OOTD: Holy Cats!

I spend a lot of time scouring the internet and brick and mortar shops for just the right quirky pieces to let the world know exactly what kind of personality they're about to tangle with. I'm fortunate that my job allows and encourages creative dress (libraries FTW!) and that I make enough to play around with my wardrobe in funky ways.

If it's whimsical or weird it's definitely in my wheelhouse!

I've split focus on my Instagram between books and fashion and always wanted Bildungsromans.com to do the same. Now that I've figured out how to actually make that happen in a way that ensures easy navigation I am going to start showing you what I wore and why.

Let's start with this dress. OMG THIS DRESS! Its retro styling and absolutely bonkers cat pattern in bold colors had my attention the first time I saw it on ModCloth's website. I'm a thick-waisted girl and I generally avoid tie-waist dresses and skirts because who wants to make a thick middle even thicker with a giant bow leading forward? Thankfully the business of this pattern and the ability to tie once and let hang (as opposed to tying a full-on bow) makes the tie waist tolerable. The fact that it's built into the dress, though, means I can cinch the waist a little and give myself a little curve and THAT, my friend, is the true genius behind this dress.

I generally wear leggings, either cropped or full-length, under my dresses for two reasons. a) library HVACs are notoriously fickle creatures, so it pays to dress in comfortable layers and b) I find myself crawling around on the floor a lot at work, either looking for carelessly dropped (by me) objects or needing to rearrange books on carts. Ooh wait, I also c) love covering up my fat knees! This day, however, I felt bold. The skirt was longer than most I own and the weather seemed stable. I went without leggings for the first time (aside from wearing pencil skirts) and absolutely nothing bad happened and what was my big worry and when can I do this again?!

I paired the dress with a more casual shoe to balance out the craziness of the dress print. I chose the Minnetonkas because they are comfortable AF and were the perfect shade of navy blue to match my cardigan. And I've found that navy against my pinkish hair definitely makes it stand out without giving it a gross undertone/reflection.

I'm happy this is the first outfit I'm sharing on this site because I love it so damn much! I can't wait to share more fashion and style with you. Now, where's my list of book reviews? I also have several months of those to catch you up on as well. Let's do this!