need you now

a few days ago, i thought i'd be a weirdo and wear socks and heels. these are probably the first pair in a long time that actually don't hurt. thank you, oddly genetically constructed stompers.


lately, everything has been so crazy. i remember being in high school, singing fall out boy into my television remote and being super excited for the future. i talked on the phone with my best friend about how we hated our neighborhood and envied girls who went to non-shitty high schools. the girls who took flights to rome as class trips and didn't have to count on fingers and toes how many fights they'd witnessed in the past few weeks. girls with hot boyfriends who didn't catcall chicks by calling out "ay girl! ay! where you goin, ma?" 


now here i am, 2 colleges later, wondering where the hell my life went. i was scared of the future before i went to college, and now, just a year away from this all being over, i'm even more terrified. why does life have to move so fast? 


as crazy as this sounds, i'd give anything to be a teenager again. because that's honestly how i still feel. i'm still awkward. still shy. still a hopeless romantic. still blissfully unaware of how cold this world is. still over-analytical of damn near everything. still...you get the idea.


*sighs*


top: H&M. jeans: H&M. boombox necklace: forever 21. socks: urban outfitters. shoes: urban outfitters.

before and after

the idea starts out on my bed after leaping from my brain...

...and morphs into the real thing.

* maxi dress - H&M

* bag - my mom's/vintage

* earrings - Forever 21

* boots - Forever 21

* belt - my mom's

;)

no money? no problem!

i absolutely love thrifting. there's just this thrill of going into a store full of rejected clothing and making each piece your personal treasure. not only is it rewarding because you're walking away with something cheap as hell (ka-ching!), but because you have to dig through the crap to find something that you find worth wearing, it's like a personal triumph. you gave the finger to stores that sold what you found for $5 for twice or even triple that.

here's some of the scores i've gotten over the past few trips.



$5 black bustier to wear with anything high-waisted, and underneath blazers and sheer button-ups



$5 dress. because of the length--or lack thereof--it is perfect to wear with thick tights in the fall, and boots or open-toed sandals.



yup. it's from forever.



$5--you see a pattern emerging here?--little leo bag to add a dash of whimsy to any plain outfit. perfect with the aforementioned dress as a cross-body bag.



$1 skull printed scarf to wear when it gets colder over a preppy, structured peacoat, or a body con dress with a leather jacket. even better with a beret to offset its edginess.

- when thrifting, its important to have patience. you won't find what you're looking for right away. take your time.

- try to walk in to find specifically what you want. want a floral-printed dress? try to seek it out. a structured blazer? again, look hard for exactly what you want.

- examine your finds. this isn't H&M, it's a thrift store. nothing is perfect. and nobody wants to go home and see that the sweater they picked not only has weird stains, but has no freaking buttons.

- pay attention to special sales. it's cheap enough, but if you can get it for half off, why not? unique thrift store, for example, color codes their merchandise. so if you picked something that's, let say, green, and green items are 25% off, you stand to save a bit.

- if you don't find anything, don't write the store off altogether. keep checking back! you won't hit a jackpot each time because on some days, you'll feel like they've intentionally only stocked crap. but keep checking back. you could get nothing one day, and a sexy LBD the next.

- be resourceful. some stores don't have dressing rooms. have a great eye for what you're sure fits you. try on blazers. do everything to them that you want--roll up the cuffs, button them, for example--to make sure the fit is perfect to avoid going home and realizing that you'll never wear it.

:)