Dreaming of spring!

The new spring items from Ruche have me dreaming of spring and, perhaps even more so, dreaming of summer! Lovely light dresses paired with bold accessories...right up my alley! If you haven't yet, do yourself a favor and give a gander at their spring lookbook!

But perhaps my favorite item is this fabulous pair of Kate Spade slides. Canvas upper, wooden sole, and that lovely bright green button and ribbon detail...easy, cheerful, and versatile! I can see slipping these on with almost any of the spring/summer dresses and skirts already in my closet!

Kate Spade "Toby" natural canvas sandal

What I Wore: Falling into Fall

Shirt: Anthropologie
A-line denim skirt: Anthropologie
Crochet tights: Sock Dreams
Green suede books: Aerosoles
Peacock-print bangle: Modcloth
Silver necklace: vintage


Sadly, it has become apparent that fall has arrived. The days are getting chillier, the wind has picked up, and the sun is setting earlier and earlier. I say "sadly" because I'm never ready for summer to be over, and this year especially! We've had a very cold, wet summer and it feels like the warm days were never here at all...just a passing fancy rather than a lasting fact.

Honestly, though, I do love fall...at least I love EARLY fall. The time when the air is just crisp, not yet cold, when the skies are still blue and not that slate-grey so common to November, when the leaves are changing colors but are, for the most part, still on the trees. So I'm trying to embrace the season gracefully. I think today's outfit is a good compromise, ha!

The Uniform Project

Have you heard about The Uniform Project? It's fascinating!

A young woman, Sheena Matheiken, has committed to wearing the same dress for a year, only changing up her accessories to make different outfits. She has seven identical dresses specifically designed for the project...the dress can be worn backwards or forwards or open as a tunic and is made of a durable cotton that will be light enough for summer wear but able to be layered in the colder months. Many or all of the accessories she'll be using to jazz up her uniform dress are vintage and thrifted, or gifts...making this year-long clothing experiment both affordable AND sustainable/green.

Some of her outfits are amazing! Despite the fact that she's wearing a black dress in all of them, this girl has definitely got style. It's so, so nice to see someone who puts such creativity into her clothing without having to resort to the latest-greatest (and therefore most expensive!) trends and designers. Inspiring!!

What I Wore -- A Little Bit Southwest

Fluttery beige skirt: La Redoute
White button-down: Ann Taylor
Turquoise cami: Express
Red peep-toes: Franco Sarto
Bangle bracelets: Vintage, thrifted
Adjustable black belt: Vintage, thrifted
Carved bone sea turtle necklace: a shop in Hawai'i
Silver-toned earrings: World Market


I was aiming at a slight Southwest flavor here, without having to pile on the cliched chunky turquoise and silver jewelry. I think the red and turquoise color palette and the crispness of the sand-colored skirt paired with a simply white button-down, with just a few silver and bone accessories pulled off my intended effect nicely.

I hardly ever wear outfits which involve a shirt being TUCKED IN, though. So all day long, I've been sort of tugging at it, making sure it's still sitting right, ha! And the belt is adjustable in size and tends to slowly get larger as the day passes and the movements of my body stretch it out, so I've had to fix it once or twice, too. Over all, a nice outfit, but high maintenance!

What I Wore -- Flowery Fields

Given that it's pretty overcast and slightly cooler today, I decided to perk things up with my new vintage bright-colored dress. I threw on a cardigan against the wind and the rain that's supposed to be coming later and paired the whole thing with the simple black strappy wedges I've been wearing with just about everything lately.



Dress and coordinating ribbon belt-- Vintage, from Pretty Little World Vintage
Cream cardigan-- J.Crew, several years back
Black wedge sandals-- Born
White scarf worn in hair-- vintage, thrifted
Bangle bracelets-- vintage, thrifted

Rainy Day Mod

It's been so rainy and grey here that I've been daydreaming about bright colors and bare legs. Well, it may not quite be time for bare legs yet, but bright colors I can handle. I put together a very cute outfit on Polyvore to suit my mood. I already own the bright yellow rain boots, ha, but now that I see this outfit, I kind of want that dress, too! Ha!

Of course, the Lolita sunglasses are for just in case the sun decides to peek through, and the little red flats are for wearing once you get to your destination. I love my Hunter boots, but I can't wear 'em all day, after all!

A Signature Style

Okay, when it comes to fashion and style, I really only have one hard-and-fast rule: If I don't feel confident and sexy when I'm wearing it, I shouldn't be wearing it. (Well, I also have rules about never wearing acid-washed jeans or turtlenecks, but that's a whole different story!) Otherwise, my actual style has been somewhat in a state of flux over the last few years.

Working in a library as I am now, I'm striving to balance the fact that I tend to lean towards punk-rock, tough-girl looks with the necessity of being at least somewhat more professional at work, while at the same time finding a new way to be myself while dressed casually, too. (No more jeans and snarky cartoon-character teeshirts for me!) And, of course, despite a certain fondness for studded bracelets, leather jackets, and motorcycle boots, there is the fact that I also adore both old-fashioned elegance (Victorian lace! Velvet!) and softer, girlier looks with lots of bright colors and flowers.

How does one balance all of those looks at once? Well, of course, the answer to that is that sometimes, one doesn't...at least not all in one outfit! But all in one closet is certainly possible. Victorian lace looks wonderful under black leather, and there's nothing wrong with pairing studs with flowers, in my ever-humble opinion! But I've been trying to fill my wardrobe with pieces that do double or triple duty...shirts that can go to work under a blazer, out to run errands under a casual jacket, or out to a nice dinner when paired with fancy jewelry. That kind of thing.

Recently, I've fallen completely in love with the Glittering Depths blouse from Anthropologie. It's a wee bit on the expensive side, but it's perfect for my dream wardrobe in so many ways! I even dreamed about wearing it last night...I'm that obsessed! I love that it is soft charcoal grey, rather than a harsher black, that the sequins can read as either romantic or totally rock-n-roll, and that the soft silk can be dressed up or down just as easily.

Trying to get it out of my system...or at least to figure out if the blouse would actually work for me, anyway...I decided to play around in Polyvore and put together an outfit around the blouse that would fit in with my sense of style. I paired it with dark-wash straight-legged jeans, a bright-colored slouchy hobo, a pair of aviators (these I already own), some nice simple silver gladiators (again, already part of my wardrobe), and bright-colored, girly accessories. And damn, if it doesn't work. I can totally see myself running around town in this outfit. *SIGH*





If I hadn't already spent so much money this month, buying this shirt would be a no-brainer! As it is...um...honey, if you're reading this, I have a birthday coming up and I wear a medium! HA!