winter style: an unofficial guide

If you're like me, winter is your natural style enemy. The cold suffocates me, making me dizzy enough to believe that all I can wear for the next few months are cable-knit sweaters and boots.

My best outfits are generally for warmer weather days, so winter is a definite roadblock for me. I fear that I'll need to pack up my crop tops and sundresses, and unbox the oversized sweaters and leggings. (An outfit combo that was all-the-rage in 2013) Though, a lot of you who know me, know this is not how I operate. 

"The weather doesn't determine what I wear." A quote by me; a guideline set for me, by me. Generally if I say that, it's because a friend has asked why I'm wearing a crop top in 40° Fahrenheit weather. While I will probably always live by that rule (being that I'm too stubborn to not), that is not what I'm recommending in today's guide.

So, what are this season's essential pieces to keep warm without looking frumpy?

A quick overview of what this includes:

For the Romantics and the Street Stylers:

• Ascots, soft bandanas, and neck ties. (not those kinds of neck ties)
• Soft floral prints
• Big cardigans
• Sweaters!
• Basic tees and graphic tees
• Faux leather
• DENIM
• Velvet. Yes, velvet. The 90's just keep regurgitating onto the scene. 
• Embroidered decals, fabric patches, embroidered design
• Blouses
• Capes
• Long coats

And on the accessory side of things...

• Block heels
• Sneakers
• Caged flats
• Novelty loafers (not a trend I love, but I'll roll with it)
• Berets
• Broaches
• Cameo Necklaces
• Soft statement rings
• Decorated bags

And now, for some visuals.
p.s. I made these myself, and it took one million years.

Romantics: Soft, floral, and flirty. A style that is constantly evolving to keep up with trends as well as create them. This is the main trend for this month. Cape coats keep the Romantic vibe while keeping you warm outdoors.

Sweaters: The honourable mention of this post. Graphic sweaters are out, knit sweaters are in. Keep the neck lines interesting. Sweaters don't have to be the afterthought in an outfit. 

Jeans: High waisted, embroidered, black, blue, patched, or clean. Denim jeans, per usual, are in. Don't be afraid to up-cycle either. Grab the old jeans you have stuffed in the back of your drawer and embroider some floral on, or hand stitch some patches. Mix up the styles, too. Add some baggy boyfriend jeans into your wardrobe, it's comfortable and stylish.

Layering: THIS IS SO IMPORTANT. Just because it's cold doesn't mean you have to pack up all of your tee shirts for the season. A denim jacket or a bomber added to any tee can keep your "summer shirts" in use through all seasons.

Essentials: Mixing and matching is a life saver in the winter season, and thanks to jackets, coats, and cardigans, there seem to be endless pairings. Get a few basic long cardigans to add overtop any shirt or dress. To keep a laid-back vibe, use Neutral with an Accent as a guide when pairing colours this season.

Stay warm, stay cool.

Click here to find all of the pieces from this blog post! (my Polyvore account)

Insta: @hanna.vanfleet

Twitter: @hanna_vanfleet

Phhhoto: @hannavanfleet

Snapchat: @hannaruita

Pinterest: Hanna Van Fleet

what to do when you don't know what to wear

Today we're going to address how I deal with two common style questions.

"How do I wear this"
and,
"What should I wear today?"


How do I wear this?

If you're like me, you find yourself with a lot of articles that might be a little less obvious on how to style.
When this happens, my go-to is Pinterest.

Example: I have a thick black choker that sometimes leaves me without any outfit ideas.
So, I open Pinterest and simply search, "thick choker outfit".

And... Search.

Oh hey, Kendall Jenner.

Boom. Immediate inspiration.
If I find any that I absolutely love, I "re-pin" them to save for later.

Example #2:

I just type in whatever article it is that I'm having trouble with, add "outfit", and voila.

Now for part 2.

What should I wear today?

If you have your own Pinterest, this is obvious, and easy.

Whether it's what outfit to wear, how to do my hair, or what "dad hat" would look best with my outfit, I have a board for it all on my Pinterest. 

And yet again, I'm greeted with instant outfit inspiration. 

If you don't have your own Pinterest, don't worry. There are 100,000,000 active users (2015) to help you decide what to wear today.

Insta: @hanna.vanfleet

Twitter: @hanna_vanfleet

Phhhoto: @hannavanfleet

Snapchat: @hannaruita

Pinterest: Hanna Van Fleet

fedoras, feather earrings, and shame

Ahh, the transition from Childhood into Adolescence. a delightfully horrifying and humbling experience. 

It consists of three stages.
Being a child.
Being a pre-teen.
Being a full fledged teenager, complete with angst and eye rolls.

With each stage, I've had a style. Not style, but I certainly had a style. 

Before we begin, here's some references where I did not dress myself.

Not a great example, but hey. A typical outfit.

A cute blouse!

A regular shirt from Old Navy!

Another flow-y blouse!

A regular Kid outfit!

And so it begins.
I started to dress myself around five years old.

Ready to be the Alpha of my Kindergarten class.

Then it evolved, oh, did it evolve.

Added this one mostly for the DS gaming system.

WARNING: CROCS AHEAD

There were many sweater vests. (crazy hair day)

And then, the "A" chain stores. Abercrombie and Fitch, Aeropostale, Hollister, American Eagle, it's what all of the cool kids wore.

I made that bag. I chose that fabric.

And BOOM FEDORA. Fedoras and long chain necklaces (such as the ones they always sold at Down East) were popular, by me. 

I should also mention, this Fedora was from Claires. Also where I bought all of my jewelry. All. 

This next picture is terrifying, and I'm adding it solely so you can look at my pants. Remember "Miss Me" Jeans? I do. I will never forget. Bedazzled pants with white embroidery thread used as stitching was all the rage. All at the low price of like, $50.

Also, I used to wear a lot of cardigans over Shade and DownEast white tank tops.

Then it got really, really, bad.

This was the time in my life when I was most uncomfortable with myself. Not so surprisingly, the Junior High/ Middle School years. 

"Is that really Hanna?" Sure is! Wearing a shawl from Kohls, that I remember begging for because my very pretty and popular friend had one. Complete with dangly earrings, a Hollister tank top(that was much too big for me), and a necklace from Aeropostale. 

I didn't really know what fashion was. I just knew that all of the famed kids at my school wore Hollister, and so I needed to as well. 

Hollister dress! I felt uncomfortable with the length of it. Dare I have to bend down.

I don't have a lot of pictures of this time due to me not even liking how I looked. 

A long lost trend, feather earrings.
(I hear they're making a comeback?)

Neon and overdone side swept bangs.

A Hollister shirt! And Miss Me jeans!

My staple piece, you ask?

Well in light of 2011(ish) being the time for "randomness" and weird quirks, my personal touch quickly became cats. 

Cat leggings! Cat Sweaters! 

ft. a Hollister tank top.

I have two shirts like this. The other stating, "Crazy Cat Lady".

Not that I don't like cats, but that wasn't really the point. The point was that people would have something that linked to me. I had friends on Pinterest always sending me things about cats, and I was honoured.

It was my first year of high school, ninth grade, that I began to have style, not just a style. It still wasn't great, but it was definitely appropriate for 2013/2014. 

I actually literally have no pictures from ninth grade. It was definitely the peak of my being uncomfortable with myself. But I actually started to feel a sense of self. It was the beginning of my self-discovery. 

I no longer wore things from teen chain stores, rather I took things that were from Banana Republic and Loft from my mom's closet. I wore what I liked, and what I felt most comfortable in. 

Everything has been smooth since. 

Now I pretty much wear whatever I want, and I love it.

Fashion used to be such a burden for me. I liked it, but the pressure of wearing the wrong thing was always there, and I always ended up trying too hard. 

During childhood, you dress for no one.

During pre-teen years, you dress for others.

During your teen years, you dress for yourself.

Thanks for looking at embarrassing pictures with me.

Also, if you have any bad pictures of yourself where you've dressed up on your own, I WANT TO SEE.

Insta: @hanna.vanfleet

Twitter: @hanna_vanfleet

Phhhoto: @hannavanfleet

Snapchat: @hannaruita

trends: hanna approved

Taking a look at some current trends I've tried and approved.

Mock necks

The late 80's and early 90's trend is making a comeback, whether you like it or not. The identity confused mock neck plays as the love child of a turtleneck and a crew neck, and fits well with almost any outfit.

Glitter Everything

2016 is the break-out-year for arts and crafts (for your face). Your face is now the canvas, and I can guarantee putting some sort of glitter on it will create a pretty strong focal point.

I usually use a much finer glitter than this, but it gets the point across. 

"Hanna, where would you put the glitter?" Why, good question.

• under eyebrows
• on eyelid as eyeliner
• on cheekbone to replace highlighter
• in hair part
• on eyelashes (you can buy mascara with glitter, or do what I did and get clear mascara, then fill it with sparkles.)

Not all at once of course, but it is a fun look to mess with.

Phhhoto account: hannavanfleet

This is a gif, but apparently you can't insert gifs on blogger, so I separated it into three frames.

Anyway, don't do that unless you like coughing up glitter. 

My eyebrows also have glitter lined under them, but the lighting isn't A+.


Bandanas and handkerchiefs

A great statement piece. They're also really cheap, so go wild.

phhhoto

Thrift Shopping

If it's a rarity that you have money- like it is for me- spend some of that cold hard cash on some gems from a thrift shop. It may take a long time to find anything, but I promise you will.

www.tagsthrift.com/

Hats 24/7

Hats! Part of the trend I'm seeing where accessories are anything but jewelry.
I own this hat and wear it frequently.

Banana Republic

DIY ripped jeans

I was given these jeans as a hand-me-down- they were a size six. They were clearly too big for me, so I turned them into boyfriend jeans. I used sandpaper, scissors, and my hands. Super easy, super worth the mess of fabric fuzz all over.

(I usually cuff the bottoms)

Overalls

I just bought these chambray overalls from Madewell, and I love them. I usually wear it with a striped crop top and the flat brimmed Banana Republic hat that was pictured above.

Madewell

90's: All grunge, all the time

Dust off your mom's Doc Martens. They're back.


Non-traditional hair styles and cuts

Do something crazy with your hair! It's 2016. Whether it's for convenience (I have an undercut because my hair is pretty thick) or just for a change.
Get those bangs you wanted! Dye your hair pink! Get a pixie cut! 

Messy space-buns featuring my undercut and crazy eyes.

Try some of these trends and tell me how you like them.

Insta: @hanna.vanfleet

Twitter: @hanna_vanfleet

Phhhoto: @hannavanfleet

prom! prom! prom!

My first boy's-choice dance, my third year into high school. 

I bought my dress (no, my mom did. thanks mom.) for $73 dollars. "WHAT, no way, Hanna." Really. It was originally $200, but if you're kind to the sales associate at the store, you can get a little bit of help. (Thanks Darryl)

State Capitol with Shaylee Briones 

Another surprising fact about my dress. I found it at JC Penney. In the midst of chiffon ballgowns and beaded bodices, there was my perfect dress. A two-piece, navy, lace dress. 

Meghan Ross 2016

My shoes are from Target (Mossimo). I also wore them to my first girl's choice dance in February, 2016.




Anyway, it was great. It was hosted at the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City, which was beautiful.
(Thanks for taking me, Oliver)

L to R
Zach Stambaugh, Dana Moore, myself, Oliver Wheatley
Meghan Ross 2016

Insta: @hanna.vanfleet

Twitter: @hanna_vanfleet

Phhhoto: @hannavanfleet

Photography: Meghan Ross @megs.photography.corner

My Evolution

In early 2015, my dear old friend Jennie Munson began to have an interest in photography. I had zero skill or experience, so we were on very different levels talent-wise.

What began as a side hobby for her, became a hobby for me as well. I planned out outfits, and we would travel to whatever location seemed most aesthetically pleasing at the time, and just shoot.

Jennie Munson 2015
July 25, 2015

You never forget your first-  time messing with a camera. Here we are at Suncrest, in Alpine, Utah. Sporting a tacky peace sign.

Shirt: H&M

Jennie Munson 2015
August 29, 2015

Utah Lake. I can still remember the uncomfortable, "Tell me what to do, I don't know how to pose,".

Jennie Munson 2015
September 19, 2015

We didn't even plan to shoot this day. My hair and makeup were not done at all.

Chambray Shirt: American Eagle
Striped Crop Shirt: H&M
High Waisted Jeans: Hollister
Cat Eye Round Glasses: H&M 

Jennie Munson 2015
October 31, 2015

Halloween. Showing off my undercut, and the skeleton makeup I did. 

American Fork Canyon, Utah.

Jennie Munson 2015
November 14, 2015

I don't recall where this was, somewhere in Salt Lake City. I wanted to do a no-makeup shoot for body positivity month.

ft. Steve Jobs

Jennie Munson 2016
January 13, 2016

The first shoot of the year with the new camera. American Fork Canyon, Utah.

ft. Oliver Wheatley

Olive Parka Coat: American Eagle

Jennie Munson 2016
January 21, 2016

My favourite shoot I have ever done. Right after I dyed my hair.

Pleasant Grove, Utah.

Hat: Banana Republic 

Mock Neck Sweater: H&M

High Waisted Jeans: Hollister

Knock-Off Doc Martens: H&M

Hair: Amanda Fulk, Bspace Salon in Salt Lake City.

Jennie Munson 2016
February 5, 2016.

Utah Lake. I was truly on the verge of hypothermia.

Leather Hat: H&M

"Ciao Bella" Tank: Banana Republic

Leather Jacket: Gap

Bell Sleeved Dress: H&M

Black Crop Top: Aeropostale 

Black Jeans: Blue Asphalt, hand ripped by me

White Shawl-Cardigan: Cotton On

Knock-Off Timberlands: Amazon

Jennie Munson 2016
March 19, 2016

Santaquin, Utah.

Chambray Shirt: Loft

Sunflower Dress: Target, Mossimo

Meghan Ross 2016
May 6, 2016

First shoot with Meghan, who is 10/10.

UTA Trax Station, Lehi, Utah.

Hat: Banana Republic

B&W Shirt: H&M

Skater Skirt: Nordstrom BP

Knock-Off Doc Martens: H&M

It's been a journey, and I'm excited to see what happens next.

Jennie Munson's insta: @jmunson_

Meghan Ross' insta: @megs.photography.corner

My insta: @hanna.vanfleet