Thrift Eye

First off – CONGRATULATIONS! As someone who just finished their graduate degree in December, I know that sublime feeling of never.doing.homework.again!! (!!!) You would think that it would be easy to find the perfect thing to wear for this special event, but it turns out to be pretty damn hard.

My first suggestion is to stay away from all things poofy – trends and instincts may drive you towards wearing something like this, but just stick to something more form fitting that won’t be bulkier under your gown.

When I graduated with my bachelor’s a few years ago, we sat outside for two hours in the hot southern California sun – many of you will be outside too (lucky ducks that get to sit inside with air conditioning!).

The dressy gal

Find yourself a slim fitting dress that depending on if you’re graduating indoors or outdoors, you may want to be sleeveless. Having a slim bag that you can carry across your body under the gown is a must! Some fun glasses, again, if you’re outside. A cute case for your phone if you’re taking pictures of yourself, your friends, classmates, etc is necessary too! Since you’ll also be walking across the stage, I highly recommend to not wear some crazy heels that make it hard to walk and easy to fall.

The tomboy

Wearing pants to your graduation is totally okay! I think a bright and colorful pair is a fun option. I’d keep the top pretty solid otherwise and pair it with some colorful accessories - a watch so you can keep track of time (graduations can run long), a wristlet so you can carry your essentials.

The casual

Pairing a skirt and blouse is a simple idea that will work comfortably under a cap and gown, but also something fun enough if you’re going to be celebrating with friends and family afterwards. Again, if you’re outside, don’t forget the sunscreen! And if you have room, a film camera is a great way to capture these special moments!

The most important part is that you remind yourself that all your hard work was worth it! It really doesn’t matter what you’re wearing in the end. Having the support and love behind you from the important people in your life is what matters the most in this new period of your life.

If you’re new to this books into fashion series, you can catch up with the others HERE.

Since the last collage had more of a teen spin, I thought I go back to my original true love, classic books. The first collage dedicated to the most unfortunately romantic play ever, Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare. Do I even need to summarize it for you? He’s a Montague, she’s a Capulet. The families hate each other, but they both have fallen in love. After LOTS of misunderstandings, and some accidental (or on purpose?) murders, they decide to run away together. But even that turns out disastrous. I remember being astonished by the whole story the first time I read it my first year of high school. I know that after hearing the story in all its amalgamations over the years, the story itself can become quite tedious. But you cannot deny that the first time, you were captivated by the story.

The second book is Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. Another classic and widely known book that you may not need me to summarize – one of the first coming of age stories ever written, this book follows young orphan Pip and the many colorful characters he meets. I sometimes think the book could be called Great Expectations and Greater Let Downs. Pip is encouraged to play with Estella, Miss Havisham’s adopted daughter, with the false hopes that they could one day be together. He then mysteriously inherits a large sum of money, only to see that it leads him to misery. All is not what it appears.

How do you feel about classic books? I always feel they’re wrongly injected to us in High School when we’re not ready for the language. They’re much easier to appreciate if you read them when you’re older (plus they make more sense too!)

Pretty neat to see that Warby Parker is hitting the road. They’re putting their showroom on wheels, a giant school bus to be exact, and bringing their glasses to San Francisco.

So if you live or will be in the Bay Area from April 10-12, 17-19, and 24-26 : catch them while they cruise the city! Their bus is   equipped not only with their glasses, but some pretty sweet vintage books too. It’s like the best type of school bus you could ever imagine.

786 Sansome Ave in the FiDi

I’m not sure if this is the last leg of their tour, but it looks like the bus has made its way here from the east coast!

Not a sponsored post, just thought I’d pass along the info! :)

I have to say, once those wisps of Spring moments happen in San Francisco, you have to take advantage of them immediately because the cold.always.comes.back. (I kind of hate it). It manifested itself in this look, as the title of the post suggests, a mix of neutral & neon. Quite the difference from the previous post huh?

Some days I really want to wear all my colorful things together, but know they simply won’t mix together correctly. Now I’m finally understanding to balance it with neutral colors mixed in.

Hat: vintage. Top: Alexander Wang T. Jeans: Dittos, thrifted. Necklace: Nordstrom Rack. Bag: Old Navy. Shoes: Bakers.

A colorful lipstick always helps too.

So I may be experiencing my last Spring Break break ever this week, and I’m going to enjoy it somewhere warmer :) I can’t wait!