Them Bones

jacket ... vintage Levi's

sweater ... vintage Calvin Klein

leggings ... Love Melrose

socks ... Free People

shoes ... vintage Doc Martens

spiked necklace ... Aeropostale 

College has certainly taken its toll on what I define as interests and hobbies. While I aspire for a job in the fashion industry and am currently on the internship hunt, the things I used to be interested in have been left behind. Writing, for instance. I could make excuses and blame the perpetual writing assignments I receive in classes making me want to rest my fingers and mind from any other kind of writing, but that's where my realization sets in that if I was passionate about it, I would get it done. 

I cannot make promises to anyone, but I can aim for improvement and set smaller goals.

Now that I've cleared my conscious. I can get back into the swing of things. Pardon my rusty fingers. 

I will not tell a lie; these photos are from not this winter but the last winter. A winter that was so much more gentle to us. A winter that let me wear a jean jacket and leggings and not feel like my blood was about to freeze in my veins. 

If you have not heard, Levi's been named one of the most ethical companies in the world by The Ethisphere Institute, as have Gap and H&M. I will be taking an active stand in supporting these companies by browsing them first before other retailers. That being said, my Levi's jacket is actually my mothers, an even more ethical way to take care of the environment by not making a footprint at all! 

Aeropostale should be your hidden treasure trove for jewelry, shoes, and even clothing. I am in absolute love with Aero; they have really blossomed with their offerings in the recent years, and to me it seems like a best kept secret. With their frequent coupons and free shipping offers, it can be your secret too without ever having to enter the store. I recommend their necklaces. They have dainty bauble-eqsue pieces in addition to luxe looking statement jewels. I have filled a shopping cart with necklaces from Aero and I am not ashamed to mention it. 

Stay thrifty my friends. 

Post hoc ergo propter hoc

jumper ... Calvin Klein, thrifted.

snarf ... So..., Kohl's

jeans ... Candie's, Kohl's

Back on that school grind. Intro to Communications, Sociology, Astronomy, Spanish, and Public Speaking. Wish me luck ! 

Gold On the Ceiling

hat ... uncle's

sweater ... Calvin Klein, charity shop

pants ... G by Guess, gbyguess.com

This was my birfday outfit. I turned the oh-so-magcal nineteen on December seventeenth. Don't I look like I've grown so much since my last birthday ? 

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While that last statement seemed like a joke, I'm going to say a few things. It's definitely true. Between senior year of high school and graduating into college, I feel like I have grown so very much in a matter of months. I finally feel like I'm in a place where (mostly) everyone else is on the same level as me, academically and mentally. Being back home for these couple of weeks, I have seen a few of my past classmates in passing, people that never acknowledged me because they were above me. When I got to college, I looked back on high school with even more anger and frustration than I already had, simply because I saw what I could have had if people had just given me a chance, rather than putting me off as that weird awkward quiet girl for all four years. While I received smiles and hellos from most, which makes me hope that going to the next level of schooling has helped them mature as well, I still have to hide my smug grin. Now I never ever think highly of myself, but there is one thing I do know about this whole high school popularity thing. If you love love loved high school, you will likely be disappointed with college. You lose your popularity, your massive friend base, your ability to emit 'cool' wherever you walk. I, on the other hand, who struggled to find any enjoyment in high school at all, which then made me - in my opinion - pretty humble when it comes to people being nice and actually givig you their time of day, went to college and fell in love with it. I am the one with the massive friend base, who have people that actually look for me and want to spend time with me. I have never felt more appreciated, and happy, and so extremely lucky to be where I am.

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Now, if you read this and said "Hey ! I loved high school, and I love college ! You're silly !" I'm sorry. I'm merely telling you how I feel based off of my particular experience, at my particular school. I love in the middle of no where in an area with very particular mind set that's years behind the rest of the country. Perks of living in the boondocks. I'm sorry if I offended, I only know what I see and have experienced here. 

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Now, the maturity and growing up rant is over ! On to some outfit notes. As I said, I wore this for my birthday to a lovely sea food restaurant in my town that I actually work at as well. I got to take a break from washing dishes and actually eat the food I'm normally sneaking some bites of scraping into the garbage can. I had a mexican salad with big chunks of lobster, and of course some oysters on the half shell. Absolutely. Delectable.  The banana cream pie desert couldn't even compare to my actual meal ! The outfit I just kind of threw together without much thought, but I loved the way it turned out ! The metallic trend is still pretty big, and I somehow managed to incorporate that into every pice of this ensemble. My sweater is a thrift store find, and I love it. Sweaters are my thing, and when I stumbled upon this Calvin Klein baby, I was sold. Since it was at a thrift store, it was a measly FIVE DOLLARS. Yeah, I know. How. The pantaloons were something I had saved on my online shopping list for a long time. I saw they were on sale on day, and I scooped them up. You can actually still get them here for only twenty-five dollars ! That's a better sale than I got as well ! I've had these ankle booties for ages. Kohl's is definitely a treasure chest for me that everyone casts off as cheap. I manage to find so many things there that are gracing the runways, and for a huge fraction of the price.  Kohl's for life. 

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On a sentimental note, the gentleman's hat is my uncle's. When he passed away, I some of his movie collection, a lot of his record collection, and this simple brown hat. I love hats, but it's rare that I purchase them. When this hat came into my l life, I was extremely sad, but every time I wear it I think of him. I 'carry him with me.'  

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Rest in Peace Uncle Thomas