Beatle Boots, Loafers, and Oxfords

Shoes that I always viewed as old or old ladyish, I am digging the new takes on them right now. Oxfords, loafers, and Beatle boots (I will explain this one in a bit).

Oxfords are my favorite and I can't wait to get a pair.

These two are really cute and courtesy of lulus.com. They are classic looking and probably go with about anything.  Easy to pair them with work outfits, especially if that outfit is boring like mine, which is just a basic collared shirt and black or tan dress pants. A shoe like the first one would be great to up the fashion quotient on the work outfit. The heeled version of the oxford would be cute with a summery skirt. The heel would work better to make your legs look longer, too. Because the top of this shoe is longer, it covers more of the top of your foot so it can make your legs look shorter, especially if your legs are shorter. And of course, they would look great with any sort of jean.

The loafer:

The first loafer is a pretty classic take. It does look like the ones that my grandma has worn. The second one does have a little more of a modern take on it. These you don't just have you wear to work or church. Wear them with whatever they look good with, if thats a pair of work pants or a cute flirty skirt. 

Lastly the Beatle boot. The Beatle boot is named after the boots that the Beatles wore. They are making a come back among the big designers. 

This a more biker take on the look. The narrowness of the toe is what makes me associate these to Beatle boots. Usually they don't have laces, but I thought these looked really cute. They would easily be worn with skinny jeans, shorts and socks, or a skirt and opaque tights (which would be my favorite look). If you want more of a true Beatle look, just google it and quite a few pop up on ebay, even vintage ones.

All the shoes in this post are from lulus.com. They have a great collection of shoes, unfortunately, they don't seem to keep everything, all sizes, in stock. They must sell out quickly and not replenish quickly enough. Plus the shoes aren't that expensive.

Happy trails U.P. girls.

A Summer Outfit Idea

It's summertime and the heat settles and the dust rises and the days become more lazy. Roll down the windows, find a breeze, loll in the heat while its here. 


This is my favorite summertime look, so far, and I want to share it with you.


First don a pair of shorts, the rougher the better. Cutoffs, holes, preferably a longer cut, not super short, but not the length of bermuda shorts. The shorts should be longer than the top you are wearing. They are a lot easier to find now, than years past. American Eagle has a few cute shorts that are that right length. They call them "midi shorts." 
Next add a flowy top, which are everywhere. Give these a chance too. I avoided them because I always felt like they would make me look heavier or pregnant and not at all the skinny bitch that I am. But seriously since I have bought a couple, I love them. Stick to a fabric that is thinner, one that easily drapes. Drape-iness will still glide over your curves but not cling uncomfortably to whatever you don't want hanging out. Plus, if you still aren't comfortable, you can always belt these tops, unless they are empire waisted, then it looks weird.
Add some accessories and you are set for the day. It's cute, it's chic, and its as easy going as a U.P. summer.


However, if you are like me, and freeze any time I go near air conditioning, then a light cardigan is key to staying warm indoors. I just bought a cute one at Target. It's a boyfriend fit, so it's looser, and the sleeves are rolled and go to my elbow. This can just hang loose over your tank and shorts or buttoned or belted (yes, I love the belt. A belt is always a good choice).


For later that night if you do desire to dress up a bit for the trip to the movies or cruising down whatever main street your town has, ditch the cardigan and add a blazer. I love the blazer that I own. I bought it awhile ago from American Eagle and, surprise, it's more of a boyfriend fit. It's not fitted, the sleeves are rolled and shorter, but it is still sexy, especially when paired with a lower cut, feminine top underneath. Blazers are pretty easy to find right now, but find the fit that works perfectly for you. Whether that is fitted, or boyfriend fit or whatever else is out there. The shoulders should not look like something out of the 80's. I still do not understand shoulder pads. A blazer should have more of a defined shoulder, but you shouldn't look like a linebacker ready to take out the other team's quarterback. If a blazer sounds too business-y for you, or after all my talk about boyfriend-fit, sounds like what your boyfriend would wear, you can femme it up a bit by adding a lace shirt underneath. So far I have not found a lace shirt that I like and thus can't recommend one to you, but I think it looks so cute, especially when paired with those dirty, roughed up shorts.


During the day I would usually wear flats, but for going out, dig out the heels. A chunky sandal, a simple black heel, something with a splash of color, or my favorite with this look, ankle booties. And maybe a pair of socks...


Of course, add whatever accessories you love. If the tank is lower cut, wear longer layered necklaces. If you choose a boyfriend fit anything, most likely you are showing off your wrists, so add a couple bracelets. Or you could skip the necklaces and wear some kind of statement earrings like those longer feathered concoctions that are appearing everywhere.


Have fun developing your favorite summer look. 

White Nail Polish

White nail polish is alot of fun. I just bought a bottle, again from Walgreens, Sinful Colors, 1.99 a bottle. The cheaper the better when you are not sure if the color will work or look good. I was delighted to find that white looks awesome on nails. Try it!


It is a little difficult to make it look neat since it is so bright looking. Apply it at the kitchen table or something and not in bed leaning over the night stand where one might keep accidentally smearing the polish by repeatedly bumping nails against the edge of the night stand.


Honestly, it really is a fun, summery look, yet it has a "polished" look that would do well for attending a wedding. It's not as boring as a pale pink but it isn't as brassy, in-your-face as the neons that are now in style. The white polish would look equally cute with a fun summer dress, yet can easily be dressed up and still look classy.

The Sartorialist

This guy is an amazing photographer. Just check out his blog, The Sartorialist. You have to. Do it. 

He takes pictures of not only noteworthy people in the fashion industry but also people on the street who's style catches his eye. Yes, the streets he is roaming over happen to include fashion capitals of the world, New York City, Milan, Florence, whole worlds removed from the great U.P. Still, check it out. The pictures are beautiful, the fashion amazing. Many of the looks I think are completely replicable for the more subdued streets of the Yoop, with the exception of the runway photos. 

I hate to use the word "replicable." The pictures are more for inspiration, an art form to move you to try and think something different. Getting dressed for me can be art. I know, that sounds like a stupid statement. Hello, we all have to get dressed, whats the big deal? Putting an outfit together for me is a creative outlet. With every piece of clothing you don, it says something about you. Putting together an outfit for me is like writing a beautiful sentence. It flows well together, it has a quality about it, a hum, a sigh, a bar of music that can be so utterly perfect...Getting too abstract here. But this photographer has it, in the most perfect of ways, the ability to put that little piece of art, creativity, beauty into something concrete. And I try to do that with clothes now. I may not achieve quite the effect that he catches on his worldly streets, but it certainly is fun.

And if you are reading this and think "artsy fartsy" you belong in the inner circles of hell. 

Again, here is his blog: http://www.thesartorialist.blogspot.com/

Summery Neutrals

Who knew that summer could be all about the neutral color? Apparently yes, and it makes sense.

By neutrals I mean the colors ivory, gray, beige, blush, and navy. Sounds almost boring right, wearing all neutrals? But its a good option. The colors are nice and light for those hot summer days. If you aren't one for making a statement with your clothes, but still want to look nice this is a great option to work with. Plus it is something that can easily work on the street in the U.P. and not get that up and down look from every woman you meet. 

It's easy to mix and match with looks like this. The colors all meld together great, there is no possible awkwardness between the color shades. To keep from being too boring or monochromatic add texture like embroidery, knits, ruching, and sparkle. 

What I think is great about this look is that finding clothes in these colors is so easy. Plus they are easy to layer other colors over. I already mentioned in a previous post my love of the color slate gray and how easy it is wear with, well...anything, neutrals and beyond.

www.oldnavy.com has many great neutral options. I tried to pull some pictures from their website, unfortunately it didn't work. So I will just have to tell you about it and you can check it out for yourself. Old Navy has a lot of embellished tops in an array of colors, cute cardigans, and skirts that are simple (to balance out a busy top) or skirts that are embellished (to balance out a simple top).

To brighten up the look you can always add a pop of color with jewelry, a bag, or even nail polish. I love to add rich colors like maroon and turquoise to my neutrals. Actually, its usually adding neutrals to my colors.

Have fun with these light summery neutrals. Totally rock it down that U.P. sidewalk.