Trending Chicago

(and New York City for that matter), are men's Ray Ban Wayfarers.  I see them dotting the faces of multiple people as I ride the subway from Lakeview to my office in downtown Chicag each morning.

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And I could not approve more.

If I can't be Kate

Can I just wear her dress?

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Alright, sweet.

Sparkle

I'm really coveting this dress.  Like, really.  So much so that I might have done this:

Just to, you know, see if it worked with my skin tones and stuff. Now all I need is a place to wear it to (ending a sentence with a preposition. . . acceptable just this once?). And $338. Plus these.

Oh and if that one doesn't work out, I'm cool with this too. 

Four trends I'm not following this year...

Maybe it's just because I live in a small town with limited shopping options, but the unoriginal "must have" trends at my high school simply drive me insane!  In general I'm not opposed to brand name clothing,  but when there is a specific design showing up on 1/3 of the school's female population, it just exudes an unattractive conformist mentality.

First up on the trend offender list:

The "winged" Miss Me jean.  I'll be up front and admit that I have a lower key pair.  But the stitching? The wings?  The bling?   Pleeaaase. I actually heard one of the girls wearing a pair of these discussing the cost of her apparel as she sauntered down the hall.  I think anything that is in your face saying "I paid a lot for this", or is the topic of such a discussion, should be avoided.

Number two:

My favorite trend to bemoan.  The UGHH (Ugg). Now, I think Uggs are permissible in a VERY casual situation with sweats. But accentuating dresses and skirts with these clunky things?  No good, very bad.  Ughs are especially unfortunate when paired with leggings as pants.  Leggings do not qualify as pants, nor should they ever.  Something is wrong in your life if you don't have time to put pants on.

My third ugh-worthy item:

Pink sweats.  Specifically West Virginia Mountaineer Pink by Victoria's Secret sweats.  Enough said.

Fourth:

Coach bags.  From wallets, to purses, to book bags, I've seen them in every color of the rainbow.  Maybe it's good that the wide variety Coach provides fosters some diversity, and in small doses they can be quite cute.  But.... they still dominate the school scene and carry the label very prominently.  I can't decide which is worse: buying the $300 full priced bag to follow the trend, or getting the fake knock off to appear to carry the brand.

Ugh?

True statement:  I have YET to meet a girl that isn't wearing a pair of these.   Maybe it's a WV thing?  They need all of that protection to make it through the brush to their home at the top of the hill?

I actually catch people glancing at the back of  other girls' boots to check if they are Ugg brand.  It's ridiculous!  I know  boot tucking is big in Utah as well, but I have never seen SO MANY Uggs in my life!

What do you think?  Should I conform?  Or start a new trend with a pair of these:

Or if you are looking for comfort: