Blending In

Wearing: Topshop dress, thrifted vest, Forever 21 shirt, Free People scarf, DSW boots

Photos c/o April Blum

Am I surprised my outfit decision for this day blends in with the background? Not so much because if I'm being honest with myself, I am in the Meatpacking District half of the time. 

Mostly likely I'm either snapping pics of the cobblestone, making journeys between boutiques, or forever regretting not making an appointment for my cracked iPhone screen at the Chelsea Apple store that I've learned does not take walk-ins. 

But, despite my unintentional efforts in looking like a chameleon, I happen to really dig the brick background up against my brown vest and my white dress juxtaposed with the monotone gray and white buildings. 

Bootlegged

Wearing: Vintage jeans, Forever 21 shirt, American Apparel belt, Asos boots, Thrifted backpack

One of my favorite go-to layering techniques lately has been putting a mock neck or turtleneck top underneath a lower cut sweater or shirt. Here I went for white on white but normally I'll mix different colors for a more obvious look. I kept the rest fairly simple with a classic pair of bootlegged jeans- and naturally I had to cut the bottoms of them to achieve that raw hem effect blowing up everywhere. An ideal look for a relaxing day of shopping and exploring SoHo. 

Emerald Elegance

Wearing: Thrifted jacket, Zara top and pants, ASOS shoes

I'm not one to wear much color, especially recently. Donning black and shades of gray has always been a daily occurrence for me and as of late I've been throwing tans and browns into the mix. Progress, right? Years ago I thought that colors came across as tacky and dark tones portrayed this sense of richness and elegance without trying. I still wore color from time to time but when I did I always had this thought- that I developed in middle school might I add- in the back of my mind. And when I saw these emerald culottes at Zara that thought came rushing back to me. Though they're green, they're a rich green. 

Tied Down

Wearing: Topshop jacket, Forever 21 turtleneck, Zara pants, backpack from Buffalo Exchange, Nike Air Force 1s

Last fall and winter turtlenecks were a concerning obsession of mine to say the least, and I highly doubt this year will be any different. Already- merely a few weeks into fall- I have to discipline myself to consciously not put on a turtleneck in the morning because I just wear them too damn often. But, I thought one post with a turtlenck wouldn't hurt. An outfit like this is ideal for class. These knit pants from Zara paired with a simply, cotton turtleneck is the perfect outfit to feel like you just rolled out of bed while still looking cool. This robe-style jacket from Topshop- that I just found on sale for $45!- makes the outfit complete. 

Shooting Hoops

Wearing: Thrifted coat and pants, Ruby&Jenna suede top, ASOS boots

Sometimes the most unconventional places make for the best backdrops, with this basketball court in Soho being one of them... Luckily there were no intense ballplayers of whom I had to fight the court for... not that I would have anyways. Never in my life would I have thought I'd have the need to keep an eye out for basketball courts. But, that just another part life's unexpectedness I guess!

With the weather cooling down I've quickly found myself wearing more and more suede. In this look I even went as far as pairing two suede pieces together, and I made sure to break up the suede by wearing a black bottom and brown top. Pretty ironic color choices being that for quite some time brown was an enemy of mine thanks to Limited Too's habit of filling their store with brown-and-pink and brown-and-blue merchandise. Sadly, there was a period in elementary school where I alternated the days I wore those color combos- because god forbid I wore brown and pink two days in a row!

The Whitney

Wearing: Opening Ceremony top, Vintage vest, Zara pants, Nike Air Force 1s

Rooftops always lead to the best picture opportunities, and thankfully, New York has tons. My favorite by far is the rooftop of the Whitney Museum of American Art. The museums new location is brand new considering that it just opened up this past May, and, boy, has it been a success! Not only is the display of modern art incredible, from Warhol to De Kooning to Mary Heilmann's soon-to-be iconic site installation (pictured above, it's the one with the colorful chairs!) but the museum's views blow any other away. If you're in the area, the Whitney is definitely worth a visit. 

As for my outfit, I based it around my new favorite OC shirt. I've been eyeing this shirt for the longest time, but I could never justify buying it for $75... So don't ask why I decided to buy it now- as a broke college student, mind you- because I truly don't know my motives! On top I threw over another favorite of mine, a leather vest. Vests have gradually become a staple for me because they instantly amp up an outfit with no effort. 

Meatpacking Days

Wearing: American Apparel top and bottoms, Free People scarf, Zara shoes, Bag from Melrose Trading Post, Quay sunglasses

Well.. as of two Sundays ago I officially became a New Yorker! If you don't follow me on social media (hint hint my insta is @_michaelachristine) or watch my videos on my youtube channel (my channel is linked at the top!) then you wouldn't know that I moved to NYC to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology. Although I've only been here for a short period of time my friends and I have explored (and of course instagrammed) so many parts of Manhattan, between the upper east side, all the villages, museums, and Soho- which we've been to way too many times to admit. Today we decided to take a trip to the Meatpacking district, an extremely underrated part of Manhattan in my opinion. The name "meatpacking" district always sort of threw me off (when I was younger I literally pictured big trucks filled with cold cuts throughout the streets). But once I got that strange vision out of my head and actually walked through this area, I couldn't help but fall in love with the cobblestone streets. 

Calvin Calling

Wearing: Forever 21 dress and hat, Calvin Klein bralette (and undies :D), Nike Air Force 1s

The concept of showing a "lacey" bralette underneath a side-slit tank was a lot for society, nonetheless fathers and mothers, to take in- god forbid I mention the act of just wearing the bralette alone. Who would have thought we would've transitioned into letting our underwear peek out just tiny bit? I think my family members sure as heck didn't. I jumped on this peekaboo panties (my name!) bandwagon right away although the idea may seem slightly obscure to many. If done tastefully, I think this trend is a keeper.

Instagram Style Roundup #1

Here's a quick little "style roundup" of some outfits I've worn and posted on insta over the past couple of weeks (Lollapalooza outfits included!). Not all the outfits I wear I blog about, but I do try my hardest to at least get an insta post from any worthy look I wear. I'll try to make these roundups a monthly feature :)