C L A S S I C PENCIL SKIRT

it should be snug over your hips so that it comes in under your butt, but not so tight that it gathers on your front side.

anthropology

beautejadore

C L A S S I C INTRO

in all honesty, after reading amanda brooks' first chapter, i can hardly say that i have any real classic pieces. my necessity is comfortability + casual. strong emphasis on casual. but as a girl woman no longer in her, to put it delicately, younger days, having more sneakers and boots than heels, more oversized tees than blouses, i must be reformed to some degree. this will be my biggest hurdle.

P R I N T

 if you want to keep a classic look from being too straight up, a bold pattern or print can make a huge impact. start with a print that is small in scale. choose one that either has tonal colors or very few colors. --amanda brooks, i love your style p57

as i have been packing up my stuff, i realized how color did not exist. denim, black, grey, and army green have been my staples since last june. not that i am scared of color, i have just been trying to figure out what color looks like for me now that o think i have a better handle on my style.

in the meantime, i decided to ease into patterns. i spotted this jumper a month ago, but the line to this particular forever21 was excrutiatingly long just to try it on, so i put it back and tried to see if i could find it elsewhere. as you can see, i did, and was thoroughly happy that it fit.

C O O K I E T I M E

i am a sucker for supporting my local girl scout. three boxes. those adorable little daisies got me to buy three boxes when my limit was one. gsa knew what they were doing when they created the daisies. cookie sales must have been down before their existence.

only three days left before the cookies go back in the vault. the fact that i still have two of three boxes left--i devoured the thanks-a-lot (thanks a lot for getting me off my diet)--is still quite commendable. trefoils and thin mints. i must savor them a little longer.

lately i have been buying colors that emulate the khaki palette and i know that burnt orange is a fall color (i am a fall girl) it still color, and i have been void of it for a little too long. time for an upgrade soon.

C O O K I E T I M E by andiaschehera featuring a wool felt hat

S C H U H E

went dress shoe shopping, once upon a time.

came to a sad conclusion that i can no longer sport my nine west favs which have always been a comfort to my soles. they were my first pair of heels and my bodacious calves thank them. now, i find more heels to be uncomfortable due to last years basketball injury, so boots, sneakers, and anything else that is flat takes precedence. but now i have a new job. they want me to get all dressed up and such, and said shoes will not do anymore. but i hast to has 'em. 

enter steve madden. 

i must say that i never cared for steve madden style of shoe, but in recent years i have been impressed with the face lift and he has done me a favor in  combining what i love and what i have to wear into a comfortable compromise. i think i just found my "the one". 

THE TOMGIRL SERIES | Merging by andiaschehera featuring leather booties

O U T F I T

i don't get dressed up for valentines day. i think this year will be different. on the hunt for a valentine's day outfit.

THE TOMGIRL SERIES | Be Mine

B O D Y

40.5. 34. 26. 38.

shoulders. bust. waist. hips.

just shy of a perfect hour glass,  but my shoulders leave my tops draping shapelessly off them like they were on a hanger. (now there is an understanding of why i abhor shoulder pads) more fitted tops draw more attention to them and i end up looking like an inverted triangle. most of the time i do not notice it, but when i opt for skinny jeans and a baggy top, it becomes apparent that i have cadillac shoulders, and from behind i give off the appearance that i am a slender man. 

no bueno.

but i like my loose fitted items. i also don't like looking like a boy. *le sigh*. more v-necks says one. full skirts says another. am i a fruit or a keeper of time or a pythagorean equation? they make it so complicated, and their suggestions of styles to wear do not suit my tastes.

mitigate the breadth of my shoulders (or look less like a boy from behind).

elongate my torso.

how can i make this happen in a state of simplicity and still keep my sweaters and sweatshirts?

oversized sweater that extends past my hips, but is slimming at the waist

 raglan. duh. why didn't i think of this sooner?

thin sweaters where the shoulder line extends past my shoulders

ok. i can breathe. change doesn't look too bad now.

LIFE l Cabbage Patching

Italian baguette. Giant baby bearing cabbage. Secret gardening among the peppers, the tomatoes, and herbs. All at the East End of the world.

THE TOMGIRL SERIES | Polished Pioneer

This Thanksgiving I got to fulfill one of my childhood Frazier induced dreams of visiting Seattle. I honestly had no idea what to expect. I did no research on the place, took no one's word for it and pioneered through the Oregon trail (not really but I did take a train from Portland to Seattle and I am happy to report no wagon wheels were harmed during the process of this adventure).  I was brilliantly surprised. It solidified in my mind that I was born for colder weather. All those layers. Makes a girl like me swoon.

TOMGIRL SERIES | Polished Pioneer by andiaschehera featuring a leather purse

LIFE | Fashion Show

I cannot believe it has already almost been a week since the fashion show (sorry I did not keep you ladies as well informed as I wanted to. The last month got really crazy and hectic)! There were some hiccups before, during, and after the show, but otherwise the show was amazing. I set the bar at 100 and all those involved decided to take it 100 steps higher and exceed even my own imagination. There were tears. And almost an ugly cry. But I made it through to the end. I got to style Great Gatsby, which is not what I would have liked to have done with the million hats I had on (yes next year I am locking in on an assistant). Here are a few photos from last weekend that was with Great Gatsby. Special thanks to Holly Harris, Jessie Sander, The Originative, Carilee Spence, Demarco Films, Andre Bohrer on lighting, Ariel Clarke, and all the models and volunteers who helped make this all possible!

DESIGNER | Suzanne Rae

My heart just melted. Into 85 proof creamy dark chocolate. So rich. So simple. Suzanne Rae. Wwwhere have you been all my life? I was pinning away this morning on turbans (I don't care if they have gone with the wind, I still think they are doable) when I stumbled across this little Philippina gem. Her entire collection for FW13 just proves that simplicity can be so striking.

BOOK INSPIRED LOOKS | The Great Gatsby::Jordan

The Great Gatsby | Jordan by andiaschehera featuring floral tank tops

Although I didn't care so much for the new version of Gatsby (I haven't seen the older versions but I heard they are no better) I couldn't help but drool over Jordan Baker's wardrobe. She was my one consolation to enduring to the end. Jordan was a golfer and from the book a not so decent golfer, but an athlete non-the-less. Florida winters are normally northern states' fall, and normally you would see people walking around with their favorite college sweatshirt, shorts/pants and flip-flops. Never quite understood the concept, but here's something way more sophisticated if you must indeed wear sandals in the winter Floridians. A thin bomber or varsity jacket with a nice boyfriend coat draped over it and underneath it all some high waisted pants and mid-drift top to make you less toasty.

BOOK INSPIRED LOOKS | The Great Gatsby::Daisy

The Great Gatsby | Daisy by andiaschehera featuring a raffia hat

Can you tell from the last look and this look, that I am in love with quilted things? After buying my first quilted jacket in Germany last year (geeyah I can't believe tis almost a year!) I have been looking for some good quilted jumpers to pair with slim pants and flowing skirts. I went a more traditional route with Daisy's look with a chiffon pleated midi-skirt and a straw cloche, but broke away from it with the geometric quilted jumper from Topshop. Florida summers can be brutally unpredictable and our autumns are only slightly cooler summers. I am indoors mostly where it is cold, so a top like this doesn't bother me so much. Plus lighter colors reflect the light, so the thought of a light jumper doesn't seem quite as agonizing.

BOOK INSPIRED LOOKS | The Great Gatsby::Gatsby

BOOK INSPIRED LOOKS | Gatsby by andiaschehera on Polyvore

The Great Gatsby is always depicted with women in fringe and pearls, and the men in tuxes all living the party life twenty.four.seven. If you are wealthy, I am sure this is not far from your reality, but for us folk who come from small beginnings, style must blend in with practicality. Jay Gatsby did business in an unconventional way: he was a bootlegger disguised as an "Oggsford" man. This look sheds the normal suit and tie attire for the office (why can't they just say Dress code: Must look presentable) and takes the whole mullet approach: business in the front party in the back. Simple shirt, chino, and tie, with a loafer instead of the normal oxfords and paired with a fun quilted moto jacket. All black, with a hint of green, keeping the memory of Daisy close to his heart.

Want to try the tomgirl version? Simple! Try a sheer black button down instead and add some heels if you like.