Coffee Collective #1

New Pot, a Thai iced coffee (photo from months ago, before I went vegan)

The Buzz Cafe, some kind of spiced mocha made with soy

Stan's Doughnuts and Coffee, soy chai latte and a vegan doughnut!

Sugar Fixe, soy chai latte ft. my friend's coffee and lemon square

Ah, a collection of my various favorite places to get coffee, and my favorite drinks from each place. I expect this to be a saga, because I love coffee and my favorite coffee spot was not even included in this post. 

Also, expect a URL change by next Sunday! This blog will be found at 

the-retroherbivore.blogspot.com

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#FightTheExpectations

This past week in my community a feminist movement spearheaded by an incredible high school senior, Rachel, has taken over instagram. 

Tagged with #fighttheexpectations, teenage girls are questioning why it is we feel so pressured by expectations, influences, and ideals placed on us by a patriarchal society. Our years spent in high school are some of the toughest of our lives because they are when we are most confused and vulnerable, and it's also the time that the pressure from these expectations can crush us. 

Rachel decided it was time to not only challenge them, but put up a fierce fight. By posting provocative statements questioning why it's acceptable for women to feel this way, she has enlisted ladies from all grades and groups from my huge high school in the fight. 

I remember when I first entered high school and was soon enlightened to the principles of equality and feminism, and I imagine this movement has done the same for many young ladies. It's amazing what a few instagram posts can do, and how much power they can have. 

Join the movement and spread the ideals across your community!

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Sprung

Dress: Bought at a second hand shop

Sweater: Thrifted

Shoes: Thrifted

Earrings: Thrifted

As it is now getting warmer and flowers are blooming, I thought I would take the opportunity to catch my bright outfit from Friday for the opening night of a play I've been working on. 

This is one of my very favorite dresses because it's a more vibrant shade of my favorite color,  mint green. The fit and flare shape is the look I always lean on, it's cute and classic as well as flattering on everyone. 

I love this sweater because I think it's got the granny appeal but is delicate and lovely at the same time, and it matches my heart shaped earrings perfectly. I paired it with my trusty pair of thrifted loafers to finish the look. 

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Favorite Blog: Steffy's Pros and Cons

Meet Steffy, the stylish social media strategist living and loving in New York with her husband, Matt, and her weenie dog, Claude.  

How cute is her sweet dog?

She has such a lovely style; a happy blend of retro and bohemian aspects, giving off a delicate vintage fairy presence, which is sort of a goal for my own style. 

She is fearless in the face of change, having made the move to New York from Miami this past year, as well as spontaneous.  Recently she's dyed her hair a deep red and pierced her nose. I admire these qualities and aspire to embody them a little more myself. A little spontaneity can't hurt, especially if you're a cautious teenager like myself. 

She is very active on social media, posting on instagram and tweeting almost every day, but my favorite thing is that she shares her snapchat with her readers, and makes sure to update her adorable story.

For more Steffy in your life, be sure to follow her blog!

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A sandal made out of yoga mats? What?

Last summer I was in my horrid transitional phase between dirty hippie to 90's mainstream style (a grotesque time that I never want to relive), and my go-to footwear choice was a pair of Teva sandals. It's not like they were the cute ladies sandals that Teva has, no, they were chunky men's blue and black Teva's.

Consequently I have been on the hunt for a new pair of staple summer sandals, and I believe I have found them. 

One of my best friends recommended these Yoga Sling sandals from Sanuk, so I did some research on them and decided to purchase them for myself! 

The footbed is made completely from recycled yoga mats and is very tough and durable. The top strappy part is an extremely comfortable, stretchy material  that will never irritate or rub the foot the wrong way. In addition to being eco-friendly, they are totally vegan!

I wanted to check out the shoes in person before I ordered them online, so I made a trip to the closest DSW to try them on and see how they looked. I was skeptical that they could be cute and comfortable, but these sandals truly are. Their squishy yoga sole feels almost like memory foam and their stretchy straps look cute and classy. I ended up buying them there that day!

I'm can't wait to start wearing these all the time, yet another reason why I'm extremely excited for summer!

I know that these sandals will last me a few summers, despite my notorious shoe-destroying past. I'm more than in love with these sandals. 

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You can also find me on tumblr and pinterest!

Sunny Sunday Wicker Park Adventure

iphone photo as shot by me oh yeah

Another of my iphone masterpieces featuring my thumb 

All of these photos (except the two lame cell phone ones) were taken by the astounding and ethereal Sophia Powers, and I would like to give a huge thank you to her for letting me use them. For more of her work, check out her flickr and her photography blog!

Knowing that the upcoming two months are going to be two of the worst we may ever weather, my friend and I decided to go on a little excursion to somewhere new, and we decided on the Wicker Park neighborhood. 

We took the blue line to Damen and we had arrived. Immediately falling in love with the neighborhood, we were on a quest for coffee and we didn't have to go far. We had hardly stepped off of the train platform when we laid eyes on Stan's Donuts and Coffee. We hustled in and I got myself a soy chai latte and a vegan donut, which were both so delicious that I think I'll probably dream about them tonight. 

We then wandered around, popping into vintage and thrift stores and each finding a couple of things. After a few hours we got a little overheated in a shop and went to a restaurant next door, which happened to be Umami Burger. We just sat and drank some water and ended up splitting a plate of french fries with ketchup that they make there, which was very tasty. The waiters there were all very kind to us, which we appreciated quite a lot.

We wandered around for a little longer, soaking it all in, before heading home when we felt a few rain drops. 

It was one of those fast-paced and yet relaxing days, and I cannot wait until we can go back. 

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Easter Pastels

Top: Aeropostale 

Skirt: Thrifted

Shoes: Juju footwear

Glasses: Claire's

I think it's probably against the law to not wear any florals or pastels on Easter, or maybe that's just for me. 

I love wearing sweaters with shorts or skirts in the early spring because it's the perfect ratio of cute and practical, and I especially love those fuzzy and brightly colored sweaters that remind me of the 90's. I bought this purple one from Aeropostale during one of those after Christmas sales, and I'm pretty certain it's from their Bethany Mota collection. I paired it with this floral skirt because I think they compliment each other, and I am very much one who loves to wear a lot of color. I added my jelly sandals, which I also purchased on sale, and my pink heart shaped sunglasses and called it a very colorful day. 

Happy Easter!

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