Outfit Post: 6/17/13

Shirt and skirt: Goodwill — Shoes: eBay (Keds) — Earrings: Target — Bracelet: Gift

It seems like there can be a fine line between awesome and terrible when it comes to clothing, and occasionally I lose the ability to recognize that line entirely. Or maybe it’s just that I like to see the potential in everything?

This shirt is kind of weird, frumpy, and square, and it has a lot of real estate in the sides and back. Still, there’s something about it that I like.

The accent pattern is cute and pretty in line with the 80s/90s revival that’s trendy right now, and the shirt in general is loose (duh) and breezy despite being made of unnatural fibers.

Maybe I’ll try taking it in a bit to see if that maximizes the awesome potential while minimizing the terrible potential.

Either way, I’ll probably replace the buttons, because the current ones are a pain in the ass.

What do you think: awesome or terrible? Give it to me straight, folks. Also, how likely are you to buy something that straddles that very fine line of terribawesomeness?

Outfit Post: 6/15/13 (Plus County Fair Pictures)

Tank top: Bubstore — Camisole: Old Navy — Pants: Punjammies — Sandals: Dansko — Hat: Target — Bangle: Goodwill — Earrings: Vendor on campus

Saturday was gorgeous, if a little on the hot side, so Mike and a friend and I slapped on some sunscreen and hauled ourselves down to the county fair.

BUB came too, just for the hell of it.

We saw all sorts of stuff, like ducks with amazing hair…

…the aforementioned pig racing (my section’s pig won! Go, Sourdough Jack!)…

…goats big…

…and small…

…the winningest recycled robot…

…and some truly beautiful quilts. We also ate overpriced fair food and talked with a recent FFA graduate about raising livestock; she offered to sell us her ewe, Beauty, for $100, but we politely declined. I’m not sure Flat Tire would have approved of us bringing a sheep home anyhow.

All in all, it was highly worth the $3 entry fee. Have you ever attended your county fair?

Outfit Post: 6/13/13

Tee: Goodwill — Skirt: Leah’s free pile — Belt: Thrifted — Sandals: Dansko — Necklace: DIY (based on a design from Little Treasures by TG) — Earrings: Target — Bracelet: Hand-me-down

Are you tired of seeing these Dansko sandals yet? TOO BAD. I don’t think I made much of a fanfare when I first got them a month ago (unusual for me, eh?), but I own five pairs of sandals and they’re by far the most comfortable, so expect to see them frequently as summer progresses.

Mike and I happened to be browsing a sidewalk sale at a local shopping center, and I happened to see these with a 60% off sticker attached. I tried them on a whim, since everybody’s always talking about how comfortable Danskos are, and felt immediately compelled to give the salesperson all my money. They’re so cushy and awesome! As you can see, they’ve quickly become a wardrobe staple for me, so I’m glad things worked out the way they did.

What are you up to this weekend, my friends? I’m going to try to make it out to our county fair, as the schedule holds promises of food, live music, and pig racing. Yes, pig racing. You know how it is when you hear about something for the first time and feel immediately compelled to make that something a part of your life? That’s how I feel about pig racing.

Furthermore, I intend to get down to some cooking this weekend; a major priority is chocolate-cherry ice cream, obviously.

So that’s me: pigs and ice cream. How about you?

Outfit Post: 6/12/13

Dress: Ross — Scarf: Thrifted — Sandals: Dansko — Earrings: World Market — Bracelet: Gift

I was feeling pretty junky and exhausted yesterday, so the only thing for it was to wear my good ol’ faithful maxi dress.

It’s comfy and easy and I don’t have to worry about how I sit, which is a plus.

Normally I wouldn’t even belt it, but a soft scarf tied loosely to the side wasn’t too big a burden to bear.

By the end of the day I was in a better place mentally, if not physically, and I have my maxi dress to thank at least partly for that. Thanks, dress! (The other part being the Chinese food that Mike went and got for dinner. Thanks, Mike!)

What do you wear when you’re not feeling your best? (Is it giant earrings? I bet it’s giant earrings.)

Outfit Post: 6/9/13

Top: Gift, from Crete — Shorts and sandals: Goodwill — Earrings: Gift from Katie! — Bracelet: Charming Charlie

My mom and stepdad recently got back from a cruise to Greece, Israel, and Turkey, and Mom sent me a package with some fun souvenirs and this gorgeous top!

The color, the billowyness, the neckline–I’m into it, folks. Oh, Mom, you know me so well.

And she didn’t even know that I have a bracelet that matches it exactly. What are the odds? (Well, pretty good, actually, considering how much we both like colors in the greeny-blue range. Even so.)

I haven’t visited Mom in a while–I actually had a dream the other night about meeting her at the airport that made me want to hop on the next flight up to the Pacific Northwest. I’m trying to hold out, though. I’m gonna visit at Christmas, and we’re actually trying to plan out a trip to Austria together sometime next year (!!!), so I gotta hang onto my precious vacation hours.

Do you have any cool vacations coming up sooner or later?

Outfit Post: 6/8/13

Top: Swapped — Shorts: Goodwill — Sandals: Dansko — Headband: The Faerie Market — Ring: Monterey Bay Aquarium

Okay, so this outfit may have been inspired by my new blog friend Tamara.

And okay, so it may not actually look all that similar to the outfit she put together, but I think the idea is there! Kinda sweet and drapey with a bit of fun texture.

It’s true that once warmer weather kicks in, I’m all about shorts-based looks for the weekends, and I’ve accrued a couple more pairs that’ll probably be in high rotation for the next few months. I especially like this swiss dot pair, since they’re so light and breezy.

Plus, they work best under longer tops (like this one), tunics, and short dresses, so they give me a chance to mix up my outfit silhouettes!

On such a hot and bright Saturday–it got up to 102F at least–I probably should have sprung for my big floppy sunhat, but I couldn’t resist my favorite headband and got a minor scalp burn for it. Don’t be like me, kids! Take care of your skin (scalpwise and otherwise)  and read up on the latest sunscreen developments. Or just hide indoors until October, whatever floats your boat.

Outfit Post: 6/6/13

Top: Goodwill — Skirt: Gift — Flats: 6pm.com (Frye) — Locket: Hand-me-down — Bracelet: ABC Store — Earrings: World Market

I feel like I’m getting more comfortable with wearing outfits that land firmly on the sweet/romantic end of the Great Outfit Continuum.

I talked a little bit about my uncertainty re: “cuteness” a couple of years ago, and what it means to me to perform femininity with clothing that has strong feminine connotations. I’ve thought about it some more since then, and I realized that my main discomfort is really directed towards feminine clothes that also skew young, due to that fear of looking “childish.”

There are a number of reasons that we’re socialized to be uncomfortable with not-little-girls dressing like little girls, reasons which are more complex than I can really fully understand or elucidate. For me, though, it’s not only about visual dissonance of age vs. clothing; young girls don’t historically have a lot of agency in our society, and when I wear clothing that skews young or childish, there’s an unconscious fear in my brain that people will deny me agency because of it. Of course, that’s an ongoing problem with feminine clothing in general–see the rise of shoulder pads and power suits–but the addition of youth compounds things.

Not that I necessarily want to wear clothing that reads as little-girl-y; it’s just something I’ve been thinking about. When an idea feels uncomfortable, I want to ask why and think about where that discomfort comes from. Why did I feel uncomfortable about going to work with unshaven legs? Why did I raise an eyebrow at short-shorts? What makes “age-inappropriate” clothing inappropriate? Pretty 101 stuff, but even when I don’t come to a solid conclusion, I’d rather think about it than ignore or avoid the discomfort. I want to recognize these moments and use them to my advantage.

Outfit Post: 6/5/13

Top and skirt: Goodwill — Wedges: 6pm.com (Sam & Libby) — Bangles: Gifts and Goodwill — Pendant: Hand-me-down

If you ever wonder why I’m wearing glasses in some outfit pictures and not in others, there’s a very simple explanation.

It’s not that I wear contacts–my vision isn’t bad enough yet to bother with them, and they’re a pain to put in.

No, what happens is I get home from work and promptly discard them on the table, or the bed, or the couch, and when I go to take outfit pictures I sometimes can’t find them again.

(Which is exactly why I made a glasses chain for my previous pair. I guess I haven’t been bothered do it with the new pair, especially since they always turn up at some point.)

On a different note, I’m still not one much for makeup–as in, I don’t wear any and I don’t own any–but I do occasionally switch out my regular chapstick for Burt’s Bees tinted lip balm in Hibiscus. The color is pretty subtle (compare to my non-lip-balmed face here) so it kind of surprises me how different I look with it on. Or, at least, I look different to me. I like it, though; if I weren’t so lazy I’d probably play around with makeup a little bit more, just for funzies.

Are you a makeuppy-type person? What do you like to use?

Outfit Post: 6/4/13

Tee: Goodwill (Target) — Skirt: Gift — Vest: Goodwill (Ben Sherman) — Sneakers: eBay (Keds) — Scarf: Thrifted — Bracelet: Gift — Earrings: Lia Sophia — Owl pin: Blacklist Vintage

Eulalie’s back! I misplaced her for a little while and was worried that she was gone for good, but she turned up safe and sound.

This outfit was one of those early-morning slapped-together sort of getups; I think it shows a little bit, but I’m starting to get better. A few polka dots here, some green and yellow there, but it’s still pretty cohesive on the whole.

I did know beforehand that I wanted to wear a headscarf, because my hair’s getting a little out of control. A coworker laughed when I called it shaggy, but really! The wiry grays start to stick up all over the place, and I actually have to brush it in the morning to get it to do what I want. I mean, egad.

Good thing the scarf goes with my parrot shoes, so it looks like it was all part of the plan. I’ve got a buzz cut lined up with Tia’s mom tomorrow, and I can’t wait. I probably could handle giving myself buzzes if I got an appropriate set of clippers, but I like seeing Becky. She’s fun! Plus, there’s an ice cream shop just next door, and a cut and a cone feels mighty nice on a hot day.

How often do you get your hair cut? Do you cut it yourself or do you go to a stylist?

Outfit Post: 6/1/13

Tank top: Swap — Shorts: Nordstrom Rack — Sandals: Goodwill (Target) — Necklace and earrings: Gifts

I officially take back anything bad I ever said about short-shorts. I have two pairs that I’ve worn a couple of times around this here blog, and they are my friends–especially this pair, which are phenomenally comfortable in addition to having a great pattern and color.

I freely admit that a lot of my short-shorts side-eyeing of yore had to do with all the slut-shamey and fat-shamey stuff that I’d internalized over the years; it’s hard not to, when it’s everywhere, all the time.

Eventually I became more aware of the misogyny inherent in that kind of thinking, and have been doing my best to slap it back down when those thoughts creep in, as they’re wont to do occasionally. Who cares if other folks wear booty shorts? Not me, not no mo’.

Which isn’t to say that you have to wear short-shorts if you’re not comfortable in them. Perish the thought! Expose your body as little or as much as you’re okay with, and take care of yourself. Just try not to harsh on someone else’s short-shorts groove, y’know? (Or their body hair groove, for that matter. I haven’t been shaving lately–partially out of laziness and partially out of crush the patriarchy–and precisely nothing bad has happened. I think the armpit hair is kinda cute.)

When in doubt, just remember what The Simpsons had to say on the subject:

“Look at all them hot pants.”

“Hey, everybody, who likes short shorts?”

“WE LIKE SHORT SHORTS!”