Flash of green

  

Not too much to say today, so I thought I'd let my photos from Friday speak for themselves. Brevity is the soul of wit, right?

Dress: Spencer Jeremy, vintage, thrifted; Sweater: LOFT;

Trench: Banana Republic, gift from mom; Boots: Target;

Blouse: Ann Taylor, thrifted; Tights: Simply Vera;

Earrings: from Costa Rica, gift from my BFF Liz.

Remixed: LOFT ruffle sweater

This sweater was purchased with some leftover Christmas money last year, and it's been a favorite neutral piece ever since. I think its ruffles have inspired me to go with more romantic combinations in the last year, as I've primarily paired it with floral dresses.

Treasured: Charm necklace

I'm not much for the look and upkeep of charm bracelets (too jangly for my tastes), but I do like the idea of customizing high-and-low jewelry for personal milestones. The blue stone is from my mother, the garnet hearts are from Jeremiah, and the horseshoe is a Target piece that I bought for myself. When I wear it, I'm always reminded of family and love, and the plans that I have for myself.

How I've worn it.

Light as a feather

 Dress: Hannah Hardy, vintage, thrifted; 

Jacket: Aeropostale, thrifted; Boots: Target; Tights: Simply Vera;

Skeleton keys necklace: vintage, from Minx.

When I was 12, I had a couple neighborhood girl friends who were really into the movie "The Craft." You know, that movie starring Neve Campbell and Fairuza Balk about teen witches who realize they actually can invoke magic to do whatever they want until it starts to backfire (Come to think of it, it was the late 90s mash-up of "Heathers" and "Now & Then"). I kind of identified with the plot, feeling like an outsider in middle school. I got into that phase too, and spent the better part of 6th grade skittering between our treehouses reading up on spells (the love kind featured in teen magazines at the time), mixing things that looked suspiciously like potpourri, and developing an interest in amulets and candles. 

I didn't see much in the way of magic that year. I ended up doing rec cheerleading the following summer.

So remembering all of this makes me squirm a little, in the kind of queasiness you might get when re-read old yearbook signings that include cheesy acronyms and inside jokes that you no longer understand. Because you realize that your younger self was actually young and wide-eyed, despite wanting to desperately believe that you were already a hardened, infallible old soul at that age.

I think my 12-year-old self would covet this outfit. It's slightly grungy, and the skeleton keys I recently found seemed otherworldly.

So even though I'd rather not be in that pre-teen's proverbial sneakers again,  I  like paying homage to that time of my life, where orange soda, movies and twirling around with girl friends in a treehouse was the answer to Friday night boredom.

Spill: What would your 13-year-old self be wearing?

Happy Friday,

Murmur

 Dress: vintage, thrifted; Sweater, boots: LOFT; 

Tights: Simply Vera; Pocket watch necklace: Waltham.

 Photos of me by Jeremiah.

One of my favorite things about Athens is the amount of cool places to take photos. Sunday was a great day because Jeremiah and I finally took photos in one my favorite sites, the Murmur trestle.

It's an old railroad trestle that's deteriorated inside of one of the town's parks, and it's so dilapidated that it leads to nowhere. It's kind of a stark contrast to the natural tranquility of the park, and it's a reminder of Athens' historical roots. It became well-known back in the 1980s when REM used it on the cover of their "Murmur" album. REM hails from Athens, and the band used a lot of local sites for their musical projects (the church steeple, which I've featured here before, is where they played their first show; and the Georgia Theatre is a place where they filmed and played a lot of their shows).

Just about every year, there are talks of razing the steeple and the trestle, because of their deterioration and lack of public funds to maintain them. Because of this, I have tried to make a concerted effort to take photos at each place, because they really are quirky little pieces of music history in this town.

I repeated my birthday outfit this weekend when I failed to take photos of it on my actual day. This vintage dress was one of the reasons I broke the 30 for 30 Challenge shopping ban (and at $3, I wasn't upset about it).  Its print reminds me of the photoshoot in the cotton field. It was a really cloudy day on Sunday, but I love that Jeremiah was able to capture these photos -- the color setting is a little off because of the grey day, but its appearance gives them a bit of a haunting quality, perhaps?


So obviously, I've got a fondness for the music scene/history of this city. What's your favorite interesting piece of trivia about your town? 

Featured: My Closet in Sketches

Exciting day -- the talented Lauren from My Closet in Sketches did an awesome illustration of one of my outfits!

I've been obsessed with Lauren's blog for a while now -- I love her eclectic wardrobe combinations and her beautiful illustrations of each outfit. What's really cool is that she shares the story behind each piece in her illustration, whether it was found from her travels or lovingly borrowed from her chic grandmother's closet. All of these little tales help create themes for her daily wear, and Lauren shows just how versatile clothing can become, as she's a master at mixing colors, textiles and patterns. 

When she did a sketch of one of my 30 for 30 outfits, I was really honored -- it's kind of like being immortalized in ink much like a comic book superhero. Here's the original photo:

Check out more of Lauren's sketches and closet tales here!

Tinted realities

Sweater: Faded Glory; Scarf: H&M; Wool blouse: vintage, thrifted;

Wool pants: J. McLaughlin, salvaged from Aunt P.; 

Aviators: BR, from Marilou; Boots: Target.

It was so cool to see so many bloggers participate in Everybody, Everywear yesterday in the Breton stripes challenge! So much inspiration in one place, and it was fun to discover some new reads, too.

This was one of those outfits from the weekend that made me feel like James Dean. I'm not sure why I never seem to take photos of my sunglasses, because I wear a pair every time. This pair is a present from Marilou -- she sent me a package full of so many Christmas goodies and gifts that I'm still going through it all, hehe.

I'm about to head out the door to do some work, but stay tuned for a collaboration later today. It involves illustrations and someone named Lauren! Hope that keeps you guessing ... :)

The Breton Stripes agreement

 Black sweater: Target, gift from Rachel;
Geometric tie blouse (underneath): NY&Co.;

Pleated dress (as skirt): Elie Tahari, salvaged from Aunt P.; 

Bracelet: Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI; Belt: LOFT; Moccasins: Minnetonka.

I decided to participate in Everybody, Everywear's Breton stripes day and don my favorite black sweater. The weather was so nice on Monday that I didn't need tights or a coat, and so I played up the nautical theme by wearing my pleated Elie Tahari dress, which was recently salvaged from Jeremiah's Aunt P. I feel like such a teaser, not showing you the rest of the dress, but I promise I will when it's warmer to go out without sleeves. It's very second season Betty Draper on "Mad Men" with a little bit of Reese Witherspoon in "Cruel Intentions."

Here are a few ways I've worn this black sweater before:

What are your favorite ways to remix your stripes? And be sure to check out some more striped looks at Everybody, Everywear here!