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You have style no one can teach

Growing up my style icon was Claudia Kishi.

I mean technically I never actually dressed like her but I wished I could pull off her looks in real life. We all know that one of the best parts of reading the Baby-sitters Club books was to read about what the baby sitters were wearing especially Claudia. Many people still enjoy this to this day as evident by sites like What Claudia Wore and this Buzzfeed list on The Definitive Ranking of All 131 Baby-Sitters Club Cover Outfits.

It’s funny that for years I didn’t have a style that defined me. I mean, when I really think about it, I can’t even say that I actually had style. I wore what was comfortable and didn’t really have that much interest in fashion. Then a few years ago, I sort of saw the light.

I have to thank/blame Pinterest for this. While I originally realized that I liked certain articles of clothing on my own, after finally caving in and using Pinterest, I discovered that I could then create my own personal style.

These days if you ever meet me, I apparently have a trademark style that most people relate to me. I will most likely wearing a leather jacket, skinny jeans, a scarf and boots. We all know how much I love scarves. I also like layering articles of clothing, wearing leg warmers with boots, and long cardigans. I would LOVE to be able to get into that slouchy wool hat movement but for whatever reason my hair/head will not cooperate no matter how much I try with pins or anything else.

Fall is my favorite time of the year for clothing because I can freely wear these outfits without worrying about getting too hot or looking completely dressed for the wrong season.

Even though I’ve obviously found pictures of other people wearing styles like this, I actually haven’t run into anyone in my own social circle that does. It’s been rather cool that I’ve been able to make it uniquely me. Like I said, up until the past few years, you could not distinguish my fashion taste at all because I didn’t have one. Now old me wouldn’t even recognize new me.

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Wearing scarves in non-scarf weather is the essence of cool

I got called out the other day that I always wear scarves. Even in the summer. Apparently it’s become my trademark.

I used to think that scarves were simply for winter. And even then, I didn’t see much point in them. They never really made me feel any warmer. And if they were to cover up your neck, wouldn’t it make more sense to put them on your neck first and THEN put on your coat? So what was the point on how they looked?

It all started about three years ago. At this point I only had your basic wool scarves for winter. I also didn’t realize that there were ways to incorporate scarves in everyday wear. I guess my image of women wearing scarves was limited to this:

But then I went through a few phases where I was trying to find my personal style. And I realized that I really liked wearing scarves as accessories. I had been wearing the same necklace for years and realized that it was time to give it up. I soon learned that they could liven up almost any outfit and with so many colors and designs they could fit a move. I’m not a big fan of my neck so this was a great way to cover it up fashionably.

Now I have at least 23 scarves. I have winter wool scarves, I have infinity scarves, I have chiffon scarves, I have silk scarves. But before you think I spent tons of money buying these, you’d be wrong. Thanks to gifts, clothing swaps, and insanely good sales, the most I’ve ever spent on a scarf is $6.

To me, scarves are my best accessory. While I do wear jewelry including lots of necklaces, I prefer the look of scarves better. You can wear a scarf for almost any occasion. It can be professional or casual. They can go with almost any outfit. While there are many websites and videos out there that can teach you how to do this, this is my go to page: How to Tie a Scarf with over 50 videos and all sorts of different ways to tie scarves.

Here are just some of the ones that I have:

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Yes that IS a Harry Potter scarf! Go Hufflepuff! Also the red and green scarf was knitted for me. It sparkles!

Basically if you ever talk to me in person, the odds of me wearing a scarf are quite high. And if you ever find yourself in the position of needing to buy me a present, you cannot go wrong with a scarf.

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A Woman’s Right to Shoes

Warning: This is going to be a fairly girly post. Deal with it.

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So I’m not that girly when it come to a lot of things.  I just never have been.  Though lately that seems to have changed.

True story: sometimes when I’m feeling down and I’m out shopping, I’ll go try on shoes. I won’t necessarily buy any of them but just the simple act of going window shopping for shoes makes me feel better.

I am really a girl when it comes to shoes. It’s funny because it didn’t used to be.  I just wore basically the same 2 pairs for everything and maybe had a few pair of dress shoes that made appearances only when I had to.  Then again, I wasn’t the one buying the shoes back in the day. My first major splurge on shoes was a pair of blue and yellow Vans that I bought from a surf shop for $80.  I loved those bad boys and wore those things everywhere.  It was a combination of I really loved them and I had to justify the high cost I paid, but I wore those things out.  I would love to find another pair of them on Ebay or something but sadly I don’t remember what the name was and I can’t even find a picture of them online.

Then I grew up.  And now I love shoes . My favorite place to get shoes is DSW. I really love DSW. If you have ever met me in person, and you mention that you like shoes, I will do everything in my power to get you to shop there and help you save money.  I think they have the best shoe selection, really good deals, an awesome rewards program, and their social media presence is one I wish a lot of other companies would follow. I have gotten so much free stuff from them and it’s fun going shoe shopping with friends. This post is not a plug for them FYI.

Since I’m rather short (I’m only 5’3), I love wearing heels and the higher they are the better.  Now I’m also rather clumsy, so I have to be careful with the type of heel I get.  I would break my neck with an extremely skinny stiletto.  But I’ve now gotten used to wearing heels that are up to 4.5 inches (as long as they also have a platform in the front).  Sadly, I still am not taller than some people in those heels, as they like to remind me all the time. You won’t ever see me running in heels unless you want me to die of a broken neck (this was my major problem with the movie In Time) but I can get around in mine quite well. I also scored a couple pairs of sandals as well that I really adore.

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I love boots as well.  I got this awesome pair of brown boots last year as part of my costume for Katniss to wear to DragonCon (another post for another day) and they are the best boots ever.  I also really like wearing knee high boots but as I have wider calves, it can be hard of a challenge to find a pair that fit.  Not to be all “grass is greener on the other side” but I seriously envy women with skinny calves.  This season I got a pair of black high heeled boots and a pair of brown riding boots that I love and will go quite well with dresses and skinny jeans this fall/winter.

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When it comes to casual shoes, I’m kind of a hipster.  I have a pair of TOMS that are pretty worn out, a  pair of Chuck Taylors, and these awesome aqua blue retro New Balances.  Seriously, I love how the color stands out and you can’t help but notice them.  For someone who went most of their life wearing a lot of black, color on me is a nice surprise.  I do also own a pair of Steve Madden black flats that go with EVERYTHING. They are such a wonderful staple.

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So shoes. Yes. They are fun.  I’m no Carrie Bradshaw who needs a closet just for shoes, and I don’t believe I will ever spend more than $80 on a pair of shoes ever in my life (no shoe is worth that much to me.) But to me, they help to define my personality a little better. And it’s fun. 🙂