Die-hard habits

shirt: thrifted, sweater and jeans: weekday, booties: h&m, sunglasses: vintage oliver people’s

I found this awesome men’s plaid shirt at Nieuwmarkt for 2,50 euros -zero guilt. It’s extra large and lined (as in, it’s warmer than a plain shirt), so I thought it’d be perfect worn as outerwear for those chilly spring/ early autumn Amsterdam days!




Of course I had to layer it under my coat for the moment -spring still refuses to come- but I couldn’t wait to wear it! It’s so grungy worn with dark skinnies, black booties, sunglasses and an attitude (anyone know where I can find the latter?). Another possibility would be a black beanie and white sneakers -Man Repeller’s post on white shoes convinced me 100%… Already planning!





This new acquisition also reflects my need to dress a bit more sporty and casual… A lot of the time I envy those girls that are so effortlessly stylish. I feel that whenever I try to do something interesting with my style I end up dressing too formally, too frumpily sometimes. I also feel, as a result, that I’m dressing old. I’m sort of wary of flashing flesh to a considerable extent and my oufits are more planned than spontaneous.

It’s like when I envy the girls that don’t wear any make up and look fantastic. I would love to stop wearing foundation, but my skin is far from perfect, and I feel like I need to put myself and my face together before going out. But that doesn’t mean I don’t get frustrated at my need to put on all this slap on a day-to-day basis. Yes, I try to keep my makeup minimal in the sense that I don’t look like a drag queen, but I can just see the makeup on my skin, and I don’t like that. And yet I put it on, religiously. Gah.

On the other hand, a little goes a long way, and I love it when my face is put together, I feel much more confident. Today was picture day and I guess I needed my eyeliner to give me the confidence. It takes 5 minutes to apply in the morning (if you want to get it right, that is!), it’s harmless and a much cheaper and healthier addiction than smoking, drugs, alcohol, handbags etc… Until I’m the Dalai Lama of self-confidence -and I will get there one day-, I can always count on my eyeliner :)

Below: please admire my sunglasses swag, sunglasses-worn as hairpiece, straightened hair, eyeliner skills and general coolness.








It’s crazy how much work a “laid-back” look can take, eh?

Overdressed

cardigan: old mom’s, worn backwards, skirt: american vintage, booties: h&m


When I came up with a new way to wear my (mom’s) old cardigan, I was really excited about the way it sits against the base of my neck, almost like a polo neck, then skims over my body without clinging to it. I wore it with my Weekday jeans here, but I’ve been trying not to repeat outfits too often lately… (You know, so that I’ll force myself to come up with new ways to wear my clothes -I always complain about lack of basics, yet I keep surprising myself with new ways to wear the clothes that I already own: it’s all about breaking away from the t-shirt-sweater-jeans pattern  we usually follow.)


Anyway, I was racking my brains for something to wear this top with, because the colour can look really mousey/boring… so I chose my mustard mini-skirt. I rarely wear it because I have the same problem with it: what colour to pair it with?! So I guess two problems ended up solving each other again… but every solutioni brings a new problem with me, and much as I wanted to go bare-legged and wear cream flats, the weather dictated, for the zillionth time these past months, thick black tights and boots. Which might have been just as well because this skirt is so short (for me anyway).

And on to the less important problem: I always end up over-dressing for class. I guess in my ideal world I could wear party clothes, pj’s or anything else I fancied to any occasion really, so I guess I’m not doing too bad as appropriate clothing is concerned, right? :)







 Styling-wise, I let my hair down and pushed it to one side later… and wore my sunglasses as a hairband -I love doing that! pictures next time. I had to wear earrings because my piercings will eventually close otherwise, so there’s a bit more formal-ness for you right there. Finally, I thought some dark berry colour would contrast nicely with the mustard/greyish beige of the clothes.




I’m a bit on the fence about this outfit. I’ve come a long way since feeling weird and too formal/grown-up in anything but jeans in high school, but… Is this too much?

Actually, fuck it. I looked at the pictures again and I like it. That’s all there is to it.

Lack of resources

The world seems to be against me today. When I’m not lacking inspiration, time or the right lighting to take pictures for an outfit -not to mention a proper camera-, the internet plays nasty tricks on me and my unsaved drafts disappear. In any case, having failed to provide with an outfit noteworthy enough and properly documented, I will share a snippet of my life instead.






Even though, again, I lack time and maybe money to come up with an aesthetic concept to apply to my room, (which is more of a hotch-potch of things than a space that reflects my personality and is at once a visual cornucopia of beautiful things and a soothing, functional space) precious compositions manifest themselves all the time. And so, though I miss the complete and coherent effect of a properly thought-out room, I still enjoy these little material haevens made out of things I love. They lend aesthetics and personality to my room, which is not completely mine yet.





Oh, and speaking of material haven/heaven(!), these Alexander Wang sandals -retailed at a cool 770 euros- have sold out on net-a-porter -already. I’m divided between gasping at how many people seem to be prepared to pay for a pair of shoes… and admitting that I probably would have bought the shoes if I’d had the money. Yes, they are ridiculously overpriced, but aren’t they also beautiful in their understated design? Or is this just a case of being "blinded by the label" -that is, would I have loved these shoes as much if I’d found them on sale in a local store, or is it the clever marketing and Mr. Wang’s name that make them irresistible?

And speaking of irresistible, I am still thinking of these Zara pumps… Classic, leather, sexy as hell. I might have to treat myself for my birthday soon…

But whenever I think of my lack of resources, and maybe because I like to think positive, I always reach the same conclusion: if  I did have  all this  money, I would probably have so many clothes that I wouldn’t even be able to wear all of them, and I would never have had to get creative with the clothes that I do have, in order to find my own style.

It’s the same with everything -if you lack the resources, you get creative, and you end up with something unique that truly represents you -and no amount of money can buy you that.

Oh hot dayum!

If I were going to a very smart party, this is what I’d like to wear (keep dreaming right?):





I would wear my new black thrifted blazer with only a bra underneath (buttoned up of course, duh!), my black zara crochet shorts, and my ferragamo gold sandals that I got for my graduation. I’d probably either blow-dry my hair into perfection or even tie it up into a neat, high pony tail and wear red lipstick (classic fool-proof look!).

A closer shot of the shoe (perspective isn’t doing me any favours, I know!)





And another look I’d die to wear:



I gave in to  my crush with the zara heels, but reason told me 1) I couldn’t afford them, especially since 2) I would barely wear them. They’re not very casual, or young or comfortable for that matter (which is, of course, only to be expected!) And so with sadness I took a picture of one of the many ways I’d love to style them and took them back to the shop. hoping they’d find a more deserving owner… One day, when I’m a professional, fashionable and elegant woman I’ll wear shoes like this (even if they’re not in style!).


Conclusion? Shoes are the boss of me (almost).

Chop it yourself

top: DIY from unidentified old hand-me-down, skirt: vintage (mom’s), blazer: thrifted, tights: fogal (because apparently when we wear fancy tights we list them!), booties: h&m

Look at how serene I look. This is what happens when your vision becomes reality.

How it started:



I saw Ivania wear a white polo neck crop top in her blog a few days ago and I loved it! Obviously I had to have one  like that. I found it on the asos website, but then I thought I already had a black sleeveless polo neck top that I almost never wore because it was too short (for normal-length tops anyway!)… so I thought, why the hell not make it a (free) DIY?

I calculated how much I wanted to shorten it, and decided to do 5 cm. first, then tried it on again and decided on chopping off an extra 5 cm. -I was feeling brave :D. Anyways, the way I did it was I smoothed it against a flat surface and measured the length I wanted to cut off from the bottom on both sides. Then I marked the lengths and used my measuring tape (for lack of a ruler) and a coloured pencil to connect them with a line, so that I would cut straighter. (It’d be better  to use chalk though, especially on a light-coloured top) Then I made the cut, and voila! Obviously I did this whole thing right before going out so hemming was out of the question, but I washed the top and the hem is holding so far!

And because I don’t throw anything away, ever, I used one of the leftover circles of fabric to make an armband, over which I placed my watch. If only I’d remembered to take a close-up picture of that! I’ will next time.

I wish I had another white one though… I could wear it with my black blazer and sort of re-create her look, but with a lot of other things as well. Maybe I’ll treat myself ;)







Anyways, ever since I saw the crop polo neck I knew I’d want to wear one with my grey skirt, and the occasion (bar outing) thankfully presented itself. I wished, wished, wished I had black pointed high-heeled pumps (remember the ones by zara?), they would have gone perfectly with this minimalist outfit… But I am a student on a budget so I can’t buy shoes that won’t get worn more than once a month… I settled on my eternal wedge booties (and tights, because it’s still cold, not that the tights are very warm  anyways but still). And the blazer for the same practical reasons, although despite the fact that it kills a bit of the sexiness of the outfit I think it looks cool.

However, I didn’t let that ruin my mood,  and after I took these pictures my friend lent me the most amazing pink lipstick to wear. I don’t think I’ve even worn pink lipstick before, I’m always weary of slipping into Barbie territory, but this lipstick I tell you was perfect, and because my clothes were really sober, it worked great. (I am patting myself on the back now). Otherwise, I did my face as usual and used liquid eyeliner on my eyes. And for the finishing touch, something I do about 3 times a year: I blow-dried my hair straight :)

Blue

sweater: random greek store, pants: american vintage, booties: h&m


Blue was my favourite colour when I was a kid. Now I’m not sure whether I have a favourite, but I still love blue (and I also really like red). Why not wear it top to toe then? It’s all I could do on an unispired morning where I felt a bit ill. And you can’t see it in the picture, but my underwear is blue as well! As for the rest of the look, there’s few things as effective as a bright lip colour (and the usual BB cream) to make your face look all shiny -in a good way- and sunny again. Unless your nose is sore and flaky and red from all the tissues, in which case you might as well give up and just avoid going out of the house altogether.

Night to day

A lot of style or beaty tutorials teach you how to take your outfit from day t night… but what about those instances where you have a party, go to sleep and then the next morning you have to get dresssed with the first things you see in front of you -which, incidentally, are the things you took off on your way to bed the night before-?

Friday was international Women’s Day so I threw a little ladies-only cocktail party. And just for the fun, I decided to make the dress code cocktail. Not everyone complied strictly, but it was fun to see the fancy side of people nonetheless. As for me, I went all-out, extravagant styling -well, for me anyway. I have yet to pull a full-on Anna dello Russo ;)

The results:




sweater: weekday, skirt: american vintage, heels: ferragamo

Another skirt transformation: I tucked the front part of the hem into the waistband and ta-da: a mullet. Quite revealing but it was just us girls so it’s fine. I also tucked the front edge of my sweater into the waistband, and the rest of it kind of folds over (so you don’t see the actual waistband, but it gives the look more shape). 





Underneath the sweater I wore a -coincidentally matching- bustier. And as for the previously mentioned styling extravaganza, I gathered my straight-out-of-the-shower hair into the highest doughnut bun I’ve ever managed, threw on my dressy high heeled sandals and put on some clip-on earrings that my mom used to have back in the 80’s. Makeup-wise, the lip, because it’s faster (and by that time, you guessed correctly,I was running late).

The next day, I wore the same skirt tied differently (knotted to the side to make it asymmetric) with tights, and the same sweater to catch the train t  my father’s. Here is the look:





I wore it with slightly more sensible shoes (h&m) and I was really really comfy!

A closer look at the skirt:

PJ's

tee: dad’s old, denim shirt: massimo dutti mens’, skirt: american vintage, trainers: nike (old)


You know that moment when you’ve just got up in the morning and wish “If only I could wear my pajamas to school”… well, I actually did it. I was sleeping in this oversized old tee and I just threw on my long skirt underneath, with tights because ithe skirt is quite translucent. I usually either tuck in or knot these kinds of really wide tees, so I decided to leave it alone for once, which makes it even more man-repelling cozy. I wore my trainers because a. I’m continuing too experiment with the whole trainers-are-in thing, and b- because I had to run all the way to school to avoid being ridiculously late. Yet again. And I wore my denim shirt over it because, although I really liked the outfit without it… it’s cold. Even inside.




This skirt is super versatile. I’ve been knotting it in so many different ways lately and I think it’s pretty cool that just by minimally -and temporarily- altering your clothes you can expand your wardrobe and get creative. Especially when you’re a student and don’t have a huge shopping budget (or the space to store a lot of clothes, for that matter!). In this particular instance I knotted it on both sides so it became shorter and a bit asymmetrical. The soft jersey fabric worked quite well with the sporty feel of the look, I think. More on this skrit to come!

Capsule

sweater: weekday, denim shirt: massimo dutti (mens’), jenas: weekday, shoses: aniel


The next few outfits are basically composed of the same few pieces. Inspiration for anyone travelling and wanting to create a capsule wardrobe -few items  of clothing, many possibilities.

I wore this very simple and cozy outfit to go study; the contrast between the plum sweater and the light denim is cool and the thick layers mean no-one can tell whether you’re wearing a bra. Oh, I’m such a rebel.

Hurried picture-taking may result in ridiculousness

shirt: zara, skirt: wolford, old, shoes: hmmmmm, coat: h&m


The plan was a casual night of karaoke and I convinced myself not to overdress, so I ended up wearing this. Reminder to myself: casual means jeans, a t-shirt and flats. On the other hand… I like this outfit! What you gonna do, ey?

I actually put this one together in a minute, because I was super super late (typisch) and my friends were screaming at me over the phone to just get there already. I went bare-legged for the first time this year -visible socks and I are slowly becoming friends- and slapped on the red lipstick to compensate for the overall lack of makeup. All in all? Not too bad.

Girl on the run

sweater: weekday, pants: mom’s vintage, trainers: nike from years ago

This week is officially becoming The Weekday Sweater Week… I am already in love with it :) I decided its aubergine colour would look good with my gold leaf earrings -I have been completely neglecting my jewelery lately, I don’t know why… But then I made it sporty on the bottom by pairing it with my mom’s old “grandma” pants and my trainers. Which I have owned for ages and actually wear to go for runs. And no, they don’t look as cool as the new ones a lot of fashionistas have been sporting lately, but hey, they did their job pretty well all in all.

I’m just not so sure I should have worn them with those earrings… Ah, I guess I’ll never know… I did feel pretty good about what I was wearing -and did my best to match my lips to my sweater -although of course, the quality of these pictures is below such subtleties.

Practicality

sweater: weekday, top: weekday, jeans: massimo dutti, shoes: something…

Sometimes in life you have to accept that while vintage leather shorts are glamorous and sexy, they’re probably not going to get a lot of wear… unlike a beautiful sweater and wonderfully simple top that you can get for the same price (well, on sale). It was not even a painful decision, really, because I quickly discovered just how much potential these pieces have (more posts to follow!).

First of all, they go great together. What better way to start the week than with a slouchy knit and that great colour combination? I cuffed my jeans because showing off your ankles is sexy and means that spring is officially just around the corner -I find wearing sandals in March, as some people did, a bit too enthusiastic, although tempting after a long winter. And of course, wearing heels is a must unless you want to ruin what you’ve got going on in the ankle department, so I happily obliged. :)




Finishing touch: the red lipstick (which my friend left behind… luckily for me) that matches the red top peeking under the sweater…and not much else make-up wise.




PS: The mirror looks gross. I know. I’m working on it.

Second thoughts

t-shirt (knotted): dad’s  random old, shorts: zara, booties (not shown): h&m


Even the most inherently stylish of us (just kidding) sometimes walk out the door thinking: is this too much -or rather, too little clothes? I wore this outfit to go clubbing, with eyeliner and red liptick.

While I am perfectly comfortable with my body, I usually try and be fairly covered up, partly because I don’t think it’s appropriate to go have your body in display in every occasion, and partly because, unfortunately, dressing in a manner that is deemed provocative by society means you will be treated accordingly. And while I am completely against the people who justify sexual harrassment or rape by saying “she was asking for it because she was dressed in a certain way”, I try to play it safe. Now, if we lived  in a different society where bodies weren’t taboo and everyone was free to show as much of their body as they wanted, then I might have dressed a little more lightly on occasion… but for now, I comply. Do I think of it as limiting my freedom of expression? Well, technically I self-censor… I’d rather cover up and conform to social norm than be branded a slut, or even worse, be harrassed. I do resent the way society works… but sometimes I can’t help but think that by silently complying with the norm, I am agreeing that a book can be judged by its cover. 


Worst of all, it’s not just society who might potentially judge me… it’s me. “Am I a slut for going out dressed like this?” I worried that I would attract unwanted attention. On the other hand, I might just not be used to exposing my body like this. Maybe I’ll make a more towned-down version of it and post it for comparison.

Androgynous

t-shirt: american vintage, shirt: degand, jeans: weekday, booties: h&m


The great versatility of the shirt (unless it’s the crisp, ironed, cotton kind your dad wears to the office) is that you can wear it as a top or as a jacket, i.e. you can layer over it or you layer it over other clothes. So here, for my 1298734857645th take on this shirt -which I am increasingly fond of for its comfortable oversizedness and colour- I layered it over a t-shirt I hadn’t worn in a while -it can look boxy , but pair it with high-waisted skinnies and half-tuck it and it works perfectly- and voila! A cool, relaxed outfit that  doesn’t scream GIRLY! A guy could wear a variation of this and no-one would bat an eyelash (but then again, here in Amsterdam it takes more than a guy in a skirt to impress us!).

More photos:




avec coat- and the picture might say I have a fringe… but it’s lying.






awkward closeup of the day -i wanted to show my makeup ( super thin eyeliner with no flick and mascara) but it didn’t work. random: i always have black circles under my eyes. always. even if i sleep for 12 hours. why?

The age of innocence

This image (which I saw in -and cut out from- Vogue) makes  me so nostalgic… I just feel that  even 8 years before, things were so dramatically different, teenagers didn’t dress ‘sophisticated’ but with a very simplistic, young, unconcerned and innocent approach to clothing… and this also translates into the life they led: they didn’t aspire, as we in many ways do to become mini-adults; they accepted that they were different and took pride in it, thinking themselves rebels. That was the year before  all of my classmates and I demanded a cell phone from our parents. Before -for me at least-we were hooked on the internet. When I escaped my homework by reading a book (whereas today I read books as homework and waste my time online during my free time). When you would just go to the park. No phone, no internet… just some music, food, a book, friends… sometimes I wish I could do this more often -just slow my life down and enjoy. And I wonder: what will be of the generation of my kid sisters? To them, doing this will seem tedious, an inconceivable waste of time. Just lie on the grass and close your eyes? What’s the point?

My generation -myself included-glorifies the internet, but hasn’t it taken so much away from us -or rather, haven’t we let it?

Or am I the old-fashioned fart here, at the tender age of 18 (and a half)?…

Something borrowed

sweater: zara, jeans: weekday, booties: h&m

My friend (snapped in the background) lent me her amazing,super-soft and warm and fluffy sweater- and her red lipstick to match it, added later on to go to a nice dinner :) And my hair actually behaved.



my friend being inadvertently snapped…



and a more classic-pose photo