there you are, fall

Taking these photos was like standing in a 100 mph wind tunnel. I guess that means fall has arrived. In full force.

In other news, we just had a Forever 21 open here in Reno. I know, I know. You must be thinking, how did we survive BF21 (before Forever 21). Honestly, I'm not sure how I slept at night. Or functioned for that matter.

As for the outfit, (oh yes, I suppose I should actually get down to business here) I wanted to try out one of my dresses with long sleeves. After browsing through several runway collections and seeing the over abundance of sleeves, I decided to pull out this vintage find with a belted boyfriend blazer. The dress itself is actually originally from Virginia City, the previous owner set up her makeshift garage sale on her front stoop and made up prices as she went along.

When I asked her how much this dress was (which was originally much longer before I chopped off about 8 inches, about 5 inches too much!) she looked at the dress, looked at me, looked at the dress and decided on, "$1." As if she were asking for a fortune.

Dress: Vintage floral dress

Boots: Black leather over the knee boots, Chinese Laundry

Blazer: Navy blue boyfriend blazer, Urban Outfitters

Jewelry: Pearl and gold chain drippy necklace, F21

I'm late for a very important date

As much as I would love to write something witty and insightful here, I just simply do not have the time. In my absence, please check out my wannabe cage heels that I scored for only $16 at Beacon's Closet in Brooklyn. Or feel free to discuss universal health care. Whatever strikes your fancy.

Shirt: Floral cami, American Eagle

Pants: Silk cropped trousers, Express

Shoes: Black cage heels, Beacon's Closet

Hat: Vintage black panama hat

here's a story...

Yours truly wished she had spent the day lounging for what turned out to be a preview of a fall day here in Reno.

But alas, she did not.

She worked.

And worked.

Then she read her Vogue October issue.

And then worked some more.

Feel bad for her, yet? Nah, me either.

Although she wants you to know that she loves her slouchy, yellow knit hat from Cover Your Hair and may have to pick up a red one to recreate this Mary Kate (or Ashley?!) outfit. She's just sayin'....

Shirt: White v-neck t-shirt, Target

Skirt: Black bandage skirt, Target

Vest: Gray vest, gift from Japan

Boots: Black over the knee leather boots, Chinese Laundry

Hat: Slouchy yellow knit hat, courtesy of Cover Your Hair

Sunglasses: Tortoise shell sunnies, Fred Flare

Jewelry: Rosary necklace, Target; gold, multi-layered chain necklace, Wet Seal

Vogue issue: Compliments of the subscription my mother got me, go get your own! :)

chloe/zooey hybrid

Man, I did not have a great start to this weekend. But I'll spare you all the whiny, self-absorbed details. Because let's face it, nobody likes a moody blogger, right? Right.

I'll keep it brief here, though. I'm pretty pleased with this ensemble (I mean, I love the dress to pieces, I think I could have paired it with a brown paper vest and still been happy). Either way, I felt like a hybrid between Chloe Sevigny and Zooey Deschanel. (Try saying those two ladies' names fast, whew, makes the head hurt).

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get back to listening to a local radio station play all of the Beatles' digitally remastered tracks. All weekend long.

Hopefully it'll get me out of this pouty funk. Happy weekend!

Dress: Juliet dress, Fred Flare (Weardrobe conference sponsor!)

Vest: Vintage marching band jean vest

Shoes: Yellow strappy gladiator heels, Nine West

Sunglasses: Tortoise shell sunnies, Fred Flare

and they all go marching

Alright, alright, alright already. I've been seeing everyone sporting their military/marching band inspired jackets these days (ahem Jessica, Katy and Indiana, cough, cough) and I just had to join in, albeit a bit late.

So without further ado, I give you my marching band jacket. (Tada?!)

Unfortunately, I had one of those days where I wasn't feeling 100 percent sure about my outfit. It happens more often that I would like to admit, just a weird funk I get into when I feel rushed in the mornings, which is pretty much most mornings.

Point is, I had a quick conversation while I was waiting in line at the bank today that made me think twice. Over the course of two minutes, this 81-year-old woman basically told me that she a.) liked my outfit b.) she had just been diagnosed with breast cancer and c.) refused to ever have to use a wheelchair.

Without getting too "moral of the story" on you guys, I think the idea is pretty obvious. Perspective. You need to change it up from time to time.

Dress: Black and white striped t-shirt dress, H&M

Jacket: Black marching band jacket, Target

Shoes: Black ankle boots DIYed with studs, Payless

who's bad?

Before you all giggle and call me out for sporting these gloves that I likely didn't wear all day (too hard to type with), let me explain. Originally, as I was 10 minutes ahead of schedule this morning (a first!) I decided that I needed to spruce up my leather skirt and silk combo. After harboring a secret admiration for how the lovely Liz over at Late Afternoon wore her cut-off biker gloves just a few weeks ago, I decided, why the f- not?

I mean, you never know when you might have to jump on a Harley with a guy named Hell's Doorman. Really, you never know.

On top of that, the annual motorcycle festival, Street Vibrations is going on here in town. That means thousands of bikers from all over the country cruising the streets and generally causing the windows here at work to vibrate throughout the day.

Might as well pay some homage, right?

Shirt: Vintage mint green silk shirt, Christian Dior

Skirt: Vintage Italian leather skirt

Shoes: Black heels, Aldo

Gloves: Black leather biker gloves, Charlotte-Russe

P.S. I'm in search of the perfect pair of platform pumps like these only not by YSL because, quite frankly, I'd have to sell a kidney for that. Any suggestions?!

feeling frilly and fancy

Remember this skirt? Oh yeah, decided to bust it out again, this time, inside out! Oh, daring much?

And for the record, I'm officially addicted to these shoes. I'm sure you all know there is such thing as too much of a good thing. I think that's what Amy Winehouse pleaded at some point. Gotta put these bad boys away before someone tries to make me go to rehab.

And I said, no, no, no.

Blazer: Black blazer, Express

Shirt: Gray v-neck, American Apparel

Skirt: Lace skirt worn inside out, Fredericks of Hollywood

Shoes: Black gladiator wedges, Aldo

mickey revolution

Yes, this is another lovely item courtesy the Weardrobe Conference -- the "Popular Revolution" shirt from Cheap Monday, with you guessed it, Mickey's four fingered hand, (er, paw)? It really makes you want to pump a fist in the air and stick it to the man, doesn't it? Or maybe just watch the Disney channel. If I had a TV in this office, perhaps it would be the latter.

This skirt number is also from the infamous New York trip. Picked it up at Buffalo Exchange for only $16. I've been hunting for a sequin mini for awhile now and just love how it adds a little bit of flavor to a regular jean jacket/skirt ensemble.

And if I just add a black tube top and carry a tray around, I have my cocktail waitress outfit for Halloween all set. Just kidding guys. I'm actually going to be a Reno gambler, fanny pack and all. How's that for classy, eh?

Jacket: Jean jacket, Old Navy

Shirt: "Popular Revolution" tee, Cheap Monday

Skirt: Black sequin skirt, Ann Taylor from Buffalo Exchange

Shoes: Black ankle boots DIYed with studs, Payless

Jewelry: Silver multi-layered necklace, Simply Vera for Kohls, Black rosary, Target with black satin bow added (please ignore the safety pin for now)

Sunglasses: Tortoise shell sunnies, Fred Flare

short and sweet

As the title of this post implies, I'm going to keep this brief. Got a busy Sunday to get through. And by busy, I mean sorting through an explosion of clothes, otherwise known as my closet. Hope everyone's weekend was fabulous!

Dress: Mint green shirt dress, Urban Outfitters with a black slip underneath, Victoria's Secret

Blazer: White blazer, Urban Outfitters

Belt: Vintage gold leaf belt

Shoes: Black gladiator wedges, Aldo worn with socks (yay for fall fashion trends coming out!)

Bag: Black leather bag, Old Navy

work in progress

These bad boy jeans were courtesy of PacSun, one of our generous sponsors for the Weardrobe Conference. The jeans, the specimens for our DIY workshop full of studs and shredding galore, served as a blank canvas of sorts and after a mad dash of all 20 girls rushing toward the jean table, these white ones were left.

I shrugged my shoulders and said, "Labor Day, Schmabor Day."

I'm going to break the rule and live to tell about it.

Technically though, these jeans are a work in progress. I finished the back pockets with some studding detail and wanted to add a little somethin' somethin' to the front. I started doing this pant cuff pattern but sadly, my thumbs wore out on me.

Studding is a lot of work, ya know?

What do you guys think? More studs or should I save my thumbs?

Blazer: Navy blazer, Urban Outfitters

Shirt: Black and white striped tee, Urban Outfitters

Jeans: White Hermosa jeans, PacSun

Shoes: Black cage heels, Beacon's Closet

Jewelry: Rosary necklace, Target, Gold, multi-layered necklace, Wet Seal

Bag: Black leather purse, Old Navy

Sunglasses: Tortoise shell sunnies, Fred Flare

feeling corporate

I'll admit it. After hitting "submit my order" on the Aldo Web site for these shoes, I had a hint of buyer's remorse. Did I really need them? Are they the right size? Shouldn't I be saving that $100 for my car insurance?

Ha. Yeah. Right.

Well, they finally arrived the other day and I have to say, no regrets. Super comfy, felt great in them and loved them with this black and white, corporate-looking outfit. Which actually worked out for the best as I got a last minute text message from my publisher saying that she had a cancellation on her TV show and needed me to fill in as a guest. I'm no good on camera, but I felt pretty TV-ready in this number.

The next splurge you ask? Well a ticket to the Sunday Treasure Island music festival is looking pretty good right about now. My mouse is hovering over the "Submit my order" button again. Looks like my car insurance might have to wait...

Dress: Black body conscious dress, Target

Blazer: White blazer, Urban Outfitters

Shoes: Black gladiator wedges, Aldo

Purse: Black leather purse, Old Navy

Sunglasses: Tortoise shell sunnies, Fred Flare

P.S. Super huge thanks to the lovely Noel of The Owls Are Not What They Seem for talking me into getting these shoes! I owe you one, lady!

P.P.S. Please excuse the shoddy paint job on my toe nails. Yikes! Will fix soon.

paint by numbers

Spent the other day running around taking photos for magazine assignments and somehow spaced the whole "comfort factor" when dressing myself for the occasion. Running out into traffic to take pictures of a certain eccentric sign holder was an interesting endeavor, one that made me quite popular with middle aged men driving by.

Note to self, never do that again.

Dress: Watercolor dress, Reformed from Urban Outfitters

Shoes: Black ankle boots, DIYed with studs, Payless

f-f-f-faux fur

Let me just start off by saying, I love this vest. Love it. I saw a version of it practically everywhere when I was in New York and am so glad to call this BB Dakota vest from ModCloth mine. Seriously. I feel some outfit repeating coming on with this one, mainly with little floral dresses and maybe even with a leggings number (or two).

Best part? Not a single animal was harmed in the making of this blog post.

The only thing that was hurt a bit were my feet in these Michael Kors heels I picked up the other day at a local thrift shop in town for only $10. Practically brand new and with the most awesome platform pump thing going on. Only downside is that they're a half size too small. Oh, the crippling things we do for pretty, fashionable items.

Worth it, though? Definitely.

As for the overall outfit, despite loving the plaid and fur craze I've been seeing around in my September mags, I still feel like a hybrid of a lumberjack and a pimp. Not that it's a bad thing. Just, well...different.

Which is why I threw in this more evening-like outfit picture, in hopes to balance out the conflicting vibes going on. Plus, it's still too hot in Reno to wear anything that amounts to more than two layers.

Vest: BB Dakota faux fur vest, courtesy of ModCloth

Shirt: Plaid shirt, from the boyfriend; white shirt, American Apparel

Jeans: Dark wash skinny jeans, Cheap Monday via the Weardrobe conference

Skirt: Black mini bandage skirt, Target

Shoes: Tan strappy platform pump heels, Michael Kors; Black studded ankle boots, Payless

Bag: Black leather double strap purse, Old Navy

Sunglasses: Tortoise shell sunnies, Fred Flare

by popular demand

In response to some comments from Saturday's post, here's the proof: camel races exist! With even some ostrich racing, too.

It's a strange world we live in, I know.

Outfit post later on today. Stay tuned.