#26 Being in the Public Eye

So I wanted to take a second and reach out to my other blog fashionistas out there and inquire about a specific problem or issue I'm having. Advice or thoughts would be appreciated.

I recently submitted one of my OOTD's to a plus size fashion tumblr that I really love because firstly, I adore it and I want to be a part of it and, secondly, I was hoping to get some traffic and new followers to my blog. When I checked the tumblr, there were a lot of reblogs and some sweet compliments that really continue to boost my confidence and make me feel positively about maintaining my fashion blog. However, when I checked one of the tumblrs, I was pretty disgusted to see my photo on a pornographic NSFW tumblr. I feel extremely grossed out and uncomfortable with that. I could ask the person to take it off their blog but I'm not sure if that's truly going to accomplish anything.

I am not so naive as to misunderstand what happens when you submit photos or content to the internet-- it is out there permanently for anyone to use, misuse, post, reblog, edit, etc. Just my image juxtaposed with these pornographic ones was upsetting. I guess at this point, I either have to accept that people may reblog my images and accept the so-called "terms" of the internet or I have to be solely an admirer, not a participant in these submission tumblrs to try to redeem some of my privacy. My images are on Pinterest now too-- which again, is a blessing and a curse because it brought me lots of traffic and awesome new blogs to read yet at the same time, is a symbol of my loss of control over my own images (literally in two senses: images of me and MY images). And when you get down to it, if I'm that concerned with protecting my images, then I guess I shouldn't have a blog at all because anyone could steal my images from this page alone and use them inappropriately or without my permission-- people already did on Pinterest. Is that really the right and only answer?

Such is my dilemma. What are your thoughts? Have your images ever been misused or posted on an inappropriate website? How did you deal with this issues? Please share your thoughts and experiences-- it would really be helpful to me.

UPDATE: The person who re-blogged my image respectfully took it down. Faith in humanity somewhat restored. Would still love thoughts on this debate!

#25 Electric Prep

Allow me to make this metaphor: I think some colors are like new albums by your favorite artist. Sometimes at first, you aren't exactly loving it-- in fact, maybe you're not into at all. But, you decide to be patient and with each new listen, you find yourself understanding the intricacies and nuances of their new sound. Over time, as you listen and listen again, you slowly come to love their work.

That's exactly how I feel about acid/electric yellows and greens-- strong dislike at first, but over time, I'm coming to love the unusual acid tones that are currently very on trend. They come with a challenge because they aren't exactly flattering on all skin tones and hair colors, but I'm really into the way neon contrasts with my red hair. I think neons look especially gorgeous on women with beautiful dark cocoa skin-- something about how the colors come together is so breathtaking. Clearly, I am quite the opposite of beautiful dark cocoa; I'm more say... white chocolate.

 

 

SHIRT Acid Yellow Silk Button Up, Ann Taylor | SWEATER Honeydew Light Wool Sweater, Ann Taylor | JEANS Dark Skinnies, Eloquii | SHOES Men's Leather Sperrys, Vintage | BRACELET Ribbon Crystal Bracelet, The Limited

I know neon and neutral is not news but I love the contrast of the shirt with my brown Sperrys (which I got for $10 at a vintage store!). I also love the preppy look spiced up with neons-- I think it all plays really well off of my green glasses, too. Finally, I can't say it enough: I heart Ann Taylor. It's true. I used to think that it was a store that would age me, but they actually have some very trendy stuff in beautiful colors, which helps me be more stylish for work and still look youthful and fashionable. It doesn't hurt that they have 40% off sales all the time, too! I think there's one going on now, coupon code: April40. 

My favorite neon color right now will still be blue-- I have a similar shirt that is blue that I can't wait to show you (also from my love Ann Taylor). What about you? What's your favorite neon color this season?

#24 Forget Me Not

Remember me? I'm still here... working my butt off. And I have really exciting news that I can't wait to share with you all in a few short weeks!

Back to fashion: I love florals. There's something about them that make me happy. Maybe it's because they scream spring, or because they remind me of a comfy old grandma couch. Two memories that bring a lot of joy. Either way, I'm really pleased that they're really trending in fashion lately. In fact, a lot of my favorite things have become trendy-- comfortable wedges and flatforms, neon colors, florals, lace, and maxi dresses. Clearly I'm so awesome, I'm ahead of the curve. Right... Now, on to the outfit!

TOP Floral Peplum Shirt, H&M | JEANS Classic Skinnies, Eloquii | SHOES All Caps Wedges, Jeffrey Campbell | WALLET/CLUTCH Mint Zip Wallet, UO

Sorry the photo quality isn't perfect. My amazing friend Ellie took them on her iPhone. I'm still amazed at the quality regardless. Oh, and lip color is Schiap by NARS. The lovely Nicolette Mason wears it a lot on her blog, too!

I love the peplum thing. This top is from H&M and they had so many tops like this... I also got it in solid kelly green and a navy top with red polka dots. That's how I roll: find one thing you like and get it in every color. I think it makes me look a little too busty but hell, I'm wearing what I wanna wear! I'm becoming quite a fan of Eloquii, too. I'm pretty pleased with the jeans I got. They're a little bit big and a little bit short on me (I'm about 5'7") but they're still great and really comfortable. I definitely plan to get them in more sizes and colors (and size down and get a bigger inseam). I only wish they had them in bright tropical colors and pastels! I'm drooling just thinking about it!

Another interesting development: I stumbled upon myself on Pinterest. There have been a lot of picture sharing of my outfits, especially this one in particular! It's pretty cool actually. It really built up my confidence to see that people liked my style. If you pinned me, thank you so much and thank you for giving me credit! Happy Spring, all!

#23 Spring in January

Yesterday was an insanely beautiful day... finally, some sunshine in the midwest! It didn't feel like January, more like a blustery fall day. I picked an outfit with a splash of bright neon blue to match the gorgeous sky. My best friend and I hit the mall and walked around outside for the entire day. Sorry about all the squinting! It was so bright outside!

JACKET Brown Leather Jacket, F21 | TOP Color Blocked Silk Blouse, Ann Taylor Loft | JEANS Skinny Jeans, Old Navy | SHOES Tan Buckle Boots, F21 | NECKLACE Rhinestone Compass Necklace, Target | EARRINGS 1/2" Turquoise Spirals, Body Art Forms | SUNGLASSES Gold Prescription Aviators, Ray Ban

I'm not a big "brown" person. Most of the more neutral colors in my wardrobe are black and white. Recently, I've really been getting into shades of brown, taupe, and cognac. They are so beautiful. I really think pairing brown with bright neon blue or cobalt is a really unusual but gorgeous color combination and it's something I'm definitely going to continue on in the future.

I'm a huge fan of bright pastels for spring. The top I'm wearing is from Ann Taylor, which I normally associate with more mature work-wear. However, they have a ton of cute stuff for spring, including pastel colored skinny jeans and gorgeous, bright silk tops. It may be winter time, but that doesn't mean we can't be colorful.

Some of my favorite pastels and brights for spring include:

There are so many to choose from! I just purchased the leopard wedges at H&M on our mall trip. They are so comfortable and inexpensive! I also bought the black and white wrist cuff from F21 and the wedges in black from ALDO (not pictured). My favorite items here include the pastel bunting necklace from ASOS, all of the floral print, the gorgeous lilac wedges from ALDO (sold out in my size... *SOB*), the Dior Garden Party collection nail lacquers, and the pastel Jeffrey Campbell studded loafers, which come in a variety of pastel colors. The ALDO Calcagni wedges are fabulous and come in a ton of Spring colors. Just beware-- they are about 1.5-2 sizes smaller than you would normally buy (I bought an 11 and I'm a 9).

I love pastels and brights! I'm looking forward to absorbing as much color as possible into my wardrobe this year. What are your favorite pastel and bright colors that you're looking forward to wearing this Spring?

#22 Purple

One of my new years resolutions is to post more outfit pictures... so here we are, 16 days into January, and I'm starting to blog again. The two things that really keep me from blogging are #1: finding outfits that are appropriate to post (because I am a teacher, my work outfits are often quite basic) and #2: finding a good location with lots of light and a photographer to take photos! My apartment has terrible light for photography (but it's still a great place!) and I work from 7am-5pm, which means lately I rarely get to see daylight, let alone take photos! :) I'm working on it though, and I missed this blog so much while I was on hiatus! Back to the fashion...

In terms of colors, my wardrobe tends to be on the more masculine side. Lots of black, grays, greens, and blues. I don't have a lot of pink or purple clothing, but lately I've really started to love purple. I especially think lavender/gray-purple shades are very flattering on my skin tone and go perfectly with my red hair and green eyes.

JACKET Black boyfriend blazer w/ striped lining, F21 | TOP Ruffled Lavender Tunic, Ann Taylor Loft | JEANS Black Skinny Jeans, Old Navy | SHOES Black Buckle Boots, ALDO | NECKLACE Rhinestone leaf, F21 | RING Black Stone Ring H&M | BRACELET Crystal & Bed Wrap Bracelet, Juicy Couture

I love the surprising combinations of lavender, red (hair), and green (glasses) in this post! The Juicy Couture bracelet (which my wonderful boyfriend got for my birthday in December) also adds a pop of great color and is a huge conversation piece-- I always get questions and compliments whenever I wear it.

While I'm thinking about accessories, have any of you heard of Warby Parker? They have some really unique and vintage-looking eyewear for only $95, including prescriptions online. I recently found out they have a display in Milk Bar in Columbus so I'm going to check that out this week and possibly get a new pair or two to add to my repertoire. I could use some different frames to switch it up-- I love my greens but I could definitely use a change of pace. What's that? You want to know my favorites from the Warby Parker collection? Done and done.

Roosevelt, Bondi Blue

Huxley, Tennessee Whisky

Crosby, Burgundy Fade

Beckett, Striped Evergreen

I'll keep you posted on how my Warby Parker excursion goes... I'll certainly need your suggestions on which glasses to get! :) Thanks for reading, and hello to my new followers! Even after months of hiatus, I'm up to 70 followers. WOW. Thank you so much for all of your support! Happy blogging, and happy belated new years everyone!

#21 Eyebrows

I'd rarely thought about the shape of my eyebrows recently until the incredible Nicolette Mason graciously commented on them on my last post. I realized how thick and full they are, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. I'd always admired thin, shapely eyebrows with a high arch and wished that mine could look like that-- elegant and sleek. I've always considered mine to be "hairy caterpillars" growing on my face and the fact that they completely lack an arch doesn't help. Plucking them thin always looked ridiculous and I dislike the way eyebrow pencils make them look so dark. It's a love-hate relationship, and truthfully, I have no idea what to do with them. I remember when I was in 8th grade and I over-plucked them, looking super classy with eyebrows that began at my pupils, separated by 4 long inches of glorious hairlessness. If anyone has any ideas about how to shape them, please let me know. Otherwise, I'll just keep with my caterpillars. I'm learning to love them.

GLASSES Menswear Tortoiseshell, Rayban | PLUGS Cubic Zirconia 7/16", Body Art Forms | NECKLACE Gold, Rose Gold, and Silver Studs, Noir Jewelry | RING Black Oval Stone, H&M | TOP Lace Back Drape Shirt, H&M | SKIRT Textured Pull-on Skirt, H&M | TIGHTS Sweater Knit Tights, H&M | JACKET Faux Leather Jacket, Forever 21 | FLATS Glitter Ballet Flats, J Crew

I love this lipstick, by the way. I think it makes the whole outfit. I love the combination of neutral and neons, neon pink in this case. The color is "Schiap" by Nars purchased at Sephora. If you like this tint but want something a little more subdued, I suggest "Roman Holiday" by Nars, as well. It's perfect for day time wear! My nail color is "Carnival" by Essie and I recently purchased "Mint Candy Apple" by Essie as well. Those are my Fall beauty obsessions! If anyone has any eyebrow product suggestions or tips, please feel free to advise. :)

#20 Dream Weaver

Long time, no outfit post! :) That's back-to-school life for me. And now that I'm no longer staying with my boyfriend, I rarely have an excellent photographer around. Thankfully, last weekend my friend Ellie and I shopped 'till we dropped, and luckily I was able to convince her to take a few shots of my outfit on top of the parking garage. Pardon the squinting... it was such a beautiful sunny day!

JACKET Rouched Sleeved Jacket, H&M | TOP Black Snakeskin Ballerina Tunic, Urban Outfitters | JEANS Black Skinny Jeans, Old Navy | SHOES Black Strappy Wedges, Target | NECKLACE Dream Catcher Necklace, Vintage | EARRINGS 7/16" Jade Plugs, Body Art Forms | PURSE Studded Metallic Clutch, Marc Jacobs

I love this necklace. It's such a huge statement piece and I think it really makes the outfit. I bought it at a vintage/thrift shop in New York City a few years ago. I rarely wear it, but ever since I've decided to try to wear more of what I own and buy less, it came back into my regular rotation. However, I always feel conflicted about "ethnic" pieces like these: is wearing them a celebration of a beautiful and rich culture, or simply exploiting an oppressed racial group? What do you think?

The wedges from Target are amazing, too. They are a blatant rip-off of Dolce Vita's wedges (which most likely are runway rip-offs), but they are so comfortable and only cost about $30. Sadly, as the weather seems to be getting cooler and cooler, this will probably be my last outfit post featuring open-toed shoes! On the other hand, I can't wait for fall fashion...

Finally, I really want to thank everyone who voted for me in the Talbots contest. Sadly, I didn't win, but I really appreciate everyone who took a few minutes out of their day to vote! Thank you so much!