Love, love, love

Salut loves! How was your weekend? Fabulous, I hope! I was lucky enough to spend Saturday with my fantastic college babies who make me feel so old! But, I love them to death and feel like a kid on christmas morning every time I get to see them!! I still have yet to spend a full weekend at home since August (crazy, I know) but every trip has been totally worth it. Next up: visiting the best little brother for family weekend and watching him do his thang on the baseball diamond. Can't wait! What did you beauties have on your agenda this weekend?

Well, that stubborn summer I was pouting over last week seems to have exited over night. Today could have been perfect considering it was in the low 70's, but the torrential downpour made it hard to fully enjoy the cool, crisp autumnal weather. However, it made it fully acceptable to break out the leggings and boots! I do not believe in the leggings as pants trend, but I am a huge fan of leggings with dresses/tunics paired with boots. Love, love, love! They are more comfortable and less mom-ish than panty hose, in my opinion, but they have a similar effect of making an outfit a little more appropriate for the work place. The combination of today's outfit and the delicious nonfat chai latte that was my afternoon pick me up finally made me feel like like my favorite season, fall, is finally here!

When I first got this dress I wasn't so sure about it, because I have never been much of an orange fan. But the fun pattern  had won my heart so I gave into a new color and I have never regretted it. Like I said, I am all about branching out this fall, whether it be with a new color palette or trying new trends that I have previously stayed away from. Dress: Kohl's, Tank: White House Black Market, Leggings: H&M Paris, Boots: Kohl's, Purse: Vintage Louis Vuitton (more on that later), Jewelry: Borrowed from mom and cousin, Headband: Charlotte Russe

Always been a sucker for Blair Waldorf-esque headbands :)

Notice something new... :)

I never thought I would have gotten so much wear out of these boots, but they treated me very well last season, and I look forward to another wonderful fall with my original boots!

Lucky for me, my sweet cousin who moved in last January has great style and lets me borrow her jewelry. Thanks cuz :) Finally got the nails polished as well. Still obsessed with purple, but went for a glittery shade this time.

In order to combat the blues that could accompany this gray, rainy day I have been occupying myself with thoughts of things I am loving right now, which I am happy to say is a long list. I won't bore you with all of it, but thought I would share some of my favorite things right now, and yes, the sound of music lyrics are definitely running through my head.

Rain drops on roses and whiskers on kittens... Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes. Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes. Silver white winters that melt into springs. These are a few of my favorite things...

 

 1. Ok, how could my new vintage Louis not be on my LOVE list?? I am completely in love with this baby and how the vintage colors go with sooo many outfits! Thanks to the fabulous Gina of Gina Marie Vintage I am the proud owner of my first vintage piece! If you are in the market for anything vintage, from dresses to coats to accessories, Gina's boutique is a must-see. She lists the condition of her items with total honesty, ships purchases very quickly and emails you personally to ensure you are pleased with your vintage accoutrement. Though this is my first purchase from Gina, I would definitely recommend her and would do business again with her!

2. You have probably figured out by now that I adore Audrey Hepburn, so you can imagine how thrilled I was to come home and find this darling poster propped on my bed tonight! My sweet cousin came across this gem while she was at Michaels today and kindly bought it as a surprise for me :) Could she be any  more wonderful? Audrey Hepburn, surprise gifts and the best little cousin a girl could ask for are obviously on the love list!!

3. When I got home from my travels this weekend I was pleasantly surprised to see these two large pumpkins sitting on our porch. Only my fantastic mother could have known how badly I was ready for fall. Funny enough, I had picked up the baby pumpkin on the way home, so we now have a cute little pumpkin family to announce the arrival of fall to any of our neighbors who may be doubtful. Can't wait to decorate these guys with my cousin soon!!

4. As a self-diagnosed shoe-a-holic, shoes are a given in my list of loves and these pink Betsey Johnson cuties, on sale at Rue La La are testing every ounce of my willpower. But, I am determined to be good, thus I am sharing this deal with you ladies but not scooping them up myself.

5. Ok, is it just me or has Gossip Girl really stepped it up with the fashion this season?? Every episode is filled with beautiful ensembles for me to drool over!! I showed you two of my favorite outfits from tonight's show last week, but Blair's sparkly attire for Fashion's Night Out was divine as well! I adored Serena's flowy and sexy dress as well! Bravo Eric Daman, bravo.

6. Last, but not least, is you my darling blogging beauties!! So far my journey with this blog has been an absolute blast and hearing from you is such a joy! I look forward to reading your delightful posts every day, and learning more about you is great fun. Please let me continue to hear from you because it makes my day!! And don't forget to become a follower of my blog! I promise I will return the favor :) Sleep well dearies!!

Bisous!

(Images from ruelala.com and cwtv.com)

Freedom of Dress!

Hi dolls! I hope everyone is having a good start to the week, and you aren't being hit too hard with the Tuesday blahs. Luckily, I am still experiencing that new-job-bliss, so every day is basically a sun shining, birds chirping kind of day. They are always better, though, when I have time to write to yall!

I was a little rushed this morning so there aren't a lot of accessories in today's outfit. I will be more interesting tomorrow, I promise! Dress: Kohl's; Headband and ring: Charlotte Russe, Earrings: gift, Shoes: Chinese Laundry

Since starting work at USA Today I have learned many, many things about journalism. But, the most valuable lessons I have learned have been about life. In just three months I have seen myself maturing into a more responsible and informed human being, and that makes every day here absolutely worth it. I have gained confidence in my voice and opinions and learned that I have thoughts worth sharing. I also learned that others not agreeing with my opinions doesn't diminish their worth. I may not be able to take these lessons to the bank, but they are far more valuable to me than any pay-check I will receive (although without the paycheck there would be far less shopping in my life...) But, as I mentioned most of my daily lessons learned are things that apply to the field of journalism and one of the essentials of the field that has been drilled into my head is to always, always be current. No one wants to read a story about something that happened days ago because it isn't relevant anymore in our twitter-paced society. Well, ladies, forgive me because I am breaking that rule today! I have been meaning to write to you about a certain subject for days now and never get to it, but I don't want to let it slip away because it is something I am so curious to hear your opinions on.

I am sure by now you have all heard about the hullabaloo surrounding the female reporter, Ines Sainz, and her choice of work attire during her interview with the Jets. Initially my reaction was to focus on the immature behavior of these grown men, who seem to have forgotten that they are no longer boys, and their clear disrespect of a woman who was trying to do her job. But the public seemed determine to shift blame to Ms. Sainz and criticize her wardrobe choices, rather than scolding the men who made her outfit a national debate in the first place. Yes, I agreed that her outfit wasn't the best choice for a working environment, particularly one in which she would working with half-naked men. But that wasn't the point here! First off, the only people who have the authority to deem her outfit inappropriate for the workplace are her bosses, and since I highly doubt that this particular outfit was an entirely new look for Ms. Sainz, her employers appear to be fine with her fashion choices. So why are we, the general public and people who have no business telling her what she can and cannot wear to work, focusing so heavily on her wardrobe selection and ignoring the inappropriate actions of the Jets? Doesn't Ms. Sainz have the freedom to dress how she chooses so long as it is acceptable to her company? Furthermore, when did the way a woman dresses become justification for harassing behavior? That seems a little to similar to the "well she was asking for it with the way she dressed" argument that many men use to justify rape. Everyone deserves the right to not be subjected to harassment in the workplace and the men who violated Ms. Sainz's right deserve to be punished. And please, leave the fashion criticisms to the experts please!

Not what I would chose to wear, but not really that awful!

From the front

On a lighter note, who else agrees that the Gossip Girl Paris fashion was to die for??? I held off on singing my praises last week since I had a hunch that this week would be a continuation of divine frocks to gush over. I am more of a Blair dresser myself, but I always love Serina's boho-chic/rocker-chick edge/classic upper east side chic look as well. Neither girl was a disappointment on the first two episodes of the new season, and judging from the sneak peek of next week's show, they will continue to shine.

I loooove everything about this outfit! Eric Daman please come to my house and pick out my clothes every morning!!

I love the mix of sophistication and casual Juliet exudes by pairing her boyfriend blazer with the FNO t-shirt. Plus I love seeing things I own on TV :)

I literally gasped when I saw this gorgeous red dress on Blair and was immediately obsessed. I wish it was a full length photo, but you GG fans know what it looked like :)

Serina always has the most perfectly cut jackets ever. This was one of my favorite looks on her.

We all know Blair stands out in any room she enters, but with this gem of a dress she is sure to light up even the darkest of corners. And that man candy she is wearing doesn't hurt either!

My favorites!!!

Oh Blair, ever the romantic hopeful! She is truly a modern day cinderella, complete with a missing shoe.

Ok ladies, I really want to hear from you today! What did you think of the Ines Sainz scandal? Do you think she deserved what she got? Do you think she was treated unfairly? Would you wear her outfit? Are you tired of hearing about her?? How are you feeling about this season of Gossip Girl? And lastly, are there any remaining One Tree Hill fans out there who are excited for tonight??

Bisous!

(All images courtesy of CWTV)

Let's hear it for New York!

'Ello bombshells! (Yes, darling cousin that was just for you) I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend and what a weekend it was with Fashion's Night Out, Fashion Week shows and the VMA's! Although, I must admit that I didn't catch any of the VMA's because I was too busy watching Sunday night football, and more importantly, watching my Redskins kick some major Cowgirl butt!! Sorry to any Dallas fans, of course :). I am about as girly-girl as you get, but I just can't get enough of sports and when my team is playing, it always takes precedent!

I have so much to write about after my fabulous first trip to New York City that I don't even know where to begin! So forgive me if this post seems to be going in so many directions- it is only because I missed sharing with you all!

1. Fashion's Night Out: I was so excited for this wonderful celebration of fashion that allows everyone to experience a small part of fashion week (thank you Vogue/Anna Wintour!), but I sadly have to admit that I did not end up making it to any of the events I had wanted to attend. It was hard to balance seeing my dear friend, accomplishing all our touristy goals and participating in the fabulous events of the evening. I guess that just means I have to go back! But, I did spend a large chunk of time on 5th Avenue Friday while everything was being set up, so I still got to feel like I was a part of the events! It was a wonderful feeling to stand on red carpets, pose for silly photos with my friend Sam and see all of the stores that contain luxurious items that I can only dream of at this point in my life all decked out for the evening. Music was playing everywhere and the atmosphere was just so electric! I can't wait for the CBS show tomorrow night, because we saw a lot of filming occuring and I want to see if any of the things we saw make it in the final cut. Now, maybe NYC is just always that cool and fashionable but I was in love with how many incredible ensembles I spotted on the streets! It seemed like every girl in the city was as fashion obsessed as all of us, and wearing the perfect fall transition outfits! Surprisingly the only item I purchased for the night was the FNO T-shirt to commemorate my first experience with NYC and a little part of fashion week. Not only is it absolutely adorable and completely comfortable, bonus points for the fact that 40% of the profits went to the NYC Aids fund. I am excited about participating in College Fashion's last fashion challenge and attempting to style my new favorite graphic tee.

Anyone else notice that it made a brief appearance on Gossip Girl tonight?!

2. Century 21: So I finally experienced the craziness that is shopping at the famous Century 21. I think the jury may still be out on this one. While I did pick up a few pieces that I am excited about, including several wish-list items, I am not sure the hype was worth it.It is certainly nothing like what Carrie experiences in the Sex and the City episode where she casually sifts through racks in a seemingly empty store. First of all, this store is definitely not for the nouveau shopper! It takes an insane amount of patience to deal not only with the crowds and the slow checkout service, but also to wade through the rather disheveled racks of clothing in order to find any decent scores. I didn't even bother dealing with the designer section as the discount prices on those items didn't wow me and the section was teeming with fashion-crazed women ready to claw your eyes out over a blouse. However, I did come home with a brand new brown faux leather jacket that I am thrilled about! It was everything I had been looking for since I fell in love with the style in Paris, and had an incredible price tag to boot! I guess that find alone made the experience worth it, but I doubt that I will be rushing back on my next trip. Don't get me wrong, I am all about finding deals and I am more than willing to hunt for them, but not at the expense of enjoying the shopping experience.

3. Alexa Chung for Madewell update: Unfortunately by the time I resurfaced from my New York City bliss all the heavenly pieces I had been craving from this line were sold out in my size or sold out completely. Sad for my closet, but good for my wallet. I will definitely be on the lookout for them to be available again, though, especially the sheer black blouse. I saw sheer everywhere in New York and had really gotten excited about purchasing it over the weekend.

4. Bag, Borrow or Steal: Ok, confession: I have been totally fascinated by the concept of this company ever since I first heard it mentioned on Sex and the City, but I have never taken advantage of the opportunity because I personally would rather save the money I would spend on renting bags and put it towards the purchase of a bag I could have for years. But, I do sometimes consider renting one of the really nice bags that I can't afford if I ever attend an event where I would want to have that kind of accessory. And then I learned about BBOS's private sales where they actually sell these beautiful bags that have been slightly used at very discounted prices. They claim to come in "like new" condition. I have fallen totally head over heels for this adorable moschino quilted shoulder handbag, and the price is very tempting. However, I am wondering if anyone has ever made a purchase from BBOS and whether you recommend it. Do you the bags really come in good condition or is it just not worth it? Considering the fact that you can only return merchandise for store credit, I want to make an informed decision before purchasing anything. I would really appreciate any feedback ladies!!

I really adore the bag!!

**Update** I waited too long and the bag is sadly sold out. If anyone comes across this bag (or a similar bag) please let me know!!

Stand by for pictures of the weekend events :) I would love to hear from any of you who did make it to FNO events and hear what the highlights of the night were for you! Also, have any of you shopped at Century 21 before? What did you think of the experience?What are your opinions on BBOS? And most importantly, how did you like Gossip Girl tonight?? Expect a recap of their wardrobes soon!

Bisous! (Or as GG says, Bisous, Bisous!)

(Images from BBOS and google images)