Floral Dress, Combat Boots and DIY Studded Jacket

Floral dress + combat boots. I have coveted this look all spring, but, alas did not own a floral dress and have been rather hesitant about buying one. When you've trained yourself to be drawn to all things black and studded and edgy with patterns of skulls and stripes, suddenly trying to look for something as feminine as floral becomes a foreign task. I also feel ridiculous in anything too girly, so I didn't think I could pull it off. But then, a miracle happened...

The complete look.

I've been on the hunt for a casual summer dress, and figured if I could find a floral one I might as well kill two birds with one stone. I discovered this dress at H&M last week when I tried (and epic failed) to buy a work-appropriate summer wardrobe. Check out this pattern! It's black, floral, AND it has skulls. And the flowy, lightweight material makes it the perfect summer dress! Even better? It was only $10. Score!

Close-up of the dress.

I'm still on my DIY kick, and decide this little cropped denim jacket needed an update. I love all the studded denim vests and jackets that are out right now (obviously, I have a denim obsession since I incorporate it into just about every outfit...), but I figured it was something I could do myself instead of spending the money on a new one. 

Before.

I used the same conical studs from Studsandspikes.com to stud the jacket as I did my boots a few weeks ago. I studded the front of the collar, a line down each shoulder, and around the top of the sleeve. It probably took me less than an hour, and it gave me something to do while I listened to the Harry Potter books on tape! Yes, like cassette tape. Not only am I in denial about growing up, but also that it is the 21st century, apparently...

The finished vest.

The last few items to complete the outfit: fishnet tights, a cuff bracelet, skinny black belt, and my trusty combat boots. I picked up the tights on sale at Hot Topic; I can never bring myself to pay full price for tights because I can rarely wear them more than once or twice without managing to get caught on something. I adore fishnets -- they're another accessory that adds instant edge to any outfit -- and I thought the little details on the back were super cute!

I've worn this skull cuff bracelet in a few other posts, but I've never done a close-up. It is my favorite accessory. I picked it up in Paris a year ago, despite my friend trying to talk me out of it because it was too extreme. Maybe I have this bracelet to blame for finally indulging in my love of edgy fashion. :)

Skull cuff bracelet and black nails.

 

Last minute outfit

So I really wanted to write a blog post today, but also had no excuse to leave the house. I spent the day in my pajamas doing my annual reread of Harry Potter. Luckily, I was saved from my solitude (ok, I was thoroughly enjoying it, but was ready for an excuse to get out) when a friend texted me and asked to meet up. Which meant getting ready in a hurry. And this is what I threw on.

I guess there's been a definite theme to my outfits lately: black on black + denim. Today was no different. I did my summer shopping this past weekend, and have been itching to wear these new shorts from Forever 21  ever since. (My goal was to buy work-appropriate clothes...I bought things like the shorts, a cut off t-shirt, skull headband, and skull dress...fail.) I love the high-waisted trend going on right now. I have a rather long torso proportionately, and the high waistline helps to lengthen my legs and shrink my torso. Plus, what's not to love with those spikes?!

The jacket is also from Forever 21 from a few years back, but I had grown bored with the plain denim. I sewed on these cute shoulder epaulettes from Hobby Lobby for a cheap wardrobe update. I absolutely love weather like today where shorts and a jacket are appropriate! And once again, the studded boots make a reappearance (told you  I'll wear boots all summer, even with shorts!).

My favorite article of clothing to wear when I'm getting dressed in a hurry and need something that's guaranteed to be cute and flattering is a black tee. I got this one at the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame last summer. It's simple, but the slim fit and v-neck make it flattering, while the skull design gives it edge. (It's rare I go a day without wearing some sort of skull apparel, and there was no time to accessorize!) And paired with the black shorts and boots, this outfit goes from simple to statement.

What are your go-to items when you want to look cute in a hurry?

Rocker chic and slitted maxi skirt

Another of my favorite themes for my outfits is rock n roll. I love rocker chic: band shirts, denim, black. This is an outfit from a few days ago, but as I've been rather busy moving, I'm just now getting to it (so y'all get to enjoy two new posts today, yay!).

This outfit is a bit of a departure from my usual head-to-toe black (although, as my friends pointed out, gray isn't really a color either). But hey, I need to shake things up sometimes! This black slitted maxi from Lulu's adds sass to any outfit. The slits are sexy, but as they stop mid-thigh, they're not too scandalous.

I liked pairing the long sexy skirt with something a little rougher up top. The Rolling Stones are one of my favorite bands, and I picked up this sweet t-shirt at H&M a few years back. I didn't love how it fit, so I chopped off the sleeves and neckline. I'm all about taking scissors to old clothes I love that don't fit quite right to update the look and make them fit better. This denim vest from Charlotte Russe (I also got it a few years back), is one of my favorite articles of clothing to instantly update any outfit. I adore vests because you can throw them on top of anything to completely change the look of an outfit. I usually like to wear this over an all-black outfit to add some dimension.

To complete the look: sunglasses, a cuff bracelet, and the spiked flats making a reappearance. I am in love with these Calvin Klein sunglasses I picked up at TJ Maxx this week. I am notoriously bad at picking out unflattering sunglasses, an no one bothered to inform me of this until recently. I've spent years wearing skinny, unflattering frames and thinking I looked hot. Fail. And then I found these (with help; I now always bring a friend when picking out sunglasses!). The cat-eye style and large frames look much more at place on me since my head and jaw are also large. I decided to once again keep the accessories for this outfit simple because of the statement vest.

And lastly...

Just thought I'd throw this last picture in for laughs because I look like I'm four feet tall with no legs...ha.

Lace-up dress and ripped-up tights

I'm once again loving the spring weather so that I can wear more of my little black dresses I love so much. I picked this one up at a thrift shop, and loved the witch-y feel the collar and the lace-up detail in the front...almost like edgy Hogwarts robes or something. At least that's what I like to tell myself. 

This dress is perfect for the cool spring weather because it's a rather thick and not breathable material. Also, tights are a necessity since it's a tad shorter than I would like. But it was too cute to pass up and the stretchy material meant it fit well everywhere besides the length. I shredded the tights myself to wear with this, as plain black, opaque tights made the outfit too boring and one-dimensional. Oh, and I love any excuse to toss on a denim jacket. Why can't we get more than a couple weeks of cool spring weather in the Midwest??

The boots are a cheap Target pair that I studded myself and blogged about a few weeks ago. You can read that post here.

Here's a close-up of the cool collar and lace-up detail at the neck of the dress. And of course, I'm not without my Slytherin necklace!

What do you think? How do you break up a black on black on black outfit to make it fun and interesting? What are your favorite spring articles of clothing?