Happy Birthday Markus!

In between endless packing, loading, and moving, I managed to pack in a whole day to celebrate my dear Markus' birthday this weekend. He had a selection of activities planned for the day, and we made sure to do all of them. We fit in vintage shopping, a mall excursion, korean BBQ, laser tag, and even karaoke in a twelve hour span.

This is how we do: ultra compacted activities to mega maximize days we have to spend together. Which sometimes fall on random dates, so it's serendipitous that pork/laser/sing-a-long fell on one of my days off!

Mary and Matt came!


And they brought lovely gifts. This is Markus' best Steve Brule.

Iron Age spread: sauces and veggies to accompany your meats

Sometimes I wonder if Markus thinks I say, "Ok now do your best Morrissey," whenever I'm taking photos. But I guess I act like, "Okay move a lot so you are blurry in every photo," when he takes mine.

Proof:

Outfit details:

• Promod dotted blouse (purchased on France trip in May) (similar: here and here)
• J. Crew Wednesday poplin skirt (similar current skirt)
• Alexander Wang baby Rocco via Gilt Groupe
• Gap ballet flats
• Feather hair extension (no, I did not dye a random strand of my hair blue :) )

Annie Blouse: The Debut

Outfit details:

Alexa Chung x Madewell Annie Blouse (get a similar one here or here)
Idra (Anthropologie) leather jacket (very hot options here and here)
Madewell High Riser jeans (my current faves!!)
Gap leather ballet flats (more Parisian chic versions here, here, or here)
Rebecca Minkoff MAC bag in Taupe 

After holding onto this since, oh you know, August, I decided it was finally the right time to bust out this blouse. The velvet dots made me want to rub my arms all day, and a camisole underneath the sheer material made it much more work appropriate. 

Also from Madewell, these jeans immediately became my new favorite when I got a pair. Call me a prude if you will, but all my low rise pants are just too darn low lately. I don't know if I magically got taller or what, but suddenly most pants plus top combinations result in my midriff showing!  This is the perfect sartorial solution. High rise plus skinny jeans plus a super dark wash makes them my new favorites!

And while I have your attention, I'd like to introduce you to the newest addition to my Rebecca Minkoff collection. Since I already have casual day bags and going out at night bags, I thought this would be the perfect shade to go in between for business events or where I want to look more polished.

Soup Eating Weather

Outfit details: 

Handmade fascinator by Shoe
Vintage whistle necklace (from Pangaea boutique in Nashville)
Anthro Stratus Clouds top (similar styles: here and  here)
Anthro Maiden's Braid cardigan (similar here and here)
J. Crew denim Minnie pant (now on sale, and I've seen them at the outlet too!)
Gap leather ballet flats (similar here and here)
Orla Kiely handbag (this season's style: here)

I feel like I always have a new and different story for why I don't wear specific items of clothing. On the heels of the recent garage sale purge, and the still ongoing struggle to consolidate my wardrobe into a smaller space, it's more important to me than ever to figure out what really is and isn't useful for me to hold onto.

This little cardigan fell into the "maybe I need it" black hole for the past year while I decided where it really belonged. Much of my dress and top collection is comprised of prints, and for some reason I felt that this topper really called for a solid, and a white one at that. So really, it was just another thing that highlighted the lack of separates in my closet.

Separates are hard for me. Dresses, on the other hand, are a complete outfit. No extra thought or matching top and bottoms required.

But after taking inventory of what I already have, I've decided I can't necessarily wear one-off quirky print dresses everyday forever. And especially not to job interviews or huge presentations. So in line with this new plan, the cardigan stays and a new strategy for building a proper separates wardrobe is now in place.

For my first outfit embracing this new sartorial goal, I took it easy. White top (which really is what the cardi needed), dark jeans, and kicky red flats.


And because it was so special, let's talk about where I wore this. My extremely generous domestic goddess friend Tracy held a cool weather kickoff party featuring her homemade cheesy potato soup. The soup was loved by all, and the mood was captured by Erich's awesome photobooth installation:

Mmmm warm gooey goodness.

 

I'm tickled by the temperature drop and all of the hot chocolate, chili, and stews I will be able to consume. Do you have any traditions to kick off the fall season? This soup dinner party has been my favorite to date.

Mismatched

Outfit details:
Chloe Tilia sunglasses in Beige/brown
Gap Chambray shirt (similar here and here)
H&M bucket bag (similar here and here)
J Brand The Deal skinny jeans
Thrifted cowboy booties
The Look for Less: (sunglasses), (shirt), (jeans),  (bag), (boots).

The weather was finally permitting, so I took the opportunity to try out the denim on denim look. In my mind, this updated Canadian tuxedo trend read very classic Americana. I think on me it turned out a little Western and a lot 70s. I love how wearing two textures of the same material feels both pulled together and mismatched at the same time.

Feeling All Wright

Outfit details:
Anthropologie Wright Dress (similar here and here)
Target Feather chain necklace (similar here)
J. Crew Jackie cardigan (similar here)
Marc Jacobs tribal tote (similar here)
Gap leather ballet flats

I was feeling a little drab the other day and was definitely itching to wear more color today. So I decided to dip into my primary color palette and wear as much as I possibly could. This dress still reads very Ms. Frizzle and art teacher to me, and what better to pair it with than bright and cheery colors?

This dress has not gotten nearly enough love from me, but it felt great to prance around in it all day. Do you have a cheery frock that perks you up the instant you slip it on? I just want to wear things that put a smile on my face every day from now on!

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 :)

Feeling Bright

 




Outfit details:
Anthro Double Torsade necklace
Anthro Walk-a-Ways Dress (similar here and here)
Gap leather ballet flats (much like these)
Orla Kiely classic handbag in crosshatch stem print
The Look for Less: (necklace), (dress), (flats), (bag).
 

I'm definitely a dress kind of girl, and the recent trend of top and skirt combo dresses is my favorite. This piece in particular is what I still consider to be the grandmother of all "twofer" dresses. When the catalog featuring this piece came out, there was a frenzy for this frock. I had never seen anything like it, and apparently neither had my customers. For the first time I could remember, we had a waiting list long enough to sell all of them before they even made it onto the sales floor.

At first I resisted since the skirt was a really bright traffic cone orange in person. But I knew that it would fly out of the store and it was one of those pieces that would get away if I wavered. So I took a chance on her, and it's been a great relationship together ever since. I originally griped that I wished she was peacock blue instead of safety orange, but then eventually that colorway was available too. I bought her sister too and they are both here to stay.

I don't know how the orange one made its way into maybe territory, but I'm claiming it back. So far, it looks like this rack clearing project is resulting in a lot of keepers (whoops!). However, there are still plenty of stragglers, and it looks like some of those pieces some of you have emailed me about might be sent away soon.

A Spoonful of Sugar...

Outfit details:
Forever 21 Silhouette Cardigan (thanks Danielle!)
Anthro Circle the Globe skirt
Gap leather ballet flats 

When Danielle of What Would Emma Pillsbury Wear? emailed me to let me know that I won the silhouette cardigan giveaway (the original winner forfeited their prize, lucky me!), I was ecstatic! Even more perfect was the most perfect occasion to wear it to. Julie Andrews (yes, the Julie Andrews!) did a book signing in Decatur and I was lucky enough to score tickets. She writes children's books in addition to being musically and theatrically talented and idolized. Little Shop of Stories hosted the event featuring her newest book The Very Fairy Princess.

I got my Mary Poppins garb on and smiled the entire evening. No photos of the event or of Ms. Andrews were allowed, and I wasn't interested in missing out on the opportunity to be starstruck and flustered, so here is the next best thing--the window display.

photo by Leigh Anne (of the supergroup Book Club)

Many people (myself included) were totally blown away by her presence. She was extremely gracious, polite, and spoke in that breathy regal voice that I could never be sure was natural (it is!). I got so tongue-tied I forgot to point out that my sweater had her likeness on it. It was the perfect kickoff to a relaxing weekend.

Hope yours was just as great!

Event hosted by:

Little Shop of Stories

133A East Court Square
Decatur, Georgia 30030
(404) 373-6300

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...