holding on for autumn

Lately it's been almost too chilly to go out in only a cardigan!  I suppose it's time to dig all my big coats out of storage.  It's kind of exciting, though, to rediscover all the "new" fall/winter clothes.  Boots, sweaters, jackets, coats.  All hidden away since April, dusted off and re-hung.  Dan and I went on a mini coffee date yesterday afternoon before he headed off to work and I enjoyed a Maple Pecan Latte from Metronome.  Usually I'm a black coffee/americano girl, but lattes get all the fun fall flavors so I like to indulge in a few during this season.   You know how people say, "if you haven't worn something in a year, get rid of it"?  While I kind of agree with that, I also disagree.  A lot of items in my closet linger, simply because I only have the desire to wear them during certain times of year.  I haven't worn this top since last fall, but I didn't want to sell it or donate it to a thrift store because I had a feeling once fall rolled around again I'd want to wear it.  Lo and behold here we are!  I actually have been wearing this outfit with my wide legged, high waisted jeans, but I wasn't in the mood to wear giant platforms (they're the only shoes that make me tall enough so the jeans don't drag.  Yes, I'm too lazy to get them hemmed), so skinnies and boots were my substitute.  I like the outfit both ways.  Kendi recently styled an outfit with wide leg, high waisted jeans and I'm excited to emulate something like it!  Well, once I find a suitable top.  

 
top(similar)/courtesy of marshall's :: cardigan + jeans/courtesy of modcloth boots(similar)/courtesy of blowfish :: bag(similar)/courtesy of handbag heaven hat(similar)/courtesy of tittle millinery I don't think I've mentioned it yet, but I'll be heading to St. Louis fashion week next Wednesday and I'm actually really excited!  I haven't been to NYFW in a few years, partly because it's hella expensive, but mostly because it's not really my scene.  But St. Louis fashion week seems more down to earth, with more indie designers, less peacocking and street style photographers, and events that are more my speed.  Plus, I'll get to hang out with some of my favorite old blogger friends and new blogger friends I've yet to meet!  STLFW sounds like it's going to be very blogger friendly and low-key.  Plus I'm stoked to hand out in St. Louis!  I went through St. Louis in 2007 when my family was on a cross country RV trip, but we didn't really spend any time exploring the city, just passed through.  If any of you are in the St. Louis area, you should come to STLFW!  I'll be at Industry Night, the Saks Event, and the Neiman Marcus event, which you can buy tickets for here!

lazy day

I've been feeling a bit of wanderlust lately.  Not for anything grand and epic, necessarily, though I surely wouldn't turn down some kind of international adventure.  Just a hiking trip, or an overnight camping trip, maybe spending a weekend at a seaside cabin on the Oregon coast.  All winter we talk about spending the whole summer going on trips like those, but here we are at the end of September and have done nothing all summer.  Granted, we've nearly completed re-siding our garage, which was a pretty big undertaking.  All it needs now is one more coat of paint and it'll be done!  I'm excited to check that project off the list.  Siding the house was a lot of work, but not quite as fun as other house projects I'd like to do in the next year.   Anyway, I don't think my brain is quite booted up this morning.  So here's a lazy day post, featuring a lazy day outfit, but there's a cute dog in some photos, so at least there's that.
 

top/thrifted :: tee(underneath) + jeans/courtesy of modcloth
boots/courtesy of bc footwear :: scarf/hand me down
glasses/courtesy of bonlook :: hat (similar)/the north face

the narrows

This is where Dan and I took our bride and groom portraits after our wedding reception.  This evening reminded me of that one.  There was a slight nip in the air and the sun was beginning to set.  I've done outfit photos here a couple times, but it's fun to see how I've progressed as a photographer since the first time I shot here.  Granted, a few of these shots are a bit out of focus, but somehow that's how it goes with a tripod/self-timer set up, which is why I like being able to shoot other people.  It's so much easier to get things like focus and exposure correct when you are behind the lens.  I'm shooting a wedding this weekend up near Mount Rainier and I'm super excited to be able to shoot in such a gorgeous location.  Plus, it's rather nostalgic, as Dan and I honeymooned up near Mount Rainier.  I'd love to spend an anniversary up at the cabin where we honeymooned, someday.  Perhaps for a more significant anniversary like our 5th or 10th.
Talking about our honeymoon made me start thinking about it ... and I so thoroughly enjoyed it.  It was so laid back and cozy.  We stayed in an old log cabin, ate cheese and drank wine, had lasagna and old fashioned's, walked around the woods, soaked in a private hot tub, and played tower defense games by fireside.  Even though a tropical honeymoon would've surely been fun, there's nothing that suited us better than our woodsy, cozy honeymoon.
 


top/via swap :: jeans/courtesy of modcloth :: boots(similar)/courtesy of blowfish necklace/in pink :: bracelets/musana and jewelmint
I'm not typically one for drapey tops, but I got this one at the last swap I had with friends and I thought I'd give it a go.  Since it was a swap, it was basically "free." Swaps are great ways to try out items that you might not typically go for, or want to spend money on when it might not turn out.  I think it's high time I organize another swap.  Perhaps mid-october.  It's crazy how time goes so quickly.  How is it almost October!?  I remember booking this weekend's wedding and thinking how far off it seemed and now it's in a few days!  Craziness.  I know bloggers go on and on about how time flies, but as I get older it really does feel so bizarre.  Now that we have Dusty, she's another indication of time's quick passage.  We've had her for little over a month now, but she seems so big!  Not necessarily in size, but in how she acts.  She's become so much more mature and "grown up," if you will.  For a puppy, that is. She's such a wonderful presence in our home.  In the beginning I was pretty stressed out, being a pup-mom (becoming a "real" mom now seems devastatingly terrible. My neurotic tendencies seem ill-suited for parenthood sanity), but she's understanding commands more these days and being less of a toddler.  I've been happy with our interactions out and about.  So many people have given us great feedback on how well behaved and calm she is, especially around children and other dogs.  She has her manic moments, but for the most part I'm so happy with how well she's growing up!  I feel silly talking about her as if she's a child, but it's funny how a pet really does become part of the family.  I'm glad we chose Dusty, versus the other pup we were considering who was much much more energetic and crazy.  Dusty's personality fits into our family so wonderfully.  I can imagine she'll be a great "older sister" whenever we end up having a human baby.

pieces of flare

My summer wardrobe obsession was maxi dresses and skirts, and I'm getting the sense that jeans are going to be fall's wardrobe obsession.  I feel like that sounds boring on the style-front, but I'm actually pretty excited about it.  Having spent most of my adolescence in decidedly unstylish jeans-based outfits, I think it's taken quite a while to figure out how to wear jeans in a way that makes me feel stylish and creative.  One of the things that has hindered my ability to really delve into styling jeans is that for a long time the popular jean cuts weren't really suited for my body type.  I longed for high waisted jeans to come back in style for about a decade and now that they're finally here I'm hoarding them like Twinkies.  My mom has a pair of white high-waisted sailor-esque wide-leg (whoa, too many hyphens...) pants and I have lamented many a time that she was smaller than I and I could only ever barely squeeze into them.   Wide leg pants are one of those things that petite girls tend to shy away from, it seems, out of a fear that they will make us look shorter, stumpier, and wider.  I remember thinking this same thing about maxi dresses, and the opposite actually proved to be true, so I figured my misconception might carry over to wide leg jeans. These jeans are very long on me, I have to wear my giant platforms and they still skim the ground a tad.  Thankfully these shoes are one of my most comfortable pairs of heels, so I don't really mind, and as a bonus it makes my legs look crazy long.  It's been forever since I had a pair of jeans in my wardrobe that wasn't a skinny jean.  It'll be fun figuring out how to style them in different ways!     top(on sale!)/courtesy of wildlife works :: jeans + shoes/courtesy of modcloth bracelet/courtesy of musana jewelry :: necklace/courtesy of moorea seal Remember how I was all, "I'm not ready for fall yet, I'm holding onto summer still!" Yeah, nope.  Over it.  It was hot as balls today.  Bring on the crisp air and sweater weather please.  It was honestly much too warm to even be entertaining the idea of putting on dark jeans, but I was so excited that they came in the mail finally I couldn't resist putting them on immediately.   All that being said, I'm pretty excited these days about how "me" I feel in the outfits I've been styling this year.  For my Remix Archives posts I have to go back into my image banks and find images where I'm wearing the same item, and sometimes I go all the way back to 2009.  I actually like quite a few of the outfits from 2009 and 2010, but I started having a weird transitional style period starting in 2011 extending through part of 2012.  I like some of the outfits from that period, but there are quite a few things that I'm just like, huh?  But it's all a process.  Growing pains.  Learning what feels right and what doesn't.  What makes me feel more myself and what makes me feel like a hermit crab in a too-small shell.    

civil disobedience

It's started raining more and more these days.  Slowly easing us into the months of drizzle and dampness that are fast approaching.  I love these late summer evenings where it's raining because it's still warm enough to have my back door open to listen to the rain.  Soon enough it will be too chilly at night for such things. It's so pleasant to let the cool rain air waft in. Confession time: this jacket doesn't really fit my clothing purchase standards that I set for myself.  I've been eyeing it on ModCloth for something like a year, maybe more, and when I saw it was 70% off at ModCloth's last hurrah sale, I gave in and finally got it.  I have to say, though I feel guilty, I'm totally and completely in love with it.  Like, it hasn't been cool enough to wear a jacket like this yet, but I wear it anyway even though I get super sweaty.  Same with these jeans.  Actually the entire outfit has been worn multiple times this past week.  It's becoming a bit ridiculous.  


 

top/courtesy of lulu's :: jeans/courtesy of modcloth :: boots/lulu e. bebe bag/courtesy of hearts jacket/modcloth :: necklace/courtesy of adorn by sarah lewis