We need to talk about (my) flair

This ensemble is mostly a typical office outfit, thanks to some Christmas gifts from loves ones that know all too well my appreciation for Modcloth wears. But a recent little secondhand store find made it just a little better.

Outfit: Dress, cardigan and shoes, Modcloth (old); brooch, vintage via Avalon Exchange; tights, Target.

Did you find my find yet? It's the little skate pin, of course, to reflect my newfound roller derby hobby! I found this gem at a local buy/sell/trade store Avalon Exchange for three bucks. Not bad, considering I had just sold them a bunch of stuff and got a bunch of cute things for under $20 after sales.

A few co-workers found out about my new extracurricular the day I wore this outfit because they asked about the pin. It obviously works as a great conversation starter.

I think this guy unofficially set off a new pin collection, too. Since wearing this outfit last week, I found yet another skating pin over the weekend, as shown on my Instagram feed:

A photo posted by Kate (@thriftburgher) on Apr 12, 2015 at 7:14pm PDT

Yikes, look past my chewed up nails and super red palms. I blame the lighting.

I think pins are a great fun way to add some character to an outfit inexpensively. I think it's something that can be easily overlooked, and it's a detail that I wrote off as too "grandma chic" for way too long. I think small, subtle ones are best as to not look over the top or cheesy.

And let's face it: I'm definitely on a roll with skating pins, pun intended. :)

Of course, you don't want to go overboard. I haven't watched the movie Office Space in ages, but this scene in particular has always been memorable to me, since I was once an angsty server in college. Which is impressive because this movie has so many great quotables.

Do you wear pins with outfits?

Feeling Newsie

I've been eyeing up this dress for the longest time, maybe over a year? Anyway, Mark got it for me for Christmas! It's the perfect dress for me, not only because of the print (I'm a newspaper reporter AND a cat owner) but it has a great, flattering cut, too.

In case you were wondering, these shots were taken on Mt. Washington, Pittsburgh's most popular overlook. (There are others, but this one has the easiest access.) There's really no wonder why this area has so many visitors.

It's also a spot that provides a lot of memories for me. I lived in this neighborhood in college. (although it wasn't the part with this view) Mark proposed here. We'd often come here to contemplate, calm down, or just stare with wonder. You can see for miles in each direction, and the views are incredibly picturesque. There's the skyscrapers, of course, but also, the rivers, the bridges, the lights, the look of peace of it.

The history adds depth, too. Nearby are the two remaining inclines in operation in the city, which will take you from Mt. Washington to Pittsburgh's South Side neighborhood and back. They're historic because back in the day, this is how many steel workers commuted to work. (A large steel mill used to sit at the bottom of the hill. It's now a strip mall and business area called Station Square.)

Mt. Washington is one of Pittsburgh's cheesiest places, but I love it anyway. Perhaps even more than my new favorite dress. :D

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Outfit: Dress, Modcloth; cardigan, J. Crew; tights, H&M; boots, Macy's.

Ice Queen

Sigh. The snow has come upon us. I think it's easy to tell how I feel about it:

Honestly, the snow isn't so bad. It's just that, well, it's mid-November, and I'm not really ready for it to be 10 degrees every morning. It feels more like January right now. I'm all about the layering, wearing thick tights and cupping warm drinks, but not so much wearing winter coats, hiding my face in my scarf every time a cold breeze goes by, and slipping on ice while walking on the sidewalk.

Luckily, I've been inspired to mix it up lately, outfit-wise, and didn't want to dress in a completely dreary way. I've been in a bit of an outfit slump lately, usually doing my go-to riding boots plus blouse and cardigan for work, but that was getting old. I always feel so inspired by the people around me, with life, goals, fashion sense, etc. (with the people I meet while reporting and in the blogosphere) that it's almost overwhelming. I've been calling it a creativity hangover.

But instead of getting overwhelmed and shutting down like I usually do in stressful situations, I decided to experiment.

I've mostly worn this skirt in the summer, but it's thick enough to be part of a winter ensemble, too, which I totally love.

Here I am sans jacket and hat, pretending to look happy while standing in the season's first snow:

Outfit: Shirt and cardigan, thrifted; faux leather moto jacket, Wilson's Leather; skirt, Modcloth; tights and hat, H&M; flats, Famous Footwear.

And because I FINALLY have enough outfit photos on my blog for some repeat wears here, I thought I'd show how I've worn the moto jacket and maps skirt earlier this year:

     

RIP, Fall foliage and summer greenery. :( Until next year, anyway.

How are you all doing with the weather, in terms of dressing for your climate?

All I Want

I've wanted a leather jacket for the longest time. There's something inherently bad ass and timeless about having one, and a finally found the perfect one (albeit faux leather) while shopping at the local outlet mall.

The best part was it was marked $180 retail and I only paid 40 bucks! Outlet shopping can be the best sometimes.

The jacket turned out to be perfect for this particular day, because it was so damn cold. Apparently it had reached the 40s for the first time this season. I'm definitely in my happy place during the fall and spring, climate wise, so I want that cool (but not too cool) weather to last as long as humanly possible.

I have always loved asymmetrical zippers, too. And the color of the jacket is more like a charcoal than I straight-on black. Are you drooling yet over this jacket yet? Because I am. Haha.

Outfit: Dress, Gabe's; jacket, Wilson's Leather; tights, H&M; boots, Modcloth.

Mark took photos in my parents' backyard again, so the dinosaur pose was necessary. This might just become a thing every time we decide to shoot there.

I don't know. I guess fall is short-lived, but I love it all. I love wearing tights, like a weirdo, I adore wearing boots, I love warm drinks, I love the colors. I am just hoping to take it all in for as long as I can!

What are some of your fall must-have wardrobe items?

Sweet 26

For the past few years, my biggest birthday present to myself has been a splurge order from Modcloth.

Luckily for me though, a dress I've had my eye on for awhile went on sale around the time I was placing my order. Not only the dress is long enough, but it's well made and comfortable. I wore it all day on my birthday without any problems.

I just made sure to be extra careful when eating, since it's white and I'm a total klutz.

I was loving the other little details of this fun, celebratory outfit, including a birthday cake ring I bought the other day, making the outfit a little quirky and timely. :) And I really took a liking to the lace back, even though I hated it at first. It gives the mostly conservative dress a little bit of edge. (So does my little green septum ring.)

I was also really hoping I would hear Katy Perry's Birthday song on the radio. Hehe.

Outfit: Dress, Modcloth; Shoes, Modcloth; Beaded Headband, Maurice's (similar); Ring; secondhand, via Clothes Minded; Bag, ModCloth (similar).

How do you strike the balance between edgy and sweet in your outfits?

Flower Child at the Farm

I visited my co-worker at her family's farm, Paskorz Berry Farm, over the weekend.

It was a beautiful place, tucked behind some houses and hills. I've been a huge fan of berry picking and canning over the past few years, so it's really exciting to know someone whose family owns a farm. And there's the whole utilizing locally grown foods, too.

Overall, my weekend was insanely busy. Friday night I went to the bar with a really old friend from elementary school who's moving out of the area, and subsequently ran into a bunch of other high school friends. And then on Saturday, a friend from Portland, Oregon was unexpectedly in town for the weekend, so we had brunch at this place some of my friends keep raving about, made our way to the arts festival for a little bit, and went to the Strip, a cluster of indoor/outdoor vendors and market goodies. That was all before seeing Kim at the berry farm, although briefly, because I didn't want to force her to pick berries when she was already out on the farm all damn day.

She was happy to take pictures, though, so I am thankful. I didn't really plan on photographing this particular outfit, but it's something I've worn a few times in recent weeks because it's bright and comfortable.

On Sunday, I cleaned the hell out of the house, my dad and the in-laws came over, and we cooked on our new grill for the first time.

Hopefully this week I'll be making some strawberry jam, from this very farm.

Outfit: Dress, Modcloth; Cardigan, J. Crew Outlet; Shoes, Toms (similar); Sunnies, Avalon (secondhand store).

What did you do over the weekend?

Road Trips are like a Wild Goose Chase

This skirt makes me want to go on a road trip.

My coworker Kim shot these photos beautiful for me after work last week. They were taken at the local conservancy. Going there almost felt like a mini road trip.

Apparently it gets even prettier in the summer.

Those geese in the photo are deceivingly adorable; they kept hissing at me and sticking their tongues out! I guess they were just being protective of the young ones, but still.

Anyway, I was so happy to incorporate this skirt back into my wardrobe. It makes me think of road trips, summer, having a good time. The a-line cut is incredibly flattering. It's also extremely versatile; it can be dressed up or down. Best of all, I bought it half off during a ModCloth sale a few years ago! It's held up really well since then, even though I wear it a lot.

Outfit: Skirt, Modcloth (old); shirt, Target; cardigan, J. Crew (outlet); flats, Famous Footwear.

What are some of your summer wardrobe staples?

ModCloth Sale: Campfire Chic Inspired Outfit

Pictured: Bonfire Stories Tunic in Red Gingham;
Shop at the Antique Store Jeans;
Sweet Sentiments Bag;
Cement Our Friendship Boots.

ModCloth sales seriously kill me, at least in the sense that all my money disappears when their sales happen.

This Memorial Day Weekend sale they're having (30 percent off!!) was good enough to not only warrant a post, but also create Polyvore account. I think this outfit was partially inspired by the fact that I've been dying to go camping lately. It's gorgeous outside. Hopefully Mark and I can go exploring in the woods sometime next month.

I'm not sure how functional these items would be in the wilderness, but I can dream, right?

I'm definitely considering buying the top and the boots. We'll see if I follow through.

Hope you all are enjoying the weekend!

Ready for Takeoff

When your dress has an outer space print, you're bound to get compliments.

I bought this dress from Modcloth as a birthday gift to myself in July. While I hated dropping $75 on a dress, it was so worth it. The sweetheart neckline and the print were just too much to pass up. I literally get compliments every time I wear it.

While I was living in Ohio last winter, I visited the Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta, Neil Armstrong's hometown. I kind of wish I had this dress to wear there. It would've been perfect.

As for the denim jacket, it's a pretty recent development. I used to hate denim jackets, for one reason or another, but I think that might be because I always see people wearing those jackets with jeans. It totally adds a badass factor in the wardrobe.

I'm trying to get myself away from a cardigan addiction, since that's my normal go-to for outfits with dresses. I think this works pretty well.

In other news, I'm loving this summer-like weather. After the incredibly harsh winter, I enjoy seeing all the greenery and the cartoonish clouds. And for fair complected folk like me, getting sunburnt after being outside for an hour. Haha. I have a really weird triangle-shaped burn on my chest from the day I wore this outfit. Can't win 'em all.

Outfit: Dress, Modcloth; Denim Jacket, H&M; Shoes, Marshalls; Ring, flea market; Sunnies, Avalon (secondhand store).

What are some of your splurge wardrobe pieces?

PS In case you didn't hear, as of yesterday, THE GAY MARRIAGE BAN IN PENNSYLVANIA WAS RULED UNCONSTITUTIONAL. So happy for all of my LGBT friends. :) :)

In Bloom

I don't think I'm a very photogenic person, but that won't stop me from posting the occasional outfit photo. I've always loved dresses, avidly collected them for years, but it's probably only been about a year-and-a-half since I started actually wearing them on a regular basis.

Despite this dress being kinda short for me, I couldn't resist the daisy print and flattering hourglass silhouette. Daisy prints are so 90s chic! This is the first time I've worn it without a pair of opaque tights. Full disclosure: I don't like my legs at all, and try to keep them covered as much as possible. They're so pale. And knobby. But I'm hoping this blog pushes me out of my comfort zone, with fashion and otherwise.

These photos were actually taken in my parents' yard. To say my dad has a lot of quirky decor is an understatement. I guess some of it is kind of endearing. And he enjoys gardening, so there's a lot of various flowers in bloom and other greenery right now.

The latest runway craze: The T-Rex!

Outfit: Dress, Target; Cardigan, J. Crew (via Outlet store); Shoes, Marshalls; Ring, flea market; bag, ModCloth (similar).

Are there any flaws, physical or otherwise, that you struggle to embrace?