Thursday, September 29, 2016

Polka Dots and Tennis Shoes

Time to share another work day outfit! Since I'm constantly moving around at work it's easier to wear clothes that aren't going to need a lot of adjusting throughout the day. A nice pair of pants, plain t-shirt, and a sweater are essential.



The cardigan that I wore Wednesday is one that I wear frequently. It goes with almost anything and adds a little extra detail without being too over the top. The cardigan actually originated from my grandma's wardrobe so I'm not sure when or where she bought it. Luckily it fits well and is in great condition.

Sweater (similar), J Crew T-Shirt, LOFT Jeans (similar), Shoes


I've been loving the sneaker trends lately. Now that I'm walking to work most of the time, it's nice to have some comfortable options without compromising looks or always carrying an extra pair of shoes. I recently bought these Nikes during a Labor Day sale and have been living in them ever since.



Yesterday was another gorgeous day for a walk, so I left early for work and stopped downtown for a latte and muffin. I've now finished about half of Silver Linings Playbook. The movie followed the story pretty well, but it's still interesting to read the slight differences in tone of the writing vs. how Bradley Cooper played the character of Pat. Matthew Quick, at least judging from The Good Luck of Right Now and Silver Linings Playbook, has a very distinct writing style and uses similar character types in both novels. Quick's characters may be complex, but his writing is simple and direct. Although I enjoyed The Good Luck of Right Now, Silver Linings Playbook is more accessible and probably appeals to a much larger audience.

-S

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Teal Colored Glasses


I received some really nice compliments on my new sweater yesterday. Without a doubt my favorite colors to wear are ones in the jewel family. When I saw this mixed-fabric sweater in teal at LOFT a few weeks ago, I had to pick it up. I love the way the back is cut. The design is the perfect mix of feminine and comfort. 





I've been wearing cardigans and pants to work all summer (thanks air conditioning) but it's nice to finally be able to wear the same outfit all day long. Hopefully the days of sweaty quick changes are coming to an end. All the more reasons to love fall.


The weather was so nice on Tuesday. After work all I wanted was to sit outside and soak up the sunshine. There's nothing like lounging on the porch in the sun with a snack and a good book. Especially when the snack is a Sweet Tango apple that's fresh from the farmer's market.

I started reading Silver Linings Playbook this week. The movie has been a favorite of mine since it's release, but I have yet to read the original novel by Matthew Quick. A few months ago, we read The Good Luck of Right Now for Books and Brewskis and I greatly enjoyed Quick's writing style. Ever since then I've been itching to pick up Silver Linings and see how the books (and movie) compare.

-S

Sunday, September 18, 2016

Fall Fashion Wish List

Fall has always been my favorite time to shop. I love fall colors. I love the back to school sales. I love big baggy sweaters, and I love being able to comfortably wear pants again. I've already purchased more than a few pieces of clothing during the last month (haul soon), but that doesn't mean I don't have more on my wish list. My wardrobe is in desperate need of a facelift and it feels like everything needs to be replaced at once. Hopefully I can snag a few of these before the season is over (or they're all sold out).


From Urban Outfitters
















Adidas Campus Originals  

From Urban Outfitters

















From Urban Outfitters



















9" High-Rise Skinny Jeans: Rip and Repair Edition

From Madewell




























MICHAEL Ashton Zippered Booties

From Macy's














The last item on this list was going to be a leather jacket but I'm still on the hunt for the right one. I have been looking for a leather motorcycle jacket for the last five years (at least), but finding a reasonably priced, petite real leather jacket in the right style has been a major challenge. If anyone comes across one and wants to send the information my way, please do.

What's on your wish list this fall?

-S


Thursday, September 15, 2016

I'm Still Learning

Top: Express (similar), Pants: American Eagle (similar), Shoes: DSW (similar)


On Monday I learned that photographing yourself is much more difficult than it seems. 

After last Thursday's mirror selfies, I was ready to experiment this week. My goal was to find a way to take interesting outfit photos on my own without having to rely on another person. If my future blog plans involved more clothes, I didn't want to be limited to one space. Taking advantage of my camera's self-timer feature allowed me to ditch the mirror, but it wasn't as straight forward as I thought it would be.

Originally, I planned on taking pictures with my Nikon camera, but after failing to find a good set up I switched to my phone instead. When you're trying to solve a problem on a time crunch it's easier to go with the less complicated option. At first the lighting wasn't right. Then I couldn't find a place to prop my phone without cutting off half of my body. When I finally found a solution, my next challenge was understanding the way the self-timer worked. 



 


I took a lot of photographs and none of them turned out great. Most of the pictures look the same. They're all a little grainy and taken from almost identical angles. Despite my disappointment with the finished product, I had fun. You know what they say, "if at first you don't succeed..."



After I took these pictures, I couldn't decide if they were worth sharing. Was there a point to publishing a post with less than stellar photographs? Absolutely. Most of the pictures I've shared since starting this blog haven't been great. If I waited until my photography skills (let alone my writing skills) were mastered, I'd never publish another post.

I've made a lot of excuses for not blogging lately. I have no good ideas. I'm too tired or too busy. I don't have the right face/body type to blog about beauty and fashion. I don't have anyone to take photographs of me. I have no original ideas. I'm not creative enough. The list goes on and on. I'm sick of making excuses.

So, like I said before, I'm going to be posting more often on the topic of fashion. The pictures won't be great, maybe not even good, but there will be pictures. I'm sure many of the outfits will seem incomplete or lacking in comparison to some other, more experienced, style bloggers (I wouldn't even calling myself that yet). This blog and I have come along way, but we still have a long way to go. Everything takes time. All I'm aiming for is to have fun and share my love for clothes with you. Hopefully that's enough.


-S

Sunday, September 11, 2016

Recent Book Hauls

Book hauls have always been my favorite videos to make and are usually my favorite videos to watch. Due to good sales and cheap secondhand shops I've acquired a crap ton (official recorded weight) of books over the last few months. Below are two videos documenting those acquisitions in an attempt to show you how hard I've failed at saving money, and how my rabid consumerism has caused me to run out of shelf space.








I haven't been posting videos as often, but I'm still posting. Unfortunately my computer is getting old and iMovie doesn't work as well as it should. For my computer's health, and my own, I've had to limit the amount of time I spend editing. Hopefully this will change sometime soon, but for now I'll try to maintain a once a week schedule. Thanks for sticking with me! For more videos and updates subscribe to GetAKloo.

I swear I'll read them all eventually...

-S

Friday, September 9, 2016

Songs On Repeat

Do you have listening habits when it comes to music? I've always had the tendency to play a group of songs on repeat for a few weeks at a time and then I'll move onto the next phase. I cycle through my favorites and come back to them every so often, rediscovering lost loves from months or years before. Last week I picked up Sam Hunt's 2014 album Montevallo and Oh Wonder's 2015 self titled album. I've had both albums blasting on repeat since. They were great for my family's extended weekend road trip to Illinois.

Body Gold by Oh Wonder -




33 "God" by Bon Iver -




Raised On It by Sam Hunt -




Air 'Em Out by Clipping. - 




Kevin (Ft. Leon Bridges) by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis -





Without You by Oh Wonder- 




Into You by Ariana Grande -




Should I Stay or Should I Go by The Clash (This song has been stuck in my head all week. I blame it on Stranger Things. I'm currently on episode 5 and can't get enough.) -




Wherever Is Your Heart by Brandi Carlile - 





Tonight (Ft. Gangsta Boo) by Clipping. -





House Party by Sam Hunt -




After writing this post and looking at the list my only thought was, "wow, this seems so white girl." But maybe that has more to do with the fact that I am a white girl (sitting here drinking a Pumpkin Spice Latte) and less to do with the actual compilation of songs. Are we all walking clichés in one form or another?

Ok, time to float back into the shallow end and leave this post on a lighter note. Music is good. Music is universal. It helps connect us. Hopefully these songs made you feel connected. Or maybe they just got you to dance around your room for a little bit.

-S

Thursday, September 8, 2016

I Call It Casual Thursday

After two years of three day work weeks I've found my favorite thing to do on Thursday is go to a coffee shop and read. Usually my Thursday outfit choices are casual and comfy, typically workout clothes or jeans and a t-shirt, makeup optional. 


Today's OOTD consisted of my favorite striped t-shirt from J. Crew (similar) and a pair of broken-in blue jeans (similar) from American Eagle. I opted for sunscreen instead of makeup and decided not to touch my hair once I rolled out of bed. That's right, I woke up like this. 


Lately, I've been trying this new thing where I take selfies when I feel ugly. The hat and Instagram filter help, but what else are filters for anyway? Learning to be confident in yourself is hard. Sometimes you have to build yourself up one selfie at a time. This photo was taken pre-walk to the coffee shop for a PSL (yay fall).

For those of you wondering what I was listening to, it's Sam Hunt's Montevallo. I'm not usually a country person but this album has wiggled it's way into my brain and taken over. Let's just say it, I'm obsessed.


More like blasting "Raised On It" over and over and over again. In fact I almost named this post "Snap backs and Levi jeans." If only I owned a pair of Levi's.


I was taking OOTD photos and Linis came to join the fun. My cat has been mysteriously nice lately. I'm starting to wonder if he's plotting something.






This is his, "You talkin' to me?" face.


After 26 years I finally managed to pick up "Alice in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll. Have you read it? I'm not very far into the story yet. My brain is having a hard time moving past "Shrill" by Lindy West. Seriously, go read that book.


With the presence of pollen allergies and the threat of rain, I've spent most of my time indoors lately. It was nice to finally get outside and go for a walk again. Hopefully September has more nice days like this one planned.

-S