Jeans: Levi's ; Crop top: c/o ANTHOM ; Necklace: c/o Alexandra Inn ; Belt: Guatemala
This week-end we had the most lovely weather in months. It reached over 60°F, which it hasn't been since October, and I spent much of the week-end outdoors. I even got to re-pot a houseplant on the back deck without getting chilled to the bone and feeling miserable. Today it's freezing and sleeting, but that's okay. That's just how Minnesota is. I feel a bit stupid because, despite being out in the lovely weather, I didn't take any photos for the blog. And so, today I got stuck inside taking photos which is not easy as my house is void of sunlight or good spaces for photos. So, we get these not-quite full length shots of less-than superb quality. Let's call the grittiness of the high ISO "artsy".
Moving forward, I'm at home getting some stuff done today, so I'm pretty casual. I'm wearing these Levi jeans that I bought at the second-hand store in December. I had bought them for my boyfriend at the time, but when he tried them, he couldn't get them up very far at all. I'm a bad judge of size! So now I wear them as my baggy-whatever jeans. They're super comfortable, but then again, I wear "mom jeans" all the time, so that's that. I'm not sure where I cross the line from fashion to comfort with my "mom jeans", but at least I'm not wearing sweatpants in public! Right?
Let's talk jewelry here for a moment. I'm not much of a jewelry wearer and usually just stick to my usual mix of pendant necklaces. I'm not sure why, as when I was a kid, I was always bedazzled head-to-toe in accessories. But now, as an adult who can actually wear sensible and classy jewelry, I just don't. So getting to my point: I was excited when I was emailed by Alex of Alexandra Inn about the potential for a collaboration. Her jewelry is really lovely and simple, which I love. My clothes are usually so flashy that I can't wear flashy jewelry also. I really loved Alex's pieces with bits of colour in them, and so I was delighted when I opened the package to find that she had sent this wonderful little skull pendant! I love pink, of course, and I love skulls, so it's perfect for me. I think I can even get away with wearing it to the office!
I'm excited to show off the other pieces that she sent over, including this equally awesome skull bracelet and little blue bobble earrings. Do you guys wear jewelry much? I need tips on how to integrate it into my wardrobe better!
Since this is a good shot of the top, let's talk about it. I think that everybody in the world has owned a turtleneck tank top at some point in their life, except me, so now I can say that I do. What's the point of a turtleneck tank top? I have no idea. My interpretation of a tank top is to keep you cool in warm weather, while my interpretation of a turtleneck is to keep your warm in cool weather. It seems silly to put them together, entirely in the name of fashion, but oh well. In the name of fashion, I am wearing a turtleneck tank top because, honestly, I like the look of them. I feel like some chic-and-mysterious French lady.
p.s. This top is from ANTHOM and on sale, so you know what to do! Click here to get your own and be a chic-and-mysterious French lady with me.
Actually, let's be real here. This outfit is sooooo much more '90s grunge/extra on My So-Called Life than chic-and-mysterious French lady. Turtleneck tank tops, you baffle me yet you have so much cultural relevancy!!!!
Can you tell that I was having some issues with editing these photos? I'm just so damned obsessed with myself that I couldn't weed out a few. And so, you get a surplus of nearly-identical photos of me, except a curl will be slightly out of place in one or my hand will be in a different pocket in another. The best part of having a personal blog is that I can over-expose myself as little or as much as I want. Obviously in today's case, I'm over-exposing myself a much as I want.
My Monday night is shaping up to be me on the couch with my cat Gogo. He's been at the vet all week-end with an infection. I'm expecting him home any minute, and hopefully he is already anticipating an overload of kisses from me. Cute little cat. I'm allergic to him, but yet I cannot get enough of him! How are you spending your Monday night?
Sweater: Kling c/o ANTHOM ; Skirt: Halogen ; Shirt: J Crew ; Boots: c/o Sammydress ; Jacket: Banana Republic ; Bag: Vintage Sears
For a couple of months now I've been thinking about how badly I need to expand my "professional" wardrobe for work. I have 2 pairs of pants, 2 skirts, a handful of blouses, and a few dresses. And I've worn them all a million times, and I've got complimented on them all a number of times, which means that people notice and thus that people notice that I wear them over and over and over again. I've been keeping my eyes out for good deals on some more fun-type pieces, so when I found this carrot sweater at ANTHOM, it was like the stars were aligned. (There's also this bunny one, but I felt like I needed a splash of colour.) It's cropped, it's embroidered, it's kitschy, it's fab. And obviously right up my alley.
I wore it to work yesterday and got a load of compliments. My boss's face split into a smile when she saw me and she said, "I like your carrot" - anything to please the boss! I like that a carrot sweater is professional enough to wear to the office.
Now that the weather is warmer, I've been getting out more. Not just for outfit photos, though obviously I'm ridiculously excited that I can take those again, too. Today I went for my first driving lesson to learn to drive a stick-shift (manual) car. I thought that it would be good to learn because it helps make you a more aware driver, and because it will give me more options when I'm in the boat to buy a car. I'm an absolutely terrible driver (stick or no stick) and it will obviously take me a bit to learn it all fully. It's terrifying when you remember how much damage you can really do with a car! The other night my dad reminded me of the time I crashed his car into the planter in our driveway, which was obviously the boost of self-esteem I needed after having just been dumped.
But anyways, I was talking about the lovely weather and the things I can do now. Tonight I'm meeting a friend and we're taking a stroll to a pizza place up the road for his birthday dinner. Seriously. I'm walking to dinner. It is that warm! (40°F and ridiculously windy, but ask any Minnesotan & they'll tell you that that's tropical)
That wind-action was definitely catching my hair today. Having massively thick hair in the wind is terrible. You might as well just call me Cousin It on days like today.
I'm trying to let the fresh spring weather cheer me up a bit. I've been making an effort to try new things, meet new people, and go new places. I've got a photoshoot planned this weekend with a new friend, I'm arranging a trip to see the dinosaur exhibit at the Science Museum, and I've already got my next driving lesson planned with my friend! I'm still trying to shake the friend drama, and find a full-time position, but all in all, life is good. And even when it's not, at least I have a carrot sweater to make up for it.
Dress: Ann Taylor Loft ; Coat: Banana Republic ; Cardigan: Halogen ; Boots: c/o Sammydress
I love when I find things in my closet that I completely forgot I even had. The other day I was cleaning out my closet to bring some stuff to the consignment store, and I found this dress! I remember buying it at a thrift store a couple of years ago. I had seen the same dress at a garage sale in a size 6 and was completely devastated that I would never fit into it...and then I was at a thrift store a few weeks later, and one was there in a 0 petite - fate! Well, is it really fate if I wore it once and then completely forgot about it? Maybe. Fate is freaky like that.
Now that I've found it, I've worn it twice this week - to church on Sunday (when I took these photos) and to work on Tuesday. It's the perfect church/office dress as it's simple and functional, but has an awesome geometric design to add some interest. Plus, black & red is pretty much my favourite colour combination ever.
I wore it with this not-quite-the-same-shade-of-red cardigan from Nordstrom's Halogen brand and with my new boots from Sammydress. Oh, and this Banana Republic coat because lusssshhh.
I wanna talk about this coat for a minute. No idea why other than because it's perfect. I found it on a sale rack at a consignment store for something like $6. It's the perfect shade of grey, has beautiful paneling, silky lining, and is beautifully tailored to be sharp & crisp but not masculine, and it doesn't overpower my teeny tiny frame. Hi Banana Republic, you're doing it right.
It also has absolutely no thinsulate lining or anything else to keep it warm, so I only break it out on days when it's above freezing. But still - beautiful!
I managed to do victory rolls while under pressure on Sunday morning - and they didn't turn out half bad. I'm still working to perfect them (my hair is so damn thick, it makes it really difficult!) but I think these were a decent attempt and a woman at my church complimented me on them.
I need to buy a vintage hairstyling book and learn some new tricks. I was just watching that season 3 episode of Gilmore Girls with the 24-hour dance marathon, where everyone is dressed up like they're from WWII, perfectly coiffed hair and all. That kind of stuff makes my heart ache because I want to be it so bad.
I wanted to say thank you to everyone who had absolute sweet things to say about my last post on being nice and helpful to others. I have to admit that I already slipped up and sent my friend's mother a fairly nasty email defending myself (I was trying to be polite and peaceful about it, but I just needed her to know how petty her words were....by being petty back). I'm ashamed about it as I was trying so hard to keep my demeanor pleasant and act like the "bigger person" in this situation, but I sunk to her level and let my brashness get the best of me. But, I'm not holding onto that anger anymore and I guess that is good, even if I didn't get it out of me in the way that I should have.
What are your plans for Wednesday? I'm going to do some yoga and watch The Philadelphia Story while painting a bookcase that I bought eons ago (eons, 9 months, what's the difference?). Check back tomorrow for my round up of Things I Love Thursday! xx
Sweater: vintage ; Skirt: Halogen ; Button down: J Crew ; Boots: Doc Marten ; Bag: vintage Sears
My aunt gave me this sweater a few months ago. It's some old 1970s ski sweater made of the scratchiest wool known to man and with sleeves stained with red dye from not being washed properly. Despite these flaws, I love the colors - bright yellow, red, and navy blue - and the reindeer remind me of Lutheran Swedes in Northern Minnesota. It's a great piece that reminds me of why Minnesota is home - plus it's the perfect length! Sweaters, and all tops for that matter, are so long in the torso these days. For a 5' tall girl with a short torso and a love for high-waisted clothes, modern, long-cut tops are the bane of my fashion existence. I don't know if this is related to the low-cut jeans trend or what, but it's like the most obnoxious thing in clothes these days. /end rant
I wear this sweater to the office on days when I want to cut all the formal crap and just be that intern who dresses like something out of Northern Exposure. I've worn it with heels, but the other day I just wanted to kick it in my Doc Martens and be that awkward mix between going hiking in the backwoods and fluttering around the mail room doing administrative work.
Can I stop to talk about this bag for a minute? It's a dream, lemme tell ya. I found it in a corner at the Mall of St. Paul two summers ago when I was searching for a type writer. I picked it up and immediately went into a heavy consulting session with my friend over how much I really needed this bag. It was something like $25 which, for me, is a lot to spend on a bag. It's a beautiful colour and has really nice texture to it. The massive front pocket is a perfect fit for my keys, phone, iPod, & wallet for easy access. The main pocket is monstrous and during school, I could easily fit my laptop, two textbooks, a few folders, & snacks, and for work I can fit necessary files, lunch, snacks, and heels (in the winter I wear boots to commute & swap them out for heels in the office). Obviously a dream bag. Plus I get loads of compliments on it and several of the ladies in my office have obvious envy over my beautiful bag, so that's always an achievement in my eyes.
This outfit is seriously reminding me of this old TV segment called "How to Talk Minnesotan" by Howard Mohr. It's from the early '90s and isn't on YouTube because of those darned copyright issues, but it's seriously amazing and spot on. He covers useful Minnesotan practices such as how to employ phrases like, "You bet", "Whatever", and "That's different" as well as how to wave from your car, including how to master the art of the one finger wave. Mohr also challenges the Minnesotan long goodbye, a social practice in which you take about 30 minutes to actually say goodbye and leave someplace. This is a real thing plaguing pretty much all Minnesotan social gatherings.
There's also a part about refusing something three times before accepting it, which I always thought was just a me thing until I say the TV spot. In Minnesota, when someone offers you something, you say no. So they offer it again, and you say no again. So they offer it a third time, at which point you finally accept it. This is seriously a thing, and all proper Minnesotans know to offer something three times. I've met out of staters who only offer me something once and take my first no as a finality. Trust me, I've totally missed out on a lot of things due to these people who just don't understand the Minnesotan way. (Side note: This "offering something three times" thing is a matter of politeness: you don't want someone to go out of their way to do something for you, even if you really want what they're offering, but if you don't take it at the third time, then you're the rude one - just like if you don't offer something three times, you're also rude. It's a vicious circle.)
The best part of the TV spot, a part where I actually spit my drink out of my mouth, is during the food segment when Mohr is offered Norwegian Taco Salad. Because yeah, that's totally the type of thing that you'd find at a Lutheran church pot luck, along with lutefisk, tater tot hotdish, and a number of other things created and cooked in a crock pot. Don't believe me when I say this is a thing? Senator Al Franken hosts an annual Congressional Delegation Hotdish Competition in Washington D.C. The 4th annual competition just culminated with a first place win by Rep Tim Walz and you can find the winning recipes here, if you're really interested in whipping up a Minnesotan fine-dining specialty.
(Sorry, that was all completely a side note thing which may or may not have been interesting dependent upon how much you actually care about Minnesotan culture. And if that wasn't a flattering representation, just remember that Minnesota gave you Prince, Bob Dylan, Lucky Charms, Judy Garland, Scotch Tape, and the Coen Brothers...yeah, just read about all our achievements here.)
I guess that I knew that featuring this sweater on the blog would end in a big explanation of (and obvious pride in) Minnesota, so there you have it. Hopefully we'll never have to do that again.
What are you guys up to for the weekend? I'm watching more Gilmore Girls, sewing, painting, and drinking loads of tea. Oh, and celebrating the one-month anniversary of Of North! Thanks to all who have been following the new blog and so thoughtfully reading and commenting on my updates. I'm loving the fresh start and I hope you are, too xx
Turtleneck: Land's End ; Jumper: SwayChic ; Jacket: Banana Republic ; Boots c/o Sammydress
Minnesota reached 50°F today, which is probably the warmest weather we've had since November. Before long, people will be swarming the streets in shorts and tee shirts! In fact, a man I see around town has been wearing denim shorts for like a month, even when it's been -35°F. Some Minnesotans are real hard-core like that. Me? No. I bought a pair of snowpants that I wear on my commute to and from work. That's how completely not hard-core I am. (And how completely un-dignified I am in the name of warmth.)
In celebration of the melting snow and ice, I ditched my heavy parka for this lightweight coat from Banana Republic which is a dreeeaaam. Both the coat (it's beautiful) and the fact that I can finally wear it again. I also wore these new boots courtesy of Sammydress, which is a sign in itself that spring is coming because heels & slick ice do not go well together. Heels and slushy ice? Okay, I can deal with that.
I'm not sure what exactly I'm channeling in this outfit, but after I put it on, I felt like some girl from a 1960s Godard film. It's definitely a combination of the stripes, the turtleneck, and the jumper. I put on some cat eye shades to play up the mystery (and also because the sun is reflecting off the snow and is blinding).
Last week, my best friend Facebook-ed me this Buzzfeed quiz about which Gilmore Girls' guy is your best match (I got Luke which is a total lie, so we both re-did the quiz a few times and kept getting Luke no matter what our answers and decided it was rigged, duh). She and I were Skype-ing today and talking about the quiz, so now I've re-started the series again. I've lost count of how many times I've watched Gilmore Girls. It's been the entire series through at least 4 times, and the first 5 seasons I've seen at least 10 times each, easily. Yeah, I'm obsessed. I watched it for the first time when I was 13 while working on my history day project and it completely altered how I thought college would be, and boyfriends. I still love it though, and watching my favourite show always makes me feel right at home and comforted. And so, with that, I'm off to watch the first season and reminisce on Rory's first days at Chilton! xx
