Adventures in Traveling: Philadelphia

On Day 4 of our trip (see Days 1-3 here and here), we left New York and headed towards Philadelphia.

My fiance is in the Master's of Nursing program at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.  His graduation was held at the Philadelphia Convention Center in Center City Philadelphia.

We decided to stay across the street from the Convention Center and arrived at our hotel mid-afternoon.  After resting up for a while (we were exhausted from our stay in NYC), we walked a block over from our hotel and started exploring Philly's Chinatown.

The weather was humid and chilly, and I wore my blue moto jacket (again!).  The weather started to change while we were in Philadelphia, becoming much warmer and more humid.  I wore my jacket the day of graduation too, but it proved to be a bit much. 

Coated denim jeans:  Target
Blouse:  The Limited (Available here)
Jacket:  Forenza by The LImited

Purse:  Target (old)
Bracelets:  The Limited, Express
Ring:  The Limited

We walked around for a while, stopping in a few of the novelty shops to purchase a few gifts.  The kids LOVED their Chinese candy.  

We decided to have dinner in Chinatown.  I let the man pick the restaurant, and he chose Sammy Chon's KTown BBQ.

I opted for a large salad with the most amazing sesame seed salad dressing.

The Free Appetizers

After dinner, we walked around Chinatown for a while longer before heading back to our hotel.

Shoes:  Target

The next day, we grabbed a quick lunch before going over to the Convention Center for my honey's graduation.  He's pretty amazing - works full-time as a hospice nurse and totally rocked his master's program.
The graduation was relativity entertaining (as far as graduations go).  The honorary degree recipient and guest speaker was John Howe III, M.D.  He is President and CEO of Project Hope, a foundation that provides international health care education and humanitarianism in areas of need (more info here).  His speech was both funny and inspiring.

Dress:  Old Navy Petites (Available here)

Necklaces:  The Limited

As soon as graduation was over, we headed out of Philly, planning a stop in Boston.

More details (and no more moto jacket) tomorrow!!

Adventures in Traveling: Indiana, Ohio, and Hershey, Pennsylvania

Hi everyone!

Sorry I haven't posted in a few weeks.  I had intended of scheduling a week's worth of blogs to post during my trip, but then things got crazy!

My partner and I had a wonderful trip last week, where we spent nine days road tripping out east.  I love a great road trip.  The man and I tend to be relaxed travelers, often deciding our direction as we are traveling. 

While we had a basic idea of our travel plans, only a trip to Philadelphia was set in stone. 

On Day 1, we began our journey out east, stopping only minimally to log a lot of highway miles.  

Jacket:  Forenza by The Limited
Top: Forever 21+
Necklace:  Target (old)

Our first stop was Montgomery Steakhouse in Spiceland, Indiana.  As a vegetarian in love with a carnivore, restaurant choices are often compromised.  This steakhouse thankfully had a great selection of non-meat items.  I chose the spaghetti marinara and salad.

We got back on the road, and before I knew it, we were in Ohio.  We pulled over on the interstate, and I got a pic in front of the state sign.  Yep, I'm silly like that!  :-)

Coated denim jeans:  Target
Shoes:  Target

 We stopped for the night right over the Pennsylvania border.

The next morning, we got back on the road, heading towards New York City.  We noticed the signs for Hershey, PA and decided to make a minor detour to the Land of Chocolate.

Dress:  Forever 21+
Purse:  Target

The first thing you notice is the lovely aroma of chocolate overtaking your senses when you walk in.  Unfortunately, that was one of the better aspects of our short stay at Chocolate World.

Hershey's had a makeshift factory where you could make your own chocolate bar and packaging.  They offer a museum, a trolley tour, lots of [overpriced] food options, and of course, a huge chocolate-centered gift shop.  There is also an amusement park and a hotel, where I've heard you can get chocolate baths, which does sound enticing!

The experience was fun for a quick detour, but overall, it seems more like a tourist trap than an authentic experience.

Of course, we couldn't leave Hershey without trying some of the wares.  We each had a cupcake, which proved to be too much for both of us. 

Can't remember the names of the cupcakes, but mine was Caramello-flavored and my sweetie's sweet was chocolate raspberry

The cupcakes were good, but definitely no where near the best I've ever had.  I actually found them a little disappointing as the outer perimeter and icing were dried out.  That said, the chocolate flavor was tasty, and the inside of the cupcakes quite moist.

Bracelet:  The Limited

My favorite part of Hershey's was the old advertising posters.  I love the artwork on a lot of older advertising.  I find that advertising gives us a lot of cues into the cultural mindset of a particular time period, which I find fascinating.  The images chosen to advertise products tell us a tremendous amount about the norms and values of a particular culture at a particular place in history.  I leave you to your own interpretations of these...

More trip pics coming tomorrow!!

Cutouts and Coated Denim

Hi everyone! 

Today, I ran to Tar-Jay to do some last minute Easter shopping and this is what I wore:

Sweater:  Forever 21+ (Available here)

I recently got this sweater from Forever 21.  I love the cutouts and the seafoam green color. 

I love wearing oversized sweaters with skinny pants for a casual look.

Coated denim jeans:  Target (Available here)

Necklace:  ILY Couture (Available here)

I wore the leopard flats to the store. The man and I were thinking about going to the movies.  We opted not to go, but I probably would have worn the heels for the date.

Flats:  Target (Similar here)

Heels:  Target (old)
Rings:  New York & Company

What's your go-to errands outfit?

Happy Easter to all those who celebrate!!

For these jeans in other looks, see here and here.
For more oversized sweater/skinny pants looks, see here, here, and here.

Hello Kitty

Happy Sunday!

Cardigan:  The Limited (Similar here)
Tee:  Torrid (Available here)
Coated denim jeans:  Target (Available here)

A few weeks ago, we had a birthday party for my youngest kiddo who was turning five.  The theme of her party was Hello Kitty.

I've loved Hello Kitty ever since I was a kid, so I have a few Hello Kitty tees that I sometimes wear when I'm going super casual.

Since my daughter's party was Hello Kitty-themed, it seemed like the purrr-fect (sorry, couldn't resist) time to wear my fun Kitty with glasses tee.  Girls with glasses are very cool!  ;-D

Clutch:  The Limited (Available here)
Shoes:  Target (Available here)
Bracelet:  Gift (old)

I paired the tee with my coated denim and a colorblocked cardigan to give the overall look a little more of a grown-up feel.

Do you ever wear novelty or character tops?

To see this cardigan styled differently, see here and here.

I See London...

Today's casual look centered around this comfy sweater.  

Sweater:  Forever 21+ (Sold out on-line; may be available in stores)
Coated denim jeans:  Target (Available here)

I added coated denim skinnies and these amazing spiked ballet flats I just found.  

Flats:  Target (Available here)

I love getting the comfort of flats with a touch of bad ass. ;-)

I went for dinner later in the day and decided to swap the flats for heels to dress the look up a bit.

Satchel:  Target (Available in blue here)
Heels:  Target (old)

Hope you're all having a great Saturday!!

To see these jeans in other looks, see here, here, here, here, and here.

Gaga for Lady Gaga

Coated denim jeans:  Target (Available here)
Top:  The Limited (old)

Happy Sunday, everyone!  Hope you're all having a great day!!!

Last night's Lady Gaga concert was ahhhh-maaaaaaaa-zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzing!!!!!  I had so much fun and am so in love with her artistry and her messages of individualism, self-acceptance, and tolerance.

I knew I wanted a wild look that was very different than my day-to-day.  While I didn't want to get too extreme with my clothes, I loved the idea of going all out with my hair and make-up.

Earring (left ear):  Express
Feather earring (right ear):  Claire's (Available here)

Crystals:  Hot Topic

My sister's a hair dresser and helped me create this fun mohawk with a slight pompadour front.  

I did my own make-up, playing around with the idea of a futuristic hybridization of cultures with the bindhi and Kabuki-inspired lip.

Thank you to everyone who voted for my concert outfit.  

Unfortunately, I didn't get a ton of votes for what to wear, so I went with the votes that I got, but made some changes based on my needs for the night.

Look #1 was the unanimous winner:

Jacket/cardigan:  Converse One Star for Target
Top:  The Limited (Available here)

Blazer:  New York & Company (Similar here)
Purse:  The Limited (old)

Shoes:  Payless
Necklace:  eBay (Similar here)
Bracelets:  Torrid, The Limited (Similar here)

It was cold outside, but I didn't want to deal with a coat at the concert, so I decided to swap the cardigan for the blazer from Look #3 for a little more coverage and warmth.  I also opted for an assymetrical sequin top as I preferred the scoopneck of the tank with the blazer.

As much as this overall look was forged out of the desire to play dress-up, I have always loved mohawk-styled looks on women and have always wanted to try it.  This look is as much "me" as any other.  Having so much fun with this look inspires me to try out an edgier cut/style with my hair.

Would you ever try out a mohawk?

HELP ME CHOOSE!!!!!

Tomorrow night, I am going to see Lady Gaga in concert. Woohoo!!!!

The problem is that I'm not sure what I want to wear.  I have pulled together some possibilities for the concert, and I'd love your input.

Look #1

Look #2

Look #3 - may opt for a different top with pants and blazer

I kept my hair simple and wore no jewelry for these photos to serve as a blank canvas of sorts.  For the concert, I plan on doing some crazy, fun hair and make-up and accessorizing differently depending on the outfit.
 
Which of these styles should I wear? 

Please vote for #1, #2, or #3 here on blog, Facebook, or Twitter. 

Holiday Dressing

Stumped with what to wear for the holiday season's gatherings and festivities?

I love holiday fashion!  I would happily wear glitter, rhinestones, velvet, and lace almost every day of the week, especially when it's cold outside.

Here's a gathering of some of the outfits I've worn so far that would be perfect for holiday parties or gatherings.

Don't like all my black?  You could easily substitute red, burgundy, emerald, silver, gold, sapphire, or winter white in places where I'm wearing black.

Happy Holidays!!!

Winter Sparkle

Casual Festive

Velvet Ingenue

Tuxedo Styling

Channeling Chanel

Birthday Suit

I Vote for Sequins, Velvet, and Tweed

Party Time! Excellent!!!

Workaday Elegance