Anthropoligizing

I've been bad. Very bad. I found the perfect sweater on Anthropologie, and naturally I used it as an excuse to snap up a bunch of other items on the site.

I have a love/hate relationship with Anthro. When I hate them, I talk about how they peddle overpriced pseudo-vintage schmaltz and apparently haven't discovered that models come in shades other than Caucasian.

But when I love them, I luuuuuuuurve them. My strategy is to stick to the basics - the stuff that I wear all the time. Because if I'm gonna wear the same sweater three days a week, it's not a big deal if it's a 68-dollar sweater (shut up, I'm cheap and 68 bucks is a lot for me). I have this cement-gray tank top from them that was $88 or something equally obscene, but I wear it constantly in warm weather so the cost per wear is low.

Anyhoo, here's the damage.

The Holy Grail: A drape-front cardigan in a gorgeous blue. This also comes in green, black, ivory and brown. Now I will finally shut up about trying to find a cardigan in this style - arentcha thrilled?!

Ok, hello. This is the perfect shade of blue for me (my ultimate Joyous Color, as Wende would say), and the structure will flatter my, er, modest bust (side note: How does a woman with a voluptuous bust have two daughters who barely fill a B cup? Genes, I hate you). Also comes in brown, coral and black.

Whoa, orange? How did this make its way into my shopping bag? Ok, I admit I have no idea what this color looks like in person, or how it'll look on me (question do readers: do pale blue-eyed blonds look decent in orange?), but I thought I'd give it a try. Yeah, I live real dangerously. Also comes in black and a weird puce color my sister would like.

Two pairs of earrings (these, pictured above, and another pair that appears to have sold out). I really like Anthro earrings, though their jewelry pricing is particularly wacky. Like, a pretty pair will be $38, and an equally pretty pair will be $228. I guess you're paying for fancier stones, but still. If a bracelet is $300 because its stones were harvested from the stomachs of Andean goats, that's a little ridiculous. I just scan their jewelry sections for pieces that are $40 or less.

And...a cute bag. I have the world's most boring handbag collection, so I figured it was time I mixed it up. I like the yellow and black print, and I can even forgive the bamboo handles. And hey, it's on sale for a pretty reasonable $40. Would it be a faux pas to carry such a summery, bright bag in winter? I have no clue, nor do I care much.

Also, here's two items I considered buying but didn't:


Neat-o jacket. I will always love white and dark blue together.


Pretty skirt. I guess it's a little costume-y and I bet y'all are tired of seeing blue, blue and more blue, but on the right person it would be wicked.

So that's that. In other news, I had a Pap smear (TMI, I know) and today I received a letter saying the results were abnormal, so I get to go in for invasive tests. Here's hoping I don't have cervical cancer!

The Faces of Shopbop, Part 3

This Shopbop model caught my eye from the moment she appeared on the site. She's like a vaguely Asian Neve Campbell, except Neve Campbell takes her clothes off in movies, and this model flaunts them on camera. Smashing!

The photo in the middle of the bottom row of the collage is my favorite. It's so, "Oh shit guys, I heard my dad's car in the driveway! Hide the weed!"

Also, this model looks to the right a lot. What was over there, the catering table? Musta been the catering table.


Here she is looking embarrassed while wearing a truly hideous outfit. Note to shopbop stylists: don't ever pair white shoes with black tights again, or I will loudly opine that y'all are smoking crack.

Whoa! Maybe I spoke too soon! Is she wearing a trash bag? And did she stick her legs through the neck of my nightshirt? Because that shit ain't cool. Also, check out her wonky eyes (click for big). Girl's coming down from a three-day bender, I can tell. Maybe that explains the trash bag plus upside-down nightshirt combo.

Meanwhile, the sultry brunette is still undressing me with her eyes. It's cool though, I'm wearing my assless chaps tonight.



"I cut you."


Related posts:

• The Faces of Shopbop Part 1 - the Sultry Brunette
• The Faces of Shopbop Part 2 - The Redhead

[Images courtesy of shopbop.com.]

The pathetic mewls of a runt

You guys! The perfect cardigan is $81 at Bluefly. It's available in black, brown and this pretty blue.

Only size Large is available, though.

Now excuse me while I stab myself in the face.

Flared, baby

I'm not a particular fan of Kate Moss or anything, but when this picture popped up on Jezebel.com yesterday, I did a little happy dance. High heels: check. Flared dark jeans: check. Blonde hair with bangs: Check.

Guys, I think Kate Moss is copying me.

(My point is: I will always be a stalwart wearer of flared jeans, so I'm quite happy to be validated by fashion icon, even if she's a drug addict with atrocious taste in men.)

The Sweater! It Eludes Me!

I'm on a mission to find a decent drape-front cardigan, and it's driving me bonkers. I've been Windows Shopping (thanks Wende/smallcitybeth) for what feels like hours, and haven't found much of anything.

I figure a drape front cardigan will flatter my small frame and make me look like an Olsen twin, but in a chic way, not a rabid hobo sort of way. Plus it will be ideal for throwing on and off at will. I already have this picture of myself perched at my desk, wrapped up and looking chic and rosy-cheeked - rather than freezing my ass off as usual.

My requirements: not too long in the back; probably a dark color so it doesn't make me look big; no wool blends because I'm allergic. IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK? Apparently so.

I like this one from Shopbop, but of course it's only in white and size Large. Sigh.

I have an etsy store!

The day has finally come...I've opened up an Etsy store selling some of the most nerdy artwork under the sun! Won't you check it out?

Getting my act together

I work at an ad agency. The sort where no one is over 40, and the guys have tattoos, and the women have interesting dye-jobs, and there is absolutely no dress code.

In college, I briefly interned at a home decor/high style sort of magazine a few days a week, and damn did I rock cute outfits. I'd plan them out and wear uncomfortable shoes and everything.

Now that I find myself in a casual environment, I'm dressing pretty badly. And it sucks. I have a closet full of cute clothes and shoes, yet I wear some variation of the same outfit pretty much everyday. Jeans and a shirt, basically, and flats more often than heels. My outfits aren't ugly or stained or anything, but they're ho-hum.

So last week I set out to change that. First order of business was a haircut...ah, there's nothing like a scalp massage and a trim to make one feel like a new woman. My work is right across the street from the Paul Mitchell School, where young hairstylists will do any hair service you want for a pittance, and they do a good job. Haircuts are, like $10 for a level 1 student and $15 for a level 2 student. Anyway, cheap haircuts mean I use any excuse to drop in.

So I have BANGS now (bangs are trendy right now, correct? Like I give a shit about trends...), and my hair has been de-bulked (I am proof that not every blonde has thin, fine hair). Next week I might go back for color of some kind...I'm interested in red streaks, but the kind that are "peekaboo"...like, they are under the first layer of my hair, so they are subtle.

I'm also broke and trying to save up for my trip, so shopping for clothes is out of question. Mostly I plan on going through outfits and trying on a shitload of stuff and putting together some new outfits. I have so many cute clothes that I don't wear, and sub-par stuff I should probably get rid of.

The key to me dressing well is having someone to impress. Sad, but true. When I interned at the magazine, I set out to impress the Editor in Chief every day...she dressed really well, so I did, too. At the agency, there are plenty of good dressers, and some not-so-good ones. I dunno, for some reason I just hadn't picked a "Person to Impress." It's sad, because I love fashion, and I should dress well just or the sake of my self-esteem, but...eh. Jeans and t-shirts and flats are, erm, comfy?