No Heels + No Running = No Fun

Man, getting back into blogging makes me feel so...PRESSURED. I'm unsure why - it's one of those things where I think the pressure is to make a huge splash and come out the gates all super couture all of a sudden. LOL NOT HAPPENING.

OH, by the by, I totally sprained my ankle about 4 weeks ago. It was a good one too. I was trail running with my sister and DallasTheDog and when we were finished and walking back to my car, I slipped between the sidewalk and the grass in front of someone's house. Except instead of grass there was dirt. And 1,000 tree roots. Since I couldn't catch my balance, not only did I roll my ankle, I then proceeded to fall over ONTO it. Delicious. I'm pretty sure I was in shock for the entire car drive home because I insisted that I drive (even though I fell on my head) and I didn't feel anything until 2-3 hours later.

SO FUN RIGHT?

THEN DISASTER:

That was taken 2-3 days after the fall. After taking that photo, I went to my doctor, had 2 sets of x-rays taken only to find out it's a severe high-ankle sprain and I need to:

1. Not wear heels
2. Not run

For how long you ask? Well I don't know, I literally mumbled "Then just kill me, doc." after he gave me his orders. Recovery time is about 12-15 weeks. Just recently I started going back on the elliptical to get me going into running. I went to PT once but figured I can do similar exercises at home. My ankle is better, still swollen but not bruised, just slightly tender/sore. I have to wear a beautiful slip-on brace (should I bedazzle it like Mariah Carey?) but I've started to be less dependent on it.

So anyway, that was a long story to tell you that I'm going to be wearing a lot of outfits with flats, lol. I KNOW that a majority of them would look better with heels, but since I'm banned, we'll have to make due. AND on top of that, I naturally have SHORT LEGS. So it's not like if I just wore whatever with flats, I'd look fine, my short legs only makes me look that much more stumpy without heels! First world problems to the max, amirite?

Well on the up-side I have been finding new love for my flats that I've abandoned.

Club Monaco turtleneck, Aqua blazer, Top Shop skirt, Hue tights,

London Sole oxfords, F21 necklace, Francesa's Colletions headband

Questions? AskPhivy!

@hoisinivy

Fall in Winter

Though I was a reluctant Pinterest user (see my work blog post for more), I've now embraced all of its glory: the good and the bad. The bad being the sad, sad "One Day My Prince Will Come" wedding boards, the cream-cheese-and-butter-filled food recipes, and the memes that are 2 weeks too late. But the good does outweigh the bad. While I rarely duplicate hair styles and outfits directly, I do go on Pinterest almost every morning for inspiration. Aside from scrolling down to see what my friends have pinned, I often go to the larger "categories" to see what strangers have pinned, specifically Women's Fashion and Hair & Beauty. Those two are always great boards for finding things you wouldn't normally see on your regular blog list.

One of the most common outfits I keep finding on Pinterest is the typical "Fall staple" outfit: chambray shirt, white tank, black leggings, and brown boots.And while we're almost out of Winter and breaking into Spring, I wear what I want!

Side note - I'm crazy in love with Old Navy's Perfect Rib Knit Tank Top for one reason only - they are super long! As you guys (may) know, I have a super long torso so A LOT of tanks are too short for me to pair with leggings, these tanks are long without being too big or bulky under other shirts or sweaters. And they're like $5.

Forever 21 chambray shirt, Old Navy Perfect Rib Knit Tank Top, Banana Republic vest (similar here),
Lululemon Wunder Under (similar here), no-name brown boots (heeled version here)

I've been wearing my hair in a side-bun more frequently mainly because when I drive, I can't stand having my bun hit the back of my driver's seat (random pet peeve of mine). This is one of the first posts in awhile that I'm not wearing lipstick and I have to say - it's hard for me to get back used to it! I kept thinking I looked so pale compared to when I wear lipstick!

I double-lined my eyes - black liquid liner with an aqua liner on top. I prefer the clean line of a liquid liner when it comes to bold colors (versus too much eyeshadow). I was also wearing this to work so it's much more toned-down than if I had swept my entire eyelid with the same color.

Of course, D likes to make her daily cameos (aka: get fur all over my leggings):

Don't forget to hop onto my wedding page to see an update on Ryan's and my registry experience.

questions? ask phivy! | @hoisinivy | instagram

Red, White, & Blue

As the weather still figures out what it's doing (seriously it was 80+ degrees on Saturday then cooled down to 65 degrees on Sunday), I've been trying to balance my winter and spring wardrobe. I don't want to get rid of sweaters and long-sleeved shirts yet, but I'm ready for some color infusion!

These photos were taken after work (so sorry for the day-long makeup, fallen hair, and tired expressions).

BDG button down (similar here), Express red jeans (similar here), F21 belt (similar here), Coach oxfords

In other news, Ryan and I have accomplished a lot when it comes to our wedding over this past weekend! Check out the updates later this week as I write about our registry and photographer-selection process!

questions? askphivy! | @hoisinivy | instagram

DJ Dub Step(h)

You guys know Confession Bear? Well, admittedly, this was my confession:

I would hear people go, "Oh I love dub step!" "Oh I effing HATE dub step!" and every time I'd hear the music, I assumed it was ONE particular DJ. It took me a LONG time to realize it was a style of music and not someone who happened to be called, DJ Dub Step.

With that said, I knew who Skrillex was (I saw him at a work event once...weird and cool and weird some more) but I didn't realize that he WASN'T DJ Dub Step. The things you learn!

Anyway, I say that because I'm kind of into long one-sided-bangs, not sweeping, but just an asymmetrical look with my hair pulled back. You can see it here with a high bun. With my bangs pretty much grown out, I think it gives a different look to just side-swept bangs that I used to have.

I was inspired to wear all black with colored heels but wanted to add some sort of print - in comes my leopard scarf!

Lululemon Wunder Unders (similar here), Old Navy tank (not shown, similar here),
Express boyfriend's blazer (similar here), L.A.M.B. blue heels (similar here and here),
Old Navy leopard scarf (similar here), Tom Ford glasses (similar here)

If you look closely, you can see that I have Dallas' tennis ball in hand.

For all of you dog-owners and lovers out there, you know our #1 tool (which I failed to use): A LINT ROLLER.

questions? ask phivy! | @hoisinivy | instagram/hoisinivy

The Challenge

A few days ago Ryan gave me a great idea for the blog. The challenge: style and wear a select piece of clothing 3 times a week. Challenge accepted!

Since I wore my blue blazer with my BFM shirt on Saturday, I decided to swing the pendulum the other way and go girly. Usually when I wear dresses, I go with a cardigan to keep the femininity, but wearing a blazer gives it some structure I like.

CCT Style dress (similar here), Aqua Blazer (cheaper version here), Cole Haan suede booties, F21 studded belt

I'm FINALLY getting the hang of doing victory rolls in my hair. And by "getting the hang," I still mean that I struggle with the smaller one on the left. I mean, how "symmetrical" should they be? Do I look like Mickey Mouse? So many questions for the newb!

questions? askphivy! | twitter tracker | instagram

BFM

I realize that this blog is hanging on by a thread, but once again, I promise to take more photos.

If you follow me on Instagram, then you see snippets of my outfits, nails, and hairstyles. Lately I've been much more...adventurous (e.g: victory rolls, modern french nails). My goal is to not only to take more blog-worthy photos but to also add tutorials! 

As my style has evolved, I'm making a conscious effort to not do an overhaul of clothing, but instead, either add key pieces that can update what I already have or pair pieces together things I haven't before. For instance, I've had this blue blazer for the past year or two and have only worn it a few times. I've also had this "Bill Fuckin' Murray" (BFM) shirt for 6+ months, but never thought to put them together. When paired, it looks a lot more put-together than if I just wore this shirt with jeans. The blazer adds a sense of purpose, if you will. The plaid belt and military boots adds more punk to it. This, I can see myself wearing to the office more often! 

One of the most common questions on AskPhivy is how to re-do your wardrobe - I highly recommend updating your looks by incorporating a few newer pieces, but first get a sense of style you'd like and then figure out what you already have that may work. Jeans, leggings, basic tees will go with whatever style you go for - so never throw those out just because you want something new.

The Chive Bill Fucking Murray shirt (similar here),  Aqua blazer (cheaper version here) , boyfriend jeans,
a&f kids plaid belt, steve madden military boots, la mer for target watch

You may go, "Hey Steph, I follow your blog and AskPhivy for awhile and you look...DIFFERENT." Before rumors get started...no, I did not get a nose job (ain't nobody got time for that!)...I've been focusing my makeup skills on contouring and really like how slimming my nose has been looking in pictures. It's my next goal for a beauty tutorial!

And no post would be complete without pictures of Dallas and of course...outtakes (mainly because they include Dallas):

questions? askphivy! | twitter tracker | instagram