tick tock

 

December is arguably the nation's most favorite month of the year.
It's a month of holidays, winter flavors, cold weather, glitter, comfy sweaters, good cheer, family, magic, gifts, parties, fireworks, well wishes and resolutions.

It's also the month that speeds by the fastest! It all seems to go by in a shimmery blur.
This year is really strange for us. It's the first Christmas ever we'll be spending away from Arizona. Luckily my husband's family is coming to visit us, but we've decided not to exchange presents this year (which has made it a lot easier on us, because we would have to ship them all).
I'm finding myself in a panic because it's so close to Christmas and normally around this time I'm busily shopping and planning and getting ready to fly home.
But this year, it's peaceful. Simple. Strange. 

Dress: Ruche, Jeans: Target, Boots: DSW
Scarf: Gifted, Necklace: Thrifted

We're still stuck in the thick of finals season, but by Friday we'll be home free to enjoy the crispness of holiday festivities. I'm extremely excited! I'm not sure what we'll do when it's finally over -- we only have one semester left here, so it feels like a really big milestone to be done with our very last December finals.
A party is in order, definitely. But whether that "party" means going out for a fancy steak dinner and seeing Frozen again or staying at home in our pajamas for three days straight remains to be seen.

Speaking of pajamas, this dress is basically pajamas.
I bought it on super sale ($10) from Ruche back in September, and it was one of those S/M or M/L sizes that is always a gamble. It's way too big on me, but it feels like going to work on a cloud.
Simultaneously, I feel like a Greek goddess because the sleeves are twice as long as my arms and oh-so-flowy.
A dress with that kind of comfort combo has to be treasured, despite the too-long sleevage.

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?

in good company

This past week has been a dream.
Whenever my parents/family/friends come into town, it always feels a little like we're just playing house. Our life here goes on pause for a little while, and everything is off kilter in a fun and happy way.
We go out to eat almost every night, showcasing our favorite local eats, we drive around town, we go see movies and have breakfast and drink coffee... and our mini apartment becomes a fort with spare beds and dishes and suitcases. It's chaotic and wonderful.

Dress: Ruche (similar), Blazer: LOFT, Shoes: Blowfish,
Ring: Vintage, Bangle: Cookie Lee

It definitely makes it really hard on us when they leave, though. Everything is quiet and clean and we sit around going, okay...so how does this go again?



























I wore this outfit to work last week. I love this dress. It's beachy, or maybe carnival-y, and I always tend to reach for it when I'm feeling happy and colorful. It's definitely a summertime dress (although I did wear it for my October birthday this past year, because I was feeling happy and colorful then, too.)
The ring is one I stumbled upon in my little ring box; my mom gave it to me a while ago, along with some other jewelry she's had for a while. I enjoy wearing jewelry that used to be hers, because it feels like it still is hers and I'm just borrowing it, and maybe someday I'll let my daughter borrow it, too.



This may be the hardest year we've had to face in Virginia and being away from home, but there's also so much to look forward to. I have a pretty good feeling that when we move back to Arizona after Dusty graduates and takes the bar, all of this will feel like a dream. A really wonderful dream that we'll never get to return to -- so every day is going to be wonderful.

I wish there was a way to know you're in the good ol days,

before you've actually left them.

-Andy Bernard, The Office

Tonight we're off to another great dinner spot, The Dahlia, and then we're off to Cleveland for the weekend.

I'll continue living in a dream until Monday - but I'll try and find some way to feel happy and colorful once they leave, too.

mixing prints: springtime

April has been passing by at an alarming rate.
The weather has been somewhat confusing, teasing spring but sneaking in some leftover winter.

I finally begin to get excited about spring trends and floral prints and cute dresses, and I walk outside and the cold wind takes me completely by surprise.
I should probably just make a habit of double checking the weather (a weather app with a Wind dial is especially valuable for dress-wearing!).

In any case, this outfit was the perfect solution for the uninvited cold day we had on Tuesday.
It had some of my favorite spring colors, including a vibrant floral print, as well as a cute dress I picked up in London in March.

Dress/Scarf: Primark in London, Belt: Ruche, Pants: Vera Wang (similar) via Kohl's (remixed, remixed), Shoes/Cardigan: gifted

I love mixing prints.
It always feels a bit daring and even a bit crazy, but every once in a while I'll see two things hanging in my closet that somehow seem destined for one another.
This outfit was kind of a great accident.

I look forward to wearing this dress on fun summer weekends, walking downtown or visiting nearby towns to go shopping.
It has cute cut-outs on the side, and has an irresistible vintage feel to it.
Also, the print is so pretty and is neutral enough to have a lot of remix potential.
It reminds me of Fox and the Hound and Where the Red Fern Grows, or the kind of old wallpaper I used to love to look at; my grandma had this great vintage wallpaper in one of her guest rooms, that had all these hidden treasures to find, like magnifying glasses and maps and glasses. I love the details of a print like this.

I've been a little daring with my wardrobe all week, layering pieces I've never layered before and trying out new dresses with odd combinations.
Today I'm wearing a dress on top of a dress.
So who knows what the future holds!