Let's Converse (About Converse!)

Oh, hai guys. I've missed you! Mark and I quickly snapped these photos on our way home after having dinner with friends. We were chasing the daylight a bit.

WARNING: I LOOK LIKE AN ASS IN THE FOLLOWING PHOTOS because I don't know how to prop myself on a ledge. I figured the outtakes would make good fodder this time around.

Outfit: Dress and denim jacket, H&M (old); pins and shoes, thrifted.

Anyway, isn't it weird some of the trivial stuff that you remember from years ago? Well, the way I got these shoes is kinda like that.

I was a freshman in college, shopping at Goodwill on the South Side with some new friends, when I found this score for $4. (For those of you keeping score at home, this happened almost nine years ago.) I always had imagined having the quintessential pair of canvas Converse shoes of my own, but never around to buying them.

A lot of my college friends I had then liked shopping at Urban Outfitters. Clearance racks were all I could really scrounge there, so finding something that could easily sell there for 10 times what I paid at the thrift store made me euphoric. I can't say these are shoes that I wear often, but I haven't ever had the heart to get rid of them because it reminds me of a time that a thrift store find made me feel like I fit in.

In my life, I've rarely had situations where I've felt I could relate to others. I always felt misunderstood.

I recently unearthed these from my closet, and all of those thoughts came back to me. I also thought, wow, how timeless Converse really are! These things never go out of style, huh?

Hope to be seeing more of you all on the blogosphere soon.

I've Got Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

The more I play around with fashion, the more I realize I dress to the mood I aspire to be.

My mood from this evening was probably more accurately portrayed by the angry rain clouds in the background of these photos, taken at Paskorz Berry Farm last week. I know stressful situations are probably amplified by my moodiness. I blame my astrological sign.

Cary was sweet enough to take these for me. (He also let me steal these shots a few weeks ago.)

To cheer up my mood, I thought some crazy brights, like this yellow dress and sunflower shoes, could help me out. It helped, at least a little bit. I think all of the berries I ate while picking on this particular night helped, too. They're full of antioxidants, right?

In fact, some of the berries I picked from this night went into this blueberry zucchini bread I made.

And another fashion rule I'm learning: That stupid fashion rules are meant to be broken. OK, so primary colors aren't supposed to go together, but I think they work here. The textures of the yellow and denim are different enough. And it was cold. There.

Outfit: Dress and Jacket, H&M; Shoes, American Apparel; Ring; secondhand, via Clothes Minded.

And nothing goes better with a fun outfit post with funky accessories, amirite?

Have there been times when fashion has been therapeutic for you?

Ready for Takeoff

When your dress has an outer space print, you're bound to get compliments.

I bought this dress from Modcloth as a birthday gift to myself in July. While I hated dropping $75 on a dress, it was so worth it. The sweetheart neckline and the print were just too much to pass up. I literally get compliments every time I wear it.

While I was living in Ohio last winter, I visited the Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta, Neil Armstrong's hometown. I kind of wish I had this dress to wear there. It would've been perfect.

As for the denim jacket, it's a pretty recent development. I used to hate denim jackets, for one reason or another, but I think that might be because I always see people wearing those jackets with jeans. It totally adds a badass factor in the wardrobe.

I'm trying to get myself away from a cardigan addiction, since that's my normal go-to for outfits with dresses. I think this works pretty well.

In other news, I'm loving this summer-like weather. After the incredibly harsh winter, I enjoy seeing all the greenery and the cartoonish clouds. And for fair complected folk like me, getting sunburnt after being outside for an hour. Haha. I have a really weird triangle-shaped burn on my chest from the day I wore this outfit. Can't win 'em all.

Outfit: Dress, Modcloth; Denim Jacket, H&M; Shoes, Marshalls; Ring, flea market; Sunnies, Avalon (secondhand store).

What are some of your splurge wardrobe pieces?

PS In case you didn't hear, as of yesterday, THE GAY MARRIAGE BAN IN PENNSYLVANIA WAS RULED UNCONSTITUTIONAL. So happy for all of my LGBT friends. :) :)