Smart Shopping

I very rarely purchase an item of clothing unless I can imagine wearing it in many different ways and for many occasions. I find that it saves me a lot of money, time and effort because it results in my full closet being at my disposal. 

Though it is true that I do own some items considered too casual or too formal for the work place, I try to keep that categorization to a minimum. If I buy something, it has to function for work and play. The best way to accomplish this is to buy items that I can dress up and dress down.

The blouse that I am wearing in the following OOTD is something that I purchased when I was looking for interview attire. The print is what attracted me initially, but I also liked the modest neckline and sleeves.  I have worn it to interviews by dressing it up with a grey crepe skirt from Eloquii, tights, black pumps, pearls and a fitted cardigan. It provided the perfect pop of color to my interview outfit. However, it also works well for a casual look, as you can see below. I wore with a high waisted skirt and comfy black flats to trek across campus and run some errands on a beautiful spring day.

Blouse  //  Similar Skirt  //  Satchel  //  Flats

Peppered Panther

I am taking a piano class this semester which is both fun and challenging. One of our recent assignments consisted of composing an art song for piano and solo voice based on the following poem:

The Panther

by Ogden Nash

The panther is like a leopard,

Except it hasn't been peppered.

Should you behold a panther crouch,

Prepare to say Ouch.

Better yet, if called by a panther,

Don't anther.

I think it's an adorable little poem, and I had a lot of fun with this assignment. It was a valuable experience composing a piece that was tailor made for my own voice range. I was so into it that I even wore my lonely leopard print dress for inspiration.

I say lonely because it literally is the only item of clothing that I own in animal print. I'm not usually a big fan of animal print, but when I found this dress on clearance in Honolulu's F21, I knew that I had to step out of my comfort zone and try it out. It is a big change for me, but I like it. Perhaps I'll be inspired to try other animal prints in the future.
  

It's the Color of Passion

Apparently I am in a Pink phase. I can't stop wearing it. I keep gravitating towards it, in all shades and textures. I need an intervention before I start looking like Jem's fat twin.

This OOTD features a pink shirt that I found while exploring the newest addition to our local Forever 21 store. I loved the details on the sleeves...and the color. ;-)

Pink and Pearls

I have not always been a big fan of Valentine's day. In fact, my sadness over being single used to manifest itself into a deep seeded hatred for the entire month of February. Even grocery shopping would make me grumpy as I was bombarded by displays of pink and red hearts stacked with cheesy gifts that I would not be receiving. If I happened to be in a relationship during February, I had a difficult time participating in what I used to consider such a shallow "holiday." I didn't understand the concept of waiting until mid-February to tell your loved ones how you felt. Why not do it year round?

My thoughts on the "holiday" did not change until I met the man who showed me how to embrace romance, how to spoil and how to be spoiled at all times of the year. This man is the type of person who makes his cards by hand rather than buy them at the store. One of my favorites was this card from our very first Valentine's Day together.  He wrote out every thing that he loved about me and included them in little strips inside of the card. There were hundreds of little strips of paper to read through. It was the sweetest thing anyone had ever made for me.

This lovely gentleman that I speak of is now my husband. As cliché as it sounds, meeting him was the best thing that could ever happen to me. Perhaps one day I will share our love story, but for now, I'll leave you with photos of what I wore during one of our many romantic nights this weekend where we spoiled ourselves silly.

Comfy and Casual

Austin weather has been very unpredictable lately. I have been wearing clothes that keep me warm as I trek across campus, but that will not leave me sweating inside the classrooms. This outfit is perfect in that it keeps me warm and comfortable without being too hot.

Please excuse the squint. It was such a pretty, sunny day! <3