Weekend Wishlisht: Fall Androgeny

Lately I've been really digging masculine-inspired fashion. And, judging from this moodboard, contrast sleeves. Take a look:

Would you wear any of these items?


Fall Androgeny by mjchirpich-1 featuring genuine leather jackets

How to spend $100

Although I'm having trouble getting back into work mode, one nice surprise is helping ease my way.  I recently won a $100 gift card from Beso.com, so of course that money is burning a hole in my pocket! The way I see it, free money can be spent one of two ways: on several smaller items to cross things off your shopping list, or on one big splurge item that you couldn't afford otherwise.

For example, on our left we have several items that have been on my shopping list for a while.
1. Black maxi. Because duh, it's super versatile. This one is $20.
2. Black leather-look leggings. Because everyone looks so hot in them this season! Prices at Asos have varied from $22-30 for this pair.
3. Cell phone cover. Because I've dropped my current one to the point of no return, and covers should be pretty! $35.
4. Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer. Because according to every beauty blogger ever, this is the best thing since sliced bread. $20.
5. Shoe pouch. Because now that my boards are over, I want to get back into running, and I hate carrying cards/keys in my hands. $5

OR

1. Frye Vera Short. Because I've lusted over Frye boots since high school, these are on sale for $210, and $110 out-of-pocket is likely the cheapest I will ever find a pair of Frye boots (especially ones I love!)

So what would you do? Lots of smaller items, or one big splurge? Me, I'm leaning towards the boots...



How to spend $100 by mjchirpich-1 featuring frye boots

Printed Pants for Work, Play and Errands

Most of this year's fashion trends have me wincing--it's like designers chose the worst trends of the 80s and 90s (ummm hello neon, burgundy, and acid-wash jeans) and decided that those trends should all make a comeback all at once. No thanks. I've actually seen neon, burgundy, and acid wash jeans all well-done, but the majority of people and things should not sport these trends, in my opinion.

However, one trend I've really gotten on board with is printed and/or silky pants. You're telling me I can wear basically pajamas to work and not only is it not frowned upon, but I actually look fashion-forward? Count me in!

This trend can be tricky, so I've put together three outfits I'd love to wear featuring a couple pairs I"m lusting over right now.

Since this trend already rides the line between high fashion and the sweats you wore to the library every day in college (oh the shame...), it's important to keep everything else chic.

For Date Night:  I'd sweeten up the boho factor of the printed pants with a bow-top tank, feather clutch, and some cute wedges.

For Work: Close-toed shoes dress both pants up a little more, and the cheery color of the top makes early-morning  meetings not quite so painful. Top it off with a tough-yet-ladylike leather jacket to show you mean business (har, har)

For Running Errands: I'm a fan of these booties because they're super comfortable (uggs!), stylish, and easy to slip on. I'd sport this slouchy tank for Saturday morning cool and a blue Baggu bag to liven up the otherwise-neutral outfit.


What do you think? Will you sport this trend this season?

Printed Pants for Work, Play and Errands by mjchirpich-1 featuring patterned pants

My Personal Guide to Closet Classics

Last post I touched briefly on splurging on classics. Which made me ask myself, what do I consider my own closet classic? What are the staples that I reach for on a weekly, if not daily basis? Well Meghan, I'm glad you asked (yourself), because I've put together a little collection of my own classics.

Here are the lucky 13 pieces that I would buy if my closet were completely empty.
1. Dark Wash Bootcut Denim. This fit looks great on everyone, unlike other styles such as skinny or wide-leg jeans that look better on specific body types. The bootcut is universally flattering, and the dark wash is always slimming. Avoid whiskering--tacky, dated, and adds visual weight. My go-to brand is the junior's line Jolt--fits my curvy booty well, with the perfect amount of stretch.
2. Striped Tee. I only recently started falling in love with stripes, but now I've fallen hard (recent purchases include a striped dress, long-sleeve t, maxi, and tank). I'm partial to classic black and white stripes, but hey, to each their own.
3. Gold-Rimmed Grey Druzy Studs. I'm so happy druzy is a trend this year. I snapped up a similar pair of studs last spring and wear them nonstop. They're just as versatile as a diamond or plain gold or silver pair, but have a little more pizazz. You can easily find them on Etsy.com
4. Skinny Leopard Belt. Or any belt ever, really. Adds a subtle pattern to any outfit but is really neutral.
5. Black Leggings. Some people hate them, but I'm all for leggings (as long as you cover your ass--leggings aren't pants ladies!). Like I said last post, buy ones that will last through the year, but not too expensive because they'll inevitably develop holes.
6. Feminine Dress. Sometimes a girl just wants to feel like a lady, and I think it's important to have a dress for that occasion. I have my go-to dress (are you sick of hearing about this one yet??) that I wear when I want to feel feminine. Lace, flowy skirt, a hint of cleavage, and mine's peach--this dress is womanhood defined.
6.5 LBD. The pictured dress is actually a two-fer, because it represents another closet staple: the Little Black Dress. I constantly dress mine up, dress them down, and wear them until they can no longer be called black. I'd call this a fairly universal staple, and because there are so many options I like to find LBDs with special detailing (like unique hems) but ones that can be worn belted, unbelted, with scarves, etc.
7. Black Blazer. Much like the LBD, the black blazer is a fairly universal staple because you can dress it up or down. Wear it to work with a pencil skirt, or to a concert with a slouchy tee. Again, with so many options, look for unique details like the interesting lapel on the one pictured.
8. Grey T-shirt. I'm obsessed. Subtly sexy, all the time, and so comfy it's like you're wearing pj's.
9. Comfy Pumps in black and nude. Duh. Wear with everything, from work to play. I love the Corso Como Del pump. It's pricey but so comfortable that it's completely worth it. Much hotter on the foot, too!
10. Floral Scarf. Instantly makes a so-so outfit of skinny jeans and a tee look pulled together. I like black-based florals because I mix patterns with my b&w striped tees.
11. Black Pencil Skirt. Goes with every top in your closet. Search around until you find a flattering fit; pencil skirts can look good on everyone, but not all skirt (even of the same pencil style) are cut the same way.
12. Grey Maxi Dress. Much like stripes, I'm a recent convert to maxis. I bought a grey maxi at the start of the summer and have worn it a probably unhealthy amount. Again: grey is subtly sexy, and because it's a long dress you can play with a lower neckline or tighter fit without looking trampy.
13. Quality pair of black leather boots. I bought the older version of these Vince Camuto boots on super sale, and they look so amazing with everything I own (including everything pictured here!)

So there's my lucky 13 closet staples--what are yours?


I'm Glad I Exist's Guide to Closet Classics by mjchirpich-1 featuring vintage style t shirts

Frenchi top
nordstrom.com

H M long sleeve top
hm.com

Old Navy vintage style t shirt
oldnavy.gap.com

Wyatt
bluefly.com

J Crew opaque legging
jcrew.com

Knee length pencil skirt
target.com

Vince Camuto black wedge heels
vincecamuto.com

Lucky brand belt
luckybrand.com

Sheer shawl
target.com

Del Beige Patent
corsocomoshoes.com

Del - Black - Corso Como Shoes
corsocomoshoes.com

Jolt Billie Itty Bitty Boot Cut Jeans at Zumiez : PDP
zumiez.com

Mix and Match: Chambray Shirt edition

I'm sure we've all been there--had an event to go to, opened up our closet, and thought, "I have absolutely nothing to wear." It's safe to say that the majority of the time this is simply not true. All you need to do is be a little creative. I've decided to start a new column called Mix and Match, taking one item and showing various ways to wear it.  First up is the ever-trendy chambray shirt (the one pictured is the Forever 21 Cambray Button-up).

Looks: Top Left

1. H&M Striped Long-Sleeve Top

2. Forever 21 Dot Skirt

3. Mac Lipstick Girl About Town

Looks: Top Right

4.  Windsor Black Maxi Skirt

5. Loren Hope Lora Necklace

6. Ninewest Speakup Leopard Print Flats 

Looks: Bottom Left

7. Old Navy Corduroy Pencil Skirt 

8. Vince Camuto Spicer Sandal 

9. Dorothy Perkins Geometric Outline Drops 

Looks: Bottom Right

10. Nordstrom Lace Dress

11.  Furbish Lavender Chandeliers

12. Sam Edelman Louie Bootie

The chambray shirt is amazingly versatile, but each of the other items listed can play nice with each other too!

Which look is your favorite?

Weekend Wishlist: Dainty Gold Jewelry Edition

Welp, I'm a day behind on my Weekend Wishlist post...I was fortunate enough to be able to unplug in the beautiful Uinta mountains while camping with my boyfriend this weekend, so apologies for the lack of post!

Lately I've been really into dainty gold jewelry, the kind that looks chic by itself or pretty layered on top of each other. These are the items on my wishlist this week:

From top left, going clockwise:

• Alibi Jewelry NYC Nature Gem Ring, $80. An everyday piece.
• Etsy shop Frosted Willow Personalized Bracelet Initial Bangle, $18. Wear it on the same arm as your watch.
• A-Thread Intricate Tear Drop Earrings, $13. Boho glam, for such a small price!
• Catbird Apex Spike Necklace, $218. Surprisingly versatile--I want this BAD.
• Etsy shop OurFamilyJewelsLA Open Twiggy Bangle, $138. Makes the simplest outfits so subtly sexy.
• Etsy shop dinosaurtoes no 430 hammered brass quartz hoop earrings, $16. For when you're feelin' the beauty in simplicity.
• Anthropology Prehistoric Posts, $28. Because fashion shouldn't be too serious.
• Etsy shop dinosaurtoes no489 brass diamond hoops, $16. Goes with everything.
• Windsor Mesh and Rhinestone Collar Necklace, $14.90. A little dainty, a little badass. Pair with a black leather jacket, silk camisole, cropped bf jeans, and booties.
• Etsy shop Edor Tiny Brass Initial Necklace, $22. Made for layering.
• Kendall Conrad Tapered Bangle, $90. Simple and chic on its own, or in a stack of pretties (I'd add the twiggy bracelet and initial bangle)
• Juliet & Company Celebration de Plage Earrings, $55. White vneck tee, dark skinnies, black patent heels.
• Nashelle "Eff Cancer" Necklace, $90. Pretty sure I owe it to my job (as a cancer genetic counselor) to get this.

What lovely items have you been drawn to lately?

For more Weekend Wishlist action, see my Cleaning out My Closet edition and Black Leather Jacket edition. 

Weekend Wishlist: Cleaning Out my Closet Edition

I recently started a new chapter in my life. I started my first adult job and am no longer student for the first time in 18 years. This change marks my ascent further into what I like to call 'being a real grownup.' (Yes, I realize the word 'grownup' is juvenile, but I nearly always feel like I'm faking adulthood anyway so it's appropriate :)

Although I could talk about the myriad little--and large--ways my life has changed in the last 3 months, instead, I want to talk...about my wardrobe. (Like I said....faking adulthood).


My actual closet. I lead a glamorous life. Yes, I realize it looks ghetto--plans in the works to put on doors etc. Money doesn't grow on trees people...

Once I started working every day, I realized that my wardrobe isn't necessarily set up to do so. Even though I tried to dress stylishly for school, let's be honest--lots of times that meant leggings with boots and a cute top. As evidenced by these photos of me:






(Gotcha, fools! I'm not even brunette! These aren't even the same people! And if I looked this hot, I wouldn't be writing about the woes of my closet now would I? Silly readers....so gullible.)

Regardless of how awesome these hotties look, that's just not gonna cut it as a medical professional. It got me thinking about how to make my closet work for me, and I went on a long nerdy binge of reading fashion blogs and what they have to say about the topic.

My favorite posts are these:

• http://www.kendieveryday.com/p/working-closet.html 
• This series includes some great ideas about individualizing your closet--how to make sure what you're wearing is really you
• http://goodlifeforless.blogspot.com/2012/07/how-to-organize-your-closet-in.html 
• I loooove the series of questions that goodlifeforless posed.  Favorites? "Does that piece fit your lifestyle? Is this piece a part of your future or your past? Would you re-buy this piece today?"
• http://apair-andaspare.blogspot.com/2011/06/perfect-wardrobe-essentials.html
• This DIY-savvy chic put together a great collage of essentials that I've been referencing

So, in the immortal words of Eminem, tonight I'm cleaning out my closet. And here is how I'm going to do it, while revamping my wardrobe to work for Present Day Meghan rather than Past Meghan:

Step 1: Take Stock. Go through each item in your closet and ask yourself:

• Would I buy this again if I saw it in a store today? I think this is the most important question, because if you wouldn't buy it again today you probably don't or shouldn't wear it now.
• Does this item fit? Dress for your body, people! If it's too small, donate it! If it's too large, can it be tailored? Is it worth the extra money to do so? If not...donate!
• If it does fit, does it represent where I am in life? I could do with getting rid of my millionth tshirt and replacing it with work-appropriate tops that can transition to play.
• Does the item transmit the message I want to send about who I am? Whether you realize it or not, the way you present yourself does send a message to people. Do you want that message to say that you are sloppy or lazy (keep wearing those stained sweatpants to the grocery store!), or do you want to nonverbally tell people that you are proud of yourself (by wearing clothes that truly present you, fit you, and work for you rather than the other way around)?
• Did I buy this or do I wear it to fit someone else's ideal? Whether that ideal be that of the store you bought it from, the people you wore it to impress, or the guy on the subway you're trying to catch the eye of, the only ideal you should strive to fit is your own. Dress for you, not for others.
• Do I wear this because it makes me feel pretty, sexy, healthy, or any other positive emotion? If not--donate! There are so many things life that can bring you down, and your clothes are not nearly important enough to rank on that list.
• Am I holding on to this piece for sentimental reasons or because I actually love to wear it? I'm way guilty of this. If it's sentimental and not practical, maybe you could frame that pretty scarf that's bad for your coloring, or put a picture of it in your closet, then put the actual item in a box in the attic. Retail space in your closet is at a premium people!
• Have I worn this item during its season? If not (and the reason you didn't wear it isn't because it's a beautiful floor-length gown and you didn't make it to the Grammys this year), ask yourself if that piece needs to take up space in your closet, or if another piece would be more functional.

Step 2: Remove or Reconstruct. 

After answering the Step 1 questions for everything in your closet, you should be able to easily separate items into Keep, Rework, or Donate piles. 

• Keep: This pile should consist of all the items that passed the test of the Step 1 questions. You love them, wear them, fit well in them, feel good in them, and wear them to please yourself and to present the true you to the world. 
• Rework: I think this pile is one that gets overlooked by many people. Sometimes all an ill-fitting maxi dress needs is a shorter hem, or jeans that fit well everywhere but the waist can get nipped in to your actual size. A quick trip to a tailor can fix those types of problems and create a wardrobe specific to you.
• Donate: there are tonnnnnns of places that would be happy to accept clothing that no longer works for you. Another tip might be to bring them to a consignment shop, where often shop owners pay you either cash or credit to their store, so you can replace all the nonfunctional items with ones that work for you!

If you're having a hard time giving up certain items, I suggest you do one of two things: 1) Put those items in a box and store the box in a place outside of where you get dressed. If after a set amount of time you don't go to the effort of locating that box and taking out an item, those items can be donated because you're clearly not really missing them. 2) Put all of your clothes on hangers, but put the hangers backwards. As you wear an item, switch the hanger to the normal way. After a set amount of time, anything you haven't worn (the ones with the hanger still facing the wrong way) gets donated.  

Step 3: Reassess your Closet.

Now that you've removed the unnecessary items, it's often much easier to see where your closet is lacking. 

• Assess what needs replacing. For example, once I got rid of the ill-fitting dress pants I held onto since high school, I could see that I need to replace them with dress pants that actually fit my body and work with the existing colors in my wardrobe. 
• Assess what color palette you commonly wear. After getting rid of all the 'fluff' I saw that my wardrobe is mostly black, white, and cream with pops of color via tops and scarves.
• Assess what types of clothing you commonly wear. I wear skirts and dresses four out of five business days, so although I do still need a nice pair or two of dress pants, I shouldn't go overboard there because I'm less likely to get a lot of use out of pants as opposed to a nice skirt.
• Assess if your closet fulfills its necessary roles. My current closet is set up to accommodate a student. I have am now a healthcare professional, and my current closet just isn't cutting it!
• Assess if your closet represents you. Although my closet is black and white now, I'm soooooo not a black and white personality--I'm bubbly and energetic and friendly and much more outgoing than a mostly neutral wardrobe may portray. 
• Assess what you can afford. I am fortunate to finally have a little disposable income for the first time in years, so why am I still shopping Forever 21 like a kid who just received her weekly $10 allowance? I love F21 but I need to start investing in myself and thus my wardrobe. As Kendi brilliantly pointed out, if I'm not spending $100 on 5-6 F21 items that fall apart after one use, I can afford the $100 boots that I love and will wear a million times over and reheel and wear another million times. Quality over quantity, people. On the flip side, as stated before, your clothing shouldn't be getting you down, so if you can't afford new clothes--reimagine the clothes you've got! No need to add stress to your life because your clothes aren't exactly what you want--just be creative and challenge yourself to work with what you have. 

Step 4: Create a Shopping List

After all this funnnnnnn assessment, we get to the good stuff: Shopping! I can't really write any tips on what to buy, since everyone's list should be drastically different, because you are drastically different from me! But to give you an idea, here's how I've created my list.

• Decide what's needed to make your wardrobe functional for you today and to represent who you are. My wardrobe is student-oriented and neutral, and I'm now a professional and decidedly not a 'neutral' personality! If your wardrobe isn't doing its job of clothing you or representing you to the world, decide what you need to make it do so.
• Place necessary items at the top of your list. My favorite black short-sleeve, super-versatile dress has seen better days, so I need to replace it ASAP! Even though it's black and I am trying to get more color in my wardrobe, this is a necessary purchase for me because I wore its predecessor so often that it would be missed if not replaced. 
• Figure out items that maximize the rest of your wardrobe. Since you're now familiar all the contents of your wardrobe, it should be easy to see where a piece can fill in the gaps.  For example, this lovely Mikkat Market peach-colored dress can be a heavy hitter in my wardrobe because it brings in lots of lovely color (including a hue I don't even own!) while mixing nicely with all my black, grey, white, and cream pieces. It can also be dressed up or down and be nice and light in the summer or layer prettily in the winter. Lists such as this one can help you figure out if you have your basics covered, but remember that my 'basics' (black dress, brown leather boots) may be really different from your 'basics' (leopard print leggings? Bad-ass rocker jacket? ok!).
• Place fun, trendier items near the bottom of your list. I loooooove these fun orange boots and these funky pink tribal earrings because each of them is unique and brings lots of fun color to my neutral wardrobe. However, they're lower on the priority list because the boots can't really be worn at work (so are restricted to play time) and the earrings are trendier than the other items I've selected. Remember that trendy items help keep your wardrobe current, but will likely not have as long of a shelf-life as classic pieces. Therefore I go to Forever 21 for trends and Nordstrom or Shopbop for well-made, quality classics.
• Make sure your 'needs' are fulfilled, but get your 'wants' as you're able! I can't stress enough that clothing should be fun, not stressful, so if you're wearing your budget thin to get the latest hot item, stop it! Wait until you can really afford it. BUT on the other hand, if you can  easily afford it, don't be a baby! Go buy those hot faux leather leggings you've been eyeing for weeks! Have fun with your closet!

And because I've been really wordy for a girl with zero claim to fashion fame, here are some pretty things on my Weekend Wishlist:

Nice and Neutral:

                       

            

         Nearly Neutral:

                         

Not-So-Neutral

                           

As always, all my sources can be found on my Pinterest. Most from this post are on the boards Style Inspiration, Dream Closet, or Shopping Spree.