Fall Colors + Walking the Line

The mornings are chilly again, the kiddies are all back in school, & college freshmen are stumbling around grocery stores like baby deer learning to walk... it must be almost fall!

I've recently made a goal for myself: this fall I'm going to learn how to walk the line of put-together-casual. As a person who thinks they understand clothing pretty well this probably seems like an unexpected problem, but I'm noticing that I've segmented myself into 2 categories: Business Lauren, & Staying-In Lauren. Now that I'm in an office where I can wear jeans it's a problem. So prepare yourself, this probably won't be the last time I throw photos of myself on here for documentation.

Today I went for color combos that said "Hey, I'm a 27 year old professional, yet I like to kick it causal." How'd I do?

Coral * Navy * Moss

I forsee a Goodwill shopping spree in my future. Look out, colorful cardigans, you're in my sights. Maybe I'll even give one last try to the elusive skinny jeans. Eeek! Now I'm just talking crazy. Happy Tuesday, friends!

Weddings, Hats & Chins

This weekend my friends got married. Which means celebration & friends gathered, the only ingredients needed to equal a good time. And as promised, I held true to my plan to BRING BACK HATS with the help of a little shop called "Yesterday's News".

I don't know about you, but I'm pretty happy with how the outfit turned out! And although one friend did mention that I looked a little Amish, I got so many compliments from total strangers who hunted me down to say "I saw you at the ceremony & had to tell you how cute your hat is!" And so begins the hat revolution. But I won't be able to take full credit, because check out the lovely Emma rocking some fly headwear of her own....

I might be the worst guest on record. I didn't even get one photo of the bride & groom yet have an assortment on my table goofing off! But take my word for it, Elise was lovely. And as for us... well we entertained ourselves just fine. Sonja was my plus-one & made the whole day more fun. I ate marrow out of a lamb bone on a dare (& it wasn't bad!), & of course it wouldn't be a major life event if we weren't taking chin pictures. God, how I love the chins!

Someday I'll make a coffee book of just chin pictures called "The Days of Our Lives" to chronicle all our most important life moments through chins.

Dear Santa,

Santa, baby....
Just slip this outfit under the tree... for me. Been an aweful good girl. Santa, baby, & hurry down the chimney tonight.

(in search of a black sequin skirt for my Christmas party)

Santa, baby...
A Kate Spade knock-off too... from Glee season 2. I'll wait up for you, dear. Santa, baby, & hurry down the chimney tonight.

(It's just like Emma Pillsbury's! Except from Target.)

Santa, baby...
I need a tree topper that's a real jaw-dropper. Been an angel all year. Santa, baby, & hurry down the chimney tonight.

(perfect for my pink & gold Victorian tree theme)

Santa, baby, & hurry down the chimney tonight...

The "No-Pants November" Challenge

I remember about 4.5 years ago when I was just a new intern, I used to TRY so hard at everything. Make sure I was completely flawless in every way possible: my work ethic, my attitude, my appearance, everything. I remember someone actually asking me "Do you even OWN pants? You never wear anything but skirts." because that's what empowered women do... they expect to be treated with every shred of the equality our feminist sisters of the past fought for, but without rejecting our own femininity. We wear skirts to the office while we kick ass, right?

When did I loose that spark of EFFORT?

These days I do my makeup as I drive which limits me to powder, blush, mascara & gloss. Not only do I own pants but I wear a lot of them. Which came first, the pants or the lack of motivation to shave my legs regularly? Like the chicken & the egg, it's hard to know for sure.


It's time for a change! I maybe be getting a little late start since this is November 4th, but from here on out I will strive for No-Pant November, committing to wear skirts & dresses. You may be asking yourself "Where did this challenge come from? I've never heard of it before. Is it sweeping the nation?" The answer is... I just made it up. No it's not sweeping the nation, it's not even sweeping my friend circle. It's just something I'm doing for ME.

Inspiration came from WWEPW where one girl is already on day 122 of her own no-pants challege!! Day 122!!!!! And although this was never the intention, I love that this is in direct opposition to "No-Shave November" where all my Y-chromosome acquaintances turn into a werewolf. I felt a calling & for the remainder of the month I'll be answering that call. Feel free to join me if you like!

A button for your convenience:

<a href="http://heyasparky.blogspot.com/"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ubGcxg_eCZk/TNLfwptxiDI/AAAAAAAAAQM/djA4IWAjZSk/s512/nopants%20november.png" width="125" height="125" /></a><br />

Double the Costume, Double the Fun

Well friends, some of you got to see this in real life & now it's time to finally show off my costume for the rest of you. Unfortunately I committed what I consider the ultimate blogger sin, I forgot my camera!!! So all I've got are headshots I snapped once I got home from the party. This year I took my inspiration from the silver screen...

I was from Pleasantville. Completely black & white.

I never repeat costumes... I always think I will but I love dressing up so much I can't bring myself to be the same thing more than once. But if I did (or more likely, if anyone wants to borrow this idea in the future... please do!) I'd do one thing differently: play with makeup options. I turned out WAY more metallic than I imagined & felt like it ruined it a little. I felt more like the tin-man than trapped in an old TV show. And a little advice for something that DID work was making my hair white. The color spray didn't work great, but then I put on baby powder while my hair was wet with hairspray & it took really really well!

And as if one Halloween costume wasn't fun enough, I actually got to dress up 2 nights in a row! Woooo! Night #2 I went for something with less effort... slap on a wig & release the inner-me that I wish I had the balls to be in real life. A little bit punk & a lot of attitude. (I didn't buy this wig for Halloween, I just got it years ago thinking "I wish I could look like this all the time")


I'm also going to go ahead & take credit for the absolute adorableness that is Justin & Joanna. I gave them one my couple-costume ideas from my mental-vault. Of course I'd never be able to pull it off quite as well as they did, so I was glad to pass on my idea for a few of my favorite people.



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Update:
I wasn't originally going to post this, but I just HAVE TO! :) When I got home from my night in Pleasantville & was ready to be in technicolor again, I took out my bobby-pins & thought "Wow, I have perfect Marilyn Monroe hair!" So maybe it's not normal to snap a pic of yourself naked, (shoulders & up, don't worry...) half silver, & about to hop in the shower but I just know I'll never look this "Marilyn" again in my life. So even though I'm kind of embarrassed to be posting it, here it is!

The New Clueless?

Remember 1995? Remember before plaid skits meant slutty school girl? (Thanks for killing that one, Birttny) Remember projecting all your pre-teen angst on your mom b/c those aren't "the right kind" of knee-high stockings & those mary-janes are chunky enough? I DO!

The 12 year old inside of me has been waiting so long for the day when "Clueless" fashion would circle back around. And lately I've been seeing some interesting evidence...

Could it be? Are the fashion-gods that kind? Please excuse me if you've been well aware of this for ages, it's just that I don't really follow trends anymore. That's the nice thing about aiming for "classic", it never changes... & I don't remember the last time I was shopping not at a thrift store. But now I want to! I want to buy granny-looking boots to wear with my over-the-knee socks! Maybe I'll even layer them over tights. (oh snap!) Happy day....

Cat-Call Worthy

Alternate Title: Sexy Manifesto

I believe that from time to time you just need a night when you can look in the mirror & think "damn I look good". I believe it's a woman's right to be sexy... not to attract or impress anyone, just to give honor to that side of you. I believe that there is a time & a place for smokey eye makeup.  I believe that time is anytime, even if there's nowhere special to go. I believe you don't need a reason to feel good about looking good.

The other night I went out with friends for a celebration. The truth about how this started is that I hadn't showered, didn't WANT to shower, so instead I looked at my I've-seen-better-days hair & said "let's go with this". I added product to make even more of a bed-head mess, & then went on to charcoal eyeshadows. And it felt GOOD.

Then something strange happened. I felt awkward about uploading photos from that night... like I was embarrassed to post photos that say "Hey look at me, I'm hot". I'm not conceited, Lord knows I'm way to self-conscious to cross that line, but I should be allowed to feel good about looking good. So I will.

Grandma Chic

Oh deary me, once something strikes my fancy it's hard for me to let it drop. And what's got me daydreaming now is this idea of Grandparent chic for fall. It's a term made up between me & Jen (& I'm sure to spread fast) which goes beyond "vintage" to downright elderly. It's hard to explain in a way that makes it sound appealing, but imagine ladies playing bridge except turn them all into 20-somethings & give them much nicer, non-orthopedic shoes.

I've been searching & want to show some of my favorite things I've stumbled upon:

1. Satin Short Gloves - I imagine them with a cocktail dress or just anytime I leave the house


2. Glasses Leash - not just for librarians anymore


3. Sweater Clip - I already bought 1 from Goodwill but I love the different length chains on this one


4. Brooch - need I say more?

Golf Fashion

There are only 2 nights where you'll find me in a state of panic conducting emergency fashion shows: 1) if I'm seeing an ex-boyfriend & need to a dress to make me look 30 lbs. thinner (likely...), and 2) the night before the annual golf tournament fundraiser. But I've learned the best thing about blogging is the opportunity to really process things visually & verbally. So welcome to my annual wardrobe melt-down.

The Goal: Find an outfit that communicates....

1. I belong here. Even among you ridiculously wealthy old men & even though I've only played golf once in my 26 years, I will own this place.


2. I'm a professional, damn it. I'm not your "doll" or "sweetheart", I won't fetch you anything, & you should actually shake my hand instead of squeezing my fingertips.


3. Ladies don't sweat. (I know it's a lie, but I can aim high) I don't care if you're sweating your golf balls off, I want to look cool as a cucumber.

I can play up the details with accessories but it's the basics that generally throw me when it comes to my golf wardrobe. Should I wear a collar? How long do my shorts need to be? Is it ok to shed layers while I'm sitting at the same hole all day? I just don't know. So I tried on a couple options & started snapping photos to help me make up my mind. (without makeup, fixing my hair, or evaluating my background... rookie  mistakes)



Right now I'm torn between the purple cardigan (except with the shorts from photo #4), & the white company-logo shirt outfit. To be honest I pretty much hate them all. *sigh* At least I'll be packing a bag to change for cocktails afterwards & I'll be back to ME... comfortable & confident.

If only I had one of these on hand, all this would be moot. Heck, for one of these I might even pick up a club & give golf a shot.

Shoe Love

A note before I start... a little love note to my blogger buddies for the kindest comments on yesterday's posts. You find community & friendship in strange places, & I'm glad I found it unexpectedly right here. Love ya! Now on to today....

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Yesterday I finally unpacked all my shoes... it was like reuniting with old friends I've been missing. To my embarrassment I couldn't actually unpack all my shoes because I don't have enough room! This was shocking since I just recently purged at least 10 pairs as part of my moving rule: shoes must leave the house in the same box they came into the house in. If they don't fit anymore, there are TOO MANY SHOES. I must have used a liberal interpretation of "fit" in the box this time around because I bought two over the door racks & still had resort to stuffing all boots under the bed. (I'm pretty sure the real problem is not enough doors though...)

Now you lovely readers probably fall into 1 of 3 categories...

1. Ooooooo


2. Psh... that's nothing on MY collection


3. This is sick & wrong

If you happen to fall in group 3, I have a few things I'd like to say in my defense. First of all, yes I know that's too many shoes but I've gotten a lot better. Also, I've never actually spent more than $30 on shoes with the exception of my running sneakers. And lastly, all my shoes are thoroughly and well worn loved... they're not just excess that are never used.

If you're in the OTHER 2 categories though, let's chat! I'm kind of a shoe-snob in the fact that I pretty much only wear pumps because they don't cut off my tattoo. I can't do gladiators, mary janes or a lot of strappiness, it's got to cover the whole tat or nothing. As I was unpacking & hanging with care I decided to pay extra special attention to a few of my favorites... Hello, lovers...



mmmm... comic book, pink tweed, class acts, & art deco...

I wasn't lying when I said I've never spent more than $30 on shoes, but it doesn't stop me from surfing through pages & pages of shoe-porn. The only way I could break down & fork out this kind of money would be if I were invited to the White House or was spending the day with Denzel Washington, but a girl can dream... & drool... I leave you with a little taste of my fantasy wish-list:

Betsey Johnson - Alexandra - $179

Moschino - $337

BCBGeneration - Ariel - $79

Badgley Mischka - Carlo - $172

Charles David - Squeeze - $175

Bleach T-Shirts

Alternate Title: We Run This City

For our marathon relay team (another blog about that coming soon, I promise!) we wanted matching shirts that were motivational, pretty, & maybe even a little bad-ass.  We went with a spray bleach stencil & it turned out rocking so I'd like to share the process with you.

Bleach Sprayed T-Shirts in 3 Easy Steps:

Step 1: Prep

Use a water-proof stencil or make your own like I did. (I used a plastic report-sleeve, you can use cardboard or freezer paper, don't get too fancy) Prep the shirt to make sure bleach only goes where you want it to. That means a piece of cardboard between layers & around the edges of the stencil to block excess spray. Optional: You can use a little spray adhesive on the back of your stencil to keep small details in place

Step 2: Spray

Some people use straight bleach. I used a 2/3 bleach, 1/3 water mix because I was scared it would burn through too quickly. Looking back I think just bleach would have been fine. Lightly spritz from a distance. You only want a light mist, too much will bleed & spread leaving you with a blob.

Step 3: Wash

You'll be able to tell when the color is ready, just wait until you like it. Don't wait for it to be white or you might burn through. Just rinse it in some water & you're good to go! All dyes are made from different combination, so 2 green shirts won't necessarily fade to the same color. It's a fun discovery to see the different colors come out!