check please...

i don't know if it's just me or what, but i swear the number of red n black checked flannel shirts worn around town has multiplied ten fold. lumberjack chic is taking over the city. and it's not just cool hipster types. i'm seeing everyone in them. i'm not gonna lie, i have a fair share of flannel/plaid shirts and even i have one of these lumberjack numbers. purchased at target for $15. i have always liked the look of this style and honestly, am surprised at how trendy it is right now. i saw a big gap ad, all lumberjack chic. i don't know if that is sparking the craze, but i literally saw four people at alterra today in them. one being myself. ugh.

i remember this cover from elle mag, and it revisited my love for the plaid:

i remember when that came out, i busted out the same look. big western belt and turquoise necklace. what a copycat i am. then i saw one of the olsen sisters wearing this:

and i was inspired to work the whole lumberjack chic meets rocker chic look...resulting in a really cool style. i think that's the best way to style this look. i like wearing my flannel with my long sleeve ivory rebecca beeson thermal under it, my current elliott elephant bell jeans with my new favorite hat, a cable knit newsboy hat with brown wood buttons. i can't find a pic of the exact hat, but it looks kinda like this one:

i've recently been on a shopping hiatus, since i moved, and i said i couldn't buy myself one thing for the rest of the year (gross). but i saw these boots, and NEED THEM ASAP.

these need to be in my closet by christmas. i've been doing so well not shopping, but i swear i put these jeffrey campbell tall engineer boots in my online shopping cart once a week. i am to the point of obsessing. i've styled at least twelve perfect outfits with these boots as the centerpiece. one being very lumberjack chic. why can't i just win the lottery?

on that note, you won't need to win the lottery to shop fred's black friday sale. check your email this week to see what we've got in store for you. you'll want to show up early, 6am, for the best deals! we're open 6-6 on black friday and getting in a huge shipment pre-sale. see you there!

disco biscuit

i was watching a movie the other day and they made a reference to a disco biscuit that they were going to take pre-studio 54. i find the term kinda funny, even though i'm not a big club goer or pill popper. regardless, i have always been intrigued by the 70s. studio 54, andy warhol, the glam, the socializing...all that appeals to me. i probably wouldn't have fit in too well, but i would have tried. i love looking at pics from that place and checking out what people wore. halston was a big one. i love halston fashion. the long flowy dresses are amazing. i love seeing all the stylish people, smoking, drinking...just letting go. and dressed to the freaking nines. i wish i had an unlimited budget. i wish there was a studio 54-ish club here that i could go to. i think it would be ridiculously cool to get all dressed up in sequins for a night and totally let loose. in fact, i think i'm throwing a studio 54 themed party soon.

70s glam. so over the top, but so awesome. born to be alive. i love it. sequins, fur, super high gold shoes....more people should embrace this look. maybe they do and i'm just hanging out at too many hole in the wall places.

high waisted jeans, fur vest..i love those nude colored false eyelashes. and all the thick gold jewelry is awesome. very rachel zoe. i was perusing one of my fave websites, shopbop, and checked out their sequined items that i could wear. these are my picks:

um, seriously, those sequin leggings are insane. i doubt i could pull that one off, but i'd really like to try.

i would totally wear that sequin jacket. i love it with her current elliott skinny studded jeans too. i'm still a huge fan of that denim line. i've decided that this holiday season, i'll attempt to channel my inner studio 54 fashionista and wear some sequins, or fur, or false eyelashes and glittery makeup. stop into fred for your sequins party dresses, fur vests and thick gold jewelry soon!

ode to emily

keeping with my aspen chic or sporty chic themed posts, i'm going granny chic this week. and my new roommate emily is the inspiration behind this posting. emily is obsessed with granny chic anything. she loves shopping in secondhand or consignment stores and wears the vintage-inspired look with ease. i'm not a vintage-y girl, even though i love the look of it, it's just not me. of course i had my phase of only wearing vintage...i think every girl into fashion does. but i've discovered that i just can't wear it. not cuz it doesn't look good...but because my skin breaks out and i sneeze and i feel like my throat is closing. even after a couple washes, i still feel this way. is it psychosomatic? perhaps. but what i do know is i have the same reaction around cats as i do post secondhand clothes wearing, so i've concluded i'm allergic to it.

there's a certain kind of woman that can pull off granny chic.

this chick can. you don't have to wear actual old vintage clothes for this look. nowadays, i feel like this look is everywhere. embellished cardigans are at every store and boutique i frequent.

whether it's gemstone embelishment or tiny rosette embelishments like on that last picture, cardigans with extra details add that granny flaire. some might be thrown off just by the term granny anything..i mean, who wants to look like their grandma at their age? but when styled in a modern way, with funky vintage-y jewelry or with distressed boyfriend jeans, this look is very now.

her tweed skirt and fur edged wool coat work. add those blush/nude shoes and you look like anything but an old lady.

coats are a pivotal part of this look. all wool knee length, a line coats work. we have great floral brooches at fred that would complete the look. add trendy shoes like hers and a knit beret to solidify this look.

one aspect of granny chic i do love is the jewelry. kenneth jay lane creates some of the most modern vintage jewelry i've seen.

other pieces i love:

i like the cameo pendant on the super long chain. all these pieces can be worn with embellished cardigans or worn with a simple white tshirt and look great.

i think this style is perfect for late fall early winter. it oozes coziness and comfort. if it's not your every day style, i think it could be easily incorporated into your wardrobe by adding just an element or two of the style.

sporto

i was a huge tomboy growing up. i'd say i was a tomboy thru college. it wasn't til i started working at nine west in my early 20s that i even thought about what i was going to wear. i mean, i always liked clothes, and reading fashion mags and whatnot, but i was a jock. jocko johnson...people actually called me that. i stuffed my "thunder thighs"(thanks for that self confidence blow uncle mike) into my lame-o abercrombie jeans and tossed on a hooded sweatshirt and thought i looked good. i look back now and see that i still have that sporty vibe going on pretty much every time i don't work. i have a ton of clothes, but i reach for the same army green or camouflage cargo pants and my decades old off the shoulder grey sweatshirt that is literally hanging on by a thread at least once a week. as i get older, i realize for me, comfort is a main priority in my life. sometimes that means sacrificing looking fabulously hot, but i accept that. sometimes i think i walk out the door looking like a haunted house, and to my surprise people will compliment me and say i look good. i'll spend two minutes throwing myself together garbed in my newly dubbed "sporty chic" apparel and i'll get more compliments than when i take an hour trying to primp myself and dress to the nines. my friend annie at fred struggles with her casual wardrobe. i think i've mentioned this before. she's constantly in heels and dresses, and looks great, but when it comes time to go the brewer game or something, is plagued with the what should i wear dilemma. a lot of people that come into fred want to have some weekend appropriate clothes and find themselves confused on what to wear to look cute, yet stylish.

my go to outfit as previously stated is army green pants and a gray sweatshirt. not a pull over collegiate-type sweatshirt, but something cut a little "sexier" and more modern. something like this:

there's something about that heather gray that i can't stay away from. i'm always drawn to it. it's another one of my fashion equivalents to comfort food. i love wearing the look with some kind of pumas, or asics or even my bright red and cobalt blue saucony tennis shoes. i'm not a shoe whore, but when it comes to tennis shoes, i can't help myself and want to buy a zillion pairs.

i'm not a color person, but when it comes to shoes like that, i'd wear 'em all. add some cushy yet fashionable athletic socks like these:

and throw on some form of a hat:

they key is not to overthink this look. just put on your favorite articles of comfortable clothing and wear them with confidence. don't think you're a scrub if you're not wearing your skinny jeans and five inch heels. you can look hot in your old standbys. channel your inner emilio estevez in breakfast club..."come on sporto, level with me..."

and stop into fred for your casual basics...new zenana long sleeve knit basics, infinity scarves and don't forget to take advantage of their buy one sweater, get one half off sale.

stay puft marshmallow man

when i first saw ghostbusters as a kid, i thought the stay puft marshmallow man was the cutest thing ever. my mom even made me a replica of it. it was my favorite toy. this is who i speak of:

awww, look at that guy. he's cute. anyway, since the weather has completely flipped over the last week and it's a mere 40 degrees, all i've been thinking about is a new winter coat. i already feel like i need one. in october. i love jackets..i have a bunch...leather, blazers, cropped military style...you name it, but i struggle year after year with a winter coat. my friend alicia and i finally consigned our same winter coat that we wore for like five years straight. a black and white marled wool number. it was time to retire it. year after year i want to buy a new winter coat, but i never find one that i absolutely love. i'm determined this year. i know what i want. i've had it in my head for two years. olive green, mid thigh to knee length olive green parka/anorak style with a fur lining. i think i've mentioned this before. but i can NEVER find it. ever. i saw one in a lucky magazine two years ago, and have wanted it ever since. what is the connection to the stay puft marshmallow man you ask? well, i wear this puffy north face jacket all the time, even if it doesn't go with my fashion sense, strictly for its warmth. people have called me the stay puft marshmallow man, or they say i look like ralphie's brother randy all bundled up in his snowsuit in a christmas story, or they call me the michelin man. i never took offense to it, because honestly being warm is one of the most important things to me. i don't care how silly i look if i'm warm. i got teased the other night b/c i was wearing a big wool scarf and a knit hat inside a bowling alley...i was cold. 40 degrees is freezing to me. so, i'll wear it. and ignore the comments. but there are tons of women who come into fred looking for jackets and refuse to buy a "bulkier" jacket because they feel fat in it, or say it doesn't show off their bodies. hmmmm, to me a winter coat should shield you from the treacherous and harsh wisconsin winters. i don't think you should be judged on your outerwear here. i understand the need to look chic, believe me, but a little practicality never hurt anyone.

i just re-started my winter coat hunt recently, and i still haven't found "the one." but i'm not giving up. i'll wear my michelin man puffer until i find something practical and fashionable. it's a tough one, even for me. but in phase one of my hunt, i did find some nice coats:

i always wanted a camel colored coat in wool, and i like this one. but for the love of god, put some pants on that chick. jeez. this dark one is sleek, i like the length of it, but it could be almost too long for me at 5'4". i dunno.

see, that's the color i want, but longer and with fur lining. impossible to find. well, not impossible, but it is if you want one under $800.

i would love a faux fur, but it's definitely not for everyday wear. i love how warm that one looks. i think i am gonna get a faux fur this year fur sure. god, i'm lame sometimes.

this one is the closest to what i want, except it's in gray, and has toggle closure on it. i'm not a huge toggle fan, but i do like this coat. and if i don't find something by thanksgiving, i'm gonna have to go for this one:

but that's the extent of the fur lining i want. it looks warm, cozy, kinda log cabin/woodsy chic. i guess that's what i want. only if that was in olive green...ugh, why is my winter coat hunt so hard? i have this black wool coat i wore to the ground too, but i'm sick of it. got it for cheap at a sample sale, but it's beat to hell. buttons falling off the sleeves, small tear in lining...it's looking a little rough around the edges. kinda like me lately. maybe i should cut it some slack and wear it another year. eh, maybe not. this is when i know to end my blogging for the day. i'm having a debate with myself whilst posting. i'm sure it's annoying to read. so, i'll write to y'all next week.

time to ski-daddle

yeah, my brain's not functioning as creatively as possible today, hence the lame title of this post. who even says skeedaddle? is that even how it's spelled? enough rambling. i'm sitting here writing this and it sounds like the wind is going to bust through one of my windows. it sounds treacherous outside. blustery. scary even. it sounds like winter. i know that's weird, but it does. and it's making me think ski lodge. have i ever gone skiing? no. have i ever stepped foot in a ski lodge? no. i don't know why i'm really thinking of that, but i am. i think perhaps i've been obsessed with the aspen chic look lately. thick chunky knits just made for sipping hot toddys around a fireplace. check out this pic of a ski lodge that inspired this aspen chic posting: are you kidding me with that place? i wanna go there. just so i can wear the clothes that just beg to be worn at a place like that. i saw this sweater at the end of summer and i wanted it:

i hate the shoes and skirt with it, but i love the sweater. ski lodge. aspen chic. of course it was out of my price range and sold out really quick, but i decided when i saw that sweater, i was going to find a similar sweater, and i still plan on it. i checked out a bunch of websites and found some pretty decent options:

each and every one of those sweaters make me happy. i think the thicker the better. the chunkier knit, the better. i love the bundled up look. everyone knows my love of the brand haute hippie, but this sweater, well, blanket sweater is almost too much, but i don't know, i'd probably wear it if i ever made it to a ski lodge.

a bit overwhelming on that model's frame, and probably on most people's frame, but i suppose appropos for a night cap apres ski.

it may be a little premature to post about this stuff, but like i said, it sounds like winter right now. just toss on my new favorite brand of boots, ash, and you have your whole look ready to pack for your winter getaway:

how cute are they? ugh, i want to go on vacation. or shop. we started getting in great sweaters and sweater dresses at fred, and i have to restrain myself from buying every one. i could live in knits, and i pretty much do this time of year. i'm sorry to get you all thinking of winter, and snow, and whatnot, but it's what's on my mind today. come into fred and check out our great selection of sweaters and sweater dresses. get cozy and fashionable as the temperatures keep dropping!