“I’m not upset because it’s Monday. I’m upset because I have to wear real pants.”

“May your coffee be strong and your Monday be short.”

“Shortest horror story: Monday”

“I hate mornings and Mondays and working, but other than that, I’m entirely happy.”

“All I need today is a little bit of coffee and a whole lot of Jesus.”

Whose got a case of the Monday blues? Well If you answered yes, which you did, my blogger friend, Ally from allaroundpinspired and I are here to cure those Monday blues! I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend and didn’t gain 10 pounds from eating candy like I probably did. I always enjoy seeing all the cute kids in their costumes and wish it was still socially acceptable for me to knock on my neighbors door and get free candy, can’t ya help a poor college girl out? I still joined in on the fun by dressing up as my favorite tv character, Jess from New Girl(she’s my spirit animal). But let’s put the weekend behind us and take this week head on! Monday, you got nothin on us!

I’m taking my Monday blues seriously by wearing some! Let me teal you something about this color, I LOVE it! Blue has always been one of my favorite colors and this shade of blue is perfect, especially in the fall! & what’s better than teal? Teal and stripes of course!! I found this shirt at Charming Charlie’s and I fell in love! I’m a big fan of baseball tees and that is why I love this shirt. It still has the look of a baseball tee but puts a girly spin on it. I’m a sucker for stripes so the sleeves were just an added bonus! Also, this top is on sale at charmingcharlie.com for only 14.99! I wore my favorite boyfriend jeans and decided to wear blue on blue since that’s the theme of today! I love these jeans because they can be rolled up and look great with booties. These shoes are the perfect color of tan and they are suede, which makes them that much better.

Let’s talk accessories. I don’t actually remember the last time I’ve worn silver because my love for gold has taken over my life. I wear something gold everyday and still can’t seem to get enough. This necklace is another reason I love gold. It is bold and fun and I love how it contrasts with the blue top. Now let’s talk about this watch. It has a black band with gold detail and the face is a map of the world. I literally have the whole world in my hands(wrist, but whatever same thing). Anyway, it’s one of my favorite watches! I completed the look with my black tote that has none other than gold detailing to add to my gold accesories.

How to solve your Monday blues:

1. Wear a cute outfit   2. Work out   3. Have lunch with a friend   4. Grab some coffee   5. Drive with the windows down    6. Listen to some music(new taylor swift album preferably)   7. Retail Therapy to get you through the week   8. Be productive(even though you don’t want to, it will be worth it)    9. Take a nap, duh   10. Smile because tomorrow isn’t Monday

Striped Teal Top | Boyfriend Jeans | Suede Booties(similar) | Black Tote(similar) | Gold Layered Necklace | World Map Watch(similar)

>>>Nicole Ciolino Photography

Tis the season of plaid! I’m mad for plaid this season and can’t get enough of it. I usually just wear plaid when I’m wearing flannels and never thought to expand and wear plaid other ways. If anyone follows any fashion bloggers, they know that one of the hottest items of this fall is the ZARA plaid blanket scarf. It looks ALOT similar to the one I’m wearing but it’s more expensive and a lot bigger. I found this scarf at Old Navy for less than 20 dollars and it’s basically the exact same as the ZARA scarf but instead of a blanket scarf, it’s an infinity. I for one, prefer infinity scarves because they are simple to wear. Scarves that are more like wraps take me too long to figure out and there are too many different ways to wear them which stresses me out(basically everything stresses me out, ask my boyfriend). Anyway, this scarf is perfect and there are so many different places that have variations of it, even Target!

This plaid scarf was the inspiration for this outfit. I wanted to keep the rest of my outfit simple so the scarf could have the spotlight. I paired the scarf with this brown crew neck sweater from Old Navy(where else). I love this sweater because it looks cute on its own but it also is great for layering on top of a denim button up or plaid shirt. The sweater also comes in like 6 other colors online and it is on sale for 11 DOLLARS!! Did you hear that? Go get one before they sell out!! They are a little itchy so I recommend wearing something underneath. I wore my boyfriend jeans to keep it casual and finished the outfit with these grey wool loafers from Old Navy…yep this entire outfit is Old Navy, even my pants! I love the simplicity of Old Navy and how it is so basic(what white girl wouldn’t love that?

Accessorizing is easy with a scarf because it’s basically like a comfy necklace! It adds so much to an outfit but it also is practical and warm for the cooler weather which will come someday soon, I hope. Scarves are easy to accessorize with because all you really need is some earrings and a bracelet or watch and you are finished! I wore my dark red Kendra Scott earrings because they matched perfectly with the scarf. I finished with the watch you see too much of but I can’t get enough of! I wore my chestnut and creme striped tote to match my sweater and love how it contrasted with the plaid scarf. This purse is not name brand or anything even though I think it looks pretty expensive. It was from one of those random stores in the mall that has really cheap clothing and a lot of bling, not my forte. But I was walking through the mall and this purse caught my eye and I ran in, found it, and bought it within a minute! I love stripes and why not have a striped purse? Lord knows I need a big purse like this one, I carry a lot of baggage.

Shaker-Stitch Sweater | Boyfriend Jeans | Grey Felt Smoking Flats | Plaid Scarf(similar) | Kendra Scott Earrings | Fossil Watch

P.S. To all you out there who love Pinterest as much as me and every other girl in their 20’s, check out my good friend, Ally Vaneloenen’s new blog: http://allaroundpinspired.wordpress.com for all things craftier than me!

>>>Nicole Ciolino Photography

Dear Monday, why can’t you be more like Friday. Friday is always more fun than you and makes me happier and then you come around 3 days later to remind me of school & deadlines. Can you not be so demanding please and be more considerate of my feelings. It’s not you it’s me..wait no, it’s definitely you.  Thanks. Today, I am dressing comfy & casual, which is the only way to survive a Monday, am I right?  I’m all about casual chic. I define casual chic as the ability to still look put together when you don’t feel like trying(which is me like everyday). I love dressing casual and wearing my boyfriend jeans and a comfy shirt and when I’m short on time and need a quick outfit, this is my go to look! Today I’m sharing with you this outfit that you can make with items you already have(most likely) in your closet!

 There is really not much to this outfit which is why I love it so much! It’s simple, stylish, and comfortable. If anyone likes stripes as much as me, they too have at least one(I have too many striped shirts) striped shirt that they can wear on its own or layer with jackets/vests. Since the weather can’t make up it’s mind and some days it’s cold and the next it is almost 90 degrees, I decided to add my army green military jacket over this 3/4 length striped shirt. Layering is great for this time of year because you can take off a layer if you get too hot(just please keep at least 1 layer on..) This shirt is from Forever 21 and it is super comfy and loose so of course I wear it all the time.  This jacket is one of my more favorite TjMaxx finds! I mean look at it, it has leather sleeves…can it get any better?  And what’s an outfit without cheetah? A sass-less one for sure. So I added these cheetah canvas slip-ons and did a little mixing of patterns with the stripes. For some reason, I believe cheetah and stripes were meant to co-exist because they coordinate so well together. Not to mention they are two of my favorite patterns so of course they make appearances together, ALOT!

 Since this outfit was all about staying casual, I went light on the accessorizing. I wore a small gold arrow necklace that I add to any outfit when I want to keep it simple. I wore my Fossil gold wrap watch that I wear when I’m not wearing my other all gold watch. Basically if I’m not wearing a tee shirt and leggings, you will find me wearing a watch. I added my brown Tory Burch purse to coordinate with my cheetah shoes that I found from Old Navy for 20 bucks. & that my fellow fashion friends is how to add a little dose of chic to a casual look! Well that’s all for now, hope y’all have a great week & check back in a few days for a new post! Happy Mondaze.

 Military Leather Jacket(similar) | Striped Shirt(similar) | Boyfriend Jeans | Cheetah Canvas Slip-Ons | Fossil Gold-Wrap Watch | Gold Arrow Necklace(similar) | Tory Burch Cross-Body Bag

>>>Nicole Ciolino Photography

This fall, there is a 100% chance of leather, and a 0% chance it will be going out of style anytime soon. I’ll admit, I used to think leather was either trashy or something only bikers wore, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve grown to love leather and think of it as actually very classy if you find the right kind! I own leather boots, leather jackets, vests, and shirts with leather details, but it wasn’t until this fall that I took a step out of my comfort zone and bought these leather leggings. I have seen people wear them that are super tall/twigs and let’s be real people, I don’t fall into those categories. So I was unsure if I could pull leather pants off and didn’t know if they would be flattering. But when I found these, I changed my mind! I was at Target one day and came across these leggings that are leather in the front and legging in the back, or as I like to say, party in the front, business in the back!

To style this outfit, I started with the leather leggings as the center piece and added on items from there. This polka dot blouse I found from H&M went great with the leggings. I love this top, first off because it’s polka dots, and second, because of the style and shape. It can be dressed up like I have done or worn with some boyfriend jeans and flats for a more casual look. I just love anything black and white and it was only 20 something dollar so it found its way to my closet pretty quickly! I decided to go black on black and wore my black booties with my leather leggings tucked in.

Last & definitely not least, time to talk accessories! I went with some of my favorite jewelry pieces to add to this outfit to dress it up and complete the look. I added gold accents because I just love black and gold together. I wore my fossil gold watch and stacked it with a gold chain bracelet. I wore a gold layered necklace that pops against the colors in my blouse and really makes a statement like I always love for necklaces to do(as if I don’t talk enough). I added a tiny bit of color to this b&w outfit with dark red Kendra Scott earrings. I’m not a huge fan of wearing a lot of color in the fall/winter, I wear mostly, blacks, browns and neutrals, but adding a small pop of color to any outfit is always fun! Well leather or not you own a pair of leather pants, bring some leather into your life, I promise you won’t regret it!

Polka-Dot Blouse | Leather Leggings | Steve Madden Black Booties | Kendra Scott Earrings | Fossil Watch | Gold Layered Necklace | Black Tote(similar) | Gold Bracelet(similar)

>>>Nicole Ciolino Photography

Happy Fri-YAY! Here’s to a much needed weekend as always! This weekend’s agenda includes: relaxing, working(yuck), shopping(most likely), a baby shower for a good friend, forgetting about deadlines, and enjoying the hopefully nice weather. Today I am talking all about gray! I usually don’t wear just one color but when it comes to gray, I make an exception. I love gray(when it’s not hot if you know what I’m sayin) and how many different shades there are(like almost 50..hah) It literally goes with everything, even itself! I am a huge fan of the dark grays, especially this time of year!

I styled my favorite boyfriend jeans with a gray short sleeve sweater, gray loafers, and my gray cheetah ball cap. I bought these jeans at Old Navy about a month ago and I’ve probably worn them almost every day! They are loose fitting, super comfy, and a great color wash. They can be rolled up or worn down if you wanted to tuck them into boots. This gray short sleeve sweater is also from Old Navy(please note, entire outfit is from Old Navy…sorry I’m not sorry). I have it in gray and black because I loved it too much to only have one. Its comfy, cute, and can easily be layered under another sweater or worn with a puffer vest. As far as the shoes, these loafers are gray felt and lined in leather, yeah you heard that right, freaking leather! How stinkin cute! I have them in three colors(now you are probably checking me in for rehab because I must have an Old Navy shopping addiction) but they were way too perfect. I have them in gray, black, and brown and will get my money’s worth for sure.

Accessories are necessities as I always say and today I went light on the accessories but wore some of my favorites. This gray cheetah baseball cap was the centerpiece of my outfit and it brings out my inner sass. Cheetah is one of my all time favorite patterns that I wear almost as much as polka dots! This cap is velour so it is warm and great to wear outside in the cooler temps. I know baseball hats are typically worn casually, but I’ve been styling them with dressier outfits lately and I am loving it! My purse is from Steve Madden(aka TjMaxx) and it’s a metallic grey studded cross-body bag. While it’s small, it has a lot of pockets and holds just enough. I love this bag even now and it’s probably almost 5 years old and still looks new! I actually only wore one piece of jewelry today which is surprising for me, but I just wanted to keep it casual. This silver necklace is simple and that is exactly why I love it so much. It can easily be layered with other necklaces or worn on its own. I got it from TjMaxx but it is originally from Lucky Brand where a lot of my jewelry is from. TjMaxx always has some of their jewelry for sale and it’s way cheaper!

p.s. this is not my bike and yes I took pictures next to it anyway, I’m such a poser.

   Gray Heather Sweater | Boyfriend Skinny Jeans | Cheetah Baseball Hat | Gray Felt Loafers | Steve Madden Crossbody Bag | Silver Bar Necklace

>>>Nicole Ciolino Photography

Just because winter is coming and the leaves are turning, doesn’t mean we can’t keep flowers alive by wearing them! I love anything floral and you would know that it if you saw my room/closet. Floral is so bright and fun and I love mixing it with other patterns. I especially love wearing floral in the fall. There is a floral for every season and for the fall, I love the dark-colored floral patterns. The dark blues, red, and purples are great colors to wear in the fall and when there is a floral pattern that includes those like this dress below, and it’s only 20 dollars, you buy it without question(or at least that’s what I do).

This dress is super comfy and can be easily layered or worn on its own. I love the colors and style of it and the 3/4 length sleeves are great for fall. You can dress it up with wedges and a leather jacket or wear it casual like I have done with short boots and a few simple jewelry additions. As much fun as layering is, it’s nice sometimes to just wear one thing and let it stand on its own. On to the shoes, these boots are my favorite boot find for this fall! They caught my eye in the Old Navy clearance section because they were only 14 dollars!! Not to mention they are super cute and the color makes them practically go with everything. They actually look almost identical to the short boots that Sam Edelman have in several colors but theirs are over 100 dollars. They are suede which makes them look expensive even though they were far from and they are actually really comfortable because the heel is short and they fit like a glove. There is almost always something similar to a designer brand for much cheaper and just as cute, you just have to search for it!

Yes, I am a white girl and yes I’m wearing Kendra Scotts. Judge me if you must but I actually really like some of their colors and styles and if you catch them when they are on sale, they are totally worth it. These are the dark red Elles which are the smaller of the two oval earrings they have. The Danielles are the bigger ones and they are way too heavy for my ears to handle so I went with the Elles. The dark red in my dress went great with them and the gold trim led me to tie in my Fossil gold wrapped watch that also matched my boots. I also wore my favorite cross body bag from Tory Burch that is the perfect shade of brown. While it doesn’t perfectly match my outfit, a purse doesn’t always have to coordinate with an outfit, if that was the case, I would need my own closet for purses alone! I really didn’t accessorize too much because the dress has so much going on but the few simple additions really made a difference. My favorite part about any outfit is the accessories because you can make it your own and wear as much or as little as you want depending on what you are wearing or how you are feeling that day. My theory is that an outfit is not complete without accessories,. So next time you are getting ready and are about to exclude accessories, Kendra not?

Old Navy Boots(similar here) | Tory Burch Cross-body | Kendra Scott Earrings | Fossil Wrap Watch | H&M Dress(in store  only)

>>>Nicole Ciolino Photography

Happy Sunday everyone!! This past week has been a rough one with school kicking my butt, working, going to the gym and most importantly, trying to find time to watch my TV shows that are finally back on after a long, lonely summer we spent apart. Needless to say, I needed a weekend in my life..ya feel me? I’m currently watching New Girl, Parenthood, and Vampire Diaries and they are all three SO good. Anyway, I definitely enjoyed my weekend of fun & relaxation and I hope you all enjoyed the beautiful weather as much as me. I even went on a run..outside. Let me tell ya, it takes perfect weather for that situation to work out. I went to see Zac Brown Band in Dallas friday night with some of my best friends, outside in like perfect 70 degree weather, and to top it off, the tickets were free! And to top that off, we stopped at Sprinkles on the way home, if you’ve never been, I’m sorry for your loss. It was beyond a perfect night! Today I’m talking all things denim! I think I have about 4 denim shirts(not sure why) but this one is my new favorite. Denim is never a bad option anytime of year but in the fall, I especially love it. It is great to add over a summery dress to change the look for a new season. I love how casual it is and how easily it makes an outfit look complete.

I layered my denim shirt over a high neckline navy patterned dress that I found at TjMaxx not too long ago. The colors in the dress reminded me of fall so I had to get it. I decided to shake things up a bit and added my favorite combat boots. I got these from Nine West for my birthday a few years back and they have held up through hard times. I walked the dirty streets of New York in these bad boys through rain and snow and they are still kickin’ it, literally. Like converse, I like how combat boots look when you wear them in and give them some love. The scuffs and dirt actually give them character and they are more and more comfortable every time I wear them!

I finished my outfit with some of my favorite accessories. The pearl pendant necklace is a TjMaxx find and originally from Lucky Brand. When I saw it, it reminded me of the Kendra Scott necklaces but ain’t nobody got money for that so this will have to do. I love necklaces with tassels and this gold and pearl one was too cute to say no to. It goes with basically everything and it was only 19.99! I of course had to add a watch to my outfit because what’s an outfit without a watch? This gold watch which you have seen before in previous posts is my all time favorite. I love all things gold and all things watches so why not both? I topped my outfit off(literally) with my camel floppy hat from Old Navy that I have in two colors. It adds the perfect amount of flop to my life and I love it for that.

Mid Tone Chambray Shirt | TjMaxx Dress | Lucky Brand Necklace | Combat Boots(similar) | Floppy Hat(similar) | Fossil Watch

>>>Photography by Nicole Ciolino

Gossip Girl here, your one and only source into the somewhat fashionable, not so scandalous life of Julia O’Hearn. Spotted at Denton Town Square,  bag in hand: Julia O’Hearn, dressing preppy for the fall, shares with you her outfit details & styling tips below. XOXO, Gossip Girl.

Happy October everyone! Cheers to pumpkins, Halloween: girls thinking it’s okay to dress scandalous, and cooler weather..maybe. I’m sorry if you have never gotten the privilege to watch Gossip Girl and completely didn’t catch my reference cause that’d be awkward, just kidding but seriously stop what you are doing, go on Netflix and watch it. I for one am a huge GG fan. I first of all have a major woman crush on Blake Lively. She is perfection and she is one of my fashion role models. Even in the show, her fashion was spot on and I wanted her closet. I also loved this show because of how it is basically centered around New York and fashion. I love both so obviously I fell in love and became overly attached like I do with every show I watch. And when I put on this outfit, I felt like I was ready to attend Constance Billard Academy(it’s the school in the show) Anyway, this outfit was definitely something new I decided to try out. I am not usually a very preppy dresser and I have never really had a sweater that could work well with a denim shirt layered underneath, that is until I came across this sweater! I spotted(hah) this sweater at TjMaxx and instantly fell in love with the shape, style, colors, and of course, pattern. The sweater is a little on the shorter side so I decided to pair it with a high wasted black skater skirt and tucked in the denim shirt that I layered underneath.

I finished the outfit with my new favorite flats for the fall, which are these pointed chestnut flats from Gap that I bought back in the summer because I knew they would be a great staple for this time of year! I have been skeptical about wearing shoes that could alternately be used as a weapon, but when I came across these, they peer pressured me into believing otherwise. I am glad they did because I actually really like the pointed toe look now and feel sassy as I’ll get out when i wear them. I really like the whole sweater with a skirt idea and I’ve been testing it out a lot lately. Lord knows it’s October and we are still in the 90’s so jeans and boots aren’t really an option yet. Flats are the shoe of fall and they are usually on the cheaper side because there isn’t much to them. I love patterned flats but also just simple ones like these that go with practically everything.

Now onto my lip color. When the leaves start to change, so do my lips. I love experimenting with darker colors in the cooler months and love the contrast it brings to your face. This lip tint by Tarte is one I buy over and over again when I run out. It is such a nice shade of dark plum and it lasts me forever! I love the matte look on lips, it’s not letting the whole world know you have lips like shiny gloss does, rather it subtly tells them. It’s like “my lipstick be poppin, my lipstick be cool”? No? Okay. As always, thanks for reading my post & remember, never doubt polka dots, they are always spot on.

 

Polka-Dot Sweater/Necklace(TjMaxx) | Black Skater Skirt | Mid tone Chambray Shirt | Brown Flats(similair here) | Tory Burch Purse | Tarte Matte Lip tint | Fossil Watch

Photography by Nicole Ciolino

“I don’t know about you, but I’m feelin 22” Yes I will sing this everyday I am 22 and no I am not ashamed. There was nothing exciting about the age 22 until Taylor Swift came along and made a song about it which is yet another reason I love her so much(sorry to all you taylor haters, but she is my spirit animal). Anyway, yesterday was my 22nd birthday if you can’t already tell, thanks mom & dad, ya did good. Yesterday was also the first day of fall and the 11th anniversary of One Tree Hill so you are all welcome! My day started out not so great because I had to spend majority of my birthday in class….yeah no fun. I did however manage to find time before school to treat myself to coffee, a donut AND chikfila chicken minis because calories don’t count on your birthday, right? Anyway, school dragged on and then I celebrated accordingly by going to TjMaxx and Old Navy of course. Afterwards, I got to celebrate my big day by going to downtown Fort Worth with my family and my best friend, Taylor who goes to TCU! We stopped at Kendra Scott on the way because you get half off on your birthday!!! So yeah there was no way I was missing that. I bought the turquoise Skylar earrings and put them on right after I stepped foot outside! Then we headed to Chuy’s for dinner because Mexican food is my comfort food and their margaritas are THE best! My day ended with watching the newest New Girl episode and having a Skype date with Patrick!

As far as what I wore, I decided to keep it classy & sassy. I wanted it to be simple so when I found this black jumpsuit at Target, I knew it would be making an appearance on my birthday. I literally wore my birthday (jump)suit…get it.  Well now that I made myself laugh, I’ll move on. Back to my outfit, I added some of my favorite jewelry, like this gold chain necklace from World Market that stands out great against black and makes a loud statement.  As far as my earrings, I actually wore two different earrings last night, first I wore my earrings from Charming Charlie that are gold and silver and went great with my necklace. But after visiting Kendra Scott, I switched into my new turquoise Skylar earrings! My new purse also made an appearance because I seriously can’t get enough of it! I found it at Charming Charlie’s this past weekend and I fell in love. It is a wine red and it is going to be my number one purse for the fall/winter this year. I love the color & style and the interior is striped so can it get any better? I’ve started to move away from cross body bags recently because of my new found love for totes. They are a fun, chic addition to any outfit and also hold ALL my crap I accumulate throughout the day. They are totes amazing.

My birthday was everything I thought it would be and more and the only part missing was my boyfriend who is 5 hours away, yay long distance relationships. But anyway, I love everything my family and friends did to make it special. My sister got me tickets to see one of my favorite singers, Phillip Phillips, TONIGHT and my parents got me my first pair of Kendra Scott earrings AND the herringbone vest from JCrew that I have had my eye on for over a year now! While the gifts were great, I just loved being able to spend today with my family and friends and I really am blessed with the 22 years I have had in this world and look forward to what is to come as I continue getting older(and older and older,  wow aging sucks). Well that’s all for now, I hope everyone has a great weekend, I’ll be headed to San Antonio, TX for a birthday getaway with my best friends to visit my boyfriend! Check back next week for a new post! XOXO-J

Target Black Jumpsuit | Old Navy Strappy Black Heels | Gold Necklace | Autumn Glamour Earrings | Wine Red Purse | Kendra Scott Earrings