OOTD: Suit & Tie

Lace-up flats - Rag & Bone leather-detail suit pants - Forever 21 tie-neck button-up - Rag & Bone blazer

This is my first OOTD in Brooklyn! This is a cute wall I found on my first day taking Luxe on a walk. The skeleton immediately drew my eye, but what I love is the remainder of the "my masculinity does not threaten yours" poster. This poster is part of a series called "Stop Telling Women To Smile"  by an artist actually based out of Brooklyn. The whole idea of the series is to use street art to reclaim the streets as a safe environment for women to exist in. I chose to wear this suit in this location because I believe very firmly that anyone, regardless of sex or gender identity, is able to wear whatever they feel most comfortable in. For me, that often means a dress (regardless of the weather), but for other women, that may mean a suit. The future of fashion absolutely means foregoing gender norms and letting people wear whatever makes them feel most themselves.
This suit was part of my Hanukkah gift this year: my mom found a brand-new Rag & Bone suit at Last Chance for 1/15 of the price. It's the nicest thing I've ever owned (apart from my dog, who's nice in another way), and I'm excited to wear it in a professional context one day.

Fall Ball 2016

Seattle University hosts one formal event a year: Fall Ball. We're a small campus without Greek life, so this is really it for us. I've only been one other time, but couldn't miss out on my last chance. The theme was "In Space," and I kind of went all-out. As a broke college student, one of my favorite (totally non-Kosher) things to do is use makeup products in a way other than their intended purpose. This lipstick is actually an eyeshadow stick, and my eyeshadow/eyebrow highlight is a liquid eyeliner.

I didn't see Luxe in this picture until writing this post, but Evelyn and I look too good to delete it.

As I'm sure those of you who have followed me for a while know, I'm usually pretty nervous to go out to social occasions that have more than five people at them. Luckily, I have a number of friends who share my social priorities and are down to do things a little differently. Evelyn and I got ready watching the Office, spent our time at the event walking through the exhibits at the EMP, and were home in bed by 11:30. I'm so lucky to have friends with whom I can share my college experience and who I truly enjoy.

Huge shoutout to Evelyn and Sophia's boyfriends for letting me steal them to be my dates for the evening. Don't we all look so cute?

OOTD: J & J Forever

Two weeks ago, my cousin Jenny married the love of her life. I was so fortunate to be able to join them and celebrate their love with some of my favorite people in the world: my family and Brendan. We dressed ourselves to the nines and spent the evening dancing and eating and generally having a good time. 

I spent months searching for the perfect dress and accessories. After all, it's not every day that your closest cousin gets married! I finally found a dress from ASOS after some non-response on Poshmark. I actually ended up getting a different dress from the website than I'd ordered, but at least it was still red and long, so I wasn't going to let it ruin my weekend!

I was so glad that Brendan got to join us in Arizona for the weekend after my birthday. We got to celebrate my birthday just days after and he got to take part in his first big Goldstein family event.

This was the first time our family had been together since Winter Break last year. I'm so lucky to be able to be able to see them so often.

Photo by April Maura Photography

Back to Bat Mitzvahs

At the beginning of the summer, Brendan and I took a trip back to Bend for Father's Day weekend. It just so happened that one of the girls I used to nanny for was having her Bat Mitzvah that same weekend. I was so excited to bring Brendan to his first real Jewish experience. 

Shoes | Dress | Clutch | Necklace

The party was so cute! The colors were purple and pink, and they were everywhere: in the candy, in the flowers, and in the photobooth photos.

It's always very interesting going to a Bar or Bat Mitzvah now that I'm past Bat Mitzvah age. I loved being 12-14 and going to all my friends' Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. Of course, I loved my own Bat Mitzvah, but learning hours worth of Hebrew prayers and readings makes the experience a little different. It was so much fun sharing this part of my life with Brendan.

Everyone Deserves Their Perfect Prom

I was so lucky to have a perfect senior prom. I found my dress for $12 at a discount clothing store and I got to go with my best friends. Not to mention that's how my boyfriend and I started dating! However, I understand that not everyone isn't nearly as lucky as I was that year. While I can't make your crush ask you to prom, I can help by providing some prom style inspiration that often get overlooked in prom magazines or sites. After all: everyone deserves to have their perfect prom.

If you're uncomfortable in a dress (and not just because they often fit a bit tight), a jumpsuit is an awesome alternative. A formal jumpsuit is great because they can so easily be dressed up or down, so you can wear it long after prom is over!

Shop left-right: Diane von Furstenberg, Nasty Gal, ASOS, ASTR, BCBGeneration

I've never paid more than $20 for a school formal dress. It can be pretty tricky to find dresses at such a low price, but I promise, they're out there! Here are some of my favorite places to find inexpensive formal dresses: Jolly Chic, Lookbook Store, Cichic, Tidestore, Choies, Rosewholesale, OASAP, ROMWE, ASOS, and stores like Ross, TJ Maxx, and Last Chance.

Shop left-right: ROMWE, ASOS, Lovelelify

Shop left-right: City Chic, H&M, ASOS, Windsor

Some schools have strict dress codes for formals, but conservative in no way has to mean unstylish.

Shop left-right: Vakind, Lulu*s, ModCloth, SL Fashions, ASOS

Shop left-right: J.Crew, Ann Taylor Loft, Pisarro Nights, John Zack

Shop left-right: Adrianna Papell, Badgley Mischka, Truly You, Donna Morgan

Fashionista Friday: Ice Queen

Skirt: Similar from DailyLook
Shirt: Similar from Free People
Necklace 1: Similar from Overstock.com
Necklace 2: Stella & Dot
Jacket: Similar from ROMWE
Lipstick: Similar from Vapour Organic Beauty

Head on over to CollegeFashionista for my Style Guru Bio for this semester! I talk about how I always seem to be dressed more formally than everyone else. It used to embarrass me when I was younger, but I've grown into my sense of style as I've gotten older.