Lost at sea

dress: H&M | shoes & headband: ModCloth | belt: thrifted

 What's this? Bare legs?? Yes, it's true, but this is definitely a rare event. In this way, I'm very much like Zooey Deschanel, who I believe once described tights as her security blanket. I'm right with you there, Zooey! So barring another sweltering Michigan summer, I'm sure I'll still find a way to incorporate tights into my outfits.

There was definitely no way I could wear tights on this day, however: our Memorial Day was a hot and humid one. I spent most of the day staying cool inside (and in the dark of a theater, watching the Hunger Games for the second time...) but Chris and I did make time to head over to Grand River Park to snap some photos and dip our feet in the lovely cool water. I've still only been there a handful of times, but that park has become one of my favorite spots in the area. I'm eager to scout out some pretty new locations (my coworker found a park that she described as a "fairy land!") but I know I'll be returning here often.

These days, life has me smiling. I feel like, in many ways, I'm really starting to get control of my life. This may sound really nerdy, but I'm going to start budgeting this month - and I'm actually really excited about it. I'm eager to shed my debt and start planning for my future! I've also started a workout routine, and after a month, I can proudly say that I've stuck with it. It's truly amazing how much better I feel when I get moving. I definitely have more bounce in my step...it's true what they say about endorphins! Finally, I've also started seeing a chiropractor in an attempt to get rid of my near-daily headaches. I've been really happy with it so far, so we'll see...

Good things are also happening for this blog! This week or next, hopefully, I'll be doing a redesign of the layout featuring some of Chris's artwork. I've been looking forward to this for a long time, and I can't wait. I'll also have to dream up some yummy new Dressipes...

What's making you smile these days?

 

Style Inspiration: Annie Clark

For this edition of Style Inspiration (not that this feature has been happening with any kind of regularity) I decided to turn to Annie Clark, also known as her stage name, St. Vincent. This was a no-brainer for me - in fact, I've had this post waiting in the queue, titled and empty, for months. 

So what's so special about Annie Clark? Let me put it this way: she might just be the only person in the world who looks like a porcelain doll (see below) but could shred on the guitar just as well as any of the greats. And that is just one reason why she is so fascinating; she has an incredible ability to subvert expectations.

painting by Chris - this is sitting on my desk at work!

Though my own personal style often differs from hers - I lean more towards the girly, not-always-practical clothes - I always find myself admiring her outfits. She's feminine, but with a definite edge. Both in shows and photoshoots, she often sticks to basic black:

But this, I have to say, is my all-time favorite Annie outfit:

I may never have her perfectly messy dark curls (or her ability to both croon and shred) but I can at least try to emulate her edgy-with-pops-of-color style. Here are some cute pieces I put together that evoke Annie's style and persona:

1: Vintage sunglasses (VintageSilo @ Etsy)

2. Lacy black button-up (Forever 21)

3. Red pencil skirt (okiejo @ Etsy)

4. The One for V tights (ModCloth)

5. Turquoise cutout tank (Forever 21)

6. Black high-waist jean shorts (rosegoldaline @ Etsy)

7. Walk Star bootie (ModCloth)

8. Blue sleeveless blouse (thelovedone @ Etsy)

I don't know about you, but I think that last blue blouse is awfully tempting...

What about you? Is there anyone whose style you admire, even if it's not all that close to your own?

Annie Clark photos: Joe Saturday, Amanda M Hatfield

The woodlands national anthem

dress: ModCloth | belt, shoes: thrifted | tights: Target

I have spoken before about my disdain for getting dressed in summer and late spring. (Seriously - what's the fun in getting dressed and not being able to use layers?) However, this is one instance where the simplicity was a welcome change. I adore this dress, but I've long felt that it couldn't really shine when covered up with coats and cardigans and scarves. The beautiful sleeves get completely lost. In these warm final days of May, though, they are free and breezy and perfect.

This dress somehow manages to evoke a multitude of different feelings in me. I all at once feel professional and put-together and a bit like a Monet painting and very 1970's and very much like a woodland fairy. On this particular day, my feelings were definitely skewed towards the latter. In front of the woods by my house, the dress looks nice...but inside the woods, it came to life.

My shoes were, as they so often are, wildly impractical for traipsing around in the woods. But I didn't care. It's nice to see the woods come to life in the spring. I used to poke around here often when I was 11 or 12, but then they knocked down a big section so they could put in a cell phone tower and I stopped coming as often. It was nice to see that they haven't lost their magic!

I hope you all are having a wonderful week! Work has been a bit frustrating this week, so I'm looking forward to the long weekend...I don't have any plans, but I'm excited anyway. I'll have to come up with something fun to do - even if that's just lying down in my hammock with a good book and some fresh-squeezed juice, or being a nerd and doing my new Alphonse Mucha puzzle (impulse buy at Target - what can I say), or going on some sort of adventure with Chris. Can't go wrong with that!

Ne me quitte pas

cardigan: H&M | blouse: Goodwill | dress & belt: vintage | tights: Forever 21 | shoes: Charlotte Russe

The morning of our trip to Chicago dawned cool and rainy. Though I had envisioned a picturesque sunny day (like the day before the trip - of course...) I think there are definitely worse ways to see a city. It turned out that the next day was sunny but blazing hot, and neither Chris nor I do well with miserably hot days. So it all worked out in the end.

Anyway, I think there's something magical about cities in the rain. You get to see a whole different side of things. It seemed that many Chicago-dwellers opted to stay inside due to the weather, so we got to experience a quieter, cozier version of the city. Since it wasn't pouring, and there were some breaks in the clouds, it was actually quite pleasant for walking. And everything had a slight glimmer to it, as if it was a special treat for those of us who braved the elements.

I didn't get to do absolutely everything I had hoped, but when is that ever the case on a trip? I think the only time when I did get to do everything I wanted to on a trip was when I was 10 and my family took a 6-week vacation out to the West Coast, driving out through the U.S. and back through Canada. It's not as though that trip was perfect, mind you - our car broke down on the second day and my dad got sick and I got lice - but out of that trip was born a wealth of family stories...

But I digress. It's hard to even scratch the surface of what any city has to offer, especially if you only have part of one day. I was able to pick up some wonderful vintage (including a red velvet dress, which I have coveted for so long!) and some new things, too. However, the suspenders I bought will need some work - I don't think suspenders were intended for short-waisted people like me!

I couldn't help but snap this picture of the Avengers mural that was going up across the street from Knee Deep Vintage. What a fun introduction to the city...I hope to be back soon!

The girl who was on fire

dress, wedges, hairpins: ModCloth | cardigan: thrifted | belt: vintage

Thank you for all the book recommendations, everyone! I just finished the last bit of Mockingjay yesterday, and I've got that post-wonderful-book-series emptiness. Do you know what I mean? Like after the seventh Harry Potter book came out...it took a while to get over that one, since it had encompassed so much of my childhood. But it's similar after any good book. You spend so much time with the characters, it's like you need a mourning period afterwards. Or you just dive into the next...

Anyway, these photos are from last week. I wanted to get some photos with this book since I thought it was funny that it matched my outfit so well. Chris thought I was just posing with the book for the photos, but then he saw me turning the pages - "Wait, are you actually reading?" "Of course I am! I was at a cliffhanger!"

I'm hopeless when it comes to a good book. I suppose that's why I majored in creative writing.

Does anyone else find that, after reading a good book, you start to narrate your thoughts in the voice of the main character? I certainly do. It gives me the itch to write, even though I'm not sure I see myself writing a novel such as the Hunger Games. I think that would be a good writing exercise: write out the narrative of your day, but do it in the voice of the main character of the book you read most recently. It might not turn into anything - but you never know...

Considering that I stayed up until nearly 2 am to finish reading, plus the fact that my weekend was packed, I'm feeling pretty good! Chris and I spent most of Saturday in Chicago, checking out the shops (vintage and otherwise), dodging the rain, and reveling in the musical wonder that is Andrew Bird. 

I felt kind of horrible because the tickets were my birthday present to Chris, but our seats were in the nosebleed section of the nosebleed section - and that balcony was terrifying. It was really rickety and steep, and I didn't realize that Chris does just as well with heights as I do (which is to say - not well at all!) We both felt like we were going to pass out when we first got to our seats, but once Andrew Bird started playing, we forgot all about it. And we had a really good laugh about it later.