Style Transition: Skater Skirt

 Listening to Cinema (Skrillex Remix) by Benny Benassi
Feeling overwhelmed. Already.
    So I recently went shopping with my friends Suz and Natalia. We hit up the mall looking for a few particular things for Natalia and Suzanne, but I had only one thing in mind: a skater skirt. See this style is cut so that it flares out right at the natural waist. It's super complimentary, can be dressed up or down, and it's very casually girly, so I don't feel like I'm suffocating in ruffles. I got very good at shopping when I moved out and had to save all my money for rent. Now I'm saving for mine and Corey's wedding, and I'm even better at it. I found one that I loved at Urban Outfitters, which was forty dollars, right when we walked into the mall. So we went to every other store that I thought may have a similar style at a lower price. I searched high and low, but I couldn't find a single other one that was cut at the right length for my long legs, and that was cute. (I found one at Forever 21, but it was cut just a bit too short, and the pattern wasn't my style.) So I went back to UO and that one skirt was the only thing I bought.*
    The great thing about this particular one is that it's a great transition piece. It can be worn in every season with the right top and accessories, and look great every time. Plus I already had a lot of colors to match it in my wardrobe. 

• Summer: To keep it light, I paired it with my rose gold sandals from Target, along with a sheer blouse and bandeau underneath. You can tuck in the blouse and wear a cute belt, or if you're feeling sassy, knot it and bare a little skin!
• Fall: As it starts getting cooler, I like to do long sleeves, but rolled up, since fall afternoons can still get plenty hot, especially in the South. A chambray works well here, with a cami or bandeau underneath, then throw on some nude ballet flats and you're good to go. As a bonus, floral prints are still hot as anything this fall.
• Winter: Some people might argue that you can't do floral in the winter, but I say, if it's dark and a smaller print, you can totally still get away with it. Ideally, I would wear tights in the winter, but the ones that would've matched this had a bad hole in them that I wasn't aware of, so bare legs it is! A tank, slouchy sweater, and scarf keep this look layered and warm. Combat boots will keep your toes toasty and also give the outfit a little edge.

What styles do you think transition well through the seasons?

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*I lied, I bought the flats I'm wearing in the fall outfit - the heels I was wearing were giving me vicious blisters.*



Keep the Positivity Going

Listening to Maestro from The Holiday (sometimes I just need something to be my soundtrack, you know?)
Bracing myself for the upcoming semester.
    I start every semester so confidently. Yes, I can handle every class, and here are all my books, and sure you can borrow a pen because I have a billion, and oh I'm drinking pumpkin spice tea that I had plenty of time to French press this morning, and let me just jot that down in my planner. Roughly four weeks in, I'm reduced to sweats, half my books were left in the car because I didn't feel like carrying them, I've lost every pen but the one that only sometimes works, and we had a quiz today? When did he tell us that?
    I feel like everyone does this. In fact, I'm sure they do. You start off thinking, "I got this," and somewhere along the way, you lose your grip. For me personally, I get lazy. That's my problem. I love the concept of staying organized, and keeping track of all my notes, and using a planner. I realize its importance, I do. But it only takes one time. One "It's only one assignment, I'll remember it" that leads to "I remembered that one assignment last week, I'll remember the date of that exam and to turn in the notecards and the review guide, and then that rough draft for that other class" which ends with "Why don't I do schoolwork anymore? Surely I have something due tomorrow. How did I oversleep again?"
    I think another part of it is I lose my positivity. When the weather starts looking darker, and cloudier, and windier, and bleaker, so do my classes and my chances at doing well. Last semester was a big bummer for me. I made the Dean's List, but before you go getting excited, I started with five classes, and had to not drop, but withdraw from two. I've never withdrawn from any of my courses before, and this past Spring I withdrew from two. I cannot let that happen again.
    Some of you have already started school. Some of you started a week ago, some this past Friday, some today, and some (like me) tomorrow. But it's still early. Here is my proposition. Let's keep the positivity going. Keep a hold of the organization, and the productivity, and the planning, and the proactivity. Keep it going as long as possible. For some of us, it's our last semester (like my buddy, Hannah - you go girl!), or our last year (like me, I hope - psh, who knows). Go out with a bang. And if you still have a while longer (like I may if I can't fit everything in), don't drop the ball. Think of how great you'll feel throughout the semester without the added stress of "did I have something due today? Where did all my pens go?"
     Now I can't help you keep track of your physical stuff, but I found an app. I'm terrible at using planners, I really am. I try every semester. I buy them, fill them out with everything I know at the beginning of the semester, and then don't look at them again until I'm panicking four minutes before my midterm and I've written nothing else in them. But this one. I used it all last semester and it really saved me. iStudiez Pro. Yes. I paid for it. I downloaded the free version, and loved it so much I paid for the full. You have a calendar, and you can keep track of different classes with different colors, and quizzes and tests and finals and assignments and notifications and reminders and it's wonderful. I wasn't paid to advertise this, or review it or anything. I just found it useful. And maybe you will, too.

How do you keep organized and proactive during the semester? Tell me in the comments!

Style Wishlist: Fall 2013

Listening to Take Back the Night (I swear I'll get over him as soon as Part 2 of The 20/20 Experience is released. I hope.)
Ready to be feeling 100% again.
    So I'm not a big magazine reader. I don't like wasting my time flipping through ad after ad searching for the one article that caught my eye in the first place. I'd rather find the same article online and read it there. But somehow we've started getting InStyle. My mom plopped the hefty thing in front of me the other night when I was slumped over the kitchen table half-dead. I flipped through about ten pages for her benefit, but I wasn't about to go deep when I could barely hold my head up. Today, though, I did a bit of flipping through, mostly looking at what's hot for fall. And it got me thinking of a few things I'm looking to get.



Express $79.90

 Black Skater Dress. I desperately want one of these. Not this exact one, as I don't have eighty bucks to spare. But this style for sure. I have but one little black dress, and it's just a little too "little girl" for me. It's adorable, don't get me wrong, just not quite as versatile as I'd like. This cut is the kind that can be dressed up or dressed down, and it's highly flattering.

ModCloth $29.99

Pink Ballet Flats. I just bought a cute pair of faux leather quilted nude ballet flats from Forever 21, but I can't turn down a pair in ballet pink with bows. (bows!) They also come in a caramel color.

Old Navy $39.94

Mustard Peacoat. I have two peacoats. One in charcoal grey that flares out a bit that I will wear day in and day out, and another in black that's cut more like this but needs its buttons sewn back on. Last year I was thisclose to buying either a mustard one or an olive green one at Old Navy when they were having a sale, but I didn't. I've regretted it ever since. This year I will get one. Preferably in a more mustard yellow, but this one will suffice as an example.

ModCoth $59.99

 Oxford Heels. I have a pair of faux suede oxford wedges, but they aren't a high enough heel, and frankly, they've seen better days. I would love a pair of actual oxford heels like these, although cheaper would be nice.

GAP $51.97

Oxblood Coated Skinnies. Coated jeans started to make their presence known at the very end of this past winter. At least, that's when I started seeing them advertised. I hadn't seen anyone wearing them yet. This year, they're already showing themselves and it's not even September yet. I love this oxblood color and, aside from black, I think it's the best way to wear them.

Which fall trends are you excited about? Tell me in the comments!