Mourning the conclusion of Halloween.

I cope by looking at photographs. Over and over and over.
And by planning out my costume for next year. No ideas as of yet, though...

Romper: H&M, headband: DIY, wedges: Very Volatile via Piperlime, army pendents: Portobello Market

Striped shirt: H&M, pencil skirt: American Apparel

Thanks for the shoutout, IFB!

The Power of Words

Edited by: The Sunday Best
One story dominated my thoughts this week, and I was glad to see an IFB member tackle it in a post. I'm talking about the Marie Claire article. I'm not going to link to it, or even say what it was about, since I assume you dialed in people are familiar with it. [Pulls out soapbox.] The problem with the article, and its apparently apologetic writer, isn't the ignorance it exhibited, or the hate it might engender, or even, I would argue, the sentiment expressed, although it was certainly the worst example of each. The problem was she used the most demeaning language she could think of to describe a group about which she apparently cares. She used this language and neither her nor her editors nor anyone at Marie Claire saw fit to deny it. And Marie Claire's ridiculous mea culpa, where they celebrated the "discussion" they had fostered, was like saying the Titanic sinking was good for discussions about marine safety. Worst of all was the author's own apology: "I never wanted anyone to feel bullied or ashamed after reading this". So you used the most demeaning language you could think of--edgy!--and called people gross--keeping it real!--and were shocked, SHOCKED, to find them taking offense. I would call her a liar but out of deference to liars, she might just be an idiot. Think before you write - words are powerful.

Links à la Mode : November 4th

• A la Modest: This is vintage...now.
• Beyond Fabric: Portraying the essence of Autumn.
• Closet Hound: Do you wear his pants in the relationship?
• Dans Mon Boudoir: Tying scarves for Fall.
• Daisy Dayz: Menswear trousers the new way to cover up this winter.
• Employed Panache: Finding new ways to remix my wardrobe.
• Grit and Glamour: Why I'm not on Weardrobe, Chictopia, Lookbook, or Hypeed.
• Houndstooth and Tortoiseshell: The retail blues.
• Independent Fashion Bloggers: 5 Sites to Strengthen Your Writing Skills
• Kitsch by Kat: Better than reality TV!
• One More: Taking a risk.
• Other Dutch Animals: Champagne sequins: Worn two ways.
• Seamstress Stories: Cuteness and female rivalry.
• Shopgirls Blog: Jewelry with a story to share.
• Sidewalk Chalk: 6 perfect photo locations that are right in front of you.
• Style Activist: I love me. And I don't care if you don't.
• Stylish Thought: Five lessons Nicki Minaj can teach you about personal style.
• The Coveted: Women at work.
• The New Professional: The long and short of it all.
• The Sunday Best: Caring about what you wear is just caring.
• Tickle Me Chic: Everyone deserves to be happy - a response to Marie Claire's "Should 'Fatties' Get a Room".

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My idea of the happiest time of year.

You know the way some people get really depressed after Christmas is over? That's the way I feel about Halloween. I love it. I've been getting extra into the spirit this weekend, putting finishing touches on my costumes and making chocolate covered pretzels in Halloween colors.

There's legitimately drops of deer drool all over the pumpkin in front of our door. Gross.

I got these adorable ghost stickers at Michaels to put on my Mom's Halloween gifts. (Yes, we exchange Halloween presents in our family.)

I made these cute pretzels! And they're super easy to make! Watch!

All you need is a bag of pretzels, a bag of chocolate chips, and maybe some sprinkles. I got mine at Home Goods for a couple of bucks.

Put the chocolate chips in the microwave for a minute. ONE MINUTE -- no longer!

It's going to LOOK like they aren't done, but trust me, they are. DON'T put them back in the microwave -- they'll burn.

Use a pretzel to stir the chips until they finish melting down. Then shake the excess chocolate off and lay the pretzel down on a sheet of wax paper to cool. Repeat. I like to work with small batches of chocolate so I don't have to worry about it firming up. If you're having a hard time getting the chocolate to melt, add some canola oil. DON'T add milk, cream, or butter. They all contain water, and even the smallest drop of water will cause your chocolate to seize, meaning it'll get grainy and weird and definitely not ready for pretzels. (Trust me, I know this from experience. Feel free to check out my garbage can, full of around three cups of chocolate I ruined with half and half...)

Note that it's completely necessary to save all the broken pieces at the bottom of the bag to dip in chocolate for yourself.

Throw the pretzels in a cute bowl...

...set out and enjoy!

My knight in shining armor.

Ok, SERIOUSLY how awesome is this ring that I bought at Thirteen Vintage the other week? Right? I'm obsessed with it. I had been looking for a really great, cheeky ring for awhile now and completely fell in love when I spotted this in the jewelry case.

The jewelry line is called Monserat De Lucca and they make all sorts of equally cool, edgy stuff, like these pieces (also all available at Thirteen Vintage):

Just about everything has moving parts, making it all really fun to play with. There's a ring with a maze in it and a guitar case-shaped locket that opens. The skull and brain come as a set to be worn separately, OR you can open up the top of the skull and put the brain inside.
So clever.
I want every single piece.

The retail blues.

I know there are a million land-locked, middle-of-nowhere-dwellers that would kill me for saying this, but I despise the King of Prussia mall. It's a mile away from my house, but I've reached a point where I'm near-protesting its existence. Yes, it's a nice place. Yes, it's convenient and has almost every store you could ever ask for (but seriously, could we get a Zara already? My faith would be restored. Just saying.)

If you aren't from this area, allow me to explain. The King of Prussia mall is [allegedly] the stuff that shopping dreams are made of. It boasts over 400 different stores, eight department stores, and none of that amusement park crap like the Mall of America. This is clean and simple retail euphoria. 2,793,200 square feet of it. That's a lot of floor space.

But the selection inside those walls is totally lacking. I head to the mall every couple of weeks, just to browse around and try things on and see what strikes my fancy. But nine times out of 10, I leave empty handed. I'm an infamously picky shopper, but seriously? Shouldn't a place as famed as the biggest mall on the east cost have something more to offer? If I was, say, an insecure 14 year old with no personal style, I'd be in heaven. Dark wash jeggings, ill-fitting miniskirts, and cotton cardigans in boring colors are everywhere. The mediocre picks appeal to the masses, which I understand is a safe bet for retailers. But while the store buyers are convincing middle-Americans to come in droves, they're simultaneously alienating fashion-forward shoppers. Unless, of course, you want to head to Neiman's and drop a cool couple grand on a few trendy pieces. Personally, I don't have that kind of cash.

Listen, all I want is for H&M to start stocking the awesome stuff that they generally reserve for their urban locations. Some strong shouldered jackets and faux fur, you know? I understand that those pieces don't sell as well, making it financially risky to put on the shelves. I get it, H&M, I do. 

But as the selection in the mall stays consistently crappy, they're going to lose me as a customer all together. I can't imagine I'm the only one around here to feel this way. In fact, I've overheard other trend-savvy shoppers lament about the options in KOP retailers. To compensate, I've begun to do my shopping in better locations -- Suburban Square, flea markets, and, most recently, downtown Philly.

Last Sunday I took the train into the heart of the city and waltzed around Walnut Street before I had to head back to the suburbs for work. And let me tell you, it was way more fun than a morning at the mall. I'm a strong believer that an ideal autumn afternoon is spent in dark denim and a cozy knit poncho. (Ironically, I picked mine up at the H&M...in the mall.)

Hudson jeans, Jessica Simpson leopard flats, H&M poncho

Wouldn't you rather look at this than the inside of a mall while you're shopping?