Springing evergreen

Because I've been working from home this month, it's been really tempting the last few days just to stay inside, sleep in my pajamas and rewatch all of "Breaking Bad" before season five premieres in a few weeks. 

I must have been subconsciously thinking about Walter White when I put this outfit on, because I match the  "Breaking Bad" series poster! I've always loved how that show mixes in greens, yellows and browns to show  character development in costume design. 

I've been trying to rewear some older items in my closet recently. This J.Crew dress has been a remix master in my wardrobe for several years now. When I originally bought it, I had no idea how to wear paisley or mix prints. Now I can't stop wearing it.

credits - dress: j.crew (2009) | vest: old navy | shoes: montego bay, handmedowns | frog belt: vintage, won from a giveaway | sunglasses: forever 21.

Here are just some of the many ways I've worn that J. Crew dress:

She danced in Technicolor

Dress: Talbots, thrifted; Sweater: Faded Glory;

Frog belt: Highland & Ponce, Calivintage giveaway;

Bracelet: Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI;

Sandals: Jeffrey Campbell, Elisharon giveaway.

At some point a couple weeks ago, the winds changed course and the weather has been so glorious, I think I may have to pack up my boots and tights for the rest of the season. It seems fitting to celebrate the early spring in bright, saturated colors, gingham and the new Jeffrey Campbell sandals I received from the lovely Sharon of Elisharon (thank you, miss!).

On another note, my shorter hair may be changing my style a little bit, or at least how I perceive my clothes. I've been going for more classic, streamlined feminine looks lately (less ruffles, but more lines and color). I feel a little like Leslie Caron (in "An American in Paris") and Audrey Hepburn (in "Roman Holiday")  in this outfit. I suppose all those late nights watching Turner Classic Movies is having an effect on me...

Have you ever changed up your style after changing your appearance (i.e., a new hairstyle, weight change, makeup routine)?

Quarter past the hour

Dress: Banana Republic;

Sweater: Target;

Necklace: Thrifted;

Belt: Highland & Ponce, 

Calivintage giveaway;

Boots: Target.

Not much to say on this Black Friday, except these thoughts from Thoreau:

"A lake is the landscape's most beautiful and expressive feature. It is Earth's eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature."

Have a great weekend.

One hand in my pocket, the other adjusts the tripod

Paisley dress: J. Crew;

Green dress (underneath): Banana Republic;

Boots: Target;

Frog belt: Highland & Ponce,

Calivintage giveaway.
Listening to: Alanis Morrissette,
"Hand In My Pocket."

I thought I'd start off Day 1 of the 30 for 30 Challenge by wearing two dresses together. For someone who is a self-proclaimed dress lover, I can't believe I've never tried this layering combination before because it is so easy. It also helps that these dresses are lightweight and are in the same color palette. I like that they complement the natural colors of the trail's foliage. I feel indomitable in this outfit.

What you don't see in these pictures is my overcoat -- it was freezing on Friday, so for the few minutes I was jacketless, my fingers were jammed into my top dress's pockets. Almost all my photos came out that way -- I promise I'm not a slouch!

Don't forget to check out the other participants in Kendi's 30 for 30 Challenge!

So dawn goes down to day

Dress: Banana Republic;

Sweater: Old Navy, from Marilou;

Frog belt: Highland & Ponce,

Calivintage giveaway;

Shoes: Zigi Soho.

What a weekend! I've been on kind of a high from all of these one-year posts -- everyone has been so nice and encouraging. This outpouring of community and sisterhood just makes feel like, yes, this is exactly why I love blogging so much. I also feel a little sense of accomplishment, maybe in the same way someone might feel when they finish the last page of a diary or something. A year feels like it has flown by so fast, and then I look back at all these posts and think, Wow, I can't believe I meticulously wrote down so much of it! Okay, going to stop being sentimental ... now.

Amanda from The Upside of Wonder highlighted me and several others in her "Hello, Blogsphere" post -- check it out here. I love discovering new blogs to read and get obsessed with, so I'll very much be looking forward to this blogger feature in the coming months. You should also check out The Upside of Wonder -- I'm a fan of Amanda's sweet vintage style!

The outfit above is from Friday morning/afternoon. It's very similar to this outfit, but it's a different dress and belt. I've been really drawn to greens, yellows and reds recently -- I cannot help but try to match my outdoor surroundings sometimes.

My alma mater had its homecoming football game yesterday, so Jeremiah and I spent almost all day outside catching up with family and old friends. We also went to a tailgate held for all the people who did study abroad in Oxford, England (Jeremiah went a couple years ago. I almost went that year, but took an internship instead). I got to catch up with some of my friends from my college newspaper, so that was nice.

Hope you're having a great weekend so far. Got any great plans? I'm looking forward to the season finale of "Mad Men" tonight and of course I'll be compiling the final link list tomorrow. If you need some catching up before tonight's episode, you can read my posts here.

Happy, happy Sunday!

Chasing sunrises

Dress: Liz Claiborne;

Sweater: LOFT;

Carpet saddle bag: thrifted;

Frog belt: Highland & Ponce,

Calivintage giveaway;

Shoes: Zigi Soho;

Necklace: from Philippines,

gift from Mom.

How I've worn the dress before: here.

I woke up expecting to take my outfit photos in the afternoon because of the wet, rainy morning predictions. So imagine my surprise when I woke up to a brilliant sunrise -- complete with fiery reds and pinks -- truly a rosy-fingered dawn to be marveled. So, feeling that inspiration, I tried to capture all of those colors and happily grabbed things in my closet that matched. I quickly headed out to my photo spot on the hiking trail.

When I got there, the sky was a completely different story. It was muggy, greyish-blue and I felt quite silly for even trying to do a sartorial interpretation of it.

Lesson learned: Dress for the weather, but don't try to dress like the sky. It will almost certainly change on you.

And live like big city kids when the sun goes down

Dress: J. Crew;

Shirt, boots: Target;

Necklace: from Marilou;

Belt: Highland & Ponce,

Calivintage giveaway.

How I've worn the dress: here.

Photos by Jeremiah.

Listening to: "Coffee," by Copeland.

Wore this Friday night downtown on an impromptu dinner date with Jeremiah at our favorite pizza parlor. It's kind of a hole-in-the-wall place, but you get big NYC-style slices and drinks for pretty cheap.

This outfit is very similar to this one, but I decided to go more of a preppy route with the short sleeve collared shirt. I still think the belt goes perfect with the dress's color palette. This dress, as I've mentioned before, used to be hard for me to style, but I've become fond of the pattern. When I first ordered the dress, it was huge on me, because I wasn't familiar with J. Crew's sizing at the time and apparently ordered way up. I took it to a tailor who able to work some miracles by cinching it in around the waist to make it appear more nipped in and like a shift dress. Lesson learned: Find a great tailor. Also, don't buy things on final sale unless you really know your measurements.

Looking around downtown, so many of the college-aged women I saw were still wearing tons of summer clothing -- strapless dresses, sandals, shorts, halters. I felt pretty covered up in comparison. It wasn't a bad feeling or a judgment against them -- just an observation of how I feel like sometimes there's this huge disconnect between what I desire to wear/see in the blogosphere and what's really appropriate for the time of year in my sweltering summer town. I think because I'm more conscious of what I wear now, there's more of an emphasis on changing things up, and so I (and pretty much every other style blogger) have collectively expressed happiness for autumn being here, because we get to experiment more with layering. So sometimes I feel a little crazy when I get a little reality check of what others are really wearing around here, and I'm wearing my tall boots when it's still like 75-80 degrees around here. I guess I'll just keep on doing what I do and wear what I want, but I just might be a couple months ahead of the weather ...