Pale Neutrals

Did you miss me? I missed you too, Internet.

I'm starting to think my friends in real life don't quite believe me. Mary even came by my work to tell me not to disappear into school and work. Which, pooh pooh, that's what happened. I fell into the black hole of final projects, coffee overconsumption, and zombie-walking from no sleep.

It's been a while since I've lived any of my life like that, so I'm glad it's just in short bursts! But I've got to admit that most of the time I felt pretty pouty.
 

 

Perhaps I'm also pouting because I need a haircut. And my winter legs are so pale!

Anyway, I found this set of outfit shots taken before The Busy Time. I thought I'd share since many of the pieces are actually current. Yay!
 

 

It seems unlikely that my schedule will let up until after final exams for the semester, so you might just miss me a little longer! I have been able to post on Instagram fairly regularly compared to Twitter or the blog, so if you want to add me I'm @bonjourjinah.

Outfit details:
J. Crew Merino Double Breasted cardigan (similar: here and here)
Anthropologie Deletta A-Bit-Unruly top
Urban Outfitters Sparkle and Fade Paperbag Shorts
Boutique 9 Gilla Sandals
Amanda Gary handmade bag
J. Crew Timex traveler watch

Hello Fall!

Outfit details:

Tucker for Target button front dress in painted flowers print

Madewell Pointillist scarf (now on sale, whoo hoo!)

Frye Bonnie riding boots (from 2007, find similar styles here and here)

BDG shawl collar cardigan

Amanda Gary handbag (available locally at Squash Blossom and Mooncake boutiques)

Between the garage sale, classes, and an impromptu road trip to Nashville, time really slipped away from me this week! All of a sudden it's Thursday and I've left all my dear readers hanging for far too long.

Thankfully a wild amount of torrential rain brought finally brought on some chilly weather and I actually felt like wearing normal clothes. This summer lasted almost through to October, and frankly I was getting bored of wearing single layers and the same sandals every day.

So of course today's blustery weather was the perfect excuse to bust out all of my fall standbys all at once--sweaters, scarves, and boots are all such my favorite things to wear. All of my old favorites and possibly a new one! Since I was shopped out after my early morning Madewell visit, I didn't make it out to Target the next morning for the Tucker release.

At first I was totally fine with passing, but as the week crept along and I saw all of the adorable pieces on my favorite blog friends, I knew I would have to track at least one piece down for myself. Luckily Target.com still had plenty of pieces in stock (which is more than I can say for the four Targets I visited in town!). I'm excited to wear this  dress all the way through Spring. The colors and the weight are perfect for the mild Georgia climate. So now, dress acquired, I am all Tuckered out in more ways than one.

And as far as the Nashville trip goes? There's little to say--I was awake in the city for less than 6 hours total, but the payoff was adopting this sweet little kitty. No, she's not mine, I tagged along for the journey. But isn't she adorable? She's the sweetest little cat I've come across in a long time. I think she and her new mama are in for years of love.

All the Leaves are Brown

Outfit details: 
Anthro Nell Couture June, July, August Dress
Secondhand J. Crew jean jacket (similar here)
Looping Lanes belt (similar here and here)
Frye Dorado Slouch boots (similar here)
Amanda Gary leather handbag
 

I've been saying it for weeks, but I am definitely ready for some leaf-changing, boot-stomping, jacket-worthy fall weather. Fooled by the cool breeze through the weekend, I pulled out my old standby Fryes on Monday to tramp around Athens for the day.


As I should have known, it was sweltering, but for the duration of this photoshoot, I got to pretend I was a folk singer in a charming local band. If you're looking to hire someone to croon The Mamas & The Papas or maybe just stand on stage while pretending to play tambourine, I'm your girl!

Bonjour September!

Outfit details:
Mur/Monoreno tunic top (from work--similar here and here)
Forever 21 knit leggings ($4.50! I have a drawerful of these)
Amanda Gary bag (avail. at Squash Blossom and Mooncake)
Dolce Vita for Target Buckle Boots

Yesterday's holiday has me a little off kilter. I had grand plans for my dive back into a regular blogging schedule on Monday. But whoops, I guess Tuesday is the new Monday!

Labor Day weekend was a blur. Between the crowds, festival food, and costume changes this weekend, I didn't have a spare minute. Luckily I picked up these boots last week, and they were inspiration enough for getting dressed in a flash.

Longtime readers will know I'm all gung ho when it comes to Target designer collaborations, especially if a line I love is involved. So the Dolce Vita offerings were a no-brainer. I tried on every style my local store had to offer, and all of them fit true to (Target) sizing, and were cushioned and designed as well as your full price DV shoe. These boots in particular really called out to me--don't they feel very much like the Chloe Susan from Fall '08?

Another happy little treat of the weekend was the cool breeze. It really is beginning to feel like fall, and I have my arsenal of boots and jackets at the ready.

Geography Lesson

Outfit details:
Anthropologie Cartography Cardigan
American Apparel triblend tank
J. Crew Wednesday poplin skirt
Gap leather ballet flats
Amanda Gary bag 

I constantly find myself attracted to themed clothing. I love wacky prints and motifs and am willing to dress like an "art teacher" almost every day of the week. When I put this outfit together, I thought to myself that this cardi would be an excellent topper for a geography instructor. Which is totally hilarious considering I have a terrible sense of direction.

This is what I ended up wearing to run around town in on Friday. I love casual-quirky outfits since they can work overtime. Case in point: I wore this from errand running to work to a very special birthday celebration and didn't have to add or take away any pieces to make them work for all three occasions. Or maybe my daily dressup has just evolved to the point that I think I can wear whatever I want anywhere everyday... I've been throwing out the idea of appropriate for specific occasions and wearing what I really want lately. It's resulted in more hits than misses and a lot more fun!


And a quick note about today's minishoot: my little sister was kind enough to snap these photos in the backyard when I visited last week. Since I'm totally comfortable with her as my photographer, we ended up goofing off and resulted with more outtakes than usable blog photos. For anyone who thinks I look at all angry or mean when I don't smile in photos, don't be fooled. This is what I'm really like most of the time.

She told me to go "rarr!" like a tiger here. Mostly giggling ensued. My velociraptor hands are not cute!

 I think I was explaining what a tripod looks like/does here. Or maybe I was talking about how big the cookie cake was that I planned to eat later. Or maybe I was singing London Bridge?

She knows how to capture my most charming moments :)

Field Trip and the Hoarder Project

My sister in her natural state--texting. Me in my natural state--goofing off.


I look Cullen-pale next to her!


A quick bite to eat--It's Atlanta tradition.


This was the part where a car was coming our way. Watch out!


Outfit details:
J. Crew Frances Stripe Ruffled  Tuxedo shirt
Forever 21 dots skirt (similar here and here)
Gap tomato red leather ballet flats
Amanda Gary handmade leather bag
The Look for Less: (shirt), (skirt), (flats).

Since my sisters are concerned for my well being and both love to help me out so much, I invited them downtown to help me go apartment hunting. Since all of the appointments I made for viewings were spread out across the entire city, we made a whole day of it!

Ultimately, it felt like a big field trip kind of day (especially with the IKEA excursion), so of course we had lunch at the Varsity. While not tailored for the most gourmandise of tastes, it is an Atlanta institution. And well, I love the onion rings.

And recognize my shirt? Well, you probably don't as I've never worn it. I found it stashed in a consignment store earlier in the spring and was absolutely thrilled. It was brand new and from the current J. Crew offerings and all of a sudden within my financial reach at $20. And then it sat in my closet for several weeks until this recent rediscovery of its existence.

Which leads me into my next endeavor. As I've mentioned, I'm moving soon. If you follow my Twitter or have ever seen the full extent of my closet, you know how expansive it is and how close I am to becoming a Gold Star Member of the Hoarding Society.

That's where this rack comes into place. Closet space is limited in my current home, and it's impossible to tell what I've really got shoved in there without some kind of order. This extra garment rack serves as my limbo rack--the items undergoing the "audition process" as Jacquelyn would say. New items go directly onto this rack and older items I haven't worn in a while make their way back to this rack so I can decide if they should stay or if they should go.

Having a whole rack of clothing like this makes me feel itchy and anxious that so many items are in flux! My goal and project for the month of July is to clear off this rack, Clean Sweep style. Things unworn will either go back to the store(s), be sold, or get donated at the end of this month.

This is working up to my ultimate goal of having a closet full of things I L-O-V-E love instead of having an overflowing rack of maybes and that one skirt I wear every other day. Please chime in with your "yeas" and "nays" during this process, since shopping in my closet can end in mixed results!

Here are some new things I desperately need to summerize during this process since I love them so:

I found a few Lift Off Jackets left at my local store during inventory.
I immediately grabbed the last one in my size and added it to my discount pile.

Lost Time skirt. Similar story with this skirt. It immediately struck me as classic Anthro and I ran to the fitting room with it thinking mineminemine. It's been a challenge to style so far, though and is getting lonely.

And even worse are the things I am literally hoarding. These oldies but goodies still have tags on them! I'm in that mentality that I don't want to use them because I don't want to spoil/ruin them. Which, if I learned anything from the Hoarder documentary series, is a red flag. I would like to use and enjoy all of my good stuff.

Jacqueline dress, version two with grosgrain ribbon. I wear the yellow, but despite my penchant for navy dresses, never have pulled out this version.

And the infamous Bold Boutonniere dress. I spotted this the day Anthropologie added it to their website. I was on vacation out of the country at the time, and thought it would be silly to order it right away since I was still working for the brand. The day it came in I took it home and have enjoyed pulling it out, looking at it, and putting it back. It's decision time for this dress.

I've got my work cut out for me. How does everyone else audition and sort their belongings? I find myself wishing I had a really bossy and opinionated friend around to be strict with me and this rack...

Circling the Globe Again

Outfit details:
Anthro Double Torsade necklace
American Apparel triblend tank
Anthro Circle the Globe skirt
Target Wakeisha sandals
Amanda Gary one of a kind bag
The Look for Less: (necklace), (tank), (skirt).

Saturday was GO GO GO at work. The lovely and talented Caroline of Painted Oyster upcycled fashions brought in some fresh pieces for a trunk show. Since I am on, as Fallon would say, a shopping diet, I dressed in thin layers in order to model some of her new designs. The blue skirt and necklace were the perfect accents paired with her new pieces made from vintage 80s beaded and sequined dresses. I got to take a sneak peek at what she has in store for fall, and I'm really excited for when this ban is over! Stop by Squash Blossom for a wide selection of her warm weather pieces.

Speaking of talented local ladies, here is a better look at my Amanda Gary bag. I think it has a perfect laidback and bohemian vibe to complement my girly and preppy frocks. She's created some amazing pieces recently with really edgy fringe and gorgeous red leather with a really cool sheen. It looks like she has one bag up for sale now if anyone was interested!

Hope everyone had an awesome weekend! Mine was jam packed, and my mid-week weekend looks like it will be too.

Florida Cha Cha

Outfit details:
Target Asymmetrical Ruffle Dress (similar here, here, and here)
Boutique 9 Great Crossing/Gilla Sandals (similar here and here)
Amanda Gary leather bag (buzz her for a one of a kind piece!)

This is what I wore on Thursday night to wander Downtown Disney. After a long car ride, neither Markus nor I were in the mood to go wait in long lines outside. So we skipped the parks and headed to Downtown Disney for dinner and some shopping.

I like to think of this as my cha-cha dress. The stripes are just like Fruit Stripe gum, but the feel is very fiesta. I love it especially paired with tan leather accessories. It was just the right amount of casual and (temperature!) cool for a relaxed evening of tourist sightseeing.

And for anyone curious about my bag, it is a handmade piece by a local designer named Amanda Gary. (Check out her website for more photos of her gorgeous bags!) I love its organic shape and the buttery leather--I am definitely a leathah kind of girl. I suppose also a handbag kind of girl, while we're at it...

Back to my amazing bag. The best part is the little front zipper. Amanda designed it so that the contents of your purse are not accessible by a third party from the back, but the zipper in the front is perfectly placed so that you can just unzip and easily grab your keys, wallet, or phone.

For those of you lovies waiting for vacation photos, I'll be sure to post them tomorrow. One thing I learned on this trip, is that while snapping photos of interesting and exciting times is really fun, lugging my camera and super protecty camera bag is not. Any photog bloggers out there with advice or better solutions? I'm still nursing the rash I got from the strap of my camera bag.