Collar Game Changer

Hello, and welcome to my regularly scheduled "once every couple of weeks" post! Now that it finally is starting to feel like fall some days, I'm in full cardigan mode. Most importantly, though, I added a couple of collars from Magnus Clothing Co. to my collar collection, and I feel like they've really helped step up my wardrobe. I've been following Magnus on Instagram for a while, and I was so excited to see her launch the line recently. As a self-proclaimed collar obsessive, a line of detachable collars is a dream come true for me. I'm constantly putting my collared tops under my dresses, but having detachable collars is a total game changers. I have quite a few pieces that are too thin to wear shirts under, so it's seriously helpful to be able to just add a collar easily. This post is in no way sponsored, I just really love these collars. I got two, but I definitely plan on getting more. 

I wore this to go see my brother's new place on Saturday and work on a project with him that I'm super excited about. I can't wait to share more soon hopefully. The rest of my weekend was relaxed and filled with watching Bob's Burgers and going antiquing with Jon, which is pretty much my ideal weekend. Everything else is business as usual: working a ton, rewatching Futurama, and still thinking about Stranger Things. Things are boring around here, but in a good way. As usual.

Feel Good, Dress Better

If you're anything like me, you have a long list of bloggers/Instagrammers who you love, and then a handful who you essentially stalk and spend a borderline creepy amount of time looking at. Nicole from Writes Likes a Girl falls into the latter for me. While I'm guilty of not reading nearly as many blogs as I used, Writes Like a Girl is one of the few of which I still read every post. Nicole is such a captivating writer, funny, relatable, and has essentially my ideal closet, and I feel so lucky that I've been able to connect with her through the Internet. I've been on the edge of my seat waiting for her style workbook to come out, and I somehow managed to snag an advanced copy. I'm so excited to share with you a few of my takeaways from it! 

If you somehow don't obsess over Nicole's updates like I do and are unfamiliar with her workbook, Feel Good, Dress Better is a comprehensive guide to transforming your closet to better reflect your personal style. Filled with tips and worksheets, the guide is a helpful way to start looking at your closet as an extension of how you feel. I always stay away from style guide books because most present a set of rules that are impractical and don't take personal style and preferences into account. Feel Good, Dress Better is more about using your clothing for self-expression, body positivity, and confidence. This honestly could not have come at a better time for me, as I've mentioned that I've been doing a lot of thinking about this. I've been struggling with defining my style, gaining weight, and spending an obscene amount of time on Instagram comparing myself to others. Some days I feel like I'm letting people down if I'm not "on-brand" and wearing all thrifted clothes. Other times I think that I look like I'm trying too hard by dressing in a vintage style. I also find myself wanting to define my style by who I follow and building my closet around what will get me close enough to looking like them. But what I've finally decided doing lately is just saying: fuck it. I'm going to wear what makes me happy. Feel Good, Dress Better's closet cleanout section proved to be a huge help in this. I started getting rid of clothes that I don't feel good in or don't fit (which meant being more honest with myself about my weight gain). I stopped saying that certain trends weren't for me or being worried that people were judging me for anything, and I've started buying things that make me happy. 

In this process, I've been wondering how I define my style. It hasn't exactly strayed far from what I've always worn, but I've felt so much more confident in what I've been putting on lately. Feel Good, Dress Better has a great section on creating your personal style ID that proved helpful. I took a list at Nicole's word bank and chose a few that I felt like I identified with: colorful, consistent, feminine, modern, and vintage. To sum it up: colorfully feminine with a vintage-inspired twist. In all honesty, choosing a style ID felt so silly at first (why do I even need to define it?), but actually has really helped me think about it while I'm shopping. Does this fit with my style ID? also translates to will I actually wear this? or will I feel like myself and/or confident in this? 

More thoughts below the jump!

Red Top + Ballerina Skirt

Short post (as has often been the case lately) today, as I forgot to write this when I meant to. I've been busy working, doing holiday things, and most importantly, gearing up to go to Vegas this weekend. I am definitely not a Vegas kind of person, my parents offered their fancy time share right off the strip to me, my brother, and our significant others. While it's usually not my thing, it was hard to pass up a free room and a weekend away with some of my favorite people. They're the perfect group for me to go with, as none of us are into clubbing and all just want to drink, eat, people watch, and maybe see a show. I actually used to go to Vegas a lot as a kid when my parents would take me, but I haven't been back since I was 14, meaning that I've never actually been there while of drinking age. Wish me luck. 

Like most people, I definitely get caught up wearing darker colors once winter hits, but I'm trying to brighten it up every so often. Obviously a bright red top and a skirt covered in ballerinas is the way to go. I sure think so.

Red Skirt + Booties

It feels rather appropriate that the moment December started here in Orange County, it began to look like fall. Ah, well, I'll take it, I guess. This weekend was a busy and exciting one, but I can't believe that it's already over. After having dinner with my good friend Casey on Friday night, I went to Temecula on Saturday morning for a very special event — my brother's engagement! He and his girlfriend have been together for six years, and he's been planning his proposal for some time now. He gathered her family and ours at a winery under false pretenses that her mom had planned the whole get together. She was in complete shock when he popped the question, and I think it goes without saying that she said yes. I've known her since jr. high, and she's been a good friend of mine since before they started dating, so it's doubly exciting for me to get to welcome a good friend into the family. 

The rest of the weekend wasn't nearly as exciting, but enjoyable nonetheless. There was cake involved, not to mention breakfast with family and friends. We also saw Arrival in theaters last night, and it kind of blew my mind. I'm a fan of sci-fi in general, but this movie was far more beautiful than I ever had expected. I can't stop thinking about it.

Yellow Floral Dress + Denim Jacket

Believe it or not, it's actually cold here. Well, it's cold by California standards at least. ThredUp was kind enough to send me a gift code to use for the holidays, and I selfishly used it all on myself to get this pretty dress and the outfit I'm wearing in my last post. Can you blame me? This dress is so fun. 

It's strange to think that Thanksgiving was already almost a week ago. Mine was, well, crazy. In a good way. All our plans got changed once my sister-in-law went into to labor. Rather than have dinner at my brother's house as planned, Jon and I drove to my parents' for an impromptu meal then quickly to his parents' for dessert. By the time we reached his parents' house, I got a text saying that the baby had been born, and my family rushed to the hospital. It was an insane, wonderful day, and it ended with us all being together to welcome our newest member of the family. I am beyond thrilled for my brother and sister-in-law, who now have a third child who has to compete with her brother and sister for the role of cutest. It's a tough competition, let me tell you.

My other brother and his wife flew in from Illinois the next day. It was a quick weekend with them, but a great time filled with some shopping and food. I've managed to complete most of my Christmas shopping during Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. My wallet, however, is not as happy as I am. Oh well. 

Sugarhill Boutique Dress + Gray Cardigan

I apparently never actually finished writing this post, but I'd still like to share it. Because I still have an actual post to write, I'm keeping this one short. Let's just bask in the glory that is this Sugarhill Boutique dress and how perfectly it pairs with my Luella pineapple pin.

ThredUP Skirt + Thrifted Cardigan

For part two of my collaboration with ThredUP, I wanted to get a staple piece that I knew I would get a ton of use out of. I'm committing to shopping smarter, and buying versatile pieces that will last me is a key part of that. So instead of getting yet another polka dot skirt or another cream lace dress (though trust me, I was this close), I went the safe route and got a gray skirt. Some may say boring, I say smart. Turns out, it was a great decision, as this gray H&M skirt fits seamlessly into my wardrobe. It goes with virtually everything I own, and its a-line shape makes it ideal for fitting with my vintage-inspired, feminine aesthetic. It also was a good excuse to bust out this Modcloth burgundy top and thrifted cardigan, both of which I've neglected for quite a while. Thank goodness for (affordable) basics, right?

It was raining the day that Jon and I took these photos, so we improvised on our deck. Luckily, our apartment as at the very end, so we didn't have to deal with people walking by us, and we somehow managed to take two sets without any nosy neighbors coming out to shoot us weird glances. I'm surprised at how well this location ended up being for a last minute fix, and I wouldn't mind using it more often for days when we're too lazy to walk any further than our front door (which, let's face it, is all the time). It's nice to be able to enjoy the rain AND take outfit photos.

Don't forget to use the code HANDM50 off first time orders up to $50 on H&M pieces at ThredUP. If you're lucky, you'll score a skirt just as cute as this one.

ThredUp Kensie Dress + Old Navy Cardigan

As an avid secondhand shopper, it's no surprise that I wanted to work with ThredUp. I'm adamant about the fact that most of the best pieces in my wardrobe come from thrift and consignment stores, and while I'll always love the hunt of thrifting in stores, I'm constantly looking for new ways that my lazy self can do so from the comfort of home as well. Naturally, this means that I'm in love with browsing through ThredUp, an online consignment store. As I've said countless times on here, not only is shopping secondhand a great form of recycling, it's also a great way to get unique pieces on a budget. 

This time around, I got three piecs for about $30, which goes a long way on ThredUp. In addition to a skirt that I'll feature in Wednesday's post, I picked out this Kensie eyelet dress and Old Navy cardigan. I've been trying to do a better job of shopping smarter and getting clothes that I won't want to give away in three months (as I'm known to do), and I'm proud to say that I feel confident that I succeeded. This cardigan is such a perfect, comfy staple piece, and I've honestly worn in three times since I got it last week. My wildcard pick was this dress though. I was not sure how this dress would be in person, and once it came in a bit brighter than I expected, I wasn't sure I could pull it off. Once I put it on, though, it was love at first sight. It fit like a glove and ended up being such a fun addition to my closet. What I love most is how surprisingly versatile it is. It's fantastic for layering and easy to dress down, but it also would be my go-to piece to pair with heels for a wedding. I really cannot wait to style this dress a million more ways. 

I love when I give rave reviews with all honesty, so I'm excited to let you know that my readers can head to ThredUp and use the code HANDM50 for 50% off first-time orders up to $50 on H&M pieces. My next post will feature a new staple H&M item from ThredUp, and trust me, you'll want to get one for yourself.