Before I left for college, my mom made me a scrapbook of my sister and me. I was showing it to one of my now dearest friends and she suddenly looked at me. “I get it now!” I was confused. “You get what now?” She pointed to a picture of Candace and I- we were both wearing leggings and tops with matching cardigans and even our little shoes matched. “The outfits.”
The outfits. Candace and I only wore jeans if we were going to get dirty. Graphic ts were for art camp because it was ok if we ruined them. Cotton reigned supreme, polyester didn’t exist in our house, and embroidery was certainly preferred over screen-print. We were adorable and well-dressed, thanks to our mom who made sure we wore the highest of quality clothing for kiddies.
When I finally got out of a uniform and could dress myself in high school, I admit that my style was lacking. Can you blame me though? It was, after all, the early 2000s and this is what was in. I remember a few outfits and I’m just like… sundress over cargo pants CAROLINE WHY? AND WHY DID YOU HAVE SO MANY COOKIE MONSTER T SHIRTS? AND WHY DID YOU PUT CHERRY SHOELACES IN YOUR SKATE SHOES THAT YOU HAD NO BUSINESS WEARING?
My style has certainly matured since then, deviating a little bit when I lost a lot of weight right after college and ran around half naked with a giant bow in my hair for most of the summer of 2012. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, a second eye is always good when trying on clothes. And my favorite second eye is my mom. There’s no bones about it- she’ll tell me if something looks cheap or awkward or ill-fitting, something I wish I would have realized back in 9th grade.
And she would hate these shoes. She wouldn’t like the mismatched laces, or the leather straps. When I was going through a bit of a scene kid phase in high school, I actually wore ballet slippers with skinny jeans, which is how Dana styled them in the post that made me swipe ’em. There’s literally no way I would ever buy the originals, because I don’t think I’d ever spend that much on shoes. But these were just too cute and too different to pass up the dupe version. In the cold, by the big City Center tree, I felt perfectly festive in a very Nutcracker Ballet sort of way.
The flats are kind of insane, but really comfy, and semi neutral (plus I can take out the ribbons if I want). I have skinny but long feet, so it’s sometimes really hard to find comfortable ballet flats, and these work! Because the pink is almost a tan-ish, I honestly feel like I can wear them with most of my winter wardrobe as long as it’s not too cold or wet out. I wanted to wear them without tights, but since it was 43 degrees when I left my house, that seemed out of the question. Plus, the tights make the ballet flats seem more ballerina-y.
Mommy, I know you and I know you’re not going to care for these, but thank you for setting me up with a foundation of style and room to explore my own.
Note: I’m aware that my dress is wrinkled. I’ve said many times that most of my outfits are shot with a coworker during the business day and WELP this is what happens when you go from sitting in a cubical to a blustery day.
Almond Toe Bow Decorated Lace-up Flats: SheIn||Black 3/4 Sleeve Ruffle Hem A Line Dress: SheIn||Coat [old]: SheIn||Alex Earrings in Black c/o Kendra Scott||Alice bag c/o Urban Expressions {use code CLOVE25 to get 25% off}
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Omg I never even thought to pair these with a dress and tights – I’ve just been wearing them with jeans! Major outfit inspiration right here!
Pink Champagne Problems
Yay! Glad I could inspire you too! xoxo
You look so cute in that pink coat! It’s so you 🙂
You are right, my darling. Hate the shoes, love the pearls, the buttons make the coat. Love, Mommy