Cowboys and Indian summers

I happened to feel a bit like a cowgirl in this outfit. (Or, for the purposes of my title, cowboy.) This plaid flannel shirt was just screaming to be worn with my denim mini skirt, and since we’ve been having a lovely Indian summer lately, I can still get away with bare legs even though it’s almost October. It still boggles my mind how Portland could possibly be having nicer weather at the end of September than it did in July.

Top: Kohl's

Skirt: Gap

Boots: Ether (store on NW 23rd in Portland)

Purse: thrifted from The Dig

Bracelet: gift from Josh, from Kanelstrand

Autumnal brights

Yesterday was sunny and warm, but with a bit of a chill in the air when I stepped into the shade, so I thought I’d celebrate the sunshine with some color blocking, and the chill with a cozy sweater and boots. (I just can't seem to give up color blocking - now all I need are some brightly colored trousers so I can color block all through winter!) It was the perfect, cheerful outfit for a beautiful fall day! We're right on the cusp of true autumn here in Portland; there's a light warmth to the air, but every once in a while you see a tree turning yellow at the top, with leaves drifting gently down to the ground.

Sweater: Target

Pants: thrifted from The William Temple House

Shoes and bag: Urban Outfitters

Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx

Brooch/pin: from a flea market in California (pinned on with a safety pin!)

Bracelet: B. Lee Designs

Those last days of summer

We took these pictures last Saturday, which I suspect was the last day of true summer weather. The clouds rolled in after that and we haven't seen the sun since. I've mostly made my peace with the disappearance of the warm weather; after all, now we get to turn to cozy sweaters, walks in the crisp air surrounded by brilliant colored leaves, hot mugs of tea, snuggling under blankets, and evenings spent next to the fireplace (or, in our case, the space heater!) - and admittedly, there's something wonderful and nostalgic about all those things.

This dress was some of the best money I've ever spent. It cost $20, but I wore it at least once a week during the summer, and plan on wearing it through fall with sweaters and tights and boots, so I definitely got my money's worth! It was the perfect dress to throw on whenever the weather was boiling hot and I wanted to wear as little as possible while still feeling modest. I think I only wore it once on the blog (here), because I didn't want to overload you guys with posts where I'm wearing basically the exact same thing over and over again, but now that it's colder outside and I can layer again it will appear on here more!

Dress and sandals: Target

Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx

Belt and earrings: free from various aunts

Bracelets: B. Lee Designs (the one closest to my hand), and various family members

Pattern overload

I'm pretty sure this is the craziest pattern mixing I've ever done! Alright, let's go ahead and call it "pattern clashing," because I'm not altogether sure that it goes together. Usually if I'm unsure about the general presentable-ness of my outfits I run it by Josh - he's really good about telling me straight out if something looks weird or if something looks great. But he wasn't at home the day I wore this, so I had to trust my own opinion, which was - "This outfit is so fun!" Regardless of whether or not it looked good, I sure enjoyed wearing it.

I walked up to the Rose Garden on Friday after taking these photos, because I wanted to take advantage of the beautiful Indian summer we were having and have a stroll through the roses before they all disappeared. It was so gorgeous up there. Many of the roses were still in full bloom and smelled heavenly, and the fat little honeybees buzzed around lazily and bounced off my head when I leaned in close to smell the flowers. It was, in a word, blissful.

Top: thrifted, sleeves hemmed by me

Skirt: Urban Outfitters

Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell from Lulu's

Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx

Belt: free from aunt

Bracelets: H&M

Etsy favorites: Vintage sweaters

A few months I did a roundup of my favorite jewelry from Etsy, and today I want to do one of my favorite vintage sweaters from Etsy! Today is blustery, overcast and cold - there's no more perfect time to contemplate cozying up in a pretty vintage sweater (or cape!) with a steaming mug of tea and a good book....

Fig Mint Vintage

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Blue Butterfly Vintage

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Snap Vintage

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Homestead Vintage
(I'd love to wear this with a pair of bright tights and black boots.)

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Woolly Mammoth Vintage

(I adore the little green ducks on this one!)

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Becky Drolen Vintage

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LapineOurs Vintage

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Allen Company Inc.

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Sparv in the Iele Tree

(This one is my favorite! I love that it's cropped - I'd wear it with high-waisted flare jeans and a slouchy beret for a bit of a French girl feel!)

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Do you have a favorite?

Perfect blend

I love most of the outfits I wear (which is a good thing!), but this outfit is hands down my favorite outfit ever. I've literally had it planned for months, but it was just too warm to wear long sleeves during the summer. The weather needed to be the perfect blend of cool-enough-for-long-sleeves and not-too-cold-for-bare-legs, and Sunday was that day. This outfit is the perfect encapsulation of my personality and style: loud, bright, and kind of quirky :) I love how the thin stripes of the shirt play off the bold stripes of the color-blocked skirt (also worn here), and how the dark outlining on the shoes goes with the stripes on the top. For something that felt so oddball when I put it on, in these pictures it actually looks like it matches really well. This is an outfit I want to wear over and over again - you might see it on here again in a few months with a pair of tights and black boots!

Top: H&M

Skirt: Forever 21 brand, thrifted from Crossroads Trading Co.

Shoes: Sam Edelman Kendall wedges from Piperlime

Bag: thrifted from The William Temple House

Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx

Down by the river

I went out to dinner with my family on Wednesday night at a restaurant on the waterfront, and since I knew we would be eating copious amounts of delicious Italian food, I wore my most forgiving skirt. (Meaning: it has a really stretchy waist.) This outfit is comprised entirely of those closet basics that I keep coming back to time and again - simple skirt, pretty top, comfy heels. Really, this top wouldn't work with a patterned skirt - it's so charming that it needs to be the center of attention of whatever outfit it's in. (Like this one. And this one.)

PS - Did anyone else think of the Chris Farley sketch when they read the title? Because I sure did :)

Blouse and skirt: Anthropologie

Coat: from my mom (purchased at an estate sale)

Shoes and belt: Urban Outfitters

Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx

Bracelets: Charlotte Russe and my mom

Always buzzing

I decided to finally try the neon with neutrals trend that's big right now, and I loved it! This shirt is about as close to neon as my closet is ever going to get - true neon would just be too harsh against my skin.

This was also my first time trying the "socks with bare legs" trend, which I also liked - it's kind of a dorky look, and I'm a major dork, so it worked out well :) It made me feel like I was back in elementary school, where I would wear shorts and socks with my Keds. I love Adored Austin's recent post on things that were cool back in grade school becoming popular again. I may or may not have a plastic t-shirt tie that I use on a regular basis. Also, I miss sideways ponytails.

Top: Target

Skirt: thrifted from The William Temple House

Shoes and belt: Urban Outfitters

Socks: Gap

Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx

Necklaces: free from various family members

There's a first time for everything

Ta da! These are my very first outfit photos taken with my new remote. (Which you can see in my hand in almost every shot. I'm going to have to learn how to hide that dang thing.) I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out, and I'm glad my camera decided to start focusing on me instead of the background. I applaud you fashion bloggers who take all your photos on your own - it's tough! I felt incredibly embarrassed every time someone walked past me and stared in what I thought was a fairly secluded location.

We've had a heat wave in Portland the last couple days, which was kind of a shock after the fall-ish weather of the past few weeks. I won't complain, though - I do love some sunshine and hot weather! All I wanted was to be comfortable, and this drapey cardigan and elastic-y skirt fit the bill.

Cardigan: Forever 21

Skirt and bracelets: H&M

Shoes: Sam Edelman Kendall wedges from Piperlime

Bag: thrifted from The William Temple House

Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx

Earrings: gift from a friend