Urban adventures - Remix #19

Yesterday we went on a little adventure to Lower Macleay Park to take pictures. We took pictures on the stairs leading down to the park. We took pictures under the Thurman Street Bridge. We took pictures in front of the bridge. We took pictures by some modern red sculptures in the park. We took pictures of me artfully draping myself over the sculptures. (Not a good idea.) I hated all of them. So half an hour and 200 photos later, we trudged back up the stairs to the car, saw this fetching wooden walkway on the bridge, and ended up taking what have to be some of my favorite photos ever. The moral of this story: perseverance can be rewarding. Then we came home and Josh spent 40 minutes in Photoshop removing two cars from right next to my face in the photo above. (You can see one of them in the picture below to the right of my face.) So this blog post ended up taking both of us most of the evening, but I have to keep you guys satisfied, right?

Tee: Forever 21

Skirt: Rerun

Shoes: Lulu's

Hat: gift from aunt

Belt: gift from parents, from Uruguay

Earrings: free from aunt

Necklace: self made

Go for broke - Remix #18

In yesterday's post I wasn't super pleased with the way I looked, and I think that showed in the pictures. I felt crabby, I wanted to be wearing contacts instead of glasses, and I didn't like the way my hair looked down. And guess what? They weren't very good pictures. Today, on the other hand - I loved everything about what I was wearing, and I think that's what made these pictures so good. Anyone who says fashion doesn't matter has clearly never experienced the mood-boosting benefits of a really great outfit. Have you ever had days like that, where you just feel fantastic because of what you're wearing?

Today I decided to go for broke with my outfit. I pulled out my pink skirt, and then thought - "What the heck, I may as well throw on the brightest shirt and the brightest shoes I own." It's definitely one of those outfits that makes people stop and stare as you walk past them, so I decided to keep the jewelry fairly toned down so as not to distract from the wonderful brightness. I think this outfit is one of the best representations of my personality - it's cheerful, it makes people smile, and it's very loud.

Tee: Target

Skirt: Zara

Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell via Lulu's

Necklace: from my mom

Ring: free from Simply Jo Designs

All natural - Remix #17

I swapped out the red ribbons in these wedges for some green ones yesterday. I love how such a small change can make these shoes feel so different. Now they're subdued, whereas with the red ribbon they were very vivid. A construction worker told me he liked my shoes when I walked past him. I don't know if that was his subtle way of hitting on me or if he really did think they were cool, but I was still flattered. If a very straight-looking construction worker compliments your clothes, you know you've got something good going on.

This necklace is from Italy, and it's made of Murano glass. I bought it during my first trip to Europe six years ago and paid 40 euros for it (about 55 US dollars), and I remember that at the time I was astonished to be paying so much for a necklace, but I just couldn't resist. Now I realize it was an amazing deal, as this is by far the best piece of jewelry I own.

Today you get to see my all-natural hair. I know this is what you've been waiting for. It's basically a white girl version of an afro, and I never know what to do with it, which is why I almost always wear it up. Do any of you have tips for handling a crazy huge mane like this?

Tee: Gap

Skirt: thrifted from Crossroads Trading Co.

Shoes: Ann Taylor Loft

Necklace: purchased in Florence, Italy

Bracelet: actually a necklace, free from aunt

My 30 for 30

One through sixteen

Since this 30 for 30 challenge is more than halfway done, I thought I'd show you guys what all my outfits so far look like side-by-side:

Not too bad. But I am boooored out of my mind with these clothes now! I really miss the rest of my closet. I play dress-up almost nightly, putting together outfits from the rest of my closet that I can't wear for a few more weeks. And since we don't have a full-length mirror in the apartment, I have to climb on the toilet seat and look in the mirror over the bathroom sink to see the outfits I try on. This is both ridiculous and hazardous, as the lid of the toilet seat once slipped off as I was climbing down, and I almost fell. We really need to make a trip to Ikea to buy this mirror (in white, not orange) so that I don't end up dying in pursuit of fashion.

Brighter is better - Remix #16

If there are any of you out there paying really close attention to my 30 for 30 collection, you'd realize that this dress wasn't one of my items. I decided to switch it for this sweater, which I haven't worn yet and probably won't wear:

This dress is fairly new, and it's one of only a handful of floral prints that I own. I recently decided that I need to fix this problem - I always see bloggers (the lovely Tieka comes to mind) wearing floral prints, and they look so sweet and feminine. And you know, I really did feel more feminine in this dress, especially with the cute little ruffle across the chest. I got it at Target, and it was between this and a soft gray dress. Naturally, I chose the one with the bright colors. As pretty as the gray dress was, I am just not a "neutrals" kind of person. I wish I was, because everyone says neutrals are so versatile - but honestly, I have so many bright colored clothes that brights are probably just as versatile as neutrals to me now.

How do you guys feel about neutrals vs. brights? Love one, hate the other? Or do you wear both frequently?

Dress: Target

Shoes: Ann Taylor Loft

Belt: free from aunt

Earrings: made by a friend

Necklace: free with purchase from UnderGlass

PS - You may have missed my two weekend posts - I'll be doing those for the duration of the 30 for 30. Here's Saturday's post, and here's Sunday's.

Twice the fun - Remixes #14 & 15

That's right, I wore two different outfits yesterday. Apparently I'm in a hurry to get this 30 for 30 thing done with! Actually, it was because I wanted a casual outfit to wear to the farmer's market in the morning, and a dressier one for my aunt's birthday party in the evening. So this is what I wore to the farmer's market:

Sorry we didn't get any better pictures - mid-day light is never flattering. It was a great outfit, though - and yes, I walked to the farmer's market and back (3 miles roundtrip) in these wedges. That's how comfortable they are.

This was my evening outfit:

I got this pure silk dress from Anthropologie for nineteen dollars. Yes, my friends, you read that right. I had lusted after it when it was full price, then saw it go on sale, then went into Anthro when they were having a 25% off all sale items sale, and used my 15% birthday discount on top of that. I couldn't believe my good fortune. This dress is colorblocking at its easiest. I put zero effort into this outfit (I mean...I spent hours putting it together), but it looked great. Pros about this dress: lightweight, great color combo, flattering cut (that doesn't need a belt, which is rare for me). Cons: wrinkles super easily, stains super easily. But for nineteen dollars, I think I will happily spend a (small) fortune for dry-cleaning on this dress. Tell me - have any of you ever scored an amazing deal like this on a piece of clothing?

I felt (and looked) like such a poser, but I couldn't resist pretending to water the lawn at my grandma's house!

This necklace is another one that I "made" myself. I purchased clock hands at Michael's and strung them on a chain, for a grand total of $3.25 and ten seconds of work. It was the easiest DIY project I've ever done.

Outfit #1:

Tee: Target

Shorts: Ann Taylor Loft

Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell via Lulu's

Belt: Gap

Owl necklace: Forever 21

Necklace (worn as bracelet): owned for years

Outfit #2:

Dress: Anthropologie

Shoes: BCBG via Macy's

Necklace: self made

Bracelet: B. Lee Designs

My 30 for 30

Oops - Remix #13

Oops #1: Yesterday after work, I spent all afternoon in a t-shirt and pair of jeans that aren't in my 30 for 30 collection, then I changed into this outfit right before it was time to take pictures. Bad Stacey.

Oops #2: Turns out this outfit was just as comfortable and definitely prettier than the jeans.

Oops #3: I had one margarita before this photo shoot, and Josh had three. This resulted in a lot of "artsy" (read: "bad") photos, but it definitely made the photo shoot more fun!

On the plus side, I wore my brand-new necklace for the first time, which is just a $1 brooch from a flea market that I strung on a cheap chain from Michael's. Also on the plus side, I got to stand by this oversized door (below) that made me feel teeny-tiny. I actually walk by this door almost every day, but I never noticed it until Josh pointed it out yesterday evening. Isn't it funny how you can walk past something so quirky for years but never notice it?

Sweater: Anthropologie

Skirt: Anthropologie

Sandals: Target

Belt: free with a different sweater

Earrings: free from aunt

Brooch (worn as necklace): flea market in California

My 30 for 30

American woman - Remix #12

As soon as I put on this outfit, I got the song "American Woman" stuck in my head. I feel strange referring to myself as a woman, but at 27 I suppose my days of being a girl are over. Quite apart from the red, white and blue combo, this outfit made me feel all-American because of the accessories overload. And maybe to you it doesn't look like I'm wearing that many accessories, but normally I feel like one statement necklace is all I need, and so wearing two necklaces, a bracelet, and a ring is a lot. Have you ever noticed that American women love to pile on the accessories?  I always see American fashion bloggers wearing multiple necklaces and ten different bracelets at a time, whereas if you look at two of my favorite French fashion bloggers, The Cherry Blossom Girl and Pandora, they're pretty restrained when it comes to jewelry. Not that restrained is necessarily better - some people are really artful when it comes to wearing lots of jewelry at once.

Tee: Old Navy

Skirt: Anthropologie

Shoes: Ann Taylor Loft

Belt: thrifted from William Temple House

Shades: Forever 21

Necklaces: don't remember (owned for years)

Bracelet: Packwood Flea Market

Ring: ScanFair

My 30 for 30

Hello granny - Remix #11

I felt like a granny in yesterday's outfit. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as my grandma is very stylish, but when the look you're going for is "eclectic bohemian" then you've shot too far off your mark if you land on "granny." Still, I kind of liked it. Honestly, I went most of the day without the belt - it's just more comfortable to go belt-less when you're spending the afternoon lounging on the couch eating popcorn and Twix bars and watching NCIS: LA. I know, I live a rough life.

Blouse: free from my aunt's friend

Maxi dress: Forever 21

Shoes: BCBG via Macy's

Belt: free from aunt

Earrings and bracelet: B. Lee Designs

My 30 for 30