Returning to my blog to deliver this urgent message!

...Well, urgent in fashion terms.

DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM J.CREW FACTORY. The quality is below that of Forever 21. I am totally appalled by the awful quality of the 3 items I've bought there, including this sweater:

It ripped when I was putting it on (without a struggle, by the way- the ease with which it ripped was unnerving). Also, the already low quality of the fabric diminished drastically after I washed it.

I also own a Factory Jackie cardigan that is horribly faded and misshapen (compared to the 3 I have from the regular J.Crew which are holding up wonderfully!), and a pair of shorts with questionably large, weak stitching.

Seriously- my Forever 21 clothes have held up much better.

I hope you are all doing well! I admire the dedication of some of you who have had your blogs for years. I still read them and enjoy your tips and tricks!

ShortBlonde

OOTD: Windy Day in Boston

Pants: Gap, Sz. 0 (buy here)
Blazer: Macy's, sz. P/P (old)
Sweater: Vineyard Vines, Seawater Cardigan, sz. XS
T-Shirt: J.Crew, Perfect Tee V-Neck, sz. XS
Bag: Dooney and Bourke


My best friend and I went up to the Boston area  to scope out the neighborhoods (we're moving up there in September!). She managed to capture a decent OOTD photo for me, despite my usual camera troubles. I don't know about you all, but I am LOVING the bright color pants trend. Colored pants have been around for ages, but unfortunately, those trusty brands that carry festive brights tend to be petite unfriendly. Gap's skimmer pants (seen above) fit my short stature perfectly. Next color I wish to snag? Coral.

Your sporadic blogger,
*ShortBlonde*

About that hiatus....

Hello, blogosphere! It's been a while. There is a wealth of both silly and legitimate excuses I could give for not posting on here, the main ones being:

1.) I've been applying to grad school (results in a month! Boston College, fingers crossed!)
2.) I've been spending quality time with family and friends (not that blogging detracts from that...)
and, as you know from my last post,
3.) My camera hates me.

I still enjoy reading all your blogs very much! I'm afraid my life is about to get crazy, as I begin student teaching in a week, bringing mixed feelings of anxiety and excitement.
I definitely don't want to disappear from here completely, so depending on which way my mood swings me you may be seeing many more posts, or very few. Either way, know that I'm still loving your blogs, and I'm sure there will be something I'm dying to share with you at some point in the near future!

Your faithful reader (and flaky blogger),
*ShortBlonde*

Blogger's Dilemma: Camera Woes

Hello all,

I am dying to share all kinds of clothing reviews with you, but I'm realizing more and more the importance of having a great camera! My camera (a Canon Powershot- which I THOUGHT was a good camera) cannot seem to capture indoor images without washing them out, or being too blurry. I've tinkered with the ISO quite a bit, and have tried every setting I can think of, but nothing works. So sad! I'm hoping to use my mother's extremely fancy artist's camera when I go home for Thanksgiving break. Please let me know if you have any tips for taking photos with a Powershot automatic :(

Here's hoping I'll have posts up soon!
*ShortBlonde*

New England Adventures

I think my love for New England has become more apparent in my recent blog posts, which have centered around Boston and coastal CT. My best friend and I headed up to the Connecticut/Rhode Island border this weekend to explore:

Stonington, CT:

We visited this quaint fishing town on a rather windy day, as you can tell by these photos of me and my friend:

I was glad I decided to wear my hair up! It's hard to discern what I'm wearing in this photo, so I listed my outfit creds further down.

My friend is wearing one of her much-loved pairs of Oakley sunglasses, and is borrowing a favorite color-blocked scarf of mine from Francesca's Collections.

 There was a great farmer's market near the water that day:

There was a great display of fruits, veggies, cheeses and maple syrups for sale.

Did someone lose a claw?

While admittedly searching for a Dunkin Donuts for a bite to eat, my friend and I stumbled across this little restaurant in Pawcatuck, CT called Donna's Cucina:

(My scarf is from J.Crew, my cardigan is an XS from Vineyard Vines.)

We LOVED this place! Not only was the food fresh-tasting and home made, but Donna herself was extremely friendly and welcoming. I'd recommend a visit for anyone who is in the area.

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Our next stop was downtown Mystic, CT, a popular destination that I haven't visited since high school. I loved watching the bridge go up to let the boats through, probably as much as the 5-year-old standing next to me.


'Scuse me coming through!

There were so many cute shops! Preppy favorites were abundant, such as Lilly Pulitzer, Jonathan Adler and Kiel James Patrick.

I got a cute little whale notepad here at Webster Road. 

There were also lots of cute, quirky items in the boutiques, such as these tiny glass animals my friend is pictured rummaging through:

Hunting for an otter.

And of course, I had to get a picture with the whale statue outside the bookstore:

It turns out I also posed for a picture with the whale back in high school:

Circa 2008. 

We ate lunch at a great little restaurant that caught my attention with its brightly-colored facade:

Oyster Club

One of my favorite things about coastal New England towns are the brightly painted doors. I wish to own my own white colonial house with a red door one day, and actually passed by a house that looked as if someone built it based on the vision of my future dream house. I was too in awe to take a photo, unfortunately, and Google images doesn't seem to have any close-enough lookalikes. Oh well! I'll be on the hunt next time I head up to the area.

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I just ordered a bunch of new goodies online, including corduroys, tights and shoes...reviews to come!

*ShortBlonde*

FOUND! Bangles for tiny wrists

I was so excited to come across these small sterling silver bangles while adventuring in downtown Mystic, CT this weekend! For the past few years, I've been searching for elegant, silver bangles to fit my toddler-sized wrists (5.5" circumference). I had come across a few potentials here and there, but they were always $50 or more each, which I simply can't do on my college student budget. These little bracelets are pure sterling silver, which is why their $17 price tag surprised me!....

Apparently, the saleswoman at Dexter & Company jewelers told me that had been sitting there for AGES since they didn't fit anyone, so they had to mark down the price considerably. Lucky me! And lucky for you fellow small-wristed ladies too if you visit, since they have several other tiny bracelets.

Dexter & Co. storefront, on Main St. in Mystic CT

I have much more to post about my New England adventures, stay tuned!

*ShortBlonde*

Outlet Scores! Brooks Brothers, Barney's, Vineyard Vines

Why do I love holiday weekends so much? For the insane deals you get at stores...and the even INSANER deals you get at the outlet malls! I headed to the Woodbury Common outlet mall yesterday night to do some...um, Christmas shopping. Early, I know, but it's the last big holiday weekend sale before the craziness of Black Friday (nooo thank you!). Even weirder was the fact that I was Christmas shopping for myself....

...While that may sound strange and/or self-indulgent, it's actually my family's way of maintaining a Christmas tradition for a little while longer. I'm at that weird young-adult stage where I'm no longer a child, but I'm not yet an adult with a legitimate income. Therefore, my parents still like to buy me Christmas presents. However, seeing as how what I mostly want is clothes, and how finding those clothes would mean me having to give my Mom an explicit list and a journey all over the tri-state area, they prefer to give me a budget and have me pick out the gifts myself. The catch is that I don't get to see the clothes again till Christmas morning, when I unwrap them. Most of my friends' parents just give them cash, but this way, my parents still have physical presents to wrap and put under the tree, which in some way preserves the magic a bit longer. Christmas traditions get a bit hairy as you get older...when do/did your parents stop doing the whole stocking & Santa thing? My guess is that it'll stop once my brother and I officially move out. But no rush! :)

Anyway, I managed to find *almost* everything I was looking for. Here's what I got:

**Click to see larger.**

Brooks Brothers Fleece, XS: Oh my goodness! I loved this fleece from the moment I saw it, and even more from the moment I felt it. It's my favorite color, and is as soft and cozy as it gets. I originally went to Vineyard Vines to find a similar sort of pull-over fleece, and was very surprised to end up finding it at BB. Although the Brooks Brothers outlet brand is made-for-outlet, the quality is still wonderful and I got it for a STEAL. I wish I didn't have to wait for Christmas!...

Barney's Wallet: The most challenging part of my hunt was my long and strenuous search for a solid-colored leather wallet in a bright color, for a good price. Kate Spade surprisingly didn't have anything I liked (and a KS wallet I saw a few months back was what I was basing my preference on), Longchamps had several but for unfriendly prices, and everything else was either too sparkly/textured, not leather, or black. As a desperate last attempt, I went into the Barney's New York outlet to see if they had wallets. Imagine my surprise when I see a WALL of genuine leather wallets in every pretty color imaginable, that were on sale for a very reasonable price!! I was ecstatic. Not to mention, it had all the features I needed (long dollar pocket, attached coin purse, many card slots). So I got one in my favorite color.

(P.S.- My current Vera Bradley wallet is in such a sad state of affairs that I'm embarrassed to post a picture...let's just say you can barely make out the pattern, and a pen exploded on it. Never again will I buy a fabric wallet, no matter how pretty!)

Vineyard Vines Tunic, Chid's Medium: Vineyard Vines is always my favorite outlet stop since the clothes come from the actual stores, and are not made for outlet like most outlet shops' clothing. As much as I love the styles, however, Vineyard Vines is NOT petite friendly. I was mislead in that post from March...the skirt I found must have been a lucky find! Some things are worth altering, however, like my Seawater Cardigan which I recently got taken in.
Luckily for petites, though, they have a GREAT kids section! Structure-less items like this cute tunic work, but I would recommend staying away from the dresses and button-downs, since there's no room for curves or shoulders. I was very happy to find this seahorse tunic though, which I got only got for 25% off the outlet price, but also at the bargain of it being a children's item! There's always a silver lining in a world of vanity sizing.

I had wonderful success shopping for my family as well...only I can't post what I'm getting them! That will have to wait till Christmas.

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I'm not allowed to take the tags off of them yet, as I'm really not supposed to see these again until Christmas. Expect to see future OOTD posts with these!
And don't walk, RUN to the outlet malls this weekend. Arm yourselves with comfy shoes, a water bottle and plenty of stamina.

***P.S.- College Prep is hosting an awesome Angela Moore giveaway- her bracelets are adorable! Check it out here.***

Happy Shopping!
*ShortBlonde*