Cheap Frills

| dress - Ryu | blazer - thrifted | oxfords - gift |

Ryu is a brand that I'm a big fan of; all of their dressed are so pretty and whimsically detailed! Just check out that large crochet shoulder overlay, that sheer pleated tulle, that lace trim, ugh - Ryu never fails to enchant with its detail. Their prices range on more of the higher side, so I was super excited when I scored this dress from a garage sale that a group of senior girls put on last spring after their graduation. (shout to Brittany's closet ^^) It's a little too precious and frilly for my taste on its own, but for 10 bucks, I couldn't possibly pass it up. Plus with the right balance of masculine and feminine, I felt comfortable enough in the style to wear to school! 

I paired the dress with a thrifted blazer which was a steal since it was actually a little boy's blazer (thrift tip: check your children sections!) To add more of a masculine spin, I wore my neutral oxfords, a hand-me-down gift from our friend Staveley c:

This entire outfit totaled less than $15, with details that (in my opinion) are worth a million bucks *insert generic rimshot*

xo- Sarah

Hue Fragmentation and Svelte Indulgence - & A Milestone of Sorts! - OOTD

On Emma: sweater - UO | pants - Target | shoes - gifted | necklace - 18th b-day gift! |

On Sarah: sweater - thrifted | pants - gifted | shoes - Seychelle's Music to My Ears | necklace - UO |

Note the dainty necklace synergy.
~whoosh~

The selfies... They continue.

But...but of course?

As fashion blogging partners, I was awaiting this kind of event. After a milestone summer of solidifying female friendships (aka - swapping clothes, that's top level trust there),  we have learned each other's tastes and traded and borrowed from one another's closets. Now another fashion/friendship breakthrough. Corresponding outfits! Unplanned in all it's glory, which explains the low quality iPhone pics. Our apologies but the documentation together was necessary.

This was all true. It was utterly necessary. While Sarah may have been awaiting such an event, it took me blissfully unawares! It was a physical symbol of what a fantastic day it was indeed. (And what a pillar of friendship we have solidified these past months.)

That day we both followed the same outfit equation = (sweater) + (printed pants) + (dainty necklace)
Also this obviously called for gratuitous amounts of pictures. Also, dear Emma turned 18 recently and the opal necklace was a gift from our friend Kelly, Phuong, Jacob, and me c:

My friends are obviously the best. They'd riddled me with vague hints and awkward impasses in conversations for weeks. "Did you bring the money?" I'd overhear, quizzically inquire, "Money for what?" This would cause the firing off of the most inane answers like "DORITOS!!!" and they would proceed to stolidly ignore my further protests. But it all came to fruition, as you can see. ^_^ I have always had a quirky fascination with opals. They're also my birth stones! So to have them remember this tiny facet of a detail and to act upon it was touching in the extreme. I may have teared up in World Geography...nbd.

HAH. Doritos, classic.

xo- Sarah & Emmaline 


P.S. Keep on eye out for more on Emma's new hair and my new heels coming up soooon! And my new purse! whee~ 

Retro Dresses and Retrospective

| eyeliner - Urban Decay's El Dorado, Elf's Essential Liquid Liner in Black and Gold Glitter |

| nails - Revlon Nail Art Moon Candy in Supernova (the gray end) & Essie's Lapis of Luxury |

| dress - ModCloth | headband - ModCloth gift | shoes - Jeffrey Campbell Logans |

Balloons. Hot air balloons, that is. On a freakin' dress, man!

How could I not shell out the dough for this ModCloth exclusive?!

That was my initial reaction when they first released this in the spring of this year. I've had the greatest penchant for all things balloons - regular balloons, hot air balloons, balloon animals, balloon movies (Up counts), etc. What I'm trying to say is, extreme balloon-lover here.

Also I'm an avid online shopper with ModCloth being one of my top favorites sites to visit. I've been stalking this dress since April-ish, but nowadays my style has been kinda leaning toward more stream-lined, fresh, minimalist style, basically less quirky than my usual self. And as you can tell from the smiling hot air balloons and blackbirds on the 1950s inspired silhouette, this dress is definitely not minimalistic. I used to be ALL ABOUT novelty print everything and anything and as much as I used to yearn for this dress (it even has pockets!), I had a gut feeling that I really couldn't justify keeping it given the price tag ($75, but I paid $60 with a coupon, shout out to retailmenot.com!).

So I sent it back, but before that I took a few pics for documentation purposes. I wore it with a candy-canesque headband that came as a gift from ModCloth (a nice touch that the company does!) and my trusty Jeffrey Campbell Logans. 

Anyone else going through style transitions?

xo- Sarah

Layers are the Look

 | dress - thrifted | slip - mom's closet |  sweater - gift from a friend (thanks Dani!) | socks - Target | boots - thrifted | necklace - gift shop | nail polish - OPI's Brisbane Bronze + Revlon's Gold Coin |

One of my favorite outfits of the week! Thank God for Fall, making layering and long socks appropriate.

I thrifted this ruffled slip dress during the summer as a possible costume part but I really loved it as a clothing piece itself. It may not be the most flattering piece (plus it's hella short on its own) but I love the texture and lace details. I wore an old white chiffon skirt of mom's as a slip underneath so I could fly under the dress code radar at school and threw on some over the knee socks for extra coverage and coziness. I added my favorite sweater for its oversized shape and warm color that paired well with my newly thrifted boots and current nail polish.

Hope everyone's embracing the season and the warm color palette along with it!

xo - Sarah

P.S. Shout out to Taylor who's waited along enough for this post ^_^

Nail Update~ Dulcet Fall Grays

Hello friends!

In these strange in-between times, it can be a little confusing as to which seasonal approach to take on fashion...or just how to stay appropriately clothed at all!

It's frigid in the mornings, there's frost on the windshield for crying out loud, but by the time the last school bell rings and you emit a satisfied sigh, looking forward to coming home and immediately diving into sweatpants...it's over 70 degrees?! 

Now, I'm sure the situation may not be as drastic wherever you hail from. But if you're caught in the indecisive weather of Northwestern Louisiana like we are, things can get a bit frustrating.

{As far as fashion goes, I am a huge proponent of layering. More on that soon... in the Youtube dreamscape, if ya catch my drift. (; }

But let's talk about this nail color.

I've recently indulged my fascination with matte colors!~ Honestly... when I bought this bottle of nail polish, it was a spur of the moment buy in my local Walgreens. But now that I have it, I could not be happier. I didn't have any idea it was matte (ish?) until it dried! 

Sinful Colors's "My Turn"

Here I've applied 3 coats. It comes out a bit watery... but I was impressed with the finished product. I work with my hands a lot, making art and washing dogs and such, but so far there has been no chipping after 3 days (which is quite a record for me). And this is all without a top coat of any sort.

Now, for the heart of this post: Why I Think This Color Is Important!

• Not only is a gray a neutral color, allowing it to be paired with many others, but it also adds a hint of steeliness to your look. I feel much bolder wearing something that isn't pink or at least iridescent. Perhaps that doesn't apply to you, you wild thing, but if it does... this is so much fun!
• This gray isn't too cool. Gray is easily labeled as a fall or winter color. But this gray is a warm gray. It helps it to seem cozy and comfortable, just like fall should feel. (Sweaters and hot apple cider, anyone?) 
• It just radiates smoldering and mysterious... yet quirky?
• It is a fall trend, as illustrated by the renowned icon, First Lady Michelle Obama : 
  
  
  
  Grays can be found in all hues, tones, and variations on the market today. I just thought I'd share my obsession and this nifty find. Feel free to embrace this trend! I'm truly digging it, even though I accidentally stumbled upon it! Typical.
  
  
  Until next time, 
  -Emmaline ~ C;