Trouble.

 

All Photos by Lindsey.

 

 

 

 

Everyone can have style. Just put on what you like, the way you like it, and be confident in yourself.
That is style.

Ode to Mandy

      

I have always been drawn to a more edgy style when it comes to the way I dress, accessories, and even decorate, however I have also always had a soft spot for the simplest stlyes and even someone of a preppy type style. It may be the inner emo kid in me, mixing alternative styles with preppy, but when done well, I think it looks pretty good.
I was recently inspired by an outfit I saw on Mandy Moore (Yes, Mandy Moore) on WhoWhatWear. She was in a leather skirt by The Row and a Vintage oxford button and some heels; she looked effortlessly cool. realizing I had a skirt with pleather panels I thought I would try a variation of the outfit.



 
                                                  

I wore a gingham button I got at a clothing swap with my skirt from Wet Seal, however instead of heels, I wore the outfit to work with a pair of gray tights and oxfords from Target. I really liked the juxtapostion of the button up and skirt, achieving a nice balance between simple and edgy. I played with the theme by wearing my Warby Parker glasses, oxfords and gray tights to compliment the more prep side of the outfit, and I wore my skull and spike jewelry to compliment the edgy side.

So there you go, I guess Mandy Moore inspired me to look like an edgy librarian? Whatever, I was really into it, and felt good in it, so I guess that’s all that matters.

 

All Photos by Lindsey

Love is a Place.

         

Though I have been living here for five years now I have never considered Ohio my home. California will always be my home. I came here for college and family, and during my time here I have made some of the best friends of my life and someone I consider the love of my life. I never excpected to fall in love with the place, but after years of being here, how can I not call this my home? I have been thinking a lot and discussing with my friends that I want to go home soon. But I kind of am home.
Ohio has a certain charm about it in it’s cities and in it’s people that I feel like you can’t find anywhere else. I have spoken to others who are not from here and they say the same thing, this place is home. It actually makes you feel like home. My time in Ohio made me recognize all the things I love most, it helped me find my love for fashion and style. It has inspired me.
Of course there are places and people here that would make you feel otherwise, but when you got to the right areas and find good company, it’s pretty obvious to me that this place has a lot of heart.  

(Dress Figleaf. Shoes Wet Seal. Purse swapped. Jewelry Aldo, Forever21.)

I was lucky enough to end up in Akron. I’m not saying that I will always be here, I dont know where I will be, but right now, I am so happy to have this as my home. If you live in Ohio and think other wise, slow things down and take a look around you at the places and people you love, and see how wonderful this place really is.


All Photos by Lindsey.

Getting Personal

My favorite thing about fashion is and always will be style. A piece of clothing, like a plain black dress, can be completely transformed depending on the girl wearing it, and how she makes it fit her style. Personal style is what makes one’s fashion sense completely unique to them. And when you are dressed completely to your taste, you generally feel your best and most confident. This is the power of someone individuality. As cheesy as this may sound, it’s true. and you know it it.

With that being said I was lucky enough to get this Brooklyn Canvas dress from Sugar lips to make my own and style as I please. When I received the dress, I had a completely different style in mind for it. I was going to wear it as more of a bohemian style dress with some black sandals and a jean vest with wavy hair. Obviously, I didn’t take that route. When I tried the dress on one night before taking photos, My hair was done up like this twisty, faux victory roll style, and I got inspired. It made me think of the blues in the 60’s. (Watch Cadillac Records, and you will see!) I decided to pair the dress with my wing tips from Urban Outfitters, and my vintage blue belt that I got at a clothing swap, and boom, I felt like I was ready to go see Muddy Waters play in Chicago. If only…I am going to Chicago this weekend, so maybe I can just pretend.

My switch from one style to the next with this dress is a perfect example of how a piece can be transformed. It just depends on your mood and what inspires your style. All of the different prints in the dresses and tops at Sugar lips really speak to me in creating a more retro-vibe in my style. What inspires your styling?






All Photos By Lindsey.

Stripes and Anchors.

I hope everyone had a wonderful July 4th. Mine was the best in a long time. Mike is home and I got to spend the day with him and one of my best friends Sara. Hot dogs were had, as well as some beer, and tasty desserts too! The best part of all though was spending the day with friends, family, and Mike.



What did everyone do for the 4th?

All Photos by Lindsey.

Complemantary Colors.

                           


I feel like it’s starting to become old news for me to say that I like mixing colors. But let me just say it one more time, with feeling, I LOVE mixing colors. Exploring with different color combinations can really make an old piece shine like new again.


My new Favorite way to do colors is with the complementary colors. Here I use yellow and purples. It can also work with blue and orange and red and green. I know that a few things may be coming to mind with these pairings…sports, high school colors, Christmas. yuck! I too have the fear of looking like an obsessed sports or Christmas fan sometimes when doing this, but here is a little trick…try mixing different shades of the complementary colors.
Here I am wearing an obviously VERY purple skirt, but with the yellow and white striped shirt, not only is the yellow more of a pastel, but its also toned down with the shear chiffon and the white stripes.

Another color combo I am absolutely love is turquoise and coral. Its a nice was to do the blue orange with out being overly bright, and the colors are everywhere this summer, so it’s an easy combo to accomplish.






I did decide to style my outfit with ( what do ya know!) more colors! I promise that this wont be the only thing I talk about, but my next post will be obnoxious with a red, white and blue post. Whoops!
All Photos by Lindsey.

Summer Time. Show Time.

Tonight I am going to support Mike for the start of his tour with Empires in Pittsburgh. If anyone is in Pittsburgh they should go to The Smiling Moose tonight to see them. Since it's so incredibly hot today I opted for this 40's inspired romper (my roommates) from Forever 21. I love shows in the summer time and reasons to dress so summery!

What shows are you looking forward to and how do you like to dress as shows?

Mustard Stripes.

There is something about summer that makes me want to only wear dresses. Cute. New. Dresses. Lots of them. So that means I basically need to practice self control and not buy every dress I see. I may have splurged on a few here and there, like on this mustard striped dress I got from Forever 21.
It’s a perfect summer staple in my opinion. The structure of the shirt dress makes it not so girly and the colorful stripe was a perfect way to make it more appropriate for summer. Here I have it styled with neutral leathers in navy and brown to make the dress seem a little more masculine. It could be styled with a floral cardigan for a more quirky girly look too.





Photos by Lindsey.

Promise.

                        



This summer holds so much promise for me. Nothing too huge is happening, but I just have a really great feeling, ya know? The 330 Blogger collective already held an extremely successful clothing swap, I am going to Chicago in July with all of my good friends, and possibly Kelly’s Island, plenty of summer concerts, moving and of course spending time with friends and family.

I still have a full-time job, but since I don’t believe in summer classes, I am taking my free time for spending as much time with friends, family, and Mike. Mike just left to for a few days to Chicago to play a show with Empires, he will be back but leaves for tour next week. So we have been squeezing in as much “us” time as possible, and it really has been nice.

I also plan on spending as much time AS POSSIBLE with one of my best friends, Missy. She is moving to France in September to teach English for a year. So since I have basically seen her almost every day of the past 3 years(we live together) I am going to try to see her even more to get in all the friend time I can!

So this outfit post is kind of a kick off to a fun, promising summer! I figured a fun retro-inspired outfit would do the trick with my tied chiffon blouse and polka dot shorts(Forever 21), accessorized with striped cat-eye glasses(Wet Seal) and fuschia loafers(Target).






All Photos By Lindsey.

The 330 Clothing Swap

Hello! It feels pretty good to be back! I am sorry for the little break I took, but it was much needed after busting my ass this semester( straight A’s woop woop!). I have been taking a much needed break from things to enjoy the beginning of summer with friends and Mike since he leaves for tour next week.
During this nice little break, some fellow bloggers( Midwestern Muse, For the Birds and A Lovely Little Blog) and I held a public clothing swap for Akron and I must say it was better than I ever expected!
This was not like the average swaps that I’ve posted about before on here, it took a lot of time and energy preparing, counting and organizing clothes. The swap was held at a local hair Salon called MC Studio. The swap was held in 4 different time segments so we could keep traffic pretty even. There were also three different vendors, snacks and refreshments, raffles, and goodie bags! I also did styling for those who needed it and I worked along side this really awesome seamstress, Ryan Kosmach( Seriously, if you are in the area, go to her! She is based out of Stow).



























Over all I think the swap was a HUGE success! I had a lot of fun and it was really amazing to see the turn out. It was probably the cutest group of girls I’ve ever seen in a confined space! I really hope everyone enjoyed it as much as we did and I look forward to having one next year!

All Photos by Lindsey

Successful Swapping!

This past Sunday was the clothing swap and I have to say it was a HUGE success! Hopefully this can be an annual thing for Akron! There are so many pictures to go through for my main post, but her is a little sneak shot!

Stay tuned!!

All Photos By Lindsey

330 Swap Styling

330 clothing swap styling basics by jessiepea featuring flat shoes

Check out the styling post I did for our up coming clothing swap!

Rainy Day Dark

All photos by Lindsey.

Color Story

I have always wanted to try a bright colored tight, but I have been aprensive. I guess i have always thought of bright colored tights as like neon and scary and kind of something people wear to raves. I dont know why, but thats what I think of! Luckily a friend of mine has convinced me otherwise.

Jessica from Midwest Muse can literally pull of any color of tight and it’s adorable. The last time I saw her she was wearing these burgundy colored tights with a skirt and a blouse that matched perfectly. It was so cute. I expressed to her my concerns about bright colored raver tights and she said to choose tasteful colors, not neons.

It really makes sense. It is so easy to match with jewel tones, and brights are especially nice for spring. So here I had my first attempt! I chose these cobalt blue tights given to me by my friend Ashley. I took the tights, went to my closet, and dove in to find the perfect blue to match it. When I emerged, i had found this accordion pleated dress I got from Wet Seal a couple months before hand.
I have recently been into mixing different bright colors so this dress was a perfect choice! So here it is Jessica, my first attempt at colored tights. I hope I made you proud and didn’t put you to shame!

Here is Jessica with a very cute striped dress and colored tight outfit! Check out her blog for more colored tight options.

what was your first colored tight outfit?
all photos by Lindsey.

The 330 Clothing Swap

Ladies, I have some very exciting news! To those who are not already aware of it, The 330 group of bloggers is hosting North East Ohio's very first public clothing swap!

If you have been reading my blog you may have already seen how they work through my frock parties. This is about the same thing amplified by 100 for the public, with multiple vendors and prizes!

Here is the general run down for what the clothing swap has in store:
-you bring your older, gently or never worn clothes that go with the season(this time would be spring and summer) and you swap them for something that you would love. This way you will empty your closet and gain new items to love for your wardrobe with out spending a dime.
-You will sign up through pay pal, go to http://330swapandshop.blogspot.com/ to find out how, and you will save a spot for yourself in the swap! admissions will be five dollars and be sure to sign up because spots are filling quick!
-The swap is May 20Th, however before hand we are having two drop off dates for you to bring your things, that way we will organize them for you and that is how we will build our point system for you to swap.
-Be sure to bring clothes that are clean and in good shape, if you bring an old gym shirt it will be donated to good will.
-Anything that is not chosen at the swap will be donated to good will.
-Gift bags will be given to attendees as well as opportunities to shop our vendors and get manicure and pedicures provided by Studio MC.

This is very exciting for our area because it is the first public swap! Hopefully it can generate some buzz and can become and annual thing!

So if you are interest go to http://330swapandshop.blogspot.com/ to read about all the rules and vendors and check out a preview post by Rachel from http://www.forthebirdsblog.net/ and see what she is bringing!

Re-think Red

Back in elementary school we learned about the color red and why it was used for stop signs, logos, and by fast food restaurants- It is bold, abrasive and eye catching. This color tends to be avoided by people when getting dressed in the morning for this reason. Think about how often you see people wearing red. Really, the people who do feel comfortable in red are the only ones who tend to wear it most often. This is why red pants are the perfect solution.

I know it seems scary because they are jeans that aren’t blue of black, but that's ok! You can honestly just treat them the same and usually it still looks great! Its always safe to go black and white with them. Navy is great too. I personally love leopard and florals with them. If you are worried about making the plunge, head into Wet Seal, they have a good pair of inexpensive jeans that fit pretty well. Play around with them, and I think you will be pleasantly surprised.



Here I am wearing them with a Denim button up and my leopard loafers! How would you rock red jeans?

All photos by Lindsey

White Noise

With the amount designers, styles, trends and stores I can see how it is sometimes difficult to keep up with what if supposed to be seen as stylish or fashionable. Along with that there are magazines, critics and even bloggers telling which style is the best- after a while, it all starts to sound like a bunch of white noise.

Not saying that I have an expert opinion on what works for someone in fashion, I too have moments where I am completely dumbfounded on what looks good. And then I go to what i know best, just as I suspect every other girl or guy does- they resort back to their own personal style.

I believe in sticking to your own personal style. I have in looking to all the bloggers I find most inspirational and I noticed one common thing amongst all of them- they all have a very distinct style of theirs that they have showcased with their fashion blogs. They always look so great in what they wear because they show confidence and comfort in their style.

This is the best inspiration and I think each girl should strive to do the same- dress for them selves, like what they wear and be confident and comfortable in what they wear. This is not an easier said than done type thing either. They all coincide with the simple idea of "Being yourself!"

If a girl or guy doesn't feel comfortable in their style, they should draw inspiration from the styles they see and go from their. I believe that everyone has style or can have style.
Everyone knows what they like, they just have to man up and dress they way they like most.

These are the things I tell girls who come into my store and dont have a clue how to dress, after this sort of pep talk, I help them find outfits that go along with what they like and then they are happy, and then they see how easy it is to dress.
It's that easy, trust your insticts, you know what you like and what looks good to you.

If you aren't convinced, come in to Wet Seal and I'll show you.

Mixed Prints

I believe in mixing prints! Whole-heatedly! If you put different prints together, like how it looks, but are afraid of people thinking you will look like a mess...they are wrong. Trust your instinct on it, if you like how it looks it probably does look great. If you are concerned about the taste level I think there are a few tricks/tips you can go with:

1. Use classic prints. polka-dots and stripes, stripes and stripes, plaid and plaid. You get the idea.
2. Stay within the same color scheme or else keep it neutral.
3. If mixing classic prints with wild prints, keep the wild one to a minimum and keep the rest of the outfit basic.(my outfit for example is very basic with the classic stripe, then I mixed in the leopard only in with one smaller article.)

Still not convinced? Check out this article in The New York Times.

what prints do you like to mix?

photos by Lindsey.

Look Book

I'm now on lookbook!

Bright Futures

I feel as though this happens every mid semester with my blog. I get caught up in work and schoolwork and push this to the back burner. I treasure my days off, so please forgive me for the absence.

It also didn't help that tumblr is having technical difficulties for photo posts, and that is where I actually post first because long story short, when I copy and paste it to blog spot, it looks better and the pictures are bigger. So sorry if pictures look smaller than usual.

BUT in light of all my complaining something wonderful has happened! I was selected to be part of the style ambassador's for Modcloth!

Hopefully this will lead to amazing things and I am so thankful for it! Hopefully there will be more on that soon!

The news of Modcloth makes me so happy and has me thinking ahead to what I want to do to make get this thing off the ground with more posts. This is defiantly the encouragement I needed! The idea of a brighter future is helping...and warmer weather! It''s nice that it has been somewhat warmer so I haven't had to wear huge jackets and scarfs!

Here is a more casual look of a lighter jacket, boots and a beanie! This is kind of nicer for my hectic days. I like to be casual, but not look like a bum. So the mix of the bright yellow with more understated neutrals like grey and navy make for a kind of fresh color scheme to the usual wintry blacks and browns. A little reminiscent of nautical and spring which is finally approaching.

Here is to the future!

Photos by Lindsey