Slouchy

Normally with my outfits I try to define my waist since I'm so curvy, but last night we went out for drinks with some of Josh's co-workers, and I wanted something a bit less restricting in the waist since I knew I'd be having a few beers. I liked the slouchy look of this outfit, even though it wasn't the most flattering.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend! Josh and I are planning on going swimming in my parents' pool tomorrow, since it's supposed to be 95 degrees here, and then I might turn domestic and can some honey-soaked plums. The next few months will be filled with my canning projects - I plan on canning dozens of quarts of peaches, tomatoes, pears, pickles, and applesauce. (That actually sounds disgusting when you list them in that order, but they're really very tasty!)

I keep holding my fingers like this whenever we take close-up shots of my bracelets, and then it looks like I'm missing half my fingers. I need to work on that...

White blouse: from an antique show

Hot pink skirt: Zara

Brown heels: Macy's

Brown scalloped-brim hat: Asos

Purse: Eva Messenger Bag from Ellington Handbags

Necklace: can't remember

Embroidered bracelet: thrifted from Village Merchants

Pink bracelet: H&M

Polka dots and mah jongg

Rarely do I match my shoes, belt, shirt and hat, because that generally makes for a dull outfit, but in this case I think the matching worked because the shoes, top and hat are all so interesting looking. This outfit felt really fun, so I decided to throw on some quirky bracelets and mah jongg tile earrings to add to the effect. And maybe the side ponytail belongs back in the 80's, but I am a child of the 80's, so that makes it kind of okay, right?

Red polka dot tank top: Urban Outfitters

Denim skirt: Gap

Red wedges: Jeffrey Campbell from Lulu's

Red hat: Nine West, thrifted from Village Merchants

Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx

Mah jongg tile earrings: free from my aunt

White bubble bracelet: free from my aunt

Other white bracelet: H&M

Red belt: free from my aunt

New bag

This was my Sunday afternoon outfit, worn for running errands (I bought thread and some extra bobbins, because dangit, I am going to make a dent in my sewing pile) and having afternoon coffee with my grandma and aunts.

This beautiful bag is my new purse, from the Portland company Ellington Handbags. I've been wanting one of their bags for years, but the cheapie in me just couldn't pay that much for a purse. But recently I was thinking that there's probably a reason why all my $30 purses have fallen apart so quickly over the years, and it's probably because the quality is proportionate to the price. So a week ago, after making some extra money at a side job, I bought this bag. Since I've only had it for a week I can't attest to its longevity, but I will say that the quality is superb, and boy does it feel nice. I know a lot of people think it's wasteful to spend that much on a bag, but I fully intend to get years of use out of it (and it will probably look even better with age since it's leather), and I think I've reached a point where I would much rather buy one expensive bag every five years than one cheap bag every year. How do you guys feel about pricey bags? Worth it, or wasteful?

[I feel compelled to include this side note: I hope no one thinks I sounded braggy talking about my expensive new bag. That was certainly not my intent. Since I probably won't buy anything that expensive for years to come, I felt like the anomalous nature of this purchase made it worth mentioning. I'm a budget shopper by nature - I really hate paying full price for anything - but sometimes it's worth it to splurge.]

Blue shirt: gift, from Macy's

Green skirt: thrifted from Crossroads Trading Co.

Brown sandals: Nordstrom Rack

Purse: Eva Messenger Bag from Ellington Handbags

Blue ear cuff: free from my aunt

Green earrings: B. Lee Designs, gift from my parents

Necklace: purchased in China

Silver bracelet: won in a giveaway

Polka dot pattern mixing

The last time I wore this dress was almost exactly a year ago (in this post). Obviously I'm not great at wearing all my clothes on a regular basis. I really shouldn't have neglected this piece, though, because it has such a fun pattern, plus that magic ingredient that every woman loves in a dress - pockets. I decided to go for a bit of a retro look with the white collared blouse and white wedges, and I borrowed the idea of pattern mixing with the belt from the last time I wore this dress.

When I was putting together this outfit I had on a layered pearl necklace that I tucked under the collar. Josh took one look at it and said, "You should take that off. It makes your outfit too busy." Every year when Project Runway returns, he goes all Tim Gunn on me for a few months and styles my outfits. I kind of love it. It took a lot of convincing to get him to watch that show with me, but now he loves all the drama, and it's taught him enough about fashion that quite often he knows what looks good better than I do.

We discovered this park yesterday and used it for these outfit photos. It's right in the middle of the city, but in this photo it looks like it's far out in the country....

Red polka dot dress: possibly vintage

White blouse: free from my aunt

White wedges: Sam Edelman (Kendall wedges) from Piperlime

Belt: thrifted

Red watch: thrifted from Village Merchants

Pink, black and gold

Portland has yet to reach 90 degrees this year. The highs this summer have been in the mid-80s, which is nice, because when the weather gets any hotter than that all I want to do is lay on the couch with the a/c on full blast. It was 85 degrees yesterday, which was just pleasant enough for an evening stroll to a nearby farmer's market to buy some pints of raspberries. I did try to wear as little as possible, though, because 85 degrees is still pretty toasty for us in the northwest. I liked this outfit despite its simplicity - the jewelry and the sandals made it interesting.

Pink shorts: Loft

Black tank top: Target

Gold sandals: Asos

Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx

Gold necklace: Evidence Jewelry, won in a giveaway

Pink bracelet: H&M

Embroidered bracelet: thrifted from Village Merchants

Crazy hat lady

This hat is almost comically huge, but I love it because it means I don't have to put sunblock on my face and neck when I'm out in the sun. (Okay, let's be honest here: I almost never wear sunblock anyway, so basically the hat just makes me feel better about that.) The gigantic hat plus the bold printed dress plus the bright shoes made for an outfit that felt on the verge of overkill, but it also felt very fun and summery. This is one of those dresses that would be improved upon if I hemmed it up about six inches, but I have so many dresses that I've been meaning to hem that I've been overwhelmed into procrastination.

Thank you all for your lovely comments on yesterday's post. You were very sympathetic, kind and flattering, and I appreciated it :)

Floral dress: vintage, from my mom

Blue and green wedges: Nine West from Nordstrom Rack

Gigantic hat: Columbia Sportswear

Blue belt: free from my aunt

Blue bracelet: B. Lee Designs, gift from my aunt

I looked too funny and horrible in this photo not to share it...this is what happens when someone whistles at me while we're taking outfit photos...

Musings on appearances

Wearing this maxi skirt was like wearing pajamas - it's soft and wonderfully stretchy. Over the past few weeks, due to a knee that gives out on me whenever I exercise and some medications that have left me bloated, I've packed on a few pounds in my belly, so I've been trying to wear clothes that make my midsection feel comfortable. And I have to admit, I've felt a little self-conscious about it. You can't really see any extra weight in my outfit photos from the past few weeks, but in person I look like I'm a few months pregnant. And I know it's pure vanity that it bugs me. I mean, who cares if I packed on a few pounds? And would it even matter if I had gained twenty pounds instead of five? No it would not, because my appearance really does not alter who I am inside - and that's the important part, right?

Yellow tank top: Gap

Black skirt: TJ Maxx

Black flats: Kathy flats from ShoeMint

Spider necklace: Bauble Bar

Yellow sash: came with a vintage dress

Hex nut bracelet: made by me