Cheer up

Yesterday was not the best day for me. On my drive to work, someone cut me off and then flipped me off as they drove by. (And, by the way, she had to reach across her young son to give me the finger.) And at work, I gouged a hole in someone's wall by accident. So when I came home, I put on something fabulous and did my hair in a pretty braid to cheer myself up. Then we went outside to take pictures, and the crazy wind destroyed my hairdo and rendered all but these two photos unusable. I guess it just wasn't my day.

Shirt: thrifted from the Expo Center antiques show

Skirt: thrifted from a store in Manzanita

Sandals: Target

Belt: Gap

Necklace: from my mom

Bracelet: Fred Meyer

Pop!

Summer is drawing to a close - at least, according to fashion blogs everywhere. Everyone seems to be gearing up for fall, but there's a whole month left of summer! (Though even I'm guilty of this - I put together a fall wish list yesterday.) But a month isn't all that long, and I still have a bunch of clothes in my wardrobe that I haven't pulled out this summer, so I'll try to work them into rotation over the next few weeks. This denim skirt is one of those barely-worn pieces, and while I'm sure I'll be able to wear it with tights and boots come fall, I wanted to give it a shot with bare legs first. With the chambray shirt and white shoes the color palette was pretty muted (for me, at least!), so I added a few pops of color with my bright green handbag, blue-green necklace, and hot pink lipstick.

Shirt: Sears
Skirt: Gap
Shoes: Sam Edelman from Piperlime
Bag: some store on NW 23rd in Portland
Necklace: purchased in Florence, Italy
Belt: Forever 21

Fall wish list

I put together a fall wish list on Polyvore today. (Pictured below.) These are some of the styles that I would love to add to my wardrobe for autumn. (Although hopefully for much more reasonable prices than the clothes in this collection - when I go pretend shopping, I tend to buy expensive!) I have to admit I've been stocking up on fall clothes lately, even though I won't be able to wear them for another month! So far I have a black leather skirt, a camel-colored skirt, a long green knitted vest, high-waisted cream-colored trousers, a red sweater dress, some leopard print pants, and some leopard heels. I'm getting antsy for cooler weather so I can wear them all!

What's on your wish list for fall?

Men and women

Sorry, I don't have any profound truths to share with you about the difference between men and women! I'm just wearing an extremely masculine shirt and an extremely feminine skirt. I like the contrast, and the somewhat casual feel the oversized shirt gives to an otherwise dressy outfit.

Speaking of men and women, I've been watching Mad Men lately, where gender roles are somewhat severely defined, and women are looked at as crazy if they'd rather work than get married and raise a family. It's a fascinating show, but I really hate all the men in it. I especially want to kick Don Draper you-know-where repeatedly. He's such a major jerk that I almost want to stop watching the show - and yet I can't stop! The clothes are just too good.

Top: free from my dad
Skirt: thrifted from Village Merchants
Shoes: BCBG from Macy's
Belt: Scandinavian Festival in Astoria
Earrings: gift from aunt
Necklace: gift from friend, from Thailand

The magic of hemming

Welcome to round 2 of my Sam Edelman wedges! I went vintage again because these shoes lend themselves so easily to that style. I pulled out this dress after work and just felt bored by the length. It used to hit right at the widest part of my calves and was just not flattering. I've been wearing this dress for years while feeling unsatisfied with the length, so I whipped out my sewing machine this afternoon and hemmed it up about eight inches. Now it feels so fresh! The dress I wore yesterday was also hemmed. (Worn here un-hemmed.) Now both dresses feel so much more wearable - isn't it amazing what a little hemming can do?!

So what's everyone up to over the weekend? I'm looking forward to visiting the farmer's market, and maybe going swimming in my parents' pool!

Dress: vintage, thrifted, hemmed by me

Shoes: Sam Edelman from Piperlime 

Bag: thrifted from Rerun

Scarf (worn as belt): gift from my dad

Earrings: free from aunt

Bracelet: Charlotte Russe

Holy shoe love, Batman!

I just got these Sam Edelman shoes in the mail yesterday, and I'm in love. Like, seriously in love. I think they may be my favorite shoes ever. I might just start walking around calling them "my precious" like Gollum. Now that I've made a comic book and a Lord of the Rings reference, I guess it's no secret that I'm a major nerd.

Dress: vintage, thrifted, hemmed by me

Shoes: Sam Edelman from Piperlime (only $50 now!)

Belt: Urban Outfitters

Earrings and blue bracelet: B. Lee Designs

Silver bangles: H&M

Clutch: thrifted from Rerun

Chopped

This blouse used to be a dress, which I had thrifted about a year ago and had never worn. It was just too dowdy-looking as a dress, so yesterday I grabbed it out of my closet and chopped off the bottom half. I don't even think I'm going to hem it, since it's so voluminous that I will always wear it tucked into something so as to show off my waist.

Blouse: cut from a dress, thrifted from the Expo antique show

Shorts: H&M brand, thrifted from Crossroad's Trading Co.

Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell from Lulu's

Earrings: Simply Jo Designs

Bracelet: B. Lee Designs

Belt: Forever 21

Purse: thrifted from The Dig

Scarf (tied on purse): thrifted