high collars

{blazer: antrho | shirt: anthro | jeans: AG (thrifted) (similar) | bag: dooney and bourke | shoes: target}

Even as I'm wearing this high collar, I'm not sure how I feel about them. They are just so...high. It feels strange to button something up so close to my neck, I can't even imagine what wearing a tie would feel like! But regardless of my inhibitions, I think it this collar works? Either that, or I'm just blinded by my love of all the pink. 

In other news, I just thrifted the MOST comfortable jeans (see above- that's the look of comfort!) It's amazing how one persons throw-aways can be someone else's treasure! I'm slowly discovering some new thrift store gems in Portland (these jeans are from Sequel Apparel). Any Portland readers have any favorites to share? 

Black and White Glamour

{shirt: old navy | pants: banana | clutch: F21 | shoes: payless | necklace: thrifted}

As you may know from this post, I've had black and white on the mind lately. It's so simple, yet it makes me feel glamorous. That, and the Oscar's. Nothing says glamour like wearing sweatpants while

watching beautiful people in beautiful gowns hand out gold statues. 

And I guess there were some beautiful suits thrown in the mix too. But as my niece says "why are the boys all wearing the same thing?" It reminds me of those embarrassing days in high schools when another girl had on the same outfit and we'd try to play it off like we wanted to be matching. Except our outfits weren't thousands of dollar suits. They were graphic tee shirts and jeans that were 3 sizes too big from the local mall. So I guess it's really not like the Oscar's at all. Either way, I think my niece was right. The girls have way more fun.

sweater collection

{cardigan: old navy (similar) | skirt: jcrew factory | snood: h&m | shoes: payless} 

I was feeling a little down when I could't find a purple sweater in my sweater collection. I thought, "what good is a blue skirt without a purple sweater?" That's when this cardigan stepped in to save the day. Buttoned up with a snood scarf on top, it might as well be a plain old sweater (with buttons). Look out sweaters, there's a new kid in town. 

Nothing New

{shirt: Halogen (thrifted) | skirt: Nordstrom Rack | boots: DSW}

Because I’m a bargain shopper and thrifter, sometimes I feel like I don’t fit in as a blogger. When I’m working on a post I always think that I need to have links to what I’m wearing- because that’s the “norm” in the blogging world. But today, I can’t link to anything. And I think that’s something to celebrate!

I remix my clothes, thrift my clothes, buy on the sale rack, and use coupons whenever possible. This means it’s sometimes hard to replicate what I've worn with links on my blog. But that’s a-ok in my book, because blogging doesn't have to be about looking the same and always buying more.  For me, it’s about creating inspiration to take items that you already own and turn them into something new! You don’t have to have the SAME black shirt that I’m wearing to create your own outfit idea; any black shirt could do the trick!

When I look at other blog posts, I try not to feel overwhelmed by the need for instant gratification. Instead, when I really like what I see, I try to think about something similar that I might be able to create with what I already have. And most of the time, it works! That’s not to say that I don’t still give in sometimes and buy those things that I just really LOVE. But when I do, it feels special.