5.19.2011

Feathers and Lace



dress- mark.
headband- Modlcloth
wedges- Urban Outfitters
music- The Shaky Hands- Summer's Life

Let me start off by saying that I just bought a Swiffer, which I used for the first time today, and it was the most fun I have ever had cleaning and I can't wait to use it again. Obviously these super awkward photos were taken pre-Swiffer-ing because afterwards I had a big ole smile on my face. Isn't it ironic that the work that women suffocated under and fought so hard to get away from for decades is precisely what I most enjoy? Seriously. I should probably just get my MRS degree instead of going back to grad school because all I really want to do is stay home and bake and clean. Sorry Bust magazine(my favorite in the world)! I said it! I'd probably be an excellent housewife if only I liked children(that's a major component of it I guess). Speaking of children, the ones next door are preventing me from taking photos outside. While I applaud the fact that they are spending all day outside, I honestly have no clue where the hell they came from and have yet to see an adult anywhere.
I wasn't sure if I could get away with this dress at work because of the sheer top but I did it anyway! What the hell, I've got less than 2 months before I leave there forever(for the love of God I hope so) so maybe I'll take some more risks. I am an Avon lady(oh yes, it's true), and while I am borderline obsessed with the liquid eyeliner I can't say the same for the clothes they offer. Most are hideous and look cheap. This dress is the one thing I've bought from them(myself?) that's not makeup and I really like it. It's a bit clingy and is making me regret slightly eating any of the banana cake I made last night. Despite the unabashed girliness of lace I do enjoy wearing it, particularly in a dark color or simple silhouette(or both, like this dress).
This headband is CRUSHING MY SKULL. I still haven't ceased marveling at the fact that Christie and I both wore one every damn day for 2+ years. I'm guessing that was around the time when I said "comfort is not an issue" regarding style...

5.18.2011

5/18



cardigan- Delia's
tank underneath that you can't actually see- Libertine for Target
skirt- Proenza Schouler for Target, via Buffalo Exchange
flats- Old Navy
music- The Futureheads- Park Inn

Sorry about the gap in posting, a weird cold spell put me in a giant-sweater rut, and my neighbor's children have emerged after not seeing them for a year and have started to quiz me for what feels like hours on end every time I walk outside. "How'd you get your legs so white? Wanna see my bellybutton? Don't you wish you could fly? Why won't your dog come up to us? Where does she sleep? Do you know Justin Beiber?" Needless to say, it's been quite hard to sneak out to take photos but I finally managed today.
I'm not sure about brown. Can brunettes wear brown? I feel like I need to steer far clear of anything remotely resembling an "earth tone." However, I think this sweater is supa cute, with tiny polka points(not really full-on dots!) and its little pink bow buttons.(Colors don't come out correctly when I take photos outside. I am wearing extra blush here but I still look like a corpse.) Mainly I am unsure about brown because I own so few colors it does not clash horribly with, this skirt being an exception. I got it at a Buffalo Exchange during a less-than-48-hour trip to St. Louis Katherine and I took in 2008. I think I had bubble tea at least 3 different times during that 40 hours, and I also napped in a parked car in 90-degree weather because sometimes you just gotta nap. Anyway, I did not mean to create a row of buttons down my entire front but it looks like I did just that. I'm gonna try and go make a banana cake with not-ripe-enough bananas(I don't understand why stores sell them so damn green), and I'll leave with an image of Charlotte guarding her favorite toy chick.


P.S.- I can see why people resort to titling posts with bad song lyrics! That shit is hard. And I'm taking the lazzzzzzy way out.

5.15.2011

Purple Haze



top- Tara Jarmon for Target
skirt- thrifted
belt- Target
flats- Nine West
music- Pere Ubu- Non-Alignment Pact

Oops, these pictures are from Friday and I don't have any from the weekend! I took a 24-hour trip to Nashville to hang out with some ladies(success) and look for a possible place to live(not a success). I took no photos because when I'm out doing stuff I always forget to pull out my camera. But ok! Friday Elizabeth and I went to go see Bridesmaids, which, for being a raunchy comedy, had a ton of heart as well as being really funny. And there was Chris O'Dowd, who was way too adorable already in Pirate Radio, which was sort of lame but I may watch again to stare at his way cute face. I was actually waving at the screen saying "quit it!" when he was just being too cute in this movie(I'm probably not a good person to go the movies with, I realize).
I obviously wore this before the freak cold spell that has hit Memphis(and Nashville) in the past few days. I was trying to show the great cutout and lil bow in the back of this top but I think I ruined it with the flash! As well as my new leopard belt I got on clearance at Target last week. It's all furry and feels like extra-prickly Charlotte hair(before I got her on the fancy dog food she's on now) and I love it! Leopard and purple seems like a good combo..this skirt came from Murfreesboro's largest thrift store, Bargain Center, back when my pal Baby Ben worked there. He couldn't let us walk out from the store without paying, so I specifically remember on this day walking up to him with a pile of clothes and shoes and him saying "49 cents, please." THOSE WERE THE DAYS.

5.13.2011

Pank


cardigan- Delia's
dress- given to me by Christie
heels- Dillard's, circa 2005
music- the Zombies- She's Not There

I honestly thought that the floral skirt I wore last Friday was the only pink item that I owned, but upon looking through my closet(s) and dresser I discovered more! When you have a really obscene amount of clothes like I do you're constantly discovering things you forgot you owned. Like this cardigan, which is so pale it barely even merits being called pink. I love the big buttons and the fact that it's about as warm as tissue paper(though considerably more comfortable), so I can wear it in the summertime.
I really love this dress! It's an ice-skater-like silhouette that swings when I move and has a print slightly more interesting than your average polka dot(not that there's anything wrong with your average polka dot, of course!), with dots of varying sizes. Christie is the best! I couldn't believe she was giving this dress away. Thank goodness she has even more clothes than me and is often giving awesome things away. Speaking of, I have a few things in my closet I'd like to get rid of, but I think they're too good to just dump at the Goodwill drop-off...maybe I'll post some pictures on here and see if anyone wants them. I really like sending packages so this could be exciting!
P.S.- Is it bad that when I say "pink" I really want to say "PAAAAANK" like Steven Tyler in that awful song? Cause I do.

5.11.2011

My Summer Jam


May the summer by filled with as many muttonchops as this video

Making It Work


blouse- Forever 21
dress- H&M
flats- Old Navy
music- Tuscadero- Mt. Pleasant

As evidenced by my profound love of shorts and backless things, most of my closet is not work-appropriate. Having to buy clothing based on a dress code rather than on personally finding an item aesthetically pleasing reminds me forcibly of abiding by the Memphis City School uniform in high school(the reason that to this day I hardly ever wear green), and I'd rather not ever think about that uniform again. So today I attempted to turn two work-inappropriate items into something I could actually wear without fear of dirty looks/being sent home to change. Despite the fussy bow on this blouse, it's totally see-through and I rarely have the balls to wear it on its own during the daytime without a bodyguard. And this dress flattens my chest weirdly but somehow simultaneously makes it appear like I have cleavage(I wish!). So it's out as well. But together they make me look like a '70s schoolteacher that's really into Little House on the Prairie! Which works for work, I guess.
(Sometimes I get on a kick with a pair of shoes, even though I have so many other pairs, and it's happening with these! They are so comfy and match most everything I own. But I'll try to wear a different pair tomorrow, just to prove I can.)
Christie and I have talked about how our photo-taking abilities are getting worse and not better and it's definitely happening here! And my face looks SUPER SCARY in the majority of these pictures. I'm gonna try and work on it! Sorry bout that.

5.10.2011

Tuesday Afternoon



top- mark.
belt- Urban Outfitters
skirt- Chloe Loves Charlie
t-straps- Jeffrey Campbell, bought from Urban Outfitters
music- The Clash- Garageland

Just some workday neutral staples that I tried to liven up with a few happy brights. I have a bag full of belts in the top of my closet, but I very rarely wear any for some reason...possibly because I don't wear pants! I bought this floral one at Urban Outfitters about a million years ago(a.k.a. high school). I do love sweet pastel-ly stuff like this but I mostly have to wear it in small doses or I get overwhelmed and end up looking like a curtain in your grandma's dusty guest bedroom. This skirt does not have belt loops but I improvised! (I wanted to hide the elastic waistband). These t-straps are some of my favorites, for the color, the '20s feel, and the fact that they are super comfortable. Lately all the Jeffrey Campbell shoes I see are those hideous Litas(maybe I am too old, but I do not understand that trend, at all), but about 5 or 6 years ago they used to make lots of wingtips and pin-up shoes and other fun throwbacks that I'm always a sucker for. These are sadly my only pair, though.
This is my idea of an interview outfit(I might need a reality check, I know). I'm trying to figure out how to apply and interview for jobs in a city that I don't live in yet...how do people do this? If you know of a job in Nashville(or Louisville, at this point I'm not too picky) and/or someone that's just dying for a roommate with a pit bull and 2 dumbass cats(to offset this, I bake a lot, am clean and quiet, and will share my Netflix), HOLLER.

5.09.2011

FACE



dress- Tara Jarmon for Target
feather headband- Modcloth
flats- Old Navy
music- My Bloody Valentine- Feed Me with Your Kiss

I know that is probably closer to my face than you ever wished to be, but I wanted to see if indoor photos made me look less color- and lifeless than the outdoor ones. And now you know what an alarming amount of eyeliner I wear. Yesterday my sister from another mister(and mother...), Erin, graduated from law school. I was quite glad I wore flats because we ended up walking about 4 miles around downtown, but I wasn't complaining about the exercise because I ate so much I felt like a balloon. I love a reason to break out this headband, though there was a rogue feather poking out of the back the whole time that made me feel like Yankee Doodle Dandy. I've still got a bit of a headache from it...I don't know how Christie and wore headbands EVERY DAY back in the dorm daze. Maybe that's why I could be such a terror at 19? Headband-induced hysteria?
This dress is an old standby for me during the summer, although I did get a tad fried walking around so much. Who am I kidding though, I get fried at the mere thought of sunlight. The Mississippi, while incredibly high and terrifying and basically level with the road, hadn't flooded any areas that I could see...I don't really know where all these crazy photos are coming from that keep popping up everywhere. Speaking of crazy, we went to a very nice restaurant off of Beale St.(no, not an oxymoron) that was literally hidden in plain sight...apparently if you smile knowingly at a man sitting in a folding chair in front of a narrow flight of stairs(no sign or anything), you are given access to this place that serves DUCK AND WAFFLES. Obviously I didn't eat those, but I sort of wish I did.

5.08.2011

Day & Night


t-shirt- Target
skirt- Target
boots- given to me by Christie
music- The Raveonettes- The Beat Dies

If I'm going out on a weekend night, I typically don't wear my night outfit all day...because it will end up covered in flour and dog hair, and because it usually attracts stares. I like to attempt to keep it normal during the daytime. And yes, by normal I mean obese lady beach cover up t-shirts. Yesterday I went to a Kentucky Derby/housewarming party that my co-worker/friend Kelley was hosting at her new house. I drank a mind-boggling-ly strong mint julep from a silver cup and played with her new puppy!!!!! Puppies reduce me to tons of exclamation points and calling everything in sight a "doodle".



top- Urban Outfitters
shorts- Forever 21
flat- Target

Woo hoo, leopard and nautical! I'm so happy when I can combine the two. These shorts are possibly my favorites ever, even though they are wool and ungodly hot in the summertime. Tiny wool shorts are a total oxymoron, but I don't have much use for clothes that make sense. I felt like I was in Clue asking Elizabeth to take this photo in her parents' library...saying "in the library" automatically makes me think "Colonel Mustard, in the library, with the candlestick." ANYWAY, I drank an adorable pink can of Sofia Coppola wine(of course its adorable) with an even-more-adorable wee pink straw(seen here next to a lovely flower arragement of Elizabeth's).

Afterwards we went to a show at the Hitone where I attempted to sort out my extremely confused feelings regarding going out/leaving the house. Not sure I figured anything out, but at least it gives me an excuse to dress up.

5.06.2011

I Live in the Springtime


sweater- Urban Outfitters
skirt- Urban Outfitters
wedges- Delia's
music- The Lemon Drops- I Live in the Springtime
I was aiming for a sweet spring outfit here, though the sheer sweater might tone down the sweetness a bit. I've only worn this sweater one other time, right after I bought it last year in Chicago, and it led one of my co-workers to say to another on our inter-company IM (which never erases, mwahaha) that not only was I stupid, I also shopped at "Whores-R-Us"(actually pretty clever, I have to say). It's so nice to work in an environment where you're treated with respect!
However, that co-worker is now gone(on the run from the law, no kidding), so I tried this out again. I'm hoping the bow tempers some of the see-through aspect of it. This skirt is one of the only things I own that's pink(actually, the only thing), but I felt like wearing it because when I'm not dressed like a '50s delinquent, a '60s garage groupie, or a sailor, I secretly want to look like a milkmaid? I would hate to hear a Freudian analysis of my favorite styles of dress.

5.05.2011

Getting Fancy




dress- vintage
spectators- Forever 21
music- Mouse- A Public Execution

Check it out! Proof positive that I do, in fact, leave the house! To toast my friend Katherine getting her master's degree/leaving for a month-long trip of a lifetime to Europe, we went to The Cove, one(yes, there are multiple) of Memphis' nautically-themed bars, with incredibly expensive(yet tasty) drinks. Fitting in with the nautical idea I got the world's briny-est sandwich with anchovies and capers...I feel like salt is still oozing out of my pores. Unbelievably, I did not seize upon the bar's theme and dress like a sailor(I know, right?!?!?!), but decided to get fancy instead. I bought this '60s cocktail dress at an antique store in Nashville a few years ago. Most of the time clothing at antiques markets consists of moth-eaten furs and odd hats, so I was really happily surprised to find this dress. There's a skin-tight dress layer underneath topped with a pleated, cape-like sheer overlay, which snaps up the back and is a total bitch to put on alone, but looks awesome enough to make up for it. While I appreciate the complexity and quality of old clothes like these, they clearly were not designed for single ladies, because I spent 20 minutes fumbling in vain and practically pulling my shoulder out of its socket to snap up the back of this thing, all the while dearly wishing that Charlotte had opposable thumbs. And, you know, a mastery of English to understand my plea for help.
I'm going to try and post more pictures on here than just the one of me looking goofy in my backyard every day, despite the fact that my camera makes it difficult for anything to look good(and that I'm a terrible photographer!). We'll see how/if this resolution holds!

5.03.2011

Mod Outlaw


dress- thrifted
scarf- thrifted
boots- Target
music- The Woolies- Who Do You Love

The weather had me grumbling again while getting dressed this morning, but I'll spare you from my complaints because it's since gotten sunny! When I looked in the mirror after getting dressed I realized I looked like a mod bank robber. I really like wearing neck scarves this way for a little outlaw touch to a simple workday outfit(I've gotta spice it up somehow). I have a hard time working these boots into outfits since they're so high...I feel too Pretty Woman if I wear them with shorts and no tights, and most dresses I have go to the knee and would look super odd with boots. However, this dress(a thrift favorite I've worn before on here) works perfectly. On a different topic, I think I might need a professional to deal with my bangs. Probably cutting them myself with the same scissors I use to cut open bags of dog food with was not the wisest decision, albeit a noble effort to save money.
P.S.- I went to make a donation in honor of my mom for Mother's Day(she doesn't read this blog, no worries) and hung out with the most amazing, funny, fat, happy dog named Tim, who has been there for 4 years(SO SAD). He arrived there after having been shot in the leg but it did not dim his personality at all! Charlotte doesn't like other dogs much, so I'm a one-dog girl, but if you know someone looking for a dog send them Tim's way! I am sort of in love with him and am going to regularly check to see if he has been adopted.

5.02.2011

UNhappy Monday(s)


cardigan- Old Navy
scarf- vintage
dress- American Apparel
socks- Old Navy
boots- Old Navy
music- Mission of Burma- Fame and Fortune

I'll be honest. This is what I dress like most days when I feel like a lumpy dumpling and I know I'm not going to be seen by anyone but co-workers and Charlotte(who thankfully does not judge). By that I don't mean OD-ing on Old Navy(that was unintentional), but black and booted and lazy. I am just so tired of the rain! It's really hard to get inspired when all I wanna do is break out the little dresses and the espadrilles and shorts(not that I wait for warm weather to break those out). I'm also somewhat concerned about Memphis getting totally flooded if it doesn't stop raining....but mainly I just want to stop wearing boots(terrible, I know). I tried to add an interesting detail to this pretty boring outfit with the lace-edged socks..I wear them a lot in winter over tights to stay warm, since I'm staunchly anti-pant. I'm afraid my legs are going to atrophy from lack of use, what with sitting at work all day and not really being able to walk anywhere in the rain. That'll be an interesting look.

5.01.2011

All-American



cardigan- Banana Republic
romper- Forever 21
shoes- Urban Outfitters
music- Monks- Love Came Tumblin' Down

I felt strangely and unintentionally patriotic yesterday...perhaps it was all the blue and white n the outfit and the red cherry pie I made(doesn't that seem even more all American than apple pie for some reason?). I have never made a double crust pie from scratch before and I was really pleased with how it turned out!(the crust moreso than the pie).

I am quite fond of this romper even though my ass sort of hangs out of it...maybe it's because it looks nautical(I am really easy to please). However, due to the inordinate amount of leg(and ass) shown when I wear it I attempted some modesty with a cardigan(not sure if it worked). I accidentally took these pictures with the flash on, and I think if I were any whiter I would be transparent...