“Once you can accept the universe as being something expanding into an infinite nothing which is something, wearing stripes with plaid is easy.”

^ That fantastic line was quoted from the fabulous Albert Einstein who may or may not have been a closeted fashionista himself. Plaid is a huge design in all items of clothing this season and only the daring will use it as a statement paired with other patterns (i.e. stripes).  I highly encourage pushing the lines (and stripes) because plaid is such a basic pattern when left on it's own; I picture school girls or Scottish bagpipe players. I have nothing against school girls or bagpipe players but my point is the plaid on solid colors has already been done. It's your turn to STAND OUT. Of course plaid flannels or shirts can also be nice for casual days where you're not trying too hard, so I've assembled a few varieties of this CPO flannel from Buffalo Exchange I got for my Thursday thrift find this week to fit your plaid needs.

scarf: target

leggings: pink @ victoria's secret

leg warmers: wet seal

boots: sm @ sear's

Comfortable yet still lookin fresh. Anytime you add leg warmers/scarves to any kind of outfit, 90% of the time you're gonna look more put-together regardless of whether you're wearing leather pants or leggings. 

Now for some more daring plaid getups:

tank: it closet @ marshall's

necklaces:

pants: target

boots: sm @ sear's

The infamous plaid with stripes. Judge for yourself if you like it or think it's an eyesore. I personally think it's pretty rock & roll.

Last but not least a grungy/girly approach. Plaid doesn't always mean farmer, ladies. Over the knee leg warmers also do a great job at making legs look longer with skirts.

necklace:

skirt: one clothing @ t.j. maxx

watch: kohl's

bracelet: target

flats: candie's @ kohl's

leg warmers: target

 Give plaid a chance to be all it has potential to be. You wouldn't like it if the job of your dreams turned you down because of a first glance impression, would you? (;

- nali xo

lights, camera, action

This #manicuremonday, I decided to create a look for my nails with a look that came to me while i was watching the Great Gatsby the other day. It could have been any movie really that would have inspired this idea, except for the fact that I LOVE that movie and had gone to see it in theaters more than once. On the big screen, the colors, movement and chemistry between characters literally got under my skin because it was so overpowering. Once I got the DVD however, I realized that A. I will never have a television as large as a movie theater screen and B. the DVD only played the movie in widescreen format. (dun dun dun....) I hope I'm not the only one who hates watching movies in widescreen format because otherwise I just sound like a big baby (which I probably am) but now at least I know after having read this, some other people won't be able to stop noticing those unnecessary parallel lines of doom. Because I spent so much time trying to pretend the top and bottom borders on the screen weren't there, my movie experience actually ended up revolving around them (surprise, surprise) and my efforts were fruitless. *wipes tear*

ANYWAY

Here is what came out of my series of complaints

widescreen nails!

People do all kinds of crazy things with their nail polish so I figured why not take something positive out of something very, very negative (;

Although completely unrelated to the Great Gatsby or Hollywood moviemaking at all, here is the outfit I chose to pair with this design

Anytime I feel like a big, fall sweater is not dressy enough, I pair a flannel or other patterned collared shirt underneath for a small pop of color. I dare you to try something way out there next time you wear a sweater and leggings.

flannel: target

sweater: segue (vintage)

leggings: pink @ victoria's secret

shoes: etienne aigner @ macy;s

- nali xo

Thursday Thrift Find!

nali·rucci [nah-lee-roo-chee; Italian] 
noun
1. Nickname of 'goodbetterdressed' blogger
2. Avid toaster strudel eater
3. Professional sleeper
4. Semi-professional thrift shopper


The dictionary doesn't lie ^^^

HA if only. Until my semi professional status becomes officially ordained I make use of my time spending all my shopping money on clothes that were previously worn as attire during other people's memories. My favorite thrift/consignment store right now is Buffalo Exchange. It's perfect for regular thrifters as well as people who aren't as comfortable buying used clothing because the store has a filtering system when accepting clothing that accepts fashionable and name brand items. To learn more about Buffalo Exchange or to find a location visit http://www.buffaloexchange.com for thrift finds of your own! Here's my favorite item I found there this week:

tank: h&m

blazer: rue 21 @ marshall's

skirt: 21 trachic clothing & accessories @ buffalo exchange

boots: wet seal

 I know this skirt seems a little random and many people would probably not even think twice when seeing it on a rack but it was the only thing on the rack I saw that actually stood out and I have a thing for that. It also instantly reminded me of something one of these lovely ladies would wear so I loved it even more.

 This was my first instinct on how to wear it, very grunge. 

 And then I played with more subtle ways to wear it

sweater: h&m

boots: sears

earrings: buffalo exchange

lace shirt: eyeshadow @ marshalls

cardigan: piazza italia

shoes: lower east side @ pay less

denim button up: american eagle

shoes: no name

Go out and spice up your life!

- nali xo

The Breakfast Wrap

"Eat. My. Shorts." 

If you don't recognize that quote off the top of your head please open a new tab immediately and google it so you can pretend you were in the club from the beginning.

Now that we're all on the same page I'd like to take a minute to appreciate the masterpiece that is The Breakfast Club in a collage that I found on google.

This movie has been and will always be timeless, not because of the fashion and trends seen in the movie but because of the underlying message that everyone leads their own secret life behind closed doors. As difficult as it is to see that in high school, kids should learn to give each other a break and remember we're all here for the same reason. 

On another note, the clothing in this movie, although perfect for the time period and specific group of people it is dressing, would not normally be worn out now on any other day. I took inspiration from this movie and mentally updated my favorite character's look for myself.

 John Bender Official Resume: 

- Able to light a match with his teeth

- Has a bad influence on anyone he speaks to

- The voice of reason of the breakfast club

- Acts as comic relief

- Certified badass

Anyone as enamored with this movie as me who says they didn't have a crush on old Bender is either delusional or lying. Here is my way of showing appreciation for the high school "criminal"

The easiest way to spin off a character's style for your own is to take main patterns or colors, (in this case, plaid and denim) match them with similar or neutral colors to the rest of the character's outfit and finish off your look with your own personal touches. I chose a bow :)

Lace shirt: monteau @marshall's

denim shirt: american eagle

leather shorts: divided @ forever xxi

necklace: ralph lauren @ buffalo exchange

plaid flannel: cpo @ buffalo exchange

bow: forever xxi

boots: sm @ sears

Thanks for reading! Don't forget to eat breakfast today (;

- nali xo