Retro Rosie

Bandana: from summer camp - Necklace: a gift - T shirt: Aerie (sale) - Belt: J. Crew (clearance)

I get inspiration from everywhere. I love switching it up, trying new things...you could say I'm in a constant state of change (How's that for an oxymoron?).

I do my hair...a lot. Most times I curl it (adds dimension since I have very few layers) and I think it's fun to do. But everyone has their fair share of lazy days when they don't feel like raising a finger, but at the same time, don't want to look completely disheveled. So I always have my eyes peeled for fun hairstyles that are quick, cute n' easy ;)

Recently I've been inspired by the incredible iron woman that is Rosie the Riveter. She is a powerhouse symbol, and kind of has amazing style...

Thus, I decided to do my own copycat version of her hair-do. I pinned the front of my hair into a pouf, folded a bandana and tied it as a headband, and finished it off with a semi-high, spunky ponytail. The pouf was the hardest part, but didn't take nearly as long as my other go-to hairstyles :)

Here's a closer shot of the 'do. I also secured the bandana with bobby pins [behind my ears/under my ponytail] where it wouldn't be visible so it wouldn't budge.

The rest of my outfit is pretty simple, but really highlights the power of accessorizing. The T-shirt and jeans on their own would've been "mehhh," but adding the bandana, necklace (yes, we like to wear that one a lot) and belt gives you a look that's much more interesting.

Jeans: American Eagle "skinny" (sale special) - Flats: J. Crew factory store (clearance)

Normally, grey and reddish-brown are not colors I would pair together. But as I was selecting items from my closet today I thought, hmmm...that could work. Now, in my opinion, the reason it works is because I've incorporated several "reddish-brown elements," and they are sectioned off from top (my hair), middle (belt) to bottom (shoes). If I chosen, say, black sandals, it would've thrown everything off.

The reason the silver necklace works is because there are silver dots on the belt and on the shoes.

So as you can see, this may appear to be a look that was effortlessly thrown together, but there was a lot of thought that went into it ;)

A slimming trick I love is tucking a sliver of your shirt into the front of your jeans (right behind the button). When you're wearing a simple top, you don't want it to hang like a shapeless bag. Tucking it in also lets you show off a cute belt!

If I were to label this look, I think I'd call it "polished, with a bit of spunk." I love classic pieces, but I've always gotta give it that edgy flair! ;)

Thoughts and questions are always welcome! We love hearing what's on your mind--so please, feel free to leave a comment below :)

Photos shot by Chloe with an Olympus PEN camera

Stay lovely!

xo,

T