We Are the Goldens-Inspired Outfit

Happy Monday, everyone!  Are you geared up for Thanksgiving?  I am ready for the break--even though I have been out of school lately with various trips and conferences, it will be nice to have a chance to just collect myself again.  Moving to a new house has taken a toll, so it's going to be good to just re-group.

Today's post is an outfit inspired by We Are the Goldens by Dana Reinhardt.  In the book, Nell and her sister Layla are soccer players.  So I wanted to design an outfit for Nell on game day.  Since I work in a school, I see the student athletes when it's game day--they dress nicer than the typical school outfit.  So that's the inspiration for the look.

And when I think soccer, I think stripes.  So I designed a classy outfit for Nell with sleek stripes.  Here it is:

Simple enough to wear to school and comfortable...but still stylish!

• Like I said, soccer makes me think of stripes, so I went for a simple yet chic black and white striped sweater.
• The black skinny jeans pair nicely with the sweater.  Keeps it casual.
• I always see my athletes wear flats when they dress up.  They're more comfortable in their dress, so flats just make sense (stereotypically, the star of the girls' basketball team doesn't do well with heels!).  But adding the bows to the top of the flats gives it a feminine touch.
• A simple but beautiful watch keeps the outfit trendy and accessorized.

What do you think?  Could you see a student wearing this before a game?

More reviews coming up!

Sweater--Uniqlo 
Jeans--House of Fraser 
Flats--Saint Laurent 
Watch--Nixon Kenzi 

*I'm not associated with any brands/companies mentioned.

REVIEW--We Are the Goldens

Hey, readers and fashionistas!  I'm excited about today's book review--I loved this book because it was such a surprise for me.  I expected controversy and edginess, and I got a deep-thinking and realistic portrayal of a sister's internal struggle.  So good!

Today's review is on Dana Reinhardt's newest book, We Are the Goldens.  I had read her book The Things a Brother Knows and really enjoyed it, so this was an easy grab for me.  But I LOVED it.  Let me explain why:

•  Standalone novel
• Realistic fiction

The Gist:

Layla and Nell are the Goldens.  And Nell absolutely adores her sister.  Loves living a few years behind her and looking up to her.  But Nell notices that Layla is more distant than normal, uninterested in normal high school things, and unconcerned with school gossip.  And then she learns of Layla's big secret.  A secret that could change their family's life forever.  A secret that haunts Nell's every moment.

What I Loved:

• The point of view of the book--it's second person, which is so rarely seen in fiction.  Nell is speaking to Layla throughout the book, giving her behind-the-scenes info on the decisions she's made.  So effective since this book is all about looking at a situation through Nell's eyes.
• Even though I wanted major action to happen in the end, I'm glad it didn't.  It just didn't need it.  This book is about Nell even more than it is about Layla.
• This book is so gosh darn realistic...and that's all I can say about that since I work in education.
• I didn't think the adults were weak in this book.  The parents cared about their girls and appeared to be very realistic as divorced parents.

What I Didn't Love:

• The cover. Just doesn't work for me.
• Even though I loved the ending, my students won't like it.  I'll have to convince them why it's the best choice. 

Favorite quote: "They had three times the pool to choose from when putting together their team, so of course they were better than us.  Plus it was a Jesuit school, so they probably had God on their side to boot."

Such a great book--I highly recommend it!

Yep, 5 heels for me!

I'll be designing a Nell-inspired outfit soon!  I'm headed to YA'LL Fest tomorrow...can't wait to tell you all about it!