26 People: How Could This Happen?

We are strong.
No one can take that from us.
We will not allow it.<3

I woke up this morning bearing an enormous weight in my chest, and one that many share with me today. I am speaking to you not as a liberal democrat, not as a conservative republican, and not as a 22 year old caucasian female living in a culture which is often viewed as materialistic, superficial, and unfathomably greedy, but I speak to you as a human being. A human being who, in all sincerity, does not hold the capacity to understand the mind of someone capable of inflicting such devastating brutality on purely innocent people, 26 of whom were taken from us yesterday by an individual with such a mind.

These dauntlessly brave, courageous  26, however, represent a fraction of the those affected by this fatality. When 20 year old Adam Lanza took these lives, he also stole those of the children who were forced to experience and witness the deaths of their classmates, friends, and peers. He stole the lives of the parents who will never see their children at their first prom, college graduation, or wedding. He stole the lives of everyone who shared a special bond, love, or relationship with any of these 26 people. 

I keep asking myself, “How could this happen? How could it?” I am so incredibly blessed to have lived in the United States since I was 1 years old- in the same exact house, on the same exact road, in the same exact neighborhood. In so many ways, this “ordinariness,” this distinct sense of normalcy that I have grown up with, is what makes living in the U.S. so beautiful. For the most part, we do not live in fear of our routine daily lives. We do not fear stepping out of the house, heading to school, or going to work. Instead, we look forward to it. We’re excited to see our best friends, co-workers, or  crushes, then come home and spend time with our family laughing and talking about our day. In this wonderful country, our basic right to happiness is protected. Adam Lanzo challenged this right yesterday, mercilessly stealing it from 26 people, their families, and loved ones.

As a nation, we will not let him win. We will not allow him to atrociously manipulate the integrity on which the United States of America is founded. It makes me sick. Absolutely, nauseously, infuriatingly sick that someone had the audacity to rip these rights from innocent citizens, 20 of whom were between the ages of 5 and 10. They had their whole lives ahead of them. 

However flawed I may personally be, and though I’ve vaguely touched on the issues of violence and safety in this post, one issue I have zero tolerance for is injustice against children. Children do not have the power to fully protect themselves against abominably hideous people. Their vulnerability makes them an easy target. They don’t have the power to fight back. 20 of these children were taken yesterday, and many more were forced to witness these grossly heinous crimes. Think about these observers for a moment. Think about the level of trauma, anguish, and heartache these children will carry with them for the following days, months, and even years to come.

This tragedy has shown myself, the world, and the United States of America the necessity for greater restrictions on the accessibility of guns. Guns are tools created for self-defense, not malicious oppression or poisonous domination. No matter our political affiliation, we can all agree that 26 lives may have been saved yesterday if guns were guarded for their appropriate purpose. These 26 may have had the opportunity to enjoy  this divine Saturday, a beautiful Christmas, or an even better New Year. If guns were strictly secured against unspeakably evil demons in the guise of human beings or, in this case, in the guise of a seemingly “normal” 20 year old American male, these 26 heroes would have been able to enjoy their basic rights to which each of them are entitled. We need stricter constraints on the distribution, attainability, and handling of guns. More so now than ever.

How could this happen? ..How could it happen? How could this? ..Just..how?

Day 10: Need Some Late Night Style Tips?

I literally wrote my blog post, but it got deleted right before I was about to publish it. Maybe Karma's trying to tell me something? Anyway, since my fashion posts are pretty simple to compose, I thought I'd just suck it up and re-write it. So my original post discussed the importance of incorporating colors into an outfit that complement one another rather than ones that match each other. However, I'm not saying that all pieces of an outfit must be in a different color, just the pieces that make the most unique statements. Wearing statement pieces of a matching, identical color in an outfit can sometimes look incredibly tacky, whereas wearing pieces that consist of complementary colors looks fabulous. So, today I chose an outfit based on one of my favorite color combinations: turquoise and orange.

My black, clear glass earrings with golden lining.

My turquoise necklace with gold links combining the varying-sized pieces of turquoise. When I bought the piece, no two necklaces were the same and they all came with differently shaped pieces of turquoise! But I wore this piece specifically for the purpose of complementing the orange Sam & Lavi blouse I rocked today...

All of the pieces together! 

I wore this skinny belt from Express with the ensemble, which worked perfectly with each piece! As you can see, the central statement pieces of my outfit are the blouse (orange) and necklace (turquoise), so the fact that I wore a black belt and black earrings does not detract from the impact of the ensemble. Even though they match, the belt and earrings in this particular outfit only play supporting, background roles, so it's cool, but they are crucial in the final execution of the look!

Here's the whole outfit! I wore light, olive-green, skinny Paige pants of a cottony fabric and, because of their neutrality,  they balanced really well with the intensity of the blouse and necklace combination.
P.S. What are your favorite complementary colors?

Day 9: Is It 4th of July Yet?

It's currently exam week and, like most students roughing it during finals, I find it a little difficult to get up in the mornings. So, to cure my bout of test anxiety, I thought to myself: What could I wear today that would get me excited enough to leave my warm, comfy bed?? Naturally, I thought of my tutu (one of my favorite pieces of clothing!!), so I built today's outfit around that. Surprisingly, it looks like a 4th of July ensemble...

My accessories-- a pink beaded necklace paired with silver, geometric earrings, embellished with faux-diamonds.

Metallic beaded belt- You will definitely be seeing more of this...

Okay, so I wore my Alexander Grecco tutu with a blue button down, sleeveless Elevenses top. I tied the bottom ends of the top to show a fraction of my midriff, which accentuated the belt and balanced well with the tutu's intense statement. Had I chosen a baggier top, I would've been lost in all of that fabric...

The outfit as a whole...

Just a closer look at the way the pieces work together...

Okay, so it's a little cold in my house and I have to head out later to take another exam (my last one!!) and, since I'm already awake, the tutu served its purpose. But I kept the accessories,  changed into a pair of black leggings (not the fleece ones I wore yesterday...) and switched the Elevenses button-down for my favorite $15 H&M top (which I've had since my junior year of college!) Took about 15 seconds to change into a completely different look, while keeping the central accessories for both outfits!
P.S. What are some key pieces you just can't seem to let go?!?

Day 8: Can Black and Brown Work Together?

I really don't know where this little myth arose, but I'm here to dispel it once and for all- black and brown can go together. Trust me, I work in high-end women's retail and I pair them together, so do my customers, as well as my co-workers. I believe that if black and gold work together, so can black and brown because, after all, a light brown is basically non-metallic gold. So, please, don't be shy when it comes to experimenting with these shades, like I did today...

The brown wicker belt I paired with my ensemble...

My earrings and necklace....

A closer look at the necklace...

And a closer look at the earrings!!

The outfit all together- I found this dress for $20 on sale and I have no idea what the brand or size of the piece is. Anyway, I'm also wearing the comfiest fleece leggings- a definite necessity for fall/winter! You can find them everywhere for incredible prices and I wear them all the time! As you can see, the leggings and camisole I'm wearing are black, and my belt is brown and there are hints of brown shades in the dress. These tones clearly work well together, so I encourage my readers to brave it and pair black and brown in their next outfit!!
P.S. Do you like black and brown tones together?

Day 7: How Do You Dress In A Hurry?

It's currently exam week and I overslept a tiny bit this morning for my Intro exam so I was in a huge hurry to make it to class on time. I obviously wanted to wear a cute outfit (especially since I have to blog about it...), so I chose pieces that were easy yet super fabulous. Here's what I came up with...

My Raj Infinity Scarf- It was made in India. The piece is infused with oranges, reds, and magentas, with sporadically weaved in sequins.

A closer look!

I wore these earrings- I thought they complemented the scarf really well, especially with the woven-in jewels.

And again!

I paired the accessories with this FietsVoor 2 cardigan- which I wear extremely often. It's a very adaptable piece and provides me the room to play around with other colors because of the varying shades in the fabric.

Here it is all together! I just wore a pair of AG jeans with the outfit and some brown boots. Even though mixing and matching may seem a little daunting, it was a really effortless look and one that any girl can pull off!
What are your go-to outfits?

Day 6: How Do You Rock Key Pieces?

Alright, so it's almost a week into my clothing experiment and I thought I'd share some of my little style tricks with everyone. Seriously, I live for figuring out different ways I can rock an outfit and making seemingly boring pieces look different every time they're worn. Here's what I come up with today... (I'm going through the course of the outfit step by step!)

P.S. I literally changed into my pajamas and ate dinner when I came home from work about an hour ago and, as I was eating, I completely forgot about recording my outfit today- so I changed back into the outfit for the post approximately 20 minutes ago... These pictures are, in every sense of the word, hot off the press! Enjoy xx 

Also, how could you wear one of your favorite dresses over and over again?

Step 1:
So this is my Bordeaux Scoopback Maxi Dress that I wear fairly frequently- but I thought I'd change the look of it up a bit. So, for a similar final look (that you'll see at the end of this sequence of pictures), find a basic, neutral key piece you own, like my Maxi dress, that could work well with other colors and accessories. Note the waistband present in the dress- you'll understand why in a sec...

Step 2:
Now find a garment that complements the central piece of the outfit- For this particular dress, I chose a thin sweater-like black top that fit comfortably over my dress.

Step 3:
Make more of a statement in your outfit by pairing it with accessories- I chose to accentuate my waist with a jeweled belt. (For a closer look, wait till you get to the end of my little picture show so you can see the fine detailing of the belt and the wooden clasps on the piece!)

Step 4:
Rearrange the central piece of the outfit in a way that makes it look like a completely different garment. For me, I tucked the lower portion of the piece into the waistband of the dress to create an undulating look, causing the fabric to cascade smoothly over my frame. I can't tell you how many people thought that I was wearing a skirt today...

I wore these pieces of jewelry with the outfit today...

And here's a closer look of the belt I wore! Isn't she beautiful??!
What are ways you wear your favorite clothes to make them look different every time?? I'd love to know!! :)

Day 5: Voulez-vous [habiller] avec moi, ce soir?

I had to think fast on my feet in regards to the outfit I wore today, which, of course, I've become quite a pro at...But my mom invited me to a "Naughty and Nice" Christmas party approximately an hour before it started, and I wanted to represent both teams so I drew up inspiration from the Moulin Rouge. Here's what I came up with...

The Ypres Tulle Dress by Moulinette Soeurs I rocked today :) And no, that skinny model is not me...

A closer view of the fine detailing in the bodice- it's very reminiscent of that classic turn of the 19th-century piece we've come to know as the corset.  

The waist of the dress is embellished with a black ribbon (which could easily be replaced with another belt for a totally different look...), while the skirt of the piece is layered with black tulle. 

I wore the dress with this gold sequined scarf,  lined with fringed thread.  

Some black pumps with golden sequins at the toes...

This is what the scarf looked like on, but someone could wear this scarf in other ways (for instance, the fringed detailing does not need to be so apparent- I merely discovered the look with the scarf and thought it was awesome.) Needless to say, I didn't wear a necklace with my ensemble because the scarf made much more of a statement, so I just paired it with pink earrings lined with gold- this picture doesn't really capture the latter well...

The final look!!! I was SO happy with the outcome that I think I may wear the dress again this weekend- of course, with different accessories, but I love how each piece of the outfit works so well together,  creating such a classy yet playful image.
Okay, well, thanks for reading!! I need to go practice my can-can now...  xxx