OOTD: The Cat's Meow

I must say: this is one of the trendiest outfits I've ever put together. Between the hat, the crop top, the plaid skirt, the (faux) leather jacket, and the cat tights, I'm surprised I came up with this look. I've never been able to afford to pay attention to trends (they come and go so quickly, my shopping budget doesn't allow me to keep up with what's "in"). Before I stopped shopping at fast-fashion providers, they made it easier for me to keep up with trends: that's where this jacket and skirt came from. Now, I try to get my trend fix from fast-turnaround sources like Poshmark and consignment stores. This hat was part of a POPSUGAR Must Have Box and these tights were a birthday gift from my mom, making them easy trends to justify buying into. I may not be this trendy all the time, but every now and then I can make looks like this happen with a little bit of smart spending and some help from my friends.

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?

Everyday Jewelry

As I'm sure some of you have noticed, there are a couple pieces of jewelry that I am always wearing. Each piece has meaning or purpose; some have both. You may have seen them in person or in blog posts. I never link similar pieces in my OOTDs because they're such a regular part of my look that I honestly often forget I'm wearing them. So, I've decided to give a little background on each piece of jewelry that I wear every day.

I got this Invicta diving watch last year for my birthday. Because it's a diving watch, it's waterproof, which means I never have to take it off. In fact, the only time I remove it is when I'm dressing up.

My trusty black hair tie counts as a piece of jewelry, right?

I got both this ring and bracelet from my mom, who got them from a Eugene street fair when she was in high school. I'm very impressed they've held up this long, especially as I've worn them every day since I was in high school.

Emily gave me this bracelet a couple years ago for my birthday. It says, "She believed she could, so she did." It's really quite an honor that she thinks I can do whatever I put my mind to.

The year after our year in Spain, Francesca sent me a bracelet with the coordinates of our bus stop in downtown Málaga. She had a matching one, so we could be reminded of each other every time we wear it. I wore it every day until I lost it inner-tubing. Luckily, Francesca lost hers around the same time, so I ordered us new matching ones with the coordinates of our bus stop near our host families' houses.

OOTD: Going Nowhere

I don't have a lot of stuff in my closet (apart from my jewelry) that I first came to college with. This skirt, though, has been through a lot with me. I bought it the first time I went to the famed Capitol Hill Value Village my freshman year. The rest of my outfit was purchased (or gifted) within the last year. It's kind of interesting being able to see how I've transitioned this skirt from one phase of my style to the next.

OOTD: On the Grid

This skirt is one of my favorite purchases I've made in 2016: I've been looking for the perfect grid-print skirt since the start of the school year, and I just happened to come across this at my local Crossroads. I'm still thoroughly enjoying wearing all my layers; my mom gave me this scarf for Valentine's Day and these boots still have plenty of wear left in them. That being said, I'm looking forward to the warmer weather that's supposedly on the horizon.