Legally Charming Style

Hi all!

Welcome to my first ever beauty review!

Hi guys!! Happy Friday!

Hi everybody! Happy Friday, and...

IT'S THE BLOG'S HALF-BIRTHDAY!!!

I can't believe I've been at this for six months. This may not be a big deal to everyone, but as a girl who is the master of inconsistency in blogging, I am beyond excited that I've gotten this far without stopping.

I started this blog sort of on a whim, sort of on the bubble of confidence I got from friends who told me I was always well dressed, and from the inspiration of other fashion bloggers I'd started following on Instagram and Pinterest. I thought it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. I wanted to start it too, but I kept delaying, because I wasn't sure how it would go or if anyone would like it. I thought I'd feel dumb and I'd quit working on it, like I had with so many other blogs before it.

But this one has been different. I've received support from friends at law school, on Instagram, from family and friends back home. It's been a blast learning how to take my own photos through trial and error, and experimenting with my outfits in a way I honestly didn't do before I started the blog. It brightens up my day just to get on here, type an entry, and post some lovely photos for you folks to look at.

This outfit is one I wore out a few weeks ago to a friend's birthday. I think it's a great reflection of what this blog is--an everyday life blog. I don't usually wear long slinky dresses, stilettos or designer clothes; my life is full of less exciting things, like memos, exams, and meetings. Instead, I dress for what the day calls for, and try to add a little bit of fun to go with it. As you know, my style philosophy is as simple as I can get away with and still look put together, and this look does that.

My friend Jess and I had a blast wrangling balloons, running for the lighter and dry erase markers, and generally making this one of the most fun times I've ever had doing an outfit shoot. (If you ever do a shoot with me, just know this--I pay in baked goods. Always a good incentive, amirite?) She took these AMAZING photos, and I'm so glad I have these to remember the half-versary by.

Now I'm going to ask a little something from you. If you have any suggestions about things you'd like to see on here--collaborations, makeup reviews, home decor, more baking--let me know so that in the new year, I can make this blog the best thing it can be.

Thank you so much for six months of fun, sparkles, sarcasm and fashion--I'm hoping for many more! 





xoxo

Carisa

I'mmmmmm baaaaaaaaaack!!

It's been a whole 24 hours. I know, you missed me so much. I missed you too!

If I'm acting or sounding a little loopy, it's because I'm in full scale finals mode, which means I'm cracking out on panic with a side of caffeine and disturbed sleep patterns (a step up from last year's full scale insomnia) over rulebooks and outlines telling me how to act like a professional and federal hearsay rule exceptions. If you're a law student, you understand what all of that means. If you're not, pretty much beware of me until Friday when finals are over. 

It also means that I wrote this entire post without realizing that it was Tuesday instead of Wednesday, which means that you're getting a will wear post without the catchy title. Oops? So try to enjoy it anyway, and don't question me too much.

Today it's all about the red jeans. Before I owned red jeans, I would sit and stare at pictures of people wearing them and wondering how the hell they pulled them off. I would just get overwhelmed by the brightness of the pants. It was like the freakin' sun. I bought a pair, but I felt I could only pull them off twice a year: Fourth of July and Christmas. They sat sadly in the back of the closet until...

Pinterest. Pinterest became the magic bean to the red jean styling gods in the sky. I swear to all that is holy, I don't know how I lived before Pinterest. Does anyone know? With Pinterest, all I had to do was search "red jeans" and it came up with styling tips for me. What colors to wear it with, cuts, shoes, like...everything. It changed my world.

So now, I'm hear to offer up to you all the things that Pinterest (and other style bloggers) taught me about red jeans, and what I've taken from those lessons in my own style. Here we go!

1) Anchor with light/warm-toned or neutral colors.



Red jeans are a wildcard. They are all you need to have some mad kudos and respect, because you were brave enough to pop on some red pants when the rest of the world wore basic blue denim (go you!). They also (apparently) make you mad respectable during study period before finals, since almost everyone has given up and put on sweatpants. In other words, they don't need a bright pop of another color like neon yellow, cobalt or kelly green to make them work.

The best thing I've found is to wear either a light, warm color (like blush or cream) or a neutral (black, white, taupe). It gives the pants the opportunity to shine.

2) Throw in some pattern.



I like the neutrals a lot. But I think with red pants, throwing in a neutral-toned pattern is totally fine. Or maybe two. It's still in that neutral family that gives all the respect to the red pants (because they're at the top of the hierarchy in the outfit), but lets you be a little more fun than a two-color wonder. Here, I did stripes and leopard because I wanted to have some fun with my outfit. If I was going to literally be wearing jeans and a tee shirt all day, why not throw in some pattern to liven it up?

3) Never be afraid to mix textures.


Leather + denim=totally hot.

3) Sometimes, play the wildcard.



With this outfit, I kept it pretty tame. The last time I wore these jeans, however, I paired them quite successfully with an olive coat and a multi-colored patterned top. It's great to follow the rules and keep it calm, but sometimes it's also okay to break the rules and do whatever the hell you want. 


Hope your Hump Day

Hello and welcome back!!

Y'all. It's December.