Fashion Friday: B+W

I remember when I used to hate black. No good reason for it, I just thought it was blah and goth and weird. I owned literally nothing black other than nice dress pants for band concerts.

But then I started shopping at Forever 21, and that’s when my world changed. See, before that I was a Hollister/Abercrombie/American Eagle girl, and while I still like those stores, they’re a lot less affordable than F21. It didn’t help that those stores (other than American Eagle) don’t make anything in black. I loved (and still love) bright colors, but I finally opened up to having black in my closet. It started with a pair of black+white patterned harem pants, and expanded to a few key pieces, including a few dresses. tanks, jackets and pants.

Now when I wear black, it’s almost always paired with white. I love the graphic look of B+W prints and I can always add in a pop of color with a necklace or shoes.

Black+white graphic drapey career jacket (Forever 21), black studded tank (F21), black stretchy pencil skirt (Charlotte Russe), black tights (Target), black wedge ankle booties (Target).

This would be an outfit I would definitely wear to work (ahem, still job searching!) and it works for all seasons–just skip the tights for spring and summer. It’s a bold look because of the graphic-patterned jacket without being overdone because of the simple palette.

Obligatory selfie.

I kept the makeup look polished and simple. Liquid & powder foundation, blush, grey eyeshadow, dark brown eyeliner, volumizing mascara (I use Maybelline Colossal Volum’ Express) and a little pink lip stain. I don’t use fancy makeup, mostly Covergirl and Maybelline, the kind of stuff you can get at Target and drug stores. I wish I could afford Sephora…a girl can dream!

Triangles necklace (Forever 21), white rose ring (F21). Coach Poppy backpack purse in the background.

Accessories are always a must in my world. I kept this look simple with a small pendant necklace and white rose-adorned ring, both from Forever 21.Yes, their jewelry is cheap, but it holds together fairly well and it’s great for someone like me who loves to have a wide variety of jewelry. Oh, and I paired this outfit with my Coach Poppy black+white+red backpack purse I got for my 19th birthday. Love this bag, it’s like a fancy backpack!

What colors do you like to pair with black? 

All I Want for Christmas…

‘Tis the season for wishlist posts, amiright? I don’t care if it’s uncool or what, because finals week/graduation is this week so I’m slacking on blogging motivation! So here’s what I’m wishing for this Christmas…

• Some really cute booties, like these from ALDO (and for only $50!)

My weakness is booties.

• My first ‘big girl’ job–hopefully as a reporter/anchor/weather at a TV station somewhere in the West, and preferably somewhere warm (like California…)

• A winter-ready dress I can wear with tights

I love this color and style. From American Eagle.

• Some pink sparkly Sperrys

Yeah, I’m super girly but I don’t care.

• For my sister to get into the college she wants to attend for musical theatre–she puts so much work into her auditions and she really deserves a shot to prove herself
• A capelet coat of some kind…this one from Forever 21 is inexpensive and really versatile

This would go with anything!

• For my grandpa to get well. He’s been in assisted living since this summer and unfortunately, his health is failing.

• This cookbook. I have her original Practically Raw one, but I have a crazy sweet tooth and I’m obsessed with raw desserts!

I want to make ALL the desserts!

• For a Trader Joes to finally open in Colorado. I’m seriously deprived out here, and I want to experience the amazingness that is TJs.

What’s on your wishlist?

Favorites Lately

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. Mine was great–I spent it at home with the fam, and after not having been home in a few weeks, it was nice to be back again. While there, I got my hair done, saw my sister in her latest production, watched this weekend’s SNL (a lot funnier than I thought it would be), made a little Whole Foods trip, carved a pumpkin and watched some classic Disney Halloween cartoons. It was the perfect weekend, and the weather was unreal–sunny and in the 60s. Perfection.

I wanted to start off the week with a fun little post…and what could be more fun than sharing some of my recent favorites, from food to fashion and beyond.

I love being a brunette!

So when I said I got my hair done…I really meant it! I’ve been planning on changing my hair color for awhile, mostly because I’ll be starting the job hunt soon and I needed a more professional/mature look. I decided to go back to a more natural hair color for me, and I absolutely love how my hair turned out. It’s a big change for me after getting full blonde highlights throughout my time at college, but I’m really embracing the change!

What American Accent Do You Have?

My dad and I are obsessed with dialects, and this quiz he showed me was super interesting. It’s a really quick quiz, but it’s fairly accurate. It told me I have a “Midland” accent, which basically means I have no accent. I’m not from the “Midland” (which they say is Pennsylvania, Ohio, Missouri–but I’ve always heard it’s more like Nebraska and Kansas) but apparently it means I have a good voice for TV which is exactly what I need!

I’ve been wishing for this forever!

A few weeks ago, I was looking for my usual favorite vegan chocolate chip brand, Enjoy Life, at Whole Foods when I stumbled upon this gem. Yep, stevia-sweetened chocolate chips exist! I was excited that these were vegan too because the rest of the Lily’s dark chocolate line has milk added in the bars. The price tag was a bit steep ($7 vs. $4-ish for Enjoy Life) but I bit the bullet and decided to try them. They’re REALLY good–a little more bitter than Enjoy Life chips, but just the right amount of sweetness and I love that they’re sugar free. These won’t be a regular purchase because of the price, but I will definitely choose them over any other chocolate chip most of the time.

So fierce.

If I had to name a favorite shoe brand, it’d have to be ALDO (wellllll, maybe Sperry’s too). I only own 2 pairs of their shoes, but I think they’re very well-made, reasonably affordable and cute to boot (see what I did there?) I actually own a similar style of booties to these from ALDO (but mine are grey corduroy with brown leather detailing) but I can’t resist how awesome these ones are. Definitely going on my Christmas wishlist–hey, I need black booties anyway!

Vegan comfort food at its healthiest.

When I saw this recipe for butternut squash pasta, I had no idea I’d be diving into a new obsession. Seriously. I’ve made the sauce twice and I’ve been so sad when it’s run out. This stuff is incredible, sweet and spicy, creamy and comforting but in a totally healthy way. I’ve served it with kelp noodles and hemp seeds, as a spread for socca, and even just eaten straight off the spoon cold. I made some changes to the recipe to make it my own and I hope to share it with guys soon. It’s a real keeper.

I’ve been wanting a cute capelet for forever…

I’m glad the capelet trend is still going strong…I still need to get my hands on one for this winter! I think they’re so cute and versatile. I haven’t seen any in stores around me so this may be a Christmas wishlist item or a future online order. I really like this one, but I also love the houndstooth/plaid patterned ones as well.

What are some of your favorites?

Fashion Friday: Casual Florals

I know there are lots of fashion posts around the blog world, but as someone who used to have a fashion blog of her own (I still have it, I just rarely post there anymore) I can’t believe I haven’t done a fashion post on AlmostVegGirlie in awhile. So let’s get to my first ever Fashion Friday! Hopefully I can make this a weekly or every other week kind of post because I love sharing my outfits with you guys. As a college student, I feel out of place sometimes in the sea of leggings and Northface jackets, but I don’t mind ‘dressing up’ for class every day–it makes me feel like me!

This week, it’s all about the florals. Who says florals are only for spring? Not me! I wear them year-round (yes, even in winter) but you have to know how to wear them right. In fall and winter, floral scarves and accents are perfectly acceptable, especially in muted tones.

 

Navy cardigan: American Eagle. Floral scarf: American Eagle. Light grey ruffled tank: Abercrombie & Fitch. Dark wash jeggings: American Eagle. Grey corduroy wedge ankle booties: ALDO.

(L to R). Grey wedge ankle booties. Floral scarf. Snake ring: American Eagle.

This is one of my favorite fall outfits, it’s just so fun while also being no-fuss. The accessories really are what make the outfit and I love that because accessories are my favorite part of every outfit. I got the ring for Christmas from my sister last year–obviously she knows I love quirky rings! I got the scarf (I think) for Easter last year and it really makes this outfit pop, with the bright floral pattern. And the boots I bought last fall on sale and I’m so glad I did. ALDO has a really great selection of shoes and when you can find them on sale in the store or on Zappos, definitely buy them because they’re high-quality and very cute. These booties have hidden wedge heels but are really easy to walk in.

What’s your go-to fall outfit? Do you wear florals?