First Look: Karlie Kloss x Warby Parker Released Today

          Warby Parker is well known for their thick framed glasses, but now they're offering a delicate collection of sunglasses with help from supermodel, Karlie Kloss. A driven, businesswoman herself, Kloss collaborated with the brand to create three styles for $145 each. Proceeds will benefit Edible Schoolyard NYC, an organization close to Kloss that provides kitchens and gardens to low-income public schools so students can develop healthy and sustainable habits. And as always, for every pair sold, Warby Parker will donate a pair of glasses to someone in need.

          Not only can you buy these sunglasses with a clear conscience, but they're some of the most stylish pairs I've seen in a while. I was just out shopping for sunglasses today and noticed how prominent thick, bulky styles are. But I've recently grown to prefer thinner, aviator styles, so I like that Kloss' are a trendier take on classic aviators. Each pair has a unique lens shape -- Clara is round, Marple is angular and Julia is the standard aviator. The lenses also come in colors like indigo, sepia, copper, slate and violet clover.

Peruse the exclusive product images below and shop the collection online or in stores.
Check out all of their women's sunglasses here.

Clara - heirloom silver with sepia wash lenses

Clara - heirloom gold with copper fade lenses

Marple - heirloom gold with violet clover lenses

Marple - heirloom silver with faded slate lenses

Julia - heirloom gold with copper fade lenses

Julia - heirloom silver with indigo wash lenses

Photos courtesy of Warby Parker

Vintage Naeem Khan Beaded Top

         Whenever I move to a new place, it's important that I find the nearest thrift store. Not only is half my wardrobe thrift and vintage, but I love the thrill of finding old pieces I can make new. Even though my family's been living in western New Hampshire for a couple years now, it's taken me this long to discover Go Lightly, a consignment shop in nearby New London. Among a large inventory of old lady clothes and early 2000s trends, they have a surprisingly wide range of vintage and designer pieces.

          I found this gorgeous, beaded top hidden in their vintage racks and was stunned by its detail. Then I looked at the tags -- silk, Naeem Khan, Neiman Marcus, and less than $30! I couldn't let this steal slip from my hands!

          Now to be clear, the top is vintage Naeem Khan. This may be confusing to those who know the designer for his red carpet gowns that launched him into popularity only a few years ago. What many don't know, and what I didn't know until I researched the label on the tag, is that Khan created the Riazee Collection in 1981 and it lasted for fourteen years. He didn't begin designing purely under his namesake until 2003.

          With such an elegant top, there aren't many places in New Hampshire worthy to wear it. But I didn't care! My family took a trip to try The Revolution Cantina in Claremont and that was a good enough excuse for me. I paired it with distressed jeans, a gold shoulder bag I found on another recent thrift excursion, black caged heels, and a beaded collar necklace my mémère gave me for Christmas. I finished my look with copper eyeshadow, inspired by makeup in a Roberto Cavalli runway show.

Left, makeup at Roberto Cavalli. Right, my copper eyeshadow rendition.

JustDon't - A Not So Fabulous Review of JustFab

Whenever a college student is told they can have something for free, we generally don't mind going one extra mile if it's worth it. This was my mindset when I received an email from shoe subscription company, JustFab (formally known as Justfabulous), telling me I could get a free pair of shoes. Of course, I immediately read the fine print. I had to sign up for VIP membership and I knew I would have to pay for shipping. However, their website told me I could cancel my membership at any time with their 24 hour customer service. So I figured I would order my pair and cancel as soon as they shipped. Not surprisingly, only select styles were valid for the offer, but I found a pair I liked enough to pay five dollars for. Little did I know, those shoes would cost my bank account and my sanity much more!

Timeline of My Experience

Friday, March 7th...
I received my shoes in the mail and promptly cancelled my VIP membership. Customer service was a pain, as they desperately try to keep you on board even after telling them, "Yes, I know I can cancel anytime. That's why I'm canceling now!" It took twice as long as it should have, but I didn't mind it too much since I'd just gotten myself a $5 pair of shoes.

Six days later...
I get an email from JustFab saying, "Congratulations! You have a credit on your account!" At first, I was thinking they'd sent me a nice little present to beg for my return. Nope. My card was automatically charged $39.95 because I hadn't "picked my shoe for the month," even though I'd canceled my membership before that time was up. Thanks to this lovely gift, my account was now in the negatives. I called customer service right away. They told me there had been "a glitch in the system" and my cancellation hadn't processed. They would cancel my membership right away and process a refund to arrive in my bank account in 5-7 business days. I told them seven days wasn't good enough and asked to speak to a supervisor. They weren't able to get a hold of said supervisor but told me they would call my bank and get my refund to me in 3-5 business days.

Six more days later...
Nothing was in my account yet and I was growing more impatient everyday. I called them again to ask what was taking so long. The customer service representative told me my refund hadn't processed yet because there was yet another "glitch in the system." She immediately processed my refund and told me it should be in my account in 5-7 business days. I was furious. How was I to trust them when apparently their "systems" couldn't handle my account? I told her how upset I was and asked for a supervisor. I actually got a supervisor on the phone this time! She was apologetic, blah, blah, blah...but I told her how dissatisfied I was and demanded she do something else. She dodged around the problem with scripted PR words until she finally said she could speak to my bank representative. Of course, I was talking to her at 11pm, so there was no way to make this happen until I visited my bank the next day. She gave me her name and work hours and that was that for the time being.

The next day...
I arrived in Boston for the weekend and visited my bank. They gave me the line to call for electronic claims that's open 24/7 so I could talk to them at my convenience. I was busy settling in and visiting friends so I put that phone call off for the time being.

One more day later...
I finally received the refund in my bank account, without having to call my bank. I was so relieved to finally be finished with JustFab and all their "glitches."

The Shoes

I ordered a pair of sandals, called Ernesta, in size six. They were cute for five dollars, not much more. The materials were cheap -- the suede was fake, the satin thin and the woven-style platform was shedding its fibers. They were slightly big and fit closer to a six and a half. They looked cute on me though, and were surprisingly comfortable. But they were certainly not worth two weeks of high anxiety and a low bank account balance.

Studs, Leather and Destiny - The Story of My Badgley Mischka Handbag

          You know that feeling when you fall in love with an unattainable dress or pair of shoes? You just can't afford it, or at least not without killing your bank account, but you can't stop thinking about it. Once you leave the store you keep wondering if someone's snatched it up yet or if it's just sitting where you left it, waiting for you to come back for it. Well, that was me about a month ago! During a TJMaxx shopping trip, I'd found the most beautiful Badgley Mischka handbag in black leather with gold studs and hardware. I was in awe of how soft the leather felt and how perfect the bag was. It was down from it's original department store price, but was still out of my budget. Reluctantly, I put it back and settled for a quick snapshot to remember it by. A few weeks later, I found it again, same price, same disappointment.

            Yesterday, I went back to TJMaxx once more to search for this bag of my dreams, in hopes that it went on clearance. My heart began to sink when it wasn't on display where it was the week before. But after a little digging, I saw those gold studs peeking from behind a couple less-than-average handbags and grabbed it before anyone could take it away from me. It was on sale so with my Christmas gift cards, and some help from my generous parents, it was a realistic purchase. I was finally united with this bag that had been on my mind for over a month! 

             I am now happy to say that this handbag is a part of my treasured collection and I'll be bringing it along with me to New York Fashion Week in a few days!

My Photoshoot with Tricia Cromwell from Trust in Tricia

 

          This fall, I won a contest that Tricia Cromwell posted on her Facebook. The prompt was to showcase an outfit incorporating fall trends, so I submitted the outfit I wore to the MFA a couple months ago (leather skirt and sneaker wedges). She picked my outfit and I won her Total Makeover prize, complete with a day of shopping, hair and makeup, and a photoshoot styled by Tricia!

          I didn't have much money to spend due to my Christmas shopping budget, but we had a fun time window shopping. She introduced me to some stores and boutiques in Hingham, Mass. and I gathered a bunch of DIY ideas for my clothes and jewelry.

           The best discovery of our day was this amazing top made out of can tabs, by Waleska. I've never worn a shirt made entirely out of metal, so I had to try it on of course!

            After our shopping trip, we headed to Cloutier Photography's studio to start our photoshoot. We took some "before" pictures with a plain tee and then I got my hair and makeup done. It felt good to be pampered for a change, since I'm usually the one styling the model. They curled my hair and gave me a rosy, smokey eye. It was such a pretty, daytime take on a typically nighttime style. 

            Tricia styled me with my own clothes and accessories that I brought, along with some of her own jewelry from her spectacular case full of bracelets, necklaces, and earrings. She put together four looks for me to model. Then came the pictures! Take a look at them below!

Thank you to everyone who made my photoshoot so much fun, including Tricia, Lauren, Maryjo, and Stephanie!