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!

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?

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?

DIY Day: Studded Asymmetrical Dress and Boots

New seasons always make me want to invest in a new wardrobe. Unfortunately, that isn't always feasible on a college budget. But, thanks to some Pinterest inspiration, a pair of scissors, and some studs, I was able to give a few items in my closet a much needed update yesterday.

I bought the following items a while back (please excuse the stain on my carpet; I drink wayyyy too much coffee and unsurprisingly spill it everywhere). The dress was a $3 thrift store find that fit really well despite being overly conservative with a high neckline and hem that hit mid-shin (I suspect it was supposed to be a maxi dress, but with all the stretch I managed to squeeze the size "petite small" over my six-foot frame). I bought it anyway, figuring that one can never have too many black dresses (er...at last count I had thirteen). And, for $3, I wouldn't be heartbroken if my desire to DIY was a total flop. 

The boots I snagged on sale at Target a couple seasons ago. They were never quite as edgy as I wanted them to be, but I wore them to death anyway. Finally bored with them, I thought they were another perfect DIY candidate.

First, the dress. I found my inspiration at NastyGal, and decided it would be easy to recreate a similar style. I folded the dress in half and cut a diagonal line from the back hem up to mid-way up the front where I wanted the shortest point to be. This created a nice, flowing, asymmetrical hem, and made it  much less conservative. Next, I cut a V to create the matching plunging neckline in the front and back. Last, I studded the neckline both front and back with 1/2" pyramid studs that I got at Studs & Spikes. 

If you're going to do your own studding, I recommend at least purchasing a dart awl for studding, otherwise it is quite difficult to poke through the fabric. I used a pair of pliers to bend the prongs on the spikes, which was fine for the thin fabric of the dress, but much more difficult for the thicker material of the boots. I will update this post with a picture of how the dress looks on when I get a chance to wear it! I was really pleased with the result.

Ta-da! The finished dress

Next the boots. Man, were these a lot of work. Which basically means I watched an ungodly amount of Netflix yesterday during the process. Anyway...

I used the small 1/4" pyramid studs and 1/2" conical studs in an alternating pattern on the toes and tongue, and the 1/2" pyramid studs down the back. After my experience, I would highly advice against using really small studs on such a thick material. The prongs on the 1/4" studs (the 1/2" worked just fine) barely reached through the material, which made it hard to bend the prongs down. But so far at least my feet haven't been stabbed...

Front and back views.

Has anyone else undertaken any DIY wardrobe updates lately? Or have any advice to offer when it comes to adding studs and spikes to garments? I'd love to hear your feedback!