Dark Romance

I'm going to attempt to walk you through my creative process for this photo shoot but goodness knows, my process is usually full of nonsense and cheese. I had been almost ... craving... I guess craving is the right word, romantic but dark outfits. I just had this idea in my head that I wanted to create. I think I've been inspired a lot by Briar Rose Blog with her really adorable girly looks. I was also inspired by the cat fascinator that I found at Naughty Cat - I'm not the biggest on cat accessories (I know, this is sacrilege to a lot of people. Please don't hate me) but I'm not opposed to it either. But when I saw the fascinator with it's cute little ears covered in lace, I just had to have it. It went back to that craving of dark, romantic, gothic, victorian things. 

I didn't mean to take pictures in the twilight magic hour, but it was a happy happening. (sometimes good things happen when you take too long to get ready!) When I saw this abandoned lot near my house and the sun setting behind the hill, I seized the opportunity. I have also been inspired by this incredibly talented girl, Esther - From the Sticks, who shoots her own photos that are so beautiful. They're full of light and air and whimsy. 

Not only was the photo shoot so much fun to do (though a little messy, getting mud all over my heels and weeds in my hair), wearing this outfit later that night was also a blast. I wore what I call my "ninja suit" under the dress - just basic black tights and a long-sleeve black shirt. This is my canvas to keep me warm and to build the rest of my look on. It also complimented well with the dark romance I wanted to go with. Then I threw on one of my all time favorite dresses. It's this gorgeous little thing that is so flattering it doesn't need any extra bells and whistles. And I love the baby blush color, the sheer material and the butterfly sleeves. 

My boyfriend told me the other day how he had a kind of realization about me and my clothing choices. He said he is starting to realize just how much I have and want to communicate and how my clothes are a big part of me speaking to the world. He can tell what kind of mood I'm in sometimes by the choices I decide upon. I guess that goes back to the "craving" and how that word is really perfect for what I mean. I get an idea stuck in my head and I can't shake it until I can create and express it. 

Dress & Shoes: Korean Thrift Store 

Rocking and Rolling Retro Denim-on-Denim

This outfit was too much fun to wear. And it all came together seamlessly. I wasn't trying to do a retro outfit today. I just knew I wanted to wear my jeans because it's cold! And my chambray shirt because apparently it's shaping up to be my errand shirt. I also wanted to wear my saddle shoes because I was feeling lazy - I just wanted cute, warm footwear. I put it all on and thought... 

Love when that happens! It's also convenient because the denim-on-denim look is totally rocking and rolling this fall. The trick is to do different colors and materials. The chambray top is lighter in color and material than the blue jeans, so it's A-okay. 

My hair was being stupid today so I decided to stop fighting with it and do the good ol' bun and then put on the vintage-inspired headband. I was originally going to just wear the chambray shirt loose but to go with the retro theme, I tied it at the waist and rolled up the jeans at the bottom. To finish the look I put on my new heart earrings and red lipstick. I went with my "no make-up" make-up look because I was too lazy to do the extra eyeliner and such. And then I ran out the door to grocery shopping and other grown-up-ish errands. Now, where's the sock hop?! 

How would you style your denim-on-denim look?

Psssssh, can you see my socks? I actually have socks that not only match each other - they match the outfit for once!

Jeans: Cello | Shirt: Target | Shoes: Korean Thrift Store | Earrings & Headband: Naughty Cat 

Blogs I Love: Melodic Thrifty Chic

I've been wanting to do a "Favorite Blogs" feature for a while so I'm excited to kick it off with my absolute favorite! You might recognize her because I've used some of her pictures before on my blog.

Anna Martin's fashion blog, Melodic Thrifty Chic, is exactly what the name says. She takes all these interesting pieces she finds and then pairs them in the most surprising way. My favorite thing about Anna is how seamlessly (no pun intended) she layers clothes. As I've talked about before, I'm not good at this and am slowly learning - in part, thanks to Anna! I mean, in the first picture - a poncho under a leather jacket? Genius! Not something I would have even thought of. 

She is also the queen bee of graphic tees. She always has these quirky, funny t-shirts (or sweaters) but when she matches it with the rest of the outfit, it always looks so chic and put-together. The photo on the top's shirt says: "Death - Our Nation's Number One Killer". I like that she never takes fashion too seriously. 

She always is a whiz kid at playing with prints - another thing I've become obsessed with and am always trying. Here she's paired two floral prints together - not to mention the lace socks! Oh, and she's wearing two skirts so as to get the lace detail at the bottom of the skirt. And she has an adorable bicycle necklace. Honestly, you have to go check out all of these outfit posts because she does a beautiful job of documenting all the details in her outfit - and there are plenty! 

This look above is just yet another great example of the details and layering that goes into her outfits. I really love this particular look because it's one of her more androgynous looks. She plays so expertly with menswear and yet then looks effortless in these beautiful feminine looks (shown below). She has a wide range of styles she favors, but yet when you look at an outfit of hers, you somehow always know it's hers. I don't know how she does that - she just has this iconic style. 

One last thing before I go that I gotta mention - Not only does Anna have brilliant style, but I also really admire her as a blogger. She is all over the interwebs blogsphere but not in an annoying way - she comes across as so personable, warm, and genuine in all her comments, emails, and narratives on her blog posts. She is motivated and driven. (Did I mention she also has a music blog for heaven's sake?!) She has only had her fashion blog for ONE year but it is already so successful. I think the combination of her playful, killer style, her hard work and warm nature really makes her blog the creative force it is. Don't forget to comb all over melodicthriftychic.com and check out (and read!) all about Anna's style. 

Mixing Cozy Winter Prints

When I left the house in this outfit, I thought the outfit was pretty toned down a maybe even a little boring (I also didn't realize how wrinkly my skirt was!) but when I took pictures, I realized there's more color than than I had thought. Most of the time, I consciously try to mix prints - it's my new fashion obsession - but I didn't try with this. It just happened so effortless. Honestly, this sweater is my go-to sweater to throw on top of everything because it's so cute and matches everything. 

The one upside of the sudden drop in temperature is the chance to wear this wool skirt. The length and fullness of the skirt is perfect. I also love my plaid shirt with the gingham detail (it's also on the underside of the collar). I used to think of plaid shirts as too masculine for my style and I'm so glad I've come around on that - first off plaid shirts are a haven for so much color. And y'all know how much I love color! And this shirt is so flattering with it's tailoring. 

To finish the look, I wore my hiking booties. I love the overall look because with the boots and plaid, it looks a little outdoorsy. 

Alrighty, and now the moment you've all been waiting for... 

The winners of the Vedette Shapewear Giveaway! 

Thanks to Rafflecopter, they randomly generated my 3 winners who are: Elissa, Rosalie, and Katie B! Congrats, y'all! And thanks to everyone who has entered. If you didn't win this time, don't be too sad for too long. I'm cooking up another giveaway sponsored by yours truly. 

Sweater: Target | Shirt: American Eagle Outfitters | Skirt: Clothing Swap | Tights: Eunhang Underground | Shoes: DSW | Belt: Goodwill | Coat: American Eagle Oufitters | Earrings: Naughty Cat

Ask The Belted Pear: What Shoes to Wear with Winter Shorts

Ask The Belted Pear

This feature wasn't something I had planned on doing but sometimes the best things just fall into your lap. I've recently had friends email me questions about their fashion problems. I'm no expert by any means and I'm always learning new things, but I'll definitely try and help! So here is my new feature "Ask The Belted Pear". If you have a question that is about fashion, style, or being lazy, I'll be happy to  try and answer your question! You can send me an email at lindseydish@ymail.com or a message on my NEW! Facebook page (and don't forget to "like" it!)  

This feature has been really fun for me to do. I love playing with polyvore. It's like playing with paper dolls - I guess that's why it's a popular site. I think it's also great because it takes the person out of the fashion equation so you can easily imagine yourself in those clothes. 

I'm very flattered and a little terrified to answer these ladies questions. Especially because I consider them to already be very fashionable and know their shizz (no joke). Stay tuned for 2 more segments of this feature!  

What Shoes to Wear With Winter Shorts:

From my friend, Ingrid:

Dear Belted Pear - Help!

I've got a slew of tweed winter shorts... that I love but have no idea what kind of shoes or boots to wear with them. The key word in that last sentence is "winter" so regular high heels won't do. I need stylish, comfortable, and relatively warm footwear. What would you do?

Sincerely, 
Shoeless in Siberanada

Dear Shoeless in Siberanada,

You're in luck! One of this year's biggest shoe trends is booties! And I love booties: you can go low heel, low ankle (shoe 1 - and with the metallic toes, omg!). Or higher heel, higher ankle (shoes 2 & 3). While these do have heels on them, they're low enough and chunky enough that you really won't notice the difference. If anything, it just gives you that little boost to make your legs look longer in those little shorts! A particular bootie I'm currently obsessed with is the cowboy bootie (shoe 5) - a more modern version of the cowboy boot for the urban cowgirl. 

Another trend I'm digging on is winter wedges. They say if you love something you should set it free. If you find wedges you love, NEVER EVER set them free. Hang on to them for dear life and hold them together with super-glue if you have to (mine keep falling apart but I'm currently in denial). Again, these shoes vary in heel height (shoe 4 & 6) but they are much easier to stomp around in Siberanada than heels - and so much more comfortable! An extra bonus is if you get some fleece-lined ones, like in shoe 4.

And last but not least, is the classic riding boot. I bought some for this winter and now I'm mad at everyone around me who let me live without these. They make you feel and look instantly glamourous (I love how good leather will do that to a girl) and yet these things are so comfortable you could take on Genghis Khan's army. No heels at all necessary to look chic.

The great thing about all of these shoes is that they are classy and dressy enough to wear with tweed shorts. These are shoes that can easily be dressed up or dressed down. And they also make your legs look long and sleek - just what you want when you're wearing winter shorts!  

A tip when shopping for any of these shoes is wearing the correct socks. When I bought my riding boots, I was just using the thin nylon sockies they give you at the store and now when I try to squeeze my cozy, warm, fluffy-fleecey socked feet into my boots, my feet aren't happy. If you plan on wearing any of these shoes predominantly for winter, I would give yourself just a little wiggle room. 

And one more tip - tights! Layer up on tights. In the winter, I will wear ugly old, pilling tights (you know how they get bumpy when they get old) and then over them, my nicer tights or even tights that's fleece-lined! Another cool idea is to wear colored tights underneath and a funky patterned nylons over - it will still give you a tiny extra layer but will also look unique with the layering! Then to finish off the look, wear socks over all those tights and slip into your fabulous winter shoes!

Good luck with the cold in that far off winter wonderland, Ingrid!

Terrab | The Baby Shopaholic | The Backseat Stylers | Chic Street Style | Style Notes By Belen

If you haven't already, don't forget to enter the Vedette Shapewear blog give away - it ends in 2 days!! 3 winners will receive shapewear of their choosing!  Click here for more details.

Ladies that Lunch and the Sweater Dress

This is my 3rd winter here in Korea and I think I'm finally getting the dressing-well-in-winter thing down. (Georgia gets cold, but not like here - so windy!) When it changed to super cold, at first I was all grumbly until I remembered I have like... 5 new sweater-dresses. Score! I knew this hunter green little ditty would go great with my new tights. Fall/winter is a great time to play with different textures. Like these fantastic tights - they have this tiny leaf pattern but far away it just looks like a cool pattern. I also can't tell if they are brown, gray or something else. 

Then I paired my tights with two different types of sweater material. Like a goober though, I forgot to take off the purple sweater to show you how flattering the sweater-dress really is - it's got a different type of cable knitting around the waist and it just skims my curves. Also it's got short sleeves! 

I didn't want my arms to get cold but I wanted the option of being able to take off a top layer so I chose this purple number. It's a little mumsy but I love it. I call it my "ladies-that-lunch" sweater-jacket which is a huge style in Korea; they usually style it in the shops very Jackie O - big pearls, tweed pencil skirt. The white piping and little puff sleeves make it look sharp and almost tailored even though it's technically a sweater. 

The last little detail was my brooch to go along with the "ladies-that-lunch" theme. Not sure if the pale pink goes with all the jewel tones, but whatev. I wanted to pull in the sweater-jacket so that the bottom would hit right at my waist. 

How would you wear a sweater-dress? 

Also, don't forget to enter the I've Got Nothing to Hide Blog Giveaway, if you haven't already!! It ends this Thursday, Nov. 21st at midnight, Seoul time.  (10 a.m. Thursday morning Eastern time.)

Dress: Thrift Store | Jacket: Tomato | Tights: Homeplus | Shoes: Homeplus | Brooch: Mother's | Earrings: Naughty Cat | Glasses: Naughty Cat

I've Got Nothing to Hide (Blog Give-Away!)

When Vedette Shapewear contacted me to do a blog post styling their pieces, I was so excited! I love lingerie-inspired pieces as I'm a sucker for anything ultra-feminine. And what fashionista gal wouldn't wanna add some extra va-va-voom to their wardrobe? 

I gotta be honest, when I first pulled my Aimee bodysuit out of the packaging, I was a little apprehensive because the suit looked so tiny. But that's the cool thing about it - it's got some magic material that's crazy stretchy and durable. Once I slid into it, it fit fantastic and made me feel very smooth. It hugs my body really well without being uncomfortably tight. And maybe this was just in my head, but I felt like it made my posture better. Just how heels naturally makes you stand straighter, so did the shape wear. 

I paired the gorgeous, creamy bodysuit with my wool blazer and dressy tweed shorts. The blazer and color palette is a little severe for me, but the suit gives the outfit a feminine, softer touch and the shorts worn with tights show that this outfit isn't for the office. This is something I would wear to a date with my boyfriend or maybe out wine tasting with the girls. 

I did the photo shoot with the beautiful and talented Alla Ponomareva. She's great to work with because she has a great eye for such attention to detail and she's so calm (she could have been a scuba instructor but luckily, she's putting her talents to better use). We did the shoot on top of a skyscraper in the middle of the city. It had such a fantastic view of the city and the wind really added to the photos. 

Not only has this experience been exciting for me, but it can be exciting for you, too!! Vedette is kindly sponsoring a give-away for my blog and 3 lucky winners will be able to pick out their own shapewear from their Sensuale line.  

For the give-away you must: 

1. Like Vedette's Facebook page

2. Follow Vedette on Twitter

3. Like The Belted Pear's Facebook page

4. After you've done the first 3 steps, add a comment below with your email address so I can contact you.

The giveaway will finish on Nov. 21st, Thursday at midnight!

*If you are new to blogging giveaways, the app at the bottom of the page should take you through all of this step-by-step. 

While NOT necessary, but appreciated for my first blog give-away you can: 

1. Share this blog entry on your Facebook page. 

2. Follow me on Instagram and share the promotion photo.

3. Follow me on Pinterest and pin the promotion photo.

Shapewear (top): Vedette | Shorts: Target | Blazer: Thrift Store | Shoes: Thrift Store | Ring: Premier Designs | Earrings: Naughty Cat | Scarf: Korean Boutique Store | Sunglasses: Eunhang Underground 

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