Window Shopping: White Girl Wasted on Autumn

       

I do a pretty good job of not being a WhiteGirl™ most of the year but come October, all bets are off. If you were to casually bump into me in Trader Joe's, I wouldn't stand out much from the rest of the North-Face-shell-and-Patagonia-fleece-clad army of girls with yoga pant booties being flattened by the unflattering shape of Ugg boots. Starbucks latte in hand, I would swipe my white iPhone unlocked and tweet about someone bumping into me in the #Pumpkin products aisle. I would scoff "as if!" and take a swig of my much-too-sweet latte before rolling away with my my cart full of almond milk and avocados. Something about the crisp autumn air, the crunchy leaves, and the impending holiday season brings out the inner white girl in all of us. Side note, who agrees that the Salted Caramel Mocha is a million times better than the Pumpkin Spice? It tastes like a chocolate-covered pretzel and it can be made vegan, unlike the pumpkin one so... obvious winner. Follow-up question, can anybody actually finish one of those deadly concoctions? I get halfway through a "tall" and my stomach begins to feel as if it will implode upon itself. Anyone? No? Alright then.

Thing is, white girls all know that they (we?) dress exactly the same. If you ask anyone why, her answer will undoubtedly be a whiny variant of something along the lines of "but it's comfyyyyy!" Actually, we had a white girl summit and discussed what our uniform would be and this is what we decided on because it's flattering and easily attainable. Not really. I have no idea why we dress this way. We just do. I hold to the universal truth that yoga pants and a fleece are okay for bopping around the grocery store but we should all put more thought and care into what we wear pretty much anywhere else. Break the mold, why don't ya? Trade your leggings for black jeggings, your fleece for a nice sweater layered over a long chambray button-down, your UGGly boots for some leg-lengthening pointed flats, and add a few gold details. Still warm and comfy but in a much sleeker, sexier package. If you REALLY wanna do it right, trade that pumpkin spice coffee for a good ale. (If you must have pumpkin, Southern Tier PUMKING is pretty great.) 

xo,

e.m.

Sweater Weather

Not really something that would warrant an outfit post per se, but it's sweater weather so BOO YA. In stark contrast to my previous post,  my week took a turn for the worse. I had one of those days when everybody seemed to have something mean to say to me or about me, etc. Why can't we just all be nice to each other? (Myself included.) I try my best to brush it off but some things tend to hit harder than others and when it happens, it's always everything at once. Needless to say, it felt good to pull on a cozy cardigan, grab a Miller High Life (or two... or more...) with my best friend Allie, and to catch Sucré play a great set. After a night of laughing and singing along, everything else seemed so trivial. It's such a great thing to have a friend who you'll click with and pick up again effortlessly after not seeing each other for a little while. The last time we saw each other, things were immensely different. She was finishing up school, I was searching for a job. Now, I'm settled into a career path and a new place, she graduated and got engaged, yet despite all of the changes, we hit it off like it was only just yesterday that were were ducking into Barnes and Noble to try to escape a polar vortex. Yes, that really happened. It was nine months ago. A lot can change in a relatively short time. Changing seasons brings this sort of sentimentality out of me; I'd apologize but it's been a while since I've been open with you guys here and I kind of missed it.

xo,

e.m.

*photos by Allie Mickel

Rumblings of Fall

My window is open, I wore black tights to work, all is well with the world. Summer makes me kind of depressed. There's something about being sweaty and smelly all the time that's just very off-putting. I love random beach days and the sun is nice but when the breeze picks up and the leaves start changing, all of the outside world becomes my sanctuary. The week before my birthday has historically been a high point for me. Fall starts rolling in, Starbucks starts carrying the Salted Carmel Mocha again, and my birthday present to myself somehow shows up on my doorstep a couple days early. (Every year!) I had a half day today so I loafed around the house, browsed through a few fall clothing catalogs, and made some quinoa-black bean concoction. Candles were lit, Bon Iver was listened to, and a little boozy something-or-other may have been sipped. The Eagles are playing tonight... man, it's a good day. I'm starting to feel those creative juices flowing again and I couldn't be happier. As my man Ice Cube would say, "today was a good day."

xo,

e.m.

New & Different

Sometimes change is necessary. The seasons are shifting, I'm turning 23 in a week or so, and my creative juices are flowing. Instead of my usual "I'm going to take a trip somewhere," I decided to redecorate. Redecorating is something that always feels really great. It's a wonderful way to start over; even seeing a new paint color cover the old is somewhat cathartic. Who couldn't use a little catharsis every once in a while? (Oh, and thanks for photobombing me, Juno.)

Before: I actually don't mind the "before" at all. It's cozy. I wanted a change though, which is why I  kissed that soft seafoam green "goodbye" and traded that green chevron stripe rug for a similar but more geometric one.

I like it. It's classy but still very "me" -- a hodgepodge of sorts but everything is still somehow cohesive. Staining my bed was the best decision I've ever made. It came out unexpectedly well and I now believe in the power of the stain. Seriously, if you want to make a big impact on a budget, stain a piece of furniture. WOWZA. 

xo, e.m.

Put a Spell on You

I've gone missing for a little while. But I'm back. (Don't even ask about last week. Don't do it.) After getting my first real sleep in 9 days, I awoke to a pleasantly chilly day. When you wake up and there's a nice breeze in the air, what do you do other than drape yourself in all black and parade around town in some booties? I put on my best impression of Fairuza Balk and enjoyed the overcast splendor.

xo,

e.m.

dress/ Gypsy Warrior (similar), boots/ Piperlime (similar), hat/ Urban Outfitters, necklace/ from when I was a kid but I found (almost!) the exact same one at ASOS, ring/ H&M (similar), lipstick/ Cyber by MAC 

*photos by Danielle Conyers