weekend frocks {frocktober, day 10+11}

This weekend has been a lot of pizza, make-believe, giggles, dirt, swinging, and laughter. We've been with our nieces the whole time and being with kids changes everything! First and foremost, it's currently 9:32pm as I'm typing this and it feels like straight-up midnight. I don't think I've ever been this tired in my life! When they go to sleep at 8pm I'm barely keeping my eyes open. I applaud anyone who adopts or has twins or anything that causes them to simultaneously gain two toddlers all at once. It is quite a wonderful kind of exhaustion. And we're not even doing it full-time! Needless to say, we are grateful for parents everywhere and also mom, thank you!

What you can't see in these photos are the smears of mud, chalk, pizza sauce, and boogers smeared on my dresses. I am proud to say that these have been the most victorious days of Frocktober to date.

1. Coral Dress: Ruche (remixed 1, 2), Cat Cardigan: LOFT
Star Dress: Ruche

style crush: elle fanning

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Where did she come from, and how did she get so darn cute?

Elle Fanning. Probably one of the most adorable girls in Hollywood.

She's more than just a pretty face, though, and it runs in the family -- her sister Dakota was one of the most beloved child actors, known for her maturity as well as her raw talent. Now both she and Elle are fashionista powerhouses, as well as Hollywood A-listers.

They've even done some similar modeling work, occasionally even working together (for brands such as Marc Jacobs and the Korean jewelry brand J.Estina). 

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Elle is definitely paving her own way, creating an energetic image full of color and smiles.

She also started acting at a very young age, often in roles where she played Dakota Fanning's character at a younger age (her first role was in I Am Sam). 

While "adorable" is often the word to describe the starlet, she has been getting a lot of attention for her risk-taking high fashion choices over the last few years, which are aided by her incredibly long legs. Her modeling career is currently getting a lot of buzz due to her upcoming spot in Miu Miu's 2014 spring campaign, one of her favorite brands. She's quite a force to be reckoned with!

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Sometimes it's hard to believe she's only 15, when she has done so much in both her acting and modeling careers, but she's such a breath of fresh air in both industries. I don't think I've ever seen her without a smile and a giggle.

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Her style is a mixture of her youthful innocence and her intensity! As I said, she's often a risk-taker and I have to admit it's one of my favorite things about her. I try to imagine myself at 13, 14, 15...having no idea what to wear and still in the throes of my tomboyiest of years, still learning about makeup and beginning to crush on boys. 

I adore Elle's bold choices and always love seeing her on the red carpet. 

She's the perfect balance of poise and boldness.

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I couldn't be more pleased with her upcoming role as the first real-life Aurora in Hollywood. The upcoming Sleeping Beauty remake, Maleficent, will only be improved by her presence as the doomed princess. 

There's something about her that's luminous and sincere, and I hope she continues to do great things! I have no doubt that she will.

In the mean time, I'll continue to be inspired by her and her brilliant style. 

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space cadet

I'm gonna try not to completely overdo this, but this is the best dress I've ever owned.

Alright. Now that I've overdone it, I'll go ahead and tell you why.
Somewhere along the way, I became enamored with stars. Probably a very common trait of any adolescent girl, but I'm also sure it had something to do with the incredible night sky at my parent's house in Arizona. Growing  up being very familiar with the big dipper and all its friends was something I adored, and grew to understood the immense beauty of.

When I was 12, one of my best friend's moved away. I remember her plopping down in the grass and looking up at the night sky, saying, "Promise me you'll lie down and look at the stars every chance you get. Promise me you won't ever take this for granted."

Now that we live in Virginia, I know how she felt! Where we live the stars are near impossible to see, except on the clearest of nights. And even then, the lights are usually too bright throughout the city. 

I miss seeing them, and always having them easily seen overhead.

Some things are easily taken for granted, until you no longer have them -- but now, every time I go back to Arizona, I take that time to plop down in the grass and look up at the stars. I keep that promise. 

Dress (shop!): Modcloth, Cardigan: J. Crew

The first time I saw a space/galaxy inspired print on a dress, I was immediately enamored.

I knew someday I would own one, I just wasn't sure what kind it would be. This one from modcloth was the perfect fit, and once I got it (birthday gift, thanks mom!) I knew it was love at first sight.

Other than the fact that the print is absurdly awesome, it's also the softest, silkiest, most amazingly delightful dress I've ever worn. (It also harbors thoughts of things like Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, and other deliciously nerdy things). 

The open back, v-neck, and loose fit are some of my favorite details. I'm quite in love.

To infinity and beyond.

sushi and superman

On thing I've learned this week is that I am so white.

This isn't a racial/Caucasian announcement, obviously I know I've always been white. But my skin is pale right now, guys.

I've never been a super serious tanner, or even a mildly interested tanner. I know that "tanner" means someone who is employed to tan animal skins, but for the sake of this conversation it's going to be a girl who tans herself. 

I've never wanted to spend the money on a monthly tanning bed sort of habit, and though I've spent my fair share of hours by the pool in the sunshine, I've always thought the upkeep was too frustrating.

There's also that whole skin cancer thing, which I think is a pretty big deal.

I'm fine with being milky white, really. But boy, at this point in the year, I think I'm approaching translucent. 

Top: Francesca's (shop!), Shorts: Gianni Bini/Dillard's, Necklace: Cookie Lee, Watch: Fossil

These leather shorts were a winter sale purchase at Dillard's this past Christmas.
I was constantly on the lookout for interesting tights-with-shorts experiments. I never ended up wearing them with tights, but ironically I've worn them twice this spring/summer.
It hasn't really been summery hot yet, so that's probably why. In any case, I love the stars on them and they're funky in a way that I like!
Faux leather is always intriguing to me. Where do you draw the line between a great accent/texture piece and a super weird/tacky piece of clothing? I guess it all just boils down to each individual person and their tastes.
Speaking of tastes - I went on a hunt for a vest this afternoon (mostly because of this outfit worn by Mara on M Loves M) and I think I found the perfect one. I can't wait for these next few weeks, as I'm going to be embarking on another closet challenge, which I'll post about later.

Last night we went on a fantastic date night to see the new Superman movie, Man of Steel.
We're both suckers for comic book and super hero movies, so we couldn't help but hop off to the theaters on opening day for this new one! (And I couldn't help but dress to match - red and blue it is!)
Beforehand we went to our favorite sushi spot, so it became a theme date - Sushi and Superman.

Needless to say, it was a great evening! I love date nights!

Stay tuned for the rest of June - I've decided on a summer challenge! I posted yesterday about trying to find a new challenge, so here it is: for the next 15 days, I'm going to be taking 15 different items from my closet, and compiling a different outfit for every day using only those items! Wish me luck!