The time I broke a shoe

Dress: thrifted, vintage; Shoes: Bongo; Belt: Loft; Bag Fossil. 

Sometimes I take risks in my daily photos, and whether it's dangling cameras precariously off my tripod or trying new locations, it's usually very rewarding and worth the time and effort spent. However, I have also been very accident-prone in this hobby, as my camera obituary will no doubt make you aware (spoiler alert: there were bears involved). So even though I try to wear more sensible shoes on these long walks, I decided to wear my Bongo wedges, because walking on campus isn't that bad (just sets of stairs). Wrong, wrong. The strap on my right wedge came unglued and unstrapped, and I spent the better part of 10 minutes walking down steep North Campus and hoping I wouldn't teeter to the ground. I suppose I could superglue the strap back in place, but when an adhesive is the only thing separating me from Amazonian heights to podiatry hell, I'd rather just chuck the $5 Goodwill pair and just use more formidable footwear. And that, my friends, is why I'm retiring from secondhand shoe shopping ... for now. 

But I'm not averse to all treasures found at thrift stores, like this dress.  I really love the puffy sleeves and flower print, and I think I'll end up hacking off a few inches to make it knee-length.

While I am taking a break from thrift shoes, I have to ask: have any of you purchased any secondhand, and what are your tips for finding good pairs?

In a summer swelter

 Dress: Spense; Belt: Fossil; Wedges: Bongo.

Whenever I think of summer in Georgia during the winter months, there's this romantic, idealized view of it that no doubt is influenced from literature and the movies: lemonade in chilled glasses on porch swings, paper fans, rocking chairs, cornfields at dusk, swimming holes with knotted rope swings. And of course, through November until late April, I completely forget the sweltering reality of June through August: two showers a day; drinking copious amounts of water; having a relaxed attitude towards appearance and dress codes; and having daily delusions that everything, everywhere will soon melt on the sidewalk and start oozing into the sewer systems. Sure, there are still porches, and rocking chairs, and cornfields. Somewhere. And if swimming holes still exist in this area, if they're really good swimming holes, then they're well-guarded secrets.

So, I guess because of all this, I've been pretty simple, sartorially-speaking, with not a lot of ornamentation or layers but plenty of colors.With a very pared-down closet this summer, it's made me realize which items are most important and most beloved in my closet. (Bonus points if you can't see me sweat in it).

I took these photos on a very quiet college campus, just right before a heat lightning evening show and before I scared myself silly walking alone by a centuries-old cemetery. I still get my kicks, somehow.

Feelin' dotty

 Dress: Marvin Richards/Calvin Klein; Purse: Calvin Klein; Shoes: Bongo. 

Photos by Jeremiah.

The best-laid schemes oft go awry, and this case it was my outfit posts. I've been really sick from allergies the last week and have only seen a reprieve with the coming rains. I'm hoping this will all subside soon, but for the last couple days, I've been very sniffly and prone to wearing sweatpants (shhh).

I wore this outfit about a week ago. I had been stalking this Calvin Klein dress for awhile for a wedding I'll be in this summer, but wanted to find a cheaper alternative. I went into Stein Mart of all places and found it under a different label -- Marvin Richards -- at a 1/3rd of the retail price. Exact same dress (right down to the clear size label CK uses), but a different label. It turns out Calvin Klein allows Stein Mart to market some of their items under the other label name. But for now, I love my bridesmaid dress, and the fact that my friend let us pick our own bridesmaid dresses, because I will wear this for a long time to come.

What good deals have you found recently?

I dream of a living jungle

 Skirt: Kensington Square, vintage, thrifted; Top: American Eagle;

 Hat: Scala Pronto; Heels: Bongo, thrifted.

Listening to: "West of the Fields," REM (the Murmur album).

 

 

After work Tuesday, I spent some time down at the ancient Murmur railroad trestle. The weather was so nice that I was just itching to take photos. This isn't the first time I've visited this historical site (most known for its appearance on REM's "Murmur" album cover), but it is the first time I've taken photos at this angle. It's hard not to think about REM whenever I visit places that have their history entwined with the band's, and so I found myself muttering some of my favorite songs while I was down by the creek. 

I wore this outfit to work, and I'm loving the skirt's dramatic length and pattern. I'm trying to find more ways to style it, though I'm pretty content with the red and black color combination. 

There are days when I feel like I've fallen out of love with photography, when I dislike the elements of my outfit, or become disgruntled with how the lighting and technical aspects of my shoots come together. But since I've comeback  to Athens, I've found myself becoming more of a hometown girl as I practice my photography here. I didn't feel much of a connection to the town when I went to school here -- my main haunts were around downtown streets and near campus. But now that I'm back, I feel like I'm building a relationship with these old, historical spots. I think about them and how they'll look under certain weather conditions. I plan outfits around them sometimes. They've become familiar as my bedroom stairs, as old friends, as measuring sticks for my growth.  I plan on spending a good chunk of my summer taking little field trips around my area to find old plantation homes and barns, mossy fields and decrepit stone chimneys. I'm always searching for the next shot, and with that, hopefully I'm establishing my style as well.

More area-related field trips:

- Murmur

- Literal REM

- Waking the ghosts

- Farm park

The lost weekend

Egads, I have a lot of catching up to do! So you're going to get two outfits in one post so I can get back up to speed on the blog. 

 Dress: R&K Apparel; Jacket: Aeropostale; Shoes: Zigi Soho. 

I wore this at some point last week after a very frustrating morning with my camera (I forgot to charge my battery and guess what happened when I turned it on?), so looking at these photos makes me a little exhausted. I've really been enjoying wearing my grey jacket with my floral dresses, but now the weather has turned and jackets are almost no longer necessary. Hello, early summer!

 Dress: Liz Claiborne, vintage, thrifted; Sandals: Bongo, thrifted; 

Bag: H&M; Belt: BR, gift from ML.

 

 Photos by Jeremiah.

My sister came to town for part of her spring break, and so Jeremiah and I took the opportunity to show her some of the best parts of Athens: the Grill, Weaver D's (it was the 25th anniversary of this awesome soul food establishment), vintage shopping, and then some movie-watching at night (mainly "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Swedish series). I've really been cherishing my time with her because she'll be going off to college really soon after this summer ...

How was your weekend?

To new heights

 Dress: Suzy Chin; Sweater: Forever 21; Belt: Loft;

Shell Necklace: Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI;

Wedges: Bongo, thrifted.

The top of this parking deck may be a new photo location favorite. It's quiet, mostly isolated, and is witness to some of the prettiest sunsets.

I've been wanting to dress up lately in really tall wedges, so the nicer weather has given opportunity to that wish. Despite the fact that they add about four inches to my height, they're incredibly comfortable to wear. I may just end up wearing them all spring with everything ...

Happy weekend! What are your plans?

Rhapsody in blue

Top: Banana Republic; Skirt: thrifted, vintage;

Belt: BR, gift from Marilou; Wedges: Bongo, thrifted.

I know what you're probably thinking -- that I am completely crazypants for wearing this outfit in the middle of December. But on Friday we had a strange and beautiful day where the high temperature was hovering around 70 degrees in the afternoon, and I had to take advantage of the nice day by wearing something I had been saving for spring. Welcome to Georgia -- our greatest export is weather confusion.

Because of the nice day, I decided to wear a darker color palette and my new-to-me gladiator wedges. I broke my 30 for 30 shopping ban for these, as well as for a few vintage dresses that still need to be hemmed. It was worth being bad.

Speaking of being bad, I've been playing catchup lately. There's some giant holiday at the end of the week, and I have to finish getting people gifts. Apparently finger-painted portraits and macaroni necklaces stopped being cute when I was 7, so I'm currently looking for new alternatives.

Nothing says "I love you" like a peanut butter pinecone bird feeder, right?