Lighten Up.

I like things that light up. You know, Christmas lights and glitter, neon signs, fireworks. Maybe it's because I'm a fire sign and drawn to things that blaze. When I was younger I remember 4th of July celebrations ringed in all kinds of backyard pyrotechnics, sparklers that stuck in the ground and were waist-high, and it's kind of been a while since I had my own personal little back yard light show. 

I came across a giant box of pretty small sparklers over the winter, or maybe it was the tail end of that season, and quietly started tucking away a nice little collection of the things (along with some colored smoke bombs) to save for when the weather was nicer. Of course, now I think how nice it would be to light up the snow, but something is really summer about setting things on fire (on purpose, and things you're supposed to). Memorial day was lovely, hot and a burning, taking absolutely forever to get dark, and I had a really strong feeling of okay, it's summer now, it's shorts and lemonade and grass.

Rebecca has always been really fantastic at photographing these things, and when her post broke I thought well, better get a move on! I'm pretty lazy when it comes to my camera--which I suppose is pretty awful, but, I'm not a big fan of fiddling around with things--and there's always the weirdness of hanging out in your backyard by yourself with a bunch of sparklers. Like, what am I supposed to do with these things once it's lit? Wave it around? I'm pretty happy just to stare at it and be excited by it so, girl laughing alone with camera and sparklers. 

It's my own weird little start of summer celebration, an offering to the good vibes of golden summers (the last few have been really good, practically molten in memory they're so bright), a chance to break out a dress left sleeping in the closet for a few weeks. Next up, marshmallows!

Dress from Dethrose Vintage, even though you can't see most of it. 

Getting Shorter.

I have a really hard time containing my love of puns and irritating alliteration when it comes to the titles of things. I think I went with the least obnoxious, cloying, thing that popped into my head but I still feel like that's pretty groan-inducing. 

Shorts: J. Crew, Blouse: Laura's Vintage, Tote: fieldguided, Shoes: Marshall's last summer, Sunglasses: Somewhere, 2 years ago. 

Shorts are hard for me though, and I suspect for a lot of others, so I have to lock in my little word crutches and campy verbal security blankets for this topic. It's tricky (there we go, another one I rely on) because I love them. For someone who drags her feet about pants I sure have acquired quite the collection of wildly-printed shorts. 

I regularly complain about my legs enough on various social media outlets that I get nice, reassuring messages about them. Which is lovely, and I appreciate it immensely, although it does point to this really stupid problem where women scrutinize their own bodies in really ridiculous, unfair ways. I have nothing to complain or feel self-conscious about, and I tell myself this often! On the one hand, I like to think, who cares, I will wear shorts and fuzz to anyone who has one little peep to say about it. On the other I can't help but sometimes feel self-conscious about it. 

Then there is the added worry of oh dear, are my shorts too short. Are they decent? Am I going to get unwanted attention from these, when really I just thought they were cute? There's a lot going on with pretty much any pair of shorts, so much baggage for a pretty small garment as far as getting dressed goes. 

All of this aside, I've spent the past two summers enjoying shorts with--gasp--3" inseams. For years I wouldn't dare, I'm not entirely sure why, something in the back of my mind totally wrote them off as being too short for me, they wouldn't look alright so I'm not even going to try it. And then one day I loved a pattern so much that I did, and I loved them, and was happy and comfortable and have barely thought about the whole ordeal again.

These shorts are, I think, already a favorite. They've got a nice little waist (finally, because goodness knows I've got piles of little vintage blouses just crying out to see daylight but hardly any high-waists that aren't skirts to help them on their way in the world), floral pattern, and a good tap-short shape. Of course, they look wildly different on the model than on me, but for once I'm not bothered in the least by this fact. 

I think I had planned for this post to be a little more positive, yay shorts! And it's not that I don't feel that way! I do! I've really been waiting through a long winter to get to this point, daydreaming about shorts and sun on legs even in the fluffiest and most sparkling days of snow! It's just, you know. I feel the need to acknowledge the little pipsqueak of a voice that second-guess these kinds of things, and all the dumb feelings that come along with a measly, adorable, pair of shorts. 

Other randoms on this one include:

It's finally hitting mid-70s and sometimes, 80 degrees out there so I am justified in pulling out my fieldguided endless bummer tote. Not that I've been waiting to use it again since September or anything. 

I've finally sorted out the crown-braid mystery just in time. I've never been more sick of ponytails in my life. Maybe, having been all productive in blog-land lately, I'll pull myself together and post a How I Do This on that. 

Thanks again Eden, for snapping these for me!

Over It, I Need It.

I'm obsessed with finding a pair of overalls.

 It started several years ago, when a now-defunct music shop I frequented had a rotating pile of vintage in the back. I had overalls when I was a kid (the last time I remember actually wearing a pair I was about 3, and I was rolling around in big piles of soil in the backyard throwing dirt clods at the fence. I remember this because looking down at my legs revealed that the denim knees and thighs were totally caked in some pretty delicious mud).

My foray into wearing vintage was just starting to bloom for realsies, and this pair of dark denim overalls was calling to me. I can't remember enough about them to hindsight-date them. They were way too big. Not even in a fashion-y kind of way. But I wanted them. A week or so later they were gone, which is probably a good thing as they were in no I would have ever worn them at the size they were, and they were pretty awful.

But since then it's been lurking in the back of my mind, a desire usually popping up in the early days of spring. Last year I saw a few on instagram, usually on someone adorable out in a sunny field, or shopping with an armful of paper-wrapper flowers, and of course I get that feeling in my gut that says yes, I want that image in my life!

70s denim overalls by Mayflower Supply Co.

And then Mayflower Supply's lookbook and collection went live, and the desire became concrete. To be honestly they're popping up all over on street-style blogs, and suddenly they're trendy again, but as far as I'm concerned this only means I'll hopefully be able to find a pair that don't give me a really bad case of saggy baby-butt. 

I'm pretty sure I've spent the better part of the last twenty (okay maybe not 20 but at least 13 or so) years actively avoiding this kind of garment. I haven't thought about the click the little clasps make in ages, or the profound frustration when said clasps don't work and you spend most of your time wearing overalls attending to the straps. I'm okay with this trend. 

This one has been going around for a while, but I found no credit, found on tumblr.

I mean, I've been hunting quietly for a pair for a little bit, but it's surprisingly hard to find these things out in the wild (there's no way I can grab a pair without trying on). 

I just have visions of straw hats and white t-shirts under denim for idyllic summer activities. I will find a pair. They don't need to be vintage (in fact I'm pretty skeptical I'll find a vintage pair I like), but I've got a vision going on, and it will be fulfilled. 

Next step, jelly heels. 

Soft Serve Summer.

It isn't summer yet, not quite, but that hasn't stopped me from already eating my fill of soft serve from my favorite little spot not too far from home. I like to go vacuum my car across the street (something that it needs often because I am a champion car-snacker) and then reward myself with a baby cone of chocolate soft-serve with rainbow sprinkles (promptly dropping a few on my nice clean car carpet). People are really particular about soft-serve in this area (maybe in every area, but there are lines of battle drawn in the ink of nostalgia in these parts especially), so I'm pretty loyal to Jim's Tastee Freeze. Partly because it's less than ten minutes from home but also because look at totally amazing ice-cream sign!

I've also had visions of an outfit post for this dress with ice cream and sprinkles for probably two years now (yeah I've been sitting on it and not wearing it for that long. But it needed some mending, and honestly when I bought it I was slightly more svelte than my natural self tends to be, so, you know) , but it depends on cooperative weather and my ability to drag someone with me instead of standing out there with a tripod in the middle of the day, running back and forth with a melting cone like some kind of selfie-obsessed lunatic (note: nothing against selfies, I love them, but after all these years I still really hate taking my own shots in public spots). But anyway, something about it just looked ice-creamy. I got soft-serve vibes from it, nipped-in waist and demure little bow collar,  it's a pony-tail drive-in milkshake kinda dress. It wanted sprinkles. Yesterday promised warmth and sun, perfect for an ice-cream soft-serve lunch. 

There might be nothing as strange and mildly embarrassing as having someone take pictures of you eating an ice cream cone. Partly because it takes about 45 pictures to find one or two decent mid-bite images, and partly because it's just, I don't know. Maybe I did it to myself with the heart-shaped ode-to-Lolita glasses. Whatever (forever).

Like I said, I've had my fair share of soft-serve so far this year, but I'm glad to get all dressed up and silly for it, and to go with a friend instead of just as a reward for myself for keeping my car clean(ish). I feel like I can start summer for real now, or at least, complain about how I want it to be while we occasionally dip back into 55 degree days. 

Dress: Vintage (funnily enough, it has a Jonathan Logan label sewed into it, but appears to be home-made, so, there's one for the vintage police), Jacket: J. Crew, Shoes: Thrifted, Pin: Laura's Vintage

Thank you to my friend Eden for snapping these! 

Easter Dress 2014

The past two years I've kind of gone a little ridiculous for Easter. Last year was relatively normal but on the prim side, while the year before was positively confectionary. I'm just never gonna get over Easter dresses, or outfits, I think. I don't know why I take it as an excuse, more than any other holiday, to be really traditionally girly in my dress, really pastel. Maybe it's more of an Easter costume but, I kind of look forward to it all year. My Easter dress is up there with birthday dresses in terms of scouting months before for the perfect one. 

Dress: Vintage from Laura's Vintage

, Sweater: J. Crew (several years ago), Stockings: Forever21 (recently), Shoes: J. Crew summer 2013, Crown: Home made.

Which is a rather heavy-handed segue but, let's chalk it up to being out of practice blog-writing-wise. Last summer, in the early days of August, I spent a few days preparing and then parading around in a vintage fashion show for Laura's Vintage. It was really a dream, and one of the dresses I ended up wearing came home with me that week, on my birthday. I had every intention of wearing it to some fancy cocktail evening but, as always, things got away from me and this absolute dream-puff of a dress sat tucked away safe in my closet for an entire half-birthday away. 

And then before I knew it Easter was around the corner and I thought, well, I suppose I've already got the perfect dress.

It was probably the most perfect Sunday in a long time, breezy and warm and sunny to blindness, so this lemon meringue dress practically glowed in the sun, and gave us all intense pangs for spring and summer in the deep middle of our bellies (soon enough we'll be sick on sun, the way everyone seems to have collectively hated winter by the end of it).

I wore the flower crown all day, though I eventually swapped out the yellow dotted dress for a less intense frock for baking purposes, and I anticipate it'll pop up here and again throughout the summer. I still haven't let go of them after the summer of Lana that happened two years ago. 

Happy spring!

Sneaking.

(Oops, well. Just gonna mostly ignore that two month silence. As usual.)

I bought new white converse this spring (whenever it gets here proper), the first pair in a bout 8 years. I kind of hate, just a little bit, those articles about classic pieces, that go on like oooo, yes this time-tested brand item that everyone should own! I don't know why, I think I used to enjoy that kind of thing, and I still do, it's only that I'm sick of that tone. 

I like the white ones because they go with everything, mostly. In high school I wore purple ones, I think I went through two pairs, with hideously loud shoelaces patterned with rubber ducks or something equally as silly, and even wore the dumb things to gym class (usually a really awesome outfit of boxers, rolled to low-rise at the waist, with knee socks and some kind of t-shirt. The unofficial uniforms that come about in private schools are really strange). Last year I finally tossed the first white pair. I sort of wish I had kept them to at least editorialize their degradation (coming apart at the sides, stained beyond recognition, the insides tearing up so that the plastic bits started to poke through so that even those were getting worn on the edges). 

The problem was I knew if I kept them in the house for a second longer I would continue to wear them, and really they were probably a flourishing community center for all kinds of bacteria. And so they went. In the interim I've tried other sneakers, little keds type shoes and a pair of cushy white something-or-others that got returned at work, but most days when it wasn't time for flats or something fancier I ended up in my grey pair. Which were fine but.

I feel like the white ones are cooler. I totally buy into that cool thing, you know, dark jeans and striped shirt and white sneakers typical kind of thing but, eh. Whatever. 

The problem now is that they're new, this pair, and I feel so profoundly uncool wearing them. Which is totally dumb I mean, everyone has a new pair of shoes at some point, but I feel like I want to carry around a little card to hand out that says I have cred because they're not my first pair okay, the original ones just started cutting into my heels and it's less cool when the blood on your shoes is your own. 

At the same time I'm kind of afraid to get them dirty. Yeah, I know, of all the things to be dual minded about today, I pick sneakers. I'm sucking it up and wearing them to work at the bakery, where I am sure I will drop coffee and buttercream and probably egg all over them. We gotta get to know each other, me and these dumb sneakers, at the very least so that they break in and are comfortable. I figured I better get at least one picture of them before they get all bedraggled. 

Snow White Vibes.

More pictures hanging out in the snow! I find it so difficult to post much in the winter--everything just gets covered up with a coat anyway, and for the most part I spend my days in stretch pants and big wooly sweaters.

But then when we get that significant snow I'm somehow thrilled. My fingers and toes are frozen, cheeks and noses get all red, and yet hanging out in the snow is almost as exciting as it was as a kid, and somehow all I want to do is wear a crazy outfit and blog about it. I'm also trying to, you know, figure out what I want to do with this funny little space on the internet. Things have slowed down for the past few months as I think and re-think, and I don't want to abandon it but somehow I'm not entirely sure I want to just do outfit posts all the time.

And then I thought well, no, it doesn't have to be just the things I wear in real life. I spend a lot of time writing weird little stories for myself, making pinterest boards for characters and concepts and weird ideas, I might as well start doing the same in my backyard, with the bits of my closet that don't get to see the light of day too often because it's delicate, or I bought it out of love because it reminded me of something fantastical. 

I've had this dress for two years or so, mostly just hanging on the wall. I've never really worn it for more than a few minutes around the house to make some adjustments to it here and there, and it's not exactly the most flattering frock in the world. Which, is not exactly the dress's fault. It's a 1910s child's dress, so you know. The waist hits in a strange spot and as usual my shoulders, a tricky body part for me and vintage anyway, don't quite line up with its lines either but somehow I rather like it anyway. 

I got it because it was a reasonable price, and it reminded me of the linen dress Briony wears in Atonement, something silk and perfect for summer in a 1920s sipping something lemony under some trees on a dock somewhere. Because, you know, I can never resist telling myself a little story. 

The warm-weather dream is out of reach at the moment, we're sitting in the crux of winter where there's enough time left that I'm trying very hard not to let my mind wander to the days of shorts and novelty print bathing suits, camping, and walks home from work at dusk, gelato season, music on porches (see? I can't help it, I spend one minute loving the snow and the next missing freckle-weather). I just didn't want to hide this little number under a coat or sweater, and really it's not that cold anyway! After those negative temperatures, 30 and snowing seems positively balmy. I grabbed some woolly over-the-knee-socks, shoved on my clompiest snow boots, and let the snow encrust my curls. 

Dress: Vintage, Earrings: Dogeared

This dress will get to summer eventually but for now I figure I might as well take advantage of the Snow White Vibes I try to cultivate on a somewhat daily basis, indulging in a little bit of fairy tale costumery. 

All that said (gosh, I'm feeling so rusty with my blog-writing skills! I'm tempted to go back and delete this whole thing but I'll leave it, a testament to myself not to fall out of practice), there's nothing I love more than the outtakes that result from blinking:

It's just a little bit hilarious, which is always nice. 

Winter Wear.

We've got real snow! So far it's been a weird winter, getting a truckload of the white stuff dropped on us only to have it melt within a week, strange 30 and 40-something temperatures feeling like a bizarre heat wave. It makes for bad driving and wet ankles, but seeing as I'm off from work for a few days, I'm pretty happy to be inside writing and doing laundry (with the occasional Pushing Daisies rewatch, making me ache just a little bit for spring) and occasionally hopping around in the white stuff. 

Mostly I need to talk about these jeans. I've wanted flannel lined jeans for years, but it wasn't until now that I finally got myself a pair, thanks to my BFF's generosity in gifting me a pair as part of my Christmas gift! I almost never take them off. For someone who hardly wears pants, especially jeans, this is a pretty big deal, but I'm pretty sure there isn't anything more cozy, especially on days like today when it's 5 degrees out at 2pm, and threatening to dip into the -20s overnight. 

Jeans: Eddie Bauer, Coat: J. Crew, Hat: Laura's Vintage, Boots: L.L. Bean Boots the 30$ no name version, Socks: Who knows!

I've been much more relaxed this year about dressing for the cold. It means I end up in the same oversized grey sweater more often than not, and my feet haven't seen the light of day besides the time it takes to hop in and out of the shower for all the time they've spent bundled up in two pairs of thick socks, but it also means I can bust out some ridiculous head wear now and then.

I snatched up this puff last spring, I think, from Laura's Vintage but never actually got to wear it. I've been waiting all summer, and then fall, and then the early days of winter, for some sign of proper snow to wear it. Somehow it only seems proper to wear it on snowy days, and especially around or after the holidays. 

I've also finally gotten my daily jewelry in order. My little Catbird Dark Side of the Moon ring has company, with the little gold band I found on the ground somewhere, and added a little arrow ring from a little local shop! 

This all means that so far it's been the kind of season where I reach for my regulars, a favorite coat or sweater, shove my feet into some boots and call it a day, and vowing not to think much more about it. Happy New Year everyone! I know it's been a slow one on here, but thanks for sticking around! Here's to another good one, I hope!

Be Creepy.

Earlier today, amidst the pre-Thanksgiving flurry of cleaning up the house, doing laundry, taking inventory of the food we have and need, mom told me she was going to pick up the cheesecake she ordered for Halloween. I knew what she meant, if only in part because Halloween is a holiday as dear to me as Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

It's weeks past now, nearing on a month, and besides a dumb little post on tumblr I let the time pass without so much as a breath about it here. I traveled for Halloween, treating it like a proper holiday and getting out of town, hunkering down in a hotel just outside of Salem, MA and deciding to leave the borrowed camera at home. Of course I had an outfit planned, a kind of costume, but mostly I just wanted an excuse to dress in something I probably wouldn't on a normal day. 

So it turns out that I have hardly any pictures from the handful of days there, save for a few on instagram, and none at all of the creepy Halloween dress I ended up wearing. Which I'm pretty okay with. My attempts at recreating the outfit didn't really pan out--as it was we were rained on for the actual Halloween night, which was spent just wandering around watching everyone else and waiting for fireworks--once I got home, the light escaped and I'm still getting the hang of being in front of my own camera again. 

Dress: Laura's Vintage, Bag: Don't remember, but it's real old. 

I first saw this dress hanging at Laura's Vintage over the summer, and couldn't quite get it out of my mind. I've got it hanging on my wall now, but someday I'd like to do something proper creepy with it. It seemed wrong to let the two little shots that came out a little bit okay languish on tumblr, and since we're rounding out the last autumn holiday tomorrow it seemed this was the deadline for them to make an appearance here!

Woods While.

I'm ready for cold weather this year. So far it's been back and forth, one week we're huddling down under blankets and using warm mugs and hot laptops to keep warm, eating dinner sitting on the floor by the fireplace, and the next finding winter coats too warm and shoving hats back into pockets. I'm finding my little outfit niche is somewhere between funny little dresses with red lipstick and camp socks , wool hats, chunky sweaters. No one does this quite like Cassie and I keep finding myself in awe at how every one of her instagram outfits is complete Twin Peaks Rabbit Fur Coat Wood Nymph in the Forest Gets a Day Job perfect. 

It's been nice lately to have a few weekends away for photoshoots and visits, I feel like this is a year where I've not wasted autumn. It was a typical leaf-chasing season, where my activities had me driving about and following the line of changing, falling trees until everywhere is just naked branches waiting for snow. I'm still crunching around though, not entirely ready for the white stuff to make it's debut. 

Coat: J. Crew winter 2012, Skirt: Vintage/thrifted, Shirt: J. Crew winter 2013, Belt: thrifted, Hat: J. Crew Mens, Pin: Vintage, Boots: Steve Madden via Macy's, Socks: Who knows.

I put myself on a bit of a shopping ban for a while there, for practical reasons, and found it makes me less inclined to let go of my hard-earned pennies. I broke recently, because of this shirt, but I've already worn it enough that I'm not feeling too guilty about it. I'm trying to rediscover my closet, learn what I really will wear the most, and spend the time reworking outfits I already wear to make new ones. I've got doctor bills, broken cameras (still), car woes, and regular old life things to pay for first. It make the occasional splurge feel a little bit nicer, and less guilty about the sweaters and skirts languishing in my closet. 

I wore this coat plenty last winter, and photographed it a few times, though it never ended up on the blog. Somehow in my dreams of summer I forgot about it entirely and was pretty pleased when I pulled it out of the winter pile for this year. I also rediscovered a little rabbit trimmed gal of a coat I'd plucked from an antique store bag-sale in May, totally forgotten and now a gem I can't wait to wear.