Today I'm adoring...

I know my posting has been sporadic, but it's not without good cause, I promise. Hokay. Hillary's favorite things. Here we go.

♥ Working. Whether it be as an intern for IFB (holla atcha gurl) or in the Shimer admissions office, I am staying busy! No lazy summer for me. No ma'am. I mean, both of the aforementioned responsibilities are blessedly flexible as far as my hours ago, but that doesn't mean I'm sleeping in until 1 in the afternoon. My summers used to mean moping around guiltily, dwelling in my laziness. Now I'm a girl who has things to do. And I love it.

♥ The boyfriend. I know, I know. This one makes me sound like a broken record but my goodness he makes me so insanely giddy I can hardly stand it. I wish I could go into more detail for all ya'all, but it would just sound super corny and you would all have to run and vomit because of all the sugary sweetness. Seriously though. He's awesome. That is all.

♥ This dress. I tried it on the other day at Urban Outfitters, not expecting much. I had some time to kill, so I figured just trying it on would do little harm. I was so wrong. It slipped on like it was made for me and I turned towards the mirror in wonder. It is not my typical style. To say that it's too daring for me makes me sound fashionably wimpy, but it kind of is (and I kind of am). But this dress fit so well and it was the perfect length and who wouldn't be a sucker for that print? I bought it. I love it. It's perfect for the humid weather and has loads of personality. Love love love it.

♥ Inception. See this movie. As soon as possible.

♥ My lovely friends. Pat is doing this killer internship in DC and I'm so proud of him. Talking to him via text or Facebook message continues to be a highlight of daily life. Maura is in Mexico having a pre-college adventure. I can't wait to see her again and hear all her stories. I post silly links on Lily and Helene's walls almost daily, and my roommates are the best for late night nachos and girl talk. I am so lucky to have such funny, talented people in my life.

♥ MAC Eyeshadow in Woodwinked. It is the prettiest shimmering shade of brown. I wore it yesterday and it made me feel like a million bucks. It also pairs well with Benefit Rush Hour on the lips and cheeks.

That's all for today. Posting will continue to be sporadic because I'm a'goin camping this week. Everyone have a beautiful few days. Muwah!

image via we heart it

It is way too hot out.

Hey guys. Remember that one time when I was complaining about how the summer weather isn't acting like summer weather? As I lie here in my room in Chicago the window open in a desperate attempt to catch a rare cool breeze, I take it all back. My fan is as close to my bed as the cord will allow it to go and showering daily feels almost futile, the humidity doing its part to make me feel gross and sticky immediately after. That's why this entry is accompanied with pictures of Maura, Lily, and Helene playing frisbee in the park back home in Oregon. Note the layers Lily and Helene are sporting. These photos were taken in June. They make me long for the west coast just a little bit. Layers here in Chicago in the middle of July are nothing short of silly. And while Oregon has warmed up considerably, the heat is very dry. Curse you, humidity.

How do you beat the humidity? I haven't quite mastered it. My typical M.O. as of late has been short jersey dresses and sandals. Of course, light dresses in the Windy City are a bit of a risk. I step outside and a weak warm gale threatens to toss my skirt up around my waist. My remedy to that problem has been a switch to short shorts and breezy tops, but at the end of the day, it feels like I'm peeling my shorts off. If it weren't for societal constraints and my own love for clothing, I'd just go naked. That being out of the question, I turn to you, dear readers. Oregon has never really been host to much humidity, so it's been taking some getting used to. Anyone with more experience with this kind of weather, please speak up. Also chime in with your summer makeup tips. I feel like everything melts off my face within my first five minutes of sun exposure.

Made in the shade.

A couple of days ago, I was looking at sunglasses at Nordstrom's. Usually I gravitate towards Betsey Johnson shades or Kate Spades. But something different caught my eye this time. Fendi. I've too long overlooked this designer, and for what? Fendi is wonderful! And the little rose on all of their sunglasses has entirely won my heart. I'm currently coveting this pair, in particular.

I have a pair of Cynthia Rowley oversized sunglasses. And a big pair of pink heart-shaped ones from Claires. I love both of them, but I wouldn't be opposed to adding another to my rotation. I'm going to have to go do some scavenging at Nordstrom Rack sometime soon.

Fashion, academically.

I'm a student at a liberal arts school. I spend August through May with the writings of great minds. My freshman year I fell in love with Hobbes and last year introduced me to the wonders of Sartre and Hannah Arendt. My copy of The Second Sex is packed with margin notes, I kind of adore Beckett, and I think that Rousseau was a lazy hippie. The intense curriculum is sort of responsible for my blog. With upwards of 200 pages to read a night, there's little time to browse Style.com or accessorize. While I started the blog as a high schooler, it's become essential to my sanity since starting college. My love for the fashion world needs an outlet and Classic Black Pumps provides that. And I try to incorporate fashion into my studies. I wrote a paper about Communism meaning the ultimate downfall of the fashion industry. My Natural Sciences final essay talked about fashion trends being an accelerated mirror of evolution. It's a little mission of mine to prove to my fellow scholars that fashion has a place in academics. Now, there's already a pretty brilliant list of this nature on the wonderful blog, Academic Chic, but I thought I would make my own version of the list.

-Fashion, Culture, and Identity; by Fred Davis
-The End of Fashion: How Marketing Changed the Clothing Business Forever; by Teri Agins
-The Language of Fashion; by Roland Barthes
-The Fashion System; by Roland Barthes
-Appearance and Identity: Fashioning the Body in Postmodernity; by Llewellyn Negrin
-Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution; by Caroline Weber*
-The Fashion Reader; by Abby Lillethun
-Fugitive Denim: A Moving Story of People and Pants in a Fugitive World; by Rachel Louise Snyder

Fashion isn't just about what looks pretty. It's about history, society, and art. And we style mavens need to be well versed on the subject. Happy reading!

*This book is pretty much the cornerstone of my scholarly forays into fashion. If you only read one, this is it. So good.

Greetings from Chicago!

Hey guys. I'm alive. Alive and happy. It's really great being back in Chicago. I missed it oh so much. I'm dealing with a bit of a headache today but rest assured that I'll be back in blogging business by tomorrow. In the meantime, let's lust after this adorable tote together.

And for $110, I'm almost tempted to go for it. No no no, Hillary. Save up for something you actually need.

Lil bit of a hiatus.

I go back to Chicago in less than a week. I'm very much looking forward to being back in the city, and extra super duper excited about seeing my wonderful boyfriend again. It make a me sad, too, though. I have 6 days left here in Oregon. That said, I won't be posting on my blog again until July 5. I want to get all I can out of my last few days with my family and when I get back to Chicago, I've got a lot of catching up to do. No worries though. You can still find out what I'm up to on Twitter and IFB. Everyone have a lovely few weeks. Enjoy the sun and stay stylish!

image via we heart it.

Father's Day!

Dad and I asleep at the airport several years ago : )

My dad is the smartest man in the world. I've been convinced of this since I was maybe 2 years old. Still am, and it's not blindly that I think this. Ask him why he feels the way he does about any given issue, and you'll get some incredibly logical, well-informed reasoning. He's also the strongest. The guy has run a 100-mile race in less than 30 hours. And the bravest. And the kindest. Yup. I'm fairly certain my dad is a super human. He works harder than anyone I've ever met and has this insanely high level of self discipline that I wish I'd inherited. He's taught my brother and sister and I to be fair and keep our integrity. He goes out of his way to make sure we all have the means to follow our desired path. He is patient - most notably on a trip to New York, where he braved 3 Broadway musicals, and waited patiently outside stores while my mom and sister and I shopped. He always puts other's needs before his own. The admirable qualities aside, he also has a fantastic sense of humor. The home he and my mother created for my siblings and I is full of laughter and love. Daddy, you're wonderful. Thank you so much for everything and a belated happy father's day! ♥