What I Bought: Weird Vacation Purchases.

Hello! I am back from a weekend trip to Seattle with Kate, my bestie from back home. We had a great time and, as is our tradition, we went shopping. We were near the Nordstrom flagship store which is straight ridiculous: magical and huge and a little terrifying. At one point the Westman Atelier lady put a lot of makeup on my face and then explained that Gucci Westman thinks you should buy two colors of the foundation stick. I mean, I'm sure she does. That's how she's a rich lady and I'm not. (The products were gorgeous but I got overwhelmed and fled without buying anything.) 

We looked at the clothes but it was all either crop tops or couture, so we tried on nothing. Then we wandered into the shoe department and I saw these and gasped:

Trust me, they are better in person and they're Naturalizer. I KNOW. They're part of the 27 Edit line which I like quite a bit. Anyway, I need a pair of professional but not soul-crushing shoes for job interviews (more on that soon) so why not red suede pumps? I was wearing my new Madewell jeans when I tried them on and they gave me such a cool French girl vibe that I immediately bought them. And there were Birkenstocks everywhere! Lots of them! And I didn't even try them on! 

I did try on a different color of my new favorite Dior Addict lipstick and with the help of a great sales assistant, settled on 628 Pink Bow only to discover they didn't have it in stock but I'll probably track it down or buy it online. 

Later, after a tidge of day-drinking we went to a Finnish boutique called Pirkko that I'd seen on a previous trip to Seattle, but it was after hours and closed. Not this time! We tried on all manner of kooky Scandinavian things and then we found the Henriette Steffensen fleece. You guys, this is not fleece like you would think. These are beautifully cut fashion pieces that feel like a hug. I loved this long cardigan but in the end, we both bought this odd and wonderful pullover that is basically all I want to wear. It's oversized but cut interestingly and I've already worn it twice. Here's a terrible hotel lighting shot:

Should I have spent that money on interview-appropriate clothing? Probably. Do I have any regrets? Not even remotely. I firmly believe that vacation purchases should be fun and we had FUN.

Weekend Shopping Report: Naples, FL

Hi there! You know when you go away for a magical weekend with your bestie and there's sun and palm trees and dolphins and then you come back and everything is gray and bleak? YEAH, THAT. WHERE ARE MY PALM TREES. But, it was completely worth it to fly completely across the country for a few days together and we had a really amazing time.

I want to cry looking at this. Instead, I'll tell you about the shopping portion of the weekend because that's what this blog is mostly about. We spent most of the weekend on the beach or by the pool, but Sunday much cooler and breezy so we spent a few hours at the fancy outdoor mall down the road while we waited for the sun to come back. 

They had an EverEve so we went in and tried on half the store. I tried on a few tops, specifically this one and this one, and they were cute but not for me. I also tried on these Good American Good Legs Cigarette jeans that I really liked (please to excuse the awkward angle and horrifying lighting):

They were good! The denim was a nice medium weight and had some stretch but felt like they wouldn't stretch out too much. I loved the raw hem and I thought they looked really good from the back. (Heh.) My Stones t-shirt is from Target, by the way. I didn't buy the jeans, but I might still. We'll see. 

I also tried on the AGolde Parker Long shorts (I'm wearing a size or two up because that's what they had) which were a miss for me. Maybe if they'd had my actual size? I do like the length but they're a button fly which is not my favorite.

Marianne tried on this dress which is gorgeous and was too big on her, but they ordered the right size online and it's been sent to her house. Fingers crossed! We both loved it. We then wandered over to Anthro so Marianne could smell all the giant candles but the clothes were all insane so we didn't try on anything.
 

She's wearing a skirt by Sita Murt and an older version of the good Target denim jacket. Isn't she cute? Always so cute. Our final stop was Athleta because I wanted to try on the Whisper Featherless Jacket:

They didn't have the on-sale color I wanted but the sales assistant browbeat me into ordering it online right that very second. So pushy! It arrives today, so I'll report back. And yes, I went to Florida and bought a puffer jacket. 

Let's end here. I love everything I'm wearing - my amazing Emerson Fry caftan that I wore A LOT on this trip, my Madewell packable hat that did a very excellent job of keeping my face out of the sun, my little Gorjana necklace for flair, and my favorite Ray-Ban Meteor sunglasses that I never get tired of. And that sunset. Sigh. 

Monday Mood: Beach Weekend.

It's January. Still. I know. But, if the stars align I'll be joining Marianne on a beach in a few weeks and I cannot WAIT. Here's my little outfit mood board to keep me motivated:

Weekend Window Shopping: I Need A Vacation.

We are in the doldrums of winter. The distractions of the holidays are behind us and now it's just weeks and weeks of crappy, bleak weather and minimal sunshine. I need a vacation, y'all. Here is what I would consider my fantasy travel essentials list:

         

               
       

What I Wore on Vacation.

I'm back! I had every intention of posting an outfit this morning but a flight delay got me home late last night and I somehow managed to turn off my alarm in my sleep. SO. As you can imagine, I feel really great today. So awake.

Instead of an outfit, I'm going to tell you a fascinating tale about what I wore on my vacation. I should start by saying that I suuuuuuck at packing. I rarely travel so I don't have a lot of practice and I always end up bringing a ton of stuff I don't wear.

For the Knoxville leg of my vacation it didn't matter much because I drive there, so I can basically bring everything I own and have lots of options to ignore. For the Chicago leg I carried one medium sized duffle bag so I packed really light...and still managed to bring stuff I didn't wear. It's a gift.

Here's what I wore the most (which is also true in life):

First, my very casual space dye dress (mine is a random TJ Maxx brand that you can see here.) It's a total summer workhorse. It worked well as a sundress, a swimsuit coverup, and was also super comfortable on the plane ride to Chicago. Mostly I wore cut-offs and t-shirts. I mean, it's summer in TN.

I also wore my new Boden bikini (On sale right now! I have the halter top and tie-side bottom it in navy.) which ended up being a good quality but inexpensive option for me. While in Knoxville we spent an amazing day on a pontoon boat so I wore my Altheta Kata swim shorts with the Boden bikini top and was comfortable all day:

(By the way, I'm wearing Oakley aviators and Marianne is wearing Ray-Ban Erikas which earned her a "Hey, cooool 'Bans" comment from the cute teenage boy working at the marina.)

My Daydreamer brand Bowie tee was a TJ Maxx find by Marianne and it's my holy grail Bowie shirt! The one pictured is the same brand but mine looks like this:

It's the perfect worn-in drapey tee that I'd been searching for but couldn't find online and I can't stop wearing it. My Chicago wardrobe was pretty much the same but I switched out shorts for Banana Republic distressed skinny jeans because the weather was so glorious:

I'm wearing them with my split-back Old Navy Tank and my Birkenstock Gizeh sandals which got a LOT of mileage this past week. They're awesome. While I was in Chicago, my friend Ashley took me to Uniqlo where we tried on prrrrrretty much everything:

Then I made her take selfies with me because that's how I do.

Things I packed but did not wear in Knoxville: Half of what I brought. Things I packed but did not wear in Chicago: shorts, long sleeved peasant top. Thing I wore in both places that I should probably burn: my drapey black cardigan that is now traumatized from being balled up in my purse, shoved in my carry-on bag and other similar abuses. It's having a day of rest at home and I'm wearing my new teal Uniqlo cardigan instead.

That's my vacation wrap-up! I will be back with an outfit tomorrow unless I oversleep again. It's a very real possibility.

Looks Good From The Backathon 2012.

We took a little trip! Here are the highlights:

A: We laughed helplessly and got some weird looks.
M: Haters gonna hate, y'all.

A: My love of Phil Collins has been well-documented.
M: WRONG. It's just WRONG. SU SUSSUDIO!

A: Beer purse!

M: Delicious beer purse.

A: Beignets. 

M: I miss you most of all!

A: We bought a pony! His name is Breadbox.

M: Easily the best $10 ever spent.

 A: I am so happy.

A: Snacks!

M: Why did you make me hug it?

A: My lunch of choice in high school. I am not even kidding.

A: M is in charge of unicorns and wine.

M: And candy! Don't forget candy.

A: Things devolved from there.

M: Are we...hoarders?

A: We bought pants with instructions.

M: Force them on!

A: I guess you want outfits, huh?

M: Um. I did not exactly pack with fashion in mind. My look was Hipster Nordic Cowgirl.

Virginia Johnson scarf, Paper, Denim + Cloth shirt, Doki Geki jacket, Joe's Jeans denim leggings, Frye Melissa Button Boots

Virginia Johnson scarf, Target top and sweater, Gap denim leggings, Frye Melissa Button Boots

A: Here are mine: 

 J Crew sweater, Vince jeans, Ugg Lynnea boots

Ann Taylor shirt, Gap cardigan, Joe's Jeans leggings, Frye boots.

Marianne: Where have I been?

I know. My posting went from sporadic, random, but at least twice a week, to pretty much nothing. But I've been busy doing this:

And this:

And a lot, lot, lot of this:

Here is where I would make a crack about being horrified by that picture and not believing that I've put a picture of myself in a bathingsuit on the internet, if I did that sort of thing. Ahem. Instead, here is someone who is very confident in how she looks in a bathingsuit:

P.S. Top bathingsuit is an old one from J. Crew, bottom bathingsuit is the wonderful Jantzen Vamp. Sarong is from Hawaii. Lu's bathingsuit is also Jantzen.