(Practically) internet famous

Hey ya'll- check it: I was lucky enough (and totally flattered) to be photographed by streetstyle blogger Mai of Fashionist during the last day of the TxSCC, and it got posted today! (Hi people coming here from fashioni.st, awesome to see ya'll)  It was definitely my favorite outfit of the weekend, and it's neat to see her other photos from TxSCC and SXSW (and I promise to post it soon as I catch up on my blogging, since the lovely Suze was awesome enough to take outfit photos for me).

These photos are actually from last weekend (see, so behind here) when I was up in Chicago to do family stuff, which is why I was able to get in my last few winter's outfits and pull out the tights and my new-to me corduroy dress.  Thank goodness I had them, since I have become such a wuss after moving down South, and had failed to pack any sort of heavy jacket or gloves.

Outfit: Dress: Anthropologie via EffortlessAnthropologie Trade Market, Tank: Limited, Tights: We Love Colors, Oxfords: Wanted, Necklace: Modcloth, Bracelets: Gift and Hawaii airport

Jacket: Old Navy Outlet, Scarf: Urban Outfitters, Dad: greater Chicago-area :)

That's right. I pulled out my trusty tripod and set it up to take tourist pictures of my dad and I after we hung out at the Art Institute and walked around Millennium park.  And then I got to show him what I do everyday.  I wouldn't allow him to actually take the photos, since he's notorious in our family for taking unflattering photos at inappropriate times, but he got a kick out of hearing about it and seeing me in action.  We actually wound up talking a lot about this whole blogging process, since my mention that I was traveling to Austin had opened up a line of discussion about it (and he passed along the url to a couple family members...feel free to say hi if ya'll are actually reading this!)  It was really nice being very open with one of the most important people in my life about something I'm doing that is growing to be more important in my life (that isn't shared with everyone in my life).

And this was the lovely view that I was blocking up after I decided to take photos in the middle of Chicago.  I love this city.

I'd like to refer to a Leprachaun movie here...

...but I've never watched them, so I'm not really properly educated to make a joke about it.  This may not have been the most ideal outfit shot, but I wanted to put up the shot of my obnoxiously bright green tights (that I loooove) in celebration of St. Patrick's day.  I was initially going to go for the black tights (guess that's the safe option), but then realized that if I was going out for breakfast on St. Patrick's day (at a bar! so much fun!) I should probably have some green on men (or risk getting pinched).

Outfit: Dress: Modcloth, Cardigan: Urban Outfitters, Shoes: Gap, Tights: We Love Colors

Unexpected benefit?  30 for 30 compliant and perfect for working part of the day and then spending way too much time on an airplane, but I'm finally home and excited for a family and friend-filled weekend.  It's hard to be away two weekends in a row, but hopefully I'll manage to fit in some work-related literature research to catch up while I'm away.  What are you looking forward to this weekend?  (sorry, neither my dad or I are going in to work tomorrow, so it feels like the start of a weekend)

Amidst the mist

In a startling change of events, I actually had a reason to get dressed this weekend out of my jammies.  Woo!  My department had its annual retreat in a nearby coastal city, so I took advantage of that fact to mysteriously sneak off before breakfast one day (and almost missed it, which would have been tragic).  I couldn't resist the combination of rocks, water, and creepy fog that covered the seawalk for most of the time that we were there.  I tried to channel my inner Rebecca, but I don't really have it down yet, and I certainly don't have that put together look she has even though she's frequently in the middle of a wild-looking backdrop (usually with some sort of fabulous heels).  It sure wasn't helped by leaving my hair down to spaz out with all the moisture in the air, although I did have an unexpectedly delightful experience over the weekend of having one of my guy friends look at me and say that he really liked my hair (on a different day).

Outfit: Shirt, Cardigan, Purse: Anthropologie, Skirt: Loft, Shoes: Wanted via Delias, Tights: We Love Colors in Mocha

 

Which is kinda awesome, since 1) he's a dude and 2) I had been feeling kinda insecure about how my hair was looking/feeling.  But by Sunday, my hair was a little out of control, and I found myself cropping it out of photos (and focusing in on my shoes and purse instead).

FBFF: I love Color

It's Friday!  And this week's Friend Friday questions are about one of my favorite things- color.  Read on below for my answers and check out Katy's page to learn more about FBFF.


This one is definitely going down as one of the quickest outfit photo sessions in Inner Cupcake history (seriously, even quicker than my lazy indoor shots).  I had about two seconds in between meeting someone to get a ride to a teaching outreach training session and biking over to Chipotle to get dinner (so that I didn't end up getting hangry at people during a training session and a capella practice last night).  This all makes me sound a lot more important than I usually am (when I was in middle school, I thought it was the coolest thing ever that I would have to practically skip lunch in order to work on after-school activities, and that it made me really important), and it also meant that I made sure that there weren't any cops in the cop cars nearby, so I could sneak next to the ramp up to the parking garage next to my school, bust out the tripod, take a couple rounds of shots, and then flee the scene in less than 5 minutes.  And then someone walked by, and it wasn't the end of the world (and no cops were called on me).

Outfit: Shirt: Express; Cardigan: Target; Skirt: Anthropologie, Boots: Steve Madden Intyce; Scarf: Inner Cupcake designs; Tights (2x): We Love Colors; Coat: Old Navy; Glittens (glove/mittens): Mommed

In a happy coincidence with today's topic, I was wearing a ton of color.  Also, I love that my gloves have a ton of color (and match my coat and scarf) in them and that this coat is so bright, so I thought I'd throw in a goofy test shot, since I'm in said outerwear (and I'm not sure what I'm trying to do to the wall there).


1. What color dominates your closet?

I think that I tend to wear a lot of blues (especially navy), grays, and maroon, but I definitely consider myself all color-friendly now.  I used to stay away heavily from white, yellow, orange, pink, and red, but I no longer feel like I can't wear a color- instead I find that there are shades within the color that work best for me (for example, not a big pastel person).

2. If money weren't an issue how would you change the color emphasis in your closet?

I wouldn't- I'm pretty happy with what I see when I look into my closet, if anything, I just need to work on wearing more of it and relying less heavily on certain things, but I've started to purchase things in shades that I've recently become a fan of (whites, creams, nude/blush, gold, and rust) while still getting a lot of great use out of old favorites.

3. What is your mantra about mixing colors?

I'll try anything once! (and maybe even twice for good measure)  I feel pretty confident in mixing colors and patterns- not everything works as well in my head, but more frequently unexpected delight is the result.

4. For you, how do you incorporate color into your outfits?

All over, except jewelry I guess.  I definitely have plenty of brightly colored clothes, accessories, and shoes.  Colors or shades that I'm unsure of how I feel about are most likely to be in shoe format or skirt format.  As far as skirts, this can be advantageous for having something to balance you out instead of having it right next your skin tone (tights ftw!).


5. Which blogger(s) do you think do a good job of incorporating color into their wardrobe?

To repeat everyone else, Suze of Miss Vinyl Ahoy is pretty awesomely fearless and a great color inspiration source.  I have also seen some great color combinations on Kendi of Kendi Everyday and  Sal of Already Pretty.

Check out more FBFF answers on Modly Chic!  Also, this is the first sponsored post of FBFF, which is pretty cool.  Although I am not a part of it, I am  totally wearing We Love Colors tights, because it has still been cold enough (I feel like I betray my Midwest past when I say things like that), and two pairs of their tights make me toasty on the walk/bike in!  Plus they're super soft and don't do weird things the way some other tights do. 

One pair of tights on a two-pair day

To be fair, it totally started out as a one pair of tights day, but then sharply dropped to a two-pair early evening with a side of windiness.  Fortunately, the bf came home early and brought all of our plants inside (Thanks!).  Plus I got to pair a leaf shirt with my tree necklace (totally matching).

Today's been a long day, so I'll cut myself off from rambling (I don't even want to want Glee! which is basically crazy talk), but I will say that I was smart enough to get on two pairs of tights and a sweater skirt so I was cozy all day, even though I biked in this freezing morning.  Our unusually psychotic winter will hopefully be back up to something a little balmier tomorrow, so that we can get an outside run in this weekend (seriously Houston, I did not sign up for this).

And I may even stop complaining about the weather.

 

Outfit: Skirt: Loft; Shirt: Anthropologie; Cardi, Socks: Target; Boots: Steve Madden Intyce; Tights: We Love Colors; Necklace: Modcloth

Stripe-tastic

Hope ya'll don't mind that this posting of lots of pictures has continued.  It's nice to have more fun with the photoshoots again, and having the tripod has basically changed my life. And hopefully I won't turn into Awkward McAwkwardson now that it's warmed up and people won't be actively avoiding the outside.  Someday I might stop talking about the weather, but probably not any time soon.  For example, today- cold enough that I can still wear my new scarf (which I've been wearing basically all weekend), but warm enough that I can be outside with only one pair of tights and my hands might not get scary close to frostbitten during picture time.  Not that I don't enjoy the sort of effects you can do with two layers of tights- this day my under layer was maroon, so my legs looked like they were slightly glowing from the small amount that showed through the outer layer (which is Awesome).

Outfit: Dress: Modcloth, Jacket: Banana Republic, Boots: Madden Girl via Delias, Scarf: Made by me!: Tights: Target layered over We Love Colors

 

Wildflowers growing

Outfit: Dress, Earmuffs: Ruche; Shirt, Cardi: Anthropologie; Tights (2x): We love colors;= Boots: Madden Girl via Delias, Necklace: Tiffany's (gift)

Note, no wildflowers were harmed during the taking of these photos.  There was however, a sign up letting me know that wildflowers were growing (which is good, since I thought it was mostly grasses and stuff), so this might be a ridiculously pretty place come spring (Texas wildflowers are gorgeous).  A lot of the grasses had previously been tramped down, I'm thinking either by teenage hoodlums, drug dealers, or wildflower eating beasts.

Fighting crazy with crazy

Don't get me wrong, I love wearing bright colors, including colored tights, but sometimes, I just don't have something that feels like the right color (I knew I should have gotten more we love colors tights!) and sometimes it's 20 degrees out and you need to not freeze.  To tone down the bright green base layer I threw on a pair of teal/black patterned tights that normally receive a fair few comments on their own.  Their powers combined, I felt like it worked better (and kept me warmer) than either on their own would.  And honestly, having experienced WLC tights, I'm not sure if I can go back.  And someday, I will learn how to take actual detail shots (see Monkeyface and JoAnn's).

The upside of cold and windy days in Houston is that there are very few people in public parks, and the people who are around are just trying to walk through as quickly as they can.  I attempted to use this and my layering powers (I'm like a well-dressed onion) for good, and took more outside photos (hurray tripod, you've changed my life!), although by the end of it my coat had to go back on to avoid freezing.  Both yesterday and today, most of my body has been covered by 3-4 layers, which helps with temporary coatless-ness.

Outift: Shirt: express, Skirt: Anthropologie, Jacket: Banana Republic: Tights: We Love Colors with Target patterned over, Boots: Steve Madden Intyce, Scarf: Gift

I may be a little overexcited about finally going back to outside photos and having the freedom that comes with using a tripod, so warning, there are excessive photos after the jump.  I've also been trying to implement jumps to speed up load time and make blog reading a better, easier experience for you, so please let me know your thoughts on this or if there is anything that would make that happen for you.

Muted primary colors

I admitted to my bf when I bought this and another sweater skirt at Anthropologie the other week, I was afraid that I wouldn't wear them as much as I liked them due to the fact that it's Houston in January (so spring is just around the corner), and that it might not have been the wisest decision ever.

And then I wore them three times in the last week (four if you count last night when I threw this on because my legs were cold and it's like wearing a giant sweater on your legs).

Outfit: Cardi, Sweater: Anthropologie, Shirt: Victoria's Secret, Tights: We Love Colors, Boots: Steve Madden Intyce, Cat: BF's

I think this is why I have a hard time with controlling my buying impulses and also getting rid of things sometimes- even though I didn't know whether this skirt would be totally practical, I've been seeking it out for wear already while more "practical" items will sometime sit unused for some time.  I also find that I tend to go through phases of heavy wear and no wear at all with a lot of things too.  The bf's advice (when I'm sitting on the floor in my closet frustrated and surrounded by piles of clothing, knowing there must be something I should be getting rid of) is to give away everything I haven't worn for 6 months (he doesn't really do anything different for seasonal clothing).  When I protest that I don't wear all my sweaters and tights in the summer, he'll sigh and say alright, how about everything you haven't worn in a year.  This causes me to dejectedly sigh and try to burrow further into my nest of clothing- there's plenty of things that I haven't worn in a year, but what if I start wearing it again all the time, or get rid of it and then realize that it would have been the absolutely perfect thing to wear?  I know, I probably sound like someone on Hoarders, but there have been items that I've set aside for a couple years and only then figured out a new way to wear it, or decided that it looks better on that I remembered- these instances make it hard for me to loosen my grip on clothes.

For those who appreciated the gratuitous cat photobombing on this post near the end of my 30 for 30, I thought I'd include the last photo- they haven't been coming up to me a lot during outfit shots lately, but they will frequently try to swat at the camera and stare at the flashing light.

Sometimes I like to dress like a present

And by present, really it's just a bow belt.  Although this plaid could totally be a wrapping paper pattern- I recently learned from the bf's family that using wrapping paper with a straight line pattern (lines, plaids, repeated squares with things in them) is the greatest thing ever for not looking like a drunken monkey wrapped your present.  Most of what gets posted on here is stuff worn to school, but ya'll are getting a rare peek at a date night cupcake look.  By which I mean that I had time to change before we went out for a date instead of our usual surprise date nights.  Although surprise dates are not so much of a surprise, it's more of a we're both tired, so let's pay someone to make dinner for us.  I suppose I should have taken a detail shot, but the only really special thing about the outfit is that I got to wear less practical shoes- they're fairly comfortable for the height, but it's hard to walk at my normal pace, and it kinda throws me off when I'm trying to work at my lab bench wearing anything above a two inch height- I'm just not used to the angle.

Outfit: Dress: Target, Cardigan: Modcloth, Shoes, Liz Claibourne, Tights: We love colors, Belt: from an Anthro dress, Necklace: gift

Date night consisted of convincing the bf to drive (excellent), dinner at Carraba's (tasty Italian) mostly funded by a Christmas gift card from my brother and his fiance (thanks dudes), followed by seeing The King's Speech at the local theater that serves drinks (totally awesome except the parts where I kept spilling my wine- fortunately no clothes were harmed).  People go out to eat in Houston a lot, but it's a little less crazy to go out during the week, and last night was no exception.  We're both pretty impatient and usually hungry, making it even more frustrating to go from place to place only to be told there's an hour, hour and a half wait, so we try to do weeknight date nights.  Do you have a night you tend to favor for going out to eat/date nights?