Happy Hour

Between busy days at work and out of town activities like going to see Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, it's safe to say I've looked pretty haggard and tired this week. And unfortunately, the most haggard of days, I had a board meeting, a radio/tv interview and then a spontaneous TV interview for work. I remember making an effort to look alert and pretty, but this TV interview says otherwise. I learned my lesson.
So yesterday after work, I put on something a little more colorful and fun to grab a drink and eat pierogies with miss Kat of Ginger Adorned. I love a long sleeved mini dress, but because it's so mini and I'm no longer 19 and able to get away with it, I added black nylons and a pair of boots with a short heel and serious sass factor with the leopard print pony hair.

[Olsenboye dress c/o JCP, Cedrina boots c/o Aldo, bag by Marc Jacobs, sunglasses by House of Harlow, BB dakota coat c/o Lulu's (last year), blog initial rings c/o Catbird]

Fall Want List

Here are a few things (mostly plaid) I'm wanting for my favorite season, fall!

1. Nevermind Maxi Skirt, $88
2. Red Plaid Clutch, $25
3. Penfield Wayland Denim Trail Shirt, $80
4. Topshop Khaki Army Jacket, $96
5. Aldo Wonser Boot, $170

Bonlook Glasses Giveaway!

Needing a new pair of vintage inspired prescription eye glasses or sunglasses? Enter the Bonlook giveaway for a $99 gift certificate to choose a pair! Most of the glasses are $99 for lens and frame! To enter, please comment on your favorite pair from Bonlook's web site. For a second entry, share the giveaway on Twitter or Facebook and then leave a second comment. The giveaway ends on Sunday, October 7 at 10 p.m. EST. Good luck!

Second Day of Fall

After a busy week of work I headed to Jack's for the weekend and slept in until noon on Saturday, ate a breakfast of bacon and made our way to Grand Rapids to check out the art going on at ArtPrize. It was chilly, overcast and wonderful. I think the last time I missed this shitty kind of weather was when I ran cross country in high school and I found this to be the perfect running weather.

[cape c/o Marshalls, sweater from J Crew, vintage plaid shirt from Archives Vintage, bag by Chanel, BDG pants c/o Urban Outfitters, shoes c/o Wanted Shoes, sunglasses by House of Harlow, blog initial rings c/o Catbird, serpent ring c/o Courtney Kaye]

This is one of my favorite outfits! I'm not much for flats, but I'm slowly becoming more and more drawn to them (and my feet prefer them too.) I wanted a warm, cozy outfit and I threw this all into my weekender bag, hoped for the best, and somehow, it all worked. It especially worked for wandering the city of Grand Rapids--I wasn't cold at all, I didn't have a bag in in my hands and so they were free to touch art that I shouldn't touch, no hair in my face blowing in the wind and no blisters on my feet at the end of the journey.

I have no title for this one

With the temperatures finally cooling down in Michigan, I've been anxiously waiting to break into my coat closet where all my jackets, coats, capes and blazers are stored. I've been staring at them longingly all summer long and I checked the weather this weekend, 60s and 50s, which means it's cape time! Before my obsession with shoes began, I was always jacket and coat gal, collecting coats for all occasions and it's the season for me to wear them all again before it gets too cold and snowy and I'm left with again, limited options because of the weather. I digress..

I'm a much better cold weather dresser and in order to keep a little warm and cover up, I added this vintage cropped jacket to this navy blue dress. I absolutely love the dress on its own, but it's nice that I finally have the option to layer up. I'm all about "a pop of color" so these shoes were a natural addition to this muted color palette.

[Free People dress c/o PB&J Boutique, vintage jacket, heels by Steve Madden, bag by Marc Jacobs, Rayban sunglasses c/o Shades Daddy, bracelets c/o Kristin Hassan]

stripes + camouflage

After accidentally sleeping for 13 hours on Saturday night (that's what a Bud Light Lime-a-Rita will do to you), I woke up refreshed and ready for a relaxed Sunday consisting of breakfast at Golden Harvest, baking cupcakes with Jack and hanging out with a couple of my friends, Anthony and Kimmi, who spent the night last night. If I could just leisurely bake sweets, eat food and visit my friends every day, that would be the best. Unfortunately, I returned to work today crabby and busy with a pile of things to do, which of course I did not want to do. I persevered and at least now, I have kickball to look forward to tonight! Happy Monday to everyone.

[jacket from Zara, sweater from J Crew, necklace by Merl Kinzie, jeans c/o J Brand, Jeffrey Campbell boots c/o Lori's Shoes, hat by Nine West, Rayban sunglasses c/o Shades Daddy, vintage bag]

There aren't many things I enjoy about Michigan's unpredictable weather, but I do enjoy the occasional comfortable, sunny fall day where I can wear a sweater, a jacket and a hat to hide my ungodly roots. What's your fall staple?

I made Jack take a picture with me!

It's Real

Wore this on my last full day in NYC for some shopping (I wore flats during that journey), dinner at Shake Shack (the best shit ever,) and a stroll at night through Central Park with Jack and his Brooklyn-dwelling sister, Saralee. That night in NYC was my favorite.

[tee from Club Monaco, jeans by Levi's, jacket and sandals by BCBG, bag by Rebecca Minkoff, sunglasses by House of Harlow, belt from J Crew, ring c/o Courtney Kaye]

Shoe Giveaway from PB&J Boutique!

Thanks to PB&J Boutique, comment with your favorite pair of shoes from their shop (excluding boots) to enter for your chance to win them! For a second entry, share the giveaway on Facebook or Twitter and leave a second comment letting me know! The giveaway ends on Sunday, September 23 at 9 p.m. EST. Good luck!

Congratulations to the 19th commenter, Katarina for winning the B Mila $70 gift card giveaway! The 100 winners of the INPINK giveaway will be emailed shortly!

Harlem to Brooklyn

While in town for Lucky FABB and some Fashion Week festivities, Jack and I stayed with Kat of Ginger Adorned and Tieka of Selective Potential and her boyfriend at a brownstone in Harlem. It was such a great place to stay and I got pretty familiar with the subway system. Somehow, it's no longer as scary as it once was to me!

On this particular day, I changed from my earlier outfit from the BCBG show to something a little more relaxed to celebrate Fashion's Night Out in Brooklyn. And Jack braided my hair for me. It was so humid there, I needed my hair out of my face and I'm incapable of braiding it myself. To celebrate FNO, I got to shop vintage, see Merl, Nikka, Mel and other people I don't get to see enough! We then headed to the Wythe Hotel to enjoy drinks on the rooftop and enjoy the New York City skyline. Besides all the blisters from my stupid shoe choices, it was a fantastic day.

[top from Nordstrom, faux leather pants from Aritzia, booties by Calvin Klein, bag by Marc Jacobs, peter pan collar necklace from Nordstrom, cocktail ring c/o Courtney Kaye]

Curly Hair Styling Tips

Styling curly hair on any given day can be a challenge. Styling curly hair to withstand the elements during Fashion Week is not only a challenge, but almost impossible!  Yet, with the knowledge of how to work with the natural texture of your hair and the right products, it’s no longer a mission impossible. I've spent my life trying to figure this out and at 26, I've finally acquired some tips that will help my fellow curly-haired girls out there.

Rule Number One: don’t fight the curl. Step away from the blow dryer and straightening iron and let your hair be. If you have super course and curly hair like mine, it’s not necessary so much to enhance the natural curl, but smooth and refine it.

This is where TRESemme’s Salon Silk no frizz serum and Anti-Frizz Secret Smoothing Crème come in handy. After you hop out of the shower (make sure you comb through your hair before the shower so you don’t have to mess with it so much afterwards,) first apply the Anti-Frizz Secret Smoothing Crème. I apply it more heavily to the ends of my hair and apply it to different sections to ensure even distribution. Next, apply the Salon Silk serum, mostly focusing this product at the ends where frizz tends to be more abundant. I also apply this serum more heavily around the front pieces of my hair surrounding my face. The serum doesn’t weigh down my hair and it cuts back on all the little fuzzies around my face.

 Rule Number Two: be an equal opportunist. Sometimes we think if we just dab some gel on top of hair it will magically transform itself into something manageable and refined looking. Nope. This will happen if you equally distribute gel (try TRES Mega Hold Hair Gel or Biolage Gelee) throughout your hair. The best way to do this is to divide your hair into sections and distribute gel from root to the ends, but focus more of the product at the ends of your hair where it’s the driest.

Rule Number Three: let it be. Forget the blow dryer and let your hair dry naturally. I typically wash my hair the night before since it can take several hours for hair to dry completely.  Once it’s dry, I may run a straightening iron around the front sections to smooth out the curl a bit. Once it’s dry, I use TRES Two Spray extra hold hair spray, which fights against humidity, a curly girl’s worst nightmare.

Look One: All Down

Since curly hair is, well, curly, you won’t have to do much for it to look finished. Wear it all down, in a bun or a side braid. And it’s okay for it to look a little unpolished. It’s hard to get a super sleek look with curly hair, so again, don’t fight it. For the bun, utilize Tick Tock Vintage’s tutorial (which is how I learned to perfect the best curly hair bun) and for a side braid, do it or yourself, or in my case, enlist the help of your boyfriend. It’s not supposed to look perfect and so a messy braid looks great for Fashion Week festivities, which I was inspired by at the DL1961 Show.

Look Two: Messy Side Braid (my look for Fashion's Night Out)

 

Look Three: High Bun (my look last Friday)

Head to tresstylestudio.com for more inspiration on how to style your hair 24/7!

Sponsored by TRESemme