Kaley's Weekly Wear- A Birthday Party

Hello readers!

Today I am writing to you all from my couch. I'm sitting here in my pajamas at 11:15AM- surrounded by piles of tissues, a bottle of water, and a box of Dayquil because I am fighting something akin to a magnificent cold right now. 

That information may seem irrelevant, but it actually serves two purposes. 1. It is supposed to evoke at least a little bit of sympathy from you. 2. It should also serve as an upfront explanation; if I write anything that seems odd or doesn't make sense, please remember I'm on cold medicine.

Back on track.

This week I celebrated my roommates birthday! She turned 26, and she is as classy and lovely as ever, as you'll see in the photographs to follow. The Saturday night before her big day we threw a little party at our house. There was food, fun, and- most importantly- Dance Central. If you are not familiar with the wondrous game that is Dance Central, I would suggest you find someone who owns an X-Box 360 and Kinect (and the game, obviously) and go play. Right now. You can come back and finish this blog post later- just go.

Now, whenever my roomies and I host parties, we like to make sure we bring our A-game in the wardrobe department. Obviously, everyone who enters our front door will immediately judge us on our outfit choices, right? My sister and Mo went with classy black dresses that evening, but I decided to go with a more Southern look. I'm still not sure it would have made Joan Rivers' list of great fashion looks, but I decided to combine a dress with cowboy boots. I admire anyone who can pull that off, so I went for it. Check it out:

 Twin, Birthday Girl, Me.

Obviously you can't see the boots, but you can see the color choice. I debated for a while between a brown sweater and this blue one, and in the end I decided that more color=more fun. 

 Here they are, in all their glory. My dad got me these boots in high school, and I specifically remember analyzing whether or not I'd be able to wear them with skirts and dresses before we bought them.

This isn't part of my wardrobe. It's the cake I made for Mo. It's an ice cream cake. With margarita candles. I'm proud of it, so I wanted to go ahead and show it off. 

This is Dance Central in action. If you weren't sold already, surely you are now.

So my outfit:

Dress: Spice Village here in Waco

Sweater and Belt: Target

Giraffe Necklace: J-Crew

Boots: Cavenders

Okay, this Dayquil is really slowing me down right now. I'm looking at my computer screen with one eye shut, so I think I need to wrap this up pretty quickly.

But before I do- What items in your wardrobe have you owned for years but still wear??

What Not to Wear: Apple Picking

This last weekend, I went to a rejuvenating spa in Charlottesville, Virginia. The thing about this spa is that it wasn't so much as a spa as it was my sister-in-law's apartment. Nevertheless, it was one of those rare weekends where the air smelled sweeter as I kept making random proclamations about how relaxed I was.

Charlottesville is beautiful. It looks like this.

No, friends, you are not looking at the Shire. This is in the United States. You can go here. And you should.

Anyway, while in Charlottesville, we did something that I am now learning is very common in this quadrant of the country - we went APPLE-PICKING, an activity otherwise known as "Mormon Mardi Gras" (see the below video).

I went into apple-picking with absolute Instamind. Instamind, by the way, is when a person, intentionally or unintentionally, begins to see everything as their next Instagram photo opportunity. When deciding on what I would wear to pick apples, I did not think about dressing for an outdoor experience. All I was thinking about was how I would look under that X Pro II filter (my most used filter). 

And how did I look, you might ask?

Amazing. I purchased this coat during my days working at Anthropologie ($50 with my discount). It's kind of my favorite thing in the world. It's lightweight, yet still warm, plus it's got this fancy effect in the back. 

I've basically been waiting all year to pull it back out, and I secretly like to think that it's been waiting for me too. 

Anyway, beautiful coat, beautiful scenery. What could go wrong?

The truth about apple picking is that it is a hardcore sport. It involves climbing, fielding fallen fruit, and hoisting large posts into trees to shake apples down. Apple picking isn't for sissies (Or maybe it is. I'm new to this). 

He's a natural.

Anyway, climbing in my beloved coat and my boots was out of the question, but I did a couple of half-hearted-hops for some of the low-hanging fruit.

Plus, I got this super washed out instagram.

Success! 

You will see me in that red coat all season long, all the way into winter (props to my good friend, Emily, for referring to it as my Carmen Sandiego jacket). 

Do you have a particular item that you can't wait to put on this season? Tell me! 

Kaley's Weekly Wear at the H-O-T Fair

Hi everyone!

Okay, I know I'm a little late this week, but I have an exciting accessory to show you all!

Tonight I went to the Heart of Texas Fair. I went for the first time last year, and it was nothing short of magical. I did all sorts of amazing things- like ride a ferris wheel for the first time in my life, eat too much fried food, and hold a monkey. (Seriously!)

So when a Living Social deal came around for tickets to this year's fair, I jumped on board that ship faster than it takes me to eat a fried Oreo.

My roomie's birthday is coming up, so we decided to make a little trip of it- her, my sister, our friend, and myself. As you can see, there's nothing really remarkable about the majority of my outfit.

 Twin and me. 

You can't see the bottom of the outfit, but it's just jeggings and some cute floral flats. Both the shirt and cami are from Old Navy, by the way, and the giraffe necklace is J-Crew.

I didn't get too fancy since I knew I'd be walking around a lot. But, for that same reason, I knew I didn't want to haul around a purse all night. I wanted a hands-off accessory to carry all the things I'd need for the evening.

That's right. I decided to use a fanny pack.
Here you can see a glimpse of it, but mostly I just wanted to include this picture so I could tell you all that I won this game by shooting a star off of a piece of paper. Awesome, I know.

I won a big teddy bear!

Here you can see a better image of what it looked like with the outfit:

Me, Roomie, Twin

 Here's the close of of my fanny-pack:

In all its sequined glory...

I have no clue where this beautiful thing came from, since it was a gift from my older sister. I don't think I've really had a chance to wear it out yet, so I was PUMPED to rock it tonight. And I got a couple of compliments.

I also got some envious looks.

That's how I'll interpret them, anyway.


So that's what I wanted to share with you tonight. It was the most exciting piece of my wardrobe this week.
But I'll leave you with a photo from my second ever ferris wheel ride:

Have a lovely weekend, everyone! 

Kaley's Weekly Wear- An Apology

While Christy has been enjoying the Fall weather in New York-- similarly, I imagine, to Kathleen Kelly in the 1998 smash hit You've Got Mail (yes, that was the year it was released)-- I have not had quite had the same luck.

1. The weather took a turn for the warmer here. I haven't worn a scarf once this week.
2. Instead of dreaming about bouquets of newly sharpened pencils, I've been knocking back two cups of coffee a day (which is far above my typical caffeine intake) in order to stay awake and get through the million things I need to get done.

Instead of looking as adorable as a pre-plastic surgery Meg Ryan this week,

 I've looked a little bit more like this:

Except I just wish I had this girl's hair. 

Side note, when I originally looked up images for "busy grad student," this is one of the first pictures that came up:

I'm still confused about that. Although it looks lovely.

Anyway, I'm not saying that to evoke sympathy. I'm saying it to apologize, once again, for neglecting to take pictures for this week's post.

Please accept this photography from the worst years of my life (middle school) as a sincere apology. It was scanned, so it's small, but I think it will bring some joy to your day nonetheless.

In answer to the questions you doubtless have: Yes, that is a horseshoe hanging from my left index finger, and no, I have no clue what is happening here.

Also- although this particularl wardrobe choice was not typical for me at the time, that hair style.... every day.

Except when butterfly clips were a thing.


I'm committed to real outfits next week, guys. It's going to happen.


I hope you get to wear some real outfits, too, and that they're all as fabulous as those on your Pinterest boards!

Christy's Weekly Wear

IT'S FAAAAAAAALLLL!!!!!

It's time to start Pinteresting all of your favorite pumpkin recipes and wearing scarves that probably aren't even weather-appropriate yet. It doesn't even matter. It's FAAAAAALLL! 

In honor of every girl's favorite season, I wore a lot of booted, scarved, and layered outfits. Here was my first fall outfit of the season. 

Dress: Marshall's
Boots: Modcloth
Blazer: Anthropologie
Scarf: American Eagle? I don't remember. I've had it since high school. 

Fun story about that blazer: I bought it for $5 from Anthropologie. What? Yes. When you work at Anthropologie, there is this stockroom that is loaded with every pretty thing you've ever dreamed of. Sometimes these pretty things get forgotten and are reduced by like 90% by the time they are found again.

The only thing missing from this outfit? My trademark glasses. As you may have read in my solo blog, Avoiding Atrophy, I stepped on my glasses and they will never be healed. To rectify this disastrous circumstance, I made a visit to Warby Parker, a miraculous online glasses store where you can buy frames and lenses for $95. 

 

These are my new best friends. Warby Parker calls these frames "Marshall". If you're ever in need of having four eyes instead of two, Warby Parker it. 

Blessings on your fashion choices! Be dumpy, be delicious. Whatever feels right! 

Kaley's Weekly Wear- Becoming an Olsen

Hey- o!

Sorry I'm a little bit late on posting this, everyone. I haven't slept much this week- it's been a little cray.

I love that that's a word, now...

Anyway, despite the fact that I've been all over the place this week, I actually wore a couple of cute outfits this week.

AND- With the cooler we've been experiencing here in Waco, I decided to be exceptionally bold.

I tried to pull off a scarf.

You know how some people (probably many of you reading this) can wrap a scarf around their necks and, with the right pair of sunglasses, look as if they could be mistaken for an Olsoen twin?  (In the best possible sense, guys.)

I'm not sure which one is which- they might be the same person- but look at how cool and effortless they make those scarves look.

Despite my best efforts, I have never been a scarf person. 

As in- I have never been a person that can pull off scarves easily.

Have I been a person that wants to pull off scarves? 

Yes. 

Desperately. 

Seriously. I have several of these types of scarves in my closet. I have pinned the how-to-wrap-scarves stuff on my pinterest page. I have stood- on several occasions- in front of my mirror trying to get just the right amount of nonchalance to give me a hipster look without revealing the fact that I did in fact try really hard to look cool. And all of it was in vain. I usually just end up looking as if I'm wearing a weird turtleneck thing and abandon the effort.

But this week I went for it.

And even though I didn't really get the look I that I had in mind when I opened up my pinterest page, I wore that scarf proudly anyway. After all- it was 75 degrees outside, and I could.

Here's what it looked like:

I've decided that the reason I don't get the effect I want is not because I can't droop scarves well- it's because none of my scarves are long enough. Anything to take the blame off my skills...

Here's the breakdown:

Scarf: This is the best part, everyone. It's from a an organization called fashionABLE. There are women in Ethiopia who make these scarves and are paid fair wages, which empowers them to get an education, provide for their family, buy medication they need, etc. One neat thing they do is attach tags on them with a note saying what they're ABLE to do because that scarf was purchased. It's awesome. Check them out. They have a really great new fall collection.

Shirt: Old Navy

Skirt: Anthro (Holla back sale rack!)

Shoes: Target

So that's it. I didn't take any pictures the rest of the week. At least not of myself. I was busy being in grad school. Sorry, guys.

But in along with my apology, please accept this: (hopefully you haven't seen it yet)

Christy's Weekly Wear

After years of searching for this illusive, seemingly improbable creation, I think I've found it: the perfect outfit.

While this might be an overstatement, I can safely say that the following ensemble is one of my most complimented to date.

THE BEST

Top: Anthropologie
Skirt: Anthropologie
Belt: Forever 21
Shoes: DSW

I wore this to work the other day, and a surprising number of security guards told me they liked my outfit. People on the street were stopping me to offer their affirmation. It was a miracle.

Like almost everything I own, this get-up comes with a story. Get used to it.

Once upon a time I was employed by Anthropologie, a high-end clothing store that many of us consider to be heaven on earth. I got this job straight out of college as part of my post-college life-crisis. I figured I could work there for a while, maybe do a little shopping, and apply for jobs in the meantime. Somehow I believed that the soft glow of the expensive candles and the high thread count of the bedding would produce in me a kind of peace that I was lacking in my life. 

Now that I've left Anthropologie, I think it is my job to inform all of you dreamers that being an employee there is seriously not that great. You have to space clothes perfectly on hangers (a practice known as "finger-spacing") and sometimes rude customers come in and crap all over your day like it's their job to do so. Also, you are daily surrounded by beautiful things that can never be yours. It is a cold warehouse of rejection. 

The upside to my experience was that I randomly chose to work at one of the most profitable Anthros in our district. In the time I was there, our employees were rewarded with TWO days where everything in the store was 50% off. Needles to say, every dime I made from these guys went right back into their pocket as I walked away with an incredible new wardrobe. 

Hence the skirt and top shown above. Believe it or not, after owning this skirt for over a year, this is the first time I have worn it out in public. I just never knew what to wear with it. Then one day it dawned on me. Like a mad scientist, I joined these two unlikely pieces together and stood back to admire my creation. "It's alive!" I screamed as I belted the waistline. Then I cackled and there was lightning and my disfigured assistant cowered in the corner.

If you need a visual of that disfigured assistant, here you go:

THE WORST

I have been calling this my uniform. Every day when I come home from work, I immediately put on this sweatpants/tank-top combo. It was all well-and-good until I went out for groceries in it the other day. 

Also, I am literally wearing it right now. 

When will I learn?!

I don't know. I really don't know.

Kaley's Weekly Wear- Blah

Well, I've had a few pretty good weeks now, so it was only a matter of time before this post.

I'm ashamed to say it, but I didn't really wear anything of note this week. I did wear the dress from this week to a wedding, but otherwise, everything I wore was pretty average and a little bit boring.

Here's my explanation as to why that's the case:

We've had a slight temperature drop here in Waco over the past few days. For the most part, it's been under 100 degrees. On several of the days, it's been under 90. And on a few days, it's actually been under 80. It's insane, I know.

But when the weather gets this cold, I think to myself, "I need to take advantage of this opportunity to wear pants without sweating constantly!"

Which really just means I'm excited to be able to go without shaving my legs for longer periods of time.

So that's pretty much what's I've done all week. Worn jeans and t-shirts.

Now, oddly enough, TWO people have pointed out in the past few days that many people wear jeans and t-shirts on a regular basis. "Does that really qualify as a "worst" outfit?" they wondered.

And to answer that query, I would like to direct your attention to the following photograph:

McKayla and I are both not impressed. By my outfit, or my photo editing skills.

Jeans and a t-shirt, in theory, aren't that bad. When I describe it as my worst, I'm really referring to two things:

1. The fit. Please observe in the picture above how I go from baggy on top to skin tight on bottom. These jeans look great on me other times, but somehow when I'm wearing them with this oversized, drab shirt/sweater combo, they don't have quite the same effect.

2. The overall lack of effort I put into trying to make myself feel halfway decent before walking out the door.

Anyone seen the Princess Diaries? And if so, do you remember the part- pre transformation- when she looks in the mirror and says with an exasperated sigh, "As always, this is as good as it's gonna get." (I tried to find a youtube clip, but this was as close as I got.)

That's how I feel on days like the one captured above. And who wants to feel that way?? No one. That's why Mia transformed herself and became Queen of Genovia.

I know what it's like to look- and feel- better than "Meh." So I'm trying to strive for that more often. I'm hoping to feel great more often than blah.

Obviously I'll have off days (or weeks), but hey, I'm human. And clearly I could do worse than a t-shirt and jeans, but I'm not going to complain about not dressing like this What Not to Wear alumnus:

She has no clue how awesome her life is about to become...

So, all that to say, I do know jeans and a t-shirt aren't the worst thing in the world. If I see you wearing them, I'm not judging you. I'm just trying to push myself to be creative with my wardrobe. I'm young- I'm supposed to be trendy and hip anyway, right?

Hopefully I'll be able to pull it off next week!

Here's hoping you all had weeks better than mine!

Kaley's Weekly Wear- A Ukulele Gig! (and more school)

That's right, everyone. (Or at least everyone who read the title of this post.)

I played a ukulele gig this week.

Okay, it wasn't specifically a ukulele gig, but my roommate and I performed a show as "The Ravens," I played the ukulele, she played the tambourine, we sang, and my sister accompanied us for a few songs. And, guys-- it went surprisingly well.

And it was pretty fun.

AND I pulled together a pretty fantastic outfit, if I do say so myself.

How fantastic?

Well, see for yourself:

I know- we look like angels. I think it's 99% the lighting effect in this shot, but I will take it and make it my Facebook profile picture regardless.

Anyway, we'll do a close-up of the outfit later.

(If you're interested, Christy was once feature with the Ravens in a rousing rendition of Ace of Base's "The Sign." I think it's safe to say it was filmed on one of our off days, so if you watch it, please don't judge our outfits. Or my hair. Thank you.)

Okay. Back on track.

This week I had a rough outfit that will pretty much match my drawing from last week exactly.

Check it:

THE WORST:

Look at this monochromatic wonder.

In last week's self-portrait break-down I mentioned the v-neck, the jeggings, the go-to sandals, and the giant bag. All present and accounted for. I didn't use any accessories here- I was just going to study at a coffee shop. But I did, in all my infinite fashion wisdom, cuff the jeggings. In my mind I somehow thought this would make the outfit a little bit better. Looking at the picture, I'm thinking I was wrong. Especially since it seems as if I did it unevenly. Alas.

But on the upside- I have a really cute computer case. That has to count for something, right?

Okay, back to

THE BEST:

Look, a landline phone! Who has those anymore?? So retro...

Twin pic! (This was after the performance, so I was a little sweaty and gross by this point.)

Shirt: Spice Shops here in Waco, TX

Cami: Old Navy

Favorite Belt and sandals: Target

Skirt and giraffe necklace you can't see: J-Crew Outlet

I love this button-up shirt. It's bright and light-weight and makes me feel like Zooey D. in 500 Days of Summer. At least on her nice days.

Another twin pic! It's like we're identical!!

Because it's a bit sheer, I get to pair it with bright and colorful camis. Saturday I chose teal and paired it with my bright purple skirt. I felt like this outfit was really feminine, fun and classy. I'm pretty sure I could wear it every day. Seriously.

So there you have it. My best and worst of the week. From frumpy to feminine, I've been on both sides of the spectrum. (As usual.)

How has your week been? Did anyone else wear anything exciting?

Christy's Weekly Wear

This weekend, Daniel and I had two wonderful visitors to New York City, our friends Lara and Clint. We were so touched by this visit that our hearts almost exploded with joy!

Our hearts were like this...

NOW THEY'RE LIKE THIS!

In preparation, I did laundry the day they came so that I would have no excuse not to look cute. I basically wore every single outfit I have already featured on this blog, and I was worried I would have nothing to show off. Thankfully, my unbelievably generous friend Lara GAVE me a dress! Here I am wearing it out on the town. 

That's Daniel and Clint on either side of me.

Unfortunately, I don't really have a super high-quality picture to show off how fun this dress is, but you'll just have to trust me. It's from Target, it's got a feather-pattern all over it, and layered ruffle excitement on the top. Lara, being gorgeously tall, felt it was a little short for her and graciously gave it to me, her stocky-legged sidekick.

You also may have noticed the necklace which is strikingly similar to the beautiful accessory that Kaley won a few weeks back. 

This is Lara, the giver of the dress. I am Christy, the wearer of the dress.

I first noticed these awesome bubble necklaces whenever EVERYONE was pinning the following picture all over Pinterest.

Who doesn't want to be this woman? She's got a bold necklace AND an ice cream cone.
This is pretty much my ideal lifestyle.

I found this particular accessory over the weekend in Chinatown. Lara and I started getting really excited about haggling with vendors, and Daniel pointed this necklace out to me. I somehow was able to bring the price down by $7, and I walked away feeling extremely savvy. I tried to be Lara's wingman when she was buying a purse, but I had totally lost my touch at that point. 

You may, at this point, be wondering, "Where is her worst outfit of the week?" I'm pleased to tell you that I had a perfect week, and I wore only things that I felt flattered my body.

PSYCH.

That is not true, and it will literally never be true until I am filthy rich and I live in a castle with an Anthropologie in the basement. I simply didn't take a "worst" picture this week. As my own personal form of punishment, please accept this picture of me from high school:

Am I the meal line?

I will never make this mistake again.

Kaley's Weekly Wear- School Times and a Trip to Dallas

Well, here's the good news, everyone.

I've had a pretty decent week in the style department. Since I took my solemn oath last week, I haven't left the house looking like a total monster. Not that remember at any rate. (I have, since the beginning of the semester, been a bit more sleep deprived than I was throughout the course of the summer, so I guess it's possible for me to have walked out in a crazy ensemble without recalling having done so. But I think it's a bit too early into the semester for that.)

All that to say, I am happy to report I don't have any pictures of myself in Nike shorts/shirts with holes and weird stains on them this week!

The bad news is, I don't really have any pictures of my "worst" at all. I'm still getting used to the hectic class/work/internship/life-if-there's-time-for-it schedule, and taking pictures wasn't at the forefront of my mind. I apologize. That coupled with the fact that I didn't have any epic "worsts" left me with a bit of a predicament.

I could tell you about my weekly worst (classic jeggings and a v-neck, by the way), but that doesn't provide a good visual.

So I decided to do something else.

With that, I introduce to you...

My self-portrait break-down of my typical

WORST:

In elementary school, I asked my classmates to vote me "best artist" every year. I was always confused when they didn't oblige.

This is a quick sketch of what I wore this week and wear all too often on other occasions:

-Jeggings. I know many people think they shouldn't be a thing, but I don't even care. I will stand by them until I either am too old to wear them or become uncomfortably self-aware of how I look in them. I've been told I can pull them off for now, so I'm just going to bank on that.

-V-neck. Simple, classic, boring.

-Huge bag. I love it because it allows me to lazily decide what I want to bring with me that day- everything.

-Basic jewelry to throw people off my trail. Maybe if I look like I tried to accessorize they won't realize it's the exact same thing I wear every week.

There are a few other details on the sketch, but those are the high points. I know- it's weird that I didn't wind up at art school.

Anyway, I wore that type of ensemble once last weekend. But really- if that's my worst, I feel like I'm doing okay. Right??

Onto...

THE BEST:

I debated for a little while what I wanted to use here. I went to my brother's celebratory, "You got a job! Now get out there an sell everyone here life insurance!" dinner earlier this week. It was a fun excuse to wear a cute dress. And I got a sibling picture, but it didn't turn out very well.

Here it is, anyway:

Twin, Bro, Me- all really stylish, obviously.

I know you can't tell, but the dress has a really cute heart print, some bright and pretty colors, and a funky neckline. (Old Navy, FYI.) And of course the Bubble necklace made another appearance!

But let's be honest- my brother is the star of the show in this photo. I might get him to guest blog on men's fashion. That vest? Those pants? Come on! Apparently the receptionist at his office just couldn't get over it.

Anyway. This was a cute dress, and I felt pretty fabulous, but then it occurred to me:

I always wear dresses/skirts in my "best" photos. I have never given you any reason to believe I can pull off a cute casual look.

So I went to a photo I took earlier in the week. This is just an outfit I wore to class one day:

When I wore this I sang "Black and Yellow" to myself all day.

Except I sang "Blue and Yellow."

Shirt and Jeggings: Old Navy

Floral Print Shoes: Hand me downs from my mom (Holla!)

Cardigan (laying on my folder): Target

Bubble Necklace: Plum

Purse: Also a hand me down

So there you have it. A casual look that isn't an average v-neck.

What type of things do you do to create a look that is casual without being boring??

Christy's Weekly Wear

Usually I am more than happy to display my worst outfit of the week. I don't know why. I guess it's because it is far easier for me to take a bad picture than a good one, and with just a little effort towards making a picture bad, it can become pure genius. I'm honestly not trying to put myself down. I assume the same is true of everyone. Doesn't the camera seem to always capture you with four chins and a lazy eye that you don't have? Is that just me?

Anyway, this week's picture is not exactly genius. It's just sad...

THE WORST

This was at Target, so I wore red in honor of it, I guess. I was trying to decide between shower curtains and then I spaced out and I guess Daniel thought this would be a good time to take a picture of me. This is the classic "I give up" picture that I hope to never take again. It has taught me a lot. 

THE BEST

Dress: Milan/some girl on the street in my neighborhood (I'll explain)
Necklace: Forever 21
Shoes: HEB Plus
Lantern: An inspiring gift from my friend Lara

You may be asking, "Why is she holding a lantern?", but the question you should be asking is, "Why hasn't this lantern been in every single photo she has ever taken?" Having a prop made taking these pictures so much easier. I usually hate posing by myself in photos and I seriously never know what to do with my hands except hold them out in front of me like a zombie. I grabbed this lantern and I immediately turned into a supermodel. 

Anyway, this was a dress I wore out on a date the other night, and it is kind of the best thing that has happened to me all week. Here's the story:

One day as I was walking through my beloved neighborhood, Ditmas Park, I saw a girl on the sidewalk with a rack of clothes. I passed her by at the time but decided to come back and see what the deal was. She looked to be about my age, and she had some seriously cute stuff. She kept saying, "It's a blowout sale," to every person who walked by. I started rummaging awkwardly through her things along with a couple of other ladies, and one of them asked how much one of her tops was. "One dollar," she said. Wait. Hold up. One dollar? That top is from Anthropologie, and I know that because I used to work there so I could get a discount. One dollar? 

I started talking to her about why she was doing this. She explained that she was taking a financial management class where she learned that Americans tend to use only 20% of what we own. All I could think about was if these clothes were part of her 80%, what kind of things did she leave in her closet? This stuff was GOOD.

A more normal picture of me, in case you need it.

I ended up buying this dress for $4. I'm belting it in this picture (because we all know how I feel about belts), but it has a cool look without it as well. It makes me feel like a really nice witch. 

I love this dress especially because of its story. It was apparently from Milan and she claims she wore it to La Scala Opera House. I don't even care if that's true, but I like to believe it might be. That's why thrifted items are typically so much more fun. The worn fabric and mystery stains (this dress had none fortunately) tell the life story of its previous owner. 

I was too proud of this not to post it.

Gosh, how great are clothes? Do you have a thrifted item of clothing with a story to tell? Comment on this post and let me know! 

Fashion Friends: Emily

If you have been a regular follower of this blog, you know that we are all about uniting together in both our best and our worst looks. That's why you have seen both me and Kaley boldly post pictures such as these:

We've also posted an assortment of cute ensembles, but today we are going to let somebody else save this entry with a great outfit. For the past couple of weeks, we've been asking you to send in your most fabulous looks (or even your worst, if you're brave enough) so we could feature you in all of your style glory instead of just constantly bombarding you with pictures of ourselves. 

This week, we are featuring our friend (and one of my personal style inspirations), Emily! Emily lives in St. Louis and she keeps an absolutely stellar blog that we should all be reading called Of Seeds and Thorns. This girls writes like a pro, cooks food you can't pronounce, and pretty much just fierces it up every day of her life. A true triple threat. Here she is WORKING IT:

Dress: Ruche
Shoes: Anthropologie

LOVE the asymmetrical hemline. LOVE the super unique color. LOVE that winning smile. 

LOVE THESE BOOTIES.

Not only is Emily fortunate enough to be featured here on Can I Pull This Off? (dream come true, right?), but she is also featured on Ruche's Facebook page. She is currently in a contest through them, and she could use your support. Feel free to click HERE, and just like the picture of her. It's that simple. 

Oh, also, feel free to check out shopruche.com for a great selection of romantic and classic pieces like the one Emily is sporting in these pictures! 

If you have a great outfit, send it our way! You looking great gives us something to aspire to while we wear stained t-shirts and terry cloth shorts. Just tweet me or Kaley!