Happy (Almost) Valentine's Day!

Today was a thrill to say the least. Actually, last night combined with this morning was a thrill of the best kind possible. I mean last night, Taylor Swift's new music video was released at midnight, well 2am EST and I stayed up for another two hours fangirling and then this morning I was up at 4:45am, bright and early, to watch the official release on Good Morning America at the east coast time because you know I can't wait two hours for these sorts of things and then beyond that, Vogue released their March cover with Karlie and Taylor on it and this sweet little video to go along and my heart melted into a puddle of feelings because those two are just TOO cute, and I love it. And when that was happening, I was in the midst of sewing my Archer shirt, which is almost completely done.

All in all, it was an epic 15 hours, and tonight is my annual pre-valentine's day baking night, which is incredibly exciting! I'm going to be making Lavender Earl Grey cupcakes and pink frosted sugar cookies with red heart sprinkles because it's better to be festive. I might also fill raspberries with dark chocolate. Actually, I wasn't planning on that but now that I thought of it it's going to happen.

Anyway, I wanted to show you my outfit for tomorrow! Every year I dress up festively for Valentine's Day. I know in past years, I wore my diy heart sweatshirt, but it's actually not very comfortable because I made it when I was 16 and horrible at making things. Well, I didn't think I was horrible, but I was. I'm sure of that. I wore that sweatshirt two years, in 2012 and 2013. Last year, I know I dressed up festively but I don't remember exactly what I wore because I was unfortunately sick and I had my party, so the last thing on my mind was taking pictures of my outfit.

This year, since the weather is so perfect, I'm going to be wearing my short lace skirt with my lovely "My heart belongs to Mere and Olivia" sweatshirt, because if we're being honest here, my heart really does belong to Taylor Swift's cats. And I love being ironic about Valentine's Day, e.g. the cats I put on my Galentine's Day invitation last year alluding to the fact that I'm probably going to become a cat lady. And I just really love the contrast between the casual, sporty sweatshirt and the pretty, feminine little skirt and the shoes + frilly socks. I actually love those red shoes so much, I wear them year round and as I mentioned before, I love the combination of socks and heels.

You see, every year I make my plan to go to the movies the Friday before Valentine's Day and I wear my outfit that night as well, but this year I'm not doing that because I don't have an desire to go see 50 Shades of Grey, so really I don't know where I'll be wearing this outfit. I don't know if you know, but I'm a Girl Scouts troop leader on Saturday mornings, so I'm definitely going to go to that tomorrow, but I know for a fact I won't be wearing a short skirt, but I'll probably still wear everything else, but with black pants probably, or a longer skirt. Maybe I'll just go to the grocery store just to have somewhere to wear this to. I feel like I can't not. Other than that, my plans are just to stay home and watch a movie. I don't know what I'll watch either, but it'll be fun.

What I Wore: sweatshirt (Taylor Swift) // ivory lace skirt (Willow and Clay) // white lace socks (TopShop) // red heels (Kimichi Blue at UO) // NARS Luxembourg lip pencil (Sephora) // Los Angeles necklace (Kris Nations) (similar) // Better Than Sex mascara (Sephora) // Clinique 'Even Better' Makeup (Nordstrom)

Anyway, I hope you're having a lovely day and I hope tomorrow is absolutely perfect for you! Happy Love Day!

Valentine's Day Style Guide // 3 & 4

Yesterday, I posted two four-piece style guides that would be perfect for Valentine's Day, and there's still barely enough time to order these outfits for next Saturday. These are the rest of the style guides:

1.  //  2.  //  3.  //  4.
For look 3, I chose this lovely, lacey tunic from Free People. You can get a similar, more affordable one at Forever 21 here. I paired with the black scallop lace bralette from Urban Outfitters. I actually have one of those and it's the most comfortable bra you will ever wear, plus it looks really pretty with backless dresses and under sheer tops. I was really skeptical when I ordered one over the Summer, because I thought it would be hard to pull off and I'd look like I wasn't even wearing a bra, but I promise, you won't regret it. As for the shoes. I figured it can't really be a valentine's day outfit if it's missing red or pink, so I selected these blush wedges. I think they're way cute! And for the bottoms, I picked out these slim boyfriend jeans from Joe's because honestly, the softest, most comfortable pants I've ever worn were a pair of teal Joe's Jeans. Boyfriend jeans are very hard to pull off, but since these are slim they should be flattering on everyone and I just like the lighter wash with the white tunic. You could wear this look just about anywhere.

 1.  //  2.  //  3.  //  4.
And last but not least, my favorite of all the style guides! I'm in love with the tee! It's incredibly festive. I mean let me tell you, it was really hard finding pink and red and white clothes that fit my style and were easy to put into an outfit, so when I found such a festive piece it was like the heavens opened up. And you know how much I love soft pink. The skirt if from Madewell, and while I don't own a skirt from there, I have an aqua skirt from Topshop in the same style as the Countdown Skirt, and I find it very flattering and comfy. I love the high school feel of a short skirt and a denim jacket. It's so young and sweet, and the converse just add to that. Besides, the shoes are all the rage in street style fashion right now and denim is making a comeback this Spring, so you could definitely get a lot of wear from both of those pieces these coming months. This is the sort of outfit I'd wear to school and then maybe to a more casual date.

I wanted these outfits to feel very simple and classic, so if you want to add more accessories I'd suggest a set of simple gold stackable rings, which you can get just about anywhere that sells fast fashion (e.g. forever 21, H&M, Free People, etc.) and maybe a simple pendant necklace; they have a lot of options at Urban Outfitters and the stores I mentioned for the rings, and you can also check out your local antique store.

What was your favorite look?

And in case you missed it, here are yesterday's style guides.

Valentine's Day Style Guide // 1 & 2

As you might know, I'm one of those dorky people who likes to dress festively on every single holiday. Even if there's no actual dress code I'll find a way to dress up for it. E.g. my bunny dress last easter and my red and blue ensembles every Fourth of July, but when it comes to Valentine's Day I just care even more. It's my favorite holiday, you know. It's so extreme that last year my dear friend Wendy told me I'm the most "valentiney" person she knows. And I did throw a Galentine's Day party last year, complete with pictures of cats, a dessert table, and giant red and pink paper flowers and hearts I made with my lovely friend Angie. I just love the fact that there's a whole day dedicated to loving people. I mean I've never had an actual valentine, but I've never felt compelled to be sad on Valentine's Day. I don't know why, it doesn't even really make sense to me. Anyway, since Valentine's Day is one of my favorite days to dress up and be extra girly and frilly, I decided to put together a neat little style guide. Well, there's actually four, but I'm splitting them into two posts, one of which will be posted tomorrow along with the Thursday Thoughts of the week. That way you'll still have time to order the outfits online in time for the big day!

1.  //  2.  //  3.  //  4.

For these style guides, I decided to keep it simple and go with four items each, that way it's easier to afford the more expensive pieces and the outfits are more simplistic and easier to mix and match. For this outfit, in particular I went with a Topshop frock. I love the light pink color and how sweet and feminine it looks thanks to the swiss dot and crochet lace all over it. Since it's a short dress, it pairs nicely with the Jefferey Campbell shoes and this combination makes your legs look longer. One of my favorite trends is pairing high heels with socks, especially lace socks. I even did that in my senior pictures last year! I picked these ones from Free People because I have a similar pair and they slouch nicely over the strap, plus since the heels are chunky I feel like the lace softens the look a bit and compliments the dress nicely. As for the hat, I made sure the band around it matches the shoes. I feel like hats are great because they can make an outfit look more put together, but they also provide a bit of a casual vibe. It's a nice contrast from the dress. Plus, I love felt hats. This look would be so cute on a dinner date or a sweet little movie date, actually.

1.  //  2.  //  3.  //  4.

This next outfit is a bit more casual. It's a sleeker, sexier look, but it's still pretty cute and feminine thanks to the scallop detail and the lace. I paired the mini red skirt, which is from ASOS, with the raglan top from Urban Outfitters. When I'm wearing a shorter skirt I like to pair it with a more conservative top and vice versa. I feel like it maintains a nice balance, but that's just my personal opinion. I love that even though the shirt is a boxy, more masculine shape it has the lace sleeves to kind of counteract that. Plus who doesn't love a boxy shirt tucked into a high-waisted skirt? And since the neckline is a crew cut, the layered necklace will give it some more definition. As for the booties, you pretty much can't go wrong with black booties. They're very classic. These ones contribute to the edgier feel of the outfit with the buckles on the sides. I would wear this outfit to a concert, a party, or a night out with my girlfriends.

Let me know what you think of these style guides and come back tomorrow for more style guides and the Thursday Thoughts post!

Have a lovely Wednesday.