1) It's too cold to wear half of the outfits I want to, kinda like this one. I feel cool and awesome and almost froze to death taking these photos.

2) Even though it's progressively getting lighter in the afternoon/evenings, as far as pictures go the lack of ambient light is shit. Especially because upping the ISO levels as I did below, result in fuzzy pictures  (which I kind of knew it would but I was hoping I was wrong.

Maybe we should collectively decide I'm going for a "vintage" aesthetic? That could work. In fact, screw it, I put these in A Color Story and now they're *deliberately* retro. I'm fashion forward, that's right, and not a procrastinator.

I don't really know what's wrong with me that I would think taking pictures NEXT TO THE WATER on a windy as hell day would be a good idea. Since it's done now, I hope you'll just excuse me and the overly hand-centric photos that I had to take to keep my hair out of my face/lipstick.

I've been keeping an eye out for plaid double-breasted blazers from pretty much the moment they exploded all over the internet, but I never really seriously considered thrifting one because fit is such a huge component of the overall look. Then - duh - it occurred to me that using a thrifted blazer I already owned and loved might be a good way to tackle the problem. I found this Pendleton piece on Poshmark for $12, and it was worth every penny :D.

In my quest to create the perfect closet for me, I've been purging. Purging to the point where things are looking a little bare at this point in the year, but if that's what it takes to get me to a place I'm happy with then I'm gonna make it work. This top had been slated for the donate pile, but I decided to pull it back out for one last attempt at a refashion and I'm really glad that I did.

Is a black button with black jeans actually all that revolutionary? No, of course not, but the combination of the high-waisted washed black jeans and the almost satiny-finish of the top is unique enough to make me happy, without feeling too dressed up.


*Fit Note: Due to the low stretch I sized up to a 34 in these ASOS Jeans and love them to pieces.

I'm not going to say (yet) that this is going to be the only holiday dress I purchase this year but I think it's a damn good one for a variety of events. The higher neck and lace accent make it unique from the other black dresses in my closet, and the fun flare skirt keeps it feeling young (plus I can eat in it, always a top priority for me). I've also worn this with tights and flats to work already, so I'd say it's pretty versatile for a fancy-ish black dress!

(Note: Dress runs a bit small in my opinion, I'm wearing a size 10 here.)

Now this outfit was a case of happy accidents. I bought the sweater during Ann Taylor's 70% off sale sale, lol, and only when it arrived did I notice how perfectly it matched these burgundy jeans. Love when that happens!

No white after labor day is just one of those rules that never made much sense to me. Fall in DC is an interesting time, as days switch constantly between the low 60's and high 70's, so if a sunny day screams graphic tee and white jeans, I think I'm just gonna go with it