Outfitted: The Ants Go Marching...

Hi lovelies! I hope everyone survived the first day back to work after the long weekend. Not much to talk about today, I feel as if I've droned on and on about DCT and I packing, moving, and unpacking; and unfortunately that's the only exciting thing going on in my life right now, haha!

What I can talk about is today's outfit :) As I mentioned in a previous post, I've become obsessed with, what I call, micro-animal prints. I love the optical illusion, from far away you see just a printed top, but up close...are those ants on your shirt? Why yes, yes they are :) I bought this shirt a few weeks ago during Anthropologie's Semi-Annual Clearance sale and couldn't wait to style it. Its so playful and quirky and adds just the right amount of personality, I mean how many people are walking around with tiny ants on their shirt? :)

'Till Next Time...

::Outfit::

Top: Anthropologie

Skirt: 3.1 Phillip Lim (old)

Sandals: Aldo (old)

Clutch: Etsy (Pretty Afrika)

Watch: Michael Michael Kors

Sunnies: Crossroads

Life via Insta.gram

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend! DCT and I are still getting settled into the new apartment, but we're loving everything about it, its really starting to become a home :)

I thought I'd share with you all my "offline" life from these past couple weeks. If you follow me on Insta.gram then these pictures are old news to you (sorry!) I'm a very visual person and Insta.gram has become my version of crack, I've been taking pictures of everything, my twitter feed is filled with more links to pictures than anything else.

With that said I may make this post a regular feature, we'll see...I hope you enjoy the pictures below and have a great Tuesday!

Enjoying the much-welcomed warm weather.

Organized chaos preparing for the big move.

Tia is all ready to go!

Happy Move-in Day!

Saying goodbye to this gorgeous view

Enjoying the product of our "new" grill

Cosmic bowling, a welcomed break from unpacking.

Memorial Day Weekend, Grilling out, & Moscato :)

Perfect summer night on our new patio

If you don't already, you can follow me on Insta.gram here :)

'Till Next Time...

Outfitted: Stripes & Lilac

Happy Friday everyone! And happy move-in day for me, as you read this I'm probably attempting to drag my sofa down the stairs and/or corral my kitties into their respective carriers. I've moved many times in my life, from being a military brat to college life to after-college life, moving is just something I do. I have to tell you though, despite the many many many times that I've moved and no matter how prepared I may feel, move-in day always turns out to be super hectic. I have a feeling this one will be no different, since everything came together so last minute. Let's pray that I don't lose the last bit of my sanity today, haha!

On to more important things, like this outfit! ;) I'd been on the lookout for a great pair of fun colored chinos for some time now and wouldn't you know it, Anthroplogie (who is clearly the other love of my life after (or before, hehe) DCT) was having their semi-annual clearance sale and these little gems were included. I was actually leaning more towards the navy ones, but unfortunately they were all sold out in my size, so lilac was the next best option and I think I'm actually more satisfied with these than I would've been with the navy ones. I love how the shade is just light enough to easily match with other colors, but still stands out on its own.

I can see these pants becoming a summer staple, they're so light and breezy, I wore them on a super hot day this past week and still felt comfy, cool, and tres tres chic ;)

I hope you all have a great Friday and enjoy the long three day weekend!

'Till Next Time....

::Outfit::

Chinos: Anthropologie (lilac color sold out)

Tank: H&M

Denim Jacket: Old Navy

Shoes/Bag/Sunnies: Crossroads

Watch: MICHAEL Michael Kors

Getting Kinky: Corinne Bailey Rae

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The beautiful British songwriter and guitarist, Corinne Bailey Rae not only has gorgeous locks that many naturals envy and aspire to, but she also has a chic, down-to-earth, "girl next door" sense of style. Her looks are always simple and easy, yet still fashionable and fun. From printed shift dresses, to playful jumpsuits, to tailored blazers, and an impeccable use of color its no wonder Corinne Bailey Rae has become an international style icon.

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To get her look, focus on clothing with classic silhouettes and simple cuts. Don't be afraid to play around with colors and prints, jewel tones and pastels look especially great! Finally, keep makeup and other accessories minimal.

I (obvi) love Corinne's fashion sense and definitely look towards her for outfit inspiration, since her looks are more simple-chic and focus on classic silhouettes they can be easily adapted for all women. 

I want to continue doing style posts on different natural hair/style icons and have a couple already lined up but would love to hear some suggestions from you all! Feel free to leave me a comment about a natural hair/style icon you'd like me to do a post on below or shoot me a quick email at ashleim(at)kinksarethenewpink(dot)com. Thanks in advance!

'Till Next Time...

Style Spy: Micro-Animal Prints

Hi guys & gals! Happy Monday! So I'm officially out of school for the summer! *happy dance* And by the end of this week will be (somewhat) settled into a new place, I couldn't be more excited for the change.

Since we've been getting ready to move I've been going through my closet to pack/get rid of things I don't wear anymore and I've noticed a little trend going on with almost all of my tops - they all have some sort of quirky micro print, as I like to call it. I have a top with tiny airplanes, horses, bicycles, and recently purchased one from Anthropologie with tiny ants crawling across it (which I'm totally obsessed with and can't wait to style it for an outfit post!). I think what attracts me most to these tops is the optical illusion they create, from far away they simply look like a printed top, nothing really special, but once you get up close you can see the quirky & playful details of tiny elephants, bunnies, flamingos, etc.

I love that these tops are easy to wear, as the add just the right amount of personality to even the most basic of outfits. Do you all have any fun micro printed tops? Please share in the comments! :)

'Till Next Time...


::Shop::
Flirty Flamingos - Ted Baker
Bouncing Bunnies - ASOS
Eclectic Elephants - Paul & Joe Sister
Blissful Bulldogs - Sea New York

Outfitted: Brights on Brights on Brights

::Outfit:: Dress - Rachel Rachel Roy / Chambray - Zara / Crochet Oxfords - Wanted / Bag - Random store / Accessories - Michael Michael Kors watch & rings, random bangles, sunnies via Crossroads

Hi everyone! Did you miss me? Haha ;) I'm almost in the clear with school, Saturday is officially the last day and I have one more project to finish up then it is totally summer party mode!

In addition to that, DCT and I finally found an apartment which we're super excited about, it's in a new neighborhood, it'll literally take me two minutes to walk to work, and it's close to great friends :) I'm super pumped! We even get to move in early, which is great as we get to bypass all the June 1st move-in madness, but that also means we have to get our stuff together ASAP, which should be fun seeing as we both have a lot of stuff (me probably more so than DCT...). 

But on to other things, such as this outfit! If you've been following my blog for some time now you'll know I'm not one to shy away from colors. I welcome and embrace them, the bolder and brighter the better.  This was one of the first hot and sunny days we've had in Chicago and I thought why not match the day with some hot and bright colors. I love how the neon pink of the dress pairs with the neon yellow of the belt. I've found that this belt, though a statement on it's own, really brings out the color of any item it's paired with (see it worn here as well), who knew a neon yellow belt could be so versatile ;)

I hope y'all enjoy the rest of your week, I'm going to try and get another post up, but I can't promise anything, finals + moving = craziness. But once everything calms down I have tons of post ideas just waiting to make an appearance on here :)

Thanks so much for reading!

'Till Next Time...

Rock This!: Fashionably Prepared for Finals.

It's that time of the year, Finals week is here. It's an exciting yet stressful time of year for me, exciting because it means school is almost out for the summer, but stressful because I am the biggest procrastinator ever as well as a huge perfectionist (which is a really weird combination) and I always end up scrambling near the end of the week to get everything put together and turned in.

I tend to look pretty rough throughout this week, as the concern for my appearance continues to decrease as  due dates draw closer and closer, haha! Comfort is key when it comes to fashion during finals (sometimes, for me, its borderline street bum, haha), and with that I thought I'd share a few of my essentials for finals to show those of you who may be going through finals as well how to be fashionably prepared ;)

1. Geek Chic glasses are a must as contacts tend to dry out when staring at a computer screen for hours and hours and hours....

2. Layers are key! Especially if you're hanging out late night in the library or a coffee shop. Plus a chunky scarf can double as a pillow for quick power naps ;)

3. Tunes to keep you motivated.

4. Caffeine to keep you focused.

5. Backpacks are tres chic for finals week, plus it will literally hold everything and anything you may need.

6. Save the killer heels for the week after when you're celebrating surviving another year :)

And there you have it! With that said, I will probably be m.i.a. the rest of this week (I know, I know, so sad), I need to put all my energy and focus towards these huge final projects. But have no fear, I will be back in action come Monday and all yours for the next 3 months ;)

I hope everyone has a great week and weekend! Pray I don't stress myself out too much, haha :)

'Till Monday...

Anthropologie May 2012 Catalogue: The Island Life

Confession, I have an obsession with Anthropologie. I love their use of colors and prints, as well as the arts & crafts yet meticulously designed feel of everything they create. They never fail to offer gorgeous & lust-worthy clothing and I'm pretty sure my forever home will have several pieces from their home goods section.

I received their May 2012 catalogue in the mail the other day and, as usual, I fell in love with the beautiful imagery and clothing. I'm now convinced that I need to escape to a sunny island and wear nothing but printed cotton dresses, floppy straw hats, bright & colorful bottoms, and wooden sandals. I've posted some of my favorite images below, enjoy!

Check out the entire catalogue (and shop the looks!) here :)

Happy Friday!

'Till Next Time...