Currently Hating, Loving, and Wondering...

It's been awhile. So here are the things that I've been thinking about the styles for this fall...

Fashion is a crazy mistress. One day, we're all wearing slim fits and skinnies, and the next, PEPLUM. Simply put, I hate peplum. If you pin it more than once on Pinterest, I will probably unfollow you, I loathe it that much. For those of you who don't know what peplum is:

thank you  http://lotusblossomdesign.blogspot.com

Peplum is described by Wikipedia as "a type of elongated hem resembling a short skirt, worn to lay over another garment...They are included in closely fitting clothing, where they accentuate a narrow waist." OH. "Accentuate a narrow waist." Thaaaaat's what it's for. Because I thought that it was used to add 10 pounds to your hips and break up the hourglass shape. But maybe that's just me.

My reaction to peplum is usually this: 

But I can't forget the things that make me go:

Studded heels. 

Let me boil it down for you:  boots. I have stripper boots, mid-calf boots, go-go boots, wedge boots, black boots, brown boots, ankle boots...and I will probably end up with more. Probably? Let me change that to definitely. It's boot buying season, if not boot wearing season (yet). Some favorite styles for this season?

Tall boots

Tall, furry boots. Short strappy boots. 

I could go on and on when it comes to boots. These are just a few of my favorite styles to wear with skinnies, tights, sweater dresses, and the works. 

The thing that I'm wondering about? What crazy new styles NY Fashion Week will bring. Runway fashion mystifies and captivates me all at the same time. Kind of like that time Lady Gaga wore a dress made out of meat. 

Tonight is Fashion's Night Out! Keep an eye on the runway for the weird and wonderful. 

#YOLO XOXO

The Times Be A-Changin'

Dear friends. I sincerely apologize for the distinct lack of posts, however, I have been studying for the GRE, and thus my time has been consumed with words such as "trenchant" (vigorous or incisive in expression or style) and "scurrilous" (vulgarly abusive). Shoot me now. But! I will be done with all this nonsense on Thursday (otherwise known as August 30th), and the blog posts will resume. Don't give up on me yet.

In the meantime, please enjoy this GIF of a dancing zebra.

Also, remember that boot season is upon us, so you clearly need to go out and take full advantage of that. YOU MUST BE PREPARED.

#YOLO, XOXOXO

Jeans! Of the Dry Variety.

I haven't washed my jeans in a little under a year. Well, that's a lie. I have washed my jeans, just not a certain pair: my dry denim Nudie Slim Kims. I do have a post on my personal blog from December documenting the lovelies--see here.

Dry denim is denim that has never been washed or chemically treated. For example, when you purchase "normal" jeans, they already have a fade pattern and distressing>>>>>>>

Dry denim, on the other hand, comes in one color--unadulterated, deep indigo blue. You typically wear dry denim for at least 6 months before you wash them, to allow time for fading to take place. In my case, I have chosen to wait about a year. Slim Kims are stretch dry denim, so they have taken longer to fade than just a normal pair of dry denim jeans. 

In addition, the "stretch" part made it a little bit harder to buy a pair that fit; I bought the jeans tight, and within about a month, they had loosened considerably. I'm hoping that they will shrink (at least a little) when I wash them. 

Pictures (taken in April 2012):

I will be getting some awesome butt fade,
as well as some cool whiskering on the back
of the legs

You can see the fading on the pockets!

As you can see, they aren't quite the skinny jeans that I was hoping for, but it's all good!

Those lines be all up on my jeans.
I'm hoping that I get some hip fade as well.

You may be wondering why I would want to wear the same jeans everyday. I don't, as a matter of fact, I just usually wear them every other day, or 5 days a week, depending on the weather and if I have to go into work. For the summer, I have been wearing them cuffed to about mid-calf. The resulting fade will be interesting to see....

THE LOOK:

Photo courtesy of Chad Stephenson Photography

I usually style with flip flops or wedges (depending on what I'll be doing) and a looser top, though I am a fan of tank tops in the summer.  In the winter, you'll see me wearing them with tall boots, and some sort of long-sleeved apparatus. Throw on some funky earrings and some bangles (love bangles), and you're good to go!

If you want completely unique jeans that are perfectly attuned to how you move, dry denim is the way to go. This is only my first pair of dry denim, and I'm definitely planning on buying more. I've already done some looking... 

If you're interested in learning more about dry denim (since I've barely told you anything), the Nudie website is a great resource. You can also visit their webshop from their home page. The price range on their dry denim is generally $179 and upwards, but it's an investment! Nudie's are not the only brand of dry denim--Nudie is just one of the largest retailers. So take a look around. You'll probably get hooked. 

The Wash Video, essential to every dry denim owner:

Here's some useful denim-related blogs to add to the blog roll:

DenimBlog

Denim Therapy

Denimology

#YOLO XOXO

My Weekend Escapades

I promise that I have not abandoned you, readers. I was laptop-less for some time and unable to provide you with the normal epic reading experience. Thus, we have a couple weekends to catch up on, outfit-wise.

My first weekend back in the wonderful city of Chicago, I met the Tony McGuinness from Above and Beyond (he was small and British, and pretty awesome) and Nikki Reed, who happens to be Rosalie from Twilight. The place: Studio Paris. The event: Samsung SIII Launch Party. You can check out photos from the event here. The only picture of me is highly unflattering, so I'll just let you peruse at your leisure.

What I wore:

This blue oriental off the shoulder dress is one of the softest, silkiest things that I have ever worn. This makes it good to go braless (in addition, it's loose fitting, so the boys won't notice if you happen to get a little cold). I grabbed it off the clearance rack at Maurices for $12 (!). If you live in a big city, you're not as likely to find one of these boutiques, as they are trying to stay in smaller towns.

These are my booties from Chinese Laundry (thanks, DSW!). >>>>>>>

This is what my feet looked like after wearing them for hours:

But no worries, I was back in heels again in a couple days. My feet just have to get used to it :)

Last Weekend in July. 

Sequin Top by Express
Skirt by Audrey 3+1
Belt by Express

This past weekend, there were shenanigans on shenanigans. I chose to wear wedges for both. Friday night was Release Fridays at Sound-Bar. I put on some killer wedges and headed out with the BF for some house music and wubs. See how happy my face is? >

<<What I wore (still working on getting a photographer)

Wedges by De Blossom Collection

Bartender Niki (check out her Twitter) was wearing a super hot pink bandage dress, and guided me to http://www.greatglam.com/. They have some awesome club wear at great prices--definitely check it out, and let me know what you get! 

Saturday night was a birthday blur as I headed to Wicker Park to celebrate a friend's birthday. I must have walked 3-4 miles in these wedges. My feet did not thank me, but they made my legs look awesome.
The full ensemble:

I snagged both the body-con skirt and the tube top from Rue 21. If you have a Rue near you, definitely check it out. You might think that they have nothing but neon, but they have excellent deals on cute tops and fantastic clearance racks. The shirts are not of the best quality, but I don't expect a shirt that I bought for $4 to last more than a summer. They are also currently running a "Win Free Jeans" promotion if you own a pair of Rue jeans--check out the link.

We hit up Wicker Park Fest (total hipster-fest), Standard Bar & Grill, and finally Evil Olive, which happens to be home to Porn and Chicken on Mondays. Don't Google that at work.  

All in all, it's been a good couple weekends back home. Now that I have a functioning laptop, I'll be posting #likeaboss. Omg, just click on it, it's the best.

#YOLO XOXO

It's Good to Be Back, Chicago

A domestic ungulate, known as "Cow"

Going from a city to a small country town is not easy. You realize, for the upteenth time, why you did not want to live there in the first place. You put up with "townies." You see the shirt that says "There are three kinds of racks that I like: the one on my truck, the one on that deer, and the one on my girlfriend" way too much. The mullet is still in style. Wearing short dresses and high heels is kind of unheard of (thus making half of my wardrobe unwearable). I wore flip flops to go out. Gasp. Oh, and look! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Bought these at DSW, 50% off!
Lulu Townsend, Effie

This is why, my friends, it's good to be back in Chicago. Not only can I go out in adorable clothing, and just be part of the scene, I can head downtown on the train and be within a million billion little boutiques and department stores in about a half hour. Can't beat that (my wallet groans).

But I've been good. I love that I can sit in Jamba Juice sipping (technically slurping) an overpriced but highly delicious Peach Perfection and watch Chicago stroll by. Impromptu break dance contest? Sure, why not. Three girls all wearing mostly the same tank top with grey and neon yellow stripes? There are other colors of neon out there ladies. Love it, but branch out.

The Ubiquitous Neon Striped Tank Top
(thanks Polyvore)

I adore looking at other people in cute clothing (don't make fun of me) and possibly incorporating their style. I love the club life, and the fact that bars are open till 5 and then can open again at 6am. What what. Ok, I never actually stay out that late, but it's nice to have the option.
Basically, Chicago is pretty fantastic. If you ever get the chance, you should probably check it out.

The Guide to Geek Glasses

I fully admit that I am probably maybe a little bit sort of definitely a hipster, despite the fact that I don't know a whole lot of bands and I could take or leave PBR and I don't use Instagram for the very simple reason that I don't have a smartphone. I'll give you all a moment to recover and go light a hemp candle or whatever it is you need to do to return to normalcy. I'm kind of ish very close to being a hipster mostly because I love scarves and flannel and wearing glasses when I have 20/20 vision.

Rachel and me. And YES. I'm wearing a scarf. And plaid flannel. And an Explosions in the Sky shirt. And fake glasses.

I'm not the only one, right? Spectacles are GREAT. They're excellent accessories (they're in that rare category of being okay as Third Accessory), they make you Look Smart (if you choose the right pair), they can cover for you if you're having a bad mascara day, and, I've found, that they can even help get you in the right frame (badumpsh) of mind to be productive. True story.

1. Much like being funky, the key to wearing geek glasses is to Own It. Be confident! You have miles of hotness for which the glasses are simply a window!

2. Don't be afraid to get super large frames or a funky pattern, just don't do BOTH.

3. Retro is always a good play.

 

I was trying to find a picture of ugly retro glasses that no one could pull off, and I just couldn't find any. Seriously. It is possible to rock all kinds of vintage looks.

Wear glasses, friends. Even if you have 20/20.

Hannah and Rachel Talk: Accessories

Dear friends in fashion, we've gathered you here today to talk about accessories. They're a problem. They're smaller than your clothes, but they're also pretty limited in terms of what they GO with and then there's the whole pressure of keeping up with trends and if you're anything like me you have all this stuff that you feel guilty about since you never wear it and it's not like it's the accessories' fault and geez, just grow a pair and wear the necklace made of walnuts you bought at the flea market that one time. One morning I was getting ready to go to class and I spent probably a whole five minutes debating which earrings to wear, even though I was giving up my opportunity to eat breakfast in the meantime. One of my roommates quietly watched this process for a bit and then rhetorically asked, with something like admiration and amusement and pity and horror, "You do this every day? What is your life?" What indeed. So yeah. Accessories. They can be a pain.

The lovely Rachel, who is all things lovely, is aware of the sort of agonies I suffer over accessorizing, so she asked if I could lend her a hand in that department. Since my summer wardrobe is mostly raggedy jean shorts and a Dartmouth Football t-shirt, I was more than happy to reawaken that part of my brain.

Damn gurl, you lookin' fine. Anyway, the first consideration when it comes to accessories is to ask yourself what you want the focus point of your outfit to be. This is the easy part: what's your favorite thing that you're wearing right now? Exciting: you get to choose. And you can choose your accessories. That is allowed. Now, I don't know how Rachel feels, but my favorite part of this outfit are her shoes. Luuurrrrvvveee the color. Focus point: identified.

I'm a pretty big fan of the whole "less is more" rule, so this outfit really doesn't need that much. I love stripes because as long as there are only two colors and one of them is in the white-brown-black family, they can act as a neutral. Your accessories should either direct the eye toward your focus point or stand out on their own. Rachel's shoes already stand out pretty solidly, so I would recommend a funky belt or bracelet, maybe with a tinge of blue in them. Or a blue-ish pair of earrings maybe. Stay FAR FAR AWAY from the matchy matchy. Trust me. I went down that road in high school and it was NOT PRETTY. Frankly, she's got lots of options here, since basically everything she's wearing can act as a neutral or solid without too much distraction. She could wear a scarf or a righteous hat or a chunky gold necklace. Notice that I said OR. OR, people. Not AND. Pick two max.

Talk about SHOES. I dunno if you can tell from the photo, but those are glittery zebra print heels, dears. They should DEFINITELY be the focus of the outfit, even though the color and the neckline of the dress are pretty and eye-catching. It's all about the sparkle here. The dress is colorful enough without needing any assistance from the accessories to give it a bolster. If Rachel put her hair up, either in a ponytail or a top knot, and then wore some dangly sparkly earrings, she'd be ready to rock and frickin' roll. Maybe a bracelet too, as long as both the bracelet and the earrings are only sparkly (no colors or heavily-colored metals, like gold) and sort of go together. Matchy matchy in that instance is okay. They just can't be zebra print too, basically.

Rachel, godspeed on your journey of accessorizing.

Super Useful Fantastic Shopping Sites

To be 10000% honest, I should be packing out my closet for my move to ChiCity, but I felt that this blog post, if not more important, was definitely less stressful.

(OMGIMFREAKINGOUTITSFINE)

Ok. So, that being over with, I am about to give you The List. This is my daily "hey, let's window shop online and try not to buy anything because there are really good prices" list of websites that I check.

1. Tobi

Awesome website that features 30% off their new arrivals. And let me tell you. YES. They have fantastic dresses and tops, and they regularly get colored skinnies in. Check this out, or just go bury your head in the sand.

2. iDeeli

If you haven't heard of iDeeli, go there now. It features designer clothes and other items (I mean, you know, top of the line Hello Kitty mixers and the like) at major discounts. All you have to do is go to the site and click the "Sign Up With Facebook" button. Don't pass this up.

3. Urbanog

Yeah, don't know how you say it, if it's Urban-og or Urban-oh-gee, but they have way low prices, especially on shoes, my favorite item. Just a word of warning: when buying cheaper shoes, try to stay away from the shoes that have the add-ons--studs, sparkles, and the like. They are more likely to fall off and kind of ruin the look of the shoe. But for basic shoes, go to town!

4. FlirtCatalog

You might go to this site and think I'm crazy. I mean, I am, but not because I shop here. They have great prices on club dresses. Need something to go to a concert in and not worry about it getting ruined? Go here. Don't ever be afraid to check club wear/lingerie sites for awesome dresses and shoes. Sometimes they have the best deals and the best shoes. 

Kk chicas, these are the websites. Use them wisely and with great abandon.

I have to go finish packing. GAHHHHHH.

#YOLO XOXO

Lessons From (Little House on) the Prairie

I'm back in it's up to you, New York, New York after a lovely week visiting my family in South Dakota. Let me tell ya, it is a whole new ball game out there. I've been every year and every year I'm always astonished at the bigness of the sky, the flatness of the ground, the creepy proximity in accents to Western New York, and the absence of covered wagons and cowboys. Little House on the Prairie really stuck with me as a kid. South Dakota isn't exactly a hotbed of trendy fashion, but Little House on the Prairie DEFINITELY should be:

1. Braid it UP. Emma Watson is totally rocking the Heidi braid, which was one of my favorite styles back when I had long hair. Easy peasy.

 

2. Small floral prints can be worn like a neutral, i.e. with practically anything. This mannequin looks tee-rrific.

 

3.  Ankle boots and lace up boots are wonderfully flexible; they can be casual or fancy and say, "I'm a fashion-forward person who knows what they're doing." They always seem to be the mark of trendiness, which I don't really understand, since they're always in style, totally defeating the point of a "trend." Anyway. Wear 'em with jeans, dresses, skirts, or pajamas and you are guaranteed to be stylish.

 

4.  If you're not feeling particularly great about your outfit, find a cowboy (or cowgirl). He/She is just as guaranteed to make you look stylish as your ankle boots. Marlene Dietrich is wearing a TERRIBLE outfit. But she's got Cowboy Jimmy Stewart on her arm, which distracts from the awfulness of whatevertheheckshe'swearing and informs her audience that she must be pretty swell to get a good-lookin' cowpoke like Jimmy to stay around.

 

The moral: when in doubt, consult old movies and your childhood books for fashion inspiration. 

How to Wear Really Really Short Things

You've seen her. That girl on the subway, walking down the street, etc. The drunk girl wearing the dress without the underwear (you know, because the bottom of the dress has definitely risen a few inches since she put it on), who can't stand on her 5" heels. Don't be her. There are really only 4 rules for this "How-To," and your mother already probably told you three of them.
1. Bend over carefully, or don't bend over at all.
2. Keep your legs crossed. [You should have learned this one the first time you wore a dress]
3. Try to pick really short things that don't have a tendency to ride up.

***Fun story: I own a white LBD (I know, I know, but it's the best way to describe it) that has a liner. The dress is by NikiBiki, and looks fantastic on me. I'll post pictures as soon as it's done getting a zipper installed. The dress has a liner...that is only anchored at the top of the dress. Needless to say, the first time I wore this dress out, I got a lesson in "riding up." The entire night, I was either pulling the liner down or the dress itself down. People definitely saw my underwear. You live, you learn, and you sew the liner to the inside of the dress.***

4. How much you drink should be directly proportional to how high your heels are and how short your dress is (refer to previous post on how not to die in high heels). Know your limits. The "Bucket of Unknown Liquor With Sugar" is probably not a good drink for this outfit. But hey, your prerogative.

My favorite short dress (that I have a picture of) is from Tobi:

Photo courtesy of Chad Stephenson Photography

#YOLO chicas; don't be shy about showing off your legs before you get cellulite! XOXO

Closet Weeding: The Big Chore

I moving. Back to Chicago. Anyone who is a woman knows that this will take approximately 6.2 U-Hauls and a small cart and pony, but per usual man and small apartment regulations, my closet must fit in a small Ford Ranger. Oh help.
My plan of attack for this particular feat, I shall have to admit, is not very organized.
Here's what I have come up with so far:

The Pile

Like I said. Not very organized. My original game plan of pulling everything out and seeing if I wanted it was not the best idea that I've ever had.

~6 Hours Later (give or take a day)~

There are many struggles that I encountered during this stressful time, but I shall spare you the gory details. In the end, I wound up with 3 piles**:

• the "omg, I wore that?! Seriously, just Goodwill that" pile
• the "awwww, I liked that, but I'm not 17 anymore, and I've lost weight, but I can sell this" pile
• the "hell no, I'm not getting rid of that" pile

All of this turned out quite well. Goodwill has been appeased with the yearly (let's be real, bi-annual) donation of goods, and I have a handy plastic tote full of clothes that I might get about $2 for on consignment (hey, I'm a poor fashionista, every bit counts towards new shoes). Of course, I may go the eBay route, also known as "the world's biggest yard sale" route. But all that, dear readers, is irrelevant in light of the fact that I have now purged my closet of unwanted clothes and....I can fill it with wanted ones.

**To be quite honest, I would have made a 4th pile, the "I really don't wear this except for in situations when I have to be professional and really boring looking" pile, but that would have just caused more of the aforementioned struggles. 

~7 Hours Later (give or take a day)~

I was good! I only bought two bodycon skirts and a couple tube top devices. I used to be afraid of such devices; the horror of thinking that I had purchased an adorable skirt only to see some girl wearing it as a top later at a party was almost too much to bear. Thankfully, I have since learned to distinguish between "skirt" and "tube top." 

My goal for this shopping outing was to replace the 20-30 some odd pieces of clothing that I had discarded with about 4-5 pieces of clothing that I would actually wear. Replacing all 20-30 pieces would have been a dream come true, but highly impractical, and very expensive. Success! The skirts have that amazing ability to be either longish or shortish and with the right tops they can be worn clubbing or just out(ish); the tops can be worn under sweaters or by themselves on a sunny day. Or a 100 degree day, as Chicago is currently experiencing. It's better to have a few mix and match pieces that will wear for awhile than 30 of those things that you bought because they were "in style" for about, oh, a day. 

My goal for this summer is to create the "classic wardrobe." (And there really is a WikiHow for everything: http://www.wikihow.com/Create-a-Classic-Wardrobe) Not only will I be attempting to create the classic wardrobe, I will try and do it in the most inexpensive way possible. This may not go well, but I'm not about to get myself down. Keep in mind that women's fashions change approximately every three weeks (give or take a year), so the classic wardrobe might need a few tweaks. I will, of course, keep you updated. Stay tuned...

#YOLO XOXO

Let's Get Funky Tonight

I was trying to remember where I got the phrase "let's get funky tonight" and then I realized, with a mixture of bemusement and horror, that it's a Dream Street song. (Listen to it all the way through, do it you won't.)

The back story of this picture is a Top Shop trip, where I intended to buy nothing but try on what I expected to be hilariously funny outfits. In the background, MJ is clearly amused. It's a bit hard to see, but I'm wearing leather pants and a fur vest.

Realizations I came to while wearing funky clothes:

1. If you own it, you can probably pull it off. This is a ridiculous outfit. And so is this. But if you can stand up straight, smile at passersby, and decide that you look great, then ya do. 
2. Find some way to pull all of your funkiness together. The easiest way is to use a common color without being matchy-matchy. Don't be like Paris, for numerous reasons, but also because she's looking like she's trying too hard to make everything work. And trying too hard is a BAD THING. Be like Garance Doré, who very subtly uses blue to pull those outrageous pants and the army jacket together. I'm a wimp, so I used black, which goes with everything.
3. Have at least one or two things that aren't TOO funky. The butterfly tunic, for example, is reasonably not-funky. The pattern isn't wildly offensive and the colors aren't cray-cray. The necklace, while trendy, is pretty low-key. Ms. Doré (her again) is wearing a simple blue chambray shirt and plain-Jane flats. Not only does this save the eyesight and sanity of anyone looking at you, but it lets your other clothes stand out.
4. When in doubt, aspire to be Iris Apfel.

Wearing Heels: A Crash Course

Ladies, ladies, ladies. I know. Wearing heels is not easy. But if you want those killer looking calves and the great ass-lift, heels are the way to go. Currently, my favorite pair of heels are a pair of 5-1/2'' zebra heels with a 2'' platfrom from Qupid.

Want to make your heel-wearing experience a little happier and less stressful? Try these simple rules:

1. Buy your heels tight. Don't buy ones that are sure to slop on your feet, you'll end up with blisters, and you'll be frustrated because you spend most of your night attempting to keep your heels on.

2. Do the rub test. Wear your heels someplace (not out) and only for an hour or two, but make sure you're doing some walking. If they rub anywhere, pre-bandaid before you go out for the night. They also have these nifty things called Rub Relief Strips. Use em.

3. Don't take your heels off before you get home--your feet will swell and it will be a pain to get them back on if you need to. Unless you have the life saving Fast Flats. (Really, this isn't a thing for Dr. Scholl's, Dr. Scholl just happens to know what women need. Thank God.)

4. Going out to dance and be super active (maybe to a dubstep concert)? Opt for wedges or a thicker heel, since they  require less balance and will let you go pain free for longer than a stiletto. 

5. The higher the heel, the smaller the step. 

6. Use railings. Don't die. 

7. You own the sidewalk/any paved surface. Those people wearing not wearing heels can remove themselves from your path. 

8. Don't wear a heel height you're not comfortable with out until you've worn it around the house. I can tell you from experience, it leads to sprained ankles. Not fun.
9. I think peep toes are adorable. However, they can also be more painful than regular closed-toe heels, so really wear them around before you have to take a journey in them. If you need to, do a little padding around the top part of the peep.
10. [This number is open for suggestions. Let me know in the comments what your #10 would be. I'm at a loss.]

One last handy tip (not quite worthy of a #10): Avoid these death traps at all costs. Helpful to the blind and those walking and texting. Otherwise, broken ankle waiting to happen.

If you feel that I have left out an important rule, or you think that one of the above is simply wrong, let me know in the comments below!

Books That Make You Look Good: Angle of Repose

As any person with more than an ounce of style and fashion sense can tell you, accessories matter. It's not just about the clothes, it's also about what you wear with the clothes. Yes yes, this means purses and jewelry and scarves and shoes, etc etc etc (more on all those later, including the etcs). But it also means the magazine you read on the subway (no Star or People or Celebrities R Gr8, puh-leez), the color of your laptop case, and the book you read on the plane-train-automobile. Is this horribly snobbish? Definitely. Should you care if someone is judging you for your splashy tabloid rag? Definitely not. Will you care? Maybe. So if you're anxious to be judged as a stylish and smart person with the sort of gravitas and opinions one would want to invite to dinner parties AND/OR (this is very emphatically an and/or situation) you just want to read a good book, read on.

Angle of Repose is blooming brilliant. It's about a historian by the name of Lyman Ward, confined to a wheelchair in his retirement, who is chronicling his grandmother's life in the West. As Lyman digs through all the hardship, triumph, grief, and wind that one expects from a pioneer story, he reflects on his own life during the tumultuous 1970s.

Why it's a Good Book:
-Stegner's writing is simply great. It's beautiful while still being conversational, it's perfectly descriptive without being overwhelming, and he creates a page-turner without letting his readers skip over anything.
-The characters are 100% believable and all of them are sympathetic. You just want the best for everyone and suffer the pain of knowing that it just can't possibly work out that way. It's a Pulitzer Prize-winner. I'm fairly certain there's a requirement for it to be somewhat depressing.
-Even when it's depressing, Stegner manages to make it uplifting and hopeful.
-Even if you've never been there, it wonderfully captures the feeling of the Midwest.

Why it's a Book that will make you look Good*:
-It's a Pulitzer Prize-winner.
-The title is sort of ambiguous and implies that you're smart enough to know what it means. It uses the word "repose."
-Wallace Stegner is well-known enough to make people furrow their brows and say, "Hey, he sounds familiar..." but not so famous that people think you're reading him to look good.**
-It uses a nice font. And the colors are eye-catching without being garish. Same goes for the cover photo.
-It's respectably thick.

*Yes, I'm joking. But let's face it. I'm also right.
**The real key to Looking Good, both with your clothes and your books is to not look like you're trying too hard. Preferably not at all.

Meet Rachel

Hey peeps. What's happenin'? I would be the boots part of the equation. I love shoes. I love clothes. One of the items on my bucket list is to walk on the beach in a maxi dress like a Victoria's Secret model. Another item on the list is to own a pair of "pony shoes" (thank you, Nasty Gal).

I plan to blog about all things fashionable, including the wedges I plan to wear grocery shopping, the LBD that I'll wear out on Friday night, and how I get my hair to look super sexy. I don't own a single cardigan.
A few things that you should know about me:
I believe that sexy is 1 part clothes and 2 parts attitude, with a dash of a "devil-may-care" attitude.
I'm the girl at the bar who looks at other girls--for their clothes.
I firmly believe that every girl needs an LBD, a good pair of fuck-me pumps, and a decent strapless bra. 
I love New Girl. Zooey Deschanel is my hero.
I own a blue wig and a pair of Tron wedges.

I'm excited about this blog like you don't even know.

#YOLO--so let's be crazy.

I'm all up in the social medias--follow me @boots4210 on Instagram and Pinterest for pictures of what I'm wearing, what other people are wearing, and the odd photo of a kitten. Follow me @RJermann on  Twitter  for the daily rundown of my life, which is clearly awesome.

Meet Hannah

This is not my house. This is me. Obviously. I wouldn't put a picture of a random stranger in this introductory post unless I was trolling and since Rachel and I are planning on this being at least a somewhat respectable fashion blog, I should probably abstain from all internet pranks until we've got an established audience (fingers crossed). But this is supposed to be an introduction. So. Me:
I like lemon poppy seed muffins.
I'm the "vintage" part of the "Vintage Pixie Boots." I'll be blogging about daytime outfits, so school/work/church/grocery shopping appropriate apparel.
I dig zombie-related things, like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Left4Dead, this ring, and Shaun of the Dead.
I have a bajillion cardigans. Give or take.

I am super excited about this blog.