in which girls wear glasses in the usa

For the longest time, I thought non-prescription glasses were just a silly affectation of hipsters worldwide. I rolled my (unbespectacled eyes) and carried on. And then, as with most trends that tend to linger, I found myself wanting a pair. So, I bought some (a $6 set from Forever 21), and wore them on occasion, but only for this blog. I scoured the internets looking for fun large frames and tried to convince myself that it was worth spending bunches of money on glasses that I may or may not need. And then, one day, GlassesUSA contacted me with an offer I couldn't refuse: they wanted to send me a pair of eyeglasses to style on the blog! And I said hooray!

(glasses: GlassesUSA.com; sweater/skirt/belt: goodwill; boots: seychelles; ring: vintage)

If you're in the market to buy glasses, I definitely recommend GlassesUSA. I ordered the College Tortoise, but they have a ton of options (I'm also loving the uber-hip-unhip "Jenny") and they're very reasonably priced (basic prescription glasses don't go over $138--it costs a bit more to add fancy types of prescriptions, but I wasn't going there). I decided to get a non-prescription pair because I haven't had an eye exam since high school and although I know my vision has deteriorated ($@%! computer screen) I figured I could always replace the lenses if necessary. The website is really easy to use--you can even search for "vintage/nerdy" glasses, which (of course) pulls up the treasure trove. On the website they also have this nifty feature where you can upload a mug shot to "try on" a pair of glasses before buying (go ahead, try it out [the image is clickable]):

The glasses arrived quickly and in great shape, accompanied by a sturdy case and cleaning cloth for the prevention of smash-and-smudge (aka protection against... me, basically). They appear to be well made--I'm loving the matte tortoise. It's so classic. They do draw attention to the lopsided ears I didn't know I had, but cannot be faulted for that :) As soon as they arrived this outfit materialized in my mind. K said I looked like a "librarian," but there is nothing wrong with that! All-in-all, I had a great experience with GlassesUSA and give them two thumbs up!

If you're thinking about buying a pair, you can use the code "Blog10" to get 10% off. They're also having a 50% sale right now that runs until St. Patrick's Day, so get in there while the getting is good!

in which i rose incarnate in the ghostly clothes of jazz

I feel very beat in this outfit, like I should be sitting in a cafe somewhere (sure wish I was) sipping black coffee and smoking slender hand-rolled cigarettes. Except I like mine with milk and sugar and I don't smoke. But besides that...

(sweater/skirt/belt: thrifted; hat: vintage; coat: tjmaxx; glasses: f21; shoes: lulu*s)

I know I wore this coat rather recently, and the shoes only yesterday, but the outfit was entirely different both times, so I don't feel like I'm getting repetitive :) This coat is just so perfect against the fallen leaves... I wish I had gotten a better shot of the socks--they actually have a cool herringbone print, but they kind of just look striped here.

It's another grey day, threatening rain. I had apple cider and cider donuts for lunch (it's that time of year--and I can't refuse free food at the office). I need to deposit $1.23 in my bank account so that I don't overdraw if our landlord decides to deposit the rent check before Thursday. Last night I wrote 500 words. Not 5000, but more realistic :) I've been enjoying wearing warm socks around the house, and steam in the kitchen, and cuddling on the couch with my down blanket and hot cocoa.

As for being beat, it's all about the glasses:

(source)

it's a pheasant affair

Last night I met up with my mom for some spicy curry, champagne and shoe shopping. I'll tell you right now: there is nothing better. Especially on a Wednesday evening. And because my mother basically said that my glasses were silly, she inspired me to wear them today. In some ways, we never stop rebelling :)

(skirt: Salvation Army, hemmed; plaid tunic: TJMaxx; shoes: Seychelles; glasses: F21)

I found this skirt at Salvation Army and it was matron-long with a pretty awesome pheasant scene playing out along the bottom hem. Sadly, I was unable to incorporate the pheasants into the final skirt, but I saved them in case I'm inspired to include them in some future project. I still quite enjoy the burgundy color and little feathery design, even if it is a tad snug around the waist and sort of indecently short for the office.

Happy Thursday, everyone!

a grey dress for a grey day

I guess we should just go ahead and call this Geek Week.

The inspiration for today's look comes from two very different sources:

LEFT: (via Stylesightings) I've been holding this image hostage in my inspiration folder for months now. I braided a scarf through my milkmaid braids to copy her, but now I kind of wish I had left some scarf hanging in the front for the bow-like effect.

RIGHT: I talked to my dad on the phone last night and the first thing he said was that he couldn't believe the glasses I've been wearing lately. If you recall, I posted this picture of him when I first mentioned the fact that I was coveting dorky oversized glasses because I knew he would get a kick out of it. My brothers and I used to tease him mercilessly about the thick-rimmed spectacles he wore in high school to assist his bat-blind eyes.

A grey dress for another grey, grey, gloomy day.

(dress: Filene's Basement; skirt: vintage; scarf/belt: thrifted; shoes: GoJane.com; glasses: F21)

Happy Thursday (and pay day, for me)!

lady sings the blues

Bonjour, mes chéries! Happy Hump Day!

I would never condone wife-beating, but I would like to officially announce my advocacy for the wearing of wifebeaters. Who says a child's undershirt (I bought a bunch of boys XL) can't play for the classic white tank top team once in a while?

I bought this chambray skirt at H&M in Montreal this weekend and I'm already quite attached. It's light, it's flouncy, it's versatile, it's chambray! (I may be a bit too invested in this chambray trend, but I can't help it! It's so spectaculary summery and my grabby hands get away from me...)

Because I do have enough sense to realize that it's pretty inappropriate to wear a semi-transparent little boy's undershirt as an only-shirt at the office, I threw my new five-dollar denim jacket over it as a revamp of the canadian tuxedo (and because I had to try out the denim-on-denim trend at some point, considering how overloaded I am with chambray).

(skirt/ring: H&M; scarf: Bargain Boutique; tanktop: Walmart; glasses: F21; shoes: can't recall)

Since the très glamorous Kelly posted about the reemergence of kitten heels on the scene of scenes, I thought it would be timely to take my [only] pair out for a spin [strut?]. I generally prefer a sky-high heel to rocket my height up around average (I'm a mere 5'2" when my feet fall flat), but there is something charming and classic about a kitten heel.

PS: Did you notice that I tied my bun with twine?? Haha! It wasn't nearly bulbous enough when I wrapped a hair elastic around it (and somehow my supply of hair-ties has dwindled down to the loneliest number), so I just trimmed a length of twine and tied it up in a pretty little DIY bow! You've got to work with what you've got!

weekend wonderful

You guys! First of all, I had a great weekend. But more on that later, because I have exciting news: look at my face!! Remember that one time when I was like, "oh boo-hoo I don't look appropriately nerdy because I don't have awesomely enormous nerdy glasses to wear?" Well, now I do! And they only set me back a sweet six dollars and eighty cents (Canadian! ... which, let's face it, isn't a deal anymore because the American dollar is in the dumps ... but $6.80 is super-cheap in any currency!)

(hat: thrifted; shirt: Marshall's; shorts/belt: Bargain Boutique; shoes: Kohl's; glasses: F21)

I used to be a firm believer that "it's silly to wear glasses unless you need them," and then I realized that was ridiculous. Glasses can be an accessory, just like a hat or a scarf or a necklace or sunglasses, for Pete's sake. That said, I did initially set out to find glasses because I wanted to assist my computer-weary eyes, but now I kind of don't want to swap out the lenses for the real deal (although I suppose an eye exam couldn't hurt). I might buy another pair so I can have one pair that is functional and one that is just fun. :)

What camp are you in? Can glasses just be funky accessories? Or do you have to belong to the elite group of the nearly-blind?

So I mentioned I had a great weekend. Despite the dismal weather forecast, K and I got up early (okay, I got up early and dragged him out of bed) and started driving north. We reached Montreal around 11 o'clock, parked in our favorite parking garage, and went straight for St. Catherine. It had been drizzly on the drive up, but as soon as we pulled into the city the sun came out and the temperatures teetered around perfection. It was glorious!

After some serious shopping, we decided to stroll over to St. Denis/St. Laurent for more shopping and potential eating. It was lovely. We stopped strolling momentarily to listen to a French redhead sing some blues for Les FrancoFolies music festival (and then some guy started rapping and all we heard was the sound of the sidewalk calling for us to start walking...); sat on a park bench and savored our sunny surroundings; popped into an awesome vintage store on St. Denis, Chez Jack, where K picked up some seventies-style shirts and I cursed the fact that I had already emptied my wallet at H&M and F21; and then I took the only photo of the trip:

From there, things got a little dicey. Due to a misunderstanding of intent and K's complete lack of directional acumen, we ended up walking reallllly, realllllly far. I won't bore you with the details, because it all worked out for the best! We ended up having dinner at a quasi-expensive (for us) but sototallyworthit Indian restaurant (Le Taj) on Stanley street, downtown. K got the Chicken Tikka Masala (which he always gets) and said it was quite possibly the best he had ever had. I got the Mattar Paneer, which the waiter recommended over the Vegetables Korma because, he said, he really liked green peas (which I thought was kind of a strange thing to mention liking, since peas are kind of whatever, right? Wrong! He was spot-on--the sweet, firm peas were absolutely the perfect complement to the mouth-wateringly buttery curry and chunks of paneer [which of course I adore because I am a monger of cheese in any form]) and the onion nan. It was bliss. I wouldn't lie to you. Absolute bliss. The only weird thing was that the host/restaurant manager (?) was hovering right around our table the entire time, freaking out about the fact that they couldn't really handle the influx of potential patrons because they already had too many reservations. Other than that it was a delight, and you should definitely go if you're ever in Montreal (and like Indian food).

The next day we slept in and I made blueberry pancakes for breakfast. It was (surprisingly) another gloriously perfect sunny day and K wanted to take some photos with his (relatively) new Nikon, so we hit the country roads looking for some falling-down barns. He didn't even make me drive, which was nice :) In fact! I didn't have to drive at all this weekend, and when I started up my car this morning to go to work it didn't even make the weird grinding/growling noise that it usually makes. It was smooth sailing all the way to the office! But that's really neither here nor there, the point is that we had a relaxing little road trip up into the Champlain Islands where we got to hang out by a lake, spy on three families of Canadian geese adrift in an algae-green pond, and explore an abandoned house. Best part of the day?

(K got some really great photos of the cows that I may have to steal)

My appetite for adventure has been temporarily sated.

:)