Bonjour au Printempts!

Well, here in good old Buffalo it's not exactly spring yet, but it was close enough for us on this lovely forty-something degree day :) I could just smell the fresh soil, blooms, and melted snow! 

That being said, I promised you guys an outfit post last night, so here you go! 

In continuation with Who What Wear's 30-Day Wardrobe Challenge, today was "Create a look with three levels of layering." I have a tendency to do so with a blouse underneath a sweater, but what was missing was that third layer. In their picture it looked like the coat over the shoulders. Obviously, I still need a coat for practical purposes and it's just something I need to consider every day anyway, so I wanted to go with something else. I could have used a blazer, but it was such a nice day that I didn't want to layer up too much, so I went with a light, loose scarf, all with a pair of boyfriend jeans and tennis shoes. 

Here are the three layers. Underneath is a tank Chambray blouse with lace collar from Hollister. (Here; way on sale!) Next up is a light sweater from J.Crew. (Similar, also on sale!) And finally, the scarf is from a little local shop. I wish I could tell you the name of at least the store, let alone the brand of their clothes, because they have great accessories! I left the scarf opened, though, because it's just a nice, long piece to leave flowing without having to worry about placing it just right around your neck (which I find difficult to do with rectangular, slim scarves like this that you can't fold diagonally and go from there). Who What Wear also has this tip to leave scarves open in a recent post "10-Second Styling Tips Every Woman Should Know."

So you know how I told you my favorite jeans were my Gap 1969 Always Skinnies? Well, I've found my close second (and I mean close!). I am so excited for some of the things we have at Hollister this season. Sure, it's not one of my favorite stores, but it's a great place to work and has some pretty good things to have to mix and match with, as well as good jeans. I usually get their Jeggings because the are a great material and fit, but I have a pair of skinny jeans that I worked my way into and now... I was so excited to find out that they have Boyfriend fit now (Here). They are such a great fit and look (this isn't a great picture, and yes, I am on a chair!). These are in the Medium Wash, and there are lighter ones as well. I seriously can't wait to get more!!

I thought I would also include this coat because it was a great find and today was the perfect weather for it! It's from H&M and is simple, but can go with a lot. It's clean-cut, straight, with concealed buttons. This is pretty similar, but has a textured fabric (I actually really like it in the pink!). I also love mine though because I got it at the beginning of last summer for $15, from $69! What a deal, right?!

I've been dying to wear ballet flats or tennis shoes, so today I finally got to wear one! I got these at a store called ShoeFly (website) here in Buffalo a few years ago. They were an impulse, but can spruce up a few things and are pretty comfortable, so they're just one of those things that's a great addition to your clothing family. 

So there you have it! I'll have more to come soon!! 

Times They Are A-Changing!

Well, it's been a few weeks and I apologize for that, but our family has been a bit busy with some new adjustments... Especially for me! 

I've been a lone soldier for the whole eighteen years of my life - no siblings, no cousins. My aunt is thirteen years older than me and my uncle and mom went up from there, so I've grown up around adults. So, in June, one Sunday I graduated and the very next day: surprise! My aunt (mom's younger sister) announced she was pregnant. 

That's only half of my tale! A few weeks later, when my mom and I were in Europe, we got a FaceTime call from my uncle (mom's brother) and his wife. Stop me if you figured it out... She was pregnant too! 

Needless to say, my nose was a little bent out of joint and at first, it was a hard pill to swallow, but here we are! Our two little bundles have arrived within 5 days of each other (February 25th & March 2)! 

Our first arrival: 

I was at the hospital during his birth, so you'll get a fresh shot of him getting his foot printed! This is my mom's sister's Boy. I'll leave names out for now, just to keep it remotely anonymous for them. 

But here's my grandma, mom, me, aunt, and the Bean (his nickname)!!

And the second:

Me with my uncle's little girl! Can't you not get enough of her elephant swaddle?? And that headband, ugh! :) She's a genteel little cutie, and her name is (unbeknownst to my aunt) from one of my mom and my favorite movies! 

We're loving them both so so much and I wanted to share them with you before we went any further in our galavanting. I'll get a new clothing post up for you within the next few days! 

I hope these two made your day a little cuter :) 

En Français, s'il vous plaît!

Bonjour! I thought it was high time that I began to give you an insight into how the 30 Day Wardrobe Challenge was going. Yesterday was "Day 5: Change out your handbag." It's pretty hard, and for me uncomfortable, to carry around a backpack and a handbag on campus. So, I switched from my usual Vera Bradley laptop backpack, to my beloved Longchamp. I got it a few years ago while I was in France on an exchange trip, so of course it ignited great memories... and style inspiration. Since the challenge of the day didn't really give a guide to choice in clothes, I went with the French flow! 

Here's the center of the outfit. I didn't include a whole picture of the bag because it's a tad dingy. But here it is... Le Pilage! If you're looking for a bag to be simple and elegant and your meilleur ami... Here it is! I can't wait to get back to work next week so I can finally get a new one in a few weeks! 

Moi! The French Breton stripes are a must any time of year, so this Loft shirt took care of that. (Here is a similar striped style from J. Crew. I love the boat-neck, slouchy fit these shirts have.) And I love to squeeze my way into those Gap 1969 Navy Pants as well. (Similar Ultra Skinnies. I'm not even sure what the actual style mine are, I got them so long ago. But these are shorter, and mine definitely feel Ultra Skinny! haha! They would work great!) (Mon Dieu!)

Now for the next few parts, I'll get a little sentimental. I will keep these on my feet for as long as possible. I love them to death! My French exchange student, Alice, and her friends had some so I found the little store by their school where they sold them and got a pair. They are simple, yet so cute and can be pulled off for casual and semi-dressed-up outfits. I swear by them! They aren't uncomfortable either! Great material, light fit. I partied in them the night I got them, walked through the Louvre and along the Seine in them and would do it all again in a heartbeat! Allons-y!

Side view! Sorry I couldn't get a good one of me with them on with this outfit!

Alright, for me, a watch is a great go-to accessory. It can be fun, simple, or dressed-up, and look great! This watch in particular I got when I was with Alice and her parents in Belgium one afternoon. The school we exchanged with is located in Lille, and Belgium is a hop-skip-and-a-jump away, so I got to go on an outing there with the whole group, as well as with Alice and her parents. We looked around some shops a little bit and Alice pointed this out to me because she had one, and so did her sisters and I had loved them. So I had to get it in order to be one of la famille! (In my own color, of course, because we all had one of our own!) I really cherish the idea of having it and love the wrap-around style and simplicity of it in general!!

Alice et moi, en Belgique! (Alice is on the right, obviously!!)

"Paris is always a good idea."
Tu me manque.

Blog Crossover!

So far, I've been loving my time here and on BlogLovin'! Part of that has definitely been browsing through blogs for new ideas and momentum that may be a little perplexed or sporadic in a place like Tumblr.

That being said, I've stumbled upon something that caught my eye and excitement...

WhoWhatWear.com has a great challenge for us all to try! Who What Wear's 30-Day Wardrobe Challenge is great for people like me who like to change things up and challenge themselves with something to brighten their days a little bit!

Now that we're settled into 2014 a little bit and pretty soon it won't be the dead of winter anymore, I think it's a great time to get going with something like this. It has some fabulous ideas that I'm looking forward to getting into and I'll be sure to share them with you! I'm forewarning you now, though, I tend to skip some days of things like this, as a lot of us do, we're busy, tentative about things, etc.

Regardless, I'll do my best to show you the excitement of this challenge! Check it out for yourself too!!

Simply Sunday

For many, Sunday is a day of relaxation, getting some things done, and for a handful of students, finishing homework. When you're a person like me, you like to try your best to dress nicely all the time and put a lot of time and effort into doing so. Even when it's something simple, you put some "oomph" into it!

So here's what I love to lounge around in to do work, laundry, and watch some movies/reruns!

Not the full view, and it's in Sepia, but a light cropped beige sweater. It's loose and relaxed, and a great fit! I got this a while back from Urban Outfitters (similar). The necklace was a gift with my "C" initial on it. I'm pretty sure that is from Urban as well. (Yes it is!)

You're probably going to see a lot of these jeans... They're one of my favorite pairs. I've had them since my freshman year of high school. They are Gap 1969 Always Skinny (similar) and they've never let me down! They are lightly destroyed, a great wash, and never really shrink after a wash. I swear by them. The belt is a quick and easy staple I got from the always handy J. Crew. (similar)

It may be silly, but even when kicking back, accessories are a go! So the hat is also from J. Crew (similar), which I got sometime last month, they have some with that emblem in different colors but unfortunately don't have the burgundy anymore. It may also be silly to like to wear it around because I just love having it, but it's okay! Haha! 

The watch I picked up from a small shop in Toronto. I'm not even sure what brand it is. There are similar ones from Michael Kors, Target, and Marc by Marc Jacobs. 

So there you go! I hope you're enjoying your happy Sundays as well! Here's to a fresh new week! :)

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Happy Saturday! Is it wrong that I love this picture a little? It's Starbucks and a good hair day all in one! :) 

Gettin' Down To Business...

...In an old, but new to me, headband/scarf style.

I've always been curious about how to do a twist-on-top, casual chic, scarf look. But I first had to either find a mass-produced one worth buying or figure out how to do it myself (which definitely isn't bad at all!)

I used Cosmopolitan's handy how-to, here!

The scarf I used today is from Hollister (I would totally put up the link, but it's not there anymore). Originally, I had tried out a blue Aztec-patterned one from there, but it was square, as opposed to this one, which is rectangular. It still had to be folded a few times, relatively loosely, and was a little bigger than a dollar bill (the Cosmo width recommendation). 

But it all worked great for me and...

Voila!