10/14/13 #MenswearMonday (Homecoming Edition!)

When I took this photo on Thursday, in preparation for Menswear Monday, I had no idea that the subject would soon become homecoming king!

This dapper gentleman is Yaw Kyeremateng, a Health Communication and Performance Major, in a genius pairing of blue, orange and grey with a bow tie from JC Penney and shoes from Famous Footwear. I didn't manage to get the brand from the shoes (but there is a dangerously similar Perry Ellis pair available, for those of you wondering) or cardigan since we both had to get to class, but that's not the important part--his matchy-matchy choices are so on-trend for fall I knew I had to snag him. 

I also saw him out Saturday night having a blast in his crown and he called me out on not posting this picture yet and I joked that I just wanted it for myself, so I'm sorry for the late post, but I figured I'd better get it up before it got weird. So. 

Congratulations, Yaw!

Lovely Layers pt. 2

Thanks to all of you who put your best foot forward on this beautiful day! I managed to get a couple of great snaps to hold me over this week. But first, one from last week that never made it to the blog! Last week's weather seemed to throw everyone off so it was a slow week for photos, but when my friend and I spotted this girl from across the fountain, we were willing to literally chase her down.

These fantastic pieces were worn by Grace Stephenson. Majoring in Communications and French, you can tell where she gets her great Euro vibe! Her shorts are from Goodwill and that PERFECT fall shade of blush top is from TJ Maxx. I am in love with all of the textures at play in this look and completely green-eyed with envy over her hair!

You can follow Grace on Twitter @GraStephe or on her own blog, "I'll Tell You How The Sun Rose," at grastephe.blogspot.com

Lovely Layers pt. 1

Ooooh looook, a new fanncy banner that was actually made by a real person who knows how to make banners! This lovely addition is brought to you by the talented Hannah Rodriguez of blog.simplybyserendipity.com. Check out her site and her very cool design portfolios! 

The first post today is most certainly NOT brought to you by iOS 7, which is what I've chosen to blame my slacking on. The update made me move a ton of my pictures around (read: ruin my perfect organization) and I couldn't find the ones I wanted to post in my iPhoto wah wah this is all one big excuse for being super lazy. Ha.

I wanted to post this outfit because it is composed of stuff every girl already has in her closet. Once I found out Theater Major Alex Stickels was wearing a sweater from Goodwill, boots from Plato's Closet, and glasses from Wal Mart, I wanted to post it even more! Her trick here to looking put together is in the layering of neutrals with that pop of mustard yellow. The black boots and belt really tie this together as a perfectly easy look for fall on campus. 

You can follow Alex on Twitter under @AStickels

9/16/13 #MenswearMonday

I'm baaaaack! 

So sorry to neglect y'all this past week. I was doing my civic duty and serving on a very intense jury for the city of Black Hawk aka we had to decide if some kid was drunk driving or not and I argued with two guys for like 5 hours in deliberation and it was AWESOME and we deadlocked and I like to attribute the upkeeping of our local judicial system to myself-but that's a whole other story for another blog.

Oh, and let's be honest, YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN KINDA SLACKING, TOO. Although the cooler weather has seemed to help. You know, scarves and boots and such are being dusted off. So. Keep up the good effort. Pat pat.

I'd like to show the guys a little love on this beautiful day with another Menswear Monday!

This cool kid is Li Cheng, an English Major joining our campus from China! Unfortunately, his wardrobe is as well. Womp. All of his amazing pieces (that shirt, that bag!!) are from stores in China that he said are not available in the U.S. Looks like you're on your own to draw inspiration from this look, guys! And you should, because Li is killin' it.

9/4/13 Easy Breezy (finally!) pt. 2

I was lucky to enjoy a very non-laborious Labor Day with one of my old friends, and of course she showed up in something so effortlessly lovely.

Jaedon Thomson, who is attending the Joffrey Ballet School in New York, New York (but was home for a bit of summer) is like any young New Yorker: thrift store savvy and ALWAYS trying to save money in one of the most expensive cities in the world. She gives a Goodwill bag and denim, cut into shorts, with a thrifted vest and Doc Martens look street chic. I mean, look at those ballerina legs. Really. 

She's on Twitter under @JaedonMacayla23 and Instagram under @jaedonm

9/4/13 Easy Breezy (finally!)

Let's address the heinous elephant in the room, first of all. I am so sorry that the new banner looks like shit. I didn't want you to see me like this! But I got some tips and tricks over the weekend for sprucing up the sites, and CUHLEARLY I need to refine my skills (read: not use Microsoft Word) in the design department. I have access to Photoshop on campus, but haven't gotten a chance to get to it, yet! So it will be bettered soon. I hope. 

Anyway, I hope you all had a great Labor Day weekend! I took the weekend off from iPhone ambushing people, aside from the girl I drunk-photographed at Luna and didn't get ANY information from...duh, but I was back at it today on campus!

Lizzie Dobson has a fantastic mix of easy layers for the changing seasons in a tee shirt from Wal Mart, a flannel she snagged from the lost-and-found at camp, and Chacos! I love how she's piled on the simplest, cheapest pieces for a look that immediately portrays her easygoing personality. She has tons of jewelry from summer camp (along with this beautiful Etsy-found ring) and a big ol' smile to match. This was a girl I knew I could approach!

Lizzie is on Twitter and Instagram under @lizziedobson and frizzymcguiree.tumblr.com

8/30/13 The LEBD (Little Edgy Black Dress) pt. 2

Once I shot Marissa's Little Edgy Black Dress, I spotted another in our major! It was too hot to hunt outside of the building today, you guys, I'm sorry to the rest of the majors-I promise I'll get to you! 

Haley Schulte never strays from her unapologetically edgy (especially for Cedar Falls) personal style. With many of our classes together, I can tell you first hand this girl never has a down day. Today she fit right in with the LEBD theme in this Urban Outfitters embroidered dress with boots from Nordstrom Rack. 

Follow her on Instagram under @schultehaley and Twitter @haleyschulte

8/30/13 The LEBD (Little Edgy Black Dress)

First of all, I would like to call out my weather app for being a liar. I checked it this morning before getting ready for classes and thought to myself, "Oh, a breezy 91 degrees as the high? No problem, I'll just wear all black."Yeah. It now "feels like" 107 and is way above the 91 I was promised.

It looks like I wasn't alone, though! I ran into two other cuties that went for the all black dress look today. 

Marissa Libbey is a new Textiles and Apparel major! Welcome, girl! She wore an adorable sunflower print sundress from Pac Sun with boots from Target to stay cool. This cutout look is a brilliant way to stay on-trend and avoid soaking in the sun all at once!

Follow her on Twitter and Instagram under @RissaAnnxo 

or on her Tumblr,  Embrasse-m0i.tumblr.com

8/29/13 pt. 2

When you see great hair, you just know great style follows. Or vise versa. Whatever, I spotted these dreadlocks in the Union and knew I'd have to post 'em.

Hannah Hall added interest to her trendy thrifted cutoff shorts with textured tights and bright red TOMS. I'm incredibly envious of anyone who can pull off dreads. Speaking of envy, Hannah isn't on any social media! Cutting out hair problems AND the woes of keeping up to date on Facebook/Instagram/Twitter? I want to be this girl. Although, if any of you join her in the latter, I might have a problem.

Stay cool, students!

8/29/13

It was too hot to actually walk outside any more than necessary today, so I'm creating a post on yesterday's finds! It's been really interesting to see how the campusgoers here at the University of Northern Iowa handle the heat. Mostly a lot of athletic shorts and unabashed backpack sweat marks, but a few people are holding it down in the style department even through this brutality. The first girl I spotted was a ray of sunshine in a Nike-covered hallway.

I spotted Melissa Nuti early in the day and made a note to catch up with her later (I knew her major was also in my major's building), to get this snap in the air conditioning. 

She's an Interior Design major in a Forever 21 skirt and top with -wait for it- EIGHT DOLLAR K Mart shoes. She's getting away with just three simple, inexpensive, hot-weather-ready pieces that still speak to her personal style even in 90 degrees. Props, girl. 

You can follow her on Instagram under @MaidenMel11 and Twitter under @MaidenMel

8/27/13 Leather Ladies

I'm so excited for today's post! I met the following ladies while out on Main Street one night this summer, shortly after the initial idea for this site was born. I had wanted to do it for awhile, but I was sure it would be super awkward at first going up to people and asking to take their photo. Luckily, the amount of vodka tonics consumed at Tony's vastly improved my confidence level at just the right time. 

We had just migrated to Cypress after I had pitched the idea to my best friend, and we were heading outside when I watched this gorgeous leather bag carried on the arm of this girl and into the bathroom. I waited, yes, I actually, creepily waited, for her to come back out when I ambushed her asking if I could snap a picture of it (and by chance, her great necklace and a few tattoos, too). 

Kelly found this fantastic leather bag at St. Vincent de Paul, and her stone necklace is from Etsy.

You can find her on Instagram under @babayaga!

After that, I was on a roll. I turned to follow two other girls outside and asked them for their picture, as well. The vodka tonics had turned against me at this point, clearly, because I managed to capture a flare right in the corner of one girl's great shoes. Draaaag.

On the left we have Megan Staker in a dress and flower crown from Forever 21. Looking back, I should have gotten her lip color, too. Sorry, girls. You can follow her on Instagram under @megan_dawn or on her own blog at thepeachpolkadot.blogspot.com.

On the right is Rose Sires wearing wide leg vintage denim found at Mohair Pear and a vintage Coach bag, which for the life of me I cannot remember if it was found at St. Vincent's or the Salvation Army...better check out both. 

It was a night of great leather bags all around-and it got better! I like to ask if there are places other's can follow the people that I post, and Rose has a truly amazing Facebook site of her own. You can find it at

Facebook.com/Paloma.handmade 

-she upcycles vintage leather and fabrics to create combinations unlike anything I've seen from a local artist. I don't want to post any photos, because I didn't ask permission, but it is certainly worth checking out. I know I'll be figuring out a way to get some soon!

8/26/13 #MenswearMonday pt. 2

While I'm on the menswear kick today, I'll share this gem I've been saving for a rainy (or hotter than Hades) day!

A friend of mine sent me some outfit questions for a wedding that was coming up, and I traded advice for a promise of a picture of the finished product. This was his result!

Ben Groth, a Wartburg graduate who has found himself in Florida, wore Express chinos, a gingham bow tie from jackthreads.com, and Steve Madden suede boots to a beautiful wedding in Prairie du Chien. The printed tie was a great way to play up the bold blue without letting it get too crazy for a wedding with a more subdued color scheme.

Follow him on twitter at @BenGroth even though his tweets have an unfortunate amount of references to country music. Sad face.

Great work on this #MenswearMonday, guys!

8/26/13 #MenswearMonday

Welcome back to campus, college students! 

I wasn't quite sure how I would start off today's post, but luckily by the time I got to my first class, it was clear. The most perfect hand embellished vest and sneakers were spotted in my first class, and Menswear Monday was born.

Zach Owens hand studded and pinned this vest. He just casually added the Adidas sneakers that came from their collaboration with designer Jeremy Scott this past season, making for one of the greatest combinations this campus has ever seen. I love how he kept the rest of the look super simple with black and white staple pieces.

Follow this guy on Twitter and Instagram under @FreshBoi1991 for more inspiration!

Here goes!

Happy July, Americans! This month typically kicks off the back-to-school thoughts in everyone's mind, and since this is my last year, I'm more than ready to get this show on the road! So, in honor of heading back for the last time and wanting to make this year a little interesting (well, maybe just interesting for me...we'll see), I'm launching a new project I've been thinking over for almost a year now.

Every morning over coffee, and whining about being awake, I try to check out what's going on in the fashion world. Whether it be fashion week shows, red carpet events or, lately, lots of interesting photos  rolling in from summer music festivals, I love to get inspired before I get dressed and leave the house. It doesn't stop there, though. Once I'm out and about I loooooove people watching. I will interrupt myself or my friends mid-sentence while walking or driving to point out someone who you can just tell has naturally awesome style, an interesting statement piece, or is just simply rockin' the shit out of whatever they're in.

I've spent a lot of time fighting Cedar Falls, Iowa in my head as a creative space in the same way as I felt NYC was at the time I lived there. After a long talk with my best friend last night about this project, I realized that it may be just the place for something like this to take off, or at least provide some interest for awhile, because there's nothing else like it going on. Because Cedar Falls, to me, feels so secluded from major fashion opportunities, I feel like it's a great place to make a point that it is possible to be a part of the fashion world in all kinds of ways. In fact, it almost pushes those of us who enjoy expressing ourselves through dress to get a little more creative with what we're able to work with.

So. There are some common...not really problems...but, okay, problems...that I have issues with when I'm looking through these street style pictures from major outlets such as The New York Times, Vogue, Refinery 29, or even Instagram. A few examples include:

Uh, no one really just comes across Prada shoes, much less pulls them off. 

Fur. Nope. 

Oh, we just happened to catch this off-duty model three days in a row. 

Out-of-reach brands for our Midwest-rooted group. 

Many people whose job is fashion-not regular people on a budget, much less students outside of FIT. 

Now don't get me wrong, this is the point of inspiration. If these looks were attainable, we'd just copy them and call it a day. The fun in checking out these people's choices is in the twist you put on it. Especially in a place like Cedar Falls where everything from the retail choices to the vintage options are completely different and more limited.

So here's what's gonna happen: I hope to begin taking photos of people I see around our area who are having fun with what they're wearing. Cool jewelry, innovative styling, DIY pieces, remade vintage, I want to capture it all, and I want to post it for others to draw inspiration from as well. I'll be the one walking up to people asking them if I can take their picture. I want to find out what you're wearing, what you do, where people can find you to continue to be inspired by you. I'll post names, majors or occupations, your Twitter/Instagram/Facebook/Etsy/Ebay or whatever you'd like me to. Women, men, students, professionals, everyone. This is a chance for us to get connected with or draw ideas from each other. To further local artists through showcasing their art.

I've picked up BestDressedMidwest on Instagram, @BDMidwest on Twitter, Best Dressed Midwest on Facebook, and of course this blog site. Because this will mostly be done while on the move, the quickest way to access it for me will be through Twitter and Instagram, with links to blog or Facebook posts when they happen. I'll be hitting the community whenever I have a chance starting now, but the sites won't likely go live until around the time school starts, so feel free to like/follow now so you'll get updates when the posts start rolling in!

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