The Harbor

Plaid blazer, Groovy's in Rockwall. Led Zeppelin tee shirt, vintage from my step dad. Jeans, imogene + willie Imogene slims. Vintage Cole Haan loafers, thrifted. Sunglasses, TJ Maxx.
     My favorite thing to do is to scamper along the rocks of a shoreline, any shoreline. Fortunately, where my parents live in Rockwall features quite an impressive manmade lake/resoirvoir and a shoreline to match. It makes for fantastic viewing of sunsets and even the Dallas skyline from 30 miles away. I feel like these pictures almost look like they were taken in the middle of nowhere, but nope. They were taken right down the road from my parents home, in front of the local movie theatre. I apologize for the copious amount of pictures here. I just really couldn't decide which ones best suited the purpose. The mood that day was so great, that it is impossible to say for me a favorite. I certainly hope you feel the same!

Much Happy. Very Smile.

Denim jacket, crewcuts. Rolling Stones tank top and sunglasses, TJ Maxx. BDG high waisted jeans, Urban Outfitters. Chelsea boots, Marshalls. 5-zip purse, Rebecca Minkoff. 2013 was a particularly hard year for my family because we lost a member. I don't mean a person necessarily, but we had to put my dog, Rocky, who we have had since I was six years old, to sleep. While my younger dog, Pebbles, featured here, is still alive, my whole family feels the hole that Rocky left. Pebbles was especially affected given that Rocky was a big brother figure to her. However, we have been able to shower Pebbles with twice the amount of love since Rocky's death. It's the least we could do for her. Anyways, I used to think that I was definitively a cat person. I have cat-like tendencies myself, preferring my own company, etc. However, at some point, my preferences shifted. Because I'm more of a quiet loner, I prefer people and animals who are quite different from me. My spirit is more attracted to that of dogs and dog people, so slowly, I've started to prefer the idea of having a lovely dog of my own one day. I'm not sure what kind I want, but I can't wait for the day that my pup gets to come home with me. And for those of you who spend as much time on the Internet as I do, you'll recognize the title of this post as being from the Doge meme that has catapulted to popularity recently. I found it and thought that none of my friends would think it is as funny as I do, but quickly realized that we all share an affinity for the doge. We even spent an entire Christmas party speaking just like the cute little shiba-inu. I'm glad that I have people who find such quirky things humorous, or I'd do a lot of laughing to myself.

You're Gonna Hear Me Roar

Leopard print coat, Forever 21 (similar: save, spend, splurge). 

Rolling Stones tee shirt, TJ Maxx (similar)  

J Brand midrise skinny jeans, local warehouse sale (similar)  

Vintage Spike Necklace, C. Wonder. Gold midi rings, Urban Outfitters. TBA Chelsea boots, Modcloth (sold out, similar). Vintage Dooney & Bourke purse.

 Pictures by Alysse.

     There's something about leopard print. Whenever I see the little spots peaking out at me in the racks of stores, I know it's something I'll at least take a glance at. Typically, I prefer subtlety when it comes to the print: ballet flats or a belt are usually how I incorporate the print into my outfits. But after seeing a few Pin-worthy outfits online with leopard coats as well as reading this great essay in Lucky Magazine, the idea of obtaining my own purr-fect jacket just wouldn't leave.

     I didn't have to wait long to make that purchase dream a reality. On a recent girls weekend out, my stepsister, stepmom, and I were on our way back from Atlanta when we decided to make a pit stop in Chattanooga. Normally, Forever 21 isn't exactly the first place on my mind when it comes to shopping, but we were all exhausted and frankly I only wanted to go into one store. I'm glad that Forever 21 was the first store I saw. 

      Not only was the sale section the most extensive I've seen, but everything was an additional fifty percent off. That put the price of this fuzzy, wonderful coat at a mere $13 or so. The minimalist in me was shrieking at my rebellious side that I didn't need something like this, especially considering the number of other jackets I've accumulated over the years. I ESPECIALLY didn't need a jacket that rendered me skeptical of its quality. But I tried it on a few times, double checked with the sales women that it was in fact on even deeper sale, and decided to hell with it- I'd buy the coat.

     You can't really be a shrinking violet in a leopard coat. It's my fashion philosophy that everyone is so worried about their own insecurities that they are too busy to judge you on your outfit. That may be so, but you don't spot a lot of leopards in a crowd. For my first outfit featuring the coat, I decided to go all out. Do I look like a rockstar? Because let me tell you. I felt like one.