And the band played on

Jeremiah and I discovered a little carnival in our town Saturday evening, so like moths drawn to bright lights, we stopped to meander around. Though we were somewhat disinterested in riding the rides, it was the perfect opportunity for me to experiment with some nighttime photography, and for Jeremiah to test his skills at winning a mammoth from the festoons of hanging stuffed toys (alas, the basketball nets were too out of reach). Still, we had fun people-watching and eating cheap pizza, and pondering what life would be like if we were part of a traveling carnival crew. 

How was your weekend?

Dress: Tabloid; Shoes: Zigi Soho;

Purse: Calvin Klein; Camisole: Abercrombie.

Photos of me by Jeremiah; all rest by me.

Literal R.E.M.

Hat: Scala Pronto;

Top: H&M;

Shorts: Abercrombie & Fitch;

Bag: Fossil, thrifted;

Socks: Marshall's;

Shoes: Nine West, gift.

Oh boy, so I've been waiting to do this post forever and I'm so excited to tell you about it.

 I'm standing on hallowed ground in these pictures -- well, sacred for alternative rock lovers. The steeple behind me is where R.E.M. played their first show ever 30 years ago. The church used to be St. Mary's Episcopal, and at the time the band played and practiced songs there, it was already a dilapidated site and no longer used for church functions (more info here). What remains now is a beautiful Gothic-style steeple. R.E.M. formed in Athens and still has musical roots here -- they have band offices downtown and some members live around town.

So as a fan, I wanted to reflect some musical inspiration in my sartorial choices Saturday night. I decided what better way to pay tribute to a band than to wear an outfit inspired by one of their music videos? I dressed up with "Man on the Moon" in mind. Lots of black and white, and a straw hat. I took some liberties by making brown my standout color.

This shoot actually was difficult. The logistics of the steeple weren't easy -- it's surrounded by a parking lot and an apartment complex, so I've had to drive by several times during different times of the day to figure out when it wouldn't be as crowded either. Totally worth it, though.

This isn't my best outfit, but this one was the most fun to experiment with. If you are a longtime reader of this blog, then you'll know that I spend a lot of time in dresses and bright colors. But if there's anytime to try new things, it's the weekend. It was fun to try separates, and research R.E.M. videos and try to have what I wear be representative of their art. Who knows, I may do another daily style tribute again.

 Do you ever draw sartorial inspiration from bands and their music videos?

Marching to a distant drum

Shirt: Arizona Jeans Co., thrifted;
Shorts: Abercrombie & Fitch;
Scarf: thrifted;
Shoes: from Philippines, gift;
Bag: Fossil, thrifted.

I wore this around town while I poked around some local thrift stores. Didn't find too much I wanted to get, but it was ridiculously hot so I wasn't in much of a mood for shopping. I might save my big thrift trips for the stores near our old apartment, because I think there's more variety around there and it's cheaper.

I like how this outfit came together. Pattern mixing is so much fun for me when it's in red and blues. I'll probably wear this exact same outfit in the fall, but with my tall brown boots. I'm getting antsy for fall weather -- I'd like to be able to layer clothes again! I'm tired of sweating through everything and having to wash it all.

When I went to take these photos, the parking lot near this trail was overcrowded because the university's marching band and flagline were practicing on the intramural fields nearby. Hundreds of cars and people. So when I was snapping away on my secluded dock, I was treated to some cool band music. It reminded me of when I used to live at home, and our house was only a couple miles from my high school. On Friday nights during the football game, you could hear the drums from my backyard, like it was a secret symphony.

Hope you're having a great Saturday!

You're everything a big bad wolf could want

 

Gingham top: thrifted, vintage;

Shorts: Abercrombie & Fitch, borrowed from Nik;

Sandals: Miss Trish of Capri;

Headband: from Philippines, gift;

Bag: Fossil, thrifted;

Leaf brooch: thrifted.

Photos by me.

Listening to: "Lil' Red Riding Hood," 

Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs.

I took these yesterday morning when the dew was still on the grass. The shoot didn't really go as planned: I went as early as I could at 9 am, but the lighting wasn't quite right on the little path by the farm (read: it was realllly bright) so I had to move to the closest shaded area I could find. I really like how the lighting turned out these photos.

This was one of those outfits that came together out of practicality: I didn't want to wear a dress because I knew I'd be moving a lot of things around during the day. This shirt has always reminded me of a picnic blanket, and with my newly-thrifted Fossil bag, it kind of adds to the image. I actually felt like a modern Little Red Riding Hood in this outfit.

The bag and the brooch are some of the spoils of the suspended ban. I've been finding a lot in accessories. The leaf brooch really appealed to me for some reason, maybe because I'm all about change right now.

Jeremiah and I are trying to infuse some fun in our routine before we really get to packing boxes. We went to Moe's and got some cheap tacos, went to the Dollar Store for some candy, and saw "Inception" last night and loved it. Christopher Nolan movies = the best.

I am really going to miss the farm park when we move.

 

P.S. The Atlanta Magazine Head to Toe Contest is still going on until July 31st. It looks like right now I'm tied for 2nd/3rd (The scores for whatever reason are really low for everyone). If you could vote for me, I'd really appreciate it!