Thursday, June 27, 2013

Denim Dan

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What I wore:
Top: J.Crew factory (old -- similar)
Jeans: Vintage/ Thrifted ($1)
Sandals: Marshalls ($25)
Bag: Bali ELF (c/o 2012)
Earrings: Sarah Safavi ($25 sale)
Bracelet: Thrifted ($7)
Knuckle ring c/o Lulu's
Flower ring: Shop in Beverly ($11)
Coral ring: Vintage ($6)

The full length photos of this outfit just didn't come out (I had my camera set incorrectly and a bad case of impatience), but I really wanted to show you these jeans that I found at the thrift store a few weeks ago, because they're amazing. It's not often that a pair of perfect 1970's jeans just shows up on the thrift racks, and even less of an occurrence to have them actually fit. As you can probably tell, I did have to take the hem down, but lucky for me the previous owner was shorter than I, so no raw edges, just a nice worn edge.

For their maiden voyage as part of my wardrobe, I paired these jeans with the-bag-that-holds-everything and more denim, in the form of this old and shreddy top from J.Crew. You can't tell, but this particular top boasts some pretty impressive (read: massive) holes in the armpits. I expect that the sleeves will eventually just fall off, but I'm allowing the progression to happen naturally. Let's just call it what it is: the slightly summery version of the Canadian tuxedo.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Snapshots

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Just a few snapshots from over the past few weeks (A.K.A. mostly photos of Zephyr, because he's cute). Life lately has been especially hectic, we're finishing up cleaning out the old apartment, and cleaning up the new one. Going on week two of living amongst a pretty serious mess- stacks of books, bags of clothes, boxes and bags of kitchen items that have yet to find homes- I'm so over it and so exhausted. Like, just incredibly exhausted. It's seemingly impossible to catch up on sleep these days. And I swear, we lose Zephyr on a daily basis under all of this stuff. I come home and I call his name, and it takes about five minutes for this cat to wiggle his way out of whatever little area he's burrowed in to. Adorable, but also distressing because I keep imagining his escape. Fingers crossed our new stove arrives tomorrow, because we're also going on two weeks of not having something to cook on, which got old after about ten minutes. I'm sick of smoothies and salads and take-out.

Whining aside, it's not all bad though, after a year and a half of living in Pittsburgh, we're just now starting to feel like we actually live here. It's amazing how living in close proximity to things can change your perspective of a place, allow for more of a connection. Our days feel longer, we're motivated to get out and do stuff, even if it's just a walk to the grocery store. What a luxury. I'm starting to feel like a normal human being again, coming out of eighteen months of mopey hibernation. Which is only sort of an exaggeration.

In other news, I'm fiercely craving a vacation. But it's just not gonna happen. So there's that. At this point I'd settle for a full eight hours of sleep. A sleep vacation!

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Cropped

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What I wore:
Top: Thrifted ($5)
Skirt: Thrifted ($6)
Sandals: Marshalls ($25)
Sunglasses: Austin, TX ($12 - similar)
Earrings: Sarah Safavi (c/o 2011)
Bag: Thrifted? Who knows.
Bracelet: Thrifted ($2)

I wore this to: wander around the neighborhood

It's been in the 90's for the past few days, rendering my brain completely fried. Braided hairstyles and crop tops are perfect for the blistering hot days we've been having. In other news, I've been watching a lot of My So-Called Life. See how I wore this top last summer.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Polyester Dreams

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What I wore:
Dress: Vintage/ thrifted ($2)
Necklace: Vintage/ Brimfield ($1)
Wedges & Bracelet c/o Lulu's

I wore this to: Work? The details are fuzzy.

What's this? An outfit post? Your eyes do not deceive. Truth be told, I have no idea when these photos were taken, could have been a month ago, could have been last week (I think it was last week). Life has been crazy, as I'm sure you can imagine, leaving little time for dressing up.

I've been favoring vintage and thrifted dresses and skirts these days, as I always have I guess. There's something so satisfying about a piece with history, a dress straight from it's era. While I usually look for pieces made of a more natural fibre, I instantly knew this polyester dress would fit well, despite the weird, unflattering faux-cami that used to lie behind the surplice neckline. The plus with polyester? It doesn't fray, so ridding this dress of it's ill-advised camisole lining was a simple snip away.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Life Lately

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A tiny, lonely island // Moving shoes
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Tired, rained upon, and grumpy: UHaul day // Well deserved porch beers
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Members of Anti-Flag and White Wives playing Dookie: front to back
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Ice cream babes // What happens when it's hot
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Please don't leave me behind // No really, please don't leave me behind
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Night karate
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New apartment picnic // A sunny evening for a show

Are you all ready for me to stop talking about moving? I'm ready. And I'm happy to say: we did it! We moved! And while Chris and I are possibly the sorest, most bruised up, and stiff we've ever been in our lives (we feel like zombies, every night crashing into the bed with a movie and the laptop), we're absolutely in love with our new apartment and new location. It feels amazing to actually be able to walk to dinner, friend's houses, the grocery store, seemingly everywhere again. We're definitely still in the process of getting unpacked and settled, a process I expect to take a little while, but man, what a good feeling. 

Zephyr on the other hand is not so enthusiastic and I feel a little guilty about that. Where as Chris and I have had three months to mentally prepare for our move, Zeph was unceremoniously tricked into getting into his carrier (thank you, laser pointer), and carted off to a new place to live with absolutely no notice and no time to say adieu to his favorite spots and bird-friends (I imagine he's become close with the local wildlife). For the past few days he's been busy hiding beneath the couch, walking really low to the ground, and following us everywhere. And meowing at the top of his lungs. 

Anyway, this is what we've been up to for the past couple of weeks, how have you been?

Thursday, June 13, 2013

This Week Is: Crazy

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Between work, packing, and just not seeing eye-to-eye with a certain someone regarding truck rentals, this week is proving to be a bit harried. I feel as if I have so much on the back burner these days, it's frustrating and I'm stressed out. I'm not one for apologizing for blog absences, in fact those sort of apologies annoy me (I'm a strong believer that life comes first), so this isn't an apology. But damn, moving is stressful, am I right?

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

To the Tropics

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What I wore:
Dress: Thrifted ($3)
Belt: American Apparel
Sandals: Saltwater
Bag c/o Ruche
Bracelets: Thrifted (all around $2 each)
Necklace: Brimfield flea ($1)
Snake ring: ModCloth (2011)
Midi ring c/o Lulu's
Sunglasses: a store in Austin, TX ($12 - similar)

I wore this to: keep cool

This outfit smacks a bit of 80's-mom-on-vacation (sorry moms), and I'm completely OK with that. I felt like I was on vacation! It was 90 degrees! But I was at work, definitely not on vacation.

Something I really appreciate about thrift shopping is how democratic it is (I think democratic is the right word, if it's not, tell me), there's no brand loyalty: if you like an item, and it's cheap enough, you buy it. Regardless- for the most part- of what's on the tag. While I do avoid brands like Target, F21, and H&M in thrift stores (for quality purposes), I've amassed a surprising collection of 'vintage' Fredrick's of Hollywood, Victoria's Secret, and Liz Claiborne. This little number is from VS, and while I would probably never think to order it from the catalog new, for three bucks I was willing to take a chance. And I'm happy I did!

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Brick and Black

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What I wore:
Dress: Mink Pink/ UO ($15 in-store sale)
Vest: Swapped/vintage
Wedges & bracelet c/o Lulu's
Fringe necklace: Madewell (2011)
Sun necklace c/o Sisters of the Moon
Beaded necklace: Swapped/vintage
Snake ring: ModCloth (2011)
Heart ring: Cat Bird (gift)

I wore this to: Get out the door, fast.

Last week, when I looked in the mirror, I didn't see myself. I saw my mother. But not my mother as she is now, specifically I saw the graphite portrait of her sixteen year old self that hangs in the home I grew up in. Have you ever become acutely aware of how much you look like a specific parent? It doesn't happen very often, usually I see my father in the way my eyebrows sort of droop and my entire mouth- gums and all- shows when I genuinely smile. But on this particular day, I looked like my mom with her stick-straight hair parted down the middle (many people are surprised to learn my hair is naturally straight as an arrow as well). This probably all sounds incredibly vain- like I'm just staring at myself in the mirror all the time- but it's just something that struck me on this day.

On a completely separate note, I have been stalking this dress for months and it finally paid off! UO had their extra 50% off sale, sale a couple of weeks ago, and there it was- the last one, in my size. Want a little tip? If you're nice about it, they'll honor prices on the website, which are typically a few dollars cheaper than in-store (if you're not nice about it, they'll probably still honor the price, but there are a lot of impatient and rude people out there and I don't recommend being one of them). I always look up everything I'm planning to purchase on my phone, and have the windows open at the register. It may sound stingy, but on this particular shopping trip, I saved about $30 extra dollars.