Recent Posts

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Water, Fire and Smoke

Yup. So I was gonna have outfit photos from today. I swear. But then I woke up to this:


Yeah. So our water heater decided to spontaneously combust last night and I woke up to a house full of smoke. :( Sux right? Well, at least nothing else lit on fire, and hubby has already fixed us all up with a new water heater.

Anyway there was no time for outfit pics this morning. And I dropped food on my skirt at lunch... so no after work pics. But I do have the polyvore I put together for the outfit.

Anthropologie Marisco Skirt Styling


I love this Marimekko skirt (it was called the Marisco Skirt when sold at Anthropologie). This piece is another one of my ebay stalking successes! The orange, brown and red stripes totally remind me of some sheets my parents had when I was growing up. Plus, those stripes on a blue background offer such visual POP.

Of course what I love about the skirt - it's awesome graphic quality - made it hard for me to figure out what to pair it with. I came across the picture to the left on the color collective and I used it for some color pairing inspiration. I think the green cardigan here really helped tie the outfit together.

I was really happy with the way this outfit turned out. I did make some changes this morning though. I ended up adding a brown braided skinny belt. I changed the tank top to a t-shirt and I wore brown booties instead of the flats because Seattle turned cold these past few days.

Anyone else have this skirt? What would you pair this skirt with?


I do have one pic for y'all. I've been meaning to post this for awhile, but I had the chance to meet up with Cindi from SimplyCindi and Cindi+Chris Photography earlier this summer. We chatted about food, Seattle, jobs, schools. It was super fun. Cindi is such a beautiful and warm individual. I'm sure I say this a lot, but I love how the internet has helped me meet such wonderful people that I probably wouldn't have met otherwise. And seriously, check out her photography with her husband. It's stellar. I wish I had such magic with my camera lens!

Monday, August 29, 2011

San Diego travel pics

Hey lovelies! Sorry I've been absentee bloggy-face! Things are a bit time crunched right now, but I wanted to post a few pics from my San Diego travels.

We were busy travelers. Made it to the beach, the 1st California Mission, the zoo, the desert, Salton Sea (thought of as a preview to the apocalypse, check out this short documentary on the Salton Sea), and the largest US aircraft carrier museum!

ginormous succulents everywhere. SO COOL!




The rental car agency upgraded us to this car... not necessarily great for the desert, but we did get a lot of commentary from people, like: "Your car looks like a Terminator!"

Here I'm hoping I don't land on a cactus!

It got up to 111F!

fishy massacre at the Salton Sea

great signs at the zoo


best food text ever

love the huge bullet motif

so many dang dials!

phew! Next time, I'll be back to regularly scheduled programming, I swear! :)

xoxo!

Saturday, August 06, 2011

Marimekko - Wearing Art for my birthday suit

Happy Saturday everyone! I'm now in sunny San Diego with Ev for a small vacay. Right now, I'm writing from the dining room of our cute bed & breakfast on Coronado Island. I'm looking forward to some beautiful beaches, the zoo, Sea World, and neat desert hiking!

Thursday was my birthday. And, this is the outfit I chose to wear! I've been in love with Marimekko for a long time. I grew up looking at my parents' huge (wall-sized) Kaivo hanging since before I was born. And, I've fallen in love with their beautiful textile prints. So you can imagine how thrilled I am by their dresses with Anthropologie.
I stalked Anthropologie's Gulls of Gamma dress for a while on Ebay. The graphic print and bold colors were so appealing! I finally won one at a happy price point.

I've found the measurements on Marimekko clothing to run a tad small (or perhaps it's just TTS given the crazy vanity sizing I typically encounter). This dress is a sz 0 and with my wide rib-cage and broad shoulders, it is a bit too small in the bust for me. Definitely, a no-bra possibility kind of dress for me. Luckily, I'm fairly boobless so it just barely fits (ok so maybe it was hard to breathe...)

I sent a preview picture from this post to my BFF, and she told me that it "looked like I'm wearing art!" That's what I love about many of the Marimekko pieces; they feel so incredibly special. Their prints are so graphic and visually interesting, I feel like I could look at them for ages.
Image and video hosting by TinyPic
Here's a rather poorly done cinemagraph. I didn't have a good piece of footage for looping this time. Live and learn. Ok, I admit, part of the reason I love cinemagraphs is because they remind me of those moving pictures from Harry Potter. Somehow, cinemagraphs are partially magical when they're done right. I just gotta practice!

On a completely separate topic, I wanted to show y'all my new lunch bag. (I know, I'm totally weird). Happily, it went so well with this dress I decided to throw it in a pic. This bag is one of my birthday gifts from my dear friends, and I love love love it! I knew I needed a lunch bag, because I had been toting my lunch around in ugly plastic film grocery bags (out of convenience).

If you are looking for a lunch sack accessory, the Originals Good Lunch Sack in Blissful Blue is a BEAUTIFUL option.

First off, I love the color. It's called blue, but it definitely straddles that lovely turquoise/mint green shade that I've been enjoying all Spring and Summer. Second, the simplicity of the design makes me really happy. The lunch sack comes in a so-very-soft cotton canvas. It's got a padded handle that's a pleasure to hold. The inside is insulated and water-proof, perfect for keeping your lunch properly cool (very helpful for avoiding an overcrowded work fridge). Since the outside of the bag is padded and covered in the soft canvas, there is no annoying crunchiness/crinkling noises when it hits your sides as you walk. It's also a great size. It comfortably fits one of my 5"x7" ice packs in the bottom, my packed lunch containers, snack, and a drink. Anyway, just thought I'd throw in my two cents about this lunch sack in case any of y'all are looking for one. I also eyeballed those insulated lunch purses, but I honestly thought the design of this was prettier than those :)

OOTD Specs
Gulls of Gamma Dress by Marimekko for Anthropologie sz 0 - runs small - ($36)
Anthropologie Caulerpa necklace ($10)
Toms Shoes blue/white wedges (thrifted $6)

Tuesday, August 02, 2011

Rubidoux Shift-ing Photos

Image and video hosting by TinyPic
Happy August friends! This week is my 30th birthday. Kinda crazy that I've lived that long, huh? It also means I get my 15% off from Anthro! This year the discount is for online shopping. Unfortunately, I haven't made it into my local store for a while, so I'll be relying on many of y'alls reviews (thanks so much!).

A few posts ago, Laura asked how I did the moving image in this post. That was an old school animated gif. I just took multiple photos and used an online animated gif maker like Picasian or Gickr to put the images together into one animated gif.

On the other hand, the picture above started from a movie and became a series of multi-layered masked image frames in Photoshop (see a tutorial here). It is still technically an animated gif, but lately they're being called cinemagraphs. If you haven't seen them, you should check out some of these AMAZING ones: fashion cinemagraphs, movie-related cinemagraphs. They're really fun to play around with and highly addictive to make - so you may see a few more pop up on the blog now and then.

It feels like everyone needs a good summery pair of beaded sandals. They go especially well with the whole Boho-chic vibe that's been going around. I found this Nine West pair at Marshall's for $20. I love the soft leather and the ankle straps that keep the shoes firmly in place.

The dress is Anthropologie's Rubidoux Shift. I found it at Goodwill, and I immediately fell in love with the neckline. It's like a magnified section of lace. So pretty!

I'm just not a fan of the shift shape on me. I need waist definition! So of course I belted the dress :) . To get back some of the length I wore it with a black lace slip underneath.

OOTD Specs
Rubidoux Shift sz 4 (thrifted $5)
Nine West beaded sandals ($20)
American Eagle striped belt (thrifted 99 cents)
black lace slip ($3)

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Pattern Mixing Primer

I'm still learning and playing with pattern mixing, but here's a few tips that seem to work for me.

1. Color match.

Two patterns in similar color schemes doesn't feel conflicted, because the eye can see the outfit as a united whole via the color scheme.

Leighton pulls out the black on black pattern mixing

A beautiful example from All Day Long I Dream About Suits

2. Style match.

You see this combination a lot with the 'ethnic' trend in clothes right now. Basically, any two/three/four/bijillion prints that feel 'ethnic' get thrown together. And, magically, it works.

I think this tip was at work in my pattern play EBEW outfit yesterday.

Both patterns have a stylistically Swedish feel about them.


Mixed ethnic prints from Suno


two different flavors of florals photo via Garance Doré

3. Use patterns in different scales.

Two big patterns compete more with the eye than a big pattern + little pattern. Think of the little pattern as an echo, or the backup chorus...


Big and little animal prints


Big print + Little print Tucker for Target dresses... I happily thrifted BOTH of these dresses from my local Goodwill


4. Feeling match.


As in, match how you're feeling! Think of pattern mixing as your fashion Jelly Belly box of recipes. Two distinct flavors (lemon + coconut) when put together give you something new (lemon meringue pie).

I also had a set of perfume once from Bath and Body works. Each one was labeled with a feeling - like "flirty" or "romantic" or "exciting". So say you wanna look romantic and professional:


I like to mix patterns like I'm mixing flavors. For example, a few floral (romantic) fashion flavor combos:
Floral Flavor Combos: Pattern Mixing



Do you have any pattern mixing tips? You can share them in the comments!

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Every Body Every Wear Thrift edition; A little bit Naut(ty) and Pattern Play

When EBEW posted that today would be thrift day, I had two conflicting thoughts.
Thrift | Everybody, Everywear
First, "FABULOUS. This theme is SO ME. 3/4 of my wardrobe is thrifted. I have to remember to do this EBEW."

Then I thought, "oh. maybe it's not a special theme for me, since every outfit I wear incorporates thrifted pieces."

But of course I gotta do it! In fact, I've thought about hosting a reader feature of fashion bloggers wearing their thrifty outfits. But, I didn't know whether there would be enough interest.

On a side note, if you are interested in getting into thrifting, check out my Guide to Thrifting Shoes, and What to Wear While Thrifting posts for some tips.

Now, on to TWO EBEW themed outfits today. That's right, I gotta show some thrifting chops :)

EBEW Thrift Look#1: Professionally Nautical

I wore this earlier this week. The dress/jumper, jacket, and necklace are thrifted finds. I love the cute little anchors on this dress. And although bright colors are my usual playground, navy-colored clothes take up a large spot in my closet. In fact, I like navy more than black. Black washes me out and makes me look super goth with my pale skin and dark hair.

Not one to forgo color completely, I thought the pop of the red necklace was great compliment to the nautical feel of the outfit. The blazer made the flirty jumper more work appropriate. I also added a smidge of length by wearing a lace-fringed slip underneath.

For those of you not in Seattle, you may be confused by how I'm not getting heat stroke from the blazer and tall boots. Well, it's been rainy and chilly in Seattle this summer. So I've had to work on ways to dress summery-ish, but still stay warm :)

EBEW Look #2: Thrifty pattern play

When I thrifted this sweater, my husband was skeptical. In his mind there wasn't an outfit that could work with this pattern. So what did I do?

I paired the pattern with more pattern. duh.

Pattern + pattern = FUN. Y'all should definitely try it. Mixing patterns makes people think think you're some kind of style savvy chica... or something.

I used to be afraid of mixing patterns. I'd gaze at Anna Sui runway collections in awe, and wonder how she knew such intricate patterns could go together. How would I know what patterns would work together? Honestly, I never really thought through my tactics before jumping in, but I think I've picked up on a few tips. Tune back in over the next few days for a Pattern Primer Post (always loved me some alliteration).

In this outfit, I thrifted the dress, the sweater, the belt, the necklace, and the shoes. BAM! Yah, it's the blue plate special of outfits.

EBEW Look#1 Specs
Espada grey blazer sz 3 (thrifted $8)
Chunky red necklace (thrifted $4)
Xhilaration Juniors Swim Coverup Dress Anchor Print sz S (thrifted $4)
Anthro's Navy Garland Slip by Eloise sz S ($30)
White H&M divided t-shirt sz 8 ($8)
Brown Franco Sarto knee-high boots ($25)
Forever 21 Leatherette Bow Belt in dark brown ($3.80) sold out online, still available in stores

EBEW Look#2 Specs
Merona Collection Women's Printed Cardigan Sweater sz XS (thrifted $6)
Forever 21 patterned lace applique dress sz S (thrifted $6)
Butterfly locket necklace (thrifted $4)
blue skinny belt (thrifted 99 cents)
Forever 21 rosette hair clips ($1.50)
Seychelles brown pumps (thrifted $6)

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Perpetual student

Even after going through my hooding ceremony, I'm pretty sure I'll always be ready to learn something new! In that way, I'm totes going to live my life as a perpetual student.

This outfit was fully inspired by that idea. That, and I felt like working out a preppy, nerdy vibe. The glasses and the child's sweater definitely take this outfit a tad over the top. But that's what's fun about it. Nerdy, fun and comfortable. This was highly appropriate given that I spent the afternoon in a coffee shop working on some data analyses.

I know that the Every Body Every Wear theme is yellow today. And this outfit looks more green than yellow. But, hey! Look! That is a large swath of yellow there in the middle of the sweater. So I call it good!

Plus, now you can see how well yellow and green go together. You're welcome. :)

Other news
* I'm now a pescetarian nerd. I decided to keep eating fish because I've been making and loving ceviche every week. Fresh rockfish from the farmer's market has been AMAZING! Does anyone have any awesome seafood or vegetarian recipes they'd like to share with me? Pretty please?!
* Ev and I celebrated 4 years of marriage last week!
* I gave blood and found out I have A+ blood type. The nerd in me was excited because it sounds like an awesome grade. My dad's response? "Not sure if I have A+ too but I think I have phi beta capillaries with Distinction." LOL. Now y'all know where I get my kooky humor.
* Budz had an oncology checkup and his ultrasound and x-rays came back clean (no cancer recurrence)! Woohoo!
create an avatar

I scored these penny loafers off of Ebay. I've wanted penny loafers ever since middle school. One of my best friends wore some awesome leather ones to school. She had pennies in hers. Man, I just thought that was the coolest thing ever. Apparently, it was during the 1950's that people started slipping pennies into their loafers as a fashion statement. I don't know why it took so long for me to get my own pair. But, as soon as they arrived, I stuck pennies in them! So I missed the 1950's trend by like 60 years...

Yellow/Green Nerd OOTD
Gap kids cardigan (thrifted $4)
Banana Republic green button up sz XS ($10)
J.Crew jean skirt sz 0 (thrifted $5)
J.Crew red-white gingham belt (thrifted $1)
Cole Haan suede penny loafers (ebay $15)

Yellow | Everybody, Everywear

Saturday, July 02, 2011

Chicago weddings, Xoco, and art!

Hope y'all are having a fantastic holiday weekend (if you're in the states!) This week has been a whirl wind for me.

We went to Chicago at the end of last weekend for a VERY short trip. We did manage to go to Xoco, Rick Bayless' Mexi street food restaurant in Chicago the night we arrived. It was delish! I highly recommend if you visit Chicago. The Torta Ahogada was fantastic. Plus they make hot chocolate there by grinding the cacao beans on the spot. The hot chocolate is SUPER rich, but not sweet. Amazing!

I wore last year's Dewpoint blouse while traveling. It was a recent score off of EA trade market, and I couldn't be more thrilled! Love its bright color and beautiful neckline detail. Plus, it's made of jersey, making it the epitome of comfort! It was perfect for stylish plane travel :)


omg. I haven't had anything quite like this shortrib chile soup at Xoco. It's different, but in a good way. Very earthy and roasty delish.

The next day I spent a few hours at the Art Institute before heading to my college friend's wedding. There was much leaping...

and much art contemplation...

Then we headed to Newberry Library for a beautiful wedding, amazing dancing, and wonderful etouffee and corn muffins (YUM!). It was so great seeing my friends from college. It's neat to see where everyone is now. Three of us finishing up PhD programs, a couple people working in education and non-profits.


Me and my junior year roommate (middle) and sophomore roommate (right).