J'adore Paris

It is well known that Paris is the fashion capital of the world, but this is not just thanks to the big-name fashion houses. I believe that the citizens of Paris make the city the fashion capital of the world. In my mind, Parisians come out of the womb stylish. Men, women, children, dogs - always chic. A few weeks ago I was in Paris for a week with a group from school. Besides feeling like a complete creep and always being teased for stalking people and taking street style photos, I managed to capture a few great Parisian fashion moments. Très chic! I think I said that about five thousand times when describing the Parisians we passed while we were walking around Paris. (My other most-used French phrase: café au lait. Gotta keep up that caffeine intake in order to keep up with all the walking.) And even though we walked what felt like the length of a million football fields, my feet never hurt! All thanks to my new, full-of-arch-support shoes that my mom bought for me for the trip. 

Ylva by Fly London at Hanig's Footwear 

Even though mon petit ami warned me that I would look like a fool (/didn't actually believe that I would do it), I wore socks with my sandals. The ironic tourist. Rockin' the old man look while still trying to be J.Crew chic.

 + =

So, now back to the uber-stylish Parisians. 1. They're always skinny. I don't mean eating-disorder skinny, just slender. This might be due to the fact that they all smoke, but I think I saw a grand total of four overweight people in Paris. And they were probably tourists. 2. Their hair always looks good. Whether someone is rocking the forever-tricky middle part or the undone, messy topknot, their hair is disheveled perfection. 3. The outfits are parfait. The clothes, for the most part, are simple and classic. Neutrals rule the sidewalk except for the occasional pair of brightly-colored denim (or, in some cases, the pairs of brightly-colored denim).

The pants, whether jeans or wool, are fitted in classic styles. Simples tops with scarves or, more often, cropped jackets and wedge booties (so many wedge sneakers!) are the go-to outfit. Honestly, I don't know how they pull it off. It seems thrown on yet looks so good. That, my friends, is the magic of Paris. Granted, the Eiffel Tower with sparkling lights at night, walking along the Seine, shopping on the Champs d'Élysées, seeing the Mona Lisa at the Louvre or the Water lilies at the Orangerie are all very cool, but I am inspired by Parisian style. Take a look at a few of my snapshots from the City of Light!

What a chic couple.

 Take a look at these jackets.

 I wasn't lying about the children...

The hippest friends.

Does anyone want to go back to Paris with me?? Au revoir!

Borrowed From the Boys: HOMAGE Tees

I found myself in Columbus, Ohio a few months ago for an Ohio State basketball game. My family and I had made the five hour trek east to see my cousin play. I figured our arrival in the city would render some sort of reward, like a trip to Homage. I sat quietly for hours, read my book, and didn't ask once, "Are we there yet?" A reward was due, I thought. I was wrong.

 I had seen a write up about the store some time ago on All Plaidout and was pretty much itching to get in there. I had gone through the trouble of figuring out where Homage was relative to our hotel-a mile away- just to take the burden off of my parents. But, they weren't having it. They said we needed to get to the arena before the game to say hi to the rest of my family. I asked if we could go in the morning, they said we were leaving at eight-before Homage was open. I was bummed. Super bummed. I mean look at this place. It's like yesteryear all wrapped up into one awesome store. There was even a sale when I was there that weekend. Sucks I missed it, yo.

Homage in Columbus, Ohio. Photo courtesy of All Plaidout

But, this wasn't going to be my last chance to pick up a tee. I found out that Buckshot Sonny's, an online store curated by the guy that did the initial write up I read, would be setting up shop and carrying Homage tees at the December Dose Market. Woot! 

Buckshot Sonny's at December Dose

I got to Dose and made a beeline for Buckshot Sonny's. There was even an extra surprise, one of my absolute favorite bloggers- Seth, from The Midwestyle- was manning the shop. We chatted about baseball and why he should never attend another Cubs game. On that note, it should be of no surprise that I went for the tee with the old Comiskey Park on it. Of course, I have never been in that particular stadium, but even the name brings about memories.

Photo credit to KamiGurl and Homage 

This is definitely one of my favorite shirts. I rarely wear tee shirts, so I'm even a little shocked by how much I love it. It's soft, and fits pretty well even though it's a men's shirt (I'm wearing a medium). I wore it layered under a Ralph Lauren jean shirt that I inherited from my older brother, a gray men's hoodie I picked up from the Gap, and  a vest from Forever 21. I borrowed quite a few things from the boys. I knew I would be out past sundown, and that it would be easy for me to take off and put on these things throughout the day depending on the temperature.

I know I'll be snagging a couple more of these tees in the near future. They make a great gifts, and are just totally comfortable for those days when you don't feel like buttoning up shirt. Putting on this shirt reminds me of summer days spent at Comiskey Park with my family, the smell of hotdogs and spilled beer, the roar of the crowd and the pop of the fireworks right after a home-run. These shirts make the wearers nostalgic, and that's something you can't beat. 

Cheap Monday

It seems as though I am the only lady from all worn out that is still in the city. While the rest of the ladies are off traversing the globe, I'll be here in Chi-boogy holdin' down the fort. This is our first installment of "Cheap Monday" highlighting the great deals we come across. And here is the story of the Dooney & Bourke briefcase-ish bag I picked up this past weekend.

I had just devoured some Guatemalan food up in Roscoe Village at El Tinajon, so I was fueled up and ready to go deal hunting. I headed across the street to Village. I looked around at the clothes, and didn't find anything too exciting. Then my mom told me that she had seen a brand new pair of loafers from Talbots, and I figured I should scrounge around a little longer to see if I could find anything good. Speaking of brand new shoes...check out those fresh, new kicks. I haven't worn a clean pair of All Stars in quite a long time, but I was recently inspired by Katherine Lowe, the stylish mind behind Katherine is Awesome.

And then I saw it. Hanging behind the counter. It was love at first sight. I knew I would regret not buying this bag, so I took the next step and asked the man to get it down for me. It was in fantastic condition. Inside lining perfectly intact, outside a bit dusty, but nothing a dry rag couldn't take care of. The tag said "2950" in that infamous Village scrawl that lacks a decimal and dollar sign. Thanks to the upcoming holiday (Easter), there was half off sale. That really sealed the deal. Moral of the story, I now own the best bag in the my world. 

Big thanks to KamiGurl for taking these pic! (htc)