Friday, April 30, 2010

The Uniform Project

I've got an outfit post coming later today, I promise, but I just wanted to share this little project with you if you don't already know about it. I wish I would've come across this a lot sooner and been able to follow it through the whole year, but it's still amazing to look through and see all of the outfits. Okay, right get to what I'm actually talking about, The Uniform Project. It was described so well on the website, that I'll just re-post that here for you to get the whole idea. But definitely go check out the website and look through some of the outfits when you've got nothing to do for an hour or so. It's absolutely amazing. I mean, this girl is wearing the same dress everyday for a year and she STILL looks better than you nearly everyday.

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The Idea
Starting May 2009, I have pledged to wear one dress for one year as an exercise in sustainable fashion. Here’s how it works: There are 7 identical dresses, one for each day of the week. Every day I will reinvent the dress with layers, accessories and all kinds of accouterments, the majority of which will be vintage, hand-made, or hand-me-down goodies. Think of it as wearing a daily uniform with enough creative license to make it look like I just crawled out of the Marquis de Sade's boudoir.
The Uniform Project is also a year-long fundraiser for the Akanksha Foundation, a grassroots movement that is revolutionizing education in India. At the end of the year, all contributions will go toward Akanksha’s School Project to fund uniforms and other educational expenses for children living in Indian slums.

The Story of Uniforms
I was raised and schooled in India where uniforms were a mandate in most public schools. Despite the imposed conformity, kids always found a way to bend the rules and flaunt a little personality. Boys rolled up their sleeves, wore over-sized swatches, and hiked up their pants to show off their high-tops. Girls obsessed over bangles, bindis and bad hairdos. Peaking through the sea of uniforms were the idiosyncrasies of teen style and individual flare. I now want to put the same rules to test again, only this time I'm trading in the catholic school fervor for an eBay addiction and relocating the school walls to this wonderful place called the internet.

The Dress
How do you design a dress that can be worn all year around? The mastermind behind the uniform dress is my friend and designer, Eliza Starbuck. We took inspiration from one of my staple dresses, improving upon the shape and fit to add on some seasonal versatility. The dress is designed so it can be worn both ways, front and back, and also as an open tunic. It’s made from a durable, breathable cotton, good for New York summers and good for layering in cooler seasons. With deep hidden pockets to appease my deep aversion for carrying purses. More photos of the dress and the dressmaking process coming soon to the Uniform Blog.

The Accessories
The hats and plumes, the dickeys and drapes, the shoes and slips, the belts and brooches – much of what you will see are byproducts of my cyber-slacking on eBay and Etsy, backed by visits to the many local vintage boutiques, thrift stores and flea markets of New York. I am also collaborating with other designers and friends to create original pieces.


Today is actually the last day of the project, so all 365 outfits are available for your viewing pleasure. And it's definitely worth the time. I'm posting a few of my favorites in this post, one from each month of the project. Definitely go check them all out, it's totally inspiring!

May 2009
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June 2009
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July 2009
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August 2009
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September 2009
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October 2009
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November 2009
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December 2009
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January 2010
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February 2010
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March 2010
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April 2010
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Shoo-shoo Shoo-shoo Shoo-shoo Sugar Town

It's finally the weekend! Eeee! I'm so ready. I've got lots planned for this weekend. Tonight is my best friend's birthday, Happy Birthday, Jess! Then tomorrow it's work (yeah, not exciting I know) then I'm going to a soft opening of a restaurant/bar my dad invested in and I can't wait. Tons of our friends/family are coming in tonight to attend the opening and stay with us for the weekend. I love having a house full of fun people and a great big party to look forward to every night. These are the best kinds of weekends. What do all of you have planned for the next few days?

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So today I'm wearing jeans, for only the second time on this blog, and probably on the second time in about 4 or 5 months. Wow, dang, I didn't even realize how long it's actually been. But lately, I've gotta say, I'm loving denim in all forms, including jeans. I've been lusting after several pairs of jeans, so you can expect to start seeing some more jeans on this blog because I'm sort of falling in love again, it's been too long. The blouse I'm wearing in this post, I bought back in January or February at F21 and then forgot about it. It's been sitting in my closet for months, tags still intact, just waiting for a spring day for me to pluck it off the hanger, rip off the tags and take it out. Unfortunately, I just completely forgot he existed. But I found him this morning and apologized and he agreed to forgive me as long as I wore him and posted him on the blog today. I decided to add some socks and opened toed shoes to make the outfit feel a little more exciting. It's funny how much I love this trend because if you had mentioned this to me about 6 or 8 months ago, I would've called you crazy. Now, I can't get enough of this. I'm buying socks like never before, and I used to HATE socks.

I was also pleasantly surprised as while I was waiting on my photos to upload, I browsed through a couple of blogs and looked at one of my favorites, Kaitlin of Buffalo Stance, and found that we're sort of outfit twins today. YES! High five to myself. She's one of my favorite bloggers and I love her style so I had to give myself a little pat on the back for being so Buffalo Stance-esqe in getting dressed today. Her outfit is sort of the edgier, risk-taking sister of my goody 2 shoes girly outfit. (And we have the same name, so super twins?)

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Oh and one more thing before I go, have a lovely weekend! I'll do a big post on Sunday night or Monday about all the festivities. Au revoir!

Blouse: F21
Jeans: Thrifted (F21 from Buffalo Exchange, gotta love that.)
Socks: Shopping in Mom's closet
Wedges: Target (in reality, I stole these from my friend for a weekend and decided to never give 'em back, sucksss if she reads this.)

The title of my post, the song I've been listening to all day while doing laundry. Puts you in such a good mood. Have a listen! (Sort of She & Him sounding, no?)

Thursday, April 29, 2010

I'm Not Dead

FINALLY! It's here! The long awaited outfit post. I ended up going into work yesterday even though I was supposed to have the day off, so I wasn't able to get around to posting my outfit on here. Sorry, guys. But a promise is a promise, so today, I have an outfit post! And hey, better late than never right?

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Yes, I took these at the mall outside of Nordstrom. I'm awesome.


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I've been so absent from the blog lately, it feels like the awkward few minutes of that coffee date you planned with your friend you haven't seen in a month after you ran into each other and decided you needed to "catch up." It's like, umm soo, I've got so much to tell you and now that we're face to face, I have no idea what to say. So I suppose I'll just jump right in and talk about my outfit, eh? I mean, this is a style blog so when all else fails...

I wore this outfit to go get a MUCH NEEDED haircut. Seriously, my current facebook status: "Kaitlin Cooper is having a bad hair day, everday." That's when you know you've gotta do something about your hair, and yes I just wrote out my facebook status for you on this blog. Embarrassing? Yeah, kinda. Anyway, I went and got my hair cut, as you might notice from my pictures (I'm in love with it.) and then my sister and I headed to the mall since I haven't been to F21 in ages. And ages for me is like 3 weeks, but hey, that's a long time for an addict. I got some really cute stuff I can't wait to share! But, my outfit, right, I'm all over the place. I'm kind of really really in love with this outfit today, mainly because if it was possible to carry on a serious relationship with an item of clothing, I'd be moving in with this dress right about now. I've been wearing it non-stop lately and it looks good EVERY WAY! I especially liked this outfit though, because the dress is pretty girly, and I feel like the bike shorts and the belt make it a little more edgy. This outfit pretty much sums up my style, it's definitely a "go-to outfit" of sorts for me.

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Wellll, now that I've written a huge awkward paragraph sort of about nothing, I find I have nothing left to say. So.. goodbye blog world. It's good to be back. See ya tomorrow! (I think...)

Dress: Urban Outfitters
Cardigan: Target
Bike Shorts: Target (online only)
Belt: Vintage
Oxfords: Aldo

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Wanna Be On The Beach

Ughhh, sorry for the lack of posts. I'm just so not feelin' it this week. You know what I mean? I'm just in the mood to kick back and relax and wear shorts and t-shirts with my dirty hair in braids and floppy hats. I have the week off of work and I feel like I should be on a beach somewhere instead of stuck at home eating and watching Criminal Minds reruns. Sooo, I put together a little "I wish it was summer and I was in Cancun" post. Enjoy. I'll do an outfit post tomorrow (well I guess it is tomorrow, I look at my clock and see 12:03) outfit post SOON I should say. Goodnight!

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Also, shh keep this on the DL from my mother (you know, to save me from the "Ohh, Kaitlin, I told you sos!"), but lately lots of photos of blondes have been popping up in my "inspiration folder." Uh ohhh, I know I just went red, and my hair feels like wheat, but I'm just lovin' blondes right now. It's really true, we girls can never be happy with what we have..maybe I'll go this weekend and damage my hair a little more with some highlights? Then in two weeks I'll want to be Zooey D and go dye it all dark brown!

Saturday, April 24, 2010

European Wannabe

Ever since I can remember, I mean honestly I think since maybe 2nd grade, I've wished I was European. In fact, back when I was little, I used to lie to people I didn't know very well and say that I was French. That's a complete lie, my ancestry is English and Irish, but I wanted people to think I was European, and little kids don't know, so I lied. Time hasn't changed much, except now I just say I'm an American born on the wrong continent. All my favorite people/things are European. Bands, movies, books, authors, actors, models, cars, designers, food, you name it. That also includes my mad mad love for European bloggers. I mean, is there such a thing as a tacky person in Europe? Europeans, especially the French, make EVERYTHING look chic and sexy. We Americans just don't have that. And so now that you're wondering why I just went into this long explanation of why I'm disgustingly obsessed with Europeans and my secret wish (I wish on birthday candles to marry a European, true story) to be European, I'll share with you the reason for all of this nonsense. Today, since I worked from 8-7 today and am now rushing out for much needed time with friends, I am going to show you my favorite European outfits of the week, since I've hardly shown you anything of my own. I hope you enjoy, if you're anything like me, you'll be drooling by the time this post is finished. Have a grrreat Saturday/Sunday lovelies!

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Helmi Otsalla


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Elenita


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Le Blog De Betty


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summerlisten


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The Cherry Blossom Girl


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Pandora

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Happy Day, Earth!

A subtle chain of countless rings
The next unto the farthest brings;
The eye reads omens where it goes,
And speaks all languages the rose;
And, striving to be man, the worm
Mounts through all the spires of form.

Ralph Waldo Emerson


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i've already posted this, but it just fits earth day so well


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back when I was a wee little sophomore :)


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the best friend and i, beginning of junior year in ATX


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actually earth day 08, she wrote the wrong date..


Just some cute little polaroids from earth days past, as well as polaroids from non-earth days that just fit in with the theme. I've been putting in long hours at work this week and won't stop until Sunday, so forgive me if I don't have proper outfit posts for the rest of the week. I am going to a tea before work tomorrow for a bible study friend's birthday and I'd like to post about that, so I'll try. I hope you've all had a lovely week so far, and your weekend is just as great. Go out and enjoy a walk through nature or plant some flowers for Earth Day, something I'd love to do, but unfortunately, I'll be working too long for these things to be possible.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Nothing Gold Can Stay

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Nature's first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf's a flower;

But only for an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.


Robert Frost


So yesterday's nice taste of sunny, beautiful weather is a thing of the past today. (Hence Robert Frost's Nothing Gold Can Stay) It's back to being gray and rainy. The perfect excuse to stay in doing nothing but watching Turner Classic Movies. Though I did go to the dentist and got good news. The dry sockets are healed! I went straight to Sonic for happy hour and got my favorite cherry vanilla diet dr pepper and drank it THROUGH A STRAW! Happiest moment ever. You never realize the things you take for granted until you can't do them anymore. Anyone who's ever had a dry socket knows exactly what I mean. And also, tonight is 24 night. HALLELUJAH! Mondays are never the best day of the week, but having Jack Bauer kicking ass to look forward to all day, it makes it a little better. I just can't believe this is the last season. What will we do next year, with no 24 nights?

I went for a gray ensemble today due to the gray weather. I guess this is the opposite of my wishful dressing. But I'm wearing my favorite dress again, this time as a skirt. So far on this blog I've worn it just as a dress, as a top, and now as a skirt. It's so versatile, which is why it's my favorite. I love having pieces like this in my wardrobe because it adds so much, there are so many possibilites. I have a dress, skirt, and top all in one. And it's super cute to boot!

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And sweet readers, if you believe in this sort of thing, please pray for my little dachshund you met in this post. She's started having back trouble again, a common problem for dachshunds and she's in a lot of pain. We're very worried about her, as back trouble can even be fatal for little dachshunds. We love her so much and I hate to see her in her little bed, unable to get up and move around. I just want her to get better ASAP!

Lace Sweatshirt: F21
Dress (as skirt): Charlotte Russe
Socks: Target
Sandals: Urban Outfitters

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Sometimes I Feel Like I Live In Grand Central Station

How's everyone's Sunday? Mine is great! Not really for any particular reason, it's just one of those days where I got plenty of sleep the night before and woke up in a really great mood. I've spent the beginning of my day at church, then came home for a little brunch and Wii playing with the family, hehe we're sort of addicted to Mario Kart. Then my sister and I headed out to shop for a gift for her best friends birthday, then got Starbucks and decided to ride around in the car with the windows down, rocking out to Lady Gaga and enjoying the beautiful weather. This explains the pictures I'm about to show you. Sometimes we get a little carried away..

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I'm really in love with my outfit today. I found this skirt in my closet last night and realized that I'd totally forgotten about it and I wanted to try it again sans tights. It's much too big to wear as a skirt, but pulled up and belted it makes a perfect dress. It's still a little big though, so for the sake of decency I always like to wear another dress or a shirt or something underneath it. Today it was, what's new, this striped F21 shirt. Seriously, guys, how did I survive before I got this t-shirt? I was asking my sister last night, what did I wear before this shirt?! I wear it ALL THE TIME. I'm thinking I need a new striped t-shirt but I can't find one that I like. I'd always like a blue and white stripe and a red and white stripe. If you know of any really cute, reasonably priced ones I might like, I'd appreciate it if you let me know.

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lol @ my sister's finger getting in the picture!


Now I'm off to spend some time studying my French. Gotta work everyday if I'm gonna be fluent. I'm using Rosetta stone and I've only been using it for about 4 days and already I think I've learned more than I learned in 4 weeks of a high school language class. The thing really works. After my French lessons, I'll be going back up to church with friends for a little concert my church is having tonight so support funds for the Mission Trip this summer. I guess it'll be fun. I have no idea who the band is, but I have to sell drinks and I convinced a few friends to come join me, so I'm sure we'll have a good time. Hope you all have a great Sunday night!

T-shirt: F21
Skirt: Thrifted
Belt: F21
Sandals: Payless
Bag: Mom's Vintage

Friday, April 16, 2010

Wishful Dressing

Do you ever have those days where you wake up and the weather is all rainy and nasty and you say, "No, sorry, I'm not dressing for this today" and you dress like it's the most beautiful sunny day outside? It's been raining all week and today I was done. I dressed in a floral dress, sandals, with a big flower/bow in my hair and said HA! to the gray sky and the rain. Can't keep Kaitlin from wearing what she wants! And what do you know, about half an hour before I took these pictures, the sun came out and he's been hanging out ever since. So, it's not wishful thinking, it's wishful dressing, and my friends, it works.

Today's pictures are "just hurry and get this over with I'm not in the mood, but I've gotta update that blog!" pictures. The lighting was bad, I didn't like the spot, but alas, I wanted to make this little update, so here it is. My Friday outfit, which I don't even like all too much, and I'm probably going to change before going out tonight, but this is what I wore to have lunch with my sister at her school (so fun, hehe) and lounge around the house cleaning and playing Mario Kart.

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IT'S FRIDAY! Yay! And this Friday, I am not having oral surgery, in fact, I am nearly recovered from my TWO, yes I said TWO, dry sockets. (The chances of anyone getting one is slim, but getting two, I'm pretty sure I've gotta be in a record book somewhere..) So tonight I'm going out. I'm spending the night with my friends who I haven't spent time with in well over a week due to work and the wisdom teeth. I can't wait, tonight can't get here fast enough. What are all of you doing this weekend? I hope you have fun whatever it is!

Shirt Dress: F21
Floral Dress: Thrifted H&M
Sandals: Target
Headband: F21

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Last Night I Dreamt I Went To Manderley Again

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Ah, what a busy, but wonderful day! I woke up this morning and went with my mom to bible study as usual. Then I went with her to a clients house while she gave her a massage and boy was I glad I did! She had the most beautiful house, with the most lovely yard! I sat out in the front, lounging on a porch swing reading Dorian Gray, looking out on the beautiful yard until it was too much! I snapped the book shut and went exploring. Walking through the front and back yard made me feel like I was at Manderley and Maxim should be on my arm, I just kept waiting to end up at the beach or bump into Mrs. Danvers and kill the mood. I love that about books I've read without a movie because the setting stays forever exactly as I want it, it's my own unique place in my mind that no one else has. And if you're lost and have no clue what piece of literature I'm referencing, go to your nearest bookstore and pick up a copy of Rebecca. You won't be sorry! Its one of my favorite books of all time. So good! Anyway, I took my outfit pictures in the yard so you can see a tiny bit of my Manderley but there's so much more I didn't get pictures of, like inside the house, gorgeous vintage photos of her parents from the 30s and 40s right here in San Antonio! Ohhh, I could've died.

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(lol @ my still slightly puffy cheeks!)


Anyway, onto the next order of business. My day didn't end at Manderley! Today is actually my dad's 50th birthday. He insisted that we couldn't have a big party to celebrate his aging, but my mom, sister, and I still wanted his birthday to be special. So we made him his favorite dinner, salmon patties, corn, and mashed potatos (luckily all things I could eat with my healing gums!) and a dump cake for dessert. The cake came out so cute and tasted delicious! After dinner he got his cards and opened his presents, Mario Kart and Mario Brothers for our Wii. Mom thought we were giving a present to ourselves too, but I said to view it as giving him the gift of family bonding time. Hehe, good one eh? I think Dad was pleased and we had a lot of fun trying out the new games together. No more golf tournaments, we're racing now!

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One last thing I want to share about my outfit. It may seem like a plain, everyday outfit but it's so special to me! This Alen Rench t-shirt is an old vintage band tee from back in my dad's rock and roll days. I'm actually wearing a t-shirt from his band. He was the drummer in the Alen Rench Band back in the early 80s. He's moved on from that dream now, but he's still a drummer at our church and remains friends with his old bandmates. I have some old pictures of him in the band I'll have to scan and put on here one day. They're so cool! This shirt and those pictures are some of my most prized possesions, things I'm so glad my dad passed on to me that I can one day give to his grandchildren and no matter how old he gets, he'll always be remembered as the guy in the band. And I'm sure that's the way he'd want it!

T-shirt: Dad's vintage band tee
Skirt: Target
Belt: vintage
Oxfords: Steve Madden (yeah all I wear are oxfords, get over it. hehe)