SamZARA of a denim shirt

First off, happy Halloween all you little ghosts and goblins! I hope you get enough candy today to rot all your teeth!


Samsara: (n) Buddhism  the transmigration or rebirth of a person.

All thrift stores have a Buddhist style to them don't you think? Each item of clothing that has some kind of story to tell is passed from person to person, each time being reborn and given new stories to tell from the people who wore them. Someone may have had the best night of their life in a pair of jeans that they eventually give away, one day becoming someone else's favorite pair of jeans. In my opinion it's quite magical all thrift shoppers are so closely connected without even realizing it.

For my thrift find of the week, I ventured into the men's section again and was lucky enough to stumble across an item of clothing from Zara. Not only is 10x cheaper than it would've been in the actual store, but it's something so simple that it can be worn many different ways, and yet so ornate in the casual design of it.

tank: forever xxi

pants: bdg @ urban outfitters

boots: de blossom collections

pants: target

belt: vintage

boots: sm @ sears

socks; christmas tree shop

 NOTE: Halloween 'trick or treat' socks should only be worn today and no other day. Side effects of wearing Halloween socks on days that are not Halloween may include, but are not limited to, pointing and laughing from strangers and a feeling of low self-esteem.

suspenders: macy's

pants: one clothing @ marshall's

boots: target

 Denim and corduroy, united in perfect harmony. Not too much corduroy that it overtakes the simple button-down denim design, but just enough to make it so the shirt isn't just another denim button-down design. How many more reasons do you need to start shopping for men's clothes?

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(taken from http://www.chris.com/ascii/index.php?art=holiday/halloween)

- nali xo

Check Your Calendars

TOMORROW'S HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!!!!!

In case anyone didn't already know. Tomorrow is Halloween. I can't wait to see who everyone decides to be tomorrow night and who will be in a visible identity crisis. Follow me on instagram @ goodbetterdressed because on November 1 I'll be posting pictures of my favorite costumes I saw on the internet and in the outernet. My final Halloween themed inspiration of the week for this year is today (tear) so I decided to go out with a bang. Or should I say, out with a two-step. 

I've created the quick-fix recipe to the 80's style dance/workout girl that has proven to be a Halloween hit over the years. It's ridiculous to pay $30+ at the party store when you could put together an identical uniform for free. 

Ingredients:

1 pair of brightly colored leggings/ tights. I know you've all been to at least one neon party (a sweet sixteen probably). Pull those babies out of the back of the drawer.

1 vintage authentic workout leotard (if your mom was cool enough to have one like mine) 

Leotard may be substituted with solid colored full body bathing suit

2 leg warmers (any color)

1 off the shoulder sweatshirt (bonus points if it has a vintage logo/movie on it)

2 sneakers (high-top, low-top, sparkly, patterned, whatever you want)

No baking necessary for heat!

sweatshirt: forever xxi

leotard:  vintage

leggings: target

leg warmers: wet seal

sneakers: pom d'api

If you're feeling daring, why not try out the gym in these duds? 

Because not every trend from the 80s should come back, that's why not.

Happy Halloween-ing everyone! Have a safe and wonderful day/night, however you choose to spend All Hallows Eve.

- nali xo

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

The clock is ticking away and in less than three days we'll all (hopefully) be dressing up for Halloween! I have a last minute Halloween week #manicuremonday for you all to use or be inspired by!

You can do the candy corn nails, or the new 'bloody' trend, OR you can come up with something completely original drawn by your own hand. The nail art pen I've used for manis in past posts is great for any kind of design, as opposed to previously made decals that can't be changed. I drew up a classic creepy style for Halloween week: graveyard theme. 

One hand covered in cobwebs, the other reads R.I.P. Personalize this idea yourself, the spookier when the lights turn off the better. 

What better way to match graveyard nails than to pair a cobweb look alike sweater with neutral 'tomb color' tones? Here's my fall weather approved/tombstone inspired/manicure Monday outfit.

This time of year leg warmers are obviously a must.

button up: american eagle (mens)

sweater: guess

jeans: my pretty denim by cache cache

necklace: ralph lauren @ buffalo exchange

leg warmers: wet seal

shoes: candie's @ kohl's

Giant, shapeless sweaters may leave you stumped as to how to wear them. Instead of just layering the same white tank top underneath why not try a patterned button-up or a flannel next time you cozy into the knit holes.

"Are wild strawberries really wild? I will not be blamed if your wild strawberries can not be tamed."

- Shel Silverstein


Attempts to find a Halloween costume still fruitless? Orange you cutting it kind of close? Lucky for you I've matched up the perfect pear to ensure your costume is peachy.

Have you had it with the bad puns yet? I for one am just getting started (;

If you're really struggling this year to come up with a simple and creative Halloween costume, have no fear, I've got one a-peel-ing fix to open the door to a million new ideas: the tutu.

Pick any color, your favorite color, a color that makes you happy, a color that makes you sad, any kind of connection will work grape. Now, google said color and see what kind of random objects come up. Kinds of signs, flowers, candy, or fruits and vegetables. You're half way to a sublime costume. Once you have your color and your tutu of that color, just accessorize accordingly. I chose to go with the classic strawberry. Here is the fruit of my labors:

tutu: claire's, party stores, amazon

shirt: h&m

tights: forever xxi

boots: target

bandana: a.c.moore/michael's

Some kind of red shirt and tights with a green bandana ensures you'll have the sweetest costume anywhere you go this year! (Ok I'll cut it out with the bad puns) And if you want to take this costume a step further, why not go for the wild strawberry look? Tease your hair, put on crazy makeup and rip your tights. It's inventive and cute, what else could you need? 

Orange you glad I gave you this idea???

- nali xo

Someone's always watching....

Ever wish you could have an extra set eyes on the back of your head? This #manicuremonday I have found you a fix for that. With Halloween just around the corner I bet you're looking for something spooky to adorn. Even if you aren't, you've come to the right place for Halloween-ready unearthly nails. 

Don't limit yourself to decals and decorations made specifically for nails. Think outside the box and try a craft store for nail enhancement. I've finally come up with the best way to dress up your nails, Halloween style, have the most creative nails at the costume party and freak out your friends all with one style.

Two words: googly eyes (although I'm not sure if that counts as two words because I'm not sure if googly is actually a word. oh well)

Eyeballs are this season's perfect charm, didn't you hear? Black and white nails can go with any costume, especially the scary ones, and no one else will have thought of this inventive ornament. If you're looking to match it with something other than a Halloween costume, black and white all over works fine,  but I took it to the next level and played with an eye theme.

sweater: forever xxi

shorts: h&m @ buffalo exchange

tights: urban outfitters

necklace: claire's

sneaks: converse

Think outside the box this Halloween and every day. Manicures are the easiest and most fun way to express and decorate yourself. Paint responsibly.

"I know everything."

- A

Viewers everywhere have a different opinion of that first simple letter of the alphabet since Pretty Little Liars premiered on ABC Family in 2010. If you haven't seen an episode yet, you're very clearly missing out. Not only is the show suspenseful, addicting and full of eye candy actors, but it actually involves the viewers in a way that has cause many fans to create entire websites of 'Pretty Little Liars theories' to try to guess who the mastermind 'A' is. The show can sometimes be downright terrifying if you're into it so what better way to celebrate Halloween than by dressing up as A himself/herself? This costume is perfect for unmotivated Halloween goers because it requires clothing almost everyone has and needs no accessorizing. 

1 black hoodie + 1 pair of black pants leggings = one certified A outfit. If you feel like it's not enough, sew a big red A on your back to get the message across. 

For a slightly different approach in the same direction, try suiting up as the mysterious 'red coat'. This outfit will work particularly well if you're a blondie and if you have a long red trench coat. This costume is a little more open to accessorizing. 

Just a few subtle and simple costume ideas for all you slackers out there! 

- nali xo

Halloween Costume Ideas: Week 2 of 4

Let's skip the "punny" intro for today and get right into the good stuff. 
As I said last week, I prefer homemade Halloween costumes for the originality and amount of money you save. The outfit I put together for this week's post is one of my favorite characters of all time.

I was one of the biggest Disney girls you could've ever come across so it's no surprise that to this day, Aladdin is one of my favorite movies. I never really noticed until recently how pro-feminism old Disney movies were and that makes grown-up me like them even more. Jasmine is a strong, independent woman who fights against laws forced on her in order for her to be happy (aka me when my dad tried to marry me off to undeserving princes, ugh).

This costume is simple because it can be created in many different ways. Here is how I chose to wear it

pants: american apparel @ buffalo exchange

shirt: italian flea market steal

necklace: kohl's

earrings:vintage

shoes: lower east side @ payless

Jasmine's key color is the aqua/green/blue in the ensemble she wears for the majority of the movie. Her pants are baggy and her top is cropped. If you can come across pants similar to the color she wears with any kind of bandeau/crop top, you're already halfway to Agrabah. The triple ponytail is a must. Any kind of Arabian-esque gold jewlery (preferably larger earrings and a shorter length necklace) with a gold headwrap finishes off your outfit and shoes should be simple gold flats. Voila! Halloween is sure to be an Arabian night.

I was looking on Pinterest at some of the creative Halloween costumes people make themselves, and here are some of the ones I was most impressed with for your viewing and inspirational pleasure.

The Hamburgler via Jessica Quirk

Frida Kahlo via redbookmag.com

And for all you couples out there trying to find something good

Walter & Jesse from Breaking Bad via Rachel Jackson

French chef & croquembouche via studiodiy.com

I hope you're all one step closer to finding your ideal Halloween costume! 

- nali xo