2013. perfect vision.

joie rancher tee. LOFT skirt. boardwalk sandals by madewell. william rast sunglasses.

if i could wear this outfit everyday, i would. the classic colors, fun sunnies, and sensible sandals go from work to errands to weekend dates.

when i bought the skirt from ebay, i didn’t realize the slight darts in the front would create a “pouch” effect, making me feel self-conscious. it kind of looks like i have a kangaroo pocket, a food baby, or a real baby. the first time i wore the skirt, i paired it with an oversized sweater.

but last week i tucked my blouse in. who sees a kangaroo pouch? not me in my shades.

the look | similar top | similar skirt | sandals | similar glasses

2013. hometown favorite.

joie rancher tee. dorrie skirt by j.crew. necklace c/o LOFT. gloria wedges by bed stu. apolis market bag.

i wore this outfit earlier in the week before i came of (technology) age; i spilled riesling on my keyboard. my non-clumsy computer streak was bound to end. then our modem stopped working, and i took the events as a sign to relax. two harry potters, a school carnival, a class trip, and wishful catalog shopping later, i’m back online.

i featured the bag a few weeks ago as one of my maybe birthday presents. of course it ended up at our door as an ode to the city where we met and began our grand, silly, and best adventure.

i hope you have a great weekend! see you on monday.

the look | similar tee | similar skirt | wedges | bag

2013. upper hand me down.

soft joie tee. vintage shawl (worn as scarf). skinny skinny jeans c/o austin madewell. swedish hasbeens super high clogs. hand printed grocery tote.

this shawl has been passed back and forth. i wore it often in the early days of my blog until michael’s mom asked for it back (it originally belonged to her). last weekend, she cleaned out her closet and i found the scarf in the donation pile. now it’s mine again!

i like the crochet texture of the shawl— it’s pretty and bohemian, and it adds an intriguing touch to a simple outfit. one woman’s trash is another woman’s treasure… especially the second time around.

the look | similar tee | similar scarf | jeans | shoes

2013. first dates.

striped crochet jacket by zara. soft joie tank. verdugo leggings by paige. tory burch reva flats. allibelle mohawk clutch.

remember that old movie with drew barrymore called 50 first dates? i saw part of it on cable and quickly got the gist: woman loses memory but falls in love again each day on a date with her husband.

sometimes i can’t believe that michael and i have been together for over eight years. it doesn’t seem like a very long time, and from conversations we’ve had with friends (single and married), that’s a good thing. you want to find that person you can take on 50 or 100 or 500 first dates.

thank you M for being my first date on saturday and buying us sushi. i hope i see you again soon. :o)

the look | similar jacket | similar tank | similar jeans | similar flats

2013. brown hare.

stitched cardigan by madewell. joie rancher tee. verdugo leggings by paige. rebecca minkoff doll boots and bombe bag.

the older i get, the more comfortable i am wearing what i want and what i deem beautiful. i know this cardigan is sort of oversized and kind of shapeless; its color resembles beatrix potter’s bunny family. at some angles, it makes the upper half of my body look huge.

but i like it. at thirteen, i worshipped fashion magazines and wanted to resemble the models. at thirty-one, i understand there are rules and trends but you don’t have to follow or adopt any of them. if i wake up one morning and want to dress like a brown hare, more power and more carrots to me.

really— more carrots. this was my grocery shopping outfit.

the look | similar sweater | tee | similar jeans | similar boots

2013. collard blues.

soft joie tee. verdugo leggings by paige. tory burch reva flats. eclectic ornaments necklace. hervé chapelier mini bag.

whenever i have a wardrobe brain freeze, i put on jeans and a fancy tee— fancy meaning it doesn’t have any holes, my college logo, or food stains on it. soft joie tees are my favorite because they drape in a flattering way, and i can wear them with anything.

i bought the necklace from rae of eclectic ornaments last summer. i missed out on the original anthropologie necklace, but i loved the hydrangea version offered by rae. she also makes them in other colors like yellow, pink, and red. check out her shop if you’re craving a layered necklace of your own.

the look | similar tee | similar jeans | similar flats

2013. joie de vivre.

soft joie tee. high rise jeggings by paige. pour la victoire boots. pendleton canyonville tote.

oh, hello! welcome back to our regular scheduled programming (or blogramming). after spending most of my vacation using all the tissues in our house, i was ready to take on the world. i got a haircut, sang along to my favorite pandora stations, cleaned the house, and felt great. i wore this outfit yesterday to the grocery store.

santa brought me a B.A.B. (big awesome bag). you know i love pendleton and patterns. i guess he does, too. :o)

the look | similar tee | similar jeans | similar boots | bag

2012. raspberry rush.

stitchview cardigan by madewell. soft joie tank. verdugo leggings by paige. miz mooz clogs.

on saturday, M and i finally went to see ben affleck’s new film argo, and we loved it. the movie has great, suspenseful cuts— you feel terrified one minute and relaxed the next. if you haven’t seen it, we highly recommend it!

i usually wear jeans and cardigans to the movies because of the chilly temperatures. i paired the cheerful sweater with an equally bright top and reluctantly shared a bucket of popcorn with M as big as both our heads. all in all, we had a perfect afternoon.

the look | cardigan | similar tee | similar jeans | similar shoes

2012. grapeful.

joie blouse. skinny skinny printed corduroys by madewell. nine west wedges.

at age twelve, purple was my jam. i owned purple jeans and a pair of purple and white nikes. i often wore them with a plain white tee and thought i was awesome until i overheard some “cool” girls remark that i wore the same outfit all the time. the comment stung, but i stuck to my purple jean rotation.

when i chose outfits for the week, i thought this one might be too much for work (the pants are pretty funky), but i ended up liking it a lot and getting compliments from staff. i received the best praise from one of my little ones on the playground. i’m sweaty, stomping around the mulch and sidewalk, the temperature’s pushing 90, it’s super sunny (and i’m super squinty), and a small voice says, “you look so beautiful!” that warmed my heart.

the look | similar blouse | pants | wedges

2012. heatwave.

joie dress. western style belt (thrifted). rebecca minkoff steady satchel in sterling. dolce vita sandals. miu miu sunglasses.

i’ve worn the dress several times this summer despite its first blog appearance. i bought it because of the subtle stripes and flippy skirt. plus i love joie, and i always have good luck finding joie items at nordstrom rack and tj maxx.

i say it every august, and i’ll say it again, it’s HOT. sophie and i postpone her midday walks until later in the afternoon, but she pants by the time we reach our neighbor’s driveway. pugs are indoor dogs (and emperors’ dogs, M would add), and she feels the heat more than i do in her thick coat. poor thing!

if i were a meteorologist, i would forecast: it’s going to be a real scorcher! we’re looking at a snowcone on monday, popsicle on tuesday, gelato for wednesday, slushee on thursday, chocolate cone on friday, sorbet on saturday, and sundae on… sunday. you’d watch my segment, right?

the look | similar dress | similar belt | similar sandals

2012. lilac.

joie blouse. verdugo leggings by paige. julia tote c/o danielle nicole. acrobatic wedges from anthropologie.

when M saw this outfit, he said, “ooh… purple!” as you’ve noticed, the majority of my wardrobe is blue, but i’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve (if tricks means non-navy blouses).

before we went to virginia, danielle (of danielle nicole) sent me the color-blocked bag, and i took it on our trip. the bag easily held a smaller leather clutch, my wallet, two paperbacks, our combined toiletries, and tools for crankiness prevention (sea bands, dramamine, pretzels, and gatorade). every time i carry it, i feel like mary poppins. i plan on toting it back and forth to school, but i’ll leave the big umbrella at home.

the look | similar blouse | jeans | bag | similar wedges

2011. summer skin. 

joie alicia tank in cadet dots. forever 21 shorts. shortcut sweater by j.crew. corso como sandals.

the past few days have been a whirlwind! i ended up working late on both thursday and friday— too late for outfit photos. on saturday night, M and i went out for sushi, and i broke out some red shorts.

i’d love to tell you that the shorts are thrifted (like so many of my shorts), but i bought them from forever 21. i altered the hemline by using a seam ripper and ironing out the cuffs. now they’re more lady-in-red and less “that girl.”

what’s your favorite kind of sushi? i love spider rolls (soft shell crab rolls) and anything spicy.

the look | similar tank | similar shorts | sweater | similar sandals

2011. summer remix: track 29.

joie alicia tank. vintage chiffon skirt. steven (by steve madden) grifin heels. men’s fedora from target.

pinterest is very addictive. i bookmark a majority of images from RTW (ready-to-wear) lookbooks, especially those of phillip lim and rachel roy. they create very simple outfits with subtle and striking changes in color and shape. when i found this picture from phillip’s line, my eyes lit up!

i replicated the original outfit with similar pieces from my own closet, and i felt quite poised and pretty. thanks PL— you’re my hero.

the look | similar tank | similar skirt | heels

2011. summer remix: track 24. 

cardigan by halogen. joie alicia tank. silk shorts by dana buchman (thrifted). gypsy heels by seychelles.

last week, indiana (of adored austin) and i talked about dressing for yourself. it’s an easy thing to say and a difficult thing to do. you want to be relatable, friendly, and trendy (or vintage), but at the same time, you don’t want to lose track of your style, your voice, your likes and dislikes. i struggle with that sometimes, and maybe you do, too.

in a nutshell, i came to this conclusion: be brave. be true. be YOU. find your inner claudia kishi. or mary anne spier. i’m realizing that my everyday style is mary anne (with a little splash of claudia). and that’s just right for me.

the look | similar cardigan | similar tank | similar shorts | heels

2011. summer remix: track 21.

joie alicia tank. liz claiborne shorts and southwestern sash (thrifted). acrobatic wedges from anthropologie.

i love the neutral toned pattern on this sash, but being a perfectionist, i can’t decide how to wear it. it works as a thin scarf or a wide belt. for the time being, i am pretending it’s a very skinny vest or unusual suspenders.

okay, it’s a stretch. when you’re outdoors taking pictures under the curious eyes of children on scooters and dads on doggie duty, an unstyled sash is better than nothing.

the look | similar tank | similar shorts | similar wedges