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

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

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!