Things I Love Thursday

These are the things I'm loving this week. Be aware, it's all clothing and such. I'm addicted to online window shopping!

How great is this Coach scarf? It's for breast cancer awareness!

This John Galliano look is amazing!

How amazing are these pants? Anyone know who makes them?

I'm dying over this necklace, but apparently its sold out. Help!

These towering Ruthie Davis wedges are crazy awesome.

You all already know how much I love Steve Madden. These boots! Ah!

I just found re-souL today and I'm dying for these boots!

How perfect is this dress for the holidays? (the back of..)

Let's be honest, everything from ricketyrack.com is amazing.

 I need this shirt before xmas! Who doesn't?!

And I fell in love with this gorgeous sweater and these cutout wedges from swaychic.com!

Also,

my new puppy, Todd. Spending time with Henry every night. The fact that our New Jersey friends are safe. Yummy white chip macadamia nut cookies. Hoodies. Hopefully powdered carob soon since I can't have chocolate.

Favorite Artists: Alex Pardee

If you don't know who Alex Pardee is, you should. He's probably most famous for doing The Used's album Art for their album "In Love and Death". You know, the tree with the hanging heart?

Recently I'm loving his set called "Icans". It's a bunch of recognizable cartoons or comic book heroes and they are AWESOME. These are some of my favorites!

Bat Merle

Daffy Dirk

Fred Flinstern

Gerfield

Supermarn

The Flarsh

The Hurlk

He's probably my favorite artist, hands down. We have one of his paintings hanging in our living room. His wrinkle work is so spectacular. The guy's super talented! And they're always just so disgusting and weird, which is always a good combo. His other series "Letters From Digested Children" is another one of my favorites of his. Check it out, here.

I'm thinking of making this a permanent series on my blog. I don't know if you guys would be into it though. What do you think? Also, I didn't post Tattuesday yesterday because I don't get a lot of response from it. Are you done with it or should I keep it going? Leave comments and let me know!

Fashion Conundrums: Two

I've been searching around for some more fashion issues that people seem to be having and this one has kind of just been bugging me. I've been seeing a lot of girls wearing super unflattering hemlines lately or doing other things that make their legs look super short and it's just not a good look. I realize some girls might not care and that's perfectly fine, but for the ones who are doing it unintentionally, I wanted to help bring it to the forefront. So here's part two of this series: How To Make Your Legs Look Miles Long

First, nude. There is a color of clothing called "nude" but not everyone's skin is that color! The term nude is supposed to mean you're not wearing anything and how do you look like that if that shoe in "nude" doesn't match your skin color? Exactly. So to make your legs look longer, get shoes that match your skin! Cutting them off at the ankle or foot by an off shade of "nude", doesn't work. Also, if you're wearing tights with the nude shoes, try to match them as well. Go for the same tonal quality as your skin, like a light pink/peach if you have really pale skin. Another nude that will work, is a nude skirt or dress. That will bring your leg line all the way up to the waist of the skirt/dress.

If you don't want to do nude however, a dress or skirt that is in the same tonal family as your shoes will also draw the eye up and down.

That brings us to number two: Hemlines and Waistlines
The higher the waistline, the longer your legs look, and the same with hemlines. That's not to say that you want your shorts so short that your butt's hanging out or dresses so short that your um... Britney.. can be seen. All I mean is that hemlines above the knee make your legs a lot longer to the eye, than hemlines below the knee. Unless it's an empire waist. Just please don't go out looking like a hooch, for the love of long legs.

Three. Your shoes matter! I already told you how nude shoes go a long way but there's other options too. Heels, for instance. We all know that heels make you look taller, therefore make your legs look longer. Common sense, right? Well did you know that the style of heel can make a difference? Like a round-toe pump can shorten your legs, so stick to pointy-toes. Also, ankle straps cut the leg line so stay away from those. (Unless they're nude or match your tights!)

The fourth thing I came up with is all about your pants. Dark pants or dark washes instantly make your legs look thinner, and usually thinner = longer. A straight leg or skinny pant also works to lengthen your legs, as there is no fullness, like with a bell or boot cut.

Finally, make sure your tops only come to your hips. Any longer and, you guessed it, it shortens your leg line.  And I know the trend right now is horizontal stripes but personally, I try to stay away from that as much as possible. Vertical lines make you look long and lean!

Being only 5' even, myself I try to do whatever I can to look taller (and slimmer). Any one of these little hints should help you look like you have god-given, long legs. I can't promise the legs of Carrie Underwood (Is she even real?) but they're tried and true!

If you guys have any other tips or tricks for long-looking legs, leave a comment!

All pictures linked respectively

Tattuesday: Election Edition

This has nothing to do with my political standing. I thought it was funny (and ridiculous). I picked the most well done tattoos.

And in no particular order:

Not Monica Lewinsky.

And finally for today's candidates:

Eric Hartsburg asked for bids on eBay to get a Romney tattoo on his face.

An anonymous Republican bidder paid him $15,000 to get it done.

That is the only Romney tattoo I could find, so please don't be offended. If you don't know who some of the men in the tattoos are.. well... 

All pictures are linked to their source.

Fashion Conundrums: Take One

I'm gonna try out this new series called Fashion Conundrums. It's going to be about different fashion issues and questions that I get or see people asking a lot.

This week, all I've heard it seems, is "I found this really cute dress but its too cold to wear it!" and that is the silliest thing I've ever heard, unless it's a beach wrap or something crazy. Almost all spring (and most of the time, summer) dresses can be worn even in the chillier months as long as you can do one thing: layer.

So here are some different ideas that I came up with, either completely on my own or by seeing someone wear it.

One: Tights.

Well, tights and leggings. This is a no-brainer that you've seen from EVERYONE. If you're gonna go bare-legged in the cold, you are a brave woman. I am not so brave. I am notoriously cold, at all times, so I always layer up underneath if I'm wearing a dress out these days. And with so many tights options, like patterned, sheer, opaque, and every color ever imaginable, it will not be hard to find a pair you love. Seriously. Also, when it gets even colder? Do not be afraid to double up! Two layers of tights will feel like you're wearing a pair of warm pants.

Two: There are other neutrals!

Too many people just go straight for black in the winter, but brown and grey works too. It can make everything seem more autumnal instead of just harsh black and floral-y or flouncy dress. Actually, the black can actually make the colors of your dress pop, having the opposite effect. So try brown or grey tights and cardigans if you're going the neutral route.

Three: Breaking up the pattern

If you're going to wear a super patterned springtime dress with flowers or whatnot, along with layering the crap out of it, try breaking up the pattern with a big, comfy scarf or a thick belt. Also, try to use them in pretty autumn colors like mustard, oxblood (which is huge right now), emerald, or other saturated colors. The big statement pieces like the scarf and thick belt, in those colors or neutrals, will help decrease the spring feel of the pattern.

Four: Dresses into skirts

A lot of spring and summer dresses have a full/voluminous bottom half. One option you have, instead of a cardigan, is to layer a sweater over top of the dress so the the bottom half then acts as a skirt. Chunky (or cable) knits are ideal for this, but any heavier knit will work, granted the top of your dress isn't incredibly voluminous as well. I suggest if the dress is pretty colorful, stay with a neutral top and vice versa. Flannels work great too, if it's not dreadfully cold.

Five: Dresses into tops

On the opposite side of number four, if you have a slim or body con dress that you're dying to wear, you can totally layer a thicker skirt over the bottom half of the dress. Try something in wool or tweed, as those are your warmer options. A fuller skirt in a pretty fall color would work too!

Six: No sleeves? No problem.

As I'm sure you've seen everywhere, as well as tights, throwing a long sleeved shirt under a dress is a lot of women's go-to when it starts to get chilly. I think it's absolutely adorable to put a button up or a turtleneck under a sleeveless dress. It looks so polished and cozy (two words that are rarely used together). So again, use neutrals or fall colors to contrast the spring-like patterns. And if you have a more fall-worthy dress that's just lacking in the sleeve department, try a bright pop of any coordinating color to brighten up the gloomy days.

And a side note: boots always make something more autumn-y.

I hope that helped some of you who have been pondering trowing those pretty dresses in the back of the closet. Or those of you who are clinging for dear life, and freezing simultaneously. Feel free to use any and all of these tips. (But please, not all of them at once.)
Stay warm and layer!!
[All pictures are linked to the source]