oxfords

Merry Christmas everyone! I would have tried to do an outfit post, or some type of inspirational Christmas photo post or something, but I spent the whole day in sweatpants reading fashion books and playing Xbox Kinect. So I just decided to do what I do best when I have writers block or have no outfit post-worthy to photograph. Research my favorite style and blog about them! I actually meant to write this post months ago, but dropped the idea for some reason days later. But here I am, sitting in my kitchen in the Berkshires listening to music and making baked potatoes (my mouth is watering) looking on different stores for oxfords. These shoes have taken the fashion industry by storm lately! I first saw them on Taylor Swift, maybe? Not sure. But instantly, I fell in love. I'm yet to find a perfect, affordable pair on my feet, but I'm getting quite close! I just found several cute, cheap pairs at F21 which will hopefully be warming my toes shortly. One of the things I love about them are all the different styles. Plain, floral, sequin, or cut-out, each pair is unique and beautiful! Of course, it sucks living somewhere it's so cold all the time. If I could, I would throw on a pair of high-waisted jean shorts, a floral top, a light blazer and a pair of brown oxfords. If only I lived in California... Well, there's no point in fantasizing about impossible outfits, when I should be figuring out if it's possible to wear dresses and not freeze to death. I'm leaning towards yes, I just need to find some really warm tights. It's a work in progress.

Floral Oxford Shoe - $23

Leatherette Zigzagging Oxford Flats - $25

Perforated Leatherette Oxfords - $23

Sequin Floral Oxford - $25

Chelsea Crew Perforated Oxford Shoe - $69

Deena & Ozzy Perimeter Oxford Shoe - $38

Deena & Ozzy Glitter Oxford - $48

one of those days

Have you ever had one of those days where you wake up and say to yourself, "I want to wear this today?" Usually, this feeling occurs with sweaters, but this morning I got out of bed and had this urge to wear my new blazer. Since it has a neutral color (my favorite!), I threw my favorite floral dress on underneath. I wanted to be comfortable for my last few tests of the week, and I always do better and feel more confident in a cute outfit. 

The camera I was using refused to focus on me in the pictures, but after a while the fuzzy effect grew on me, so I left it.

Nordstroms Blazer, Urban Outfitters Dress, Nordstroms Tights, Union Bay Boots

trousers

I've been seeing these pants all over recently, and have become border-line obsessed. I'll admit, they intimidate me. The thigh-hugging fabric, and difficulty of matching the perfect shoes with it, and the whole elegance of the piece. They're much to nice to wear to school, but then, if you're wearing them out to dinner, would you pair a sequin top, or blazer, or sweater? Ahhh, so many choices! This is why I've been searching for a manikin (I know, it sounds ridiculous, but think of how nice it would be if there was a life size person in your bedroom to try your clothes on for you?) to match different things together so I don't have to scramble to try different things on in the morning. I've been making all sorts of fashion mistakes the past few weeks (but hey, we all learn from mistakes, right?) because I've been running so late in the mornings, trying on all sorts of different sweater/skirt combinations, that it's caused me to run out the door last minute wearing something I wasn't totally confident in. 

So what do you think? Yay or nay to these pants? Comment below (anonymous is accepted too!) and tell me what you think! xxo

Eryn Brinie Tie Waist Carrot Pants - $103

Mango Trousers Carla - $60

Zara Pleated Trousers - $40

Zara Pleated Trousers - $40

ModCloth Dance Sequin Pants - $65

NastyGal Scout Cropped Trouser - $26

quick tip

I'm really upset I can't find time to sit down for a good half hour and write a really good post. Right now, I'm half awake trying to fall asleep, since I have a presentation I need to practice before school tomorrow. But as I lay awake in bed, shopping on urban & topshop, I realized something really quick I wanted to share.

Sweaters. Is it just me, or are sweaters one of the best fashion inventions since riding boots and bow headbands? I was looking through a couple pages of sweaters on urban, continuously adding one sweater after another into my shopping cart (which currently stands at 34 items, probably soon to grow once I move on to shoes) when I realized how perfect sweaters are. You can literally wear them with anything. Tights, leggings, skirts, dresses, jeans, and whatever else there possibly is. Not to mention how comfortable and warm they are!?! I can't even begin to express my obsession with them. My love is growing towards tribal-y patterns in very large sizes, so you can literally wear them as a dress with tights and a bandeau (which I seriously need to begin purchasing! Suggestions?) I just added this adorable polar bear sweater from urban to my shopping cart that I'd probably just wear a black or printed skirt and boots or oxfords. Big sweaters are also great for those weekday mornings you just don't have the energy to get dresses (everyday?) For me, I've been spending these past few months forcing myself to wake up when I get dressed in the morning so I don't walk out of the house in underwear. But for those days when it takes me a half hour to wake up, roll out of bed and slump over to my closet, I automatically look towards my sweaters and cardigans, and begin pulling out all the big warm ones I can find. So my advice to you: stock up on these babies while you can, 'cuz winter is right around the corner and they're selling out fast.

pretty as a summer rose

I recently saw a promo for the season premiere of Pretty Little Liars in January and remembered my growing playlist of songs I got from the episodes. Whoever is in charge of music: You have beautiful taste. I have learned about so many new artists, and some of the songs are climbing my favorites charts. I visited my pll playlist and found my absolute favorite song of the first half-season.

can google hear me?

Tonight there was a big Hanukkah dinner at Amanda's! It was so nice to see everyone again, it's been so long! The meal consisted of my favorites: Jami's brisket (best in the whole world), cougle (is that how it's spelled?) and chocolate strawberries for dessert. Yumm. :] I had to resort to photo booth by the end of the night, due to the mostly unsuccesful iPhone pictures that were taken throughout the night. Highlight of the night was definitely reading Stephen's new book (can't remember the title!) which consisted of hilarious things people have searched on Google. My favorite was can google hear me? I thought it was the funnies thing ever, among many many others. Happy Hanukkah! xxo

Urban Cardigan, Nordstom's Top, Urban Skirt, American Eagle Tights, Juicy Couture Wedges, F21 Earrings

all you need is love

We spent the majority of chorus on Friday writing song lyrics all over Olivia's new sneakers which I'm secretly in love with ($15 at Urban!?!) Then I just went all photographer-crazy with my phone and took pictures since we had an hour and a half of study. P.s. Our sub was Mr.Hambro. I died. 

Urban Sneakers, Macy's Scarf, Urban Cardigan, American Eagle Sweater, TJ Maxx Jeans

wish list

It's December and you know what that means! Holiday shopping!!! The holidays are probably one of my favorite times of the whole year. I love walking into my favorite stores and seeing those big fat signs in the window that say All Sale 50% off or Dresses 20% off. I threw together a quick Hanukkah wish list of some of the items I hope to be receiving this holiday season! xxo

1. Women's Bahama Sperry - $75
2. Ecote Whipstitch Cross Body Bag - $38
3. Mesh Covered Rhinestone Headwrap - $24
4. Teen Vogue Handbook - $16
5. Charlotte Fur Vest - $45
6. Chelsea Crew Perforated Oxford - $69

Winter Wonderland

Winter is on it's way, and you know what that means! The cozy sweaters are being purchased, the holiday wish lists go up, and it's sale time in all your favorite stores! Sigh. I looooove winter. If I had to choose one season, I would probably go with summer, because running around in frilly floral dresses and sandals is my favorite thing in the world. But snuggling up in a large sweater in the middle on winter is not far behind. This year in particular, my obsession with sweaters is growing drastically. My closet is filling up with over sized cardigans and sweaters that I'm so excited to start wearing! I just bought a cream colored sparkly sweater that I cannot wait to throw on over a dress with some tights and my favorite boots. To help you all get in the winter spirit, I'm creating myself (and you) a winter wish list that I will be following for sure to make sure I stay warm and look cute this winter!

For starters, everyone needs a coat that keeps you warm, and is functional with your wardrobe. For me, since I find myself constantly throwing on a skirt or dress with a pair of sweater tights, I pull on my long grey wool coat. It's length hits my leg at a spot that makes my legs look longer, unlike some shorter coats that hit at an awkward length. When choosing a coat, you need to visualize you closet in your head. What colors do I wear mostly? Neutrals? Brights? Florals? For me, I instantly thought of patterns, florals, and colors. So I opted with a grey coat, so no matter what I'm wearing, the color of the coat won't drown out my outfit. For others, maybe you're more of a dark, or neutral kind of person, so a brighter color, like red is more you style.

Gloves - For those freezing winter days, you need to make sure you don't catch frostbite on your fingers. When buying gloves, you also need to think about what color coat you have or are planning on getting. I came across these gloves that came in a ton of different colors a few weeks ago, and I was about to grab a pair of tan ones, when I realized I had grey and black jackets in my closet at home. I immediately picked up hot pink ones. Also, gloves can be annoying when it comes to cell phones. For me, I was always so frustrated when I had to take my gloves off to use my iPhone. So I found these gloves that have pads on the thumb and index finger, that work with touch screen phones. At first, I thought that they were kidding, so I pulled out my iPhone, tried on one of the gloves, and viola! I'm so excited to start using them, so my fingers will stay warm while sending a text message!

Scarf - If you feel like your outfit is too plain, but am having trouble deciding what to add, when in doubt, add a scarf. Scarves are so much fun to play around with. There are so many different styles and patterns to try, there's endless possibilities. I start by building up my scarf collection with all the basic colors (neutrals and a few bright colors that pop) and then I move on to patterns. The key to scarves is finding ones that actually keep you warm, not just make your shirt look cuter. Because if you're wrapping a simple piece of cloth around your neck that doesn't adjust your body heat at all, then what's the point? I admit, I do have a few thin scarves that are just for show, but I also have some that really nice ones that warm me up on days that I'm too cold to walk out of the house. I start cheap, and look at places like H&M (I just bought a grey scarf for $9.99 from there) and Forever 21 that have super cheap scarves, and some of them are actually really warm. Then, if you want some high-quality ones, I saw some beautiful scarves at Urban today, and I'm sure other stores like Free People, Anthropology and Madewell have some great ones as well.

Well I have to go to sleep, but hopefully I'll continue this wish list guide soon! xxx

long time no post

Hey everyone! My sincerest apologies for not posting for so long! Tonight was closing night for Thoroughly Modern Millie, thank you so much everyone who came out to see the show! I had such a fun time performing, I hope you all loved it! I've become so close to everyone in the cast and I'm so sad it's coming to a close! But...winter musical auditions are in three weeks! Already prepping my songs! Anyway, I'll be returning to my usual blogging schedule soon, but this has definitely been one of the longest weeks ever! Hope you had a great weekend! xxxo

Thoroughly Modern Millie!!

Have you bought your tickets yet? Come see Thoroughly Modern Millie on November 12, 13 and 14 at the Pollard Auditorium! It's an amazing show and you're going to love it! You can purchase your tickets here.

And check us out of the news!! View the video here! P.s. I'm in the elmo shirt...haha.

Go buy your tickets and come out next weekend to see the show! See you next weekend!

Top 10 Playlist

There are several things in life that are incredibly important to me.

• family
• friends
• health
• food
• music
• fashion

For the past few months, all I've been focusing on is fashion. So I've decided to shift over to music for a change. I'll be re-visiting fashion quite soon, probably within the next few days, but I want to share some of my favorite music with you. 

We R Who We R - Ke$ha

Dance Anthem of the 80's - Regina Spektor

Firework - Katy Perry

Voodoo- Andrea Lewis

Little Secrets - Passion Pit

The Chain - Ingrid Michaelson

All Downhill From Here - Amy Kuney

Jungle Drum - Emiliana Torrini

Waka Waka - Shakira

King of Anything - Sara Bareilles

Human Of The Day

Name: Amy

Nickname: Pilds, Aims

Age: 14

Interests: Musical Theatre, Dance, Horseback Riding

Fun Fact: She is ridiculously good at Cut The Rope.

Why I love her: She's adorable! She's an amazing dancer (no wonder she's in the front row for all the dance numbers) and a wonderful actress as well. She's so bubbly all the time, and can bring humor into any situation just by being cute! I love hanging out with her because the only comeback she has is "Your Mom!" It's so cute. 

I love you Amy!!

Uniforms

One of the many reasons I love going to public school is that we don't have to wear uniforms. Just the thought of turning my head and seeing someone in the exact same outfit as me is terrifying. I feel like if our school had a uniform, it would take away the ability for students to express themselves through their own personal styles. For some people, that's the only way they express themselves. For me, I definitely express myself through fashion, but through music and photography as well.

So even though our school is uniform-free, we still have managed to create a uniform for ourselves, even if it's not required. Next time you're walking down the hallway, look around you. How many girls do you see wearing combinations of sweatshirts, sweatpants, Uggs, and jeans? For some reason, trends have been set stating:

• tight pants are more flattering than jeans
• Uggs are cuter than real boots
• dressing like a slob in sweatpants and a sweatshirt in the same outfit is okay

I admit, I was one of these people in 7th grade. I always followed the trends, waiting to see what color & style uggs would be "in" this season, and emptying my wallet on expensive Juicy Couture sweatsuits. I was too afraid to wear my own clothes because it wasn't what everyone else was wearing. In 8th grade I started to break the habit a little bit, trying to eliminate the days of sweatpant wearing, and trying to never wear a sweatshirt. Instead, I filled my closet up with warm sweaters, that took the place of sweatshirts. Not only were they cuter, but they took up less space in my very crowded closet (my closet bar actually broke at one point because of all the sweatshirts weighing it down.) I also spent a lot of money on brands. Cheap and comfortable jeans from Delia's or Levi's were not acceptable to me. They had to be from Abercrombie, or Hollister, or True Religion, because that's what all the 'cool' kids were wearing. My drawers was filled with tight, unflattering shirts that said Abercrombie and Fitch across the chest. I was so self-conscious about what brands and labels I was wearing, I failed to notice how terrible I had been dressing. So at the end of eighth grade, I spend a whole week cleaning out my drawers and closet, getting rid of any tight, unattractive shirts or pants that I would never ever wear again. With all that extra space, I went shopping at new stores like Urban Outfitters, H&M, Free People, Nordstroms, and Forever 21, and found really cute pieces that I fell in love with. 

Throughout my middle school experience, my style has matured so much, and for the better. I'm still very self-conscious about what people think of me and my clothes, but whenever someone compliments my outfit, it motivates me to always dress nice! Which is why at the start of this year, I made a style pact with myself. 

Try as hard as you can to never wear uggs, sweatpants, or sweatshirts to school.

 Even if I'm having a bad day, walking into school in sweats makes me feel sloppy and messy. Now I'm not saying you should never wear sweatpants ever again. I wear sweatpants, just not to school. Sweatpants are a great style piece for those lazy weekends when you're sitting in your house doing homework, or a quick coffee run to McDonalds, when you won't be seeing anyone important. But during the week, it's not that hard to throw on a pair of jeans and a pretty shirt for a presentation. Same for sweatshirts. It's not like you shouldn't wear sweatshirts! I find them comfortable at times, but I substitute the bulkiness of a sweatshirt, for a warm cardigan or sweater. And even if you are wearing a sweatshirt, wear a skirt with tights on bottom to still look cute and comfy at the same time. As for uggs, I personally am not a fan. They're very comfortable, and are great slippers for around the house, but stuffing jeans into them is not my style. Also, the appearance of riding or combat boots, are just more attractive in my eyes than black or chestnut uggs. But these shoes are really a yes/no decision for you. Many people think they look good with certain outfits, so go for it! Others may find that uggs make the outfit fall apart. It's all up to you. 

So I hope I didn't bore you to death with this post; I've been trying to put these feelings down on paper for a really long time. Remember, always be yourself and never be afraid to express your own style! xxx

Thoroughly Modern Millie

Hey everyone! As some of you know, I’m currently in a show called Thoroughly Modern Millie at the high school. It’s run by a program called SAMD, which stands for Students Acting To Make A Difference. All the money raised goes to charity, which this year is the New England Center for Homeless Veterans. I could go on and on explaining this incredible charity, or you could click here to learn more.

Anyways, the show is November 12th, 13th and 14th. Tickets for Thoroughly Modern Millie went on sale to the general public yesterday, (Tuesday, October 26th)  You can purchase tickets here. Please please please come see the show! It’s a fantastic show, I promise you! The music and choreography is incredible, the acting is phenomenal and hilarious, and it’s a truly amazing show! It would mean so much to the cast and director and everyone involved if we can fill all 400 seats in the Pollard Auditorium all three nights. Please buy tickets and tell your friends, you will not regret seeing this show! :) 

compliments

I really hope this isn’t too confusing! Just look at the photos above and understand that they are all supposed to be together in one post, except my tumblr is being very very mean today.
Anyways, this is probably one of my favorite outfits EVER. As I looked in the mirror this morning, I thought to myself, “today’s gonna be a good day.” Was it? YES! I had some of my favorite classes today, (and no math!) and I got so many compliments it made me so happy! Compliments are such a pleasure to hear and give. For me, I love giving them to people on the smaller parts of their outfit that most people wouldn’t really notice (ex. bracelet, necklace, headband, etc.) People may think the smaller accessories of an outfit don’t stand out, but they do! And receiving them, well…everyone loves a good compliment :).
I bought this dress before school started, and then the weather changed so quickly I never got to wear it! But a few weeks ago, a thought came over me. What if I wore dresses with tights, boots and a warm sweater when it’s cold, so I can be stylish and warm…? So last night as I stood in front of my closet searching for an outfit, my eyes drifted over this dress. I pulled out some tights from my drawer, grabbed a sweater of a hanger, and pulled my suede boots out from closet floor. I laid each item out under one another, and instantly knew this would be a good outfit. It you don’t think the same, that’s cool, I’m not judging your style! I feel like this outfit really represents MY style, not anyone else’s!
On a side note: These photo booth pictures have got to go. If anyone knows a site or store where I can get a pretty decent camera pretty cheap, let me know! You can message me, inbox me, come up to me at school, whatever. I just need a new camera! :)

Dress OU, Cardigan Nordstroms, Necklace F21, Tights Hue, Boots Nine West, Gifted Bracelets

down by the river side

Today was such a fun day! Olivia needed some photos for an audition she has on Saturday, so we raided my closet and got all dressed up for a photo shoot in my backyard! (I just got dressed up for fun :)) We ended up spending most of our time across from my house, just walking around this tiny little street that no cars drive down and has lots of trees and flowers. I ended up not wearing shoes for most of the shoot, since Olivia was wearing my wedges, and I just…didn’t really feel like wearing shoes. Our lovely photographer was our friend Amy, but we all switched the camera at certain points. There was a little flower patch in the grass that had these bright yellow flowers popping out of the dirt, so we picked one and carried it with us for the rest of the afternoon. (It’s actually sitting at my table right next to me right now!) I really loved it’s pop of color, so I put it in Olivia’s hair for a while. Very pretty :) So after about an hour and over 100 beautiful pictures being taken, we went inside for about 5 seconds, only to have to come back out to chase after my crazy cat, Pepper, who loves being outside even though she’s not supposed to go out! So after about 10 minutes of chasing her around my yard, Olivia finally snagged her! Then Olivia changed into a new outfit and we moved back into my yard. I have this old swing that has been there since I can remember…maybe it was here when we moved in? Not sure…but anyway, it’s kind of scary, it’s so old! It creaks every time you sit or stand on it, but it never breaks! So that was a brief version of our afternoon…oh! The title! The whole time we were taking photos I was belting “Down By The River Side” by….I don’t know who it’s by actually. Haha. Well I was singing that, and then Olivia started singing it, and Amy started singing it…and then we just couldn’t stop. It’s quite catchy!
On Olivia: Dress Kimchi Blue, Wedges Kelly & Katie, Sweater Vintage, Boots, TJ Maxx
On Moi: Skirt UO, Vest H&M, Tank American Eagle