Ode to the King Kong of Shoes

Dress-Vintage, Belt-My dad's, Necklace and Cuff- Forever 21, Shoes- Jeffrey Campbell

Normally I stay away from fads or momentary trends to avoid the pain of seasonal closet cleansing once they go out of style.  Of course some trends become classics and can be stored away, but then there are others like the 5-inch platform sketchers thong sandal (for all I know as soon as I post this they'll come back in style and I'll have to eat my words) that make me wonder why I wasted my money.  

Which is why when I first saw these Jeffrey Campbell Litas, I thought they looked awesome, but would never buy them.  I wrote them off as this year's jelly shoes and gave myself a pat on the back for making such a mature decision.  

But then, Lita fever ensued. They were featured on the feet of all my favorite bloggers.  Armies of Litas were marching through my dreams. I woke up in a cold sweat and told myself to stay strong, the moment would pass.  Besides, they looked ridiculously uncomfortable!

Not so, apparently.  Rumi called them "the most comfortable shoes to boost one so high, ever."  Karen called them "slippers with heels attatched" They were constantly sold out and back ordered on Solestruck.com. 66 positive customer reviews don't lie!  This only made me pine for them more.

The evidence before me, I began to rationalize their belonging in my shoe collection. Okay, so rationalizing lasted about as long as it took you to read that last sentence. They are here, they are tall, and they are fabulous!  I made sure to put them to the stair test-- there's a never-ending set of steps leading up to my house (not including the tall flight of stairs going to my attic room) that has discouraged me from wearing heels to go up or down them.  Moment of truth:

They pass! Yipee! The Lita's are everything I dreamed they'd be :)

Easy

Dress-Rainbow, Scarf-H&M, Necklace-Thrifted, Boots-Bakers

Quick post for today, it was so beautiful out I decided to keep the outfit simple and tap into my inner cowgirl. I'm headed out for an evening that includes getting my butt kicked at the gym and pumpkin carving, where I will attempt to use one of those store-bought kits that makes you think you can carve the mona lisa in three easy steps. Somehow this always leads to throwing pumpkin guts in frustration and resorting to the traditional jack o' lantern face.

I'll leave you with some food for thought:

   

My fantabulous portobello mushroom sandwich at Mia's Pizza from the other day.  Amazing!

Spill on the Hill

 

Although wearing heels to class is a nice thought, I would probably fall down flat on my face on one of the many hills if I actually tried it.  Today I saw a guy wearing flip flops do this TWICE and then slip down a wet grassy hill, books and all.  I wanted to ask if he was okay but I figured he was embarrassed enough already (sorry guy in the light blue t-shirt, whoever you are!). I can only imagine the effect would be magnified while balancing 4 inches off the ground. So this is how I actually wore it:

Blouse-Thrifted, Shorts-Forever21, Ankle boots (with heel and flat)- both from Baker's, Jacket-Target

No-Pants Dance

Cardigan- Thrifted, Scarf- Thrifted, Tank-Gap, Necklace- Target, Pants- Zara, Shoes- Bakers

I tend to avoid wearing pants at all costs.  

Get your mind out of the gutter-- it's not that I'm walking around à la Eve, or that I am ultra girly,  but I just prefer dresses, skirts, shorts and tights. Freud might say its because I had a bad early childhood experience with pants, or maybe it's because I have nightmares back to the middle school days of ultra low-rise, plumber crack jeans. Or it could be the confusion and tears of humiliation over the difference between european and U.S. sizes (H&M, I still love you but I can never buy jeans from you). Either way, somewhere along the line, I just stopped buying pants...

...until this pair came along.  High-wasted (no chance of plumber crack), tapered, and just the right amount of give so you can go eat dinner with room for desert, if you know what I mean.  I'm going to buy them in several other colors!  

Correction: I will think about buying them in several other colors but will not actually do so because I am a frugal, practical penny pincher who would NEVER make such an impulsive purchase! Happy now, bf? 

Crime and Punishment

Jacket-Mom's, T-shirt- Target, Shorts-Forever21, Belt-Dad's, Oxfords-Urban Outfitters

This is my mom's jacket from when she was a Captain in the Navy (I did a similar post a couple of years ago with a forever21 version, but I prefer the real deal). I looked up to her big time when I was a little girl because of the fact she got to wear a "fancy outfit" everyday.  In third grade, when it came time for career day, I dressed in my mom's uniform-- skirt, heels, hat and all -- and went clopping away to school (heels were wayy too big).  I've since changed my desired career path, but I will forever love the look of a nice military blazer.

Apparently, my old English teacher feels the same way, in fact so much so that she gave me a nice complement on the jacket followed by a harsh toungue lashing in front of the class: 

"Don't you know that's fine wool?? IF YOU ROLL YOUR SLEEVES UP THE FABRIC WILL STAY THAT WAY FOREVERRR! Unroll them right away!"

It felt like when my parents used to tell me to stop making an ugly face or it would stay stuck that way. ("Uh mom, that's actually my normal face...")

By the tone in my teacher's voice, I had committed a cardinal fashion sin, and she probably wanted to do this to me:

                                          (Definitely time for a bang trim!)

Okay so maybe that's a little extreme. This is actually from a visit to DC's Museum of Crime and Punishment yesterday. I highly reccommend, just make sure whoever goes with you doesn't bring any rotten tomatoes!

Saturday DIY: Circle Scarf

So I've decided to do a once a week DIY post.  I, unlike the rest of my family, am not particularly skilled with my hands or at sewing, so these projects for the most part will be quick, easy, and require minimal materials.  For today's DIY, I'm turning a regular scarf into a circle scarf.  I have a bunch of men's scarves that are short and stiff.  You know, the ones you can wrap around once but not quite twice without the ends sticking out in an awkward way?  I normally don't wrap them because of this, but then they end up not keeping me warm. This is a nice way to get an extra loop out of that scarf and still look good :)

                                           *womp womp*


What you will need:
- scarf
- scissors
- either needle and thread or sewing machine
- (optional) decorative pin
- 2 minutes, literally


STEP 1:
Fold scarf in half so the fringed ends meet.


STEP 2: Cut off the fringe

STEP 3: Sew (either by hand or with machine) the ends together.  Make sure the scarf is inside out when you do this.

                    (I'll blame that jagged edge on the blunt scissors and not my kindergarten cutting skills)

STEP 4:  If you want, you can put a criss-cross stitch along the edge you just sewed to keep it from fraying, or if you're lazy like me, then you're done! Turn it right side out and enjoy!

left lose...

...or looped twice

Optional: If you have a decorative pin it makes a nice finishing touch. I bought a bunch at the thrift store for 99 cents each.

Badabing badaboom, there you have it!

Your Chocolate is My Drug

Women's 2XL Cardigan-Thrifted, Blouse-Zara, Jeans- Seven, Boots- Bakers, Cuff-Cancun

Quick post for today, I'm headed out to a really nice dinner at this mansion/restaurant that the bf has been building up to me for quite some time now.  Supposedly, there is a chocolate ganache cake on the menu that will blow my mind.  That's all he had to say to seal the deal!  Will be sure to take pics for later :)

Shop with your Imagination

Sweater, Shorts, and Crocodile Ring- Forever21, Top worn as dress- Loeman's, Tights- American Apparel, Boots- Chinese Laundry, Belt-Vintage

I started wearing women's 2XL shirts as dresses several years ago after a shopping trip with one of my best friends.  We strode into the same discount store, full of hope and eager to fly through racks of clothes searching for hidden gems. I, resorting to the excuse that these types of stores can be hit or miss, came out empty handed.  My friend, on the other hand, came out with a bag full of inexpensive blouses that were wayyyy to big for her.  I remember thinking it was a waste of money and she would just look goofy, but come beach time, they made beautiful coverups and people went crazy asking her where she got them. 

I learned never to dismiss the shirts that seem too big on the sale rack.  They can easily be belted, altered, worn over shorts, or worn under a long cardi like this one.  Always shop with an open mind, and make sure this doesn't apply quite the same way to your wallet!

     

Cheating

Blazer- Banana Republic, Dress-Forever 21, Bib-Thrifted, Belt- my Dad's, Oxfords- Bakers

I have a confession to make.  I have been unfaithful... to the commitment I made in an earlier post to stay far away from places where I could spend money on clothes!  I tried to resist, but how could I stay strong against the temptation of buy one, get one 1/2 off?  Or the seductive newly renovated two-level Forever21? Can you fault me?  It started out as just one innocent pair of shoes, just shoes I swear... and then led to this:

[Boyfriend walks into my room]

BF: Katherine, what's all this?

Me: What's all what?

BF: THIS.

Me: I don't know what your talking about...

BF: All these shopping bags, there must be at least five... no, wait, there are eight. Eight shopping bags!

Me: So?

BF: I thought you said you were just going to one store!

Me: I did...

BF: "The Mall" doesn't count as one store, there are 8 distinctively different shopping bags here!

Me: Well, you don't understand what it's like!  You would have done the same thing in my situation! All those sales showing off all their goodies like that...

BF: I can't even look at you right now... 

Me: I would feel more ashamed if it weren't for the fact that these oxfords are so damn cute.

Moral of story: Always hide the evidence!