in which I have dreams about fezes

Excerpted from my dream journal: "I was on a bus and the Eleventh Doctor--wearing his fez--sat behind me. He said, 'Don't I know you?' and we studied each other. He showed off his fez, and I said that I liked it. He took it off and put it on my head. 'They're very expensive now, unfortunately,' he told me."

The subconscious of a geek, apparently.

If you're wondering what it is that a grad student does during the winter holidays, let me give you the low-down. The lo-down? The low down. Anyway.

1. Read.

Yes. This doesn't sound all that different from what a grad student does during the semester, now does it? I'm just finishing up a biography of Jean Rhys, which unfortunately was not particularly well written or informative. And I am still pondering the ethics of its very existence, seeing as Jean Rhys stated very explicitly before her death that she did not want anyone to write a biography of her after she was gone. A couple of days ago I started reading the new translation of The Second Sex (Simone de Beauvoir) which R had surprised me with for my birthday this past year.

I also recently completed Hotel World by Ali Smith, one of the only contemporary authors whose work I am familar with due to a class in contemporary British fiction that I took 5 years ago. It was decent; I like the idea of different story lines coming together loosely, but I didn't feel particularly driven to reach the end. For a short book, it felt rather like a chore to finish reading. The first section is from the point of view of the ghost of a nineteen-year old girl who has just died by plummeting to the ground in a dumbwaiter at the hotel where she works. There is a part where the ghost interacts with the physical corpse of the girl--they have an actual conversation in her grave--and that was both an interesting idea and well done. But the rest of the short novel did not reach the expectations that this beginning section set forth.

On the plane to Austin several weeks ago I finished Rebecca West's The Fountain Overflows. I found this novel downright bizarre. A couple of hundred pages in, the narrative of a family who never has much money due to the father's unscrupulous 'investments' is starkly interrupted by a chapter in which young teenager narrator Rose and her mother go to visit their cousins and encounter poltergeists. After the chapter, where the poltergeists up and leave due to the high spiritual energy they sense within Rose and her mother, they are almost never mentioned again and the narrative resumes matter-of-factly, as if ghosts who throw dishes and rip clothes off of the clothesline are a routine matter in interwar Britain. Rebecca West, I ask you: what?

2. Watch TV via Netflix.

I just finished watching the first season of Downton Abbey on Netflix. I love it. How could I not? The books I read for fun tend to be written between 1815 and 1945, and I absolutely love period dramas (or comedies)when it comes to film. So, naturally, this television show about the aristocratic family living at Downton Abbey and their household staff in the period just before the first World War (the first episode is in 1912, the day the Titanic sank, and the season ends with England's declaration of war on Germany) as good as had my name on it. Bonus: the actor who portrays Harriet Jones in Doctor Who is in the show, as well as Maggie Smith.

R has a thing for the show Bones, so I watched a couple of episodes from the 4th season to placate him. He thought that because the two episodes were set in London that I would be sure to fall in love with the show. While I did not fall in love, I was intrigued, so we've started to watch the first season and quite frankly at this point I find it addictive. I suspect this has something to do with the fact that I grew up watching Law and Order and CSI with my Dad, when there would be several episodes on one after the other post-dinner.

3. Go on dates.

The fact that I have an abundance of free time combined with the fact that I am taking my vacation to live with my long-distance boyfriend means that multiple nights a week are date nights. We go to dinner; we get drinks; we read at coffeeshops; we come home and watch movies. Sometimes I even meet R for lunch in the middle of the day--like today, for instance, I believe we are going to try some of the famous food carts on South Congress (Hey Cupcake! originated here, if you are one of the people who are not from Austin but who pay attention to these things).

And so, all of that being said, how does a grad student dress during the winter holidays to do these things?






shoes: gifted Clark's (thanks, Mum!)
tights: JCrew
skirt: gifted Anthropologie (again, thanks, Mum!)
shirt: American Apparel
necklace: gifted
purse: Le Mode

I don't quite dress like this every day. This outfit was for date night! R and I went to a pub for a couple of drinks after he left work. I don't see myself as donning these heels too too often, unless I get used to them quickly. You might have noticed that aside from boots, I am inexperienced in heels.

in which Christmas happened

The winter holidays seem to be a time of tradition for most folks. This is not quite the case with me, for various reasons. My extended family lives in Washington and Alaska, so we have not gathered together for a Christmas since I was 8 years old. Members at our Christmas dinner table have, I think, been different and in flux for the past five years. One of my grandparents is in a nursing home now, so she does not spend Christmas morning with us any longer. My dog died three years ago, and now we are joined by my mom's beagle, Baylee, instead when we open presents. This year, because he did not return to Iowa, R spent Christmas with myself and my parents.

The only few things that have never changed regarding Christmas at my parents' house are as follows:

-on Christmas Eve after mass we eat a glorious amount of tamales with queso and then watch a Christmas movie (for the past 6 years, this movie has been Love Actually)
-on Christmas morning, we open our stockings and then have more tamales for breakfast
-we open the presents from under the tree
-Christmas lunch/dinner is essentially the same as Thanksgiving dinner

I hope I never go a single Christmas Eve in my whole life without tamales. My dad sent an extra dozen of them home with myself and R to eat this week, too!

I grew up in Austin, so it is important also to note some of the holiday traditions of the city itself. For as long as I can remember, there has been a gigantic tree of lights in Zilker Park, which is near downtown, for the greater portion of December and into the new year. Originally, the tree accompanied the Trail of Lights, which was unfortunately, heartbreakingly discontinued due to budget cuts. The Trail of Lights was in the gigantic field across the street from Zilker Park (where ACL Fest takes place annually); one was supposed to park at Zilker across the street and then walk through the various displays of lights through the park (hot chocolate or apple cider from a vendor: optional)and return to the gigantic Zilker tree at the end of the excursion and grasp hands with a friend/lover/stranger/relative and spin around beneath the tree, looking up into the swirling strands of light. When I was growing up, I used to volunteer at the Trail of Lights with Girl Scouts every year and distribute short surveys at the exit. It was just part of being in Austin for the holidays; families and couples loved this bit of FREE holiday fun.

I decided that R ought to experience at least the Zilker tree, because he is new to Austin. We took a date night to eat dinner and sip margaritas at Chuy's, and then walked with full bellies to the tree. Due to the previously mentioned full bellies, there was certainly no spinning! But we walked beneath the tree--snapped some pictures--and observed the other groups of people present. Many others spinned. Some consumed overpriced funnel cake from a vendor. Though it was a cold night (by Austin standards, anyway), people had flocked to the tree and it was delightful to witness.



Happy Holidays, everyone!

in which I am in warm ATX but I showcase outfits from snowy IC

Well, it has been a struggle. I got my two end-of-term essays in, and posted grades for my 40 students. All of this with--still--no functioning laptop of my own. I ordered the wrong replacement keyboard for my mini Dell, and then forgot to bring the power cord for my giant Dell to Austin with me, so I have been using R's laptop for all academic needs. And, as a result, not using a computer at all for other needs--which includes, obviously, blogging!

But then I realized that I miss blogging, and that I almost have a 30-for-30 going on here for the next 30 days in any case due to my limited wardrobe. So, expect periodic, though not daily, posts.

The temperatures here range from 55-70 degrees during the day, so I haven't really been needing to layer much. It is an odd feeling not to need a coat when I leave the house. The outfit you are about to see was donned during completely opposite weather:








boots: Clark's, gifted
jeans: Gap
shirt and scarf and coat: thrifted
beret: hat store in Madison
sweater:Jcrew
brooch: vintage






cardigan and dress and belt: thrifted
socks: Target
boots: Clark's, gifted

I do not miss the cold. Yesterday morning I went jogging around the lake, and it was about 50 degrees and windy. The only thing I miss about Iowa City is having somewhere indoors to work out, because that wind was hurting my throat!

In the near future: thrifting adventures

in which finals week swallows me whole

I have a few days' worth of outfit photos on my camera, but my dear readers, I have been so busy trying to get through my term papers and my grading that I just don't believe I'll have the time to post those until this weekend!

Just an update: I'm in Austin now, trying to get through my essay on the domestic in Mrs. Dalloway while R is at work, and then enjoying his company in the evenings. We have watched much West Wing in only two days.

This post is an example of the many ways I have somehow managed to find to procrastinate.

in which I perservere

R has been very sweet as I try to avoid panic over this keyboard situation, giving me evening pep talks and even calling me in the middle of the day both yesterday and today to inquire how I am managing.

Well, readers, I am managing surprisingly well. I detached the gigantic keyboard from the desktop computer that sits in my office, and I plugged it into my tiny laptop in order to log on and save all new files to my external hard drive this morning in case the laptop itself dies. (I don't think that it will. I think that once the new keyboard that Z helped me order yesterday arrives, and after Z so gallantly helps me to replace the tea-stained keyboard with it, everything will return to normal).

So, I've meanwhile been grading and typing up the proposed bibliography for my Victorian essay. Once I've sorted through all of the reading journals, I should be ready to dive right in to my discussion of Villette alongside Voyage in the Dark and Good Morning, Midnight! Can this lady write a 20-page paper by next Thursday? Well, yes. With ease? Mmmm... maybe not so much. At least not while also grading and attending my classes.

Yesterday's outfit:





boots: gifted Clarks
tights: H&M
dress: thrifted vintage Sears
vest: vintage from etsy
belt: thrifted
scarf: stolen from my mum

Today:






boots: gifted Clatks, again
skirt: thrifted vintage (so woolly and warm!)
shirt: Gap, ancient
vest: thrifted Urban Outfitters
necklace: thrifted vintage

Current grading playlist consists of Laura Veirs, the xx, Twin Shadow, Bon Iver, Trifonic, and two songs by Hercules and Love Affair that I can't enough of: Painted Eyes and Leonora.

in which I ruin my less-than-a-month-old new keyboard

What a morning, everyone. The looseleaf tea that I brought in a travel mug to my office hours escaped its bag and was floating in all the mango mate goodness... so, I poured it out and made some Earl Grey. As I perused JCrew's 30% off all sweaters(!!) sale, I tried to take a sip and... well, spilled recently boiled water all over my left hand, and some dripped onto my keyboard.

Slight panic mode ensued. Quite right, too; the keys, little by little, ceased to work. I had to order a new one off of Amazon and use expensive expedited shipping because--gah!--it's the end of the semester and I am grading and writing term papers in a mad frenzy. I need my mini-laptop to NOT be out of commission. My large [old] laptop I really only keep around for the purpose of listening to iTunes. There aren't any important germane files on it. It doesn't even have Firefox on it, or my Pinterest password memorized. Worst of all, the Adobe program that I use to highlight and make notes on PDFs of academic articles is only on the mini-laptop. UGH.

Outfit posts to come soon, once I get things under control!

in which I spend the morning on a lengthy jog around Town Lake

Well, I did it! I actually did go jogging. I walked R to work and then found the trail along the side of Town Lake. And--off I went! I'm not sure how far I jogged. I didn't actually know where I was going, evidenced by the fact that not once but twice I went down forks of the trail that no other jogger followed me down/up and ended up somewhere completely random and not where I had intended to be. And so I retraced my steps and was forced to backtrack and try again, as it were. But I eventually found myself on parts of the trail that I could recognize, and after about two hours I had looped around the lake under the highway and jogged back to the Congress Avenue bridge, which leads back up to R's abode.

I am of course now ridiculously sore.




dress: vintage, thrifted via Blue Velvet this past weekend
cardigan: JCrew, old
brooch: thrifted
necklace: from a street stall in Notting Hill, London


I've spent my afternoon at The Green Muse, a coffeeshop in south 78704, which is an area that I don't really frequent. But I thought I'd try something new/nearby, so here am. I typed up the introduction to my Victorian paper and have been trying to type the quotes from Villette and Voyage in the Dark and Good Morning, Midnight that I plan to use in my essay. It saves me so much time in the actual writing of my paper when I have all the quotes already typed up and do not have to go flipping through the pages of the books every couple of minutes.

This evening: R and I are meeting my parents at Hut's, the best hamburger joint in Austin (in my opinion). Tomorrow, as you know, is Thanksgiving! Have a nice holiday, all.

in which I am disappointed by romanticized stuffed jalapenos

My long hair was starting to get out of control. If I didn't braid it, I shed everywhere. And even when I did braid it, while I was braiding it I shed ridiculous amounts on my bathroom floor. Too much hair! So, my mom made an appointment for me to get a trim in the middle of her color. She picked me up from R's apartment and off we went! Hair has been chopped. (though you shan't see it in these photos)





dress, cardigan, belt, sunglasses: thrifted
tights: Sock Dreams
shoes: Urban Outfitters
pin: Disney World

(note: it is difficult to take outfit photos and talk on the phone with one's mum at the same time)

Then we went to lunch at The Texican Cafe, a restaurant that I loved growing up. They have these amazing stuffed jalapenos as an appetizer that were just DIVINE. Well, at lunch, I have to admit that I was pretty underwhelmed by them. Had I romanticized the jalapenos? I mean, they were fine. But were they worth the (I suspect) hundreds and hundreds of calories? Or the $6? No. No, they were not. And my tacos were unexceptional, particularly after a weekend full of Amaya's Taco Village in NE Austin. Sigh. What a waste. I've been eating out an obscene amount upon my arrival in town, as I always do when I visit for a short amount of time. But I always justify it by saying that I will hit the gym when I get back to Iowa and by making each meal worth it. Well, this lunch was not worth it. I am disappointed and frustrated.

Tomorrow: I am going to get up when R does for work, and I am going to go jogging if it's the last thing I do!

in which I return to Austin and hit the shops.. or, Anthropologie

R plodded off to work this morning around 8, and I began my first (and only?) solo day in Austin. I took a long bath and finished sticking post-it notes in Villette before taking an admittedly less studious detour into Anthropologie on my way to a coffeeshop.

Oh, Anthro.

I tried on this beautiful skirt, which at its full price of nearly $100, is just not going to do it for me. But I'm going to keep my eye on it to see if it goes on sale any time soon. I have been looking for a shorter wool skirt to wear with colorful tights, and I think that the navy blue of this little piece would allow this.
And, I found the blazer on the sale rack. But being a little tight in the arms (this is usually not a problem for me, either), I couldn't bring myself to spend $70 on it. Even if it is really adorable, warm, and silky on the inside. Sigh.




I did snag this wool/cotton/alpaca cardigan for $19, though. I've been looking for a navy blue cardigan for winter weather (I promise).




And now back to my regularly-scheduled research; I'm burying myself in articles on Villette and Voyage in the Dark for the next couple of hours before meeting R after work. We're returning the rental car and then, I believe, going to Chuy's for margaritas and (in my case anyway) burritos.





And yes, you have seen this outfit before. But R had not (in person, anyway), so I brought it to ATX to try on for him.

top: thrifted
skirt: Anthropologie
belt and necklace: via my mum
shoes: Urban Outfitters
purse: Spotted Moth

in which I really do love Jane Austen

For the past few nights I have been reading fifty pages or so of Persuasion between my phone conversations with R and my sinking into slumber. I can't even remember what it was that made me pick it up off of the bookshelf when I have god knows how many unread novels on my shelves, waiting patiently in line. But picked it up I did, and upon finishing it this morning during my office hours I can attest to loving it as much as ever.

I took a Jane Austen seminar in the autumn of my senior year in college; by that time I had, being such as I am, already read the complete works of that esteemed lady. At the time I claimed Emma as my favourite novel, loving (as I do still) the hilarity of its minor characters and the intricacies of its plot(s). But after taking the course I began to flag in this decision. I was beginning to love Mansfield Park in all its subtleties and commentary on play-acting and performance (of various kinds). And yet, in the following year during which I began graduate school, I reread Persuasion and realized, certain events still bringing me to tears after at least 5 previous readings, that it must be my very favourite Austen novel.

And so I have read it again--for the what, 7th time? And I think I must have been correct. Persuasion is my favourite Jane Austen novel. For now, at any rate!

When considering Austen novels, I inevitably find myself wondering--which Austen heroine do I most resemble? When I was 17 I wrote an admissions essay to Lewis and Clark in Portland proclaiming my many similarities to Marianne Dashwood of Sense and Sensibility. At the time I was a very rash, impulsive, romantic type of girl who filled the pages of composition books with (now, I believe) rather silly love poems. Six years later, I find myself comparatively thoughtful and mature, though still at times grievously sensitive and admittedly sentimental. I'm not nearly shy enough to be a Jane Bennett, though I share her absurd optimism and determination to see the best in every one and every situation. Possibly I have gone from Marianne to Elinor.






coat: thrifted LL Bean
scarf and skirt: thrifted
suspenders: Amazon
top: H&M, old
necklace: via my mum
OTK socks: Sock Dreams
boots: gifted, ancient

Onwards to Austin! Where my pleasure-reading shall be necessarily broken up by workworkworkwork as I race against time towards the end of the semester. Bring on the breakfast tacos and the Bronte criticism!

in which I struggle with the shade

I had a hard time taking outfit photos today. I had to run to the post office to send off a return to Ruche after class, and thought I would stage my photos in the little grassy area beside the building. But with the sun being at odd places at 3:00, I was hard-pressed to get good lighting.








boots: Clarks, gifted
tights: Sock Dreams
dress: thrifted
belt: Ruche
long sleeve tee: street vendor in Brussels
cardigan: Gap
necklace: thrifted via my mum

You can kind of tell what I am wearing, right? In any case, the couple of photos that look odd do so because I was trying to make the lighting better with my shitty free photo software.

In other news, I am about halfway done with grading the student essays. Then I have 38 reading journals to sift through--and those are mostly handwritten. But! In two days I'll be eating a late dinner at Kerbey Lane with R! (I hope the pear-bacon grilled cheese sandwich is back on the seasonal menu; that with sweet potato fries and lime-cilantro dipping sauce is heaven).

in which a student actually uses the phrase 'go forth and fornicate' in a paper

It's been a bit of a day, let me tell you. Between a handful of student papers still missing--and excuses accumulating in my email inbox--and the grading of the papers that actually did get turned in ... let's just say that I totally deserve the butternut squash lasagna that is in the oven right now and the wine I am planning to drink with it.

Thus far the highlight of my student papers has to be the one on three perspectives on the subject of free condoms being made available in schools. The student discussed the perspectives of parents, the perspective of schools who DO distribute condoms, and those that do NOT. The perspective of many parents, he claims, is that when schools make free condoms available to students that they are saying "go forth and fornicate."

Oh my goodness did that crack me up. Who gets to read that sentence, ever?





boots: Clarks, gifted
skirt: Coldwater Creek (no, really), old
top: thrifted BCBG, Buffalo Exchange
cardigan: Gap
necklace: thrifted ring and chain

Other noteworthy events of the day: I've started listening to Laura Veirs. Also, I booked my airport shuttle for Friday afternoon. Back into the land of 70 degree autumn in two and a half days!

in which my legs feel naked, even with tights

I usually wear boots with a short(er) skirt or dress. I'm not sure why this is exactly; is it from some unwritten fashion 'rule,' or perhaps some notion that I can 'hide' my legs with them? Whatever the reason, when in autumn I break out the skirts and dresses that are too short for me to wear comfortably without tights or leggings during the summer, I tend to hide any flats that I own behind the small collection of boots.

Today I defied my habit, and paired my shortest dress with some oxfords.




dress, belt, necklace: thrifted
cardigan: JCrew
tights: Sock Dreams
shoes: Urban Outfitters

I felt pretty naked, let me tell you. And self-conscious! Yet while I sped down the hill from my apartment to campus on Alonso, there was something liberating in the lack of weight on my feet. Will I dare try this feat again? I have no idea. It will probably be to cold to even consider it while I'm in Iowa until March or April. But when I'm in Austin next week for the fall break, and two weeks after that for winter break (5 weeks!), I just might.

Noteworthy events of today: my students handed in their last essay of the semester, in which they 'map' a controversy and discuss three separate perspectives. I'm about to dive into an intense week of grading in hopes that I can complete it before I leave town on Friday. I'm spending next week with R, and while he is at work during the days I want to devote all of my time to my Victorian essay while rediscovering my love for various ATX coffeehouses. So, let the grading frenzy begin!

in which I return from Minneapolis triumphantly

So, I met R in Minneapolis this weekend! It was about a 4.5 hour drive, though I was admittedly speeding. I didn't take any photos on Saturday, despite downtown Minneapolis proving to be full of fantastic spots. I fell a little bit in love with the parks here and there amongst the big buildings; with yellow leaves along the sidewalk, it felt a bit like London again. R is very much into green spaces in cities as a planner, and so we both enjoyed taking a long stroll on Saturday.

On Sunday we ventured into St. Paul for a late brunch. We hit up the Uptowner, where I rediscovered a love of biscuits and gravy. I wanted to get back into Iowa before dark (unlit highways), so we spent the afternoon taking a walk along Grand Avenue and taking in the nice balance of shops and cute apartments until I had to drop R back at the hotel and once again brave the open road.





boots: gifted, old
cardigan: Urban Outfitters, old
tights: Sock Dreams
dress: thrifted vintage
scarf: borrowed from R


It was a lovely weekend, a nice breath of fresh air after weeks upon weeks of stress-filled teaching and researching.

in which I get free tea in the mail!

I ordred three Tiesta tea blends with a very old Groupon last week, and they arrived in the mail today! However, they were also accompanied by three smaller packages of tea that I neither ordered nor was charged for. Free tea! I suspect they are samples of some kind. Expect tea reviews in the near future! I am about to make the Nutty Almond Cream with a dash of milk. It seems like an appropriate treat to sip as I make my way through Voyage in the Dark by Jean Rhys for the remainder of my evening in pursuit of a topic for my Victorian Lit essay.

Jean Rhys? Victorian Lit? How do these two topics go together, you ask? Stay tuned to find out in later blog posts.





shirt and skirt: American Apparel
belt: thrifted
cardigan: thrifted JCrew
tights: H&M
socks: Hue via Dillard's
boots: Naturalizer via JCPenney
necklace: hand-me-down via a friend

Tomorrow is my Victorian Lit professor's birthday, and we threw her a bit of a surprise party today, the vast majority of the class bringing in food and drinks of various kinds. I went out and bought some yellow lillies for her before class and had them wrapped in some green paper. I ought to have taken a photo. I love yellow flowers of all kinds! And I think that Professor FB was pleased. We all signed a card for her. She said, "I hope that you all live to have students like this."

Me, too.

In other news, I took a cue from Chelsea over at Bright Side Dweller and took part in this Hipster Paper Doll Maker. I'm not going to lie; if I lost about 20 pounds and had better luck with brushing my hair, I think this would pretty much sum me up:

in which it snows for the first time this winter

Well, friends, can you still call it autumn if it's snowing? As I type these words in my living room, I can look out my window and see snow falling from the sky. And, thankfully, not sticking to the ground, which is wet from rain. I believe the correct term for this is "wintry mix," which was probably that which was the most unbearable for me last winter here in Iowa. It's cold; it's wet; the snowflakes aren't even fluffy. This experience of wintry mix is not too bad, however, because I am assured by weather.com that the temperatures will rise into the upper 40s today. Imagine it not leaving the 30s.

So I finally caved in and turned on the heater at my apartment. I was traipsing around this morning in sweatpants, fuzzy socks, a t-shirt, and a fleece blanket draped over my shoulders and wrapped tightly around my torso--it was time. When it is snowing outside, one should have the heat turned on. That's just one of those nuggests of common-sense.





rain boots: old
tights: Sock Dreams
skirt: Anthropologie
shirt: handmade, thrifted
belt: JCrew
necklace: antique shop-ed

In other news, I had a request for the recipe of the sweet potato cookies!





And in other other news.... I finished my Adrienne Rich paper! 21 pages. What a relief. Now I just have to write two other 20-page essays in three weeks. No big deal.

This is the Snoopy sweatshirt that is keeping me toasty on these long autumnal wintery nights. I love love love it and it was worth every bit of the $18 that I paid for it at Buffalo Exchange 5 years ago!

in which I discover the "office delivery" option at the library

I am a little bit pampered. This weekend I was going a search for sources on Jean Rhys and Virginia Woolf for two of my remaining papers, and I fouund a handful of book chapters via the MLA Database that sounded quite helpful. As it turned out, the library here at Iowa had several of these in stock. I was about to copy down call numbers when I saw a highly intriguing button that was labeled "Office Delivery."

Buttons are made to be pressed, right?

So, as it turns out, I can have books delivered from the library to my office. Sort of. I found that in all actuality, the books (five hefty volumes, one a dissertation!) were not delivered to my personal office (despite the presence of a mail slot on my door?) but instead to the Graduate Studies in English Office on the floor below. I received a little pink slip denoting that there were packages for me to pick up in the overflow room, so off I went to gather them, juggling my coffee, my shoulder bag, and several layers of coats/jackets/sweaters (it is flogging rain today and rather chilly to boot).

So I've spent my morning office hours requesting more books to be delivered to me. Because I can do that now!





rain boots: old... I forget from where
leggings: thrifted American Apparel, also old
dress: thrifted via Buffalo Exchange
belt: JCrew
cardigan: Gap
necklace: via my mama