that would be up to the task of "commemorating" my new hair style. I felt like this little blue and white plaid dress tied with a woven white belt and my fav platform shoes to be just the thing. One of those perfect little summer outfits, ya know? As fun as summer can be sartorially, I am definitely not missing the heat. Fall leading into winter can be a drag with the extreme cold, but I am still having fun exploring new avenues of layering styles, and it still hasn't gotten old for me. I think that with any season, as long as you are having fun, there are always new outfits to create. I suppose this post is an ode to summer in a way, but I definitely don't want it back just yet!

 

Dress, belt, shoes - thrifted

Earrings - gift

Necklace - vintage store 

<3 The Magpie