Purse peek and weak apologies

You don't have to tell me, I know. August was a very very very long time ago. Any excuse will sound weak. One of them is that it is very very difficult to take full-body outfit shots of yourself. Tripods, self-timers, places well-lit enough but also long enough to fit my entire body into the frame... I need a live-in photographer. If only my dog Sadie had opposable thumbs.

The good news is that I will hopefully (crossing fingers and toes, here) be doing some fashion videos in the near future. If not, then making a serious serious effort to dedicate time to this fashion blog as well as my beauty blog. But again, the photo dilemma. Perhaps you'll just have to deal with some... experimental... photography for a while.

In the meantime, I bought two new purses while in Florida (and a new wristlet but these are much more exciting). Just now realizing that I should have mirrored one of these shots instead of having both on the left. Oh well. Details. They are both small envelope-ish, chain strap styles, which is a new concept to me and utterly useless in the winter time. But come spring, these will be in full rotation.

I will write soon. Hold me to it.

xo Chloe

Pink bag: Michael Kors
Leopard bag: J.Crew

Bedroom Decor: Functional and Chic

Over the past few months I've been redecorating my bedroom, effectively turning it into a "big girl" room. When we first moved here, I painted it lime green, then bright orange. Now it is a lovely light brown/clay colour. Very calming, very neutral, and just what I've been wanting. So I've been slowly picking up pieces to decorate/accessorize with, and this fabulous wire judy is my latest acquisition.

I found this at HomeSense for $60, which is a great price considering I'll have this forever. I can paint it to go with any room, and the top is detachable from the stand for easy storage.

Loving the metal details- and all these loops give more options for hanging things off of it! I've just been sticking with purses and a hat so far though.

Really happy with this! It's a classic, yet unexpected room decoration with a modern twist (since this isn't really for sizing clothing!).

xo Chloe

Autumn Shopping #1: Aritzia and Tommy Hilfiger

I have started off my autumn shopping with a trip to Aritzia and Tommy Hilfiger- total opposites in terms of style, but I'll explain later. Also stopped by Aerie as you can see below, but I think you can all deduce what I bought there (with a 20% off coupon, too! yay!)

I recently came into a bit of money, so I decided to splurge on a few things at Aritzia. I don't think I've ever spent this much money on myself before. It felt a little strange pulling out my debit card to pay for it all. No regrets though.

I got some comfy stuff- sweats and workout shorts from TNA. I've worn through the Roots sweats I've had since grade 12, so I thought it was high time for a new pair. They were on sale too- and have the elastic ankles. I have to have those, otherwise I trip over myself. Short legs create so many problems.

Perfect fit. Love these.

I bought my first "big girl" blazer. I have one that's part of a pantsuit (my only one haha) but this one by Talulah is a bit more casual and stands alone. The hanger doesn't do it any justice. It's a charcoal colour, and short enough for little old me! It hits right above my hip and is lovely and tailored. It wasn't cheap, but I think it's something that I will have for a long long long time.

This dress had caught my eye a few weeks ago, in a pinky peach colour. I ended up buying it in a lilac colour- the pink seemed too nude. Don't want to look naked from a distance, do I? Excuse the wrinkles by the way, I had just pulled it out of the bag. It's so light and breezy but it still has some structure. It's lined in the skirt, so peekaboo undies aren't a huge concern. AND. There are POCKETS! I love love love this trend, but I don't have a lot of pieces following it. This dress with the blazer (and tights... it's a bit short! hah) would be a great feminine yet put together work outfit. In a more casual work setting of course ;)

My last stop was the Tommy Hilfiger outlet, where everything is 30% off. I got this jacket for 60% off! I needed a medium-weight jacket for fall, and I thought TH would be a good place to look. I don't usually shop there, and I don't think I have anything from there currently in my closet. Not my style at all. But they make great outerwear. My winter coat is from there and I love it. So this jacket... kinda military style with the green, but just generally a cool jacket that looks great and isn't too heavy!

I have an interview for the job I talked about in my last post, so I'll be trying to come up with a put together outfit using my new blazer. I'll update you all on my success/failure!

xo Chloe

Fashion Picks #1: Late Summer/Fall

New miniseries on here? yes? fashion picks? I think yes. I'm waiting to hear back about a job starting late August, so I've been browsing/window shopping for work clothes in the meantime. This job wouldn't be a dressy/business type of job, probably pretty casual, but here's my motto:

Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.

or alternatively:

Dress for the life you want.

Yeah. So I was browsing in Zara the other day, and fell in love with some pieces... Which is why all of my picks for this post are from there (except one). I'm hoping to cover some other stores, too! So. On to my picks for a late summer/fall work wardrobe...

Tops/Blouses...

Subtle and classy leopard. LOVE this.

Slinky and fresh.

I'm hoping for a resurgence of metallics this fall. Shiny sweater: check!

Blazers/Jackets...

A super fun and funky colour. I'm only 21, so I think I can pull this off!

A great way to dress up some jeans, and in a great neutral colour. Love this.

Bottoms:

J brands to replace my beloved pair that has worn through in the bum. J brand does petite very nicely.

A slight sheen on a burgundy pant screams AUTUMN!!!

Basic slim black pant. Classic.

Accessories/shoes...

Snakeskin will be huge this fall. This is a chic way to dabble in the trend!

A nice low heel with an unexpected colour! Love!

More snakeskin, this time on a cute flat!

LOVE THIS BAG. Drooled for a few minutes in the store.

Anything here catch your eye? Hopefully I hear back soon about the job, I don't want any of these pieces to be gone!

xox Chloe

the casual t-shirt club

Today's post is rather boring (I think, but I hope it isn't really). It's pretty much just me, rambling about one of my weaknesses: the v-neck tshirt. I used to own dozens of tshirts (mostly band shirts, graphic shirts, etc), but I've cut that down since my teen years. Now I have a few shirts that I wear almost every day. I don't know whether that's worse than having a million tshirts. Oh well. The point is that I picked up two new shirts from Urban Outfitters, and I'm quite happy with them. I got a white and a pink, which I'm modeling below.  They were on special, 2 for $28.

In case you hadn't picked up on it, I am quite a fan of low-cut tops. Mostly because they make me look taller, but also for the way the V neck looks. There is definitely such thing as too much cleav, but... I think I toe the line in a classy way ;) 

Untucked!

The fabric of these shirts is quite thin- it's a polyester/cotton blend burnout style, so the appropriate undergarments are necessary. I found that the first time I wore them they pilled a little bit under the arms, but I don't think it's anything a good washing can't fix (yes, I wore them before washing them, bad Chloe!). 

 

I really like the way these hang and drape. The fit is loose and forgiving, but clings in the right places. My kind of shirt. 

xo Chloe

Knits in July... Thanks Zara

So Zara was/is having a huge summer sale.. and they had a bunch of knits (??? summer ???) on sale. And I'm a sucker for a nice knit sweater... so I got two. In July. How's this for thinking ahead?

I passed over this pullover at first, but then I tried it on... and I'm now in love. I've been wearing it with my AE short shorts (yeah, a sweater with shorts), and I think I will be getting a lot of wear out of it this winter. It's made of acrylic, so I'm not expecting it to last beyond this winter, but for $20, it's a great winter (and summer?!) piece.

This was the first knit in the huuuge pile of knits that caught my eye. With my sucker-ness for knits comes a sucker-ness for white/beige/grey tops. I have a stupid amount of these 3 colours in my closet. But. I did not have a beige knit cardigan. I was a little put off by the size at first (a large, when I'm normally a small, or even extra small), but again, trying things on is the best idea ever. It looks oversized in a chic way, rather than sloppy, and while it looks a bit boxy with shorts, I can't wait to pair it with skinny jeans or leggings and a low heel in the winter.

There were loads of other colours, and while I stared longingly at them, I think these are the most practical... since I can wear them with as much colour as I want to! ... And a knit in a classic colour will never go out of fashion.

xox Chloe

a lioness in stripes... and glasses

I'll start by saying that it's incredibly hot and humid outside- which is why my hair has decided to take inspiration from a wild animal. I just went with it, I think it gives an otherwise simple outfit a little bit of oomph. The heat is also why I am showing a bit more skin than usual. Normally if I'm wearing these shorts I'll pair them with at least a t-shirt, rather than a tank. But. Comfort reigns.

Silly face, yes I know.

I did however pair this outfit with some wedges. Not necessarily the smartest move for sweat-weather, and I won't be wearing them when I go out later today, but I thought they worked well and dressed up the shorts a bit.

statement necklace!

new glasses! talk nerdy to me...

So as you can see I got new glasses. Not that you would actually be able to tell, since my old glasses were seen rarely by my blog and Youtube. I just don't like the way they look on camera usually, so I take them off (or wear my contacts... but usually I'm just blind!).

I'm also dabbling in the statement necklace here... I have quite a few of them but always chicken out whenever I consider wearing one.  This is a good start though- a neutral colour, and nice and light material (I think the beads are some sort of bean??).

Shorts: American Eagle
Tank: Zara
Shoes: Jessica Simpson
Necklace: Ten Thousand Villages
Belt: H&M
Earrings: from Peru...
Glasses: Rayban