Thoughts from the Sidewalk

Lyrics from: "Nightswimming," R.E.M.

Put me in, Coach

Dress: Connected Apparel;

Hat: Scala Pronto;

Belt: vintage, Highland & Ponce 

(Calivintage giveaway);

Shoes: gift, from Philippines;

Bag: Fossil, thrifted.

I was never a team sports kind of girl growing up. I was incredibly shy and more of the academic, bookworm type. My two-year stint in rec cheerleading ended in eighth grade when I realized that high school cheering involved acrobatics that I knew my limbs would never be able to perform, and that, because of my size at the time, I would always be cajoled into being at the top of the pyramid, which was always a terrifying prospect. I got dropped once and refused to let my teammates hold my legs up again. It's hard to trust your weight (and life) in the teeny arms of 13-year-olds.

Mostly though, I spent my adolescent free time on the sidelines. My younger brother and sister did many team sports through soccer and baseball, so I was the older sibling who tagged along whenever she had nothing better to do on a weeknight. I'd usually bring a book or a notebook and sketch or write Harriet-the-Spy-esque observations down ("Gosh, these coaches are soooo loud. Who cares if Bobby hits the ball off the tee? Big freakin' whoop.") I thought my jots were so deep at the time. One time I spied on a player's mom in the same stands and looked over her shoulder at her own notebook. She was writing a poem about how disconnected she felt to the team mom experience and how absurd it all was sometimes. I felt a kinship to her, even if I never said so at the time.

But those afternoons were always great, because sometimes I could convince my mom and dad to buy me sunflower seeds or Sour Punch candy straws from the concession stand. And when I got bored of writing and reading, I had to find other ways to amuse myself at the park, which generally consisted of writing my name in the dust on empty fields or hanging upside down on the monkey bars. I sometimes played in the small woods nearby until it was time to leave the glow of the stadium lights.

So I guess when I saw this empty field, I just couldn't resist taking my outfit photos there. I grew up in this sport, even if I didn't play it.

"Mad Men" links: Season 4 Episode 6

The Waldorf Stories, image via AMC

Many apologies for the dearth of "Mad Men" posts the last couple weeks, friends. Here are some links to catch you up to speed on the show!

- Recaps abound: Here's what happened last night via NY Mag, Television without Pity, Slate and Entertainment Weekly.

- In case you missed the Emmys Sunday, "Mad Men" won Best Drama for the third year in a row! Here's Jon Hamm bootydancing with Betty White in the opening dance number.

- Emmy gowns: And here are some photos of January Jones, Christina Hendricks and Elisabeth Moss all dressed up.

- Are the show's writers retconning the amount of time Roger and Joan's affair lasted? Basket of Kisses has a theory.

- Tom and Lorenzo have analyzed the style in Week 5's episode, as well as the sartorial choices of neighbor Francine.

- College Humor envisions what Don Draper's college orientation would be like. [via Basket of Kisses]

- Ever think those "On the next episode" previews are a little too vague? They're now getting parodied.

- This is an old interview but a goodie: Tom and Lorenzo talk to Deborah Lacy, who plays Carla on the show. One of the most fascinating characters on "Mad Men."

- And finally, Pete practically invented the smug look, and here's a tumblog devoted to his bitchy faces. [via Jezebel]

Literal R.E.M.

Hat: Scala Pronto;

Top: H&M;

Shorts: Abercrombie & Fitch;

Bag: Fossil, thrifted;

Socks: Marshall's;

Shoes: Nine West, gift.

Oh boy, so I've been waiting to do this post forever and I'm so excited to tell you about it.

 I'm standing on hallowed ground in these pictures -- well, sacred for alternative rock lovers. The steeple behind me is where R.E.M. played their first show ever 30 years ago. The church used to be St. Mary's Episcopal, and at the time the band played and practiced songs there, it was already a dilapidated site and no longer used for church functions (more info here). What remains now is a beautiful Gothic-style steeple. R.E.M. formed in Athens and still has musical roots here -- they have band offices downtown and some members live around town.

So as a fan, I wanted to reflect some musical inspiration in my sartorial choices Saturday night. I decided what better way to pay tribute to a band than to wear an outfit inspired by one of their music videos? I dressed up with "Man on the Moon" in mind. Lots of black and white, and a straw hat. I took some liberties by making brown my standout color.

This shoot actually was difficult. The logistics of the steeple weren't easy -- it's surrounded by a parking lot and an apartment complex, so I've had to drive by several times during different times of the day to figure out when it wouldn't be as crowded either. Totally worth it, though.

This isn't my best outfit, but this one was the most fun to experiment with. If you are a longtime reader of this blog, then you'll know that I spend a lot of time in dresses and bright colors. But if there's anytime to try new things, it's the weekend. It was fun to try separates, and research R.E.M. videos and try to have what I wear be representative of their art. Who knows, I may do another daily style tribute again.

 Do you ever draw sartorial inspiration from bands and their music videos?

What's in my bag: August edition

  

I like doing these periodic "What's in My Bag" posts, because it definitely changes with the seasons and life changes. So here we go:

- Bag: Fossil crossbody bag, thrifted

- Cell phone

- Keys: includes keychains from Camp Rainey Mountain, Empire State Building and the Space and Rocket Center

- Lip stuff: Clinique Buttershine Lipstick in Fresh Watermelon, Long Last Glosswear in Clearly Pink and Juicy Apple

- Hand sanitizer dispenser

- Photos from the photobooth with Jeremiah (at Dawgs After Dark)

- Moleskine notebook full of outfit ideas

- Vintage thrifted cat-eye sunglasses

- Abas full frame clutch wallet (from the Orchids in Buttonholes  giveaway-- thank you, Sara!)

What's in your bag, dear readers? Happy Sunday!

Hawaiian punch

Dress: Sag Harbor, thrifted.

Shoes: Aerosoles;

Bag: Fossil, thrifted;

Headband: gift, from Philippines.

Sorry I've taken the last couple days off from blogging. There hasn't been much going on and my last couple outfits weren't much to write home about anyways.

I've been struggling to find a new photo place for my outfits -- a couple that have been on my mind haven't worked the few times I've visited. There is one in particular that I realllly want to show you all, but it's unfortunately surrounded by parking spaces and sometimes cars. So back to the park I've gone. When I went there today, a tree had fallen into the wooden bridge from the thunderstorms this week and some of its branches had stabbed right through the bridge. Half the tree was in the path and the other half was dangling precariously over the bridge, like some "Final Destination" death-trap device waiting to happen.

This dress was a fun and recent thrift find -- I was drawn to its bright bold colors and floral print. It actually reminds me of a shortened muumuu. I know muumuus aren't that fashionable but in this case I really like it. Since our honeymoon last year in Honolulu, I've been dying to go back (I'd move there in a heartbeat), but for now I'll settle for kicky printed dresses. This one is the right length for me but it's a bit too big in the top area -- I'm thinking about taking it in to make it more ladylike. The first photo almost got relegated to the bloopers because I forgot to take my ipod headphones for the photo, but I decided to keep it in anyways.

What are your weekend plans?

Thoughts from the Sidewalk

Lyrics from "Honey and the Moon," Joseph Arthur.

Time for rebirth

Dress: Sangria;

Belt: Ann Taylor Loft;

Shoes: from Philippines, gift;

Bracelet: found in my couch cushions,

unknown origins.

How I've worn the dress before: here.

Okay, more farm park photos. This will be one of the last times for awhile, for real. We had to go back to the old apartment to clean up, and we went to trivia afterwards. It's taking a lot longer than I thought it would to move, what with our small cars and smaller car loads. It's okay. Every time we go back to the old neighborhood, I'm reminded of how much this is going to be a good move for us. It seems like the time we lived there was ages ago.


I really love this dress. It reminds me of tree bark, or peacock feathers. The red belt just pops against the dark pattern. I felt pretty put together while moving boxes.

Technicolor evenings

Dress: Spense;

Scarf (as belt): H&M;

Bracelet: Kohl's, gift;

Shoes: from Philippines, gift.

Very quick post because as I'm writing this Monday night, Jeremiah and I are about to head out for food and drinks. Just wanted to point out there are some ripples behind me in the water -- a couple of dogs were swimming in the lake as their human family looked on. The park was busy last night and I found myself having to wait for my usual spot. As much as I like this new place, it may be time to finally explore different parts of town! I'm actually very excited about this.

I love this orange dress -- it's so very summer and Technicolor. I'm feeling very experimental with scarves lately, past my usual triangle-around-the-neck wears, so I think this will manifest itself very soon in outfit posts.

Cerulean fields

Dress: R & K Apparel;
Hat: Scala Pronto;

Shoes: from Philippines, gift.

How I've worn the dress before: here.

It's a shame that I haven't worn this dress since The Dress Project, because it's definitely a dress that evokes summertime. I love the little sweetheart neckline to it, and this is one of my favorites because it's a pretty romantic piece.

Surprise, surprise, I got to take some photos at the farm park this weekend, so that was a nice little treat for me. Sunday was a really busy day because Jeremiah and I made another go of it at the other apartment to get some loads of stuff. It's amazing how much you can accumulate in a tinnny apartment over the course of a year. We've been doing the move a little slowly because we're trying to settle over here in Athens, and we still have the lease on the other apartment until the end of August. I wore this dress during some of the moving, and since I didn't have time to style my hair, I just shoved it all under my straw hat. Gotta love little accessories that help you look put together even when you're not!

How was your weekend?

Thoughts from the Sidewalk

Lyrics from "Scar Tissue," Red Hot Chili Peppers 

(and one of my favorite songs)

Wanna know a secret?

Dress: Talbots, thrifted;

Shoes: from Philippines, gift;

Bag: Fossil, thrifted;

Bracelet: Aloha Stadium,

Honolulu, HI;

Belt: Ann Taylor Loft.

Photos by Jeremiah.

Wanna know a secret? I did the tally in my head, and I think this entire outfit, the whole shebang, cost me about $14. It goes something like this: Dress- $5; Bracelet: $4; Bag: $2; Belt: $3, and the shoes and camisole were gifts, though I'm sure they didn't cost very much either. Not all of my outfits end up being this cheap, but it does put things in perspective. About a year ago, I made the switch to do primarily thrift and vintage shopping (about 80 percent of my personal clothing purchases come from a thrift store) and it has definitely helped in terms of keeping costs down.

Anyways, I've worn this dress three times this week at three different events: meeting up with friends, eating dinner with Jeremiah and running errands. Gingham is just a great summer print and I'm trying to get all my wears in before it gets super cold. Plus, this dress has pockets, which is just so practical. I wore this the exact same way last time, but I really like this outfit and it is just too comfy not to try it again.

In other news, since the middle of June, I've become the principal photographer for my outfit photos, because I've increasingly gotten more comfortable with my tripod. So on days like Friday, when I forget my tripod at home, sometimes it's hard to hand over the reins to someone else. Don't get me wrong, I think Jeremiah is great, but I think I've become more self-conscious in front of the camera when someone else takes photos. Like I know how to pose with a tripod, but when someone else is there, holding the camera at a different height, I suddenly clam up. Any of you self-photographers have this problem?

Hope you all are having a fab weekend. Jeremiah and I went to Dawgs after Dark last night, which is an on-campus festival the university throws every month. It's based around a theme, and the whole reason it's thrown is because the university wants to discourage too much underage drinking, ie, give more Friday night options to underclassmen. Jeremiah and I are of drinking age and do partake in going downtown every once in awhile, but sometimes we like doing this event because there are a lot of fun things going on -- games, prizes and good food! I mean, it's fun to be a kid again sometimes. Last night's theme was "Las Vegas," so there were casino games, Elvis impersonators and a hypnotist. Watching a bunch of people totally convinced that they've just lost their belly buttons was a great start to my weekend.

Featured: Alltumbledown's "Best Practices"

Happy Friday afternoon, everyone!

In case you missed it, the lovely Nina from alltumbledown featured me in her "Best Practices" post. The inception came from Nina reading fashion magazines and realizing they focused mostly on the things women do bad when they dress, and how the magazines feature products that will supposedly help us be better. Read what Nina considers her own best practices in her daily style, and see what other bloggers had to say as well!

Some outtakes

For this Friday, I thought I'd share some outtakes photos from my daily posts. The photos span over the last summer, so many of you will recognize the farm park. I don't want you to think that I have only a few photos because I never take bad photos (ha!), but it's mainly because I usually delete them as soon as I upload them to my computer. Enjoy!:

 

Goofing off for my sister during the Fourth of July party at my mom's house. I have no idea why I thought this face was a good idea. Also it looks like some weird funhouse mirror thing is going on with my legs, because they look oddly inverted or something.

Sometimes I'm easily distracted by helicopters flying overhead.

This was my reaction to Jeremiah saying, "Stop! It's Hammer time!" Haha.

An attempt to look contemplative/cute and instead looking like I'm ready to eat/sniff the leaf.

Jeremiah loved taking this one photo-op shot at the farm park...sigh.

Hope you have a happy Friday!