Leather Lady

Skirt: H&M, Shirt: J.Crew, Tights: Gap. Booties: Steve Madden Luxe, Bracelets: Lucky Brand,
Watch & Sunglasses: Michael Kors, Necklace: Spitalfields Market (London)

Despite the fact that I practically have to remove a rib to wear this skirt (especially after lunch), I love it. You'd think there wouldn't be that many uses for a pleated leather miniskirt, but boy would you be wrong. It's surprisingly versatile. I wore this skirt dressed up with a lace t-shirt for New Year's Eve, and it's equally great with a casual chambray shirt. I have to give credit where credit is due — I was inspired by Krystal of This Time Tomorrow, who wore a similar outfit way, way back in December. Truthfully, I didn't even know my memory went back that far. It's possible I repressed it and was just holding onto it for later use. I loved her pleated faux-leather skirt so much when I first saw it that I ran right out and tracked one down myself. (Seriously, I think I saw her outfit and went to H&M on my lunch hour to track this baby down.) Plus leather, even faux leather, always makes me feel like kind of a badass. Someone show me to my Harley, and I'll be all set. (Or maybe I'll just sit in the sidecar . . . this is a skirt, after all.)

Day Dates

     

Dress: Francesca's, Vest: Banana Republic, Belt: Francesca's Shoes: Franco Sarto, Clutch: Jason Wu for Target, Sunglasses: Michael Kors, Watch: Michael Kors, Earrings: Target, Ring: Elizabeth Ngo

I always plan to take more outfit photos on the weekends, since I feel like my outfit choices are way more fun and interesting when they aren't also required to be work-appropriate. (Miniskirts tend to be frowned upon at the office, I've learned.) But on weekends I'm usually either A) So busy running around that I don't have time to take photos or B) Watching terrible movies/TV on my couch, which doesn't require me to be dressed. But this Saturday I had a lunch date, and since I spent so much time stressing over what to wear (and debating it with my best friend via email), I decided it was photo worthy. 

I'm going to honest, dating stresses me out. Especially first dates. At least day dates are slightly less horrible . . . in theory. I mean, how bad could things get if it's all going down in broad daylight, right? (Although that didn't stop me from wanting to stress vomit and/or pre-game ahead of time.) We had gorgeous weather here this weekend — perfect for a rooftop lunch date. Unfortunately, warm weather goes hand in hand with horrible humidity, and my hair and relative humidity are basically mortal enemies. True story. So clearly a dress was my only option in the hopes that flashing some leg would help distract from potentially terrible hair. It seemed to work, probably due to the fact that this dress is pretty dang short. My date even made a reference to my "stems," at which point I immediately thought of Clueless and almost swooned. (And just in case anyone was wondering, the date went well and did not involve any stress vomiting or pre-gaming on my part.) 

Wild 'N Out

Jeans: Target, Shirt: J.Crew, Shoes: Ivanka Trump, Belt: Ann Taylor, Necklace: Nordstrom,
Watch: Michael Kors, Ring: Elizabeth Ngo

One of the great things about having a style blog is that it forces me to be a little more discerning in my shopping because I actually know what's in my closet (or on my floor, as the case may be). Instead of just buying things willy nilly (as I tend to do), it forces me to actually pause and think, "Is this a really a necessary/logical purchase? What will I wear this with? Will it make my wardrobe better?" Having said that, when I found these leopard-print jeans at Target, I asked myself none of those questions. My brain just flashed "WANT!" and all of a sudden I was in the checkout lane buying them. But when you take into account that I'd been coveting these leopard-print jeans from Current Elliot, this pair was actually a smart purchase. I could never bring myself to spend $200 on something quite so ridiculous. I mean, I'll spend money on a lot of ridiculous things, but a girl has to draw the line somewhere. But lose one of those zeroes on that price tag, and I'm in. That's right, these jeans were $20. Which seemed like a great deal until I got them home and realized I had basically no idea how to style them. I've been stuck wearing them around my apartment so I could at least mentally justify my purchase. What, you don't lounge around in leopard print? Thankfully Kendi of Kendi Everyday recently wore the same pair of jeans, and gave me some outfit inspiration. Now that they've seen the light of day at least once, I can go back to wearing these jeans while sitting on my couch like a true lady of leisure.