miss tabby

Skirt (shop!), Denim (similar!), Sunnies (shop on sale!): Ruche 

Road trip style!

This past Friday we hopped in the car as soon as I finished work to head to sunny California. 

(Although for this trip, it was kind of a foggy, drizzly California).

I have a love affair with cutesie, ditsy, quirky prints.

It's a part of who I am, some innate desire to love on and wear the most bizarre and wonderful pieces of printed clothing. I love print mixing.

Dresses covered in apples or birds or other fair creatures are so colorful and full of personality, and I love being able to display my love for whimsy through my clothing. 

When I saw this skirt there was an immediate spark of attraction, and the rest was history. We were meant to be. 

When a man loves cats, I am his friend and comrade,

without further introduction.

- Mark Twain

I'm also a total cat lady, which made this particular skirt even more irresistible.

If the movie Aristocats was a skirt, this would be it. It's jazzy and sweet and and fun, you can practically hear the music. Everybody wants to be a cat. 

It's comfy and the perfect length for work. I love that it has pockets, too!

My first thought when buying this skirt was that I cannot wait to figure out different combinations to wear with it. I think normally with statement pieces like this, people stick with a pretty basic ensemble, like I did. Something neutral. I really like the idea of tucking a thin chambray button-up into the skirt, or maybe even trying a brighter color on top. 

My next challenge for myself when wearing this skirt is to stay away from only wearing white or black -- this skirt is too delightful to only be worn once or twice. 

hello, hello

Dress (remixed, remixed, remixed): Ruche (similar, similar), 
Top (remixed): Modcloth, Earrings: from Venice

Since March 1st was my last blog post, I'm going to acknowledge my embarrassing lack of blogging last month! I can't believe it's already a solid week into April.

Quick update on my life: our trip to Italy was amazing, pizza and pasta will never be the same. We came home and took a weekend road trip to North Carolina with some friends, then celebrated the upcoming end of law school with our Barrister's Ball. Some of our best friends from college visited for a week and we spent the weekend with them in DC, and this past weekend we celebrated my husband's 25th birthday!

All in all, March was good to us. It was a month too busy and thriving to even blog about, but I'll attempt to play catch-up over the next few weeks while we start wrapping our minds around the fact that we're moving back to Arizona next month. 

Until I get my act back together, may I just say hello, how are you, how have you been?
It's so nice to see you again.

color me in critters

Dress (remixed)(shop!): Ruche, Sweater (remixed)(shop!): JCPenney

Day 20: I realized when I was compiling this week's posts that my Sunday and Monday outfits consisted of a very similar color pattern!
I guess I was feeling cheerful after a brilliant Saturday night at the fair, and a Sunday spent at Chapel Hill with our friends. They showed us around their old college stomping grounds.
It was especially chilly, so we cozied up and went to a cute little breakfast place for coffee and waffles. Then we walked around the beautiful campus and enjoyed listening to their stories and memories.
Something about college days just resonates with me - maybe it's just that way for every graduate. But I loved hearing the details they remembered, like being able to make it to class at a sprint in 3 minutes flat, or where they spent their first date.
There's an odd sense of pride in being alumni, in having belonged to a specific community...one that continues to have a legacy that you're able to be a part of. There's a kind of nostalgia there that I can definitely relate to.

Day 21: I finally succumbed to Dusty's cold, and we have thus spent the week wanting nothing more than to be home, eating soup, in our pajamas.
But since that's not always an option, I stuck to my guns and still wore a dress. Layering with tights, a loose sweater-wannabe top and a scarf helped calm my pajama cravings, and we opted for going on a little double date night at Olive Garden for soup instead!
I pretty much always/only get soup at Olive Garden, so it totally hit the spot.

Dress (remixed): Ruche, Top: LOFT, scarf/earrings: gifted

I'm finding a renewed passion in scarves this fall. I don't think I've ever truly explored the many ways to use them, and I get lost on Pinterest looking at all the different ideas.
It's kind of like the time I realized you could knot and twist belts around your waist, rather than just buckling them. It brings a whole new dynamic to such a simple accessory.

Scarves are often one of those things I forget to use, style wise. I might wear them out of necessity, like in Paris or somewhere truly cold, but every time I see an outfit I really love with a great pop of color from a plaid or floral scarf I remember: oh right! I have a bunch of those. I should wear them.
And this one's extra great because it's a pop of color and a bit of sparkle.

frocktober days

Frocktober is still in full swing over here!

I've been getting behind on posting my outfits every day, so I decided to do a combo post of days 13-16. 

We've been a very happy kind of busy over here!

As you know, last weekend we went to Richmond to see Needtobreathe in concert, and this weekend has been even more eventful!

We had fun double dates, some of our favorite friends moved back into town (completely surprising us at a coffee shop with the news), and we went on a weekend trip to the North Carolina State Fair!

I still have some catching up to do this coming week, but it has been a wonderful few days!

 Day 13: Dress (remixed): LOFT, Jacket/Earrings/Shoes: Gifted

I love animal prints of every kind, but this cat dress is definitely one of my favorites.
I tend to reach for it in the Fall, probably because of the deep color and easy layering possibilities. I also love that it has pockets!

Day 14: Dress (remixed): Zulily, Boots (shop!): Urbanog, Sweater: Target (remixed)

My birthday wishlist this year was very boot-heavy. I wanted a collection of colored booties so I could pretty much live in boots for the next 6 months. So far, so good!
I love these grey cowboy booties. I'm really excited to have this new neutral to reach for on boot days!
If you haven't visited Urbanog, I would highly recommend it. It's my go-to for booties, definitely. Occasionally I also find some great flats, and they definitely have a crazy selection of weird platform shoes that remind me of Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century (anyone? anyone?) but go straight to the boot section and you won't be disappointed. They sometimes even have shoes and styles from my favorite boutiques, but at much better prices!

Day 15: Dress: LOFT, Necklace (shop!): Ruche

I've had a secret dislike for turtlenecks for many years -- trying to figure out how to fold the neck so it doesn't bunch awkwardly, or stand straight up like a strange giraffe costume, was always my struggle. But something changed in me last year.
Not sure when exactly it happened -- although it might have been this outfit post.
This is actually the only turtleneck I own, because it's the only one I have held on to over the years. It's such a subtle neck, and doesn't bunch awkwardly because it's perfectly ruffled - and is really soft and perfect for layering. I guess I had never really realized turtlenecks are so perfect for layering, but I definitely wore this every day in London and Paris!
I'll definitely be looking for more turtlenecks this winter!

 Day 16: Dress: Bought in London, Boots: Urbanog, Jeans: Forever21

I'm looking forward to the weather continually getting cooler so I can layer more!
Only 11 days left of Frocktober. This month has been speeding by, and I'm not quite ready for all the festivities to end. :)
Look for more Frocktober updates from the last few days, and hopefully I'll be back up-to-date by next weekend!

in the woods

I love gifted clothes. I love the thought of picking something out specifically for someone else to wear. 

Likewise, I love when people pick out things specifically for me to wear!

Clothes and accessories, like jewelry, are somewhat personal - so when someone takes the time (or happens to have a flash of ohmygosh they would love that! while shopping), I really appreciate it and tend to treasure it. 

Occasionally I even do so if I don't even like the item that much...which probably isn't the greatest thing to do, but I can't help but be grateful and appreciative of such a sweet gift, even if it isn't necessarily my style or something I would have picked out for myself. 

That is not the case with this Anthropologie fox top, however!

I would have absolutely picked this out for myself, and I couldn't even wait to wear it until after Frocktober.
My husband's brother and sister-in-law saw it in Anthropologie and knew I would love it!
I built a dress outfit specifically around this shirt, and it happened to also include the fabulous orange tights my best friend got for me, too!

Top (shop!): Anthropologie, Dress: old/gifted, Earrings (shop on sale!): Ruche

I love the scoop/button-up back, and it comes in some really cute alternative critter-themed prints and colors!
But of course, foxes are my favorite. :)