09/06

Currently :: #lustlist

I have a habit of being drawn to things that stand out or that are on sale, but then have buyers remorse. So, I am going to try and not just fly by the seat of my pants and actually have a plan when I go shopping. I will of course, still be open to those spontaneous purchases, but hopefully with a more discerning eye!

Currently on my radar for Fall…

Any (or all!) of these from Anthropologie. Y’all know I adore that dog sweater…the black polka dot looks so chic and beautiful…and the soft baseball tee sweater? It’s a gorgeous color, but best of all, they paired it with camo! Love it!

Something leather! Leather is everywhere this season and I am in search of SOMETHING with leather on it. I like the combination of t-shirt and leather in this shirt from J Crew. Leather pants are always hot, but I’m lovin’ this navy pair. And, a leather dress? Yes, please!!

A leopard clutch/purse is definitely on my wish list this season! I have been drooling over this Claire Vivier one. I’ve been on the lookout for a more affordable version, but nothing I’ve seen even compares. If you know of a good one, send it my way please!

Really wanting a sparkly bracelet right now. I had my eye on this pave one from BaubleBar, but it’s currently out of stock. 🙁 Again, I’ve been looking for cheaper versions, but none seem to compare. I want a chunky one that is blingy, but not cheap looking. I like this one from J Crew, but I’m not willing to shell out $125 for it.

left :: middle :: right

Booties are very much on my radar right now. I’m fine with any color really, just as long as it looks good on my big ole size 10 foot. I want flattering, comfortable and something I can wear with a lot of things. Ultimately I think the first one on the left is optimum because of the low heel & color.

Color!! I’m loving the fall colors out right now. Deep red, purple, green are my favorites so far. Along with grey & nude for neutrals. I’ve been really into grey (& stripes) lately and I don’t see that changing in the near future.

These two sweaters from the Limited caught my eye while shopping the other day, but I didn’t purchase them. In honor of trying not to impulse buy I decided to simmer on them for a bit. Maybe wait for a sale. I think the left one will definitely be joining my closet soon though.
left :: right

What about you? What’s on your fall wish list?

posted by katiehigg 2 Comments
Filed Under: Fashion Tagged: anthropologie, booties, claire vivier leopard, fall colors, grey, leather, pave link bracelet, shopping, stripes

09/04

One maxi skirt, Six ways :: linking it up

I love my maxi (aka crotchless yoga pants), so when I was deciding which piece of clothing I was going to remix for an upcoming blog link up with Putting Me Together, it was one of my top choices.

I kept my jewelry to a minimum because, 1) I think you can focus more on the outfit rather than the jewelry, but 2) I was trying to get my photos done quickly & quietly while my sick hubby was taking a nap. 😉

Here are each of the outfits individually…My maxi skirt is from Loft, but most of the other items aren’t online anymore so I didn’t include links. If there’s something specific you have a question about though, I can tell you where I got it.

posted by katiehigg 7 Comments
Filed Under: Fashion, Linking up Tagged: black maxi skirt outfit, clothing remix, crotchless yoga pants, how to wear a maxi skirt, one piece many ways

09/03

Beauty comes in all colors…

A friend of my SIL started an amazing project called “50 Shades of Black”

Since he can explain it way better than I ever could, here’s a snippet from the website…

“50 Shades of Black is about affirming the beauty found in every human being and critically examining the influential nature of sexuality & skin tone in the formation of identity.”

I feel like I look past the color of ones skin or their sexuality to see the real person underneath and it saddens me to think that there are people who don’t. It also makes me sad that we need an eye opening project to make us more accepting of our own and other people’s differences.

I think being different is what you make of it. It can be a bad thing if you let it, but it can also be a great thing. I tell my kids being different is awesome! Who wants to be normal?!

Apparently my freckles are different. I’ve lived with them all of my life, but some people think they are the most amazing/weird/ugly/cool things. I used to get someone weekly who would comment on how many freckles I have, how I got them, why do I have so many, giving them cute little names like “angel kisses” and sometimes not so cute names. When I was in school I would come across kids who were rude about it or didn’t understand or thought they were ugly, but there were also people who didn’t care about them and even those who liked them. Heck, just a couple of weeks ago I went to the dermatologist and there was a PA checking me out first and she said, “wow, you sure do have a lot of freckles!” I thought it was amusing because surely if someone is working in a derm office they know about freckles and have seen them lots, but maybe not. It didn’t offend me though. People are curious about “different”, but that doesn’t make it a bad thing. Some people think freckles are cool and some people don’t like them. To each their own I suppose. I don’t have a choice really since they aren’t going anywhere, but I’ve learned to love my freckles and embrace what makes me different. I hope everyone can learn to love their differences whether it’s the color of your skin, your sexuality, your smile, your weight, etc.

I know the project goes much deeper than I can even comprehend, but this was my way of relating. I think it’s a cool project and I wanted to spread the word. Check out the website for a more in depth look into the 50 Shades of Black project and then check out the link at the bottom of this post to see how you can show your support!

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” ~ Dr. Seuss

Get your own awesome “Beautiful in Every Shade” shirt HERE

posted by katiehigg Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Fashion, Inspiration Tagged: 50 shades of black, beautiful in every shade, pencil skirt with tee, t-shirt with pencil skirt

08/31

New toy!

I can’t even tell y’all how excited I am about my new toy. I got a remote shutter release for my camera! I know, I know….huge nerd to be so excited about a functional toy for my camera. But, this means now I don’t have to ask someone to take photos for me and I can get proper shots of myself by my self. Of course, I had to test it out today.

In case you’re interested, I purchased the Phottix Aion. I did a quick google search on Thursday and this one looked good so I bought it. I love, love, love being able to take my own photos. I imagine it will be a little like when I first started studying photography and spent hours just playing with the camera.

posted by katiehigg Leave a Comment
Filed Under: #whatiwore, Fashion Tagged: baublebar, bubble necklace, how to wear a jumpsuit, loft jumpsuit, nikon d700, phottix aion for nikon, remote shutter release

08/28

tales from the dressing room…

Ah, shopping. It’s been a few weeks since I’ve been shopping. I love getting out and just seeing what’s out there. I know you should probably go when you need something in particular so you don’t impulse buy, but my experience is that I can never find what I’m looking for when I actually need it.

I always take snaps in the dressing room so 1) I can see how it photographs/looks on me and 2) so if I choose not to buy it, I can look at the photo later and maybe decide that I need to go back and get it! *I should note, I didn’t take photos of only the things I loved. I took photos of some of the “eh” things too. Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me and I start thinking, maybe that one dress wasn’t that bad. Now I have photos to prove that I didn’t buy it for a reason! 🙂

I would rather shop just to shop, but yesterday I was on a mission. I need to find a dress for my brothers wedding in a few weeks. I already bought a dress, but I’ve been second guessing it and if I’m second guessing it, it must not be “the one”. So, today I decided to see what else was out there. And, to be honest, I didn’t see much! Either it didn’t fit right, wasn’t the right look or was just plain ugly!

First stop…Anthropologie

left side :: I picked it off the rack because I love blue & green. However the fit was not good and the high neck wasn’t particularly flattering on me.

right side :: Loved the fit and feel of this dress. The side panels give the illusion of a slimmer silhouette and the material was a stretchy cotton with no zippers or buttons. Very comfy! But, not right for the wedding.

I know I was supposed to be looking for dresses for a wedding, but I often see something that I just *have* to try on even though it’s not what I’m supposed to be shopping for. When I picked up this next dress, I had no clue that I would LOVE it quite as much as I did.

Let me tell you…this is the most amazeballs dress I’ve tried on in awhile!

I read on a blog recently that you should only buy a dress when it makes you “feel” something. Whether it’s “cute”, “flirty”, “sexy”, “professional”, “pretty”, etc….you should feel it when you put the dress on. I should have definitely bought this dress because it made me feel incredible when I put it on. Seriously fell madly in love with it. I had to get one of the sales girls to zip it up in the back and when I was out in the main dressing area, everyone ooh’d & ahh’d over it. If you like it in the pictures, you will die when you see it in person. Am I getting my point across yet? Seriously…uh-mazing! Sadly, I have no where to wear it and it’s way too expensive and pretty to just hang in my closet. My hubby told me to buy it anyways and I am really debating it, but unless I get an invitation to an event this would be appropriate for or someone gives me a feasible idea of where to wear it, it will have to stay at the store. 🙁

This next pic is half Anthropologie and half Gap…

left side :: from Anthropologie. I saw this outfit (pants, here) on a mannequin (plus a yellow button down shirt, but I couldn’t find the shirt) and absolutely adored the striped french bulldog sweater. Good news, I loved it! Bad news…I didn’t bother to check the price tag and both the pants & the sweater were $98 EACH! Too much for this particular shopping trip so I put them back on the rack. I will be watching the sweater online though to see if it goes on sale because I desperately need it for my fall/winter wardrobe.

ride side :: from GAP. Camo! Yes, I did try on the exact (but different brands) outfit I had on the other day. In hindsight the shirt was really comfy and I probably should have gotten it. You can’t ever have enough grey shirts! The pants were cute, but not all that different from the pants I have already so I passed on them. Shirt/Pants

Next set is from Dillard’s….

I had terrible luck at Dillard’s. This dress on the left was just okay, but definitely not the look I wanted. The dress on the right I had such high hopes for and loved the color (green & blue), but the skirt didn’t lay right and the top was too boxy & big.

Lastly, Ann Taylor…

My SIL should probably earn a commission from me with this one. She sent me the link to this dress online and told me I should try it on for the wedding. I thought it was beautiful, but at the time I had just bought my other dress so I didn’t bother going to check it out. Turns out, she’s a dang good stylist! I wouldn’t have given this a second glance online. I just don’t have the eye. I dismiss items way too quickly unless I see them styled a way I like. But I remembered that she pointed it out and I wanted to try it on now that I was shopping for a new dress. Just so happens that it was the best dress I tried on all day! It’s on hold for me as I’m still deciding. It’s a petite size and I don’t normally consider myself a “petite” in clothing so I didn’t want to impulse buy it. It fits like a glove, but under the arms is cut pretty high (probably b/c it’s a petite!) and I’m worried it will rub and bother me. I’m going to go back today and try it on again.

*edited to add…I went back to try on the Ann Taylor dress and loved it more than the first time so I bought it! 🙂

That’s all for my dressing room fashion! I tried on lots more, but these were the highlights (& lowlights).

posted by katiehigg 5 Comments
Filed Under: dressing room tales, Fashion Tagged: ann taylor bold striped lace dress, anthropologie carissima sheath, dress for fall wedding, dressing room, shopping

08/27

Camo craze…Part 2! :: #whatiwore

My post last week was spurred by my recent camouflage jean purchase and inspired TWO of my outfits for the week. Camo has been all over the fashion blogs lately. If you haven’t jumped on the band wagon…now is the time! For those of you that may be tired of the camo…this is probably my last post for now. Not saying that I won’t be posting about camo more come fall time, but I’ll try to lay off it for a few. 😉

Outfit #1 :: camo jeans, grey tee, flats

basic grey pocket tee :: camouflage leggings :: Lucky brand flats

Outfit #2 :: camo jeans, white sleeveless button up, black flats/nude heels

sleeveless white button down (old, from H&M) :: flats (old, Gianni Bini) :: heels

I was headed out to a birthday dinner for my hubby & his twin, but I was going to the mall first so I didn’t want to wear heels the whole time. Looking back though, I think I liked the outfit with black shoes, rather than nude.

posted by katiehigg 2 Comments
Filed Under: #whatiwore, Fashion Tagged: camo, camouflage jeans, Express camouflage legging, nude strappy heels, what to wear with camo pants

08/20

Camo craze…

I remember back when I was around 16-17 I think (maybe 15), camo/military clothing was in “fashion”. Well, in fashion to me back then was whatever was being sold at my favorite mall shops like 5-7-9 and a store that I can’t remember the exact name, but they sold every color of Bongo jeans imaginable and there were buttons instead of zippers for the flies! Sounds very fashionable, right?! It was the early nineties, cut me a little slack, k? 😉

I distinctly remember a specific outfit. I had gone to my uncle’s that day. I probably remember because my mom took photos and I shot a gun for one of the first times. I was wearing camo shorts, a sleeveless army green tee with a big star on the front and dog tags. Not gonna lie, dressed in camo and shooting a gun…kinda felt like a badass. Even though I wasn’t. lol. I’m not sure it was my best look, but it’s cool to remember it so clearly and then to see camo back into style.

Btw, is all fashion cringe worthy when you look back on it years later? I think I’ve always taken a little risk with the way I dress, but I’ve always felt like my ultimate goal is to be classic/timeless with some edge/flair thrown in for fun. After babies I got myself dressed just so I wouldn’t be naked and trust me, I would have worn a trash bag rather than go nekkie back then! But now, 12 yrs later, I’m dressing more for me and because I care what I’m wearing. I feel like I’m back in my younger years again though trying to find my style. I guess it’s a process and after being out of the loop for 12 yrs there’s going to be an adjustment period.

Like I was saying, camo is BACK! And, like when I was in my teens, I’m all over it. Green is my favorite color. There are a few shades of green that I don’t like, but for the most part, I love it. I think it stems back to when I had a small modeling gig. I was a mannequin model for the day and when I came in, the girl showing me the clothes they picked out for me said, “oh, awesome, green is YOUR color!” Well, I liked green before, but her saying that green looked good on me, well…that was the clincher!

*random reminiscning moment* I had the worst guy partner in my window that day. You’re supposed to be like a mannequin and that dude would not stay still and kept talking to me. He was totally making me look bad! 😛

I know that camo was being worn over the summer, but I’m totally ready for my fall wardrobe so all my camo ideas are focused on cooler weather.

Camouflage skinnies with a grey top is probably my favorite combination right now! I think it’s so wearable and easy to put together

img source (left) :: img source (right)

Another easy combo…white button down with camo skinnies

img source

And we can’t leave out camo with chambray!

img source

I’m clearly loving the camouflage skinny jeans, but I’m not opposed to a camo utility jacket, shirt, shoes or accessories!

Just not all together! That would be a bit much for me. 😛

Would you wear camouflage or skip this trend? If so, what’s you’re favorite way to wear it?

posted by katiehigg 4 Comments
Filed Under: Fashion, Inspiration Tagged: camo pants, camo skinnies, camouflage, camouflage fashion trend, camouflage pants, what to wear with camo skinny jeans

08/14

brunch date :: #whatiwore

I think brunch might be my favorite meal. You don’t have to get up super early to make it to a restaurant before they get busy and you can eat breakfast or lunch, depending on your mood that day. Hubs & I had the weekend to ourselves so in my quest to try more local restaurants, I chose Orsay for our brunch. To be honest, I’d had brunch there once before, but it was good and the hubs hadn’t been there yet. Sadly, I got zero pics of our food or anything helpful like that, but I can tell you that it was delicious yet again! I ordered the daily quiche with side salad and the hubs had Steak Frites (fancy name for steak & fries).

Although I didn’t get any food pics or couple pics, I did manage to get some photos of my brunch outfit. I was pumped to finally wear my polka dot jog pants! I don’t know why I didn’t think to try to pair them with a chambray shirt. I thought it looked cute together, but I’m new at this style/fashion thing so maybe I’m crazy. 😉 I wasn’t in love with my shoe choice, but I felt like it was my best option. My favorite shoe with these pants are my Louboutin black pumps, but a heel seemed too dressy (I wasn’t in the mood to wear one anyway) and a flat just didn’t look right.

chambray shirt :: polka dot joggers (Forever 21, not online anymore) :: shoes

In case you aren’t following me on Instagram (which btw, why not?!), my hubs surprised me with a Maya Brenner initial necklace on Friday. I’ve been oohing & ahhing over them for a couple of months so I was super excited to finally have one. It’s a delicate and dainty little thing and I love it. I’ve worn it daily since it arrived! It’s hard to see in the above pic, but I tried to crop it closer so you can get a better look.

posted by katiehigg 1 Comment
Filed Under: #whatiwore, Fashion, Wordless/WIWW Tagged: brunch, chambray, chambray and polka dots, initial necklace, maya brenner, michael kors watch, polka dot jog pants, restaurant orsay, what to wear with a chambray shirt

07/31

A good deal + #whatiwore

I have a Kohl’s right around the corner from me, but I don’t go all that often. Mostly it’s hit or miss in the clothing/shoes department so I go when I need something, but it’s usually when I’m desperate and half the time, they don’t have what I need.

My daughter is being a typical teenager (technically not a “teen” for another 6.5 weeks, but in my mind, she’s a teen already) and being super picky with her clothes for school. She’s still finding her style and sometimes our shopping trips are…difficult. To be fair, sometimes she loves something and it’s a big fat N-O from me so it’s finding the middle ground that can be somewhat challenging. She’s at that age where she’s too old for the kiddie clothes, but junior sizes are very hit or miss. Some fitting good enough and others being WAY too big. Well, we stopped by Kohl’s to look at backpacks, but I told her we should check out the clothes to see if any of the XS’s fit. Considering she recently told me she would be perfectly happy with just jeans and graphic tees for school shopping…we hit the motherload in Kohl’s!

We got these 6 tee’s plus another batman one (yes, she’s obsessed with batman right now and apparently so are the stores!). All for $8.99 each. She’s happy, my wallet’s happy…win-win! Not to mention that I got $20 in Kohl’s bucks that I could redeem as early as the NEXT DAY! Woot!

Stay with me…I’m getting to my good deal point…the Kohl’s bucks are a crucial part of my story 😉

Anywho, you can’t stop in Kohl’s without looking around because you never know when you’re going to find a good deal. I have a pair of flats I found there 2 years ago that I LOVED and wore the heck out of, so I usually stop by the shoes just to see if there’s anything I *have* to have. Well blogland, I was freaking ecstatic to see these babies.

I have been loving the simple little strappy heels I’ve seen all over the fashion blogs, but most of them are 4″ heels or higher and that is taller than I wanted. These babies though? Under 4″! The problem? They didn’t have my size. Boooo for big feet. 🙁

I really wanted to get them locally, but as a last resort, they were available online. The minute I got home that night I called the next closest Kohls, but they didn’t have my size. Then I called the only other Kohl’s that I was willing to go to. I was on hold for 20 min, but hung up because I decided the guy must have forgotten about me so I made plans to head over there first thing the next morning.

The next morning I was up and atem, snagged a latte on my drive over and made a beeline to the shoes when I got there. Bad news….they didn’t have my size. Good news….I found these babies!!

White shoes are all the rage lately, but since the fashion industry is so fickle, I was fine missing out on this trend. I wasn’t interested in spending a lot of money on something that may be out of style next season. However, not only were these beauties strappy like I wanted and although the heel looks tall, the small platform makes them very wearable, but the best part….they were on a big sale…originally $75, on sale for $26.

Remember the $20 in Kohl’s bucks from my purchase the day before? Oh yes I did. I got these shoes for $6, friends….SIX BUCKS!! At that price they are pretty much disposable. lol. But I think I’ll keep them around for a little while.

Here’s how I styled them for their first night out…

All of my clothing pieces are old. The blazer, H&M :: jeans AND top are Jessica Simpson brand, Dillards :: jewelry, the Limited & Target :: shoes, Kohl’s :: BCBGeneration clutch, Dillards (same, but different color)