in which i've got new shoes in the shade

It seems a shame to take photos in the shade when it is so gloriously sunny outside, but the blinding light just isn't working out. There has to be some sort of happy medium, but I haven't discovered what it might be yet. I need a yard.

(dress/tunic: tjmaxx; hat/belt: thrifted; necklace: diy; shoes: tilly's)

I received an enormous box of shoes in the mail yesterday--hooray! These wedges are basically meant to replace my favorite sandals from last summer, which are looking a little bit worse for wear (and wedges are more fun anyway, right?). I do have to exchange one pair of the wedges I ordered because they don't fit, even though they were the same size as the other two pairs. Such is life and sizing.

This dress was part of another major haul (I'm buying in bulk lately--whoops), which also resulted in this dress. I almost didn't buy it because the apples are rather autumnal, and, well--wrong season. But obviously I bought it anyway. I think I can probably get some good use out of it while it's warm, since it is sleeveless and all, and it will be perfect when autumn eventually rolls around again (as it tends to do).

Hope you're all having wonderful Wednesdays, and that it's as warm where you are as it is here!

in which i wear a yellow hat

I have been wanting a mustard knit pompom hat for ages. I stumbled upon this one while doing some Christmas shopping and waffled for much longer than necessary about whether or not to buy because it was like, $12. As you can see, it's awesomeness outweighed my waffle.

(sweater/hat: tjmaxx; shorts/belt: thrifted; shoes: lulus.com)

You know what would make this outfit infinitely more awesome? Elbow patches on this sweater. Maybe I should sew some on... it's too late for this outfit, but for the sake of this sweater's future..? Also re: this sweater, I almost bought a nearly identical one at Plato's Closet during my big spree there on New Year's Eve day. It looked the same except that there was a sort of chevron thing going on with the front. I didn't get it because it was too casual for my usual style, but I'm kind of regretting not buying it. Maybe I'll have to go back...

Well, this post was a whole lot of silliness. Last night I made lasagne. I also watched The Bachelor. I might wear a hat every day this week. Shorts make me happy. The end.

in which i'm dreaming of a white christmas (and an irish holiday)

It's raining today. What the heck is that about? Weather like this takes me back to the bus trip I took across Ireland in December of 2006. An adventure like that is starting to look mighty good right about now--lately I've been craving dark pubs, thick stout, long rides through foreign countrysides, and lively music in the night.

(turtleneck dress: american apparel; polka dot dress: forever 21; scarf: thrifted; boots: seychelles; hat/socks: stolen from mom)

Tonight is Christmas Eve for K and me, and I took the day off tomorrow in true holiday fashion. We did some serious shopping last night, hitting Church Street and then working our way through the outskirts of the city.

It was a lovely evening :)

Oh, and I miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight have bought myself a pair of super-sparkly glitter heels at the mall. Because I like shiny things.

in which it's christmas time in the city

Most of life is so dull that there is nothing to be said about it, and the books and talk that would describe it as interesting are obliged to exaggerate, in the hope of justifying their own existence.

-A Passage to India-

(jumper: thrifted; shirt: old navy; tights: ralph lauren; shoes: payless)

I bought this jumper at Goodwill and hemmed it to a reasonably charming length. I tried to make it look a little bit less juvenile with the very grown-up combination of lipstick/bouffant... not sure if that was success (not sure I care, The rest of my life has been so dull lately there is nothing much to be said about it. I find the (above) quote quite relevant, since so often I have nothing of note to say to the world, which makes for rather rambly style blogging. I often feel that so much of the lifestyle blogosphere has to be prone to exaggeration, in the same way most people naturally recount events that have transpired in their lives (to make them funnier, or more tragic, or more transcendent). I don't necessarily have a problem with this--I think it encourages us to exaggerate our real lives, which usually = more fun and excitement, which in turn = positive. Anyway, it just struck a chord when I was reading last night, since I've been at a bit of a loss about what to write all week.

Tonight K and I are going Christmas shopping and I'm pretty excited, even though I really haven't the slightest clue what I'll be buying. (To be honest, I'm most excited about the eggnog latte I intend to consume.) I love the lights on Church Street at this time of year, and the buskers playing holiday classics while we windowshop. Silver bells, silver bells...

in which i'm hatty to be here

Dear gloriously relaxing weekend: Thank You, Come Again.

(autumn overlook dress: modcloth; shoes/hat: thrifted)

As indicated above, I had a really lovely weekend, which went by far too fast. I think I'm going to save the photos and do a little "over the weekend" post, in an attempt to separate my lifestyle/outfit photos. I want to start doing something like this more regularly, because I always love when my favorite style bloggers mix it up and throw in some photos of everyday life. I'm such a voyeur... I love to know what other people are getting themselves up to! :)

I think it's safe to say I'll be sporting an awful lot of straw hats in the coming month (summer's last!). On Friday after work I was desperate to drop some dough so I met K at Goodwill (where we picked up a coffee table and a liquor cabinet for a whopping $6--total!), then went on to the bigger Goodwill on my own. I didn't find much--just a couple of paperbacks and a polka dot dress (that reminded me of Pretty Woman but wasn't quite so pretty and retro), but for $10 I couldn't complain. It's nice when you can satisfy shopping urges with such a small spree!

in which it's too hot to pick out an outfit

So, I won't lie, this outfit came together in a very lazy, last-minute way. I'm not thrilled with it, but it'll do for a million-degree Friday :)

(dress: uo; chambray: walmart; shoes: seychelles; necklace: diy)

It's becoming increasingly apparent that my shop-free summer can't last much longer if I'm going to keep this blog interesting. It's not like I self-imposed this shopping ban on myself, that's just the way it's worked out. I haven't had funds, and the money I do have has been spent on things deemed "more important" than new clothes. Which is all well and good, but I'm kind of tired of recycling the same clothes through my closet over and over again and I'm ready for a good old-fashioned spree. Which also won't happen any time soon. I'm just whining.

K and I didn't end up going to see music last night. It was too hot. Instead, we got ice cream and drove around the countryside with our windows down for a while, which turned out to be just the ticket. Tonight we're FINALLY seeing Harry Potter, which I am super excited about, and the rest of the weekend will most likely be spent in a state of blissful relaxation.

Until next time...

:D