Creamsicle, or Dress #30

Dress (as top): Akris Punto;

Skirt: Ann Taylor, thrifted;

Sweater: Ann Taylor Loft, gift;

Shoes: Zigi Soho;

Bracelet: Finder's Keepers;

Ring: Shop Kim, 

lovely giveaway gift from La Historiadora de Moda.

How I've worn the dress before: here.

I loved this outfit so much in the fall that I repeated it, but changed out my shoes and jewelry. I kinda like the spring version of it. I loved buying this dress -- it was my college graduation gift to myself. I remember the saleslady saying that it would be a good dress to transition into the new stage of  my life, and she's right. This is very much a grownup dress. For some reason, I like wearing skirts over it rather than wearing it by itself -- it's very much a wiggle dress,  and I think I'm much more comfortable being covered up a bit more. I also think I look like a walking Creamsicle bar this way. The weather has been so nice recently that the ice cream carts have been everywhere around my part of town -- I might have to get some ice cream that way this week!

I won the ring from La Historiadora de Moda's birthday giveaway and I love it. I really need to take a better picture of it, but it's really been a versatile ring to wear. Thanks Kim and LHdM!

Going to curl up to a book before dinner... hope you have a great night!

 

30 down, 15 to go.

Heels at the park, or Dress #23

Dress: Maggy London;

Shoes: Target;

Tank: Aeropostale, stolen from Nikki;

Silver bangle: gift, from Mom;

Jade, black bangles: from Finder's Keepers.

How I've worn the dress: here.

How I've worn the shoes: here.

Thank you for your nice thoughts on my last post, and for your encouraging words about The Dress Project. It was really comforting to hear that many of you associate lots of memories (good and bad) with your old clothes. I think I have quite a few pieces like that, so as Katie from Tinda Keelie commented, it's kind of therapeutic to wear them, which is a great way of thinking about it. The verdict is still out on the dress, and in the meantime it's hanging in my closet, where I'm envisioning some new life for it. I'm thinking I might take it in and get rid of the sleeves so I can wear it year round. I've decided not to change or get rid of any of the dresses until the Project is over, so I'll have some time to reflect on which ones to toss, alter or keep.

So about this outfit. I wore it out to lunch with my mom and Jeremiah because tomorrow's Jeremiah's birthday and she took us to Sydney's, which is a big Asian seafood buffet. Jeremiah loves that place, and I usually just keep to my General Tso's chicken, rice and miso soup because I'm allergic to certain kinds of fish (not like, fake-allergic, which is what I sometimes did when I was little when I was way picky about my food, but swollen-lips-swollen-throat-scary-kind of reactions). 

Still, it was great to see my mom and catch up on life, and I think my outfit reflected that because she was with me when I got this dress for my birthday and she gave me the silver bangle. I haven't worn this dress much because the zipper has given me a lot of trouble because it will skip over some of the parts on the track. I finally remembered a trick from some women's magazine and I sprayed hairspray on the zipper track (it acts like a glue) and it hasn't given me trouble since. Yay! Now I wish I had known that before I got rid of certain dresses years ago that had this problem...

Sorry there's only one picture in this set. We went to the park that's about 1/2 mile from our apartment and it was hopping. Like at least 100 people or so there. Nice weather will do that. All the picturesque places were occupied and I felt really silly and prissy wearing heels to a park, so this one was taken on the sidewalk just before we almost got run over by some dude on rollerblades.

We're going to trivia for the first time in forever. Remember how I told you we won trivia prizes at the Best Picture Showcase? We're going to be sportin' them at Taco Mac tonight: Jeremiah and Vargas in their "This is It" Michael Jackson shirts, me in my "Team Jacob" shirt. Should be fun.

Hope you have a great night!

  

23 down, 22 to go.

Doubts, or Dress #22

Dress: Signature by Robbie Bee;

Tights: Target;

Boots, Kady cognac, Target.

I almost didn't post any photos from this set, but decided against that because I promised myself I would give an accurate representation of The Dress Project. Twenty-two dresses in, and I'm beginning to get into the ones that I only feel so-so about. If you've been reading for awhile, you probably know that I associate lots of memories with the clothes I love. But what to do about the ones that have bad memories associated with them?

This dress was part of my work wardrobe when I worked at a summer internship a couple of years ago. It was an exhilarating time of my life, yes, because I was on my own in a big city and learned a lot from the experience. But it was still a very lonely, insecure time, when I doubted my own professional work and hated how I looked (I gained a lot of weight in the year after my dad died, and am only now seeing most of it come off). I still have some clothes from that weight-limbo era where they don't really fit now, and I'm only keeping them for strange sentimental reasons that I can't shake. And somehow by putting on this dress, I could feel those dismal, insecure thoughts come back in the seams. 

There's nothing inherently wrong with this dress -- the peter pan collar and the cut are actually pretty nice, and I'm sure on the right person it would look professional, conservative and pulled-together, which is why I bought it in the first place. There's nothing wrong with the brand, either. But now on me, I think the dress looks a little matronly and drab. Looking at this photo is like looking at a JoAnn from years past. Or at least it feels that way.

I don't know if I'll get the dress altered, shortened or just retire it to Goodwill for someone else to give it a second life. Maybe I'll give it another chance and associate good thoughts with it. It's funny how old clothes can remind you of the ways in which you've changed since you've worn them. I think I've come a long way in the last two years, and am glad my style has evolved (and is still changing) to reflect that.

 

22 down, 23 to go.

Spring!, or Dress #21

Dress: Ann Taylor Loft;

Tights: Target;

Scarf (as belt): H&M;

Boots: Kady cognac, Target;

Bracelet: Thrifted, gift.

How I've worn the scarf before: here.

This outfit felt like it was missing something when I just put on the dress this morning, and since I couldn't find my red belt to add some more color, I substituted my huge H&M scarf. I basically just folded it into half so it was a giant triangle, tied it at my waist like an apron and did a bunch of tucking until it looked like more of a belt. Aren't the tassles fun? I liked the result and am in love with the color palette. I wanted to wear my boots and tights a couple more times before the weather changes for good. I can't believe how attached I've gotten to tights and boots this season, and I'm going to miss them for the next 7 months.

Such a lazy day -- didn't do anything important today, and it felt nice. 

 

21 down, 24 to go.

A Maven of a day, or Dress #19

Denim vest: Forever 21, from Jade for the Mailbox Mavens;

Dress: Target;

Sandals: Miss Trish of Capri, Target;

Blue bangle: Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI;

Silver bangle: birthday gift from Mom.

How I've worn the dress before: here, here.

So excited to do my first Mailbox Mavens post! The lovely Jade from Lowbrow Style is the owner of this denim vest, which I wanted to grab up immediately when she posted it. Here's how Jade styled it:

 

Love how she paired blues and blacks with the vest -- so chic! For me, this was a fun challenge because I don't own a denim vest, so I wanted to somehow incorporate one into my Dress Project. I decided to go super casual because of the nice, warm weather and went with some fun sandals I bought last year. It was so fun to be adventurous and try out a little bit of someone else's style.

Stay tuned for more Mailbox Mavens stylings! Here's a peek at some of the combinations Jade, Tabitha , Christina, Clare and Terra have done from our group pool.

Hope you all have a wonderful night! So happy tomorrow is Friday!

 

19 down, 26 to go.

Assassin's Tango, or Dress #18

 

Listening to: Assassin's Tango, 

from the "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" soundtrack.

Dress: Ann Taylor Loft;

Sweater: Faded Glory;

Shoes: Aerosoles;

Belt: Fossil.

It's Day 18 into The Dress Project and I'm trying to stay resolute with my goals, but it's beginning to feel difficult when 27 more dresses seems like it will end a long time from now. But I am trying to fully appreciate what I already have, which is why I pulled out this dress today. I specifically bought it for tailgating at my college's football games in the fall --- female fans at SEC college schools usually dress up for the games, and I suppose it's a longtime Southern tradition (you can read more of my thoughts on it here).

So even though it's a day dress, I can't really see it outside of the context of football Saturdays, and so I tried to look past the school colors in it and give it another try today. I ended up like the way I styled it -- it felt feminine, flirty and a little tango-ish because of the colors. I like the matchy-matchiness of it. Instead of my usual wedge or flat, I went with a real heel today, but next time I wear this, I'll probably wear a different shoe because these felt too clunky for the outfit. Oh well, it's a learning process!

In other news, I'm a little behind on the times, but I started a twitter account for this blog (@joannssidewalk) so I could expand the dialogue and keep up with other bloggers' tweets. I have had a personal account for a while and haven't kept up with it, but am excited about my new blog one. If you feel so inclined,you can follow me there too!

 

18 down, 27 to go.

Aquamarine, or Dress #17

  

 

 

 

 Dress: Connected Apparel, from Secondhand Rose (now closed);

Tank: WalMart;

Shoes: Zigi Soho;

Jade bracelet: thrifted, Finder's Keepers.

The weather was so nice outside that I was able to take my sweater off for a little while and not freeze, but it was super windy, so I had to make sure I didn't accidentally flash anyone with my dress. 

Anyways, about this dress. I'm pretty sure it's magic, because I love the color and the shape, and I was tempted to save it to be the last dress in The Dress Project. I got it for a wedding a couple years ago, and have since gotten it shortened. It's got a nice detail around the waist, and I always feel like Betty Draper whenever I wear it.

I'm in love with this location -- it's just a stairway in a park near our home, but our pictures always turn out nice when we take them there. It was a little busy at the park today, so it was a bit awkward when whole families walked by us on the steps. I felt compelled to halfheartedly shrug, "Graduation photos," as if that would explain our compulsive photo-taking and my vanity. Somehow trying to explain that I have a style blog seemed much more complicated.

How do you deal with onlookers during your blog photoshoots?

About to eat some dinner -- have a great night!

 

17 down, 28 to go.

Ruffled up, or Dress #16

 

 

 

Dress: Trulli, Ann Taylor Loft;

Sweater: Ann Taylor Loft, gift;

Tights: Ann Klein, Marshall's;

Boots: Kady cognac, Target;

Black cougar bracelet: Finder's Keepers.

A huge thank you to Kathryn of Schoolmarm Style for featuring me as her girl crush -- it's quite an honor!

Today was one of those days I was going to wear a girly dress for The Dress Project, weather be damned. I think it was supposed to be windy and partly cloudy but I didn't really care. I've had this dress for a couple of years, and it's been ridiculously versatile: I've worn it to all sorts of social events, including some college parties and my engagement party.  I've also worn it to work before, under a longer pencil skirt so that it would be length-appropriate.

It was also a special day, because I got to meet up with my friend Krista, who writes at UnVeiled. We both went to the same high school, and she's since moved to Texas, so seeing her is always a treat because we live far from each other (our last reunion was improbable; we ran into each other in NYC while we were at our respective internships). We met up for yummy Asian cuisine to catch up on each other's lives, and got to talk about style blogging and how much we enjoy this community, especially for me, because most people in my life do not know about my blog or share the same interests in blogging. Being able to talk about this new hobby with someone I know in real life was really fun and it was great to catch up.

I hope all of you lovelies had a great weekend!

16 down, 29 to go.

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?, or Dress #15

  

 

 

 

Listening to: "The Graduate" soundtrack.

Dress: Style & Co., Macy's, altered;

Sweater, boots, tights: Target;

Monsho the turtle pin: thrifted, Finder's Keepers.

How I've worn the dress: here, here.

 It's Dress #15 of The Dress Project, and I've been inspired by Anne Bancroft's and Katharine Ross's characters in "The Graduate," so this felt like an homage to both Mrs. Robinson and her daughter, Elaine. A little collegiate-preppy with the sweater and pin, a little grownup with the animal print.

 I used to shy away a lot from animal prints in clothes because often the print is applied to seductive clothing --- low-cut spaghetti-strap tank tops, lingerie and I didn't think that it was much of my style or something that I could pull off. When I found this more modest dress, I decided to give the trend a whirl. I've gotten it altered since then --- it had a long hem and sleeves -- so I could wear it in the summertime too, and it's been a closet staple ever since. I don't think I would ever wear head-to-toe animal print, but I'd definitely be interested in trying it in accessories like shoes, headbands, bows or scarves. What are your feelings on animal print?

I'm heading out soon with Jeremiah to hang out and watch some straight-to-dvd movie at V.'s house. V swears it's funny in some ironic, low-budget way. Have a good night!

 

15 down, 30 to go.

P.S. In honor of "The Graduate," here's my favorite scene in "The Holiday." Enjoy!