Three Casual Dresses for Three Personalities

I haven't posted in a while as the past week or so has been crazy! I was in Orlando all last week to visit Universal Studios and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter with my two best friends. They are two of the most gorgeous girls I know, and we all have such a distinct sense of style that reflects our individual personalities. And, conveniently, we're all huge Harry Potter fans who each pledge allegiance to a different House. I thought, what better way to celebrate this than with a blog post? 

First up is Quincy, my darling blonde Hufflepuff. We've also dubbed her the "bombshell" of our little trio. Her style centers around clothes that are colorful, flowy, and simple, and this outfit epitomizes both her style and bright personality. I love her color-blocking and how she coordinated the white belt with her white sandals to tie everything together. Perfect summer chic for a nice dinner night!

Color blocking perfection.

White accessories tie everything together.

Next up is sophisticated Stacia, the Ravenclaw. We've fittingly classified her as the "intellectual," and she almost always dresses the part. There's rarely a time where Stacia isn't looking polished. She keeps this outfit versatile with a blazer, so she can go from casual summer chic to polished in an instant. To go along with our Harry Potter-themed outfits, her dress is the dark blue of Ravenclaw, and she's accessorized with a replica of Hermione's Time-Turner necklace. And she too is right on trend with her high-low asymmetrical dress.

Polished and sophisticated with a blazer.

Casual, classy, summer chic without!

Time-Turner necklace and a subtle smoky eye.

Lastly, yours truly, Zoe the Slytherin "rebel." This dress was another one I picked up during my round of summer shopping a few weeks ago. (Once again epic fail on being work appropriate.) I love this dress because the cotton makes it casual and comfortable (all my other dresses are tiny black ones with faux leather, cut-outs, slits, etc....so not exactly wearable on a daily basis), and it's really easy to change the look by accessorizing. The best part? Only $12 at Forever21! I bought the corset for a pirate Halloween costume   a few years ago but have gotten a ton of wear out of it since. I would wear it every day if I could. It gives any outfit an edgy, goth feel, and helloooo defined waist! And of course, had to rock my Slytherin necklace for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!

Flats and the long tail keep this dress from looking too scandalous.

Obsessed with this corset!

Slytherin <3

The spiked flats -- perfect for all the walking around Orlando!

High-waisted Jeans and Crop Top

It took me years to find a pair of high-waisted jeans like this that fit well and then to develop the confidence needed to wear them. I've had a weird obsessions with them for years, and it was even on my bucket list to buy and wear a pair of these things. I picked them up at Goodwill for like $2 a few summers ago, and have just now started wearing them. Besides the fact that moving and sitting are difficult (literally NO stretch) I love them. They go perfectly with the 90s inspired fashion kick I've been on lately.  

This crop top was a total steal from Asos. I seriously wish I had, like, ten of them. It's the perfect length to pair with high-waisted bottoms; not too long or too short. And it's the best motivation to stay in shape! I've realized crop tops are the key to keeping high-waisted jeans from looking like "mom jeans."

While buying all of my work-inappropriate clothing last week, I also picked up these aviators from Forever21. I reckoned it's not a bad idea to own a backup pair of sunglasses -- especially when they're only $5!

Can't go anywhere without my Slytherin necklace and some black eyeshadow!

Casual Crewneck and Jeans: Slytherin Style

It's raining. It's poring. But that doesn't mean my outfit has to be boring! Yikes, ok, I promise I'll never rhyme on this blog again. Anyway...

Crappy weather like today calls for comfortable chic. It's been my new year's resolution the past two years to never leave the house in sweats or anything I would wear for sleeping or working out. Obviously, I make the exception if I am going to/coming from the gym, but I am highly disapproving of the college uniform of t-shirt and yoga pants that I saw on campus day in and day out. I also was lucky enough to spend a week in Paris, France for spring break a year ago, and people always looked pulled together there. I never once saw someone wearing sweatpants or sloppy attire. It was inspiring! Also, skull scarves, 90s grunge, combat boots, and denim jackets were everywhere, so I was pretty much in fashion heaven. But I digress...

So, here is my alternative to the sweatpants look and my rules for days of wearing comfortable clothing while still maintaining a sense of personal style.

I think too many people confuse "comfortable" with "oversized" or "sloppy," but this doesn't have to be the case. I've chosen cozy pieces that fit for this outfit...my favorite crewneck sweater, nice jeggings (ones that are too thin should be BANNED), and Converse. I also like to play with my makeup and give new looks a test run when I'm dressing down, like the emerald and gray smoky eye I'm wearing today.

I swear by jeggings (once again, they need to be good quality ones that could pass for real jeans!) for their fit and comfort. The stretch is ideal for curvy girls like me who have trouble finding pants that fit properly! This particular pair is from Vanity; I got them a few years ago and they have held up through almost weekly wear. 

Converse are another one of those items that will always be classically cool in my eyes. I've owned more pairs than I can count (this is my fourth pair of black high-tops, and let's not even talk about all the other colors I've gone through...). Converse are my favorite shoes for dressing down and adding a bit of spunk to any outfit. I even wore them with my floor-length prom dress in high school. 

Now, the sweatshirt. Sweatshirts are the epitome of comfort clothes, but for some reason, crewneck style ones have always screamed effortless chic to me (but maybe that's just me...). Without the baggy hood and pocket, they can actually look kind of nice. I am OBSESSED with this sweatshirt I got on Etsy. I can't find it anymore, but here is a similar one. I rarely go a day without wearing some sort of Slytherin item to proclaim my house pride (this is not including my phone skin or keychain on my car keys...), and this is by far my favorite. And as if I wasn't proclaiming my nerdy obsession enough, check out what I did to the back!

I've been on a DIY kick all year, and I couldn't resist this addition to my sweatshirt. I bought iron-on letters in what I thought to be a sporty print so it might look like something a Quidditch player would wear -- if they didn't wear robes, of course. The 06 isn't significant other than I felt like a clothing item for a, er, "sport" wouldn't be complete without a number.

And because I'm slightly delusional...I like to tell people I'm borrowing my boyfriend's sweatshirt, and he plays for the Slytherin Quidditch Team, no big deal or anything... (For all of you who are thinking Draco Malfoy: wrong! Lucius Malfoy is the one I love...and the one whose sweatshirt I am wearing, naturally.)

All in all, if I had to lay down my rules for comfortable chic:

1. Items that fit make all the difference! Comfortable doesn't have to mean sloppy.

2. Incorporate an item that epitomizes your personal style or obsessions, like my Slytherin sweatshirt.

3. Makeup can, er, make up for a less than exciting outfit. 

4. Converse are always a good choice.

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?

Everyday Slytherin Outfit

Well, it's finally spring here in the Midwest! (It was snowing this weekend...come on!) Fall and spring fashion is my favorite. I love being able to wear layers, light jackets, and boots, but I hate when it's so cold you have to bury it under thick winter coats. So what better way to celebrate the coming of my favorite season than with my first official outfit post?

Each summer, I find my undying obsession with Harry Potter strengthened. Maybe it's because I was conditioned growing up for the new books/movies to be released in the summer. Even years after the last book/movie release, I still find myself feeling the same way. I just recently began my annual re-reading of the series, and I've found it infiltrating every aspect of my life.

I've literally worn all the Slytherin gear I own this week (usually multiple items at a time...I don't have a problem or anything...), but this was the most subtle take. I called it "Everyday Slytherin" because it felt to me like what an edgy Slytherin might wear in the real world. I've also worn this outfit in one of my more "pirate" fashion moods by switching up my accessories.

Pretty much everything I am wearing I bought at Hot Topic, including the gray jeggings, skull sports bra, Slytherin necklace, and combat boots. The button up shirt/vest, which I bought at a thrift store. 

Also, on a different day this week, I decided to rock my Slytherin tie with a t-shirt and jeans. Because why the hell not? It's alarming how many times I buy something for a Halloween costume and end up wearing it in "real life." The tie can be purchased from the WBShop.

What do you think? How do you dress to your obsessions? 

A Writer's Life for Me

There's nothing better than discovering that one thing that makes you feel so quintessentially like yourself that you can't live without it.

For me, it's undoubtedly writing.

I was, for lack of a better phrase, in the closet about my writing habit for a long time. As in pretty much my whole life. But I've always written. And even before I could write, I always had a story in my head, giving myself something to think about, a place to where I could disappear.

I started writing when I was as young as probably 8 years old, pretty much as soon as I was old enough to physically know how. But it was after reading Harry Potter and discovering the world of fan fiction that my writing really took off. In fact, I'm still writing the same fan fiction (though a different reincarnation of it as I've matured a bit as a writer since the age of 12. Ha.). I know my characters better than I know myself sometimes.

In addition to my fan fiction, I'm also working on an original fiction novel that I'm hoping to self-publish this summer. It's based on Peter Pan, but since the story is now in the public domain, it takes my story out of the realm of fan fiction. I do hope to do something entirely original someday, but for now, it's comforting to work with characters I know so well.

It's also nice to be able to come back to my fan fiction when I'm having writer's block for my "real" book. It keeps me writing, which is what I love, without all the stress. After ten years, it is so a part of who I am, and I'm finally not ashamed.

It took working on a novel that I eventually hope to publish to come clean about the fact that I write, period. It came as a shock to some people. And then, what once was my deepest, darkest, secret became just a fact:

I write Harry Potter fan fiction. I've done it for ten years. It's over 250,000 words (400 typed pages in Microsoft Word, single spaced). It's part of who I am. And I'm proud of it!

And you know what? No one's disowned me for it. I'm going to continue to write what I love, be it fan fiction or original works or this blog, as long as it makes me happy.

I hope everyone reading this goes forth and does the same. Do what you loved no matter if it's "nerdy" or "unpopular" or whatever. If it makes you happy, you might be surprised how many people are happy for you.

And this happened the other day...instead of studying for finals, I sat at the campus library in my Slytherin shirt and necklace writing my fan fiction.

So what are your guilty pleasures? Any other fan fiction writers out there? And have you shared your obsession with friends or family?