Music: Company of Thieves

I'll never claim to be at the cutting edge of discovering new music. I do love music, however, and I'm going to start incorporating more of into my blog. 

I often find myself obsessed with a song, playing it over and over for days. Today, I landed on "Tallulah" by Company of Thieves (from the 2011 album Running From a Gamble). I watched a few performances of them performing the song live, and they have so much energy and passion as a group. Pay attention to lead singer Genevieve Schatz's dance moves: 

I'd like to plug two additional songs I've been in love with this week: "Contact High" by Allen Stone and "Love Club" from the increasingly popular Lorde. 

My L.L. Bean Blucher Mocs

Over the summer, I became fixated on this shoe - a staple in a trad wardrobe, and praised by Muffy Aldrich on The Daily Prep. I was able to order a pair (albeit a half size too small) on Ebay used but only worn once. I've been able to break them in and stretch them out since them. 

They also look great in the oncoming fall weather with my wool sweaters. I can't wait until it's cold enough for me to wear my thick camp socks with my blucher mocs!

Uniqlo white OCBD, $29.90

RL wool cable knit sweater, thrifted $5

Gap broken-in straight khakis, $49.95

Eddie Bauer cotton socks, $5

LL Bean blucher mocs, Ebay $10

J.Crew plaid flannel popover, thrifted $10

Gap broken-in straight khakis, $49.95

LL Bean blucher mocs, Ebay $10

Even the Best of Us Make Mistakes...

Lately I've really been enjoying the blog, College Trad, and discovered a fascination with bro culture after reading Tony's post, What is "Fratty"? I find the mix of preppy and athletic appealing - part of why I love trad clothing is it's practicality and comfort. I went over to a friend's house last Saturday morning for huevos rancheros. I was so comfortable in the lounge pants I had worn to bed, I decided to keep them on. Then I just took a bro-y approach to the rest of the outfit. 

Ray Ban tortoise shell wayfarers, $120

L.L. Bean vintage warm-up jacket, thrifted $5

Hanes white cotton v-neck undershirt

Banana Republic wool-cotton turtleneck sweater, hand-me-down

Uniqlo flower ribbed lounge pants, $12.90
Nike white cotton socks, $3
Sebago docksides, Ebay $15
Timex Weekender, $30

I am completely aware of how ridiculous I look, but sometimes you need to experiment... Right?

My Jack Purcells

I had a pair of classic white tennis shoes on my wish list this summer. After considering a number of brands (Converse, Superga, Tretorn, Vans, Keds Champions), I decided on white canvas Jack Purcells for $50 at Nordstrom.* This shoe is great because it goes with anything and immediately makes an outfit look more casual (this is something I struggle with - I often am inclined to dress much more dressy than society thinks a college student should). 
*A brief thank you to this post on Sneakers by Billax, courtesy of Oxford Cloth Button Down. 

I'm in love with them. They're really comfortable and fresh as hell. The only problem is - I'm having trouble keeping them white. They got really scuffed up over the course of the summer, so I bleached and washed them, bringing them back to new, before school. But after walking outside in the muddy rain, they've been soiled again! I'll have to clean them often.

Here are some outfits I put together with my kick ass shoes: 

Vineyard Vines cable knit crew, thrifted $5
Uniqlo oxford cloth button down, $30
Gap broken-in straight khakis, $50
Timex Weekender, $30
Converse Jack Purcell, $50

Ralph Lauren Sport madras shirt, thrifted $5
Gap broken-in straight khakis, $50
Timex Weekender, $30
Converse Jack Purcell, $50















These two are just brainstorms...

J.Crew wool argyle v-neck, thrifted $6
Uniqlo oxford cloth button down, $30
Gap broken-in straight khakis, $50
Converse Jack Purcell, $50












J.Crew cable knit wool-cotton v-neck, thrifted $6
Uniqlo oxford cloth button down, $19.50
Gap broken-in straight khakis, $50
Converse Jack Purcell, $50

Thrifting Haul: May 18

My top three basic rules of thrifting --
1. Don't buy anything that doesn't fit. I often try to rationalize ill-fitting clothes with "Oh if I just lose 5 pounds or try to shrink it," but if it doesn't fit now, the odds of it fitting later or being worn at all are slim. Just because it was originally expensive doesn't mean it's worth the few dollars you'd spend on it.
2. Don't buy anything with stains. Often thrift stores or those who donate run it through the wash before giving it away, so if something is still there, it's probably not going away.
3. Don't be seduced by labels! This is a big one. I like to ask myself, "If it didn't have this label, would I still wear it?" If you even have to think about this one, don't buy it.


J.Crew Finds...

J.Crew aubergine cable-knit v-neck sweater, $4

J.Crew light blue cotton v-neck sweater, $5

J.Crew black cotton v-neck sweater, $5
I am in love with this sweater! It was a size bigger than I usually wear, but it was almost brand-new and very comfortable. I've worn it lounging around the house with leggings, out and about with khakis and tassel loafers, and even to bed. Simply cannot get enough of it.

J.Crew Liberty of London shirt, $5
It's a bit tight in the shoulders, but given that this is originally a $150 shirt, I couldn't pass it up... even though I violated one of my basic rules of thrifting.

J.Crew black Jackie cardigan, $5

J.Crew navy Clare cardigan, $5

Although these look like the exact same cardigan, based on the labels, I think the black one is from the regular J.Crew store ("Jackie") and the navy one is from the factory store ("Clare").











Ralph Lauren Finds...




Ralph Lauren purple long-sleeve polo, $5
I find a lot of RL at thrift stores, but they're often the skinny fit polos, which fit me terribly (I'm more of a classic fit gal). They are always too wide and too short in the torso. I found this long-sleeve polo a size up from what I usually wear, and though it's still a bit shorter than I would prefer, it's very roomy and cozy for a polo. I think it will make a great weekend shirt in the fall.

Ralph Lauren navy v-neck t-shirt, $3















... And a Few More Finds

Lacoste black polo, $3

Adidas ClimaCool golf shirt, $4                                       Don't ask me why, but I've been fixated on golfing lately. Unfortunately, it's been too cold and rainy in Wisconsin to golf. I bought this shirt as a (hopefully) good weather charm. 

Navy surcingle belt, $1
The belt is too big, but I plan to use Oxford Cloth Button-Down's tutorial on shortening a surcingle belt. Update to follow!

Birthday Score at Vera Bradley!

Even though I haven't bought anything from Vera Bradley since 2009, I'm still on their mailing list. This year for my birthday, I was honored with a coupon for $20 with a purchase of $20 or more in the month of May. I've been using a carabiner for my keychain for the past three years, and have been thinking lately that I need to class it up. While my eye had been on a Leather Man Ltd. key ring, I figured Vera Bradley might be able to meet my needs as well. For $20, I was able to buy...

Braid key chain in paisley meets plaid, $9.75 (originally $13)
Colorful hair pins in marina paisley, $8
And a pack of mints, $3
Total expenditure: $0.79

What a steal!