a few moments {frocktober, day 15}

Shift Dress (shop!), Lace Slip (shop!): Ruche

Last night my husband and I were walking up the stairs to get ready to go on a date night, and I caught a glimpse of the glowing rays of sunset in the reflection of a large wall mirror. We both ran outside and stood, transfixed, in the backyard.

Another great blessing of living with my parents for a while is that they have a rather phenomenal desert view. My mom is a horse trainer, and they built this house way before anyone else was living way out there. It's the house I grew up in. They have a lot of land and live nestled up against what I have always called "my mountain". Someday I'll figure out what the mountain is actually called. If it doesn't have a name, I'm petitioning the city for "Mt. Cait". 

The crazy wonderful thing about sunsets (and really any sensational display of creation) is that you absolutely cannot capture it. You cannot replicate it. There is no exact replica of a sunset. My husband once said, Wouldn't that be funny if God did that on purpose? Made it absolutely impossible to ever perfectly capture the wonders of the world. Which is why we travel. We have to see it for ourselves.

He said it jokingly but it's kind of true. Because the first thing the two of us did when we saw this sunset was run out and whip out our phones to capture it. Yet, ever elusive, the intimate hues and intricate patterns were completely absent from our attempted reproductions. 

Moments like that demand presence. Those details will only be there for a few moments. The subtle rainbow of sky, that blinding gold which subtly turns into orange, then green, then purple, then blue, on and on into eternity. Your memory is the experience. 

The photos are just a blurry reference to bring it all back to mind. Because seeing a sunset is much more than the colors and the textures and the light. It's also the other senses: the sounds of horses whinnying and padding the ground, birds chirping. The feel of 80 degrees. 

This dress is the perfect accessory to such a stunning sunset vista. It has jumped very high on my list of favorites. It's so pretty! I bought it with some birthday money, along with this navy lace-trimmed slip that I decided to layer underneath it. Slips like this are a great way to add some extra length to some of those favorite shorter dresses. I did the same thing last year with a black vintage slip I bought at a local shop.

Speaking of vintage, I stumbled upon an old bright teal glitter eyeliner in an old makeup bag last night and, of course, wasted no time in applying it. My lashes were sparkling silver.
The downside of finding this eyeliner is that it brought back the recollection that I think I originally bought it for Valentine's Day, circa 1999, when I was also going to be donning a hot pink leopard button-up. I can't really talk about that version of myself. (Although I'll be honest: she's kind of my favorite. Work it, ya little weirdo). 

Before we left on our date I also raided my new Birchbox, and applied my sample of a bright purple lipstick. So my face was VERY colorful and I was loving every second of it. 

I guess I haven't really changed that much after all. :)

If any of you are interested in trying out Birchbox, you can use my link here to sign up! 

It's only $10/month for women. You create a beauty profile and they send you a personalized monthly package of samples for all kinds of fun goodies like fragrance, skin care, hair care, nail polish, accessories, snacks, etc.! It's such a fun way to discover new products. You'll love it!

the vintage slip

Vintage has been a cherished theme and idea for pretty much my entire teenage years/adulthood.

Vintage weddings, parties, clothes, dishes, decor. Antiques. 

Perhaps it stems from that long-time love of all things Jane Austen, and the generation that fell in love with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy is finally growing up and getting married and decorating things. 

It could also just be the inevitable infatuation with nostalgia, which every generation seems to have in common. (I will always love you, 90's.)

Some bloggers out there are experts at thrifting and shopping vintage clothing and accessories.

I must confess that I have little to no experience in this area, mostly because I have trouble not knowing the history of an item -- in some cases it can be romantic, like a chipped china teacup or a bit of lace trim. 

But with clothes, I'm always nervous and my most germophobic self comes out in all its irrational glory. 

I have no idea where that item has been...I seem to recall some incident where I tried on an old hat once, and someone yelled at me that it could have lice in it, for all I knew. Maybe I was traumatized?

Whatever the cause for my aversion to vintage clothing, I finally had a must-have moment in an antique store. For a slip, of all things.

I've seen this trend, where a particularly fancy lace-trimmed slip is used to achieve a lengthened skirt, or to simply add some flair. Ruche has a nice collection of slips to choose from, and their winter lookbook Once Upon a Time even featured an outfit with one.

When I saw the vintage slip for a mere $9, I couldn't help myself. I had to get it!
It was something I had been wanting to try, but couldn't bring myself to spend a lot of money on.
I was surprised by how much I loved the way it turned out.
What do you think? Would you wear a vintage slip?