Too Darn Hot

 

 Dress: Urban Outfitters ($10; similar, similar) / Belt: came with a top bought in England (similar) / Sandals: Gap (similar) / Bracelets: gift (similar) / Glasses: Coach

 

There has been a massive heat wave in Boston over the past few days; I'm talking 98 degrees and humid as can be. It has been far too hot to wear anything except for a dress. And some bracelets.

I'm used to the heat, but the humidity is completely new. As are the 5pm torrential downpours, which have been happening for the past few days as well. Luckily, I like thunderstorms. But I do need some rain boots...

Hope you had a great weekend!

From the Boys

Top: Urban Outfitters / Skirt: Urban Outfitters, Thrifted (was $58 in-store, thrifted for $13) / Sandals: Gap, very old / Necklace: Bought at a Farmer's Market / Jade Koi ring: vintage, from Japan, inherited from my Nana / Silver rings: gifts

 

I've been doing a lot of people-watching this past week. People-watching is, in general, something I love to do, but people-watching in a brand-new city is even better. I've been paying specific attention to style, trying to parse the differences between So Cal and Boston, counting the number of Longchamp totes I see in a day (honestly, I stopped somewhere around 40...), and noticing, for one reason another, a lot about the style of men's clothing.

I've always loved menswear. I'm jealous of how easy it is for a man to look put together, but also guess that their wardrobe possibilities might sometimes feel restrictive. Men on the east coast, I've noticed, seem far more put-together/dressed up than their So Cal counterparts (women, too, but I'll save that for another post). The preppy look runs strong, replacing the surfer/skater/hipster look in terms of on-the-street prevalence, and it seems you're more likely to see a young man in sporting a summer look of walking shorts (often colorful), a button-up, and loafers than anything else.

I've noticed more than a few men wearing pink/salmon colored shorts, to which I tip my hat. However, every single one of them has paired their shorts with a navy blue button down. Truly, the combination works, but it started to seem almost like a uniform around the 6th or 7th time I saw it!

So, here's a nod to you, east coast boys. My version of the pink-and-navy summer combo. Thanks for the inspiration!

Sun and Shades

 Dress: gift, from a local boutique / Cardigan: from a local boutique / Hat: borrowed, from my sister, from her boyfriend / Bag: vintage Coach, via eBay / Sandals: Gap / Earrings: from a local boutique / Sunglasses: Target

 

I love getting clothing as gifts. Clothing given as a gift often leads to me owning something I might have passed over in a store on my own. See: this dress. I own very few brown things (purses and shoes aside, this dress is the only brown thing I own), I don't think brown looks that great on me, and I probably wouldn't think twice about this dress in a store. But, as a gift? Turns out I like it!

Hope you are all having a lovely week.

A Little Less

 

Dress: from a local boutique / Cardigan: Target / Sandals: Gap / Necklace: from a farmer's market / Bag: Gift, from Guatemala 

 

My car died this weekend, by which I mean the battery is fully and completely cooked. It's a Prius, so this may mean (if it's the fancy Prius battery) a nice chunk of change to get it replaced. Hot on the heels of having my first car totaled, this most recent adventure in grown-up car ownership got me thinking about how much I'd like to simply not have so many...things.

Of course, that may sound too simple. No car means no totaled vehicles, no paying for batteries, no batteries dieing in the first place, and no annoyance of what to do when the car's not there. (This is all presupposing a great public transportation system I could rely on, and is after, obviously, counting my blessings that I am able to have a car and pay for its fancy new battery in the first place.) But fewer things do, I think, mean less mental clutter and more breathing space in the long run.

This is something I've always want to do with my closet. Get it down to the few, perfect, timeless, beautiful pieces that I could wear anywhere, to do anything. I'd love to have everything match everything else so perfectly that putting looks together is a breeze. I'd love the paired-down simplicity of the one perfect cocktail dress, the one perfect blazer, the one perfect white shirt. But, in reality, I do buy with the trends (though I try to do it sparingly), I do like doubles and triples of things I wear often (skinny jeans, t-shirts, boots), I do buy silly impulse purchases, and I do think I "need" that cute new dress from H&M, when really I should save my money for the one perfect dress from a much more timeless store. This, I think, is what my wardrobe aspires to be, when it's all grown up. Simple, timeless, paired-down, and thoughtfully put together as opposed to bought on a whim. I'd like to think I'm getting there (with a few unnecessary purchases along the way), piece by piece by piece.

West Coast/East Coast

Top: Gap sz s / Pants: Target sz 2 (super old) / Sandals: Gap sz 7 / Belt: bought in England / Necklace: bought in Italy

 

It was 85 degrees in Los Angeles today, so I wore this, yet I also spent much the day online window-shopping for industrial-strength winter coats. I've never owned such a coat, having lived 99.9% of my life in Southern California, but suddenly, I find myself in need of one. Because, well, I got into graduate school!!

It's the first school I've heard back from, but seeing as I only applied to two, and they're both in Boston, I can now guarantee that I will be spending the next two years in Massachusetts. My life, and this blog, will soon take quite a big turn as I travel across the country, live in another state for the first time, buy winter coats, and get into the grad-school swing of things! I honestly can't wait. :-D

H&M Burgundy Blouse + Jean Shorts (yes, this is winter)

 Top: H&M ($17.99) / Shorts: Urban Outfitters / Sandals: Gap / Bag: BCBG / Belt: came with a shirt bought in England / Bracelets: from England / Sunglasses: Target



I finally got a camera remote and am slowly figuring out how to use it effectively. I love having the remote because not only do I no longer have to do the "set-the-timer-and-frantically-run" move for every single photo, but I can also finally play with focus. The single, simplest thing that makes so many bloggers' outfit photos look beautiful is a blurry, out of focus background that highlights everything in the foreground. Getting that effect when photographing yourself is a bit tricky, so I was very happy to have achieved it in 1/2 of my pictures here. :)

In addition to the creativity I'm trying to discover in putting together outfits, I'm also enjoying the creativity of taking photos. Yes, I have to awkwardly dodge my neighbors and pretend I'm taking pictures of a really interesting tree when someone walks by, but realizing that I've gotten a few beautiful or well-shot photographs makes it worth it.

P.S. This burgundy "mullet hem" blouse (I hate that phrase, but that's kind of what it is...), is one of the three clothing items I bought in January. I love it and can't wait to style it more! Anyone have any suggestions?