WDTBD: Jumpity Jump

This is a combo "let me show you the random pictures I took in the last few months" and "oh, I (sorta) know how to use a camera" post.  Alternatively "the jumping pictures" post.  There have been a smattering of trips to other places and visitors to the bay that I've taken pictures at and never posted.  So because I've been absent for a while, here are some shenanigans to entertain you somewhat.  Not all these pictures are mine, some are from another photographer friend's camera. 

Lets start in reverse chronological order, because that's how I roll.  My friends came for the week to visit various Bay Area locations.  This particular day was dedicated to watching football, playing Bananagrams and taking ridiculously silly pictures.  What is Bananagrams, you ask?  Well, friend, you're missing out and should check it out here.

Let's start with football.  All of us (well, almost all of us) that were out this weekend are Chicagoans, which by choice, default or force, makes us Bears fans.  So we hiked over to a local bar for some breakfast and big screen TVs.   This was a delicious event, though we got our little tushies kicked by the Saints.  Afterwards, we took pictures just outside the bar:

 

So happy after our team lost.  But we had delicious food!

 

Hwa?  

Outfit Details

Hat: Some Illinois State University Store

 Top: NFL Shop

Bottoms: J Crew

Shoes: Steve Madden P-Oxfords

Sunglasses: Maui Jim

Purse: Hobo International 

 

BFs are only good for piggy back rides.

 

Roommate is obviously much calmer than I am

 

/cough.  Photobomb!

Full and ready for a nap, we went home and -- huh? -- went to the outdoor mall!  This is what happens when friends from out of town want to spend asmuchtimeaspossibletogether, crankiness be damned.  The next few pictures are shots of some element of what each person was wearing.  I like some better than others.

There was a pretty cool giant chessboard in the area we were in, so we obviously had to play with it.
 

En guarde! 

 

I know it's blurry, but it's too good.  

Some other random shots from the day:

 

Neat angled picture of one of the buildings.

 

I just think this candid is too cute.

 
Ditto.

 
Moleskines!

 
Sweater in a tree.

 
Feets!

 
Take a closer look.  See anything odd?
 
Photographer twin!

 
This is what bananagrams tiles look like.

 
All the tables in this area were like checkerboards.  Cool, huh? 



  Seriously, how badass is this picture?

During an outing earlier in August, the same group of people (plus 2, minus 1 -- yes, I realize that's confusing) went camping at Big Bear.  The highlight of the trip, other than spending time together, fire cooking and sleeping in a tent, was a morning bike ride throughout the surrounding area.  A selection of pictures from that outing:

 

 Nothing better than schmexy ladies on bikes!

 

Seriously, I wasn't kidding about the jumping.  Check out all the air!

 

Frolicking in a picturesque meadow...

 

Yeah...

 

Why does this look photoshopped?  I swear I was there -- I got stinging nettles in that stupid grass!
Outfit Details
Top: J Crew
Bottoms: Gap
Socks: Happy Socks
Shoes: ASICS
Sunglasses: Maui Jim 

Well, that's the photo round up!  Thanks for stopping by!  

OOTD: Modern Ballerina

Looking back at these pictures, there are so many elements that remind me of a ballerina.  The pumps are shaped and styled like ballet shoes (with heels of course).  The tunic and the cardigan seem tutu inspired and my leggings could feasibly sub in for tights.  Or is that too much of a stretch?  You be the judge:

 
Outfit Details
Cardigan: Anthropologie Delicate Drafts Cardigan
Tunic: Anthropologie Shake the House Tunic via Anthropologie Treasurebox
Pants: Gap
Shoes: Nine West
Belt: J Crew Factory
Necklace: Philippines


 

A nice change from my normally cool palette of clothes if I do say so myself.  It's getting cooler here in the Bay Area, which means more opportunity for fall outfits!  I'm super excited. 

We have guests from LA here this weekend and spent a lot of the weekend eating, drinking and taking super fun pictures.  Hopefully there will be some that would be fun to share on the blog, so stay tuned.  

Thanks for stopping by!

Reset

It's been a crazy couple of days here in the Anthro-centric fashion blogging community. 

Every time I've set out to blog in recent days, I open my laptop and promptly get distracted by something else.  This has less to do with a busy lifestyle and more with the distinct lack of motivation to write about something as frivolous as fashion and style in light of the events in the last week.  With this tight of a  Anthro community and its recent shake-up by one of the more popular blogs, I've been forced to re-evaluate blogging all together.  One of the reasons I hesitated in creating a blog at all back at the end of 2010 is because I worried about the perception of narcissism and self-promoting blogging could represent.  The act of putting yourself out there on the Internet for all to see could also lead to a breach in privacy -- once information is out on the web, it's probably there to stay.  The truth is that any facet of ourselves that we share with the outside world also opens up a vulnerability that could be exploited at any time.  In the end, it was the sense of togetherness that the fashion blogging community and an opportunity to chronicle the development of personal style that led me to forge ahead and put my blog out there. 

Well, where does recent events leave this blog now?  The community is shaken in light of the dishonesty and scamming of the Anthro "It" girl of the season, casting a foreboding shadow on anyone that was even remotely connected with her.  My thoughts are with the victims, and I hope that you will get the retribution that you deserve.  But the fact of the matter is, the journey and the point of this blog remains the same. 

to look for: Style is exactly what the title of the blog depicts.  It's a chronicle of outfits, fashion speculations and creativity that I will be able to use to figure out what works for my body, share creative ideas with the community and self evaluate how I project myself to the world.  It's a continuous work in progress and admittedly, I have fallen behind in developing this little project of mine to the full fruition of its original concept, but I've decided to continue posting here.  I know others are shaken up enough to halt their blogging, but I'm still having a good time.  And really, that's all that matters, right?

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you will continue to visit in the days to come.  If not, I totally understand and wish you all the best. 

Ok, enough srsness.  Back to our regularly scheduled programming shortly.

Fitting Room Reviews: Feels like Fall

Well, the best season (in my opinion) is here and the stores are really stocking up on cozy transitional pieces -- I'm super excited!  I've been trying on stuff left and right, so let's get started, shall we?

 

Forested Blazer, Madchen, sz S, $268

When I saw this blazer on the site, I fell head over heels in love with it.  I pretty much love anything green and this forest-y shade would just match everything.  The lavender and white accents are just such a great touch as well.  So of course, I made a beeline to my local store and as soon as it was made available, tried it on.  Well, it was pretty much the woolly, structured piece that I imagined.  Except.  Oh the sleeves.  Blazers, like jeans, are hard for me when it comes to the part that covers my appendages.  (No, not THAT kind).  The arms on this blazer were just too long and also squeezed my upper arms something fierce.  Sizing up just results in longer arms and, as its already on the longer side to begin with, it starts to overwhelm my frame.  So sad.  For you longer, leaner ladies, you can certainly wait for first cut, but this is a beautiful blazer if you're interested!  Fits TTS except for the arm issues I noted.

 

Dots Within Blouse, Sariah Carson, sz 4, $118

Lets continue with the green trend, shall we?  This silky number touches all my fashion buttons.  The polka dots, the silk, the tie neck!  Nice, long sleeves for colder times and it's just perfect for layering.  The fit is TTS and I will be stalking this hard core for sale time because its just so darn cute and I can see myself wearing it forever.

 

Brushed Lace Pullover, Eloise, sz S, $68

I normally don't like blush colored things, but i have to say, this top is pretty cute.  It feels soft and is a nice neutral color that would be perfect for layering.  I pretty much love everything at the 3/4 sleeve length -- even if a shirt or sweater is long sleeved, I tend to pull them up.  This fits pretty TTS if you want something form fitting but not too tight. The only downside is that I immediately knew the fibers weren't natural the minute I picked it up.  Sure enough, it's made of nylon.  Fortunately, the price reflects this, so if you're looking for a well fitting top that will work transitioning into fall, this is a great bet, even at full price.  Wishlisted possibly for sale time.

 

Felted Colorbar Cardigan, Charlie & Robin, sz XS, $88.50

It's weird.  The color blocked areas on this cardigan really look like felt, which brings me back to the days of grade school when I tried to make Barbie clothes out of those thick pieces.  So first thought was to dismiss this piece. Then, the mustard with the grey pulled me back  in enough to try it on.  It turns out, I really like it! The fit is form fitting but not tight and, if you know anything about me from reading this blog, it's that I LOVE the color mustard.  This combined with the dark grey really reminds me of fall and I think I can match it with so many things in my closet.  It fits pretty TTS, and is a pretty great price for Anthro, especially considering the 25% off sweater promotion they're currently having.  Definitely check it out if you're interested! 

What do you think of Anthro's offerings so far?  Have your eye on anything?  Share in the comments!

Thanks for stopping by!

OOTD: Vanilla Bean Green

So I'm totally blogging this on my way home from the train and I feel like some sort of hipster techie.  It's just too good -- this train line has 4G internet throughout the entire railway system and it's so much faster than I could have ever imagined.  The company I work through also has a deal with this particular public transport company so that we get to ride for free as one of its Go Green initiatives, so it's a win^4.  How so?

1. I get some serious road rage when I'm commuting to work by car.  I cannot STAND traffic and i find long commutes by car to be a waste of time because there's not very many options when making that time valuable.  Since we moved, I went from a 8 minute to 40 minute commute and the last thing I want to do is spend 80 minutes of my day driving.  Now I get to do whatever surfing/e-mailing/blogging/reading/sleeping done on my ride home -- options for the win! 
2. Uh, free train rides to/from work = less money spent on gas!  Oh yes, oh yes. 
3. Since there's internet on the train, I pretty much get all the personal computing stuff I need to get done by the time I get home/to work.  That means more time to do other stuff when I get home while I still have the momentum.
4. Burning more calories walking to/from train stations and helping reduce my carbon footprint means I can contribute to the greater good too.

Anyway, here's my outfit:

 
Outfit Details
Top: Anthropologie Vanilla Bean Blouse
Skirt: Anthropologie Abstract Greenery Skirt
Shoes: Anthropologie Friday at Five Heels
Belt: Anthropologie
Sunglasses: Maui Jim

 

All these pieces are ones that I've had for a while, but I've never mixed them like this!  It's fun to find new ways to shake up your closet, no?  Bear with me as I play with spots in my new home to take pictures -- time to experiment with the light again.  Hope you all are having a wonderful morning! 

And for some remixes of the skirt: 

Thanks for stopping by!

OOTD: Wearing Blues

Okay, I think I'm finally back in full swing.  I bought batteries for my camera and have found a completely new (boring) white door to take pictures in front of.  On my balcony, no less!  I'm totally loving the new location of my rented town home -- there are tons of places to walk to on in a mile radius and public transportation stops are mere blocks away from my front door.  In fact, right now I'm on a college campus, blogging at a local coffee shop.  I've always loved the ambiance of college town coffee shops for their bustle, random people and ability to fulfill my need for caffeine.  I'm the kind of person that needs ambient noise to really get productive.  I actually never got how people could study in complete silence -- how do you get your best work done?

 
Outfit Details
Dress: Urban Outfitters
Cardigan: Target
Shoes: Target

Nothing fancy going on in today's outfit.  Summer's finally over, so the weather FINALLY decided to get pretty hot.  No accessories could be worn today because they irritate my skin when combined with the heat -- I ended up putting my hair up just standing out on my balcony while doing this photoshoot! 

Hope everyone's enjoying the rest of their weekend!  Thanks for stopping by!