Keeping it Cool in Puerto Rico

My family and I decided to take a trip to La Concha Resort in San Juan, Puerto Rico as a post-wedding treat for my mother. The second I stepped foot out of the airport, the sun beat down on the back of my neck as the moisture caused my clothing to stick. Once I got back to the hotel I immediately changed from my charcoal skinny jeans and thick white / navy gingham button-down into the combination you'll find below. 

The beige chino shorts I'm wearing are very comfortable, light, and airy. As a mater of fact, they used to be pants before I got a little crazy with my best friend (a pair of scissors) and did away with all the extra fabric. What I like most about the shorts, at least for this occasion, is that they mimic the soft colors of the sand you find on the beaches; moreover, my powder blue +American Apparel shirt matches that of the Puerto Rican sky. I topped off the entire outfit with a contrasting chestnut leather belt my uncle owned in the 80's and a pair of navy +Sperry Top-Sider boat shoes which match the various shades of the ocean quite well. Over all, I decided to keep the look very simple, understated, and natural - even leaving out some of the black accessories I never seem to take off. An overwhelming amount of layering and dark coloring would be silly under these weather conditions as well. However, something that might work and that I may attempt later is utilizing neons and brighter colors as many of the residents in the area do. Perhaps a tangerine similar to that of the backdrop in my photos. What do you all think? 

A Modern Day Peter Pan

Something that my friends have always given me grief for is how similar I look to the classic Disney character Peter Pan. I've never found any offense in it and actually find myself making light of it quite often. So, going with that, I decided to embrace my inner Disney and tried to embody the character with a more modern, edgier twist. How did I do this? Well I started off with the green pants I was fortunate enough to find when I was bargain shopping last summer. They were very cheap, only costing me around $13 total. Although the green pants are should generally be reserved for the fall months, I stepped out of the general rules of fashion for the sake of attempting this look. Next, I switched out the lighter green tunic you would normally find the actual Peter Pan wearing for a distressed tank top I made myself about a week ago. The tank top was a basic shirt I found rummaging through my closet and found to be too simple for my taste. What I love most about the top is that it looks almost careless and a sort of 'I don't care' attitude courses through me when I put it on. Lastly, since I don't have a pair brown boots accessible today, I threw on the +Justin Boots I can't seem to take off. The Justins add that last little touch of edge that I enjoy finishing off my outfits with. Overall, I love the look and find that it would work for a lazy day out in the city (at least for me). I'd love to know what you think about it. Feel free to share!

The Boy with the Burberry

High class grunge is my theme for the day. I've been all about wearing cute, summery clothes this week but I felt like changing it up this morning with my favorite distressed look. My black jeans are what bring out the little bad boy in me and make me feel like putting on my toughest boots and darkest clothing. I'm not sure why they make me feel that way, they just do. With that, I threw on my basic black t-shirt with self-cut sleeves (I cut the sleeves very simply by using a pair of scissors and thin enough to make them dangle). As far as my waisted shirt for today goes, I changed it up as well and went with a grid-patterned dress shirt I haven't worn in a few months. The grid striping on the shirt adds a little touch of something to an otherwise bland outfit. Even if the waisted shirt was a solid color, it would still be lacking in that something which the pattern provides. 

You can see my accessories are revamped as well. Granted my watch may not be very different, but one thing you haven't seen me with is a bag. I love this bag so much! My best friend gave it to me before she left for Japan and I couldn't be any more grateful to her for it. Even though I could never love a bag more than her, it sure is a runner-up (don't tell her I said that). It's beautiful, versatile, well-made, and matches the equally spectacular sunglasses I'm wearing. These sunglasses are from none other than Tevin Vincent himself! They're his GEMINI Sunnies and I couldn't be any happier to have them. Then again, I love everything about his clothes. What do you think about the switch in accessory choices today? Love or hate?

 

DIY T-Shirt (Similar), Black Denim Jeans (Similar), Cherry Justin Boots (Similar), Tevin Vincent GEMINI Sunnies (Similar), Burberry Duffle (Similar)

The Neverending Closet

Right now I'm living alone in my apartment and am lucky enough to have both rooms to myself until I find a suitable roommate. With that, I can't express how happy I am for both closets! Without them, my room would be such a mess and filled with more clothes than I know what to do with. Anyway, when I got out of bed this morning I walked into the empty room filled with clothes and started digging until I found a pair of bottoms that I found worth wearing. The weather outside seemed warmer, so I went ahead and sought a pair of shorts that I could wear. Well, when I was sifting through my neverending closet, I found a pair of black shorts in a suitcase that I have yet to unpack. The shorts are unworn so I could really pair them with anything and it would basically be a new outfit (kind of) to play around with.

My black shorts are ones that I made out of a pair of baggy chino pants that I bought for around $12 from +Kohl's last summer. I never wore them because, well, they were baggy. After cutting them into shorts in April, I put them away so that I could wear them this summer. I've paired them with a basic pocket tee from +H&M, the same one you saw me wearing in "Wake Up and Smell the Flowers", my post about floral prints for spring & summer. Once the shirt was picked out, I went with my vintage brown belt that I seem to be utilizing more lately. Shoes? Easy! The dual-tone oxfords from Generic Surplus. And since my shoes have grey tones in them and I was called out for not matching my watch with my shoes yesterday, I chose to wear a very simple watch with (matching!) grey straps. Overall the outfit was light, airy, and summer-appropriate. Feel free to share what you think! I'd love to know.

Green H&M Pocket Tee (Similar), Black Chino Shorts (Similar), Genric Surplus Oxfords (Similar), Brown Leather Belt (Similar), Grey Watch (Similar)

Royal Blue & Black, Too

This morning I woke up and realized I had been wearing essentially the same thing for the past three days, just in different colors. So, I felt the need to actually put something on that hasn't circulated my wardrobe about a dozen times. As you'll notice, I'm wearing the same watch as I did in my previous post, Powder Blue & Polka Dots, but that's because I feel like a classic black strapped watch goes well with anything. What you might notice is different though is my striped vest which used to be a long-sleeve shirt. It's probably one of the best (and only) things that I have crafted well. It was simple to make and didn't take more than 10 - 15 minutes. Anyway, I love the vest as a statement piece, similar to polka dots or floral prints, and I always pair the striped top with a solid colored undershirt. It's the easiest way to keep attention drawn toward the vest and nowhere else. As for the jeans, you can never go wrong with black denim. Oh! And don't forget the shoes. I can't express enough importance about shoes (and no, it's not just because I have a shoe fetish). The pair of shoes are what make or break your outfit when someone scans you from head to toe, the last thing they see is your shoes. Today I went with my scarcely worn pair of patent leather Chelsea boots. They're amazing! When I put them on, I automatically feel like a different person. But buyer beware, if worn the wrong way, you definitely can make yourself look like the Wicked Witch. Enough about me, I want to know what you think! What would you keep / change about this outfit? :)

Royal Blue +American Apparel Basic Tee (Here), Black RSQ Skinny Jeans (Similar), +ASOS Patent Leather Chelsea Boots (Similar) 

Powder Blue & Polka Dots

Today, as every other today, I felt very playful and wanted to wear something that reflected that. However, as some of you may have noticed, I've also been obsessed with waisting my shirts. So, how do you incorporate playfulness and grunge? Polka dots! A few months back I was lucky enough to find this polka dot button-up on sale at Old Navy. If was probably one of the greatest finds since it was the last one in my size and that's always a great feeling. I've waisted it before, pairing it with a black tee shirt with DIY ripped sleeves, but I didn't want to be any more of a repeat offender than I already am. Luckily last night as I was sifting through boxes of clothes and slowly unpacking them onto hangers in my closet, I stumbled across this unworn powder blue American Apparel tee shirt and I fell in love! Before I even tried it on, I knew I could wear it with my polka-ed shirt and my usual black jeans and rider boots. I do have to admit, it's one of my favorite outfits in quite some time. One simple color change in my shirt changed how I feel about this outfit altogether. I loved it before, but now I love it even more! But enough about how I feel about it, how do you feel about it? Do you like it? Hate it? I'm curious! Remember, you all help my style grow - I can't do it on my own. 

Skulls & Crosses

I recently worked up the courage to reach out to one of my favorite accesorry designers, Tevin Vincent, and asked him if he would be willing to allow me to feature his products on my blog. I had been following for months before I even started blogging and just felt an immediate connection with all of his products when I stumbled across them by chance on Instagram. They're fun, edgy, and have this sort of appeal that catches the attention of most people instantaneously. So, with that said, I sent him and email and to my surprise, he agreed to have me feature his products! We went back and forth for a bit and he asked me to choose some accessories from his site and in turn he would send them to me sample. When I got them, I immediately fell in love! Below are two sample bracelets he sent me. One is a black beaded bracelet with a silver skull; the other a jewel embellished cross with maroon beading. Once I saw them, I knew exactly what I wanted to wear them with. 

I pulled out my statement blazer since I felt that the maroon and black in the beads would complement the royal blue lining and tobacco color altogether. Then, I found some other simple blues and whites in my closet to pair it with. Since summer is starting, I felt my self-made shorts would be a nice fit for the weather; the white button-up was sort of a given since it would keep me coolest. Shortly after that, as I ransacked my room for accessories, I was lucky enough to find my vintage brown leather belt whose color was almost identical to my blazer. How lucky is that?! Shoes are usually the last thing that I choose for any outfit, so once I had the tops and bottoms chosen, the shoes were almost a no-brainer. I went with my Generic Surplus dual-toned oxfords and, as might see at the bottom, wore them without socks. (Sockless is allowed in the summer!) Overall, I love this outfit because it's casual and dapper and has the E-D-G-E that I am always dying to add, and it was all thanks to Tevin. As he would say... Thanks my dude!

To check out more of his merchandise, go to www.tevin-vinent.com. I can promise you that you won't regret it!

 

 

Cotton H&M Blazer (Similar), White H&M Shirt (Similar), Blue Chino Shorts (Similar), Skull Bracelet (Here), Cross Bracelet (Here)