My job...

Tons of fun new things this week! I work for a company that does consignment of designer clothing through ebay which is amazing and has tons of great fun perks. For one, I spend my days writing ebay listings for items that come in to the office which is somewhat tedious, but it means I spend my days surrounded by sometimes fabulous and sometimes hilarious clothes.

These amazing Christian Louboutins for instance came in a bag of items I had to list...barely worn and in my size. I wore them the whole time I was listing them (tehe), but alas, they have 24 bids currently and are selling for $250+ An amazing price for Louboutins, but too rich for my blood.

Likewise, we get some amazingly wtf kind of items, like these um...unique Robert Clergerie slides. Yes, they are two blocks of leather wrapped wood. And yes I tried them on. And no, they're not at all comfortable and are harder to walk in than even my highest pair of heels. When a slide shoe starts to slip off, I grip them with my toes to keep them secure. When you do that in these, they fold in half. Yikers. Needless to say, they have no bids.

But anyhoo! Aside from getting to see all these special things every day, we get free pizza for the whole office on Fridays, $25 cash for being named "Lister of the Week" (which I was yesterday! Holla!), and the piece de resistance, there is a sweet donate bin for all the items that don't sell which we get first dibs on before they get sent out to a local women's shelter. The bin gets filled with all the items that we can't verify the authenticity of for one reason or another (so sometimes they're definitely legit, we just can't prove it, like a pretty gold snakeskin Christian Dior belt I got in a bag the other day) or things that have low resale value. You can find Free People or Splendid or American Apparel sometimes. It's fantastic!

So yesterday I got some sweet new things, which I have put together in an outfit I'll have to wear Monday, because another lister gave me this belt because I thought it was UHHHmazing and it was insisted I had to wear it to work, which is another perk of the job...I can wear anything I want. I could come in sweats every day if I chose. I would never wear sweats to work, but it's nice to know the option is there! I like the look, but with different hair (probably a smooth straight ponytail).










The tee shirt also came from the donate bin and is by Junk Food. The belt is a cool zippered detail leather belt, no idea who designs it, but I'm all about it. The necklace is old, from either Forever 21 or Wet Seal or one of those other inexpensive stores. The wedge sandals are actually Clarks, so they're incredibly comfortable, with a cork wedge, and were reasonably priced. Lastly, I believe in having a few splurge items in your closet. These jeans are one of my splurges. They're a 7 for all Mankind high waisted Gwenevere (their super skinny style) with a fun patchwork detail at the bottom in a dark grainy denim. These are my "hip" jeans...I can't dress like a 70's folk singer all the time, now can I?

This outfit is a prime example of my style philosophy. You get an image in your mind of the persona you're trying to present, and you work with whatever you've found wherever you've found it within that look. The belt is the statement piece, so I let it speak to me. What kind of girl wears this belt? What would she pair it with? These things all come from vastly different places for vastly different prices, but you'd find them all in the same closet. Also, I love the Stones. If you don't know it, check out Dead Flowers. My fav of theirs. Anyhoo, input thoughts and questions are always greatly appreciated! Style is a fluid thing, and we learn it from one another, so collaboration is always encouraged!

my closet!

I finally got around to reorganizing my closet today. I get so bored when my room stays the same for too long so I changed it up a bit, and since it's finally looking somewhat presentable in here I figured what better time than now to show how I keep organized? I am a huge proponent of closets vs. drawers. Here's why:

A. In drawers it's tough to get everything so you can see it, so you end up burrowing like a frantic hamster in the morning to find what you want to wear. You can see everything in a closet.

B. Wrinkles wrinkles wrinkles! Not all fabrics can handle being folded up in a drawer. And not all fabrics deserve to be folded up in a drawer! I ain't got the money to be replacing an Ella Moss top because I ruined it by tossing it in a drawer. Because let's be honest...I didn't have the money to get that Ella Moss top in the first place.

C. Folding sucks. Especially for any of y'all that work/have worked in retail (I feel your pain).

Besides, how much more fun does this look?

I try to keep my closet well organized, and to show my clothes the respect I feel they deserve. From the lowliest ribbed tank to the extravagant hand crocheted dress, everything has a place.

On the left side of the closet are dresses, tunics, long tops, skirts, and then on the right side have a sweet little rig I just bought at K-Mart that doubles up my space. Now I can fit not just my special tops (hung on the top) but also have my basic tops all laid out on the bottom rung. It makes it so much easier to grab and go in the morning.

I've got me a sweet little shoe rack too for the shoes that don't fit up along the top shelf of my closet, something else you can get for cheap that can keep you organized and keep things in good shape. On the top of my shoe rack I put my scarves and hats because let's be honest, where the hecko can you put scarves and hats? I'm all about easy and cheap solutions. Why waste money on complicated organization devices when I can spend that money on clothes and video games?

Lastly, my creative and pretty jewelry solution. I love love love big clunky and chunky jewelry, and it is impossible to find a box to fit all this stuff in neatly so I can keep it detangled and easy to find. So I gave up. Instead I just took some cheapo bamboo rods and *tap tap tap* some nails into the wall and hang my stuff on the rods. Not only does it keep everything organized, but I love the way it looks. The clutter makes me happy!

I hope you enjoyed the tour of my room! Let me leave you with a pretty sweet shot of me in my PJs with my mouse ears on full display. Ain't nobody glamorous all the time ;-)

the importance of personal style

Don't you just hate when you've thought something all your life, and tried (and failed) over and over to express it out loud, only to find that someone else has already done so in a few clear and concise words? Well, the sentiment of this blog is best explained in the words of a dear friend of mine. "Fashion is fraud".

This is not a fashion blog. This is a style blog. What's IN fashion now will be back out next year. Style on the other hand is that extra special something that lies beneath the fashion...all fashion...this year's fashion, next year's fashion, and last year's fashion. The difference between style and fashion is that style is a personal thing, and it is everlasting.

This is all that you buy, beg, borrow, or steal. The special splurges, and the Salvo snags. Designer, bargain, thrift, vintage. Personal style is about a seamless blending of any or all of these things as an outward manifestation of who you are deep inside. Every day is a chance to show every person you meet what makes you special through the way you present yourself. Why waste that chance? This is where I'll share with you the insights to the way I reveal myself to the world, and my tips and tricks to revealing yourself to those around you in the best way you can.

Fashion is fraud...so let's work together to find something real.