fresh kicks

shoes: chuck taylors 

I grew up in sartorial chaos.

 No one in my family dresses the same, as a rule. Trying to get ready for holiday photos was an absolute nightmare. No one agrees on patterns, aesthetics, or, god forbid, colors. But we always had Chucks. (Pink, black, bright red, and solid glitter, to be exact.) They were the one thing we all agreed on, probably because we could each have our own look. I can't say I was never in awe of the families who dressed like an LL Bean catalogue, but hey, it's what makes us unique. Years later, our chucks are still a wardrobe staple, and since he's part of the family now, we had to get Jordan his own pair. Don't worry, he's keeping the streak alive - he insisted on wearing floral print even though I was in plaid. 

But I guess that's what makes Chucks so iconic - you can wear them with whatever you want, 

and your girlfriend is still going to put you on her instagram feed. 

x Justina  

ps. how blinding are these? we need to put some miles on them.

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fits like a glove

jacket: vintage
dress: tobi 'joleen' dress
shoes: converse
backpack: sunny dushanka

The older you get, the more and more "short and tight but also fancy" becomes this bizarre expectation forced upon your wardrobe. I've managed to avoid it thus far mainly by never leaving my house. I'm also fairly tall and have all of the curves of a highway in the desert, so finding a dress that fits is also a v difficult undertaking.  As you can tell, I have a well articulated excuse for every situation. But I decided it needed to happen, because I am only scared of rational things, like deep water and spiders, and will not be intimidated by a dress. At least not one this small.

You know in a sitcom, where the main character does something they were scared of, and the happy music plays, and they say something along the lines of "that wasn't that bad"? That was me, once I got accustomed to the breeze. This dress is super comfy, and not too much of a ~night out~ look for me to rock on my weekly trip to IKEA.

Speaking of IKEA: settle this for me, guys. Is it "I-KEY-UH" or "E-KAY-UH"?

Loser has to buy me another pillow for my fort,
so I'm heavily invested.

xx Justina


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feeling warm?

sweater: people's project LA
jeans: wild blue denim
boots: CAT
lipstick: colourpop 

As someone who's grown up in a state with a wide variety of them: trees are beautiful. I honestly can't even focus on what I'm doing in these photos because that tree behind me is so absolutely stunning. It's the perfect backdrop for this sweater. 

Let's talk about sweater ventilation for a minute. Mainly, why isn't it more common? I think the worst thing ever is when you're wearing a really cute sweater and then you get that gross ~prickly clammy feeling~ that means you're about to become the sweater. HOW AM I MEANT TO BE COMFY LIKE THAT? (And please, especially if you're my mum, do not suggest that I wear more weather appropriate clothing. That is not HELPFUL okay) This sweater from People's Project LA is maybe the way of the future. It's cozy in the front, breezy in the back. Also, as my aformentioned mother pointed out, "it's not cut like a potato sack". 

Note to self: potatoes are good. 
Dressing like one is not.

x Justina


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it isn't always better

sweater: thrifted
tote: cuyana
boots: CAT

I'm going to live in this sweater for the rest of my life. Best $3 I've ever spent in a thrift store.

This is winter in California aka early fall everywhere else in the world. Unfortunately, the colourful foliage does not change it from being December, or me having to do Christmas shopping still. I keep making lists, and then sticking them in my bag and forgetting. Mainly because I get distracted buying Christmas presents for myself. Like this bag.

IT'S GOT MY NAME STAMPED ON IT. At least, my initials. Plus it holds absolutely everything, barring a few fantastic beasts. It's from Cuyana, also known as the-cool-brand-everyone-keeps-hush-hush-about-because-none-of-us-want-to-share. (Try whispering that in someone's ear. Go ahead.) As a brand, they're all about small source and handmade, sturdy and stylish, better over bigger. Getting close to Christmas (THREE WEEKS GUYS NOBODY PANIC) they're reminding all of us deal crazed nutters to give better. As someone who is extremely picky about a. who gets presents and b. what they get, I was all over it. To me, it seems like a great philosophy. Give people you love things they'll love, not just things. Do something unforgettable.

This seems like a great time to announce that I'm going to London on Sunday with Sallie. I don't really have anything else to add to that, except that I'm hoping to track down Ellie.

But when am I not amiright

x Justina

ps. shoot me an email at justina {at} abentpieceofwire.com with your address, and favorite color. I'm making Christmas cards and have no one to send to...EXCEPT YOU GUYS. (Perks of the internet: you can't run away.)


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baby's got back

shirt: wild blue denim
pants: element eden
shoes: coolway usa

The back on this shirt is a classic case of something looking extremely challenging, and then being extremely challenging. Like how much back is too much back? I still don't know.

I felt like I needed to at least TRY to use it as something other than a glorified dress-topper, and so, in an effort to make the whole thing simpler, decided to combine it with the only harder-to-wear item in my closet: these pants. They're WHITE and FLORAL and CROPPED and CUFFED ON THE BOTTOM. I've had them a solid two years but have always been way too scared of them and the stains I was sure would immediately destroy them if I dared to wear them in public. But as always, the promise of wiggle room and pockets pulled me in.

THIS OUTFIT WAS SO COMFY. I wore it to wander around the market and pretend I could tell the difference between central valley and northern peaches. (psa: central valley are squishier and generally sweeter. I guess.) Unexpected side effect of being fully covered with an open back? Perfect temperature. Even though it was 103 degrees. That's almost...40 degrees celsius for those of you who live in places with seasons.

I'm currently in Humboldt, which is much too far north of the wall for you to worry about locating on a map. It's foggy, and below 70 degrees, which feels faintly unnatural to me. I can already feel myself losing my healthy tan.

Kidding. (a little)

x J


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flip and flow

dress: american eagle
boots: caterpillar
bralette: aerie

It's so HOT. Not just this dress, but the weather. El Nino is a distant memory, and the only proof that it even happened is that our lakes have actual water in them. With that said, the dress is pretty cute too. It's a perfect summer cut - there's not a lot happening, but it easily fits everything you could be doing during the day. Little details like the straps in the back elevate it from a standard school outfit to ~fancy barbeque~ acceptable. I also very much enjoy dancing in it because the skirt is flowy but doesn't do the thing where you have to hold it down so you don't flash someones grandparents. You know what I'm talking about.

 Remember when everyone was obsessed with those Chloé stud boots? It seems like it just happened, but that was basically in my sartorial childhood. Literally every blogger and their mother had a pair, and then they just disappeared. These boots remind me a lot of a southwestern interpretation of those, and I love it. I'm equally impressed that they're from Caterpillar - not a traditional maker of hipster boots, but surprisingly proficient at it. They're also incredibly comfortable, and the buckles make a very satisfying clunking noise when I walk.

Today was my last day of classes. I still have finals, but am effectively done with my first full time semester of college. I'm really unclear on where the last 16 weeks of my life went. I've learned about oxford commas, il imperfetto, delayed ledes, yoga breathing, and the very bizarre history of California. (Fitting.) I've also found a strange little family, and a lot of stress, in my (award-winning) college newspaper, and eaten a prolific amount of really good food. Shoutout to Tim for never letting me starve, Jordan for letting me angry write at midnight, and Hannah for copy-editing my life/being a generally angelic sunfish.

It's time for summer though. Some classics will be making a reappearance: Sallie + our annual road trip, camp, and LA. There's also some new stuff in the works.

Like sleep. 

x J

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sun touched

romper: tobi
sneakers: converse
bralette: aerie
tote: little brick bookstore
sunnies: toms

It's getting to that point in the summ- wait, it's still spring? HAH, okay, whatever you say.

It's getting to that point in the spring where it's so disgustingly hot already that I'd prefer to not wear any clothes at all, but if I have to, they need to be light, flowy, and not touch my skin.

A romper seems OBVIOUS, but I'm 5'8 and most jumpsuits (dresses, swimsuits, shirts, all clothing in general) are made for people considerably shorter. The biggest bummer in the world is seeing a cute one piece and stepping in only to realize the collar is somewhere around the middle of my stomach. With that said, some creative layering can always add upper length.  My new Tobi romper is my favorite kind of simple, with a little bit of flair. It's also loose enough to work for any height. The Aerie bralette is an easy ~staple~, and takes this from a tragedy to a tall girl look. Plus, in the summer, bralettes > real bras any day.

I only realized this morning that I've worn my converse every day this week. I always had this lurking suspicion that they cut my legs off, but I'm dedicated to the high top aesthetic.

Today one of my professors started talking about finals and I was very suddenly brought to terms with the fact that the semester ends in a month, and then it's SUMMER. There's already so much on the books, it'll be interesting to see how it all works out. And what shade of dirt my converse will be once it settles.

x J

ps. because I'm a homie, I want to let you in on the secret of Tobi: they have all your faves (dresses,  rompers, skirts, sequins, cardigans, bodysuits, midi's, crop tops, etc) and ur first order is 50% off.  have fun with that. 

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find me in your roses

dress: show me your mumu
shoes: converse
sunnies: the lazy ones
lack of muscle mass: blaming it on genetics

How many blog posts have I clandestinely shot in front of my neighbor's roses at this point? It has to have been at least four or five. With that said though, I don't think I've ever blended in white as well as I did this time.

Okay, so here's the whole story: I signed up for Mon-Wed 9am yoga because "it'll be nice to start my week with yoga" and  "that'll relax me". What I didn't think about was that I'd have to then wear my ~gross yoga clothes~ (super snazzy tanks and lululemon leggings) for the whole rest of the day. Sigh. So now I've come to the creative crossroad of finding outfits to change into, wanting to carry the least amount of excess weight possible, and needing to be able to put them on in a bathroom stall and not land in the toilet. I'm getting pretty good at it, and layering is my new best friend.

This outfit is the one that got the most compliments last week - my Show Me Your Mumu dress that survives wrinkles (and the bottom of my backpack) and the ultimate basic converse. The sunglasses were just a nice way to distract everyone from the fact that my eyeliner had gone from "Warrior 1" to "Downward dog"  very quickly. Here's the genius of this outfit though: everyone thought I was ~dressed~. I spent most of the day feeling like I got away with a massive heist.

Side note: yoga is GREAT. I'm not going to start hand-standing on cliff ledges or anything, but it really is a nice way to train your body. Especially when your body is the athletic equivalent of a brick.

And no, brothers, I have never landed in the toilet. Don't jinx it. 

x J


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time to go back

Full outfit c/o Kohl’s

Everyone likes to talk about the "first day of school outfit". But I want to draw attention to the fact that, since you have to go back after that first day, the "back to school" outfit is arguably much more important. These people are seeing you every day, after all, you can't let it go now. So when Kohl’s sent me out to track down a "Back To School" outfit in their stores, I took it VERY seriously. Like, two hours of shopping and a lot of hypothetical "what-if" scenarios SERIOUS. I also made a list of criteria the outfit had to meet: 

1. Aesthetically pleasing (obviously)

2. Versatile pieces i.e. you could use the stuff with other stuff to create more stuff

3. Situationally appropriate (I love heels, but the miles of halls in my school do not)

4. Comfortable, because why even wear clothes if they aren't

5. Easily customizable to your ~pErSoNaL bRaNd~

For my perfect 40th (nearly half through first semester) day of school outfit, I started with a black boyfriend tee, an easy basic. Then, I went for these very Leslie Knope-esque printed jeans. I snagged (literally) a burgundy cozy cardigan to a.) keep me snuggly and b.) add some color. Then I remembered that I am walking across campus approx. 8480382048 times a day, and how often my shoes are in my Starbucks snapchats, and went for the ultimate classic: white Chuck Taylor’s. This was the BEST sartorial decision I've made in ages. (And they were on sale.)

Now I will admit: I was not a super Kohl’s shopper and so not entirely sure what I was metaphorically walking into when I literally walked into my local Kohl’s. Now, my keen observation skills will be to your benefit. Here is what you will see: racks and racks and racks of things you want as far as your eyes work. Then, baskets, which you will use to collect all of your new treasure. On the racks themselves, little grey boxes of happiness displaying drastically reduced prices that are easily within the "Mum, I could wear this SO MUCH" range. Everything after that is just an enjoyable bout of shopping bliss. The place is an actual wonderland.

Ps: Criteria 6 for outfits: if you can't spontaneously dance in it for whatever vine trend is in right now, don't even bother. 

x J 

ps. friendly reminder: a gift card can't buy my love - Kohl’s compensated me for this, but I, like Drake, don't fake feelings. 

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a sweater in the summer

sweater: american eagle
jeans: levis
sandals: c.o. moheda toffeln

Do you know what happened today? It was scarring, emotionally off-putting, and quite frankly, shocking.

 It. was. cold.

It was 55 degrees when I woke up. It doesn't even get that cold in the ACTUAL winter, let alone MAY. I was rather unsure of how to deal with it and so stayed in bed for an extra hour. Once I decided to get up, this is the outfit I decided on. The ripped boyfriend jeans were in defiance to the weather, because it is meant to be summer, and Mother Nature needs to get her life together. The sweater was because there was a breeze straight off the Arctic. 

My fave youngin's, Maia + Aiden, came to visit me from Bermuda and brought me this rad piece of blingy-ness. I'm not entirely sure what it is, but I like it. I also really, really, really like this bun. It is a bun of art. I'm not clear on how I did it, and will never be able to recreate it, so lets just enjoy it now. That sunbeam certainly was. If you're curious: I am not intentionally rocking the Kylie-Jenner-pre-temporary-lip-fillers look, but I am rocking it all the same.

IT'S ALMOST THE END OF THE SEMESTER. 

There is nothing better than that statement so lets just end it here.

x J


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two pieces of work

shirt and pant set c.o. element eden
purse : new look
shoes : havent the slightest
sunnies : zerouv


I'll admit it: I wasn't feeling the matchy-matchy set thing when everyone else was. I just couldn't see myself running around in a "structured" crop top and skirt. The pants ones were even worse, with some abstract top deal and then ADULT WOMAN pants. You know what I'm talking about. But of course, because they're magic fairies who possibly dabble in whatever black magic they need to always churn out such good stuff, the girls at Element Eden have gotten me hooked with this fun deal from their collaboration with Wildflower. This button down vaguely reminiscent of my Iowa plaid, but a little more fun and guuurly. True to their skater roots, it's also made out of a nice thick material, so if you fall off a skate board (or, more likely if you're me, thin air) your limbs are safe from scratches, or worse, tears. The pants are cut in a sort of tapered jogger, and I was honestly at such a loss as to how to dress them, because I am weird about ankles, but they just sort of...worked. They're also made of a nice soft cozy material that doesn't cling to you like it's related to plastic wrap. All day I felt alternately like I was cheating, because hello, these are socially acceptable nearly-pyjamas, and like I was the most sophisticated person alive. My clothes match more than your clothes na na na na na na.


This outfit was definitely a step outside of the box for me, which is strange, because it seems so simple. My immediate instinct when I saw the shirt was to grab my levis and my cowboy boots and go... well, as full country as I can. (Closer to half than full) But now that I've worn it, it's beginning to grow on me. Don't expect to see my belly button any time soon though, I've outwaited Taylor Swift.


x J

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more stripes and sunshine

SHIRT : MIAMASVIN

JEANS : FOREVER 21

HEELS  c.o. B.C. FOOTWEAR

SUNNIES c.o. ZEROUV

NECKLACES c.o. DOGEARED

BACKPACK c.o. SUNNY DUSHANKA

 
 I have two settings - stripes or sweaters. There's honestly no inbetween at this point. 

It is utterly RIDICULOUS that I can dress like this in December. 

California, you're beginning to upset me with your persistence in the face of proper winter weather. The sun can take a holiday over the holidays, okay?

I've talked about all of this before so just enjoy the fact that I have found yet another way to style a striped shirt. Going for a world record. I will say, however, that these jeans are 500% better than I expected. I bought them in a cranberry-sauce-induced haze around 12:45am on Black Friday, and promptly forgot about them. Then they arrived, and I was fully expecting them to tear the moment they touched air, but surprise surprise. Of course, they don't fit in the waist, but you can only have it all in one pair at a time. 

Who's ready for Sunday? 

It's the first Sunday of December, and that means two things:

1. My mum will light the advent wreath and we will all hold our breath and hope it doesn't completely go up in flames.

2. FIRST SUNDAY OF DECEMBER GIVEAWAY.

 You know you've been waiting for it. Or you haven't and now you've been pleasantly surprised.

See you on Sunday.

x Justina

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