Would you hold it near as it were your own?

I feel like I should let you know that this post will have a lot of photos (come on, LOOK AT THAT SKIRT), too many words (because it's me and my mind is always overflowing), and an obnoxious cat named Little Girl (who's making her very first blog appearance). I got this skirt in the mail today from ANTHOM, one of my lovely sponsors this month. It's also the most beautiful skirt that I've probably ever seen in my whole entire life. It's from a Brooklyn based brand called How Very Dare and I already know what I'm going to be living in this summer. It's very sheer (undies alert!) and I'll need to figure out a good way to wear it when I'm in more formal settings (i.e. the outside world) but whatever. What's wrong with seeing some undies anyways? Just pretend it's a swimsuit. See, not risque anymore. Anyways, bottom line: I'm sleeping in this skirt tonight because it is SO BEAUTIFUL.
My shirt is from Topshop, which is worth mentioning, but don't let it detract from the wonder that is this skirt. Unless if you want to consider that I found this shirt on the sale rack for a few pounds (in London), then it might just almost compare.


Little Girl loves the corner where I was taking these photos and she spent most of her time sitting in a cardboard box screeching at me. She has this scratchy old voice like she's been smoking for the past 40 years and her face always looks like she's smelt something foul. She's about the size and shape of a bowling ball and I absolutely cannot stand her. She's my third cat and I took her in this summer after she lived in my yard for a week and I fell in love with her. However, as soon as she got inside she became a bratty little princess and has spent the last 6 months beating up on my two male cats, Gogo and Peter. Gogo always has dried up blood all over his face (he doesn't have claws & can't defend himself from her) and he also got a nasty bladder infection from the stress of being constantly stalked and harassed. Poor little baby. See why I detest Little Girl so? But dammit, she's so soft. Like a fat screeching, squabbling mink coat that you just want to bury your face into.





Every time I see these photos, I'm like OH MY GAWD that skirt! And then I remember it's mine and am filled with glee.
Now that I've obsessed over this skirt (almost) to my heart's content, and explained some things about Little Girl, I can get into what's really on my mind: re-branding.
Over the past couple of years I've grown to hate my blog name. Urban Tease. It's something I came up with at the age of 15 - and it was something that explained my blog well. It was a teenager's blog, a teen who was exploring her style which was somewhere between being very "urban" and also very much a "tease". (It's less on the tease side these days though this skirt if obvs not a good example.) The past couple of years, I've found myself wanting to write about more than my clothes. And I have. I've given long feminist rants (I made an entire tag for my "soapbox" posts), I've reviewed books, I've interviewed my friends, I've discussed jobs, convictions, religion, family, quarter-life-crises (okay not yet, but it's coming, I swear). As I get closer to "adulthood", I find myself wanting to blog about even more: recipes, home decor, DIYs, professional clothes, working out, etc. but I feel like Urban Tease is no longer the right venue. I feel like I have outgrown Urban Tease in the 5 years that I've been writing it.
And I'm not ashamed of that or anything. In fact, this all feels very healthy. I've loved writing this blog and it's such a stress reliever to be able to get so much off my chest and have people read and respond in very genuine, caring ways. My last post, on religion, was scary to write. I was so nervous about receiving harsh backlash and losing followers, sponsors. But none of that happened. The responses I received were all full of grace and full of love. It made me feel so blessed, and gave me motivation to keep going and exploring new topics.
And so, I have a...I'm not sure...a suggestion...I almost feel like I'm asking permission for this. Maybe I am. Yes, I am. I'm asking permission. I would like to retire Urban Tease and begin writing about this new chapter of my life on a new blog. It would still have a lot of the same Urban Tease-y goodness (outfit posts, my outspoken, opinionated, foolish self) but I'd also like to expand it to so much more. I want to post about what's inspiring me. I want to write about new recipes I'm trying, my workout routine, finding a job. I want to detail moving into my future apartment (when I get a real job, fingers crossed), and talk about buying my first car and taking my subsequent first road trip in that car. There are all of these new topics that I want to take on as I tackle adulthood, but I feel like Urban Tease is no longer the place for it. I look at this blog as a token of my teen years - of high school, of college - and I look at it with great happiness and much humility (and a bit of humiliation), but I feel like I've grown out of Urban Tease. It's bittersweet, but fills me with pride.
In the next few months, with your permission of course, I would like to launch a new blog about tackling adulthood. I don't have a name for it yet as I feel like it's not quite time to make that transition. Maybe I'll title it "Chloe Tackles Adulthood", as that seems most fitting to where I am in life right now. However, there would be no point in beginning a new blog if no one would read it, and so that's part of why I feel like I have to ask permission: Would you, as an individual and beloved, appreciated reader, transition with me to that new blog? And, furthermore, would you be interested in more posts, and more diverse posts? I'm not going to do it without the support of the readers that make my blog much of what it is.



I cannot believe that January is almost over. Tomorrow, my boyfriend gets home. He's been sick lately and spent the past month away, getting better. I've missed him loads - talking to him, seeing him, hanging out with him, doing everything with him. I've been talking to him a little bit in the past couple of weeks and he's already doing much better. I know that there'll be some time before he'll be in the same health as he was, but it will be good to have him back. I'm so lonesome without him - and all of my other friends. So many of them are studying abroad right now, or live too far away for me to visit. Minnesota is really miserable like that in the winter. You have no motivation to go out places to see friends. I'd so much rather stay in and watch movies with my cats, even if it doesn't quite fill that loneliness in me.
With January ending, I'm getting a little anxious about finding a job. My original goal was to have one set up by the second week in February. But, I'm reminding myself that everything will work out in the end. And now that I've gotten the idea of starting a new blog off of my chest, I can feel out the reception of that idea and hopefully start fresh on that project - a bigger, better blog depicting my foray into the endless joys of adulthood.


For now, that's all Little Girl and I have. PBS is airing Some Like It Hot so I'm off to cuddle down with some good snacks and watch the timeless humor of Billy Wilder. Keep warm and please give me feedback about my big new idea xx

Calling all sponsors!

Urban Tease is looking for new partners! You can partner with the blog is many different ways (all of which are outlined here), but today I want to talk about advertising sponsors!

Advertising is a great way to partner with the blog whether you are a shop, blog, brand, magazine, or anything else. The blog has cultivated a strong following of like-minded individuals, and so if you think your shop/blog/product corresponds well with my blog, then it is sure to correspond well with my readers. Over a thousand readers follow the blog using Bloglovin' and Google Connect. The blog averages between 400 - 500 page views per day.

These are the blog stats for today, January 8th:

Advertising on Urban Tease is an inexpensive way to get quick and constant exposure. A small advertisement is just $3/month, and a large advertisement is just $8/month. Click here for more information on sizing and buying multiple months.

If you're interested in advertising with Urban Tease, please email me at urban_tease@yahoo.com

GIVEAWAY with Rosegal

I was contacted by Lucia over at Rosegal to host a giveaway for my readers. I gladly accepted, thinking that it would be the perfect holiday treat! They have a nicely curated selection of vintage-inspired, feminine clothes and accessories. Here are a few of my fave things that you could win:

To enter to win a $20 gift card to Rosegal, you must do the following:

1. Like Rosegal on Facebook

2. Like Urban Tease on Facebook (if you haven't already, you don't even know what you're missing; e.g. photos of my cats wearing scarves)

3. Leave your name and email in a comment below!

Contest ends December 24th! Open to international readers! Winner will be chosen at random. Thanks again to Lucia over at Rosegal for connecting with me about this giveaway!

his girl friday

Being an unpaid intern working in an office and within the court system requires me to dress a certain (boring) way. Gone are my days of ripped tights, cut off jeans, old flannel, and beat up boots. Now, these are the days of pencil skirts and loafers and freaking out that every small snag in my stocking will lead to an unsightly run that will ruin my credibility as a capable working girl. When I started my first internship, working as an advocate for victims of domestic abuse, I found myself in court with a bunch of attorneys and judges and feeling rather unprofessional and childish in my full skirts and bad shoes. Both my mother and my sister work at Nordstrom and so they took me out shopping for some new clothes to wear! I love all of my new blazers and skirts and tailored pants, but I am starting to get the itch to wear fun things again.  When ANTHOM contacted me about being a blog sponsor, I looked through their collections and immediately said yes - they carry so many stunning pieces! I started perusing with the intention of seeing what they had in stock that would be office appropriate, but quickly snapped out of that mindset, realising that I am too quickly becoming boring career lady who stays in the office after 5 every day. So, with a clear mind, I thought about buying this dress (because it's beautiful, duh) but ended up with this hat. I know it will sound totally lame (and it is), but I saw that it was wool and that swayed me. The coming winter months are guaranteed to be chilly - Minnesota has a pretty good history of that - and so a wool hat that probably won't give me hat hair seemed like the perfect fit. (As a side note, I can attest that this hat indeed does not lend itself to unsightly hat hair - hooray!) I look freaking bad ass in it and have already gotten loads of compliments on it, including from the guy in class who always comes late and never says anything. The hat's style is also called The John Wayne so, you know, bad ass.



Besides my beautiful new hat courtesy of ANTHOM, I'm also wearing an H&M shirt from the second hand store, a Halogen brand skirt from Nordstrom (which is dry clean only, so, you know, THE BANE OF MY EXISTENCE), and my new fave The Loft brand cardigan from the second hand shop. I'm also wearing Cinderella of Boston shoes and Nordstrom brand tights. Lemme talk for a minute about Cinderella of Boston, though. Every time I say that I wear kid's size shoes, I am met with a room full of snickers. It's a bit irritating and it's like, "I'M SORRY I DON'T HAVE NORMAL PEOPLE FEET" but seriously, it's really difficult to find normal shoes that look professional. Most shoes in my size (a 2 and a half kids) light up or have Dora the Explorer on them. They're often pink and foam or animal print. Sometimes they squeak. Often they're adorned with little satin or velvet bows. None of these are things which I want on my precious baby feet, and even more so, none of these are things that I want to be wearing around an office where I'm trying to get people to take me seriously (which is already really difficult when you're only 20, are 5 feet tall, and have youthfully curly locks). Enter Cinderella of Boston. They're a shoe company that stocks quality, totally professional and chic shoes in small sizes. Here I'm wearing the Julie style which is totally beautiful and which, now that I own this hat, I wish I had in the purple colour, too.


Sorry about the clenched fists! It was freezing, damp, and windy out. Winter is just around the corner and the only thing making me tolerate the impending weather, besides the fact that it's impossible for me to move out of state right now, is the thought of snow. Beautiful, lush, heavenly snow! p.s. There's no snow in the forecast for the next two weeks so that's lame, but, you know, this is Minnesota. p.p.s. Even though I just hinted about Minnesota being lame, check out this awesome Buzzfeed article of 38 Things Minnesotans Are Too Nice To Brag About. (Hint: it includes Prince, Bob Dylan, Lucky Charms, Scotch Tape, Fitzgerald, and Betty Crocker. Did I tell you guys about the dream I had where I was the new Betty Crocker spokeswoman?)







I'm trying to grow my bangs out gracefully. I'm sort of trying to make them look like Elizabeth's. In fact, I'm trying to make my ENTIRE LIFE look like Elizabeth's. Starting with my kitchen and a fluffy puppy with a clever name. Okay friends I'm off for the night! The Paradise is on in a little bit and it's the finale so I'm very anxious and also very sad. That show has been sustaining me through the week for more than a month now. It's my Sunday night tradition, that last little bit of uplifting entertainment before the 9 to 5 grind and homework. Gah, I love period pieces. xx

Looking for November Sponsors!

Hiya folks - Urban Tease is looking for advertising sponsors for November! As an advertiser, your button will appear on the sidebar of the blog for the duration of the month, being exposed to the thousands of individuals and loyal readers who visit every month. Blog traffic has been picking up significantly in the past several weeks, with more than 700 page views a day - a new high in the recent history of Urban Tease!

So who can advertise on Urban Tease? Anyone!* If you write a blog, you can advertise your blog. If you own an online store, you can advertise your store. Do you write a magazine? Advertise that! Are you a photographer? Go ahead and advertise. Although Urban Tease was created on the premise of being a "personal style blog", it has come to reach a number of different topics and appeals to an audience wider than that of strictly fashion.

I have two different size options available:

or two months for $5.00!


or two months for $12.00! More information, including a recent screen shot of the blog's traffic, can be found here.
If you would like to purchase an ad spot or for more information, please email me at urban_tease@yahoo.com.
*Only advertisements which fit my ideals and those of my readers will be accepted. Sites with offensive content will not be accepted.

maybe you're right

I've been depressed about how little I've been able to blog in the past couple of months. I've been a bundle of nerves lately and haven't been very active - not wanting to go take photos, not even wanting to write. I've just been speechless and feeling a little bit lost about things going on in my life. A very important person in my life has been struggling with drug addiction. For more than a month now, this person has been stealing from me, my friends, and my family, and lying to me about everything. It's been really tough on me because I rely on this person for a lot, including comfort and companionship. It's difficult when someone who you trust in such a way completely betrays you, when their behaviour is erratic and mean, and you have to completely worry about their safety all the time, checking up constantly and going crazy with anxiety every time you don't hear back. It's been tough on me, and it's been going on for too long. I've lost a lot of weight, dropping back into the 85 pound range, losing sleep, grinding my teeth, breaking out with acne, losing hair...the list goes on. I even bit a massive hole in my tongue out of anxiety. However, I am happy to say that this person has made the courageous decision to give up everything and go back into rehab. I feel like the most giant weight has been lifted off my chest and I am finally free to enjoy my life again. When I was telling this person how I've been feeling due to their substance abuse, they said to me, "You care too much." I didn't know what to say. This wasn't something that I was ever taught as a child. I care too much. It is possible to care too much. I was floored. I was hurt and confused. What do you say to that? How does someone care too much for another person? I don't think that this person meant it in a mean way, but it's hard to tell. Addicts are selfish and perhaps this person was just displacing the blame, but I haven't been able to shake it ever since it was said to me. I care too much. Like that's a thing that people can do. People can care too much. I don't know if I can quit caring about this person. I don't even know if I can start caring less about this person. You're never taught how to care less about something. You're never encouraged to care less about something. This is going against everything that I've ever known. But, at the very least, I can take comfort in knowing that this person is in a safe spot. Last night I was able to go out with an old friend and see Blitzen Trapper play First Ave. I'm thinking about getting my nose pierced, too. I've been wanting to do it for awhile but couldn't with my last job. Maybe I will now; It's all me time! It's time to care more about myself and less about this other person. I'm starting this new phase of my year - of caring more about myself - by blogging! My goal is to blog at least twice a week. I used to love blogging...it allows my thoughts to untangle from my mind and I can interact with all sorts of new people and new perspectives. I was scrolling through some older blog posts from last autumn and was reminded of how freeing blogging is for me. Anyways, I'm excited to show off this bad ass new denim jacket courtesy of White Crow. It's super cozy, has great pockets, and an awesome faded print of the U.S. flag on the back. You can find it to buy online here. Totally saaaaweeeeet and definitely getting me back in the mood to wear denim. I see denim on denim in my near future.... I called out of my internship yesterday (when I took these photos) because I just had too much work to do, but that also meant that I got to dress fun and perhaps semi-trashy for class! Usually I have to dress for the office, since I work in one, so I was excited to have fun and dress like an actual college kid. I got this new Phoenix faux leather jumper from Sway Chic which is like a total dream. They have lots of great new stock in and it's making me wish I had income! This hieroglyphic crop top is also from Sway Chic because I just couldn't help myself. Not exactly perfect for the office but still, SO COOL. I skipped on the matching leggings.  These past couple months have been tough on me but one thing that's been sustaining me - the promise of graduation looming in my near future! Only 8 and a half weeks of class left! I don't think I have any finals (the true beauty of only having papers) so I'm completely done after that! Like, forever. No more undergrad! Life is beautiful. Oh, but then it'll be full swing job hunting, resume re-working, and student loan re-paying. Thanks once again to White Crow for the beautiful jean jacket, and to my friends over at Sway Chic for stocking equally great goods. And now begins my time to pamper myself! What sort of things should I do with my new found freedom of caring (almost) only for myself? xx

White Crow

Hmmm I can already tell that autumn is just around the corner! My favourite time of year - Minnesota is beautiful. Crisp and cool, with winds that blow your hair everywhere and beautiful sunsets, the days getting shorter and shorter. And, sweater weather! I was excited when I came home to a package from the folks over at White Crow and found this totally lush sweater waiting for me. I was able to wear it right away thanks to the beautiful weather and yeah - LOVE IT. The jewels around the neckline, the boxy structure, and the high-low front and back. Can't wait to show it off more this autumn! White Crow is a new line that's just launching. I love their look already - edgy, contemporary, and that great mixture of grime and glitz. I already look forward to seeing more from them! I paired the new sweater with these sweet ass holographic leggings from Thrifted & Modern via Chictopia. I am obsessed with them. And anything holographic. I want to wear holograms from head to toe some day. Swear I will. I'm also wearing my go-to saddle shoes and my faux leather jacket from H&M. My sister has been harassing me about this jacket lately. I think I'm going to have to start hiding it whenever she's over, otherwise one of these days she'll take it with her. And she's moving to Arizona, so I may never see it again! (Sidenote: If you're moving to Arizona, in what occasion would you want or need to wear a stuffy black leather jacket?? Enter: My Sister.) Three days a week I wear business clothes and starting in November, I'll have to be dressed business casual 5 days a week. What a bummer! I'm trying to use these last remaining days to get all that grunge out of my system. I've been buying tons of dressy/chic clothes and trying to still dress a tad wacky everyday regardless. I wonder if I could get away with wearing holographic print to the office? Maybe in a blazer...? Hmm, something new to think about! I went to Nordstrom and raided their petites section, so keep your eyes peeled for some more "professional" outfits coming your way. And rants about dry cleaning bills. What a drag! Welcome to my future. And your future, if you choose to keep reading this blog. (Which I highly recommend you do. And tell your friends about it, too.) One of my internships requires me working in the courts. I'm trying to get all my court lingo down and start thinking like a lawyer/detective, so I've been bingeing on Law & Order with my cat. I think it's time to settle down for the evening to start watching again. (Hey, I'm sick, give me a break.) Keep cool my friends and again, thanks to White Crow for the beautiful sweater. Keep your eyeballs peeled for this brand & more great stuff to come!

Big Star

Summer can start! I finished up my web design class yesterday and am all amped up to have three weeks of fun. I kicked Friday off with spending several hours at my internship, getting pissed off, buying school supplies at Walgreens, discovering that my laptop Godfrey is broken, researching new laptops, and then cleaning the fish tank. Cool. This better not be what my summer is like. Okay, it isn't all bad. My friend Tyler stopped over and I adore him so that was nice. I had corn on the cob and ate on the back deck with my parents. I got a call back for an internship I really want. I signed up to attend a political summit in a few weeks. I get to see my best friend of 16 years tomorrow (after not seeing her for months!) and my boyfriend is taking me to dinner at the restaurant that we had our first date. Life is great.   I'm glad that I tend to have a good outlook on things. I was contemplating this today. Are people born naturally optimistic or pessimistic? Or is it entirely a choice? I go through phases where I get myself worked up, thinking that my life is horrid and completely hopeless and nothing is good. But then I give it a day or two to cool off and am able to think clearer. Today as I left my internship in a huff after pretty much being called incompetent about typefaces (!!!!!!) I wandered the aisles of Walgreen's and just thought things over. Then I took a long walk home in the sun and worked to convince myself that things aren't really that bad and people who put you down really don't matter. Why are people rude & petty anyways? I don't understand it. This outfit is to counter all of that unhappiness - bright and colourful and optimistic!   I've been sick with an infection from bad allergies (dang it, I love my cats too much). My doctor prescribed me a nasal spray so my boyfriend brought me to pick it up. While we were waiting I was looking at the hair stuff. There's been a box of Goody hairclips there for years and every time I go to pharmacy, I look at it and want it so bad. I mentioned this to my boyfriend and he bought them for me. And an ice cream cone. The small things that make my life so wonderful - Goody hairclips like I wore in pre-K and mint chip ice cream.   I found this shirt in some little store in Montmartre when I was in Paris in June. I liked the bright colours and the '70s vibes. I think it's deadstock from the '70s actually, given how (badly) the fabric breathes. I wasn't sure what to wear with these acid wash Cheap Mondays so I thought, "I might as well go all out with colour!" and threw on this top, immediately knowing that these orange sneakers from yeswalker were necessary. And of course the heart shaped shades. I couldn't resist. And do you know what? Wearing this outfit actually made me happy.   My boyfriend shot these photos for me and I was so happy about everything that I got a bit silly (keep your eyes peeled for a ridiculous outtake in the next few days). Being light of heart at the right times is such a good feeling. Who knew that silliness could heal the heart so well?  


Keeping this blog is also something that frees my heart and brings me great joy. I don't care how many people read it or how many people like my outfits. I only care that some people hear my words and some people think about them and have something to say. Although some people have nasty things to say to me on my blog, for the most part it's a supportive community of young people all wanting to make the world more beautiful. I was pretty elated when I found out that over 900 people visited my blog yesterday. This is more than double the average. Maybe these people weren't reading my words, but I'd like to think that they were. And I'd like to think that, even if you don't take them to heart, they're at least considered as viable and true. It's hard being someone who, ever since she was a toddler and had to go to speech therapy with a mouth full of lisps, has been told that she talks wrong. That she doesn't articulate well. That her feelings don't matter, her opinion doesn't matter, what she has to say doesn't matter. All I care is that one person thinks that my words matter. So what I'm really getting to is this: I'm super emotional today and just want to give a huge THANKS and a huge hug to all the sweet words that have been coming my way lately. I wish that I could individually get to know every reader. I wish that I could hear about your life and your troubles and your joys, the way that you hear about mine. So here's what I'm asking of you: leave a comment telling me something about yourself, something that's been troubling you, and something that you feel positive or joyful about.   For me, well you know about me, but I'll share my one trouble and my one optimism for today. My trouble is that a former co-worker's son was badly beaten by a gang in Saint Paul. He was just walking down the street and they attacked him. This man, the father, was the nicest guy, always with a giant smile on his face and with a love for silent films. Please keep the son & his family in your prayers & thoughts.   My optimism is this: mean people don't matter. I have so much love and friendship in my life, and thus I have so much to be thankful for. Even if today had its downs, I was also able to realise its ups. And I'm thankful for that.   Stay optimistic, my friends xx

GIVEAWAY: Sole Provisions!

I was super stoked (ew, did I just use that word?) when Michelle over at Sole Provisions emailed me about doing a giveaway for my lovely readers. Sole Provisions is an online shoe retailer that promotes both style and comfort - something that I can't ever get enough of. As someone who has worked jobs where you stand for 11 hours and as someone who walks instead of drives, comfort is of absolute importance to me (but style is as well, of course). So, naturally, Sole Provisions seemed like a perfect fit and hopefully for my readers as well!

 

The winner will be able to choose from any style of either FitFlop or OrthaHeel. I took the liberty of choosing some of my favourite styles for you & am rather jealous that I don't get a pair also - some of them even come in a size 4US which, if you're a tiny-footed gal like me, you'd be overjoyed to hear.

 

 

To enter:

1. Must be a resident of the U.S. Any international entries will not count (unfortunately)

2. Like Urban Tease on Facebook

3. Leave a comment with your name and email

4. The contest closes at midnight on Wednesday, August 7th, at which time the winner will be randomly chosen.

 

Good luck!