God Save the Queen...

...well, future queen: Kate Middleton. This lucky girl from Berkshire met Prince William while they were both studying at the University of St. Andrews. The couple began dating in 2001, broke up for a few months in 2007, and have decided to take the plunge (or a really slow toe-dip into the matrimonial waters - I mean seriously, they've been dating for ten years!) on April 29. Countdown to the most exciting marriage this decade: 62 days. Unfortunately, that's right in the middle of exam week (not that I really have the money to fly to England for a wedding I wasn't invited to anyway), so to celebrate the royal nuptials, Hannah and I have decided to wear ostentatious hats while watching the wedding on TV. Kate does love hats...
She also seems to like wearing tweed, pumps, and did I mention lots of hats? I always wanted to be British, but I guess dressing like the future queen is the closest I'll get... for now.

Casual Kate

Jeans - Current/Elliott, Tank top - Mantu, Sweater - BB Dakota, Boots - Bruno Premi, Earrings - Kendra Scott, Bag - Topshop

Off to a Friend's Wedding

Dress - dELiAs, Jacket - Karen Millen, Shoes - Rupert Sanderson, Necklace - Goldsmiths, Bracelet - Lagos, Clutch - Tiffany & Co., Hat - Debenhams

Simple and Sophisticated

Jeans - Clemens en August, Cami - Vanity, Tweed Jacket - Yesstyle, Watch - Invicta, Bag - Topshop, Belt - H & M, Shoes - Mixx Manila

You Know That Other Woman is Jealous

Dress - Coast, Jacket - White House Black Market, Shoes - Rupert Sanderson, Clutch - Whiting & Davis, Watch - Invicta, Headband - Linea

Morning Dress: What Guests Are Expected to Wear to the Wedding

Dress - Azzedine Alaia, Coat - Victorian Trading Co., Shoes - Mango, Clutch - Dune Lossey, Hat - Suzannah

Meet the Roomies - Brittany

Brittany! (She made sure the exclamation point was there because "it describes her".) I met Brittany on my floor last year and she is always happy, bubbly and fun to be around :) Here's a basic rundown of Brittany's life/fashion:

Major: Exercise Science

Graduation date: December 2012

Favorite color: Teal

Favorite pattern: Zebra

Favorite article of clothing: "I love my pencil skirt."

Best accessory: "I just recently got into headbands, so let's go with that."

Go-to outfit: Jeans and a t-shirt - "I go comfy if I have nothing to go to."

Fashion icon inspiration: Brandi Crosmer :)

Three of her favorite songs: Sweet Child O' Mine (Guns N' Roses), Anyway (Martina McBride), and Dynamite (Taio Cruz)

"Where do we go now/Where do we go/Sweet child o' mine"

-"Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N' Roses

Jeans - Heirloom, Top - Unconditional, Bracelet - Alexis Bittar, Ring - Fallon, Shoes - Ivanka Trump, Earrings - Andea

"God is great/But sometimes life ain't good/And when I pray/It doesn't always turn out like I think it should/But I do it anyway"

-"Anyway" by Martina McBride

Skirt - Jane Norman, Top - Old Navy, Necklace - 2ols, Shoes - Rupert Sanderson, Earrings - Topshop

"We gon' rock this club/We gon' go all night/We gon' light it up/Like it's dynamite"

-"Dynamite" by Taio Cruz

Dress - Temperley London, Shoes - Speed Limit 98, Clutch - Kaliko, Earrings - LK Designs

Hearts, love and all that jazz

Valentine's Day is by far one of my favorite holidays - not because of the extreme commercialism that happens today, but because everyone is so happy and expresses his or her love. I mean, I understand that when you love someone, you should show your love all 365 days of the year, but sometimes the little extra push of a holiday that we don't get off of school for (even though I'm quite convinced we should get this most fantastic of all lovey-dovey days off) in order to do something a little more special than the usual DVD and take-out (not that I have anything against that - it's one of my favorite date plans). Even if you're single, celebrate Valentine's Day with friends! Everyone needs love - not just significant others :) However you plan to celebrate today, remember to tell all those you love how much you care about them!

Dress - Karen Millen, Shoes - Christian LouBoutin, Clutch - Menbur Zeuco, Ring - Samuel David, Earrings - Israel Rose

Dress - People Tree, Shoes - Christian LouBoutin, Bag - Coach, Bracelet - Cheryl Lynn, Necklace - Coach

Jeans - Roy Rogers, Tank top - American Eagle, Cardigan - Ann Taylor, Shoes - Giuseppe Zanotti, Bag - Kate Spade, Necklace - Rue 21

It's My Party...

...and I'll cry if I want to? I don't think so. It's my birthday! I finally made it through the teens and am now officially old. Since I'm a college student and can't exactly afford all of the fabulous clothes I wish I could buy myself for my birthday, I've put together 6 outfits based on my two current favorite trends: sequins and lace. (If I were really brave, I would have put them together, but right now, I'm in the mood for mixing colors, not textures.)

SEQUINS!

Dress - Ashish, Shoes - Mealy, Ring - Pippo Perez, Bracelet - Judith Jack, Clutch - Aspinal of London

Dress - AX Paris, Shoes - Betsey Johnson, Earrings - Fantasy Jewelry Box, Bracelet - Fantasy Jewelry Box, Clutch - Luella

Dress - Forever 21, Shoes - Ted Baker, Bracelet - Max & Chloe, Earrings - Overstock.com, Clutch - Borsa Rodeo

Lace

Dress - Rugby Ralph Lauren, Tights - Foot Traffic, Shoes - Restricted Rumble, Hat - Free People, Bracelet - Forever 21

Dress - ASOS, Shoes - H Williams, Bracelet - Forever 21, Earrings - Pret-A-Beaute

Dress - ASOS, Shoes - Underground Station, Clutch - Valentino Garavani, Earrings - Erikson Beamon

SUPER BOWL

Unless you've recently dropped off the face of the earth, you're aware that today is Super Bowl XLV! It's going to be a match up between the Green Bay Packers (the team I loved for about 10 years, so if you don't have a team, root for the Packers!) and the Pittsburgh Steelers. I'm not going to explain the logistics of this epic game (mostly because I still really don't understand football), so if you don't understand what's going on, just watch for the commercials like most people do. So whether you're watching the game for the football or for the cute boys sitting next to you, here are some outfit inspirations for however you're celebrating tonight.

Green Bay Packers

Tshirt - Junk Food, Jeans - Harvey Nichols, Shoes - Wild Diva, Bracelet - BKE, Bag - Betsey Johnson

Shirt - American Vintage, Jeans - 1921, Sweater - Victoria's Secret, Shoes - Dollhouse

Dress - Yesstyle, Shoes - BC, Bracelet - Alexis Bittar, Bow - eBay, Bag - Kate Spade

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tshirt - Junk Food, Jeans - Luisaviaroma, Shoes - Arden B., Bracelet - Tarina Tarantino, Bag - JPK

Top - Urban Outfitters, Tank top - Elie Tahari, Jeans - J Brand, Shoes - Cri de Coeur, Bracelet - Marc Jacobs, Necklace - All Saints, Bag - Furla

Dress - Dorothy Perkins, Shoes - FAHRENHEIT, Bracelets - Circa Sixty Three, Bow - Unbowlievable, Bag - Baldini

Spy Fox

This is a little different from the types of outfits I usually do, but my friend and I were talking about this the other day and he said that I would earn some major cool points if I did this topic. So here it goes: Spy Fox. Yep. Like Spy Fox: In Dry Cereal. The computer game for 5 to 10 year olds. I don't know about the rest of you, but I loved this game when I was younger (along with Putt Putt, Freddi the Fish, Pajama Sam... actually Pajama Sam might make a good topic - keep a look out for that one :P). For those of you who never got a chance to play the game, it's basically a James Bond computer game with animals. In the first game, Spy Fox, with help from his colleague Monkey Penny, tries to stop the evil William the Kid, CEO of Nectar of the Goats (N.O.G.), and his partner Russian Blue, from stealing all of the world's milk supply in order to replace the cow milk with goat milk. As weird as all of that sounds, it was actually a really fun game (and the only one of the series that I can remember playing).

"A spy without a gadget is like a shopping cart without a broken wheel" - Spy Fox

Blouse - Debenhams, Pants - Donna Karan, Shoes - Urban Outfitters, Necklace - Peter Lang

Monkey Penny

Top - Cushnie Et Ochs, Jeans - Clemens en August, Shoes - ZARA, Watch - Calvin Klein, Ring - Jewelry Adviser

William the Kid

Blouse - Elie Tahari, Skirt - Jaeger, Jacket - Hobbs Rubens, Shoes - Christian Louboutin, Bracelet - Vanity

Russian Blue

Dress - Patricia Field, Shrug - black.co.uk, Shoes - Paris Hilton, Bag - MyTheresa, Bracelet - Charm & Chain, Necklace - 1928

*With credit to Marcus because he's cool enough to still play Spy Fox.

7 Deadly Sins

Finally, here's the blog based on my Halloween outfit last year: the seven deadly sins (I was wrath). I'm really not sure why I'm so fascinated with them; it's probably because they're pretty much committed by every single person (unless you're Jesus), but God still forgives us, even though we do these horrible things. Plus, there are all these really cool takes on the seven deadly sins with movies and books - my favorites are the movie SE7EN (terrifying psychological thriller about a mass murderer who bases his crimes off of the sins) and the poem "Snow White and the Seven Deadly Sins" by R. S. Gwynn. For those who don't know much about the sins, here's a quick overview: There are seven deadly sins (or "cardinal sins" or "capital vices") - pride, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust - which correspond with the seven virtues. According to Dante in his Purgatorio (the section of the Divine Comedy which describes Purgatory - where those who commit the seven deadly sins are thought to go, if you're Catholic), those who commit these sins will receive their punishments in Purgatory, and the farther down on the list of these sins (like lust, for instance, is the last one) one commits, the smaller amount of time one has to serve in Purgatory. All of the outfits on this post are in the order Dante devised, starting with the worst (closest to Hell), and going to the... best of the worst, I guess (closest to Heaven).

My friends and me as the 7 Deadly Sins (along with the Devil and the Devil's advocate)

I was wrath.. so I got to have a mohawk :)







PRIDE: Excessive belief in one's own abilities
Punishment in Hell: Broken on the wheel
VIRTUE: Humility

Blouse - Classique Entier, Pants - Joan Shepp, Shoes - Qupid, Necklace - Fantasy Jewelry Box, Ring - 1928, Earrings - Kate Spade, Bag - Valentino Garavani, Mirror/brush - Sephora

Dress - Paprika, Compact - BKE, Shoes - Westfield, Earrings - Rue 21, Bracelet - Butler & Wilson, Clutch - Dazed Dorothy

ENVY: Desire for others' traits, abilities, status, or situation

Punishment in Hell: Put in freezing water

VIRTUE: Love

Cardigan - John Lewis, Cami - Nordstrom, Shoes - Bruno Magli, Jeans - Dolce & Gabbana, Bag - Ghibli, Earrings - Fantasy Jewelry Box

Dress - DiscountDressShop, Shoes - Net-A-Porter, Necklace - White House Black Market, Earrings - Boscor's, Clutch - Lori's Shoes

WRATH: In the individual who spurns love and opts for fury

Punishment in Hell: Dismembered alive

VIRTUE: Kindness

Jeans - All Saints, Jacket - Dolce & Gabbana, Top - Twenty8Twelve, Boots - Start, Bracelet - Burberry, Ring - Old Glory, Earrings - Anita Ko

Dress - Halston Heritage, Shoes - Miu Miu, Bracelets - H&M, Earrings - Overstock.com, Clutch - Nordstrom

SLOTH: Avoidance of physical or spiritual work

Punishment in Hell: Thrown into snake pits

VIRTUE: Zeal

Pants - PJ Salvage, Tank top - David and Goliath, Slippers, Forever 21, Hoodie - Victoria's Secret

Sweatpants - Juicy, Tank top - Old Navy, Hoodie - Juicy, Socks - Rue 21, Shoes - Converse, Hair tie - Yesstyle

GREED: Desire for material wealth or gain, ignoring spiritual gain

Punishment in Hell: Boiled alive in oil

VIRTUE: Generosity

Blouse - A.F. Vandevorst, Jeans - All Saints, Shoes - bebe, Necklace - Janis, Earrings - Christian Dior, Clutch - Stuart Weitzman

Skirt - Ashish, Blouse - Saks Fifth Avenue, Shoes - Net-A-Porter, Bracelet - Yves Saint Laurent, Earrings - Biba, Bag - Zagliani

GLUTTONY: Desire to consume more than is necessary

Punishment in Hell: Force-fed rats, toads, and snakes

VIRTUE: Faith and temperance

Jeans - Dolce & Gabbana, Top - Forever 21, Shoes - Dear Fieldbinder, Cupcake bracelet - Amy Secrest, Cupcake earrings - Yesstyle, Bag - David and Goliath

Top - Modcloth, Skirt - Modcloth, Shoes - Modcloth, Dino eating fried chicken ring - Verameat, Bag - Lazy Oaf

LUST: Inordinate craving for pleasures of the body

Punishment in Hell: Smothered in fire and brimstone

VIRTUE: Self-control

Blouse - Debenhams, Skirt - Black Halo, Shoes - Anne Michelle Colada, Earrings - Kate Spade, Ring - Kate Spade, Bracelet - Charm & Chain, Bag - Marc Jacobs

Dress - John Lewis, Shoes - Christian Louboutin, Earrings - Lee Angel, Bracelet - Nordstrom, Clutch - Monsoon

Sources:

http://www.deadlysins.com/

http://whitestonejournal.com/index.php/seven-deadly-sins