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]

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 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