Valentine's Day 2016

(Dress: Unique Vintage/ flower crown: Forever 21/ necklace: Michal Negrin/ the bodysuit that wouldn't stop showing: Figleaves.com)

This year I was lucky enough to spend my third Valentine's Day with Elijah, which included dressing up to take these pictures before eating our home-cooked lasagna. Elijah isn't big on pictures, so it is truly a testament to how much he loves me that he got dressed up and smiled for the camera despite being able to smell the lasagna, fresh out of the oven and calling out names. I am so grateful to him for all the other little and not so little things he does for me that make me feel so loved. We're each other's best friends, and Valentine's Day really is a day to reflect on how wonderful and special that is.

Another wonderful thing I really enjoyed about this Valentine's Day was the amount of my friends who happily chose to celebrated Valentine's Day with their friends and family this year. I think it's so important to remember how many people love us and are there for us in so many ways. Nothing is as important in our lives as the people that help support us and make us who we are. Love is essential to our happiness, but it's also essential to realize that love doesn't have to come from a partner or a significant other. The deepest loves are those based on friendship and family, and if you have that (and chances are you do), celebrate it!

On a more materialistic note, how cute is this Unique Vintage dress? The style is very 1950's but the bright, almost neon pink really makes it more modern and super fun. The color exactly matched my pink rose garlands, and my hair exactly matched my purple rose garlands. 

I have really been loving pink and purple combinations, and last week I actually tried unsuccessfully to introduce some pink into my hair. Turns out the drop of purple was too strong though, and it simply went back to purple. Not that I'm complaining though. I love my purple hair, and I was nervous how the pink would look anyways.

A Few of My Favorite Things

 (blouse: thrifted from my mother's closet/ jeans: Forever 21/ coat: vintage from Miami Twice/ headscarf: vintage from Ebay/ necklace and earrings: Lulu's/ boots: Target/ glasses: Sophia Loren Collection)

I had been looking for a tapestry coat for so long before I finally found this coat last year, but because I found it over spring break, when the weather was already warm, it hasn't gotten much use since. Last Friday I decided that it was time to wear it before the weather really warms up again. I paired it with one of my most beloved blouses, my current favorite pair of boots, chunky jewelry, and my go-to vintage headscarf. It was a lot of patterns, but I loved how they all worked together. The whole outfit was a beautiful mix of  pieces inspired by or from the 60s, 70s, and 80s into a unique concoction with lots of colors, patterns, and textures that made me happy and, just as importantly, kept me warm.

On a different subject: I am getting into the habit of wearing my glasses much more. I really only need them for reading lecture slides in class is slowly worsening. Although my eyesight is really not that bad, I am now unable to see as many beautiful details of the world (or of familiar faces) without my glasses. This reality is starting to help me overcome my aversion to wearing them in public, as is my continued conscious effort to care less about the way others may perceive me and be truer to myself. Rather than seeing my glasses as something that conflicts with my style and image, I am seeing them more as an extension of who I am and sometimes even truly enjoy how they look on with some outfits, including this one. I might not ever feel cool wearing glasses, but I am starting to feel more like me in glasses, and that's even better.