OotD: Sometimes you just wanna be comfortable

Lolland Sweaterdress (Anthropologie)
Tights: Macy's
Necklace: Kohl's
Boots: Grandma

It has been absolutely disgusting for nearly a week in my neck of the woods, and I'm definitely feeling the need for sunshine and warmer days. I only like cold and rain when I can stay in bed all day, and since I can't do that, this weather is simply unacceptable! I put on one of my comfiest warm dresses yesterday to try and ward off a bit of the doom and gloom outside.

I wasn't sure about these tights and almost put a different color with it, but in the end I took a "chance." I honestly ended up liking how they looked. I think I'm finally starting to trust my fashion "instincts" on what will go well together, and I find that that little voice in my head is right more and more. This is a great feeling! Don't you love it when you feel like an outfit comes together?



Ruffle overkill with the Frill Force Jacket (Anthropologie)

I'm completely exhausted, so I'm going to wish you all goodnight and end this here! I'll be back soon with the Versatile Blogger Award which was kindly given to me by Terrie! Thank you so much, Terrie! If I wrote seven things about myself right now, 1-7 would be "I'm tired," so I'll wait till next time, but check back soon!

Current Wishlist!

Well, hello, Monday! (And goodbye, Monday. I think I speak for most of us when I say that you will not be missed.) If there's one thing good about a Monday, it's the possibility of an Anthro sale tomorrow. Do you have a good feeling about this week? My wallet and I are still sitting this one out unless some crazy second cuts happen and I get really lucky, but good luck to everyone hoping for items!

Because the weather here has been soul-suckingly-cold lately, I thought I'd bring a little warmth to my blog by posting some lovely spring items that have made their way onto my wishlist. I like to pay attention to the new arrivals around this time because they're probably the options that will be hitting sale around birthday-discount-time for me (Dear June, please arrive faster, love, Katie). Here are a few things I have my eye on:

Make A Wish Skirt

This beauty sure is pretty, and I think it would be a great skirt for spring and summer (and knowing me, fall and winter, ahem). I love the shape, but over $120 for polyester? No thank you. On second cut I'd consider this.

Epoch Blouse

Ria, you are a horrible person for showing me this top! Ruffles, flowers, girliness, and a vintage vibe? I'm in love. The price is too rich for my blood, but maybe with a good sale and a birthday discount I could make this happen. It's backordered till JUNE online, so I'm taking that as a sign and having hope. Foolish, foolish hope.

Imaginings Chemise

This just in: I don't will never have enough ditsy floral dresses. This pretty looks like it could totally fit into my Loungewear As Daywear Problem, and as a huge fan of impressionism I was immediately drawn to it online. I think it would look adorable with white tights and a pastel cardigan for spring and on its own (or maybe with a brown belt) for summer! So excited to try this on.

Tippi Dress

Oh dress, how you continue to haunt me. I still haven't tried this one on yet. I know that a lot of people don't like it, but Roxy gave it a favorable review, so I'm still holding out hope. I'm crossing my fingers I won't be sized out of this one! (And that it'll stick around for a second cut!)










Also on my wishlist but as-yet undiscovered:

Spring/summer shoes! I have a horrible lack of these in my closet, guys. I really need some flats and heels that I can wear without my tights and that will look cute without killing my feet. If you have any recommendations, I'd love to hear them! I'm on the hunt particularly for simple but cute, solid color flats, gold or brown sandals, and round toe medium-to-low heels. Comfort is a must; I can't do the zero-support piece-of-cardboard flats or the toe-murdering heels. I want to find something that feels like something you'd wear to walk around a nursing home but looks like something a young scientist might want to wear a few decades before she needs help with her hearing aid. Impossible? Maybe, but hope springs eternal! I'm particularly hoping for these to hit sale! Did I mention I love Mary Janes?

What's on your wishlist for spring and summer?

Ootd: Sincerest form of flattery

First thing's first: holy crap, 40 followers!! I am so excited! Hello to each and every one of you, and I love you all.

Hi everybody! Hope you had a marvelous weekend! I'm sad to see it end, but at least I don't have any major tests due for awhile, so I have a weight or three off my shoulders for the time being.

Today I wanted to share an outfit that was inspired by two of my favorite bloggers, Maria and Kim. I saw Maria pairing this skirt with this top a long time ago, and it inspired me to track the top down so I could duplicate it. If you read her blog, you know that Kim has an affinity for the color mint, so I added this cardigan in the spirit of her romantic, girly style. Kim and Maria really got me into fashion, blogs, and Anthropologie last year, and because of them I can honestly say that my closet (and life!) are much more colorful, beautiful and put-together. Before I found their blogs, I had no idea how to dress myself and thought that ill-fitting black dress pants and a poorly-made top from high school was a "nice" outfit. I think I've come a long way since then, and though I still have a long way to go, I'm so grateful to all the bloggers who helped me on my way. Thank you for inspiring me to learn about fashion and figure out how to dress, lovely ladies. If I can ever be half as stylish as you, I'll have it made!




Night Skating Top, Thousand Days Skirt (Anthropologie)
JCrew cardi
NY and Company necklace
Softwalk shoes

Have you always been into fashion and dressing up, or have blogs (or something else!) inspired you to put more thought into it?

OotD: Test-takin'!

Hi all! I wanted to post a quick backlogged outfit for you! This is actually what I wore to take my test; an Anthro addict needs some good luck in a pretty dress, right? I stupidly did not buy this dress when I had the chance in stores, but luckily Annie at the Trade Market was kind enough to sell one to me. Thank you so much, Annie! I love wearing it.





Crop Patterns Dress (Anthropologie)
Target cardi
Grandma's boots

As you know, I've been trying to take better pictures, but between the wind and a few persistent bees, it just wasn't happening the day these were taken. I got frustrated, and this happened:



Did I mention I'm a dork?

OotD: Curly girl

Good Thursday evening! I don't know about you, but I sure am excited about the weekend. This was a tough week at school/work, between an exam and starting to learn some complicated new software in lab. I do have good news though: I got an 86 on my test! YAY. That's better than I thought I'd do, and I was so relieved and proud. I've also got another poster presentation in a few weeks that I'm starting to prepare for -- just submitted my abstract, and I'm pretty happy with it. I remember my very first poster presentation over two years ago. I thought I was going to die! Now I'm actually excited for the chance to talk about the new research we've been doing. Plus, the free food is a bonus. Mmm, hope they have the delicious cupcakes they had last year!

Onto more important (ha) things, yesterday evening was a first for me: I tried pin curls for the first time! I found an awesome tutorial at Vintage Vixen (her blog blew me away, wow, such beautiful pictures and style) and decided to try it. I love curls, but I hate damaging my hair with heat. I thought this would be a fun new style to try, so after an entire pack of bobby pins, last night I looked like this, in all my make-up-less glory:


(Do you see the things I do for you, readers?)

I must confess that I am not very good with hair, so this was a little tough for me, and I probably did it wrong. But I think it was workable enough for my first try; here are the results:






Chantilly Chemise, Sweater Cuffed Booties (Anthropologie)
Kohl's tunic/dress and necklace
Macy's tights

On my outfit: I've worn this general combo before, but hey, if it ain't broke, right? When I bought this slip, I was so looking forward to using it to make my shorter "dresses" decent, and I was thrilled to try that today! Also, this is actually my OotD. I have more backlogged pictures that I'll be posting soon though!

If you're looking for a super easy video to help explain pin curls, check out this one! That should answer all your questions, and like I said I am not the best with hair, so I think you'd be better served watching it. I think I did pretty well for my first attempt at pin curls! I think this style is best if you're looking for a lot of volume and not necessarily tight, defined ringlet type curls. I don't have the thickest hair in the world, and it looked like I actually had some! Yay! (Also, I felt a little like I had Taylor Swift hair. As you know, this pleased me greatly.) I will say that my hair is naturally wavy and holds curl well, so if you have straighter hair you may need some products, but I didn't use any.


Close-up!

Overall I thought this was a fun style, and I'll definitely try it again. I admit that I was skeptical and didn't think someone so dumb with hair as myself could make this work, but I was pleasantly surprised! Any fellow curl-junkies out there? What method do you use? (And if yours is natural, color me jealous!)

Missing Something? (OotD)

Edit: I forgot to mention this yesterday because I'm a bad blogger, but I did a guest post yesterday on Jewish Girl's blog about my heritage, so if you're interested, head on over and check it out!

Good evening! Hope everyone is having/had a good one. It's late for me, so I'll be headed for bed soon, but I wanted to post another of my past outfits.

I have a confession to make: there is no Anthro in this outfit. GASP. I know. But some days it really does happen. This skirt is old, and I have trouble styling it, but I thought I'd try pairing it with this tank I got from the JCrew warehouse. Here's the result:







(That day I also decided to take Tara's advice about using props in photos (mostly because I didn't feel like putting my Ipod down). She probably didn't mean "your Ipod" when she said to try using props, so I don't think it worked very well, but it is what it is!)

JCrew warehouse tank
Target cardi
LOFT skirt
Jessica Simpson tights
Softwalk shoes
Kohl's necklace

I'm really tired after my test, so I'm going to say goodnight! See you later!

OotD: A little impersonation

Happy Tuesday! I hope you're having a better day than I'm having, since I'm at home reading about the gastrointestinal tract for my lame test tomorrow. But I decided to take a break to post an outfit for you, as well as some style inspiration.

So it's no secret that my Taylor Swift Problem is almost as big as my Anthropologie Problem. I love her music, her talent, and her style. I'm going to see her concert in June and am so excited! I've always loved her thing for pretty forehead headbands, like this:



I wanted to recreate it but have never had the guts (because headbands are gutsy? Weird, I know) because I felt like it would look like I just didn't know how to put on my headband. Well, last week I decided, to heck with it, I'm going to be Taylor Swift for the day and actually leave my house! I also wanted to bring out my long-coveted-and-recently-acquired-for-only-thirty-dollars Tiered Rush Dress. The end result was this:






Tiered Rush Dress, Flushed Beauty Headband, Zodiac Heirloom Necklace, Looping Lanes Belt, Luminous Boots (Anthropologie)
Socks: Francesca's

(I know, I know: I wear this necklace way too much. Blame my space nerdery. I don't buy into astrology, but I like it as a story, and I do love the constellations and strongly identify with Gemini.)

I love this dress, and I'm so glad that I was able to help someone else (hi Elizabeth from the Trade Market) find one, too!

Overall, I thought this look worked out okay, and I enjoyed pretending like I lived in a Taylor Swift album for the day. I'll probably be trying out this trend again soon. What do you think? Should headbands stay on the top of your head, or is this trend a fun way to change things up?

OotD: Nearing the end (of winter!)

Good evening everyone! Another Monday has come and gone -- do you think there will be an Anthro sale tomorrow? I stopped by my local Anthro this evening to make a return and didn't see too much going on, which is good because my budget is unfortunately empty for now. But you never know! Anyway, I wanted to post my OotD.

(This is actually my OoLastWeek. I have a couple backlogged outfits to post, which is a good thing because tomorrow I'll be home studying for a big test, and I suspect my OotD will consist of my old college Psych Club shirt and shorts. The "glamorous" life of a grad student.)

I should have brought this shirt to Disney to wear at the Yacht Club, but my trip there inspired me to pull it out again. I took advantage of the cooler weather to wear my Field Skirt and tights again for what might be the last time for awhile.






Field Skirt, Sea's Epitome Tee, Zodiac Heirloom Necklace, Pindot Tights (Anthropologie)
Softwalk shoes

Have a great night, and I hope there's a sale tomorrow for all of those who are waiting for markdowns!

Kiss me, I'm... really Irish (OotD)

Hi everyone! I have a belated St. Patrick's Day outfit to share with you! I'm Irish, so of course I had to dress up for this day, and I couldn't think of a better dress to wear than the Caranday Dress. It seems that great minds think alike, because Anjali also wore her dress last week -- and styled it adorably, might I add. Here's what I came up with:








Caranday Dress, flower clip (Anthropologie)
JCrew cardi
Necklace from my work hospital
Softwalk shoes

This was my first "real" day going without tights because it was actually warm enough! I felt weirdly exposed after wearing tights almost every day for so long, but I think I could get used to it. Now to do something about my blindingly pale legs...

I have a couple more backlogged outfits to post, so stay tuned!

Guest Post: Reviews by Ria!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I'll have my Irish-approved (and since I approved my outfit, that totally counts) outfit up soon, but for now, as promised, I wanted to post some more reviews by my sister Ria. Enjoy!

Reviews By Ria


Take Action Dress:

I should have listened to the reviews and sized down; maybe then this would have worked out. I’m wearing a 2 in the pics, but since we were on our way to Disney I didn’t have time to go back out for a 0. Let’s start with the positives: The color and pattern. Love, love, love and the teal Circle-the-Globe-ish color is perfect for my skin tone and eye color. I also love the high neckline, unique shape, and (da da da daaaaa) it isn’t sheer! You can pick your jaw off the floor now. There’s a lot to like here, which is a shame considering I don’t think this dress will work for me.

The fit is just off. I’m not even sure sizing down would have helped. It fit okay in the bust and hips, but the waist is a baggy mess. Look at that huge bunch of material! I look like I’m carrying a litter of rabbits. If it gets a 2nd cut it’ll be worth a shot, but as is, it’s a pass for me.

Will it last, will I pass, or is it in the trash?: A sad pass for me


Refined Cord Shirtdress:

I am officially the last person in the world to try this on. This dress never even made it to my (extensive) wishlist, as I already have plenty of navy and gray in my closet and the red screamed Mrs. Claus to me. But there it was, in the sale room. In a size 4. At second cut price (yes, you read that right. I asked the SA to make sure it wasn’t a mistake, but she told me sometimes that happens when it’s the last one in the store). So of course, I had to try it, even though I figured the 4 would be too big. It’s the tiniest bit big in the arms, but I loved the shape and the color grew on me too. I was dying to pair it with my Gardenia Epoch Cloche ala Anita from 101 Dalmations, and I know a bargain when I see one. In the end, I was powerless to resist. This 30 dollar pretty came home with me (stay tuned to see how I accessorized it!).

Will it last, will I pass, or is it in the trash?: Surprisingly, I think this pretty little thing is a last.


Spotty Edgar-de-Gas-ish chemise?:

This dress took me 10 minutes to put on. You heard that right. About seven minutes in, I had to poke my head out the door and beckon frantically for the SA to come help me. To her credit, she didn’t once laugh at the mishapened mess of a Ria stuck in a chemise. I kept wailing that it was too small (I tried on an xs) and I must have gained more weight than I thought, but it turns out I just hadn’t put on the criss-cross straps right. I’d say stick with your regular size. For anyone who likes this chemise, make sure you line up the straps right before you put it on.

As for the chemise itself, it was pretty and felt great on, but once again it walked the line between chemise and dress. I’m almost 5”6 and I have long legs, so the dress was too short to be anything other than a swimsuit coverup on me. And I would hate to waste this pretty, so I’ll let it go to someone else.

Will it last, will I pass, or is it in the trash?: A pass for me, but recommended for shorter girls.


Wisteria Halter Dress:

Guys, I need your help with this one. This is a nice dress, I’ll admit that. It’s a really sturdy material without being potato sacky (I’m looking at you, Pom Flower Shift. I will never understand why that dress is so popular) and I like what it does for my figure. The pattern is also really cute. But the back comes down too low to hide a bra, and that’s a problem for me. Not because I really need one (I could probably get away without one most days…sigh) but I’m just not comfortable without one. Plus the shape is reminiscent of the Sugar and Cream dress, which I already have. What do y’all think (oh, and this is a size 2. I think it fits TTS)?

Will it last, will I pass, or is it in the trash?: This is where y’all come in. Should this be a last (on sale of course) or a pass? Help!

And of course, being the impulsive person I am, the second I got home from Disney I ripped the tags off Refined Cord and started playing with accessories. There are so many combinations for this pretty, but I’m super happy with the one I picked:


Anthro Refined Cord Dress (on super sale for 30 bucks cause I got the last one in the house!!!)
Khol’s necklace: Gift
101 Dalmations Anita Hat aka Anthro Gardenia Epoch Cloche: (10 bucks on super sale cause apparently I have a weird shaped head and everyone with a normal shaped head didn’t like this pretty hat. EVERY time I go out in this hat, no matter what else I’m wearing, someone tells me I look like Anita (Perdita’s owner) from 101 Dalmations. That’s a high compliment in my book, so I’m okay with having a weird shaped head!
Gray snakebite belt
Dotty Clusters tights
R-T Straps.


That's all for Ria's reviews this time. What are you loving from Anthro at the moment?

Katie's Disney Trip, Part 3! (of 3)

Hi again! I'm feeling a little better, although I'm a lot rushed because I have a planetarium show about women in astronomy to get to very soon, but I wanted to post the last of my vacation recap!


Katie's Disney Vacation, Part Three: MGM... Erm, "Hollywood" Studios!

This is tied for my favorite park, but it will always be MGM Studios in my book. I don't handle change well, you see. Why is it my favorite? You learned in the last few posts that I love fast rides, and the Studios has two of the fastest in Disney: Tower of Terror and Rock 'n' Rollercoaster! I absolutely adore both of these rides, and they were my main reason for wanting to go to this park. Tower of Terror is the only drop ride that I like (not a fan of the sensation, but for the Disney special effects, I'll give it a go), and RnR is just plain fun. It's just barely what I'd call a "real" rollercoaster, but with the Disneyfication, how could you not love it? I think all coasters should have speakers in the backs of the seats playing awesome music, for one, and the props can't be beat. Going through the donut is my favorite part. I may or may not have gone on them three times each. Anyway, here are some pictures!


View from our hotel at sunset. We could walk to the Studios, too, but it was a bit more of a hike.


My boring but sensible OotD. The day started out pouring, and my OotD included a garbage bag poncho accessory. But I'm going to show you the dry version, which includes the Creative Outlet Tank (Anthropologie) and a target cardigan. (There were boring jeans, too, but I didn't think anyone cared enough for me to bother taking a picture of them.) Also, this is my rainstorm-and-rollercoaster hair, so please excuse.


This is a GIANT GUITAR. (My friend Van and I have a joke about giant guitars, so I had to take this picture.) It's outside of my favorite rollercoaster. Love it!


Loving the giant guitar.


This is me at the Yacht Club right before I flew back home. I'm wearing my stevie cords, JCrew cardi, Molded and Melded Tee, and a NY and Company necklace. (I wasn't loving this color combo, but I had limited items to work with at this point.)


A cramped and germ-filled plane trip home.

Overall I had a great time at Disney, and it was great to catch up with my sister Ria again. Stay tuned because speaking of Ria, she'll be back tomorrow with a guest post filled with Anthropologie reviews!

Katie's Disney Trip, Part 2! (of 3)

Good... well, it isn't morning anymore, is it? I'm really sorry that I didn't get part two of my vacation posted last night, guys. You see, I've caught some kind of bug that totally knocked me out from 9PM last night until just a few hours ago. A "for twelve-year-olds and under" dose of Nyquil also contributed to knocking me out. Katie vs Nyquil never ends well for Katie.) Ugh. I think I must have picked it up from someone on the plane back home. Nothing like tight quarters to catch every bug possible! Needless to say, I'm home sick right now, but I've managed to get up the energy to at least post some more Disney pictures for you. With that said, welcome to:


Katie's Disney Vacation, Part Two: Epcot!

I adore Epcot. As you all know, I am a cute scientist, and Epcot is tied for my favorite Disney park because it's such a celebration of the scientific world. (What's my other favorite park? Find out tomorrow!) To mention the park I posted about yesterday, one of my favorite rides at the Magic Kingdom is the Carousel of Progress, because the song perfectly describes my view of life. I think Epcot is also a great reminder that "there's a great, big beautiful tomorrow just a dream away," and I love seeing all the wonderful things that our fantastic human brains can dream up.


My OotD was pretty simple. Just this cute Old Navy dress. A huge thank-you goes to Sara for posting about these dresses last summer. I bought all three colors, and they're perfect for when you want a washable-but-cute summer dress that you're not afraid to mess up!


Epcot is gorgeous, as Canada's flower gardens demonstrate.


We ate at an awesome steakhouse in Canada.


I apologize for my scary face in this picture, but I wanted to show you Ria's Creative Outlet Tank (Anthropologie). Especially because great minds apparently think alike and I also brought mine on this trip! You'll see me wearing mine (in a different color) in Part 3 of the Disney trip posts!


Here's where my science geekery comes in. These are enormous pumpkins that are growing vertically. How awesome is that? This "garden" has other things like vertically-growing sweet potatoes, nine pound lemons, and vertical spiral-shaped planters.


This is my favorite ride at Epcot, and I had to get a picture of my "more intense training" ticket. Mission: Space is a simulator ride that mimics flight training at NASA (as far as I know, real astronauts don't really do it like this anymore because of the way shuttles are built nowadays, but it's still fun!) and does a darn good job of it! There's some pretty intense G-force action going on, and it's been known to intimidate at least one person out of riding in my group every time I go. Of course, that one person is never me. I love this ride and have a stomach of steel, so I could go on all day. In fact, I pretty much did. Does my crazy face indicate how excited I was?


Old picture I took a few years ago, but this is the site of Spaceship Earth, another of my favorite testaments to human progress.

I always cry at IllumiNations. Seeing all the countries lit up is a really moving experience, and the song that plays at the end is one of my favorites. You can listen to "Promise" here. We hear so much in the news about how we're different, but Epcot is one place where we can celebrate how we're the same. We're all on this Spaceship Earth together, and what we do with it is our decision... but I believe that we'll do more good than bad in the end just by being here. We have our faults and we make mistakes, but I really do believe that ultimately people make the world a better place. Yes, there are some dark times (we're dealing with a big one right now with the tragedy in Japan), but no matter what happens, if we work together, "we'll go on." I try every day to "live to keep the promise" and make my own corner of the world a better place through my words, actions, and interactions with others. I truly hope that this gives you inspiration to do the same, as going to Epcot always inspires me.

Moving on, through the good times and the tears
Ever on, another thousand circles 'round the sun
A new life has begun
When two of us are one
And we live to keep the promise
We'll go on