Daily Wear: Topshop Jackets and Name-calling

I have absolutely been so stoked to own this jacket since I broke down and bought it 2 weeks ago...and don't you hate that when you have an item you're dying to wear but weather just won't cooperate?  Welcome to my world!
(this will also happen in about a month when I jump the gun and get really really overly excited for the return of Autumn and I go crazy and start buying fall clothing, all the while still having to make it thru the last few weeks of August.)

The moment I put this on in Topshop I told myself to buy it.  It's not as if I needed another gray jacket, but something about the scrunched up sleeves I convinced myself it was different than the other 3 jackets of similar shading in my closet.  (Pretty sure looking back on it I could've just pushed up the sleeves on another one of my gray jackets and achieved the same effect.  But nah, who needs that?)

So great, back to weather-talk...BORING!  But indeed the weather was awesome today...I swear there wasn't an ounce of humidity in the air and there was a crisp breeze like no other!  Perfect for putting on a little boyfriend blazer if you ask me!

Now, on to the funny part of my day...
I've gotta ask you, be honest...do I look kind of masculine in this outfit or something?  I mean I thought for sure the bright pink heels and curvy-girl physique would make it obvious...but I'll swear, I'm 95% certain, oh hell yeah--this girl turned to her friend on the sidewalk at lunch and said, "holy shit I thought that girl was a man".  
And I looked around and I was the only other girl.  WTF?
I just shot her a furrowed brow of a glare, I'm sure she got the point...but seriously, how funny is that?
Maybe I am looking manly today, who knows.
I thought I looked plenty female, just I happened to be wearing what some refer to as a "boyfriend jacket".

Nevermind when I came back inside and took off my jacket, my coworker proceeded to constantly sing ridiculous Kid Rock songs in my direction.  It's something about white tank tops--they bring out the Kid Rock in all of us, it is rather unfortunate in this regard for sure!

Wearing:
*Gray silk blazer, Topshop
*White tank top, H&M
*Skinny jeans, Uniqlo
*Silver vintage necklace, Thrift Store
*Silver earrings, H&M
*Fuchsia heels, BCBGgirls

Yep, I suppose I was a little more stoked on wearing my new jacket than everyone else.  So much so I just must've overlooked the masculine quality it can lend to the outfit--but its not like I'm pulling a Paula Poundstone here.  What a day, being mistaken for a man and then being serenaded with Kid Rock songs.  I just don't know what to make of it.

Oh and freakin eh...I have the worst sore throat I've nearly ever had.  I don't usually get sore throats, especially in July!  And just in time for my Tom Petty concert on Wednesday...you don't even know how angry I am about this one.
I mean afterall who, if anyone, has more right to yell at the top of her lungs during those famous lines of Last Dance with Mary Jane...pretty sure this Indiana girl has all the right to yell it out.  But damn this sore throat.  I can barely talk to tell you the truth.  Why do I always get sick for these concerts?

The Fur Vest

I've been here all day trying to wait for more to happen so as to make a new "Weekend Rewind" post; I simply cannot wait longer.

I've been too excited all day about my outfit.

 I've been dying to wear my new fur vest for some time now

I got it back in September when Mel hooked me up with her Kensie pull.

So someone tell me why I've been online and in the house since I put this ensemble together earlier this afternoon?

Wearing:

*Beige fur vest-Kensie

*Gray wrap sweater-H&M

*Gray lace skirt-unknown

*Steel textured tight-HUE

*Taupe suede booties-Calvin Klein

*Gold chain/pearl necklace-Topshop

*Gold multi-strand necklace-Forever 21

I wore this skirt before, trying to rework it and make it into something different.  I never got around to doing anything with it.  But when the mood struck me to wear my fur vest, I had to find something girly to balance it out.  And looking at my past few months of posts, one can see I'm a basics, raw, rough around the edges kinda girl--not a lot of girliness in my closet.  This skirt was the first thing to come to mind.  

Alas, it's still too big, falls down around my hip bone and just looks awkward.  Nothing a few safety pins hooking skirt to tights cannot fix.  And voila!  Although I do have to admit it gives me a plusher stomach look and a bit more of an hourglass figure, but I can deal.

In all my giddiness over this entire look, I proceeded to get really into today's face/make-up.  I went for this smoky, kinda sleepy-eye look using taupes and browns-so as not to make it overly harsh.  A little shimmer and a pale pink lip to top it all off.

Then figured topping it off with a couple necklaces would be a nice touch.

And much to my delight, these tights are much more sheer than I ever imagined!  I bought them last fall and never had a moment to give them a try.  They looked so steely-blue in the package, very opaque and textured....And wow!  Now I'm loving them moreso than when I purchased them.  I just know they'll get a few more wears this year rather than last.

So here it is, just call me "Switzerland".....as in I'm super neutral today....neutral colors have such a nice cool feeling about them, they go exceptionally well with a crisp chill in the air.

And now, It's Saturday night.  I've spent the whole day in my computer position (A.K.A. my massage chair w/the laptop nearby) and it's time to GET OUT OF MY HOUSE! 

 Lucky for me, BF and his friend are down the street at our fave bar.  Bob is also on his way.  

Unfortunately, it's a little chillier now than it was this afternoon-I think I have to swap the beloved furry vest for my gray bomber.  Just me, the bomber, BEERS and BROS!  Happy Saturday Night!  Talk to you all tomorrow I hope.

Weekend Rewind: August 29-30th, 2009

Saturday Evening: August 29th

My best fashion school buddy, Adriane, is getting married next weekend.  We had a little dinner which some might consider as her Bachlorette Party.  Although we did not go so far as to turn it into an over-the-top production....just low key, at least for dinner.

I realized after arriving I could've dressed a bit more casual.  

But hey, it never hurts to put on a dress:

*Black satin dress w/neckline ruffle detail-Express

*Black cropped jacket-H&M

*Ivory snakeskin shoes-BCBG

*Vintage faux fur leopard clutch (and yes, that's a Tommy Lee circa 1984 pin on it)-Thrift Store

*Gold bangle and earrings-Forever 21

We proceeded to embark on a journey of trying to relive our old glory days--back when we thought everyone in the bar wanted to buy us drinks, and we never stepped off the dancefloor.  I've come to the realization I've grown up a tiny bit, and we are no longer 22!  Damn.

We embarked on our after dinner evening by finding Beauty Bar in the ghetto, I mean Bushwick.

Side Note: had I not been asked to leave (errr kicked out for unruly behavior-long but great story I assure you, or from what I've been told) the Beauty Bar in the city back in my "glory days" mentioned above, we might've gone there instead.

Nonetheless, Beauty Bar in Bushwick-hmmmm, we lasted all of 15min there.  And we were off.

 

The rest of the evening, we spent "dancing".  I use that term loosely because Adriane's friend took us to a bar that I just cannot say I've ever experienced before.  Upon entering the incense was overpowering, sweat and musky body odor, people everywhere with no place to move.  Yet no seats either, and the entire square footage seemed to be used as a dance floor.  Stand there in between overheated bodies swaying their hips to the beat of bongo drums (yes bongo drums were being played)and you just look stupid.  But me moving my hips like the only way I know how (Visualization: me dancing to a Guns n Roses song, because this is the only dance move I can pull off)doesn't look any better than standing still either.  What a long night as I tried my best to charm the wits out of 'em all with my sassy non-Shakira like hip movements.  Luckily, the girls had a good time even if is not what Adriane and I are necessarily accustomed to dancing to.  I mean would it have killed them to play a Michael Jackson song maybe?  No worries, I try to make the best of any situation.

>

I do not know these dudes, nor can I vouch for the graphic tee or the overuse of the words, "ah ah ah" spewed from their mouth in unison--several times might I add.  Uhhhh WTF?

I'm guessing these impromptu photos made these funny guys' evening, 

not so much mine....hence my "seriously ?  Is this happening?" face below.

Sunday Afternoon: August 30th

Thank god for running water!  I don't know how or why I went to bed last night without showering first.  From the Saturday photos above you can get the idea of just how sweaty and hot that place was....ewww gross.  

Thankfully it all washed away and here I am!

So, thinking it was a great day for a bike ride, I took a peek at my bike.  

WHAMMY-my back tire was FLAT!  THANKS A LOT TOPSHOP.

Second flat tire since winning the bike a month or so ago.  First it was the front tire, now the back.  Bummer!  I don't know what I think about this bike anymore.

I then again made the best of any situation; quickly convincing the BF that we should walk my bike to the bike shop and check out the new-ish Wing restaurant near the bike shop.  Yeah, that was easy....

I finished getting ready, threw myself together, by choosing a skirt that I've own for over 3 years and never wore.  I just figured a tshirt would be easy and the boots are an obvious go-to.  Throw on a necklace and voila!  Quick outfit so BF doesn't get mad that I'm taking so long to get ready.  We were off- bike repair and wings it was!  Yummy I say.

I had boneless chicken wings with honey mustard sauce.   

And I returned home to pose like a moron in my backyard:

*brown zebra-print t-shirt-Forever 21

*Blue skirt-Tara Jarmon (is that her name?)for Target (back in her GO Int'l line 3yrs ago)

*Yellow knee socks (pushed down)-American Apparel

*Brown booties-Steve Madden

*Brown necklace-random jeweler on the streets of Soho

*Gold octopus earrings-some boutique in Philly

*Full, big wing riddled belly-au natural (why do I choose to take these photos like 10min after eating????)

So how was everyone else's weekend?  Do tell!!!

Weekend Rewind: July 17-19th, 2009

Hope everyone's weekend was as jam packed with fun as mine was.

As mentioned, I won the Topshop/Chictopia bicycle contest, and I took matters into my own hands as far as getting the bike delivered.  I called the Topshop offices in London to let them know that I often have a hard time receiving packages since no one is home during business hours.  Therefore, they were so kind as to set me up with these dudes from Brooklyn who were shipping out the bikes.  

These guys actually coordinated their schedules with mine and hand delivered the bike (fully assembled I might add, which is a major plus considering everyone else who won will be getting their's in a box which will require some tricky assembly).  To my delight they were cute hipster skeeze bags, and they stuck around long enough to give me some pointers on the bike, and some other tips to handling it. 

I lounged around the house all morning just waiting for the bike, and a typical outfit for such an occasion is comfy and casual:

Wearing:

*White, Hanes Wifebeater

*DIY denim cut-offs

(coffee mug from Jack's 99cent World in hand)

This is my new bike, it came complete with a cute helmut w/yellow and pink stars, and a lock and key.

I brought the bike immediately inside, haven't even given it a test spin.  

(side note: Looks like I won't be giving it a test spin anytime soon.  To my surprise, I woke up this morning and the front tire is already FLAT!)

So Thanks Topshop!

I have to take it to a bike shop and fork out some dough to get it fixed up I suppose.

I can't complain, it was FREE, and as it turns out,

that bike I posed with in the winning photo isn't even mine!

 In fact I don't even know who's bike that was, it was just chained to a tree outside a chinese fast food place.  Most likely it was one of the delivery boys' bikes.  Haha, putting my hands on the strangers' bike was the best thing I could've ever done!  
(Sorry suckers!  You have permission to slightly hate me now)

So yes, actually I can't complain about a free bike with a flat tire.  It's not such a bad tradeoff under my sneaky circumstances.

(Thanks again Mel for taking that photo)

With the bike delivered and the tire deflating without my knowledge, I finally headed out to enjoy the rest of my Saturday.

A trip to the park, 

Then, beers at a neighborhood bar on their back patio, with the company of friends, 

Wearing:

*Blue silk tunic-Forever 21

*DIY cut-offs (from earlier that day)

*Mustard Yellow/Ivory toeless socks-American Apparel

*Brown leather cowboy booties-Steve Madden

*multiple necklaces

To a night of "All you can Bowl" in Sunset Park....I had a great Saturday.

We all know bowling requires a certain style aesthetic 

Therefore, I brought my "A-game" moreso in the bowling fashion dept. than I did my actual game.

By my "bowling style" I mean the socks-they went from scrunched down in my boots, to awesome tube socks just in time for my first frame.

And of course, Idee Geniale brought her bowling style in the form of her very own shoes; yes I'm jealous.

The night finished up with a new set of girls ready to take on the leagues of Brooklyn's finest.  We befriended the two ladies next to us who quickly jumped on the idea of being a part of our ladies' league, complete with our team name being what else?

the BROOKLYN BEAUTIES

of course!

And today, my wardrobe consisted of a somewhat classier approach.  My choice was based on the fact that BF and I had to head out to Staten Island to attend his family's BBQ.

All aboard the Staten Island Ferry.....

Wearing:

*Multi-color floral print tunic (tucked in)-Target

*Black sailor-like shorts-H&M

*Black Strappy sandals (that yes, I wear all the time)-Miss Sixty

*Multiple necklaces

After a weekend of whirlwind fun, I'm happy with my choice of clothing.

Hope everyone else feels the same about their choices.  I'll be looking at your blogs to check it out.

7th Avenue Street Fair

It actually resembled summer a little today....slightly muggy, warm enough that I wasn't chilled, and of course a street festival thrown in for good measure.

I walked from 9th street almost to Flatbush deciding which food I wanted to buy, then realizing I needed to hit a bank before I order up anything.  Looked at lots of jewelry too.  Saw too many people selling socks and sheets, for some reason it's a staple to have those randoms at NYC street festivals.

I got almost to Flatbush and the BF decided he would meet me, after earlier telling me he hated people and how he did not want to deal with that.  (I don't blame him, there are definitly too many strollers and dumb parents walking the streets of Park Slope).

He got hungry so of course he came to meet me, but that required me to backtrack all the way back to our street.

We met, then went on the hunt in the other direction to find some grub.  We settled on a strawberry-banana smoothie to hold us over until we decided on something else.  Then, as I should've known it began to RAIN!  Yes, RAIN AGAIN! 

We got pretty wet, so we had to come home :(  

(after the rain, back home where it's dry)

Wearing:

*Denim western-style shirt dress-Topshop

*Red burlap wedge/flats-DSW

*Natural, vintage straw bag-Thrift Store

*Silver/Natural Wood bangle-some cheapo store on 14th street.

(You might recall I've worn this dress before, back in May.  It was cold then, I paired it with lacey tights and a gray bomber, now it's sans legwear and jacket-I said it was summertime!)

Back to the fair, needless to say, we did not eat anything besides our smoothie.  But thank god our slowcooker meal if officially done!  I'm sooooooo hungry.

We made some sort of chicken and mushroom croc-pot thingy....I'm off to make sure it tastes GOOD!

I'm down with Dolly

I could go for this style:

http://www.missbehavemag.com/gimme-working-girl/

Those shoes (item #3) are A-MAZE-ING!  Topshop...and I live in the best city in America-we have the first U.S. Topshop.

I may have to go check them out this weekend.

Anyhow, I plan to make my way to Soho to begin with (need a new pair of Uniqlo skinny jeans).

Oh, and just check it.....beautiful at whatever heck age she is; love LUV love DOLLY!