I went to go take photos for this week's blog post and fell right into a style slump. I faced my closet, a little stumped on what to wear in this irregular, transition weather. Rather than try to force anything, I decided to take a step back and gather some inspiration for the upcoming months. While I'm putting together my fall and winter wardrobe, I thought I'd look back on one of my favorite ways of dressing; taking outfits out of the TV shows and movies I love.
In a kind of all encompassing version of DisneyBounding I love taking photos from whatever I'm watching and digging through my closet to see if the outfit is already there. Easily my favorite thing to post on Instagram and it has started to influence how I put my outfits together. Sometimes it's good to ask yourself 'would Rachel Green wear this?' before walking out the door. So I hope you enjoy this compilation of style inspiration and if you like - come say hi on my Instagram.
The very first one!
I feel like I come back and take a peek at Rory's style from Gilmore Girls every time fall comes around.
I may need to dedicatea whole postto my love of Rachel's outfits in Friends.
Monica too! I guess I seriously need to do Pheobe soon.
Nora from Skam is another wonderful lady I could recreate so many outfits from that show.
A very relaxed outfit for a stressed out dude (Todd from Dirk Gently.)
I feel like there should be a huge magician-esque 'Ta-Da" because the before on this section is pretty awful. Looking back at how I used to decorate and work around this space makes me feel so happy with how I've rearranged things. It suits my style and is a much more functional space.
Before redecorating this side wall was a bit of a catch all. I had my stacks of magazines, a box of nail polish, another of random crafts and ribbons, extra toiletries on top of the magazines and I would frequently attract random bags of stuff. It was the junk draw side of my room.
My main goals with this section were to declutter and put all of my 'getting ready' things in the same place. It made a lot more sense to condense down to one dresser and have it right next to my closet. After that it was all about creating a place for everything else.
Easily the biggest project for this section was the dresser. I decided to paint it this bluish gray to add a new color into the room that wasn't very bold. The old handles were a little too childish so I switched them to these glass ones in different colors to make it a bit fun. With the mold of the top drawer it was easier to have handles rather than four more knobs.
One of the nicest perks of this new set up is my makeup and daily toiletries are all in one place. I took this photo shelf, flipped it upside down and attached it to the wall with some large braces. I popped some organizers and cups inside and now getting ready is a much nicer affair.
I wanted to keep the top of the dresser pretty clear to avoid another clutter monster, but it was the best place to hold some jewelry. I used a little stationery box, painted purple, and put my bracelets in there. I really like this earring stand from Domino. It can hold both studs and dangling earrings and looks more sleek than other organizers. I've had my skull for years and it holds my glasses and my rings.
For my necklaces I went on to the side of the dresser and inserted some little cup hooks. It was super simple and a little more tucked away rather than a traditional tree or wall hanging organizer.
I was at a bit of loss for what to do for a full length mirror. I toyed around with the idea of DIY-ing a frame for my old one or getting one with built-in storage, but that all went out the window when I saw this in TJ-Maxx. It's such a weird shape but worked well for tucking it into this corner and the tilt is great for outfit photos.
Tucked behind the mirror I have a basket of my hot tools and a small set of drawers that hold all my extra skincare and hair products. I made it a little easier to move around the mirror with some felt pieces stuck to the bottom.
So what do you think? About half my room is completely finished and it's kind of blowing my mind that I'm almost done. Next up you'll see my bookcase wall (you can spy a quick peek in some of these photos) and I think that one will be really special.
Three books! What a fail. Though to be fair, We, the Drowned is nearly a whopping 700 pages. I spent all of September working my way through it and I'm just finishing up the last hundred pages now. That's a super long time to spend on a book, easily the longest of this challenge. But since I have so few books for this quarter here are some mini reviews below.
A novel set during wartime: We, the Drowned by Carsten Jensen
It may have taken forever to read, but it was an excellent novel. Though it revolves around a small port town in Denmark, the novel space 3 generations, the sea, several wars and the vast idea of humanity and violence. Between the war and the graphic depictions of violence in war and civillian life, the novel isn't for anyone squeamish. If you can get over that though, it's an interesting and well thought out depiction of humanity.
If I could change one thing, I'd have loved to see the perspective switch to more women in the town. Women are a part of the entire novel, but the three main perspectives are men since there is a strong focus on sailing and the war. Overall, though, I'd highly recommend this book.
An audiobook: Shopaholic Ties the Knot by Sophie Kinsella
I jump back to the Shopaholic series once in awhile. It's great when you need a super light hearted read (like after reading 700 pages about war.) If you've seen the Confessions of a Shopaholic movie then you know the premise already because this is the series it's based on. It centers around Becky Bloomwood, a serious shopaholic, and all the mishaps she gets into with her bank, boyfriend and everything else life throws at her. It's absurd and sometimes frustrating how crazy and complicated the situations she gets herself into, but it has some nice heart and is an easy pickmeup.
A book by an author who uses a pseudonym: File Under: 13 Suspicious Incidents by Lemony Snicket
Lemony Snicket is a little more of an obvious choice when it comes to authors with pseudonyms, but it was more of a nostalgic choice. The book is clearly for kids, but that actually made it a lot easier to listen to as an audiobook while I was painting my room. Though I wouldn't recommend the audiobook completely; they read through all 13 suspicious incidents and then at the end they read the answers to each mystery. Sometimes I really wanted to get straight to the answer which was annoying, but if you complete the book in a short period of time it's pretty easy to remember everything. And of course, the writing is equal measures of silly and sarcastic, in true Snicket fashion.
Though I'm not one to get excited about fall when it's still 90 degrees out, I love the whole mentality of the season. Nothing's really happening; the temperature changes, some harvesting begins but there isn't an abrupt changewhen the time comes around. And yet, we have created something to make the change feel huge.
As the season changes I love getting cozy, drinking warm drinks, and sometimes I even find myself just smiling at a pile of leaves in the sunlight. It doesn't really makes sense and yet everything feels a little more pleasant and special. I guess I've chosen to just embrace it rather than question any further. I'll just throw on a Harry Potter windbreaker, grab some coffee and enjoy a soccer game.
Dressed In: HP windbreaker from Kohls (not available online, but they have tons of great HP clothing), Brandy Melville dress
Summer wasn't really the time for favorites this year. Moving, taking on a DIY project, and working consumed much of my time. I was preoccupied seeking out familiar comfort, rather than the next great thing. Fortunately, there were still a few items that slipped through and made everything feel a tiny bit better and here they are:
Wearing: Before the new stuff, I want to give some love to summer classics. My Levi shorts have gotten through another summer without any real sign of breaking down. So, if you're on the fence about the cost I can firmly say I've made it up through all the wears.
On the other hand, these little Forever21 "shorteralls" are on their last limb. I picked them up to use up a gift card I got for christmas and figured I would give the trend a shot. Over the seasons I've absolutely loved them and would like to get some better quality ones. I may have also gotten some paint on it from all the room redecorating (oops.)
Moving: If there was one thing I enjoyed about being unemployed it was all the time I had to workout. It may seem very preachy, Instagram girl, but exercise can do a lot for the mind as well as the body. The fact is I feel a lot better when I exercise regularly and these ladies right here kick my butt.
Adee (Flow with Adee on Youtube) is great if you want a serious stretch. She really gets into those hidden nooks and crannies of your body, which helped me gain movement in my back and stomach post-surgery.
Cassey (Blogilates on Youtube) is a long-time favorite. Her pilates videos are insane. I complain my way through nearly all of them, but the next day I feel so much stronger.
Adriene's (Yoga With Adriene on Youtube) videos were a great resource when I first dedicated myself to yoga a few years ago. She explains positions and motions in a way that makes sense to even the most clueless beginners. Even now that I'm more familiar, her videos still provide a pleasant challenge every time I get on the mat.
Applying: There is nothing really desirable about wearing a lot in the summer, so this trio was all I needed beyond my basics.
Pixi's H2O skintint is super light on the skin but makes my face look super smooth, as if I put on an intense primer underneath. The only gripe I have is there are only three shades which is super lame.
I enjoy referring to this mask as the 'anti-mud mud mask.' Despite the name, the Pacifica Pore Refine Deep Detox mud mask is not some goopy, thick mud texture. Instead, it's a clear gel. A totally game changer! It pulls a bunch of crap out of my skin without making a total mess in my bathroom sink or my glasses.
At the start of the season I got a spot of eczema on my shoulder. I tried a couple of lotions I use regularly, but nothing worked as well as the Yu-Be skin cream. It's a super thick cream that smells strongly of camphor, but it cleared up the patch in a matter of days. Probably not the best if you have large areas of dry skin, but great for the occasional issue.
Listening: I don't think it's much surprise I gravitated towards Paramore during this tough season. Every album has great sad songs that are just dancy enough to forget your problems for a couple minutes.
NAO is a new favorite I found in August. Her sound is 90s R&B mixed with today's electronic. It's one of those things I didn't know I needed. I'd recommend listening to her song Bad Blood first.
Watching: First and foremost summer was about the return of dance shows. It was a little old school, but fun getting excited to watch a new episode of So You Think You Can Dance and World of Dance each week. Sometimes it's the weather that signals fall has begun and sometimes it's the season finale of SYTYCD.
I also found the joy of Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. I wanted to watch the series when it first aired, but the BBC player gave me so much trouble. Fortunately, it's now on Hulu. Of course, when I found this out I immediately binged watched it. I'm addicted and looking forward to its return in October. Check it out if you're into scifi or anything Douglass Adams.
