And We're Back!

Hello out there! I fell off the face of the earth for a while there. First there was a week-long vacation (wonderful) and then there was back to school (also wonderful... remember, I'm a massive nerd).

This outfit, which I wore when it was still technically "summer recess" (i.e. the undergrads hadn't shown up), is my sorry attempt to achieve this lame summer goal. I decided to go with tan as my neutrals this time around and it seems to have worked. Still not a particularly ambitious remix, but hey, these pants do fine all on their own.

pants: J.Crew Factory | sweater: J.C. Penny | belt: American Eagle | bag: J.Crew Factory | shoes: Banana Republic [exact]

What I've Really Been Wearing All Summer

I mean, yes, I've worn other things this summer, including all the daily outfits I've posted. But every weekend, from Friday afternoon to Sunday evening, this has been my staple outfit. I've worn it for drinks on the porch, out to dinner with friends, and after changing out of a wet bathing suit on trips to the beach. Occasionally I've added a cardigan or floppy hat as circumstances have dictated, but the black maxi dress, silver pendant, and shades combo has stood me in good stead. And yes, I have worn it with either black Reef flip-flops or black Chacos. These may not be the most fashionable footwear choices, but I sure do love 'em. And I buy them in black so that they look "elegant."

dress: Old Navy [sold out online] | sandals: Chacos [exact] | necklace: Dina Varano [her website] | sunglasses: LOFT [exact]

Oldies but Goodies

This outfit is made up of items that have managed to escape my recent closet purge despite their advanced age. The blazer is actually the top half of a suit that I bought at a church thrift shop when I was still in college, the belt is a J.Crew outlet find from my first year out of school, and the shoes were saved by the miracle of superglue after one of the the fabric flowers unravelled. And all three of these items were purchased by my mother... thanks mom!

I wore this to bike to campus for an afternoon of reading.

blazer: Banana Republic [thrifted, probably circa late 1990s] | t-shirt: LOFT | belt: J.Crew outlet | jeans: Gap | flats: Target | giraffe charm: gift

Summer Whites

About a month ago, I tried on this shirt in the Banana Republic outlet. I liked the way it looked but decided that I didn't really need it so exercised some shopping restraint. The trouble was, I kept thinking about it. I love wearing white, especially in the summer, but sometimes a white t-shirt or tank looks unpolished and a white button up looks too formal. Since I didn't plan to go back to the outlets I started looking around for something similar, but nothing was quite what I wanted. I didn't want anything lacy, or frilly, or off-white... Eventually, I drove back to the outlet hoping that there would still be a few of these shirts left. There was precisely one, in my size, on the clearance rack, and with some damage around the collar. I threw caution to the wind decided, damage be damned, and paid about twelve bucks for it. Win. And you can't even see the damage in these photos. Double win.

I wore this to wander around campus and compose a presentation in my head. I did a lot of talking to myself under my breath. I'm sure I seemed crazy.

shirt: Banana Republic outlet | jeans: Banana Republic outlet | bag: J.Crew outlet | shoes: DSW | sunglasses: LOFT

Fancypants

The thing that I love about these pants is also the thing that I don't love so much about these pants. They are interesting enough stand on their own, which means getting dressed is super easy. But by the same token, I've had them for seven years and I've only ever worn them with a black shirt, black belt, and black shoes. I'd like to try to style them differently sometime this summer, but for now, if it ain't broke...

pants: J.Crew outlet [old] | t-shirt: Banana Republic | belt: Gap | shoes: Nine West outlet | sunglasses: LOFT

Easy

This outfit is about as easy as it gets for summertime: a jersey dress, a tote bag, sandals. I added this yellow belt for a little color and wore my simplest jewelry: my rings and my everyday giraffe necklace.

I wore this for running errands and reading (while laying on the ground under a tree, an activity for which jersey dresses are particularly well-suited).

dress: Ellen Parker | belt: Old Navy | bag: V&A gift shop | sandals: Franco Sarto via DSW | giraffe charm: gift

Strawberry Season

This outfit is brought to you by seasonal produce. I was so inspired by the strawberries and rhubarb I was slicing this morning (for this seasonally appropriate treat) that I went with a strawberry colored scarf and strawberry colored shoes. Upon further reflection and color comparison (see below), the scarf is just pink, not the delicious light red of a strawberry, and the shoes are definitely raspberry. It will be raspberry season soon, and I will probably trot out this exact same outfit then, but right now I'm really digging strawberries. And, of course, a simple jersey dress snazzed up with some colorful shoes and accessories, which works for any season.

I wore this to read and run errands.

dress: Target | scarf: Gap | shoes: Target | bracelet: street vendor | pink pearls: gift

Business Casual

Seriously, I'm loving my new sneaks. I have decided that they are incredibly elegant and that they go with everything. Including this pencil skirt. This outfit is half business, half casual.

I wore this for work, errands, and dinner with friends.

shirt: J.Crew | skirt: LOFT | bag: J.Crew outlet | shoes: DSW

On Being Prepared

When I was in elementary school, I never ever had what I needed. Not my homework, not a pencil, frequently not my lunch. Perhaps that's why I'm insanely pleased with myself now when I'm prepared for normal things that happen like needing a tissue. I now keep a little pouch in my bag with all kinds of emergency items -- Tide pen, lint roller, hair ties, bandaids. So you can only imagine how happy I was when I had an umbrella for the rain and bandaids for new-shoe blisters on the very same day. Very happy. 

I wore this for a few meetings on campus.

dress: H&M [thrifted] | bag: J.Crew outlet | umbrella: Target | shoes: Banana Republic [exact; they gave me blisters today, but I'm hoping that they'll be a solid everyday flat] 

Our Garden Party

I've read a lot of blog posts lately advising me what to wear to a garden party. While I have quite a bit of academic knowledge of garden parties -- reading lots of Katherine Mansfield and Elizabeth Bowen will help with that -- I've never been invited to a garden party and don't imagine I will be anytime soon. I guess I don't know the right type of people.

With no invitations to garden parties forthcoming, my husband and I had our own little garden party at a botanical garden in the area. Since we were the only two attendees at our little garden party I didn't feel obligated to wear a white eyelet dress (which seems to be standard blogger style for garden parties). Instead, I wore my new favorite skirt, this time with a yellow tee, teal purse, and white flat sandals. This means I matched every color in the stripes and was able to trek through the marshy areas no problem.

I wore this on an adventure to a botanical garden and out to dinner.

dress (worn as skirt): Urban Outfitters | t-shirt: J.Crew | belt: Old Navy | shoes: Franco Sarto via DSW | bag: Francesca's

Put a Bird on It

When I saw this commercial for Portlandia, it hit a little close to home. Looking around my living room right now, I see framed prints of birds, a bird statuette, and three bird-printed pillows, not to mention a decorative bird cage and a paperweight shaped like a duck. My first thought upon seeing the commercial was, I better cool it. I probably don't need a bird on everything. But you know what? I like birds. They're pretty and they make other things pretty. So I'm embracing my desire to put a bird on it, whatever it is. And here is the wonderful if somewhat pathetic result: an outfit with not one but two bird-printed fabrics. I bought the tote bag a for a few pounds at the Victoria and Albert Museum in order to lug stuff around London when I broke my leather tote. The dress is a slightly more recent addition from the Banana Republic outlet. And by the way, the birds love hanging out with the giraffe charm I'm wearing as a necklace. Do I go overboard with critters? Perhaps, but I'm not sorry. 

I wore this for a trip to the beach (and a beachside pizza parlor)! It's still too cold to swim, but it was an absolutely beautiful day.

dress: Banana Republic outlet | tote: V&A Museum Shop | hat: sidewalk stall in Brooklyn | sunglasses: LOFT | giraffe charm: gift from my best friend | belt: Old Navy | shoes: Franco Sarto via DSW

My New Kicks

Ostensibly, these new shoes are workout gear. For a few months now I've been lifting weights barefoot. I kick off my running shoes (which are bad for weightlifting because they have a compressible sole) and wander around the weight room in my stocking feet. I've gotten a few weird looks, but I'm pretty unselfconscious about this kind of thing so I don't really mind. Even so, I decided this week that it was probably time to upgrade to shoes. Fancy, I know. I picked up a pair of Converse All-Stars because they're a cheap, dependable lifting shoe... and also they're pretty fly. See how they kind of glow?

I wore them with a casual dress for a very easy, very comfortable outfit on this hot, rainy day to run errands and read.

sneaks: Converse All-Stars via DSW [if you don't already have a pair, you can get them anywhere, I know, but here's a link] | dress: Blue Heaven via Marshalls

My New Favorite Skirt

My new favorite skirt....

...is a dress!

I have been wanting to try a midi skirt for a while (since I started dreaming about spring two months ago). My Evernote shopping list, which I have started using to keep me honest in my shopping adventures, I wrote "midi skirt, full, print, casual" and whiled away free minutes searching the interwebs for something that fit that description. But everything I found wasn't right... too tight, too formal, too made of polyester (which I've been trying to avoid), to expensive for a style I didn't even know if I would like.

But then, inspired by the insistence in this book (which I've been reading obsessively) that I can style a dress as a skirt and by the fact that I LOVE the bottom half this dress, which I bought on clearance from Urban Outfitters a few years ago even though the top half is less than flattering, I did something I never would have even considered: I made if into a skirt! The skirt is full, so I simply folded the top underneath and used a belt to smooth things out. And it's perfect! I love the colors, yellow, teal, and white against a navy. I love the bais cut, which means it moves beautifully. And it has pockets!

I wore this for a weekend trip with my husband's family. And plan to wear it every weekend hereafter.

dress (styled at skirt): Urban Outfitters | shirt: Banana Republic | sunglasses: LOFT | necklace: Fossil [thrifted] | belt: American Eagle [ancient] | shoes: Guess via T.J. Maxx