Back to School Photo Shoot

At the end of this past summer, I realized I wanted to liven up my wardrobe a bit. I was about to head off to my first year at a new college where I didn't know anyone, and I was excited about getting a chance to reinvent my self with my clothing. Unfortunately, money was an issue. The recession has hit my family as hard as anyone else, if not harder, and I felt too guilty about asking my parents for money to update my wardrobe (obviously, I don't have currently have a job). So, I decided to do the tired ploy that's been seen in pretty much every fashion magazine and blog recently: shop my own closet.

Basically the idea is to go through everything I already own and try some new combinations and outfits and aggghhh I don't really know. Here's what I came up with (and don't worry, a lot of these I wouldn't actually wear in public; this was strictly for fun and experimenting). Some of the pictures might be blurry, but that's what you get when you use your younger sister for your photographer. Click on them for better detail:


For this outfit, I threw together an old pair of aviator sunglasses, a basic black T-shirt over a dress with a rose pattern that a friend (EDIT: my best friend) gave me, and red patent peep-toe heels. Oh, and the clutch actually isn't a clutch, it's just something I found in my dad's workshop that looks like a clutch. I think it's actually meant to hold gun casings or something. See? Creativity in times of money-pinching!


For this one, same aviators and not-actually-a-clutch clutch; brown cardigan I've had forever (it actually has holes and bleach stains on it, which is pretty sad); gorgeous handmade dress my mom bought for me at Musikfest in Bethlehem; tan stockings (bad choice, I know; they make my legs look orange here but they were supposed to be sheer, damnit); and brown flats that you can't really see, sorry. You can find them in the previous post about my shoes.


Now, this ingenious little outfit is going to help me score free meals at college. People will think I'm homeless. Ha, ha! Oh man, I crack myself up.
Wearing a grey fedora I found at a vintage clothing & book shop; scarf that was a gift; same shirt-over-dress combo from the previous picture; and my old winter boots.


Here I'm wearing the simple black T-shirt with a pink ballerina tutu! On a swing! No more words needed, I think.


I love pictures that combine fasion and bikes (and flowers, even). Not that I could actually ride a bike in this outfit. Oh dear God, I just realized, I'm in danger of being featured in Daddy Likey's Don't Show-Cha Your Chocha. Damnit.
Oh well. Anyway, here I paired my green messenger bag from H&M; a light blue button-up collar shirt that I found lying around somewhere; yellow flats; and a Wet Seal dress that I snagged off eBay for about $15. I usually only wear it over a bathing suit at the beach or with tights or something under it, I swear. Sorry for the indecency.


Same as above, only with aviators and a significantly smaller bike.


These are all old things I had lying around: black T-shirt, black leggings, white shorts, red heels, aviators, and ridiculous purse I found in my sister's room. I dunno if you're allowed to pair shorts and leggings; thoughts?


Yeah, the poses are getting really dramatic, I know. Not to mention the outfits. Here I'm wearing a black dress I found at Goodwill (it was extremely cheap, you'll see why in the next picture); a colorful scarf that I've had forever; those weird socks that aren't actually socks at all (what are those called??); aviators; and red heels.


And this is why the dress was so cheap (seriously like 50 cents): it has a big ol' rip in the back. I never bothered to fix it; I love an open back.


And finally, grey high rise shorts that I refused to wear for years before it suddenly became a trend; a basic white T-shirt; a blue vest; my brown flats; aviators (that were actually broken, they were missing an arm through the whole photo shoot which was, needless to say, annoying) ; and my awesome vintage bag. You can't really see the bag but not to worry, I'll feature it in an upcoming post.




So leave your thoughts. Anyone else do something like this at the beginning of the school year with their closet?