The First Week of School

Hey loves,

Sorry for my absence - it's been a crazy week moving back down to school and dealing with my first week of classes. Now that I've been in school for a week I've noticed a phenomenon. During the first week of school everyone makes an extra effort with their clothes but once that initial week is over it's back to normalcy.

Now even I am guilty of this. I make sure I dress up a little extra. You know sundresses with a sweater to keep it modest, plus my school has severe air conditioning issues or shorts with a button down shirt to be a little extra fancy. And if I decide to wear flip flops it's not my typical Old Navy 2 for $5 flip flops it's my extra cute Vineyard Vines flip flops that look a little fancier or my Coach sandals that dress everything up a little.


Now part of being able to dress nicely goes to shopping for school with the first week in mind. You want to make a good first impression, so if you are going shopping - visit my Pinterest account to see a good list of student discounts at various designer stores (trust me it's a lifesaver!!!). However, what's the point after the first week in putting in too much of an effort???? Honestly - you've made the good first impression now it's time to stop caring about how you look and get into studying. Just don't wear sweatpants, unless it's a final. Sweatpants are a true sign of defeat. But aside from that you're good in jeans/shorts and t-shirt. 


Plus there's not just dressing yourself it's getting up early so you can do your hair and make-up. Basically the goal of the first week is to make everyone realize how utterly fabulous you are and then once they realize revert back to no make up and a casual ponytail. 

Anyway now that I'm through with the "fun" of the first week I can be a little more effortless in how I get dressed for class. Now the only place where I have to get freaked out about how I'm dressed is when I go out for a drink at the bar - preferably a delicious margarita. And I'm definitely not interested in those crazy beer-garitas. It's just too much. Keep it classic and keep it simple - it's more fun plus you can't really walk around with an upside beer bottle in your drink. 


Anyway hope you're all enjoying your first weeks of school. Study hard! 

XOXO Lea Mills 

Find me on Twitter @leamills_; Facebook leamills.fashion; Pinterest infoleamills; and Polyvore info-leamills

Packing Drama

So I'm working on moving out and back into the dorms at school. Now when I started my journey I was like it'll probably be like 2 boxes and 2 suitcases. Somehow this number has multiplied and I'm not even halfway done yet.

It amazes me how spread out I don't have that much stuff. A little here a little there but it honestly doesn't seem like it's that much. I'm pretty sure my stuff is having babies, which I've decided to call thinglets. This must be how my stuff is becoming larger.

Also packing is just a stressful thing. Not just packing for moving but also packing for trips. The hardest thing is figuring out what clothes you need. Second to that is deciding what shoes to bring. And I love clothes and shoes so I want to bring them all. 

Plus you never know what kind of mood you are going to be in. What if it's a warm day but then cool at night? Or it's one of those weird Fall days that's exceedingly hot? There's too many variables to consider. It's crazy and a lot to think about. 

What's worse than packing though? Unpacking, of course. I seriously think that unpacking is the worst part. I mean it's easy to throw everything into a suitcase if you're like me and going to bring everything. Which I never intend to do but it always seems to happen. It's almost kinda funny the way that happens. 

However, unpacking requires some skill, some finesse. You have to find a place for everything and then put it there. And that requires some actual thinking. What should go in the dresser and what order should they go in? How can you pack things in your drawers so that you can find them easily? It's a lot of work, which is why I believe in the rewards system.

If I finish my packing, without torturing those around me or myself too much, I get a treat. My treat comes in the form of a delicious drink. In the summer I enjoy Tiffany's Blue Lemonade - yes that Tiffany's. First of all I love the company, Tiffany&Co, they make the most beautiful jewelry. Plus they've got great pieces for all ages. And then they have a delicious treat named after them. You make it in a champagne glass and put sugar on the rim. Then you fill it with lemonade, Peach Schnapps, and Blue Curacao. It's a delicious summer treat and sweet treat. You can find the drink recipe on my Polyvore. 




Then I like to pair it with a delicious summer salad, like a Greek Village Salad, made of Kalamata Olives, Green Bell Peppers, Red Onions, Cumbers, and Feta Cheese. The dressing is just a simple olive oil and vinegar. It's really fresh tasting and easy. Also I like to make a nice cheese plate featuring more Feta, Cheddar Cheese, and Asaigo Cheese. Add some fruit to it like grapes and it's a perfect snack. 

The reward is the only way to get through the unpacking and packing nightmare. However, it's totally worth it. 

Have fun packing! 

XOXO Lea Mills

Find me on Twitter leamills_; Facebook leamills.fashion; Polyvore info-leamills; Pinterest infoleamills

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

So this week, I'm doing something that's incredibly sad and it probably really shouldn't be, however it feels like it's something that should be memorialized. So here I am, memorializing. 

This week I am going back to school shopping for the last time. I'm picking up things for my dorm room, replenishing toiletries, getting notebooks and pens, and of course clothes. I am entering my last year of school ever and can't help but feeling like not only is the first last it's a stepping stone. It's a stepping stone into adulthood.

One of those steps into adulthood includes updating my wardrobe. Usually I'm in typical college/law student clothes: a pair of jeans, t-shirt, cardigan/hoodie, etc depending on the weather. It's almost like a uniform. Which is pretty funny considering I've only ever been to public schools and beyond when I played soccer never had to wear a uniform ever in my life. Which of course means I'm between a rock and a hard place. I need my wardrobe to reflect this new phase of my life, but I have no desire or motivation for it to actually do that because I'm still holding on to that little thread of youth and school days. 

My current wardrobe includes American Eagle, some Urban Outfitters, a little Old Navy, and some little boutiques in and around Philadelphia that include some pretty cute little things I've picked up.








I mean don't get me wrong, I do have dresses from formal events, and suits that I got at Lord & Taylor and Banana Republic, as well as some casual outfits from J. Crew which I love. But recently I've decided I need to do more Banana/J.Crew and less American Eagle. But I just can't help myself, I want to be a teenager/young adult forever. The clothes are a lot more fun. 

Now granted, J. Crew does have some pretty fun outfits but I still want the fun that comes with shopping wear the teenagers and young 20 something year old shop. It's just more colorful, more patterned, and more full of life. 

Also I'll admit it, I'm a little bit afraid of what's to come. This is the last year of everything being structured and planned and as exciting as that is it's also terrifying. So I've decided to take it in baby steps. That first step will be to go from extra on the set of Greek and go to a combo of Rory and Lorelai Gilmore from seasons 6 and 7 of Gilmore Girls. 


So I guess that means I've got an excuse to go shopping. But really it's not like I needed the excuse, especially since I'm sure that all my purchases this week are investments into my future (thanks Becky Bloomwood!). ;)


Happy Shopping!

XOXO Lea Mills

Follow me on Twitter @leamills_; Facebook leamills.fashion; Polyvore info-leamills; and now on Pinterest infoleamills :)

Go for the Gold!

So I've told you all before I'm a bit of an Anglophile and this summer has done nothing to help me change that. Between the coverage of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and now the Summer Olympics I'm getting my fill. What I haven't told you all is that I love the Olympics. I love the idea of all the nations coming together every couple of years in the Winter or Summer to just celebrate together. However I will say I'm more of a fan of the Summer games than the winter.

The Summer games just seem more fun. They're sports I'd rather play: soccer, gymnastics, tennis, swimming, beach volleyball. However, even though I prefer watching the summer games, I've noticed that the clothes tend to be a little lacking. 

In the winter you get the cute sweaters and snow boots and ski outfits that have more matching accessories than I care to count. In the summer you tend to get a lot of unitards. Anyway though I've come to the conclusion that the two summer sports that have the best outfits are Equestrian and Tennis. 

So first up is Equestrian. Number one you get to wear a top hat. How often do you get to do that in life and not be crazy or trying to recreate the "Puttin on the Ritz" number from Young Frankenstein? Almost never. So that's one positive. Then you have the perfect jacket. It's always perfectly tailored and never looks wrinkled even though there's a lot of movement. I'm assuming this is a fabric thing. On that jacket you get great looking brass buttons that are big and haul in a lot of attention even if you don't win a medal. On that jacket you also get to have a big flower. It's like prom all over again except the flower is probably a whole lot nicer and it's not on your wrist scratching you with that weird fabric they seem to like to use for prom corsages. Next let's discuss the pants. They're pristine! First of all they look extra comfy even though they also are cut so they're more like skinny jeans. Love it! And finally my favorite part of all - the boots! Riding boots are adorable and a fashion plus on or off of the horse. Now I'm a little afraid of horses so Equestrian is not the sport I would necessarily try in the Olympics. But if I got to get one of these cute outfits with those perfectly fitted riding boots that you know will last forever because they'll be quality and not from one of those sites that sells "leather" boots for $40 or less - I would totally get over my fear. 

Next up is Tennis. First of all you get to wear a dress. Isn't that the best part about being a girl in the summer. No matter how hot it is all you need to do is put on a dress so really you're about half as hot (temperature wise of course!) as everybody else. I also like that the dresses tend to have a great pleated skirt to them because what is more girly girl fabulous than a pleated skirt? I'm not really sure anything is. Also they're tank dresses so you get to show off all that hard work you've done making your arms look great. Which is always nice because you know the commentators and bloggers are totally gonna say how great they look because I've never really seen a female tennis player with man arm or Madonna arm syndrome. Also with tennis you have adorable little tennis shoes. They just seem so light weight and you can get some really great colors with them to go with your awesome dress so that's always nice. In terms of head gear you can wear a visor or sweat band. How often can you wear those without channeling super nerd or Richard Simmons? Again the answer is almost never. Finally you also get to wear sweat bands on your wrist to make the visor or sweat band on your head. Which looks pretty cool and lets face it most of us haven't had an excuse to wear them is the late 90s, early 00s without looking like a goth kid. 

So, as much as I love the Summer games and London. I have to say the only two sports with great fashion are Equestrian and Tennis. They just scream cute and like I could wear them on or off the court. Now get out there and practice and maybe you'll be the one on the podium in the cute outfit with the even cuter gold medal around your neck. Plus the next Summer games are in Rio and what could be more fun.

Go Team USA!

XOXO Lea Mills

P.S. Follow me on Twitter @leamills_; Find me on Facebook leamills.fashion; Find me on Polyvore info-leamills! <3

Also I'd love to hear your comments so if you have any fun or interesting thoughts let me know!