The calm before the storm.

{Top: H&M, $12}

{Jeans: T.J. Maxx, $20}

{Cardigan: Old Navy, $20}

{Scarf: Francesca's, $15}

{Flats: Target, $15}

{Belt: J. Crew, $14}

{Hair Pin: Aerie, $5}

So this is it- the last day before my 30 for 30. Ironically, these pictures were actually from a few weeks ago, but I never got around to posting them. They were from my birthday weekend, which was the last time Greg came up to visit. We had planned on our next visit being the weekend I come home in February, but he texted me on Friday morning informing me that he was on his way to come spend the weekend with me! I was pretty excited, because it is such a long drive (8.5 hours one way....) Since it was a pretty sporadic visit we didn't do anything too exciting, just went to eat and played in the snow, which was a blast. See our snow-woman? Her name is Cheryl.

Winter Floral

{Tunic: Forever 21, $20}

{Chambray Shirt: J.Crew, $35}

{Cardigan: Old Navy, $7}

{Tights: Target, $10}

{Flats: Target, $15}

{Short Necklace: gift}

{Locket Necklace: The Body Shop, $3}

{Deer Ring: H&M, 4 for $8}

{Coat: Modcloth, gift}

I love forever 21. I love online shopping. Together, they are not the best combination. I bought this dress online and it came much shorter than expected and has gotten even shorter after washing it (Lesson learned: ALWAYS look at measurements.) I plan on adding a strip of plain color fabric to the bottom hem to lengthen the dress. I'm just waiting until I can 1) decide what color and 2) get some extra time. Any opinions? Until then, I'm sticking to only wearing it with completely 100% opaque leggings or tights.

Also, this is ring 2 of 4 from the H&M pack I bought on my birthday. I'm kind of in love with all of them. And, on another unrelated note, I'm pretty excited to start the next 30 for 30. Who's with me?

Today + 2 Days Ago

Today...

^ This is my look for

"I'm so excited because I just love this coat!"/"Oh wait, is it taking the picture now??"

{Coat: Modcloth, gift}

{Top: Charlotte Russe, $7}

{Skirt: Target, $20}

{Tights: WeLoveColors.com, $10}

{Boots: Ross, $15}

{Necklaces: gifts}

Why yes, that is a giant owl necklace. In fact, I got three for my birthday. Success? Yes.

This year my mom asked for a serious Christmas list (normally mine are just like "cute clothes, cute shoes, cute stuff.") On the list I included this coat from modcloth... Ok, this was the only thing on the list, but anyways... I liked it online, but when I opened it on Christmas it was too small. So my mom sent it back and had the right size shipped to me. It came in the mail yesterday and I couldn't be happier with it.

What I'm not happy with... drama. Drama and mean people. They both make me really sad. I know everyone can have their moments, and I'm certainly not saying I don't have mine... But sometimes I wonder how people are genuinely mean. What's the point to doing things like that? Yeah, sometimes life throws you a curveball, and sometimes it's hard to deal with, but that's what most people do- they deal with it. You don't refuse to deal with it and do everything you can to be mean.

Well, obviously you can probably tell I've had a day... to say the least. But that's what best friends and chocolate are for... Oh, and pretty coats. Pretty coats help too.

Two Days Ago...

{Pants: Old Navy, $5}

{Top: Hanes?}

{Cardigan: Forever 21, $14}

{Necklace: Gift}

{Shoes: Toms, gift}

{Belt: J. Crew, $13}

The other day I was feeling picky. My desires for the day were:

• Comfy and warm
• No tights (therefore no skirts or dresses)
• No jeans

This pickiness left me with one real option- pants other than jeans. I haven't worn these cords in forever, mainly because their not the most flattering thing in the world. They are, however, one of the comfiest pairs of pants ever. So, cords it was. I continued on the comfy trend with a plain white t-shirt, cardigan, and Toms.

Has anyone else ever gotten Toms? I used to think they were so ugly, but I fell in love with this gold herringbone pair and Greg got them for me for Christmas. Seriously, if you want some comfy shoes, buy Toms. Plus, they have the whole 1 for 1 thing, which is really awesome. If you're totally lost and have no idea what I'm talking about, go here.

Another thing that I'm in love with.... This necklace my Aunt and Uncle got me for my birthday. I'm honestly NOT a dainty jewelry type of person. Most pieces I have generally end up sitting in my jewelry box only to be taken out on random special occasions, but I haven't taken this necklace off. I love it to death :)

Thrifted Skirt.

{Top: Forever 21, $15}

{Skirt: Thrifted, $2}

{Cardigan: GAP, $10}

{Tights: WeLoveColors.com, $10}

{Shoes: Target, $9}

{Necklaces: gift}

{Belt: J.Crew, $13}

My mom used to take us thrifting every once and a while when I was younger, but as I started to get older brand names suddenly became SUPER important and I pretty much stopped thrifting items- unless it was last season's abercrombie or hollister, etc. I've really gotten into thrifting the last few years though and found some great stuff. Of course, you have to keep in mind, I'm the type of person who looks at an incredibly ugly oversized grandma dress and says, "I see potential!" Despite that, I've still managed to find some wonderful items that didn't need large amounts of TLC to make them wearable. One of the most recent examples of this is this vintage(?) leopard print skirt I got at the local salvation army for $2. Such a steal! So there mom, when you thought all I brought home was more work than it was worth- Here is an example you were wrong :)

Personal Style

{Skirt: Gap, $15}

{Top: Target, $12}

{Cardigan: Charlotte Russe, $20}

{Tights: Mom's}

{Shoes: Urban Outfitters, $50}

{Necklace: The Body Show, $3}

{Ring: H&M, pack of 4 for $8}

{Belt: Steve & Barry's, $8}

Today I felt kind of vintage girly, like Julie. The other day I felt kind of tough, all black and leather. And then I also felt modern, trendy, girly, and whatever other adjective that you could use to describe style. I've never been a singular style type of person because I've always liked different styles so much that I could never settle on just one. This used to bother me. I think it bothered me because I would always see people who had their own styles- always vintage or modern or bohemian. I felt like because I didn't have my own personal style that I was just a copier, or uncreative, or indecisive. What I've come to realize though is that just because I don't stick to certain things doesn't mean I'm any of those negative adjectives above. I love being able to be completely different from day to day, and THAT, the ever changing but still a little the same, that's my personal style.

Fashion Show!

One of the things I'm most involved with here on Campus is the Women in Business Club. I serve on the executive board as Events Director and I work with the rest of the board to plan fun and educational activities for our school. Well, last night I saw the culmination of literally months of work... Our first annual FASHION SHOW!

And what would a post be without talking about the clothes?

haha. Prom hair...

{Dress: Target, $20}

{Top: Forever 21, $14}

{Sweater: The Limited, gift}

{Belt: ?}

{Tights: WeLoveColors.com, $10}

{Necklace: American Eagle, gift}

{Boots: Belk, $35}

Along with the rest of the WIB board, I had been working on the details of this event since last summer, and I was SO excited for the fashion show yesterday. It was such a great learning experience to see what all goes into planning an event like this. We had to (get ready, this is a long list...) rent the staging, reserve the area, estimate attendance counts, order catering, find the models, get the models fitted, obtain financial sponsors, find local clothing stores willing to participate, style the outfits, write the script, get an MC, find a DJ, pick music for the DJ, set everything up, practice with the entire set-up, advertise the event, print programs, and then coordinate outfit changes during the show. It was so much work, but definitely worth it.

Our main purpose with this event was to show students some great examples of showing your personality while dressing in Casual, Business Casual, Business Professional, and Business Formal. We also had some interview tips and other helpful information from our career center, who partnered with us to host the event. Something I thought was especially awesome was the fact that we were able to get guy models (and a local Men's store to sponsor!) It really surprised me at how many guys showed up for the show too. I guess it just goes to show that we girls aren't the only ones who like a little inspiration!