Oh yeah....FNO...

(picture 1, someone really blew it with the date, picture 3..LOVE HER HAIIIR!!!)

dress: vintage
mint shirt: need supply
socks: topshop
heels: my mom's because I have like...no heels...

Never got to show you guys what I did/wore for FNO Chicago. The verdict? Boring as usual. In the midwest its just a shopping ploy and throwing 10-15% off to shopaholics as if thats a real discount! Call me when its 50%. Better yet call me come black friday. I left the FNO festivities to head out to an office party celebrating one of our magazines second annerversarie. The location was rad, it look like an old apartment complex from the 20s. And everyone really liked my dress! Proenza? Nope...Thrifted?Yep....

You know me.

wanna hang out this weekend?

(all the cool folks I met this summer. Including Tres Awesome)

Hey guys, want to get some fall vintage shopping in? Come visit me THIS WEEKEND at the Randolph Street Market in Chicago. It's located at 1340 W. Washington, Chicago, IL and its SAT from 10-6 and SUN from 10-5. I'll be inside plumbers hall all weekend. I hope to see you there!

birthday brunch

tie: vintage

blazer: vintage
chambray: french connection
polka dot accordion skirt: vintage
(new birthday boots bought at renegade craft): vintage
socks: topshop

I hope you didn't think I was gone for good! I needed my little break, but now I'm back and more inspired than ever. My surgery felt like an apple falling on my head, everything since feels like "eureka!" since....

I know my birthday was a while back, almost feels like a month ago, but I  had a marvelous time. Caught up with good friends, ate delicious food, relaxed! What more could a girl want. My favorite part was trying new restaurants. We went to an old Indian food favorite, (dave and I got all dolled up) But I also go to try a new pancake place called STAX. They were yummy yummy, definitely put a stamp in my pancake passport. They had fresh blueberries that probably stained my teeth blue, but it was well worth it. (the lemon zest was an delightful touch!) If you're ever in the city and want to try a new breakfast place, I whole heartedly reccomend.

As always, as the world turns, the weather changes, I feel my style evolving. Always inspired by Nora Ephron, but I have to admit, Laura Holt from Remington Steele is slowing becoming my new obsession. But alas, more on that later.....

(On dave, everything's vintage except for the tie, we bought that in NYC) 

complicated ties

 

tie: vintage 
oxblood blouse: need supply 
boyfriend trousers: french connection 
belt: vintage 
cardi: h&m shoes: f21watch: vintage pendleton

Hey friends, I know I fell off the face of the earth for a moment there, but that's because I was party partying for my birthday. Now it's back to business basics, though honestly I dress pretty business-y 365 days a week. Maybe because I'm just a big ole nerd.

 Despite ties being ruined in the the early millennium by a Miss Avril Lavigne, I'm ready to make things less complicated by rocking them in the way Cybil Shepard use to do in the 70s. After Madewell sent me a catalog and I saw all the ties in their fall collection, I had to admit that my love for ties has been rekindled. And honestly I truly thought I would never love them again! Plus for 3 ties for a $1 at my local thrift I can have a tie for every day of the week!

But as for wearing a tube sock on your arm, not sure about bringing that back....

Now if you'll excuse me I have a pumpkin spice latte calling my name

(ps today's the last day to enter the GIVEAWAY)

born this weird

Well its official guys...im a quarter of a century years old. It feels good to be 25...i feel more sure in my age, I feel like I'm taking control of my life and no longer focusing on being a people pleaser, but making myself happy. I know the phrase is going around "you couldn't pay me to be in my 20s anymore." but honestly I'm loving every moment and grateful to just be alive to experience new things and share them with you.

And is it any surprise that fashion week has kicked off on my birthday? Of course not, they did it for me ;) Thanks for hanging out guys and supporting me on this journey

hugs + kisses

school boy

 

blouse: vintage
shorts: topshop 
red flats: vintage
jacket: paul frank (since 7th grade uniform days...lawls)

As much fun I had in my last post with the floral headband and all, I'm really stoked (yes, stoked) to be dressing like my old self again. My old, old self. Friends, I feel like I've been through a journey, a fashion journey, going through phases from the 70s to the 90s trying to find and define my style. For a while I enjoyed dabbling in more of a boho 90s look. But nothing seems to resonate better than looking like the female protagonist in a Nora Ephron film. High waist, button down, jacket, brogues, yes sir, that's the look for me. I'm also starting to get into more jewel tones & muted pastels. I feel like every girl under the sun has color blocked a blue blazer with hot pink pants from F21 and called it a night! But I'm dressing this way not because it's trendy, but because it's so weirdly me!

AND I WONT STOP until I feel like I can seamlessly blend into a Wooden Allen Film.

This look, a little more Wes Anderson meets the BBC, I feel like a private school boy. It also reminds me of when I SO BADLY wished that I was sent away to boarding school. All the cool kids in the books I read as a child were either orphans or in boarding school, and to me it sounded great! (Similar to Suzy in Moonrise Kingdom...hurrhurr) But gratefully my mom kept me nearby, but I still had to wear a uniform though....

you take the good
you take the bad
you take them both
and there you have....
the facts of life.....THE FACTS OF LYFE

love lost

(I'm wearing a vintage dress, necklace borrowed from my mother, and glasses from Target)

Here I am, snapped again! Gosh these pictures are old. I actually had a whole post planned for these but UNFORTUNATELY, they got lost because Dave's little cousin borrowed his SD card and wiped it out. FORTUNATELY this photography company was able to capture me and Dave at our best! The photographer was such a cutie as well! He really made everyone feel so comfortable unlike some people I've worked with who just make the idea of having your picture captured for a life time all more awkward.

Fun factoid of the day, I actually won my tickets to this event. If was for fashion for a cause hosted by my girl Tres Awesome for a film called Sole Survivor that documents the lives of survivors of plane crashes. The film is really deep, and very moving, it felt like a shame to have so much fun dancing to chaka khan! Just makes you grateful for life I guess.

There was also a fund raising part of this event wear I won a pretty reckless necklace from local designer (and friend) Ashley Drapes. I haven't figured out how to wear it yet, but I'm stoked, and still dancing...

weekenders

polka crop top: american apparel
high waist pants: american apparel
granny loafers: vintage
safari scarf: vintage
glasses: target
watch: vintage pendleton
tote: c/o  madewell

I think I'm starting to understand the prhrase "work hard, play hard" I used to think it was a bar fly's excuse to get smashed every weekend, but now I'm understanding the simple of joys of having free time. When I first finished school I found myself with an abudance of time that I feel like I pissed off watching netflix, eating, not doing anything I wanted to accomplish. Now my time off is spent doing creative things that I didn't have the motivation to do before. But more than that, I think I enjoy the simple joys of life more. When I had time to waste, I felt more depressed, now in my life I feel as though I have time to cherish.

Weekends are also an excuse for me to dress as I please. I wore this look a few weekends back and I always feel like the weekend is the best time for me to feel like me. Though I am getting more and more brave in the office. I was crazy inspired by Emma Stone's look in the latest issue of Vogue, it so cooky-70s-tomboy-Annie Hall I can't stand it! I can't wait till fall to fully dress like this. Summer is more difficult, my favorite cuts are pants and blouses, not so great in the heat! Thankfully summer has been nice to me...thus far. In the meantime, weekends are meant to play. Play with colors, patterns, glasses and hair. Weekends are meant to have fun, and fun is what I'm going to have.

Cheers to the freakin weekend....youre only two days away 

essen-tially

Like a  bad friend that I am...I FORGOT TO TELL YOU that I was in the April Issue of Essence...lols! I kept slipping my mind like a banana peel because it happened towards finals and I just forgot to mention it. Luckily my friend Bianca (yes I have a friend named...BIANCA...insane!) snapped a picture of the issue for me when her mom no less discovered me. I have been getting phone calls every once and a while of family friends going "Isn't this you! Oh my you've grown sooo much!...Wait your name is Avant Blargh???"

Funny thing is, last weekend on  burger outing they had that issue at the restaurant, and I decided to have dave snap my picture in all its glory! I have to say I was very excited. I now have two very important issues of essence. One with me in it...another with advertisement I worked on. (cause FYI I am a graphic designer :P)  I keep these bad boys mint! Oh and just in case here's a bigger picture of the outfit they choose, which is from this post.

In all honesty, this whole post has really made me want burgers..YUM...Oh by the way, just in case you haven't heard, I'm hosting an event at Madewell THIS FRIDAY in Chicago. COME ON BY!!! (click thru for more details!!!)

oh and ps. I hope you like the new banner! hee hee ;)

snapped

Every once and a while I get asked to have my photo taken by some AWESOME street photographer that has managed to make me look halfway decent on days that I halfway tried...lol

When I was living in NYC I got snapped a few times, but I somehow forgot to get their information so those images are lost FOREVER. Luckily two of my favorite local street photographers snapped me as well, and of course I was more than familiar with their sites! I never realize how intense it was to get the perfect shot, I usually assumed it was one and then your done, but I think me and Emma from Tresawesome took like 100 photos in 97 degree weather last weekend--but it was worth it! She also made me smile...SO SOAK IT UP PEEPLES, I'm back to my frowny face starting next week...haha. My other photo is from me at the TopShop Event held by no one other than Emma and Amy Creyer of Chicago Street Style. The photo was taken by the adorable Luis Torres of ChicOverload, who like me last year is spending his summer in NYC ((so jealous))

It's so interesting to see others perspective of me. I almost feel like I look like a totally different person! But I think I feel that way about all photos of me....

where have all the cowboys gone?

Pendleton style blazer: vintage express
high waist trousers: FCUK
mint blouse: need supply
booties: vintage
bolo tie: vintage
braided belt: thrifted
glasses: Target

Ever since I finished school I feel my style....changing....evolving. Not necessarily to look like a cowgirl (hahah) but finding new inspiration. I watched Pretty In Pink while I was binding books, and I took inspiration from Not Duckie....not Molly, not even sexy James Spader as Steff (dear Lord, can I get a what what?) But from Annie Potts as Iona....from her predated Gaga look, to her going out with a business man look. SHE IS GREAT. I started rewatching Designing Women just to study her looks (by rewatching I mean I used to watch it with my designing mother as a kid) Then stumbled on the gem as her Janine Melnitz in Ghostbusters!! WHO YOU GONNA CALL, Annie of course, so I can raid her closet. Honestly rewatching awesome things from the 80s and 90s always take a different perspective as you get older.

I think I'm also being inspired by all the Felicity I've been watching. Then there was that My So Called Life marathon on. I love MSCL but Felicity's character really hits home for me, and it takes place in a gen-x NYC. Love it mooooooore. So call this look my Annie Potts meets Felicity, meets...Pendleton..cause I will always love Pendleton, especially when it's thrifted! Talk about a lovely find! It's actually Express, but on the real, IT FITS SO WELL, ITS MARVELOUS.  This look came together to well, perfect for a movie night, the movie was ok. It started off great and...well...I like my outfit better. Let's hope these summer blockbusters don't let me down, if they do there's always Lola Versus....because Greta Gerwig is my mumblecore queen..