$30 Project

Sunglasses: Old Navy $8, Striped Tee: Old Navy $6, Legging Pants: Uniqlo $40, Espadrilles: Macy’s purchased with gift card, Locket: The Market NYC $30, Bracelets: vintage via my mom 

Weekend wear!

This is my typical uniform on days off. I like to buy my tee-shirts just a smidgeon on the large size with very wide collars. (Showing off your collarbones is highly underrated and I think that you should jump at the chance, personally.) 

After all the sunny weather this weekend, waking up to pouring rain on a Monday was rather dismal. Since I’m currently rocking rain boots, I thought that I’d post this pic instead.

Total cost of the outfit = $84

Remaining budget for 2012 = $694.63

Follow the $30 Project on Twitter and Pinterest. 

Found this old photo today. Namaste. 

Neon Shorts: Target $15, Espadrilles: Aldo previously owned for 6 years,Necklace: Modcloth $30, Bracelets: present from Meg

After yesterday, I felt the distinct need to prove that I can still dress myself properly. So this morning, I thought it was a good time to break out these tiny neon shorts. They were part of the hugeTarget haul from last weekend. 

I’m still struggling a bit in terms of how to figure out the whole financial/trends aspect of this Tumblr in the wake of my haircut. I am moving away from a vintage look and I am definitely craving more trendy items. But how do you uphold the quality of those items? It’s a question that I am still trying to figure out. 

Also if you’re free Sunday evening, Blue Ribbon Downing Street Bar is holding their Under the Influence Reading Series at 6 PM. I’m interning for this puppy so I’ll be there. Come out! (Don’t worry, you’ll still be home in time to watch Girls.) 

Total cost of the outfit = $52

Remaining budget for 2012 = $719.67

Follow the $30 Project on Twitter and Pinterest. 

Glasses: Beckett from Warby Parker received as a bday gift from mom & dad, Shirt: Target $20, Dress: Modcloth $26 on sale, Vintage 70s Heels: Pineapple Mint shop on etsy $29, Belt: JCrew purchased with gift card, Owl Necklace: The Market NYC $20, Bracelets: some vintage via my mom and some presents from Meg

Today I am going to share a secret with you. Yes, it is true. Sometimes I will find myself stumbling into an outfit that makes me look like the weird kooky art teacher that you had in 3rd grade. It happens more often than I would like to admit, I have no idea what it means, and obviously I do my best not to showcase these pictures. 

But I figured, hey. It’s Thursday. The sun is shining. Not every outfit turns out the way that you thought it would. 

Please enjoy me making a fool of myself. 

Total cost of the outfit = $95

Remaining budget for 2012 = $719.67

Follow the $30 Project on Twitter and Pinterest. 

Someone has been tagging Marty’s likeness in SoHo. 

This is a post where I link to a bunch of stuff that you may choose to follow!

In addition to tackling War and Peace, I am also going to be interning for not one BUT TWO really cool reading series over the course of the summer & fall. 

THE FIRST!

Pete’s Reading Series at Pete’s Candy Store. There’s a reading this Thursday at 7:30 PM with Jim Shepard and Catherine Chung. Come listen to some cool writers, have a beer, and hang out with me. Win, win all around. You can also follow this series on Twitter for updates! (I am running the twitter account so go drive the followers up and make me look good, okay?) 

THE SECOND! 

Under the Influence Reading Series will take place at Blue Ribbon Downing Street Bar on Sunday evenings. Oh, guess what? There’s one this Sunday May 20th at 6 PM! Alison Espach and Rosie Schaap will be reading. (Espach’s book The Adults is a favorite of mine.) You’ll still have time to get home and watch Game of Thrones and again. You’ll get to drink with yours truly. Like on Facebook for updates. We promise not to be obnoxious and clog your news feed. 

LIFE IS FULL OF LITERATURE. FTW. 

warandpeaceandstuff:

Hello!

I drafted a reading schedule. It’s designed to keep us reading along at an honorable clip. I aimed for about 100 pages a week, but I also let the book’s natural divisions guide the reading. Above is the translation I’m using, so if you’re not reading this version, then the page numbers below will be approximations. You’re cool with that, right?

Week 1 (Ending 5/20): Vol. 1, Part 1 (about 111 pp.)

Week 2 (5/27): Vol. 1, Part 2 (89 pp.)

Week 3 (6/3): Vol. 1, Part 3 (96 pp.)

Week 4 (6/10): Vol. 2, Parts 1 and 2 (121 pp.)

Week 5 (6/17): Vol. 2, Parts 3 and 4 (117 pp.)

Week 6 (6/24): Vol. 2, Part 5 (68 pp.)

Week 7 (7/1): Vol. 3, Part 1 (79 pp.)

Week 8 (7/8): Vol. 3, Part 2 (139 pp.)

Week 9 (7/15): Vol. 3, Part 3 (114 pp.)

Week 10 (7/22): Vol. 4, Parts 1 and 2 (96 pp.)

Week 11 (7/29): Vol. 4, Parts 3 and 4 (98 pp.)

Week 12 (8/5): Epilogue, Parts 1 and 2 (87 pp.)

That’s about 3 months of Tolstoy. If this is like every other summer, it’ll pass by all too quickly, but our brains will definitely be in swimsuit shape by the end of this.

I’m gonna do my best to moderate the reading. Maybe ask a pointed question or two each week, maybe post some supplementary material. I don’t really know. This is new. I think I’m gonna start infusing some vodka, perhaps for a book’s end celebration. Anyway, happy reading.

Erik is lovely because he drafted a reading schedule and now I don’t have to! I must admit that when I first saw it, my reaction was, “Oh shit, I really did not realize how long this book was…” but WHATEVER! Everyone wants to spend their summer reading about really cold, depressing Russian landscapes. And war. And peace. EXCITEMENT!

If you’d like to get in on this, let me know and send an email to thirtydollarproject@gmail.com

Neon Striped Top: Target $10, Legging Pants: Uniqlo $40, Espadrilles: Macy’s purchased with gift card, Bracelets: some vintage via my mom and some presents from Meg

A simple outfit cause it’s Monday and I’m sleepy and it’s taking me a bit of extra time in the morning to figure out this hair product situation with the recent humidity. 

After a rough week, I went home to visit with my mom and we took a trip to Target for some easy retail therapy. I picked up this neon striped top and a couple pairs of patterned shorts. (Tried to find them online for y’all to no avail.) The quality can be pretty decent at Target if you take the time to look. I found the shorts to be especially worthwhile. 

Total cost of the outfit = $50

Remaining budget for 2012 = $719.67

Follow the $30 Project on Twitter and Pinterest. 

My outfits feel uninspired lately. This I know. 

Please understand, it is not because I myself do not feel inspired. Quite the oposite actually. Not to keep harping on this hair cut or anything, but it’s obviously been a huge change for me. 

I don’t talk about why I have a personal style blog that often. There’s the obvious financial reasons. There’s my own personal feeling that humans on the whole have too much “stuff,” so any way that I can contribute by reusing items is a small step towards taking a stance against our throw-away culture. 

And as trivial as this Tumblr may seem from time to time, there are more personal reflections at work.

For the majority of my young life, I was horribly bullied; taught to believe that the way I looked should be a source of deep shame. I won’t get into the particulars, except to say that when you’re younger these experiences can be traumatizing. You later find that they have manifested themselves into your adult life in weird, often subconscious, ways. 

The choice to step in front of a camera, to post my image on the internet, was not a frivolous cry for attention. It was an act of defiance against the fear of other’s opinions and what they would say about the images they were seeing.

My outfits seem to lack pizazz as of late because my wardrobe can’t accomodate what I want to present. Without much thought, I’ve curated a closet full of floral prints and cutesy librarian looks. My updated take on what the nerd in the back of the classroom would wear. The girl hoping no one would notice her. 

That is not to say that I don’t still have love for these outfits. But I’m not drawn to them in the way that I once was. Lately I have been craving sheer, sleeveless tops with Peter Pan collars, graphic prints, blocked colors, tailored pants. I want a wardrobe that is bold. I stand in front of my closet every morning and stare at my soft skirts… go back to putting on a pair of skinny jeans and not taking a picture.

I get riled up when people dismiss personal style blogs offhand. They sneer and wonder why someone would want to take so many pictures of themselves, what sort of horrible narcissism drives a person to undergo such a weird endeavor. 

For me, at least, this little Tumblr has been a quiet place to try and grow some confidence. And taking an interest in our style can offer us a greater amount of self-worth if we want it to. It doesn’t have to be about the approval of others or even so much looking a certain way. (Although I would never discount those factors because it’s not possible to do so.)

I think it is often about wanting to find a sense of stability in how we feel about ourselves. Just trying to be okay with how we look and thus, who we are. 

I feel so different lately than I have at any other point in my life and my clothes can’t keep up right now.

warandpeaceandstuff:

Erik has been warned that I will be making a lot of jokes about depression and vodka. 

I have been saying that I am going to read War and Peace for years. Since it’s 2012, you have to start a Tumblr about it first.