Return to Oz

dress: ModCloth | cardigan & tights: Target | belt: thrifted | shoes: Francesca's Collections

It's hard to believe that last St. Patrick's Day, it was over 80 degrees and I was wearing shoes with cutouts and sweating in an airy dress. These photos are from this year's St. Patrick's Day, and it was bitterly cold and miserably windy. (Today, it's been snowing furiously. Oh, Michigan.) I'm amazed any of these photos turned out at all; in almost every single one, my hair was doing crazy things and my dress was blowing in such a way that it looked like I was wearing a saggy drop-crotch romper. Not my best look! However, I'm really happy with the photos that did turn out. Despite the cold, the golden hour was really lovely that night.

That afternoon, Chris and I had gone with his parents to see the new Oz movie. It wasn't anything groundbreaking, but it was quite fun - plus, I've met one of the actors who had a bit part, so I had fun playing "Spot-the-Ralph." (He was one of the main actors in Free Pie!) I also enjoyed finding all of the callbacks to the 1939 movie, even though they couldn't have those references be overt because of copyright. When I was younger, the Wizard of Oz was my absolute favorite movie - I even made my parents call me "Dorothy" for six whole months. That movie will always be special to me. The effects may not be much compared to today's CGI (which was impressive in the new movie), but it's got a charm that I don't think will ever be topped.

I hope you all have a great week! Have any of you seen the new Oz movie?

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Skirts & stripes forever (+ Firmoo glasses review)

glasses: c/o Firmoo | dress (worn as top): Forever 21 | cardigan & wedges: Target | skirt: Francesca's Collections

When Firmoo contacted me a few weeks ago offering me a pair of glasses to review, I had two immediate reactions. The first was unbridled excitement: yes! I've always wanted my own pair of glasses! But the second was something like embarrassment. I don't need glasses! Everyone would know I'm faking it! But after a quick moment of reflection, I realized three things:

1) No one knows I don't need glasses.

2) No one cares I don't need glasses.

3) If someone does care that I don't need glasses and wear them anyway, they seriously need to get a life.

So, here I am, wearing glasses as a fashion accessory, completely unashamed. So there!

And now, a little bit about Firmoo and my experience with them:

Basically, Firmoo is an online eyewear retailer that aims to make glasses both fashionable and affordable. They even have a First-Pair-Free program where new customers can get, well, their first pair free! (This only applies to certain frames, but even the frames you have to pay for are pretty inexpensive.)

My favorite thing about them by far, though, is their virtual try-on system: you can upload your picture to their site to see what different frames will look like on you. I've tried to do this in the past with Photoshop, just to see what I would look like with glasses...but their website takes all the guesswork out of it. Upload your photo, click on each pupil, boom! Done. That was hugely helpful when I was trying to pick out my frames. (Here are the ones I chose).

And now for the awkward part...my experience with their service. See, as a blogger, I sometimes get a little bit annoyed when I read blogger-written reviews that are just a little bit too nice. So I was almost looking forward to having that catch, that one little negative thing I could warn you about. But I honestly didn't have any problems whatsoever. The glasses arrived in a timely manner, they were just as classy as they looked online, and they came nicely packaged with a glasses case, lens cloth, repair kit, and drawstring bag. If you too were looking for the catch, I'm sorry to disappoint! I've gotten tons of compliments on these glasses, and I'm really enjoying how they spice up my wardrobe just a little bit. So, if you're in need of new frames, I highly recommend giving Firmoo a try. 

And now, since I'm curious, I turn it over to you: do any of you wear glasses as a fashion accessory? For you glasses-wearing ladies, what are your thoughts on people who wear them but don't need them?

Thanks to Firmoo for sending these glasses! As always, I promise to be completely honest in any and all reviews.

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A splash of saffron

dress: Charlotte Russe | cardigan: H&M | lady tie: Flapper Girl | belt: vintage | tights & shoes: Target

First of all, thank you to all those who took time to read and/or comment on my last post. I know it was nothing like what I normally post, but the subject is very important to me.

I've been thinking a lot about my goals for this blog: what should I do with this tiny little bit of the internet I've carved out for myself? I started to make a list of what I wanted to accomplish here, and somewhat to my surprise, the first thing that popped into my head was "be a force for good." I'm not sure exactly what form that will take, but I'm excited at the prospect. I'm going to do some more thinking and planning on that front over the next couple of weeks. One thing I've thought of is accepting sponsors, and then donating a percentage of the proceeds to a charity. What do you think? How can bloggers have some kind of positive impact?

This has nothing to do with being a force for good, but one small thing I've changed around here so far is finally installing Disqus for comments. It's something I've been meaning to do for a long time, but I thought the process would be tedious and wrought with messy coding. Much to my surprise, the whole process took approximately two minutes! I wish I had done it a whole lot sooner. I've always been a little bit frustrated with Blogger's stunted ability to foster conversations. What's the point of blogging, after all, if you can't meet new people and talk with people from all over the world?

I hope you're having a wonderful week!

p.s. - Just in case you missed it, I did a guest post for Daria last week while she was in Paris. I'll give you a clue: it's something delicious...

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Navy blues

dress/coat/belt: vintage | shoes: Charlotte Russe | hat: borrowed (ahem) from my mom

My new job is pretty amazing, but I have to say that one of my favorite things about it is that I'm finally downtown. Suddenly, I'm close to everything - which means I can finally explore the city like I've never done before. Case in point: there was a little vintage shop that I passed a couple of times on the bus a couple years ago, but I never could make out what it was called. I tracked it down last week and walked over on my lunch break...and to nobody's surprise, I walked out one 1950's dress richer. I almost didn't try it on - I didn't even see it at first - but I'm so glad I took the extra minute to search deeper in the racks of clothing. The lace has a definite vintage flair, but in a way that also looks very of-the-moment. (It's sheer, for one thing.) It's also a slightly larger size than I normally wear, which I actually love - it makes the dress feel comfortable and chic without being fussy.

It really felt wonderful to add another vintage piece to my wardrobe. I've been noticing a trend in myself: lately, I've been buying more and more new pieces and letting the vintage pieces collect dust (well, figuratively, anyway). There's nothing inherently wrong with a style changing, but vintage will always be very special to me, and I'd like to get back to my roots in that sense. It was vintage clothing that first got me interested in personal style; you wouldn't be reading this blog if I hadn't discovered a few fashion blogs that centered around the writers' latest finds. I didn't get interested in style until relatively late in the game, and I don't know if I ever would have if I hadn't found those blogs. 

What about you? Have you always loved clothes, or was there something that sparked it later on?

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Everything in its right place

dress: ModCloth | scarf: Charlotte Russe | cardigan & shoes: Target | belt: vintage

I can hardly think of a more apt description of my life than the title of the Radiohead song that is lending its name to this post. A month ago, I wouldn't have believed that I could be this content, but now I've got the job of my dreams, my little sister just got engaged to a wonderful guy, I've got a new niece on the way, and opportunities are opening up everywhere. Perhaps it makes for boring blog entries, but I'm really quite excited for both the present and the future.

I've come across some criticism of bloggers that are too cheerful, too happy about their lives. In a way, I understand; it can come across as insincere or some form of bragging: look how perfect my life is! I get that. No one wants to read something that sounds too fake. (I know I don't, at least!) But on the other hand, I don't think there is anything wrong with celebrating the good times...and for me, this is one of them. So I'm going to keep on being joyful - remembering all the while, of course, not to pass up on chances to grow and challenge myself.

But joy can never be full unless it's shared. So, tell me, lovelies - what's good in your life right now?

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