Guess Who's Back

COMING SOON

UPDATE

After a nearly 9 month sabbatical I am ready to dive deep into the blog again. There are a lot of new and exciting things going on and it's been a long process of getting ready for the next 10 months; alas I am here and I am happy to share. Later this month I will be returning to the classroom to finally finish my degree in English Literature. after abruptly dropping all courses at St. John's University in August 2012 I have spent three years working and living life as a regular adult. Now ready to wrap up this chapter and move on to great things, I've enrolled in a school that is smaller, more liberal, and located in my home state of Washington - so this couldn't be a better fit for me. 

IN HER CELL

My hopes for this blog are to share with you my personal style, interests, how I balance academics, my social and love life, and so much more. Through photos, videos and little anecdotes I just want to express myself freely and share with you who I really am; hopefully while learning a little more about you, the reader, as. You can expect regular posts to begin Friday September 25th. 

As always, thank you for reading.

xx

Like Life

This post is a little random, that's how life is though. I have been accumulating some pictures over the last month or so and have only recently realized that I've completely abandoned this blog! So here goes. I'm only posting two looks for now but I'll have more to come in the near future I'm sure. Now, one could call these "fall outfits" but once October hits I am in a permanent state of lighter layers & hues of auburn, olive, oatmeal, and black. I don't really have a steady winter wardrobe because to be honest, I hate winter. I love fall, fall is by far the best season in existence so until summer rolls around I will live in a time capsule of October outfits. 

For a little background story on this first series of photos; these were taken in/around Los Angeles California during Thanksgiving weekend. My boyfriend had a basketball tournament down there and since my sister is living and working in Orlando my mom and I decided to do something a little less traditional. We spent the holiday wandering through this park and consuming ungodly amounts of calories at Jack in the Box. Yes, I said Jack in the Box...hey it was the only place open! 

Wearing: Zara romper, Nordstrom tights, Beyond Threads poncho, Evangeline shoulder bag, Diba black ankle boots, thrifted jewelry.

that is my marm (mom).

and the man behind the outfit photos, my beautiful boyfriend. 

After my return from California I've been feeling a little gray. Slumpy, bored, unmotivated for anything. Then one of my closest friends received a job at the company that I work for! Since then I've been pulled a few feet from my slump and am trying to work on my happiness a little more! The following photos are from the other day when I woke up early, got a run in, and made a delicious breakfast AND took these pictures of my weird, witchy, but cute (?) outfit all before I had to rush off for work! Look at me go, right? Sometimes I get a little too proud of myself, but I think that's healthy anyway...I think.

wearing: Anthropologie dress, cropped sweater from a random store in CA, Jeffery Campbell boots, thrifted jewelry.

As always, thank everyone for reading this post and my blog in general. I really appreciate any time another person puts into checking out what my interests are, what I consider "cool", or a at least a good way to spend some time. I sometimes get this pressing feeling that not a lot of people really know who I am or much about me. I've been making a solid effort to put myself out there a little more; to sort of grow my circle, so I certainly am happy when you guys take a minute to come into my "cell" and get to know me a little better. If you read this or any of my other posts don't hesitate to comment and let me know what you think, what you'd like to see, or ask me questions whatever you want to know! I won't publish what you don't want me to but it's still cool for me to read them :).

Thank you, xx

Glitter Sale Goodies

Wow! Has it been ages since I've posted or what? Sorry for the unannounced hiatus but I have been insanely busy since August. I've gotten the opportunity to travel more for work, spending time in Las Vegas, New York City, and Portland. Between that, regular work, and the cold rainy weather I have been lacking any motivation to take pictures or sit down at my computer for an extended amount of time. But I'm back with something I haven't done before so I hope you enjoy it!

A week ago today my coworker and I did something a little crazy, we got up before the sunrise and waited in a line exceeding 500 people for the annual Goodwill Glitter Sale. What is the Glitter Sale you ask? Well for you Seattleites maybe you're familiar; it is a sale that happens every November in which the Goodwills of the greater Seattle area send all of their higher quality/designer donations, that they've received over the year, to the Goodwill Warehouse on Dearborn Ave. That's right, from real vintage designer threads to gorgeous one of a kind jewels, fur coats and accessories, Frye boots galore, and an overwhelmingly poofy, colorful, and sparkly prom & wedding dress isle - this Goodwill has it all! 

To paint a picture of just how serious the shoppers are during this sale, imagine this: after waiting for hours (some even had tents set up outside from the night before) you are given a wrist band and let into a secret back room filled with isles and isles of clothing, shoes, and jewelry. There are hundreds of women and NO dressing rooms, just full length mirrors at the end of every isle. You're given a basket to shop with and you better not let it out of your sight because this shopping experience is very competitive. I wore a leotard, tights, and running shoes and although I was shy at first I realized in this place - anything goes! The best strategy is to fill your basket completely; with anything that looks semi appealing then stop at a mirror and quickly try everything on, tossing or trading what you don't want and putting everything you do want securely in your basket to continue on. It was hot and chaotic and the most fun I've had in months. Anyway, $200 later I have a lot of beautiful pieces to show you guys. I will list in the captions of each look where everything is from and this --> GGS means it was from the Glitter Sale. 

Look 1:

Blazer: vintage Chanel GGS

 Blouse: American Apparel

Jeans: Urban Outfitters

Bra: Free People

Look 2:

Wool Coat: GGS

Dress: Urban Outfitters

Boots: "Joe's" Free People

Look 3:

Blazer: Vintage Pendleton GGS

Sweater: H&M

Riding Pants: American Apparel

Back-Pack: American Apparel

Ankle Booties: DSW

Look 4:

Angora Cardigan: GGS

Tee: Top Shop

Jeans: "Mom Jeans" Urban Outfitters

Mules: Jeffery Campbell

Look 5:

Wool Skirt: GGS

Crop Top: Forever 21

Wool Coat: GGS

Look 6:

Fuzzy Angora Sweater: GGS

Disco Pants: American Apparel

Ankle Booties: DSW

Some other details: Rings are all from various Goodwill shopping excursions over the past year, my  dainty elephant necklace is from Dogeared, the two lipsticks I wore were Mac's Velvet Teddy (the lighter shade) and Verve (the deeper shade). 

Well that's everything! Minus a really cute brown leather back-pack that I totally forgot to include; my head was all over the place battling a cold and the fading sunlight simultaneously. Let me know which look is your favorite! And if you went to the Goodwill Glitter Sale this year I'm curious to see what you purchased, tag me on IG (OliverLouise) on any photos of items you got :) And thank you for reading!

xx

Portland

The last 14 days has been a complete, wonderful and chaotic blur. Work has been a hectic roller coaster; leaving me exhausted and out of breath every evening. Before my 4 day trip to Las Vegas to work the Stitch Trade Show my boyfriend and I took a spontaneous trip to Portland Oregon as a last summer get-away before he flew home to Belgium for the rest of the month. We spent the night in a hotel where we could finally watch some shark week programs (we don't have cable at home), then we had some wonderful brunch, walked through the weekend market, did some shopping, spent some time in the rose gardens, and took a little nap in the lawn at the arboretum.  It was a short 18 hour visit but it was nice to escape our regular weekend routine and to spend some alone time together. Here are some photos of our day in Portland. Oh, and while you're scrolling feel free to go to your Spotify and listen to First Aid Kit - that's kind of the vibe I was feeling during the trip and again while preparing this post. Thanks Grace for recommending them to me!

Wearing: Vintage maxi dress, Jeffery Campbell mules, Aerie bralette, Urban Outfitters belt & bag.

xx

Evening Lake Adventures

It's become somewhat of a ritual for Gilles and I to head over to varying access points to Lake Washington on hot evenings. It's nice just around dinner time or even a little later, because the beaches and docks tend to be less crowded. We like to kick back and jump in the chilly water to cool off before heading back to our insanely hot apartment. The other night we took some steaks and threw them on the grill, then we found the most secluded little beach area which I absolutely loved. My 7-ft man friend didn't really approve of the size (he requires a little more room to spread out and relax). 

But man it sure is cute right?! It's nice and shady, private, and romantic! Or at least I thought so.

Awkwardly grinning up at my giant. 

Wearing: Triangl Swimwear bikini top, American Apparel high-waist bottom, under vintage Levi shorts.

Vegetarians shield your eyes for the following photos!

Ta-dahhh the Grill-Master is me!

I hope everyone is finding time to enjoy the longer days and warm weather. And for those of you living in the Pacific Northwest....wow isn't it absolutely beautiful around here? Honestly, I think Washington is beautiful even when it's raining but it is something else when the sun is shining on all of this green; making the scenery appear even more lush and vibrant. And the clear skies are allowing the most glorious views of Mt. Rainer; its just breathtaking. I'm going to enjoy it as much as I can until the Rainy season begins again. Do the same.

xx

Warm Weather Workdays

Every year around Mid-March I find myself begging and praying to the weather gods for an early summer. Dreaming of soaking my face in the warmth of the suns rays, being able to keep the layers of clothing light and breezy, never worrying about how my goosebumps are surely making my leg hair grow faster...ok so that last one was maybe TMI but whatever, ladies I know you feel me. Ah summer. Wonderful right? Wrong; well, partially. Sure I'm happy to be able to go for a late night swim here and there, and yes sandals are 1000% more comfortable than boots stuffed with giant wool socks. But man, I was just not bred for the heat! Living in an apartment with no air conditioning and that has beautiful large windows that allow maximum sunlight is terrible. I come home all sweaty from work and inside it's guaranteed to be 10 degrees warmer. Not to mention, I'm running out of clothes to wear! 

For those of you who don't know me to well I must confess something, I am seriously addicted to sweaters. There must be some kind of sweater-shoppers-anonymous or some kind of group that I can belong to because my sweater obsession is out of control, and quite costly I might add! Hence, my tank/shorts/dress options are quite limited. Luckily it will be fall soon, in the meantime here are a couple of outfits I've been keeping in rotation for when the days reach the 90's. I know, I know - I  should probably be avoiding wearing black because it traps heat. But sadly most of my lighter-weight items are black, so let's just move past that already. 

Light-weight floral dress American Eagle, silky black button up Nordstom

Silky tee American Apparel, trousers Urban Outfitters, sandals H&M

If anyone has other ideas of how to style work-appropriate outfits with black pieces for those hot summer days please let me know! I'm always looking for ways to improve my day-to-day work style. Now, It's funny because I see my readership increasing exponentially, but maybe you're a bunch of shy peeps like me who don't want to leave comments. Well don't hesitate to answer or leave your feedback, I'd love it! Except you mom, please don't comment, it'll embarrass me and I'm trying to be a big girl. ;)

xx

CHBP

This post is long overdue. This last week flew by so fast yesterday I didn't even realize it was Friday until after the work day had ended. I was a busy worker-bee and felt delirious because of the heat and the straining week that had come and gone so abruptly. Anyway, last weekend I went to the Capitol Hill Block Party, well the last day at least. That's true fashion for me, last year it was CHBP and Bumbershoot for only the final day (that's when the best shit happens). It was a beautiful sunny day after a few of rain so we really lucked out! There were only three performances we watched, how can you commit to standing in a crowd when all the best people watching is going down at the food trucks!? I'm so lucky to have someone who enjoys shamelessly staring at others as much as I do.  Here are a few photos of the event and what I wore.

I sported this super psychedelic patterned dress with it's ultra 90's silhouette. I felt like Buffy on Acid 

(minus the acid of course)

This performer was surprisingly awesome. When we walked over to the smaller stage and saw him jumping around we weren't preparing ourselves for much. But he had everyone sit down on the ground pow-wow style and he rapped about important social issues. He was charismatic, funny, and had a good voice. I love surprises like that. 

As the sun went down the entire population of the party gathered around the main stage to wait (for too long) for A$AP Rocky.

I'll admit, he was worth the wait. His performance was fully equipped with lights, lasers, smoke, confetti, Nirvana and Wu-Tang. He brought everything to the stage and tailored his show for Seattle specifically. Even though I haven't really listened to his stuff that much I enjoyed it and it was magic.

xx