A Tribute To the 80's...

Black Strong Shoulder Blazer: Forever21.

Floral Dress (actually a skirt): Thrifted.

Black Belt: Forever21.

Silver Leaf Clip On Earrings: Thrifted.

Black Stiletto Heels: Thrifted.

Hello everyone!!

This outfit is just what I wore for the second day of school! The second day of school outfit it almost as important at the first. It has to be equally strong, if not stronger because it is important to show everyone that you just didn't get dressed all up for the first day of school, but are fashionable everyday.

I wanted to put something together that sort of commanded attention, but was soft and feminine at the same time. Also, I had to keep in mind my polished and lady like theme I have going on for this year! I knew that this blazer would be the perfect piece to wear for the second day of school. I love the sculpted strong shoulders that scream 1980's, but in a classier way rather than humungous shoulder pads. Since the jacket is so masculine and strong shaped, I wanted to add a feminine and girly element to the outfit to make it softer. The heels were the POW of the outfit! My goodness I just love heels... The clickety clack they make in the hallways as I walk, the way they elongate my legs and whole body, and of course how they improve my posture! It's like I slip on a pair of heels and I instantly become confident. Heels are like magic :) I got so many people asking me today how I wasn't breaking my ankles walking in these things. Frankly, I don't know either. These heels are the second highest I have: 4.5 inches and a killer to walk in! I always say though, practice makes perfect! :)

Hope everyone is doing fan-tastic! Oh, and I won't be taking outfit pictures tomorrow because I'm wearing that black and white trumpet skirt/ key whole neck/ tie bow dress I did for The Notebook inspired post. The only difference in styling for tomorrow is that I'm wearing these gorgeous 1940's look alike shoes that I thrifted last week (which I will have pictures of soon)! My hair, accessories, and everything else will be the same, so there is no sense in taking pictures! I will tomorrow be posting a little hair trick that I have been infatuated with lately! See you all tomorrow ;)

Lauren.

P.S. I just wanted to take the time to answer Christine's question. Christine since you follow through google reader I couldn't find any other way to reply to your question besides on here! Hope that's okay hehe. Usually I go to Easton to do my fall shopping, but this year I actually went to Polaris instead. The Forever21 at Easton is just too big and overwhelming for me to go through! In the past I have spent 5+ hours in it! The Forever21 at Polaris is more to my liking: smaller, and a much more confided space. It only took me around 3.5 hours to go through that one! That is so cool that you go to OSU Columbus for school! I have considered going to tour there and it is on my list of visits. Perhaps if I take a tour there you could show me around! :)

First Day of School!

Denim Dress w/ bow (belt): Forever21.

Navy Skinny Belt: Charlotte Russe.

Nude Heels: Gabriel Brother's.

Gold Bangles: Forever21.

Gold Chain Clip On Earrings: Thrifted.

Hello everyone!

Whew, well the first day of school is over with. Only oh, let's see here. Some one hundred odd more to go! I haven't been really this exhausted in a while which is sort of comical. All I did was go to school for the day! School is really more exhausting mentally and physically than you think.

It went fine I guess, not fantastic and not terrible. I always hate my classes and am very introverted at the beginning of the year, but as time goes on I begin to get used to a new school schedule. It was so, so HOT today though! Goodness I thought I wouldn't be that hot in my denim dress but I was practically suffocating all day... Tomorrow I have my new black blazer laid out to wear, but I believe it's supposed to be hot again so I'm not sure if I want to wear it. On the other hand I really don't want to create another outfit because I feel like the one for tomorrow is perfect... Oh, decisions, decisions!

Well, I'm sorry to say I'm off to start homework and do some studying. It's the first day of school and I already have homework, a test tomorrow, and a test on Wednesday! Gosh, talk about getting back into the groove of things slowly. Not haha.

I just want to thank you all for your sweet comments! Sorry if I'm a little late replying to anything or posting comments of all of your lovely blogs. Things are going to be a little hectic this week, but I'll try and do my best! :)

Hope everyone is doing great.

Lauren.

I Had The Best Day With You...

-  I promise we're not naked! You just can't see our suits!

Matt trecking through the jungle trail...haha.

Me sitting on a little alacove on the rock trail!

Ew! A dead fish...

A view of the rocks we climbed. Isn't the scenery breathtaking?!

The lifehouse we wanted to get to but didn't :(

Matt is King Kong, haha.

Isn't he adorable!?!

Mattie and Lauren at the end of the rock trail.

Our names written in the sand <3

Hello everyone!

My family and Matt's family went up to the lake for the day yesterday for a little last "hoorah" to summer! Oh my goodness, it was seriously one of the best days I've had all summer. We arrived at the beach around twelve and stayed until about five. It was an absolutely gorgeous and such a perfect day which was surprising since it really has been cooler lately. Matt and I did all sorts of fun physical activity things like Frisbee, water football and we did some MAJOR exploring!

It's hard to explain but there was this path of HUGE rocks that led out into the lake and toward a lighthouse. We found the path in a bunch of overgrown trees and were so curious as to if the rocks led to the lighthouse! It was super beautiful to look out from the rocks at the lake and there were always these little shaded areas were a person could just sit and look out at the sea. In spots it was really tricky to climb the rocks because they were tipped in all sorts of weird positions, but we made it to the end! The lighthouse sadly was not at the end, but it was on a separate piece of land across the water. It was still so much fun to make it to the end of the path and the scenery around was breathtaking. It was such a special experience to share with Matt and something I'll never forget! We climbed down the side of the rocks and almost into the lake for a great little adventure! Matt was so fearless jumping from rock to rock and was practically rock climbing! I was constantly nagging at him to be careful: I'm such a worry wort! :)

It was honestly such an amazing day. It made me so sad to think that school was right around the corner! It's not even really around the corner but TOMORROW!

Yes, tommorrow is the first day of my Junior year. Boy, am I nervous! Right now I have my hair in foam rollers to sleep in and I still have to finish up a few summer assignments... Nothing like waiting until the last minute! I'm so sad that tomorrow will be the last first day of high school that Matt will ever have. It scares me so much really. I have been dreading Matt's senior year ever since we started dating. I don't want him to leave me behind while he moves on with his life! It's one of my goals to make this year my and Matt's best year of high school yet. I want to make it special for him. Something he'll never forget.

Well, the next time I post will be tomorrow after school! I'm sure I'll have all sorts of fun stories to tell you all. Oh, and an outfit post, of course! It's going to get very interesting in the next months... hehe.

Night everyone! Wish me good luck for tomorrow :)

Lauren.

Date Night!

Black Lace Dress: Thrifted.

Black Patent Belt: Kohl's.

Spectator Heels: Thrifted.

Silver Clip On Earrings: Thrifted.

Spectator Purse: Thrifted.

Jeweled Headband: Forever21.

Hello everyone!

Tonight Matt and I had a little "date night!" I wanted to wear something a little bit dressier, even though where Matt and I went didn't really call for being dressed up. I love this lace dress! It's actually the first thrift find I ever had!

Matt won two free tickets at a basketball game to eat at CiCi's pizza, so we ate there first and then went to the movies after! The movie we saw tonight was called Inception and was really very brilliant. Don't ask me to explain it: it was sooo complicated...I constantly had to stop and think about what was happening. It actually gave me a huge headache because I had to think so hard about the movie! It was very good (once you figure everything out!) and I do recommend seeing it.

Hope everyone is doing well! Tomorrow Matt and I are going up to the lakes for the day. SO excited!!

Lauren.

First Day of School Outfit: It's More Complex Than You Thought!

Denim Dress: Forever21.

Navy Skinny Belt: Charlotte Russe.

Nude Heels: Gabriel Brother's.

Gold Bangles: Forever21.

Gold Chain Clip On Earrings: Thrifted.
Hello everyone!

Ah, the first day of school outfit. Possibly the most important outfit of the whole school year. It sets the mood and tone for the whole new year and tells people who you are without using words. The first day of school outfit is a very tricky one. It has to be strong and powerful, command attention; yet, not look like you tried too hard. It has to show who you are and what your style is with one single effortless glance. I've always loved the saying, " You only get one first impression," and that is certainly the case with the first day of school outfit.

My junior year of high school starts this coming Monday, and I've been thinking about what I was going to wear the first day of school for quite some time now. It's funny how much my style has grown and matured from my freshman year till now. My first day of school outfit as a freshman was a plain purple dress from Walmart paired with a long boho leaf necklace and my most prized possessions at the time: brown gladiators. (I thought I was really hot stuff with such a trendy item!) I must have spent an hour straightening my hair to perfection that morning (I remember my dad saying he could smell my hair burning), and I walked through the doors of high school confident. Boy, was I in for a shock. In Jr. High I had been the best dressed girl by far, but in high school it was a whole different ball game. The girls were beautiful. They looked like models out of magazines and their outfits looked to be created by professional stylists. My confidence level definitely went wayyy down hill that day!

But since that first day freshman year, I have grown and matured into my own distinct sense of style that makes me confident and shine. This year I want people to see that my style has defined and matured. My style for this upcoming school year I want to be vintage inspired, but yet very lady like and polished. Yes, polished is the perfect word I'm looking for!

Like when a bride is shopping for her dress, when picking out the first day of school outfit you just know the right one when you see it. The outfit comes together simply without thought or contemplation. While in Forever21 a few weeks ago shopping for my birthday, I stumbled upon this denim dress and I just knew it was going to part of my first day of school outfit. I was devastated when I tried on the dress and it was way to small, so I was determined to find a size that fit. I tried on another size, and it still didn't fit(this time too big) but I did not give up. I wasn't letting go of my first day of school dress! I tried on yet another size of the dress and it fit! It was meant to be :)

When picking out my outfit for the first day of school last week, I pulled out this dress and the outfit just sort of came together naturally. The bow around the neck is actually the belt to the dress, but since I have an obsession with bow tie necks I tried it with this dress and loved it! I knew I still needed a belt with the dress to define my waist, so I paired the navy Charlotte Russe one with the denim dress and they fit perfectly. I really wanted the dress to be the center piece, so I kept the shoes and jewelery simple. The nude heels elongate my legs like crazy and it is a must to wear heels on the first day of school! Heels make me feel so confident and beautiful, and confidence on the first day of school is key. Gold accessories went well with the gold buttons on the dress. No necklace: too fussy with the neckline. Earrings are always a pretty substitution, and I thought a wrist full of gold bangles would be the finishing touch!

Now, almost as a important as the outfit itself is the first day of school hair. In the past I have always straightened my hair for the first day of school to show off how much my locks had grown over the summer. This year I am taking a different approach and curling my hair with foam rollers. I love how foam rollers give me tight, bouncy, flirty, curls that stay in all day! Since my outfit is a bit vintage inspired I thought curls would go nicely with it. For makeup I'm just keeping it very simple: mascara!

I may not be exactly excited for school itself, but I am super excited to wear all of my outfits back to school! Since my eighth grade year I made a goal: to win best dressed as senior. I am so close to my goal: it's only a year away! This year I'm going to work toward my goal and be very determined. I'm proud to say I have NEVER worn sweatpants to school yet! Not even when I was sick or when it was below zero out! I always say "when you look good, you feel good," and that is the motto I'm going to try to go by this school year!

Whew, I bet you gals didn't know there was that much thought into the first day of school outfit, did you?! I'm going to post the rest of the first week of school's outfits probably tomorrow, so look out for them! Just like the first day of school outfit, there's a method behind all of the other ones, as well. Hehe ;)

Lauren.

P.S. Thank you to all of those who commented on my last post! It was so touching to read comments from some people I had no idea were even out there! You all seriosuly put a big ole smile on my face! If you are an anonymous reader and didn't get a chance to post a comment on the last post, you still can! Coem on, don't be shy. ;) I just personally want to thank all of you for reading my blog. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU! (Special shout out to my Aunt Stacey!) Whether you visit my blog daily, once in awhile, or this is your first time thank you for stopping by. Thank you all.

IT''S HERE!!!

Heelllooo everyone!

I'm so very, very excited because my homecoming dress came today!!! I was straightening my hair at around 10:30 when I heard the doorbell ring and I just knew that it was my dress. Man, I cannot tell you how fast I ripped open the package to get to my dress...

It's everything I wanted it to be and even more. It's just as romantic, girly, soft, and feminine as I thought it would be from the pictures online. The color was not exactly the same as the picture online, but I already knew it was going to be different because of the reviews I read. Online the dress is a more peachy color, and in real life it's more of a creamy color. For the oddest reason in the pictures I took the skirt portion looks light pink while the top half appears to look cream. That is certaintly not the case. Both are a creamy color and I have no idea why the dress appears two toned in the pictures!

I am seriously SO excited guys! I think I love the dress even more than when I saw it online... It's perfect for me and fits my style to an exact T. Thank you all so much for encouraging me to get the dress. It was a good investment and something I'll love even for years to come because it is classic and will never go out of style! :)

My homecoming is usually the second Saturday in October, so jeez right around the corner almost! I'm a little stumped on what I should have Matt wear, so maybe you all could help. I feel like just a white shirt next to the dress would make it look dirty because I tried white pearl jewelery on with the dress and it looked strange. Do you think Matt should wear a cream shirt? For Pete's sake, do they even make cream dress shirts?! And what about a tie? What color of tie...? I can dress myself,but dressing a guy is a whole different level I'm unfamiliar with!

Hope everyone is doing great! Tonight I'm watching To Have and Have Not starring Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart. The super couple of old Hollywood! I don't know if I ever told you guys, but I'm actually named after Lauren Bacall! It's funny how she's like... my style icon and my parents named me after her! It's like they knew I was going to love vintage things!How weird :)

Lauren.

P.S. TO ALL ANONYMOUS READERS: I am just highly curious and want to do a little test to see how many people are actually reading my blog. To ANYONE who I have given out my blog address to (or even if I haven't and you found it some other way) and are reading this RIGHT now, please leave a comment! Friends, family, acquaintances, everyone! I just am curious to see who is actually reading my blog because I've given the address out to so many people! Not sure how to leave a comment? It's easy! At the end of the post there's a little button that says "(blank) lovely comments." Just click on that and leave your name and perhaps a little note! I'd really appreciate it! Thanks :)

Oh, How I've Missed My Berets!

Green and Yellow Polka Dot Dress: Forever21.

Green Heels: Thrifted.

Mustard Yellow Beret: Target.

Leaf Necklace (that blends in with my dress rather well): Forever21.

Leaf Cuff Bracelet: Forever21.

Pearl and Green Antique Bracelet: Given as a gift by extended family.

Hello, hello everyone!

And how are you all doing today?!

It wasn't until I actually looked at while the pictures were uploading to do this post that I realized how 1960's my outfit sort of looked today... I look like a beatnik, haha! For some of you that recently just started to follow my blog this spring/summer, you are unaware of my absolute fetish with berets. Gosh, I love them! I have one in just about every color you could name, and wear them all of the time in the winter and fall months. Yes, I know it is August but it has been strangely cooler the past few days. Perfect for beret wearing!! That is one thing I am excited for fall: wearing hats. Although it isn't all that fun because we're not allowed to wear hats to school.

:( BOO!

You can't tell,but I actually did a little green and gold eye shadow to match my outfit today! I tried to take upclose pictures, but they didn't turn out too swell. It just looked like I had a black eye! Oh, I am certainly no makeup artist. I'm lucky if I can even do mascara without poking myself in the eye...

Hope everyone is doing just dandy! I've got some fun little posts coming up soon. My outfits for the first week of school, some blog awards, a new hair trick I learned, and also pictures of my school supplies! "Pictures of her school supplies? Why would I want to see that?!" That is probably what is going through all of your minds after that last statement, but trust me. I always decorate mine very fashionably, hehe. You'll see later! ;)

P.S. Ohh, has anyone else been watching the new season of Project Runway lately? It's been fab-u-lous! I love the new added on thirty minutes to make each episode ninety minutes long. Who's your favorite?! I myself quite like Valerie's work. And she's from OHIO!!

Countdown: Seven Days.

High,Higher,Highest!

(These shoes have absolutely nothing to do with school. I just felt like entertaining you all by taking a picture of my some of my heels highest to lowest haha.)

Well, I have seven more days left of freedom. No everyone, I am not going to jail but something close to it: school. Okay, well maybe I exaggerate a bit. It's really not that bad. Or is it? Think back to your days of high school. High school is where beauty gets you everything and grades get you no where. It's where the school lunches are almost as scary as AP Chemistry. It's where I will be spending most of my time for the next nine months.

Sigh. It's not that I hate school. I really don't. It's just that it is so time consuming and thoroughly exhausting. I get worn out just thinking about it. I go to school for eight hours and come home, get a snack and do homework for another six hours.I give myself Friday evening and Saturday to relax, and then it's homework and studying all day Sunday. Monday it's the same thing starting over again. Summer is so fantastic because I have all the time in the world to relax and do what I want.

 

I guess I'm especially upset to go back this year because I've gotten so into blogging lately. When I start school, I won't be able to go to all sorts of inspiring places to take outfit shots anymore. Outfit pictures will start to resume to be taken in my uninspiring front yard. Also, for probably about an hour or so each day I try and take time to read and comment on all sorts of blogs and reply back to all of your comments. With so much homework every night I fear that I won't have time to take pictures, do a post, reply to comments, post comments, read blogs, AND get an outfit ready for the next day.

I'm just really scared and sad I guess. My passion is going to be taken away from me and I don't have a choice. Also, this summer I've gone on so many wonderful thirfting adventures to garage sales, rummage sales, estate sales, and thrift stores that I won't be able to when school starts.

For now I HAVE to just enjoy the summer I have left and live for the moment. I picked up my school schedule today and here's the classes I'm taking:

1.Pre Calculus.

2. Studio Jewelery: Half Year Course.

2. Economics: Half Year Course.

3. Spanish III.

4. Advanced English 11.

5. Symphonic Band.

6. Physics.

7. AP Government and U.S. Politics.

Whew, it's gonna be a tough year! I have a feeling that Physics and Pre Calc are going to give me the most trouble. I am SUPER duper excited to be taking Studio Jewelery though, which is a jewelery making class :) Oh, and my school makes us take Economics and Government, so I really didn't have a choice :( And perhaps you didn't know I was in band? Haha I play the trumpet!

Hope everyone is doing well! I really, really appreciate all of your comments on the last post! It was one of my favorites up to date!

P.S. HOMECOMING DRESS UPDATE. It came today in the mail. Yes, this would be the point where I add a bunch of exclamation marks after that sentence along with about a dozen smiley faces. However, a dress from Modcloth came today, but it was not the one I ordered. They sent me the wrong dress!! :( I was very disappointed, but we are sending the wrong dress back and Modcloth is using the express shipping to ship me MY dress. It should be here Wednesday!

If You're A Bird I'm A Bird.

Chadwicks 1940's Inspired Dress: Thrifted.

Black T-Strap Heels: Target.

Pearl Screw On Earrings: Thrifted.

Hello everyone! :)

So I told myself in the very beginning of the summer I was going to watch The Notebook all of the time because it's my absolute FAVORITE movie ever and I never have time to watch it during the school year. Here it with only a week left of summer and I told myself I just had to watch the movie today. Well, I'm not embarrassed to say I cried like I do every time. Actually, I bawl my eyes out would be a better description. I'm just like... in love with this movie. When I watch it I get the jittery feeling in my stomach, and as soon as the movie is over I want to watch it again. I never get tired of watching it.

Yes, The Notebook is the best love story ever created( in my opinion, hehe!), but I get so inspired from the movie. It never fails, every time I watch the movie the next few days after all I wear is vintage clothes. Today was definitely no exception. After wiping away my tears and cleaning up my mascara, I got dressed up to do a Notebook inspired photo shoot! I wasn't even planning on doing an outfit post today, but I felt so compelled and inspired I just had to.

I have been saving this dress for a special occasion to wear to/ take picture in, and today just felt so right. I couldn't have thought of a better day to take pictures in this dress than today. The weather was perfect. Sunny, but not sweltering hot. There was a slight breeze that played with the hem of my dress and rippled the water. It was beautiful out. As soon as I got to the nature center I just felt so darn excited to take pictures! There is a little spot by a lake that I knew would be perfect. It reminded me of when Noah takes Allie out in the boat on the lake to see all of the swans...

Sigh. I'm such a romantic at heart. I can't help but be in such a dreamy and carefree mood today. I can't get the songs from the movie out of my head and I keep humming them unintentionally. For days now I'm going to be pretending that I'm Allie Hamilton and I live in the 1940's... Oh, how I truly wish!!

Hope everyone is feeling very inspired and cherishing these last few beautiful days of summer!

Lauren.

Nothing To Lose, But Everything To Gain.

Denim Dress: Target.

Floral 1950's Hat: Thrifted.

Tan Flat Shoes: Thrifted.

White Purse: Thrifted.

Stack of Pearl Bracelets: Forever21.

Pearl Necklace: Kohl's.

Pink Belt: Came with a dress from Forever21.

Hello everyone! :)

I'm just getting ready to go to work and thought I would do a little post before I left since I'm going to the Blueberry Festival tonight! After the dentist this morning I took these pictures in the same place I did just the other day. Goodness, I think it's my new favorite spot! The lighting is just gorgeous and I love how peaceful and serene everything is.

I have one question to ask you all before I go: does it bug anyone else when dentists try and talk to you when they are cleaning your teeth?? Argh, that drives me crazy when they ask me questions and I can't answer because their hands are in my mouth! Sheez.

See you tomorrow everyone!

Lauren.