It's been ages! While I've been off working, traveling, wedding planning, kickballing, and waiting for the good weather, I've missed quite a few major events. I could just pretend like I was on top of it (oops, totally wasn't), or forget they went by altogether, but I'd rather give a quick shout-out to the lastest spring happenings.
Here are a few of the things I've missed: (let's do this oldest to newest, shall we?)
Earth Day came and went. Have you been doing your part? Photos from We Heart It, as spotted on Lavender & Lilies
Easter / Passover / the start of Spring came. Oh and the cutest bunny ever - hello, cutest bunny: Photo also found on Lavender & Lilies, from Baby Animal Photos
And now that those happenings have zoomed by, we have even more to look forward to. The St. John's/Naval Academy Croquet Match, Cinco de Mayo, Mother's Day, nice weather - I can't wait!
A little margarita / Mexican food combo never hurts: Photo by This Modern Romance
And don't forget to thank votre mama for all her hard work:
This summer I was inspired by braids (probably because my hair felt so hot on my neck!) so I did a whole round-up of different kinds of braids (here). Last March I fell for a fishtail braid that made its wearer look like a mermaid (here). Fickle hair admirer? Perhaps.
Maybe the formality of the holidays is still upon me, or the romance of the upcoming Valentine's Day has enticed me, but right now I'm loving an updo. Whether it's a bit undone (bordering on sloppy) or a perfectly chic chignon, all of the below updos look just so elegant to me.
Sadly, with the weather getting rapidly cooler and the sunny days fading, I'll be putting my beloved scooter into storage for the season. I suppose if I really had some cajones I could ride it year-round, but that would require some heavy-duty coveralls (Carharts and work gloves, anyone?) that I'm just not willing to bust out.
But a girl can still dream, and evidently I have been, since these are three images of absolutely fab girls on the go that I bookmarked recently: How stylin' is this scooter fashionista? If only I looked so glam. Instead, I rock a bobble-head helmet in lieu of this chic hat. Safety first, right?
Forget the limo - this is my kind of wedding transportation (other than wedding bikes of course). Wee vintage cars are always my fave.
And as much as I love to hate her, Olivia Palermo really is lovely. Though I refuse to believe she's actually going to ride that bicycle in those shoes.
How do you get around? (That sounded wrong.) Fall is still a nice time for bikes and walks in the crunchy leaves before the weather turns cold and bitter and I practically run to my car each morning. I must remind myself to take advantage and be my own chic girl on the go while I still can... Photo credits: 1- photo by Laura Sciacovelli for Vogue UK (October 2010), via Fashion Spreads, 2- via Say Yes to Hoboken, 3- Olivia Palermo in London, from The Sartorialist.
It all started with a photo of a bride and her bridesmaid. Totally cute and sweet. But then I looked closer and I realized: "is that bridesmaid sporting a perm? And oversize, hardcore nerd glasses?" She's like the Steve Urkel of the wedding party here. What?
Then, the more I thought about it, I realized I've been seeing these giant nerd glasses popping up all over fashion blogs. Behold, hipster-itis in full effect: Do you think these people just woke up one day and said, "I think I will personally campaign to bring back the 80s, and I'll do so through my fashion choices. Fugly plaid, canvas sneakers, and giant corrective glasses, here I come!"
Why have just one hipster with giant nerd glasses when you can have two? I wonder if they shop at the same glasses store.
Anne Sage of The City Sage is brilliant and adorable and I do think she actually kinda pulls off these glasses, but really? You too, Anne? Three hipster cliches in one? (I'll let you count for yourself...) (Hint - #1: giant nerd glasses; #2: red lipstick; #3: pictures in front of lucha libre masks (from Mexican wrestling). Isn't she so ironic? ;)
And finally, hipster glasses for the more mature set. See, pairing anything with a vintage quilted Chanel bag makes you super grown-up and super hip, didn't you know? It also strongly reminds me of my grandma...
So there you have it. Please pardon my snarky tone. I am only (kinda) kidding. :) I do think some of these examples are pretty cute... And let's be honest - my fashion stylings tend to run more preppy than edgy so I can't really talk (though I did rock the gold loafer look - so trendy now - back in 3rd grade - does that count?).
I absolutely adore this image. The top half is all ladylike elegance and proper with panache. Scroll down a bit further and you'll see that this girl's not just pretty and prim - she can down some spaghetti and drink some wine with the best of 'em. So maybe she's more Sophia Loren than Grace Kelley after all. Love it. (We could hang.)
Seriously? Who knew a DIY Halloween costume could be so fashionable? Of course it helps that this woman looks like a model, but dare I say that this adorable is mushroom costume is...chic? It seriously couldn't get easier either - cover a wide-brimmed hat (grab one from Tar-jay - my favorite chic & cheap spot!) and adhere some felt spots to make it look like a mushroom top. Pair with an all-brown (or earth tone) outfit et voila! Mushroom.
If being a fun-guy (heh, fungi - get it? oy. sorry.) doesn't do it for you, here are a few other easy DIY options:
I'm loving this cute gnome costume. I highly doubt B would ever let me even suggest something like this for him/us, but maybe someday I'll be able to put a munchkin of my own in it. The whole thing could be accomplished with some basic clothes and felt pretty easily too.
Maybe B would rather be in a Polaroid. Paint box, adhere background, done. (Don't forget your "picture smile" to top it off!) Love it.
I've always toyed with donning a giant fruit-laden headdress and polka-dotted garb a la Carmen Miranda to be the Chiquita banana lady for Halloween, but this all-yellow banana costume seems much easier. Mind officially changed - peace out headdress (maybe one day when I'm a crazy old lady...), hellooo head-to-toe yellow! Now where to score yellow pants on the cheap?
All these brills ideas came directly from Kendra Smoot for Holidash - check out the link for even more DIY ideas. In the meantime, I'm off to shop for a floppy hat and some felt... can you guess what I'm going to be?
A gnome. Duh. (Kidding) Photos by Seth Smoot. Mushroom costume originally spotted on {frolic!}.
As promised, I'm doing my best to banish thoughts of sunny, sunny summertime and focus on fall. It is definitely helping that the weather has cooled down a bit and is even slightly chilly at night.
Fall always makes me think of back to school, a new season, a new start, and therefore...shopping! But, since I'm supposed to be on a shopping hiatus (damn you, recession!), I've cut back my shopping habits from slightly maniacal to none or to strictly budget finds only.
I've scoped out a few great picks for the fall - all on trend and all cheeeeap - so I thought I'd share a few of them with you....But not all, since I've got to have some tricks up my sleeve still, right? (Tricks of the "yes, I got this at Nordstrom" as I hide the $13 F21 tag variety...) ;)
With fall here, I'm just waiting for the rains to start any day. But since we still have quite a few outdoor activities on the books (the MRE Tug of War, concerts at Merriweather, football games, etc.), some sturdy but comfy boots are in order.
I'm kind of obsessed with the Hunter boot / Jimmy Choo collaboration and one of its offspring, the Carnaby Boa Tall in black: I am not obsessed with the $250 price tag.
For the clothes themselves, trends like neutrals, ladylike style and menswear are all huge for fall 2010, so a classic tan trench is a clutch piece (also good for the aforementioned coming rain). I'm not sure I really need a trench, but this one from H&M is very nearly perfect and it's only 35 dollars: I kind of want to go there today and snap this up before everyone else in Annapolis scoops me on this good find!
I would work it like this: Olivia Palermo is a silly, silly biotch, but she can rock an outfit like none other. That look is so yummy I could die.
Another H&M score that falls right in line with the fall trends - animal print being huge again this year - is this cute and cheap cardi for 25 bucks: Screenshot from the Today Show, as found on Full House.
Going back to Payless, I can't tell if these "shooties" by Lela Rose are awesome or kind of crazy:
I think they'd look really good with tights (or maybe even over-the-knee socks) and they're definitely on point with the trends, but I might look like a wacko wearing them...
I'm also tempted to try the faux fur vest layered with other stuff look or over-the-knees socks (with a skirt or shorts, duh), but I couldn't find any good pics to illustrate the look. Maybe that should be a good clue for me not to try them...
Have you scooped up any fun new finds for fall? Any amazing bargains or steals we should all know about?
The ever-adorable and brilliant Joy creates some awesome "this & that" posts over on her blog, Oh Joy! Each "this & that" post includes a fashion wear and a home/life item that echo each other in some way, and they're always perfectly paired.
Here's a cute stripey example: Original post here.
In an homage to Joy's creativity, I was inspired to make a match of my own. When I saw anamazing homemade wedding dress (based on a vintage dress form, to boot) recently, it sparked an image in my head of some Vera Wang note cards I had seen at Paper Source. The two sort of reminded me of each other, each with their vintage-y, doily-inspired feel, and a "this & that" of my own was born:
What do y'all think? It was kind of fun to make, actually! I just hope I'm doing Joy justice and not shaming her. :) I love the idea of the "this & that" - thanks for the inspiration, Oh Joy!
(And isn't that homemade wedding dress amazing?!?)
Because really, you can't go wrong with a big, beautiful bow: ...especially when paired with cute everyday shorts and beachy hair: Photos from Le Blog de Betty, as spotted on Dress, Design & Decor.
Or, for an even more overtly sunny-day pastime, the iREV from Motothority would be an oh so chic way to spend a day on the water: It seats up to 10 adults, comes with bevy and utensil holders for each person, has storage drawers, a built-in charcoal grill (with vent system - don't worry!), and a great, big umbrella for shading you on the float. And, most exciting to me, custom colors and decor are available, as well as optional accessories like bev buckets, a mattress or a sound system. Wouldn't it be fun, stocked up with lovely goodies like Mrs. Lilien has cooked up below? Now that would make for an amazing holiday weekend afternoon activity!
Folks. I AM BACK. :) I've missed you all! Fo reals. Did you all have nice Labor Day weekends? Ah, the last holiday weekend of the summer. When did it get to be September?? I feel like summer just started and now it will be over - officially - in 19 days! (Though Labor Day weekend really feels like the true end of summer.) Boo.
In the meantime, I'm grasping on to the last semblances of summer, which to me right now is feeling like a nautical tone - for the home, clothes and accoutrement. Here are some of the nautical items inspiring me right now:
The above living room really started off this seafaring feeling for me. I don't like an overly "theme-y" room, but this one is done nicely and without getting too crab shanty. The striped rug, the tufted ottoman and the pseudo-leopard stripe pillows are killing me with goodness. (Also this room kind of looks like a much more chi-chi version of my own living room, so of course I'm in love.) ;)
These sheets are totally nautical with a touch of French provencal - and would be perfect in any crisp guest room. Can't you just picture visiting the coast of Maine, sleeping in a white and blue room, with a lovely ceiling fan overhead and a seabreeze through the window? These would be the sheets I'd imagine gracing that bed. Ahhh....
I would wear a stripey sweater every day if it wouldn't be just plain weird (and slightly dirty, no? or require tons of washing...). Oh yeah, and I'd happily float around all day on a lovely boat in Napoli, too, but that part may be a little less realistic than just rocking a sweater daily...
35 buckaroos for some seaside style in your house isn't half bad. I'd snap this up instantly if we had any doors that needed holding up (I don't think my bathroom door or the front door would work...).
I saw these dishes in person the other day and they are amazing. They're reasonably heavy-weight and the illustrations on them are gorg. They're a little pricey and maybe a bit much for everyday (the octopus tentacle handle on the teacup is both genius and creepy), but I still love 'em.
I mean really. Who doesn't need a pair of gold docksiders in their closet? I know I sure do. (Also please note that I had an identical pair of these when I was in elementary school. They were fresh to death and I wore them allll the time. Such a trendsetter at 10. [haha])
And finally, this fun guy was too cute not to include. We all need a little whimsy, especially when doing nautical, and this guy is pretty good. In fact, I would wear his outfit anytime.
So what do you think? Is this nautical route way too overdone these days? I'm not planning to run out and buy all of these accoutrement anytime soon (or any, likely), but I did love the breezy and clean feeling these pics gave me. Hope it helped you hang on to summer just a wee bit longer!
