Fall Funky Prep

Well Cleveland, today's high temperature was right around 50°, which that means summer is officially over and we will likely not see warmer temps until March. Maybe April. All right, probably May. But hey, with all the positives we have in this town, we have to accept some negatives right?

Although we may be hesitant to accept the cooler weather, at least we have fall fashion (and pumpkin spice lattes!) to keep us happy and warm inside. Let's take a look at my #OOTD...

I am all about the infinity scarf. Even scarves I've bought recently that aren't of the never ending variety I tie up the ends to make them that way! H&M has perfected this trend with their jersey tube scarves. The best part about this scarf is that there is so much material bunched up around your neck, you could, hypothetically, make it a blanket, a lap warmer or even a seat cushion!

Denim shirts have been in for a few seasons now which means they're easier and cheaper to find than ever. Old Navy has a wide variety from your basic light wash denim oxford to cute patterned ones, including always irresistible polka dots.

Fashion is nothing without comfort, especially here in the midwest. Comfy pants and jeans are now as accessible as ever. I have two pairs of these Jennifer Lopez pants and the black are a perfect pair for any denim shirt. Plus they fit like a dream and feel like a second skin on top of being cute, flattering and on-trend!

I resisted the oxford shoe for long enough before I spotted a pair for a cool $15 at Marshalls with hot pink accents. You have to commit to these and accept that they're a little masculine and a little preppy but their super cool and make you feel like a hipster (even if you're not into that whole scene ;).

Although this outfit may be fun and funky, color wise it could use a bit of a pick-me-up, and that's always where accessories come in! Multi-colored jewels are very in and easy to come by. Pair any denim/black/grey/brown ensemble with eye popping color jewelry to brighten up the cloudiest of fall days!

Stay tuned for more fall fashion #OOTD (Outfits Of The Day) all season long! The best way to honor the beautiful Ohio fall foliage is to suit up with fabulous fall fashion!

Ingenuing on the Lake

Another Ingenuity Fest done come and gone! A few weeks ago artists artists of all kinds gathered at Docks 30 & 32 on the shores of Lake Erie to share their innovation, ideas, and more to the people of our fair city.

Always a highlight of the year and fall must-go, this year's Ingenuity did not disappoint. An arguably different, however no less creative vibe was felt at this location versus those of the past, which include the underbelly of the Detroit-Superior bridge.

There were acrobats, light installations, vaudeville acts, lake views, and more! However my favorite part of the Ingenuity fest were all the handmade and other goods to oogle at, be inspired by, and spend a few bucks on.

Flip through the photos below from this year's festival and be sure to keep up with Ingenuity Cleveland's web site and social media pages for year-round creative Cleveland awesomeness!

Links:
23 Skidoo
Ape Made
The Vaudevillian
Ingenuity Cleveland

Ingenuity Cleveland 2013

Just like fall fashion September issues and Pumpkin Spice Lattes, Crooked River Couture is back! And if you're a diehard Clevelander there's something else that always comes around this time of year. Okay other than football...it's the Ingenuity Festival!

You may remember my post from the 2011 Festival, the last one located under the Detroit-Superior Bridge. I must say, I am going to miss hanging out down there this year, but hopefully it will soon be open year round, thanks to the Bridge Project!

This year, the ingenuity gets cooking down on the lakefront combining the indoor space of two warehouses with the ample outdoor space just north of the Factory of Sadness. Arguably the most underused gem of our city, Ingenuity promises to "offer a glimpse of the long-range lakefront development plan." Let's hope the luck the Festival brought to the Detroit-Superior Bridge comes to the Erie coast as well!

If you've never been to an Ingenuity Fest, check out my blog from two years ago for a little taste. But trust me, no pictures, videos, or beautifully vivid description can do it justice - you just have to go and experience it for yourself!

Ingenuity Festival 2013

September 20-22

Fri: 5pm – 1am

Sat: Noon – 1am

Sun: Noon – 5pm

Docks 32 and 30, North of First Energy (Browns) Stadium

Anniversary Sale at Deering Vintage

Attention all Cleveland vintage lovers! (Not to be confused with vintage Cleveland lovers. Although maybe...) One of my very favorite vintage shops is having a sale! This Saturday is Deering Vintage's one year anniversary and everything* is 20% off! This comes a week after DV's Ohio City neighbor and presidential favorite West Side Market celebrated its 100th anniversary proving that OH City is here to stay. So head down to my favorite Cleveland neighborhood this weekend, perhaps some breakfast at Bonbon, a jaunt around the Market and pick up some discounted vintage goodies at Deering!

Deering Vintage

1836 W. 25th St. 

Cleveland, Ohio 44113

(216) 274-1211

Open Saturday 12pm-8pm

*except consignments

Fall is in the air...

It'll be here before you know it. The most wonderful time of the year. Not Christmas, AUTUMN. If the weather continues as it has been here in Northeast Ohio, Fall 2012 looks to be absolutely, perfectly gorgeous! And with the lovely weather of my favorite season comes, of course, the fall fashions! During the next few weeks I plan on previewing some great fall looks you can get for cheap right here in the 216! (Or 440. Or 330.)

There's nothing quite like a good day of shopping. Amidst viewing the new movie "Sparkle" and getting some hilarious and awesome goodies for the Jersey Shore-themed bachelorette party I'll be attending in Columbus this weekend, I got a chance to soak up some fall fashion.

Last year, I miraculously found my favorite pants. It was at Southpark Mall during a half-off everything sale at the Gap. While looking for a new pair of jeans, I came across one single pair of black pants in my size. They were soft and stretchy and fit like a glove and gave made my bottom half look like Kim Kardashian's. I was thrilled and definitely got my money's worth wearing them this year.

Fast forward about 12 months and colored jeans are all the rage! Bright blues, greens, reds and even patterned pantalon are must haves. Jeans are fine but I wish all my pants were as comfy as my favorite black Gap ones. Well my friends, I got lucky. On quick trip to the Westgate Kohl's I found them! BRIGHT, SOFT, STRETCHY Lauren Conrad Skinny French Terry Pants! I simply had to buy two pairs, one in trendy cobalt blue and another in fall friendly faded red.

Lakeside Labor Day

These both looked adorable with a black and white striped Elle peplum top and my new $11 silver boat shoes. Top it off with my favorite Target fedora and voilà! A great outfit for the end of summer and start of fall with a touch of nautical. This would be a great Labor Day weekend outfit, perfect for chilling at Voinovich Park watching the Air Show.

Keep Calm and Olympic On

Hellooo interwebs! As you may or may not have read, I've been offline for some time. Don't worry I haven't joined a comune or anything, still surfing the net as much as anyone. Actually probably more than most. But as my own contributions have been focused elsewhere, I felt the need to reboot the good ol' CRC. So here we go!

My Olympic ring nails!

As most of you know, the 2012 Summer Olympics just wrapped up in London. I like to consider myself quite the Olymp-fanatic. Olympifan? Either way I'm OLYMPSESSED and the Games have always been a big deal for me. I still remember copycatting the the Magnificent Seven U.S. women's gymnastics team in the summer of '96. And the Winter Games are just as awesome if not awesome-r.

Courtesy telegraph.co.uk

Needless to say I was all about London 2012. Not only for my love of Olympiads but having been to London and generally fascinated in all things Brit. I loved seeing one of my favorite places on display for the world. Not only was Great Britain on display, but their athletes had their best games history. Winning 29 gold medals, Team GB frequented the top of the stand showing off, in my opinion, the coolest, most stylish Olympic uniforms ever.

Worry not, I still root for Team USA!

Upon further investigation of these awesome athletic frocks I found out they were designed by none other than Stella McCartney. I won't go into Miss McCartney too much, but let me just say her designs are to die for. It's fitting that she's the mastermind behind Team GB's killer gear. And the solidifying excuse I needed to get me some!

After a long night of scouring the Internet, and after I realized none of the GB garb was sold in the U.S., I came across a killer deal at JD Sports' web site. Cheap shipping, on sale items and a free bag with your purchase! Since my budget is tight I went with the Team GB headband instead of a shirt or jacket which were both pricey. I did however find a great London 2012 official logo shirt, complete with union jack design! Best part about it? It all came from across the pond to my front door in a week, just in time for the last gold medal finals of the games.

I'm baaack! No really.

I should probably count how many times I've written "it's been a while since I've posted" here on the good ol' bloggie. This time it really has been a while. Quite a LONG while actually.

Since I've been MIA I started contributing to Directors Live, a cool new film web site.That plus a number of not-so-fruitful job applications and life in general has unfortunately kept me from spreading Cleveland style to the masses.

But with this toasty C-Town summer we have going, why not do a little reboot? Stay tuned for new posts, hopefully much more frequently! And don't forget to follow Crooked River Couture on Twitter!