happy place

For as much as I cried the days before I left Madison, I feel really content in this new crazy life. 

School is (really really) hard but it's rewarding too. Everything we learn now has a purpose - we have to know this information for life, not just for a test. Although I feel so dumb all the time, I like being able to use my brain again, even if I use it to the point of wanting it to shut off at night instead of dreaming about heart development. 

I love my girlfriends here. My roommate is better than I could have ever anticipated, our closest friends live 40 feet away from us, and I like being around my lab partners so much that I'm willing to go be in a room with just them and 20 dead bodies all by ourselves for hours at a time. I forgot how much I really needed that feeling of having people.

I even like the dress code (most days). Online shopping instead of in store shopping means I get a present in the mail every once in a while. I just found the ring I've been looking for for months, and it's currently in it's pretty box on the way to me. It's like Christmas whenever I get the mail ;)

Of course, there are shitty things about all this. Chris has been on the complete opposite side of the country from me doing away rotations - I'm not really sure when we'll be able to see each other next. My family went on an awesome vacation that included the first wedding in my family since my parents got married 26 years ago, and I couldn't go. I don't get to be around for my sister's last year of high school. I don't have as much time anymore to do all the things I want to do (mostly I just want to binge-watch Scandal). I feel there are never enough hours in the day. My back hurts from the uncomfortable chairs in the lecture hall. 

But overall, life is good. 

Blouse: J.Crew Factory [exact]

Pants: The Limited [exact]

Necklace: J.Crew Factory [exact]

Watch: c/o Daniel Wellington

Shoes: Tory Burch [exact]

familiarity

 

Today as I was taking these pictures, I felt like I had worn this outfit before. The nice thing about documenting what you wear most days is that I can go back and check - turns out I haven't actually worn this blazer with this shirt, but I do tend to stick to black and whites when I wear it. It's familiar, but still slightly different.

ALSO: YAY BLAZER TIME! 

question: what can I wear my navy schoolboy with now that I can't wear it with jeans? :(

Blazer: Old Navy [cute save | spend]

Blouse: Forever 21 [similar]

Pants: The Limited [exact]

Belt: The Limited

Shoes: Tory Burch [exact]

shopstyle review + giveaway

I'm a big online window shopper. I like seeing what's out there, and I like to compare products across stores. I'm usually on the lookout for a specific item, so I use ShopStyle all the time - looking for a pointed toe flat under $100? Here are pretty much all of the options out there online. It has saved me so much time over the last 1.5 years - I don't have to jump around to each website to see if they have anything similar, I can just type it in and look to see what's available. I was just using ShopStyle this morning to see what striped shirts are out there for less than $50 when I found what looks like my ideal shirt. I don't think I would have ever found it just clicking around between stores, but now it's on its way to me and for less than $15!

ShopStyle has added a new feature where you can write and read reviews of the products out there. To celebrate this new feature, they are holding a $1000 giveaway. All you have to do is sign up for an account (obviously free) and review something you already own or have tried on in the past! If you use ShopStyle links on your blog as I do, you already have an account so just write a quick review, and you will be entered the win the giveaway. The more you review, the more entries! Good luck!

Disclosure: I was compensated to announce this giveaway. I'm an avid user and fan of ShopStyle and love supporting those who support me.

liar liar

 

Dress: Gap [very similar]

Bag: Target [exact]

Shoes: Banana Republic c/o Chippmunk [exact]

Belt: H&M

So...I didn't actually wear this anywhere. I had every intention of actually wearing this to school last week. I got up, got dressed, and was all ready to go to school...when I realized that school didn't start for another two hours, which in itself isn't a bad thing since it meant more free time (LOL yeah right - more time to study). Then I realized that in the afternoon I was going to have to change twice at school, and doing that while wearing a slip (I wear this one) was going to be really uncomfortable in a shared open locker room. So I wore my pencil pants and a chambray shirt instead. 

But I took these pictures, and I liked the outfit, so here it is. My pretend outfit that never made it past my garage.

white blouse, many ways

 

Blouse: H&M

Pants: The Limited [exact]

Belt: The Limited

Earrings: Tiffanys [exact]

Shoes: J.Crew Factory [exact]

Watch: Fossil

Today I'm linking up with Audrey's One Piece, Many Ways post. Make sure you visit all of the other blogs to see how they re-wear their items - ya know, the way normal people do ;)

previously worn here

see much, spend little

Labor Day weekend! Shop all the stores, buy all the things.

Or so was my plan. I haven't really done a big shopping trip in quite some time. You know, the kind where your arms hurt from carrying all of your fancy schmany bags around. I tend to buy one piece here and there, but never just in one big trip. With our trip down to a bigger mall, I was hoping to pick up a few exciting things. 

I actually did a little bit of pre-shopping on Friday. I went to our local mall to return the pants I had ordered online at The Limited. My friend Lizzi had found some cute maroon pants online for me to try on, and I ended up liking this pair (on the left) but loving this pair (on the right). The pair on the left are actually full length pants that I just tucked up, but I thought the color was just a little bit too dark, and I didn't want to deal with the alterations. The pair on the right were perfect, and thanks to the 40% off the entire store, were $40. I'm so glad that I didn't decide to keep the J.Crew Minnies, and instead looked for something that fit my body better, and something that I'm more comfortable in because it has normal features like a front zipper and pockets. While looking at pants, I fell in love with the idea of this shirt but I could not justify spending almost $40 (with the sale code) on a polyester shirt where the sleeves didn't stay rolled. The style is beautiful, but the shirt itself is lacking. I've wanted a wrap cardigan in this style for as long as I can remember, so I think that'll be something I really start looking for this fall.

So in the Pittsburg mall I returned the god awful minnie pants at J.Crew, and bought a cute new glitter case there for my phone instead (it was $8!). There wasn't anything in the sale section, or even really the entire store, that I liked. We stopped at Banana Republic since we don't have one at home, but there wasn't anything I really liked which is a bummer since they are having a 40% off sale right now. Everything in the sale section was the cast offs from summer (which is to be expected around this time of year) and everything full priced wasn't worth the full price. 

We also stopped at Gap because I had to return the not-even-going-to-try-it-on shirts in hopes of finding these flats (because I've wanted some just like these for so long, and Audrey just wrote about them), but they were no where to be found. For as much as I usually like the Gap, I am not really a fan of what's currently in store - everything is still bright and neons when I just want some more toned down looks. I have some rewards built up so I think I may just order the shoes during the next good online promotion. I think they'd look great with my new pants ;)

So then more stores were entered and left empty handed. We went to Loft since we thought the entire store was 50% off, but it really was only a select few times which is such a shopping trap. I did try on this shirt initially just to figure out sizing for the orange-red version, but I kind of fell in love with the pattern. Not enough to pay full price for it though, so I'm hoping that it either will go on sale eventually, or that they role it out in a few more colors (as Southern Ele said they may do according to a sales associate she talked to). I think it would be really pretty in an emerald or another jewel tone. I actually tried on a bunch of shirts at Loft and kind of hated all of them. The sleeves were too loose, or didn't roll, or were too flimsy. So that was another bust. 

And then we went to Nordstrom and that's when the shopping gods smiled down upon me and showed me the way to the most perfect pair of shoes ever invented. Or my roommate saw them first and showed them to me. Either or. 

Maroon suede Mary-Janes. 

I've had a Nordstrom gift card for a few weeks now after winning a Chippmunk contest - I was initially saving it to buy a watch but these shoes convinced me otherwise. Are they 100% the most practical, health care professional shoes out there? No. But I love them and will wear them anyway. They're Sole Society, which I didn't even realize were sold in stores, but they are leather, and very comfortable for 3 inch heels. love love love

So after five hours in that mall, we stopped at the outlet mall on the way home. Apparently it's one of the top 10 outlet malls in the country - it's huge, and completely packed with people looking for a good deal. We did the J.Crew Factory store first because we are suckers.

I really wanted to like this shirt. I wanted to step outside of my usually style a little bit, but it was just too much. I felt like a toddler. The shirt itself is great though - not as boxy as I would have thought, the fabric was very soft, and it didn't see uncomfortable like some shirts do so if it is your style, it may really work out for you! I just knew I wouldn't ever wear it. I also tried on this skirt (it was okay, wish it was more camel colored), and this sweater but meh. AND THEN MORE SHOES. I've wanted the black version of the Sylvia wedges since I've received my nude pair. They are just so comfortable, they require no breaking in, and I really just like them. All shoes at J.Crew Factory are currently 40% off, and with my student discount on top of that, I got them for $60. I swear, if they ever come out with new colors, I'll buy those too, that's how much I love these wedges.

So I didn't get a bunch of things like I had "hoped". I didn't really want to have giant bags full of clothing, but sometimes it's not as much fun to be logical and smart about shopping. Sometimes I just want all of the clothes to look good on me so I can buy all of the shiny and pretty things. But as an adult (living off of student loan money), I just can't do that. I don't want to add in random things to my closet just for those few hours of shopping euphoria. I want my closet to just have pieces in it that I love, and want to wear. Like my new pants, and shoes. And my future perfect stripped shirt, future perfect black gingham button up, and future perfect wrap sweater.

j.crew minnie pants review

 

When I realized a few weeks ago that more dress pants would be needed in my closet, I kind of did a run down of all the stores I'm familiar with. I ordered a bunch of pants from the Gap (which didn't work out), found a two pairs I liked from the Limited, and did a bit of research on the Minnie pants from J.Crew. I found several reviews on them (see this, this, and this), most saying how they are the go-to pants for work, they look so great, basically BUY THESE YOU WON'T REGRET IT. And I thought they did look really nice on those ladies, so I did go order two sizes during a recent 25% off site-wide sale.

Now, this may come as a shock to you, but I am not a size 0. I am no where near that size, so things look a lot different on me than they do on thinner women. I have a lot more to "contain" and worry about, so even though these pictures are fairly (...very) unflattering, I hope they help someone out so you don't think that it's all you, but it may just be the pants.

First off, I'm so glad I left my dark bedroom to take these pictures because I was half way convinced that these looked fine on me. I really like the color of them, the tall length that I ordered meant that they were long enough to not look like cropped pants (a big no-no for the dress code), and they were honestly very comfortable to wear. Seeing these pictures made me have one of these moments:

Not good. The material is too thin, so every single line, tucked in shirt, and pocket material shows through. The wrinkling around the thighs and knees look very unprofessional and sloppy (on me! I want to emphasize that since they look nice on others), and I just can't get past the whole not having a zipper or pockets in the front since there is nothing to break up the hip region. 

So I've decided to keep them.

Kidding! These are going back this weekend during our trip to the Pittsburg mall. I also received my pencil pants today, and am disappointed to say that the navy pair is going back as well. The color is a very dark navy, and I wanted the color to be a bit lighter so you could tell they were actually blue instead of just a faded black. So the budget from August is now ~$130, which means more money for this weekend! I may try on these pants from Loft while I'm looking for this tee since they are having a pants sale for Labor Day weekend. I'll probably look for these pants while we're at the outlet mall even though they have that damn side zipper. The pair I'm most excited to try on is this pair that my friend Lizzi found online for me (I kind of love both the maroon and the grey printed ones....).

Edit: After a bit of shopping around, these pants are my new favorite dress ankle pants. They have everything I wanted (zipper, pockets, maroon, not legging like), and for less than the Minnies. I highly suggest giving them a try!