School Girl Crush

Whoever would have thought that after twelve years of wearing a school uniform I would wear a prep school inspired outfit of my own volition? Not I, that's for sure. Perhaps, though, if this was my uniform instead of an itchy gray plaid skirt and white polo shirt I would have felt differently about wearing it. So, I knew that I wanted to wear these shorts today, and they totally reminded me of something a grade school boy might wear, so I thought to myself, "why not push the idea even further with a peter pan collar?!" Word for word thought process, I tell you.





Shirt: UO, Shorts: Zara, Sandals: Steve Madden, Belt: Delias, Necklace: Modcloth

Confession time! Back in high school, which I talk about as though I'm in my eighties now even though I actually graduated just last year, I had a legitimate "school girl crush" on one of my favorite teachers, who I actually still talk to every now and then. In my defense, he's really cool AND quite the snappy dresser. Have you ever had a "school girl crush," or am I the lone...crusher? That word doesn't seem right. But anyway,





Had to have a little fun with my favorite necklace


Until tomorrow,
Nicole :)

Edgar Allan Bow

This morning was a rough one. After hiding out in bed for a few hours, I decided to put on some of my favorite, comfy clothes to perk myself up. This shirt, which reads "Poe Is My Homeboy," is one of my absolute favorite shirts. Mainly because it's ridiculous. I decided to add some girly bows to the mix in the form of headbands and shoes, and hence the title of this post was born. For the record, I am far too proud of myself for coming up with the title. For today's post, I will have two different sets of pictures. You see, at first I decided to go super casual with just a pair of shorts. After I looked at the pictures, though, I wasn't thrilled and decided to change. So, I put on a skirt with the shirt and liked what I saw, so off I went to snap more pictures. HOWEVER, after looking at the first set again, I decided they weren't as awful as I originally thought. So, I present to you, albeit inadvertently, my first little "remix" of one of my favorite literary themed shirts (I also have a Thoreau one, ironically).

LOOK ONE-Shirt: Cafe Press, Shorts: UO, Shoes: Aerosoles?, Bow: Claire's




I would like to take this moment to share my favorite moment caused by this shirt. Back in high school, I decided to wear this shirt one dress down day, and my favorite teacher walked by and made the most appalled face. "POE IS YOUR HOMEBOY?! He was insane and on drugs and had RABIES," she screamed at me. It was really funny. I never saw her get that angry over anything! Anyway,

LOOK TWO-Skirt: H&M, Belt: NY&Co, Bow: Claire's, Glasses: Mom's





Thank you for reading, I appreciate it so much!

Until tomorrow,
Nicole :)

Everybody Loves Something Sometimes

Number one lesson I learned today: Always ALWAYS wear shorts under your skirt. You think I would have learned this after TWELVE YEARS wearing a Catholic School Uniform, but no. I was in a rush today to get to a movie on time (Iron Man 2. It wasn't great, but it certainly wasn't horrible) and I just completely forgot the shorts. Oops. I was fine until we left the movie theatre. It was storming, but the restaurant where we were planning on eating lunch was just a block away. We didn't feel like waiting it out, so off we went. Oops. That wind was something fierce. As hard as I tried to hold my skirt down, some part of it was always flying up. This was the first time I had to ask my boyfriend "So, how many people in Applebees do you think I flashed?" Oh boy. Well, the date was fun anyway, and the food was pretty yummy!



Shirt and skirt: Macy's, Sandals: Steve Madden, Belt: Target




Zak made me laugh in this picture, hence the goofy smile


Until tomorrow,
Nicole :)

Walk With The Animals

Today, Zak and I met up with my sister and her husband to go to the Bronx Zoo. I love going to the zoo, and I go quite often since I live to close to it. We did nearly everything: walked around, went to the butterfly garden, rode the monorail, and even rode the "bug carousel." We also saw some inappropriate turtles (in the children's zoo I might add) and some absolutely crazy peacocks. Seriously, they were being really weird. I even got to see my favorite animal, the red panda that the zoo has named Walter. So cute! It was quite a lovely day, but it was also quite bright and sunny, so I'm looking forward to a nice relaxing night.



Shirt: Alloy, Skirt: UO, Moccasins: Minnetonka, Belt: Target







Red Panda! (taken precariously while on the monorail, so excuse the awful awful quality):



Until tomorrow,
Nicole :)

Somewhere only we know

Hello! Yesterday, I went shopping. And today, I went shopping again! In a week and a half, I'll be headed to California for a week (which I'm a little terrified about since I've never been on a plane!), and these shopping trips have been my excuse to buy a few "necessary" items. I actually got my first romper yesterday. I'm a little on the fence about it, because I'm afraid it's a bit unflattering on me, but it was cute and a romper so I decided to get it! Since I bought a bunch of clothes yesterday, I pulled back a bit today, getting a nautical striped top (finally!) and a pair of sandals. I didn't realize how green my photos were today! The combination of my skirt and the foliage in my backyard is a little overwhelming, but I hope you like them anyway :)





Skirt: UO, Shirt: Delias, Shoes: Mom's, Belt: Target, Necklace: Modcloth







Thanks for all of your supportive comments on my last post, by the way. They really mean a lot :)

Until Tomorrow,
Nicole

Losing It

As much as I love a good cardigan, there was no way I was throwing anything on over this dress today, what with it being a whopping NINETY TWO out today. It's ridiculous. I wanted to keep things as cool and simple as possible while still trying to keep in mind some sense of style.




Dress: Jack by B.B. Dakota/Pacsun, Wedges: Mom's, Belt: NY&Co, Bow: Claire's, Bracelet: Brookish

Shortly after these photos were snapped, I headed off to Target to pick up a few new belts (I got two!). This subject, belts, leads me to a topic I've been wanting to post about, but haven't yet: my weight loss. Back in November, the weekend after Thanksgiving I believe, me, my mom, and some close family friends all decided to join weight watchers. I've joined weight watchers many, many times before, but we all agreed that this time would be different because we all had eachother for support. And this time was different, or perhaps I should say is different, since I'm still on the diet. Since the end of November I've lost just about 30 pounds, or 28.8 to be exact).



When I started dieting, I was at my highest weight ever, 190 pounds. The most frustrating part about weighing that much was that I couldn't see it. I thought the way I looked and my actual weight didn't correlate, that I was smaller than I actually was. I've been overweight for most of my life. I was the chubby kid in grammar school, and one of the chubby kids in high school. It's not fun, and it can be painful, but I had a lot of support, and a lot of people who loved me for who I was and helped me to do the same. Even so, I wanted to lose weight for myself. I had started reading fashion blogs the summer before I started weight watchers, and I saw all of these girls so happy, comfortable, and beautiful in their own skin. I wasn't completely happy in my own skin, and while I do like the person I am, I really did think it was time to lose some weight. So I did, and still am (though yummy summer bbqs have not been helping!).



Even after losing 30 pounds, though, I couldn't really see it. I still saw the same body, the same curves and chub, even with my pants feeling looser and fitting into some smaller sized clothing. People who haven't seen me in a while tell me how "skinny" I've gotten, but their opinions don't matter to me if I can't see the change. This is part of the reason I decided to start this blog. I thought, maybe if I see myself, really look at myself and put myself out there, I'll see the change I've been working really hard to make. And after seeing today's pictures in particular, I think I'm starting to.



So, I guess I should explain how this whole thing relates to belts. Well, the belt I'm wearing in these photos I've had for over a year, since before the diet. Back then, it fit. Now, It wraps halfway around my body after I cinch it, and I have to safety pin it to ensure that I don't look like I have a tail growing out of my waist. So today, I finally got new belts, that fit, and while it's a very little occurrence, it feels very rewarding.

Ah! Sorry for such a long post, but I wanted to get this out there. Thanks for reading, it means a lot.

Until tomorrow,
Nicole :)

Sugar On The Asphalt

Hello! Today has been a pretty easygoing day. I headed over to my mom's school again to help her move into her new classroom. It was okay, but there was so much dust everywhere! I was sneezing up a storm. Since I was at the school already, I decided to snap some photos on the school's black-top playground against one of the shadier walls. I got my mom to take my pictures today. Some of them are absolutely ridiculous, and I made some faces and gestures that I've never seen myself make before, but I think I picked out some good ones to share :)





Vest: Urban Outfitters, Skirt worn as dress: Thrift, Moccasins: Minnetonka, Belt: Purse strap, Necklace: Buffalo Exchange

So, my dress is actually a skirt I found while thrifting over the weekend (four dollars once again!). I thought the floral pattern was cute, and I was planning on hacking off a lot of the length and turning it into a skirt I would actually wear. I've seen a few bloggers turn long thrift store skirts into dresses though, and when I tried my skirt like a dress, I thought it actually looked pretty cute :)




A few silly ones too, of course :)



Until tomorrow,
Nicole :)

In Casual Simplicity

Summer has certainly arrived! According to weather.com it's 86 degrees out, but it feels more like 96! I may be exaggerating a tiny bit, but it certainly is hot. Zak and I decided to take a walk through the shadier streets and, despite the heat, it was nice to get out and enjoy the day.

I had to keep my outfit for today light and simple. I actually picked up this little floral shirt from the Salvation Army over the weekend for four dollars, which I think is a pretty good deal! These pictures are a bit sun drenched, but I think they turned out pretty well.







Shirt: Thrift, Skirt: H&M, Sandals: Nordstrom, Sunnies: Ray Ban

We frolicked about in our summer skin

Since today is father's day, my family decided to barbeque and have a little party of sorts with tons of laughs and yummy food, of course. My sister came over, which was a treat since I don't see her very much. We ate, played cards, ate, planned our vacation to Florida, and of course ate some more. All in all, it was a very nice time!

My outfit for today was kept very simple because it was incredibly hot outside! So, I just threw on a light, sleeveless dress and some comfortable sandals. The dress actually is a bit longer than I would like (past my knees) but I was somehow able to belt it in such a way that it hits above my knees, making it more comfortable and a bit more summery I think! I was lucky enough to have my sister snap some shots today, but she kept making me giggle, so some of the pictures are a bit silly.






Dress, belt: H&M, Sandals: Dr. Scholl's, Glasses: Mom's old, Necklace: Modcloth
If you read my about me, you know that I love mustaches. When I got this lovely modcloth necklace, I was so excited!




My sister bought Crumbs cupcakes with her from the city. They are extremely delicious, and I am extremely full.


Thank you for reading!

Until tomorrow,
Nicole :)

Watch the Sky

Today's just another lazy day of relaxing and watching Law and Order: SVU. It also happens to be super warm out, which called for a light, comfortable outfit. I've had the shirt that I'm wearing for a few years now and could never really figure out how to style it. It's a peculiar little thing, but I thought it was so cute with its plaid pattern and little ruffle. I just paired it with one of my favorite pairs of jean shorts and threw on some accessories.





Top: Urban Outfitters, Shorts: H&M, Moccasins: Minnetonka, Sunnies: Rayban, Flower: Charlotte Russe, Bracelet: Brookish





This is quite possibly my favorite bracelet ever. If you look closely, you can see that its covered in little excerpts from Pride and Prejudice! It's the perfect way to showcase my love for all things literature :)





Until tomorrow,
Nicole :)