Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Dotted with hearts

This heat is killing me.
Top: Thrifted ($2)
Skirt: Thrifted ($4)
Belt: Vintage (gift)
Hat: Target ($10)
Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell ($60)
Bracelet: Modern Millie's Salem, MA ($4)
Massachusetts was not excluded from the heat-wave that I'm sure everybody is suffering from throughout the US. It has been abysmally hot, and even hotter inside my apartment. It felt good to actually get dressed today, at least in something other than cut off shorts or a bathing suit. This heat has definitely been putting a damper on my motivation, I think it just makes me mover really slow. Like I'm walking through sand or something.

So on to my outfit. I've had this polka-dot tank for over a year and this was the first time I've worn it. Definitely one of those things that I bought and then forgot about, and on a whim I tried it with this linen skirt I picked up on friday. I really like how the dark blue and teal work together, and adding the unexpected red of my shoes and bracelet really make the whole thing pop. The hat is really just there to cover up my frizzy hot-weather-hair.
I've received a lot of question lately regarding where I do my vintage/ thrift shopping. And while I won't get into it now, I assure you I'm working on a big post discussing the matter. If the hot weather would let up a bit so i could actually work on it!

Have a great night!

P.S. Check back tomorrow for a giveaway!

Monday, June 28, 2010

Over the weekend Style File...

Ah, how was everyone's weekend? Mine was so nice!
Shirt: J.Crew outlet ($40)
Skirt: Thrifted ($5)
Belt: Thrift (gift from mom)
Shoes: c/o Pac Sun Spring Break Crew
Sunglasses: Fred Flare ($11)
Necklace: c/o Dolly and Boy
Above Photos: Chris
These pictures are from Saturday when Chris and I travelled out to central Mass to go to Jen's baby shower. I wore this new-to-me skirt that I picked up on Friday, it reminds me of a cross between a Basquiat painting and an early 90's music video. Two excellent things. I actually found the skirt earlier in the week but decided against it because it was so bright. Well, when I went back to the thrift store and finding it still on the rack, I decided it was fate and it had to be mine. Because the print is so busy I paired it with a simple chambray shirt and favorite belt, and I'm wearing it again today with a grey t-shirt. I think a lot of the time prints like this can be intimidating, it seems like nothing would match it, when in fact they're incredibly versatile.

Jens's party was so much fun! It was refreshing to attend a baby shower where guests didn't ooh and ahh for hours while the mom-to-be opened gift after gift. I know I sound like a pessimist, but I've been to those kind of showers, and as a guest they're not fun. But instead of humiliating baby shower games (seriously, guess the baby food flavor...I don't know where to begin), there was tug of war, home run derby, and a bonfire with marshmallows. It was wonderful and I'm so glad I got to see Jen, I love that girl and she and Kev are going to be the most incredible parents! She even made her dress for the occasion, girl's got some serious skills:
Photo above: Kev
One of the best parts were the mustache photos!
Above photo: Jen
How was your weekend?

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Canal District Clothing Swap (Part 2)

As promised, below are my outfit photos from the swap, big thanks to Ann Ruthmann for being our photographer for the day:
Top: H&M ($5)
Leather Skirt: Vintage Thrift ($3)
Tights: UO ($14)
Flats: Gap ($34)
Ann did a great job of hiding the ENORMOUS run in my stockings that happened on my way to the swap, luckily it was on the back of my leg so it didn't completely ruin the integrity of my ensemble. Just the back. I left my apartment early that morning, with little time to get ready I chose a classic black and white color scheme using not-so-classic pieces.

This skirt almost ended up in the shop, but seconds before listing it I decided to try it on. Serendipitously, it fit. Which was surprising because it never had before. See, sometimes when you refuse to try stuff on in the gnarly Salvation Army fitting rooms you strike out, as I did with this skirt back in December. However I guess I've been taking exceptionally good care of myself, because now it fits like a glove. Still a bit Zaftig, but I like my silhouette that way. Anyways, I like how it looked paired with this H&M top, the striped bell sleeves I thought were particularly interesting.
I'll admit to being a little relieved by having these photos all ready to post today. The weather has been unbearably hot this week and taking photos of my outfits just wasn't in the cards. Mostly because my outfits have been consisting of cut-offs, sandals, and any shirt that lets a breeze through. I'm also red as a tomato due to an unfortunate lack of forethought before going to the beach on Tuesday. Wear sunscreen, folks. I feel so terrible for my cats during this weather, they just lie on the tiled floor waiting for sunset and some cool air to blow through, I'm actually considering getting and air conditioner just to make them happy. I know: crazy. cat. lady. I've heard it all before.

Do you have any tips for helping your pets stay cool in the summer?

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Canal District Clothing Swap (Part 1)

SO, awhile ago I mentioned the swap that Jen and I went to hosted by Punky and the whole Swapaholics crew. I finally have pictures to share!
It was so much fun! Jen and I got to come early and check things out, they had even put a couple things aside for us that they thought we would like, it was such a fun day, I wish I could see these amazing ladies more. I picked out a few things to style for my posts (some won't be making an appearance until colder weather though), and we also snagged a couple of pieces to send around to the other Delightful Dozen girls.

Punky and Melissa were our gracious hosts for the day, they made the whole thing so special! I could not believe the size of the crowd that came out for it too, even though it was May it was cold and rainy, so this was the perfect way to spend a day indoors. Once the crowd cam ein, everything was snagged up in seconds.



There was plenty of posing:
The Swapaholics are in LA right now, hosting a cross-country swap. I can't wait to go to the next local event they hold, clothing swaps are such a great way to freshen up your closet without spending a fortune- sometimes not spending any money at all!

The talented Ann Ruthmann was our photographer for the day, she was so friendly and did an amazing job of capturing the day and our individual styles. I'll have my outfit post for the day tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Have you ever held a clothing swap of your own?

Monday, June 21, 2010

Tennessee Waltz

Dress: Handmade by my aunt
Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell ($60 sale)
Necklace: UO (anniversary gift from Chris from 2 yrs ago)
Bag: Thrifted ($10)
Photos by Chris
This dress is one of the more special things in my wardrobe, I've had it since I was in 7th grade. It was passed down to me after my late-aunt passed away from Leukemia, and I'm assuming it was handmade by her. Unfortunately, she passed away before Google came into existence, and my searches for information have turned up nothing, I DO know she played the Sugarplum Fairy in the Boston Ballet's rendition of the Nutcracker, and also enjoyed swing and contra dancing (Mom, if I'm wrong about any of this it's because you didn't get my fact-checking phone call). Anyways, I remember playing dress-up with this dress when I was younger (yes, I still played dress up in 7th grade...and I still do now), and honestly had forgotten about it until last summer when I found it at my mom's. I have miraculously grown into it! It's not one that I wear often, for fear of ruining it but Friday was a special occasion: My last full day of work for The College! Actually, I shouldn't say full day, as I got out at 1pm. Chris made plans for us to go into Boston, so we caught the 2:30 train and spent the afternoon and evening exploring Harvard Square, Newbury Street, and the Public Gardens. I felt extremely pretty.
We both wore our red shoes:
This dress was also perfect for debuting my new Jeffrey Campbell Splendid Clogs. You may remember them from this post, well I went ahead and ordered them. I can tell you one thing, it will be my last sorta-splurge for awhile, but I love them. My feet held up for most of the night, but I did get a couple of blisters.

I loved hearing your thoughts on my last post, I feel similarly to most of you in that, lately F21 and H&M just haven't been worth visiting. Maybe it's due to the backlash F21 has been receiving in regards to copyright infringement, I know I would be livid if I was a designer and saw my work cheaply copied by a mass-retailer. Perhaps they're reacting to that and cutting back on how blatantly they copy designers and popular fashion. Who knows, I admit to still going in there occasionally, if only to re-stock my collection of metal cross rings.

How was your weekend?

Thursday, June 17, 2010

In which I go off on a tangent not really having to do with this outfit...

Dress: F21 ($19 ?)
Blazer: Thrift ($3)
Shoes: Thrift ($10)
Bag: Thrift ($10)
Necklace: F21 ($9)
Sunnies: Fred Flare ($11)
Belt: J.Crew Outlet ($19)
It's funny how I went from wearing three things yesterday to seven today, haha. I typically do not like to post with the same background on two consecutive days, but I also think it's really interesting how a space or place can be so changed by the time of day or the weather. Yesterday was more overcast, but today the sun was casting crazy shadows through the fire escape grating, making long diagonal stripes across the wall. I love this mural, it's on the side of the cinema in my town.

This outfit is kind of one that I just threw together and don't really have much to say about! I like this blazer but feel like I can't wear flats with something that has such a strong shoulder, my espadrilles fix that problem! I like the dark blue with the yellow linen dress, one of my favorite purchases from Forever 21 to date. Is it just me or is F21 getting cheesier lately? How do you feel about "Fast Fashion" stores like F21 and H&M? I certainly have quite a bit of clothing from both, but lately I've been extremely dissatisfied with what they have to offer and would rather just purchase quality clothing on sale or just go thrifting (obvs the more preferred choice). I think it's a sign of getting older, not wanting to spend any time in malls and just wanting to get in and get out, or maybe I'm just a grumpy old woman stuck in a 26 year olds body!
On a lighter note, I ordered this book today, I'm so excited to receive it! I'm looking forward to having more time to read and do research!
Happy Thursday!

Oh and PS- a couple of people asked in my last post what happened to my leg, I wish I had some sort of cool story, but the truth is I cut myself shaving. I'm extremely clumsy. Thank you for the concern!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Secret Messages

Necklace: Shop in Portland, ME ($3)
Wedges: Karen Millen via Buffalo Exc. ($40)
I am in love with the fact that I'm only wearing three things here. Five if you want to count the two bobby pins holding my hair back, but really, who's counting? This is simplicity at it's finest, I'm not sure that the necklace was even necessary, but I felt like a cheat only wearing a dress and some shoes. Some may say that waking up and throwing on a dress does not equal style, but I beg to differ. Getting dressed is more than just rolling out of bed (five minutes before you have to leave for work) and putting on pieces of clothing. The act of getting dressed is also a decision making process, whether your wearing five pieces of clothing or two, you're deciding what the message of the day will be. What will your clothes say about you? What I thought was really interesting as I edited these this evening, was the contrast between yesterday's images in the graveyard, and today's in front of this mural. Two totally different outfits and two totally different messages.

Today, I wanted my message to be bright and girly! I love this ModCloth dress so much, the little tribal band makes wearing a belt completely unnecessary and I thought it looked great with the mural in the background. I added some height with my favorite shoes and then, done! I did decide to do something with my hair, and just pulled the front back. I finished with a beaded necklace I picked up lat summer while I was in Maine visiting family. Easy!

I'm keeping this short and sweet, I'm off to make some sort of dinner!
Goodnight!

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Creep Course

White lace vest: Vintage (Mom's)
Black lace vest: TjMaxx ($7)
Suede skirt: Vintage thrift ($2)
Black flats: Gap ($34)
Hat: Chris' via UO
Ring: Forever 21 ($3)
Some of you may already be aware of my love of graveyards, this one in particular, and yesterday was a particularly graveyard-y day. Living in New England, we have some spectacularly old gravesites, especially where I live: Salem, MA is just down the street... and we all know what happened there. Did you ever do grave rubbings (where you take a crayon or charcoal and a piece of paper and rub over the headstone to make an impression)? We did them a lot in elementary school, the Montessori school I went to was right across the street from a huge graveyard and it feels like we were over there all the time for one project or another.

Anyways, my outfit. I love this and am predicting it will be on heavy rotation in my closet! My mom gave me this sweet lace vest for christmas, it was such a surprise because I thought I had discovered all of her old clothes years ago. Apparently she had a stash! I was coming up short on what to wear it over until I found the black lace tank top underneath. This skirt was packed away for winter for about a week until I wanted to wear it desperately again, plus it's been a bit cold lately so the suede keeps me warm but not too hot! I went with simple accessories, Chris' hat (which I wear more than he does!), a black necklace, and my silver double finger cross ring. I love these rings. I had given up hope of ever finding one, but then Punky gave me one and I found a silver one the next week at F21! What luck!
So, I'm so glad I can finally talk about my job change! I've been holding it in for weeks but couldn't announce it until the notice had been posted for the College community. To be honest, I'm finding myself overwhelmed with the possibilities. To be sure, I'll be looking for another full-time position (almost) immediately, but this will be the first time I've been unemployed since I was 14! I'm really looking forward to a couple of days rest before I start the whole resume, cover letter thing. It's been a long time since I had any semblance of a vacation. Thank you to all who left encouraging, career change words!

Ok, I'm off to clean my kitchen. I'm a thrill seeker. I know.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Over The Weekend Style File...

So this is what I wore over the weekend to Justin and Ashley's wedding...
Belt: vintage thrift (gift from Mom)
Shoes: Aldo ($40 old)
Bracelets: Vintage (old)
Cat: center piece from wedding
I don't know what it is about having something new to wear to an event (like a wedding), but it's one of my favorite things. I recently attended a wedding where I wore a dress I've had forever, so I was happy to have this dress from ModCloth on deck to take for a test drive and debut. Picking out something to wear to a wedding can be so stressful! I always worry that I'll be too dressed up or down, but this was perfect, I loved the dotted lines and the purple background is slightly tie-dye without being obnoxious. The ceremony was outdoors and pretty casual. I went with simple accessories so I wouldn't have to fuss with anything, and isn't that the beauty of dresses anyway? Just throwing them on and going? I know I've been wearing the heck out of this belt lately, but I just love it so much. The leather is buttery soft and super pliable, perfect for tying in a knot!
I didn't take a shoes shot because it was so wet this weekend, my sandals are trashed! I ended up having to change my shoes halfway through the day anyways.

Thank you to everyone who left me kind and thoughtful comments on the blog-birthday post, they truly meant so much to me!