Dance To The Beat Of My Drum!

I have wanted a pair of relaxed, slouchy leather shorts for a couple years now. The thing about leather shorts is that they are not really a classic. Or a wardrobe staple. Or all that affordable, really. So I improvised. I bought a pair of mean's leather jeans at Buffalo Exchange, and had them cut off into shorts.



And even though I find they don't photograph super well, I am pleased with the results.



I've worn them dressed up and down and I like them both ways. Silk blouses and Cure t-shirts. Works either way. And you KNOW how much I love leather, and this is just about the only way I can stand to work it into my life outside of shoes in the Texas summer heat.



The MAIN problem with these shorts is that I bought them maybe 8 pounds ago. 8 pounds is not a huge amount, but they did fit better when I weighed more. Not that I'm complaining. I'm actually back down to my goal weight, and I'm super pumped about it. And I like these shorts enough that if they get too too big, I'll do the same thing again!




(That's right. I've worked retail long enough to wear heels once or twice a week now!)

Silk Blouse, Buffalo Exchange
Leather shorts, from leather pants bought at Buffalo Exchange
Clogs, Target
Belt, GAP

Could You Hold Me Tighter, When Worlds Collide

Nathan and I went to a birthday party for a friend on Saturday and Nathan got dressed up. I did not. The dress code was as follows:

“Just dress cool. You are a grown up, it's a party and your photograph will be taken. You'll want to make sure everyone who sees your picture realizes what a fun and interesting life you lead ... so just wear that outfit.”

That is maybe the most awesome and open ended dress code I have ever seen. So I went casual. Nathan went fancy. And he looked amazing.



He graciously posed for the adorable photos for me.







He was hands down, the best dressed guy there, no vote necessary.

I on the other hand, wore this…



Which was not fancy at all, but which is actually pretty typical for me as far as weekends go.



But look! My hair was down. I’m still not a fan. I don’t get the appeal. But Nathan likes it.

On Him:
Blazer: Dior, from Buffalo Exchange
Vest: Standard Cloth, Urban Outfitters
Shirt: Merona, Target
Bow tie: gift from Bill Chandler as part of a tuxedo set he gave Nathan probably 10 years ago that Nathan has cannibalized in a million ways (He has found uses for everything but the cummerbund and the suspenders). It was his choir tuxedo from college (I also think it has been to Prague and back on choir tour, which is farther than I've traveled).
Pants: Gap 1969 corduroy
Shoes: Dr. Martens, thrifted
Hat: Urban Outfitters

On Her:
Sweater, Forever XXI
Tee, Hot Topic
Skirt, Target
Tights, Target
Boots, Aldo (I totally changed into the flat Docs before we left, chickened out of the pain. And I was glad I did. The venue was gorgeous, but all hard wood floors and almost no seating. I did not regret those flat boots one little bit.)
Bag, SR Squared by Sonia Roberts
Necklace, Moon Raven Designs

You're All I Need, Your Loves a Drug, Your Loves a Drug

(Colleen sent me some more pictures last night so I hope you don’t mind if I post just a couple more later!)

My friend Catie gave me some free passes to a movie and we went to see Date Night last night. Go now. It was gustbustingly funny. I laughed out loud and hard for the first time in ages and it felt really good. Tine Fey, Steve Carell, Mark Wahlberg, James Franco and Mila Kunas all gave really standout performances.



I might have maybe just worn these same pants yesterday. Let’s just say I didn’t, how’s that? “Pics or it didn’t happen”, right?



I still have that sleeveless shirt/ short skirt combo hanging in my closet, lol. But the mornings continue to be pretty chilly, so I have not been brave enough to wear it yet. It’s OK, really. Soon enough it will be blisteringly hot for months on end, and I am not trying to rush that.



I briefly considered whether it was actually OK to wear two different shades of blue suede in one outfit. But only briefly. In the end my only real crime is that I am all but begging it to rain, am I right? And I think it just might.

I remember one of my sweet readers saying that she had this shirt and she removed the bow. If you are still reading, I’d love to hear from you again! I’d remove it, but it looks like it will leave an empty fabric loop just hanging there. How did that work?



I am ashamed to say I have needed to replace that watch battery for months and months now. I finally did on Monday. I have missed it so much. And with all the Alice buzz* right now, I thought it would be cute to wear it with my bunny. And I love the bunny with florals anyway because it make it look like he is spending his day happily hopping through a field of flowers. Cheesy, I know. But it's the little things, right?

* We still haven’t seen it, we have made plans a couple times but stopped short of actually spending that much money. 3D is expensive, and I’m cheap.

Cardigan and Blouse, Target
Pants, Forever XXI
Shpes, Old Navy
Bag, GAP, hand me down from Erin
Bunny necklace, gift from Mikal
Watch necklace, finkgifts.etsy.com

And You're Struck Down by a Hammer ...

Last night my house caught fire. Just a little, and we put it out, but it was still pretty dramatic. Artist in residence Nathan T (not the same as my husband, we live in a duplex, and there is a Nathan on both sides. Nathan J is the musician in residence; Nathan T is the artist in residence. I am the hot one.) is a smoker and it seems a cigarette butt made its way under the porch and into a pile of leaves and started a fire. We could smell that there was something burning. And we could tell it was in or about our house, but we had a hard time finding it, because due to the airflow, the smell was strongest in my bedroom. But Nathan T found it, and put it out. And we still have a house. So, yay!

Wendy B did a great write up on Daring Damsels in Double Denim (how GREAT is that title?) and the look I wore for her is featured along with some other really great looks. I am particularly fond of Sharon's McQ playsuit. Jealous!

I have been looking forward to this shoe and dress combination since February, when I first saw them next to each other in my wardrobe and said “Oh!~ Look at the pattern mixing there!”. No, really... look:



I love it!~



It was Nathan’s idea to have me stand by the matching tree, isn’t that pretty? I was lit from behind, so the lighting is not amazing, but the pictures came out really pretty regardless. I admit to lots of adjustments though, so you can see my face. Because faceless girls are just creepy.



I wasn’t sure what jacket to wear, and I tried a few that all worked about as well, and a couple that didn’t work at all, but I settled on this one because it gives a bit of a waist when worn and the dress is so floaty.



I’m meeting friends to celebrate a friend’s promotion (Congratulations, Jesse! We love you!) later and I’d love to wear this, but the chances I’ll make it that long in these shoes are not good. They are comfortable enough for what they are, but they are not exactly walking shoes, now are they? Plus I suspect after the sun goes down there will be a chill in the air. That’s OK, I’ve got alllllll Summer to wear this out.



You got any amazing plans tonight? Do you have to work tomorrow? I took a vacation day because my office does not close for Good Friday, but I do!~

Jacket, Forever XXI
Dress, Target (recent)
Shoes, Alice and Olivia for Payless
Bag, GAP
Necklace, self made, skull by mrd74 at Etsy

Before I Fall in Love, I'm Preparing to Leave Her

I watched the BRIT awards last night. Highlights for me were all of the Geri Halliwell (look, she is self centered and obnoxious but I love her anyway), Lady Gaga, the Lily Allen opening number, Cheryl Cole looking fantastic and that amazing Robbie Williams Medley. I didn’t love Mel B’s hair. Girl, you are too old for that.

I love getting ahead and having 2 or 3 days worth of back-up pictures, because then, on days like today, when I am running SUPER late, it’s cool. No worries. I still have something to blog about. But then it feels really weird to be blogging about something I wore 3 days ago. This is what I wore on Monday…



I love that dress. It is cut to fit my body almost exactly. And it’s the perfect length for me. It’s just a Target dress, but it fits me like a much more expensive dress.



I just love the look of a nice, feminine dress and a cozy sweater (or two!) and boots. It is the perfect winter wardrobe for me.



It’s my last day in the office for the week! We get to take our birthdays off as a “floating holiday”. Nathan is taking me to see “Valentine’s Day”, which I assume will be super cheesy in the best way. I’m going to sleep late and watch too much TV.

Sweater, Thrifted
Dress, Target
Tights,Target
Knee socks, Target
Boots, GAP Kids
Bag, Thrifted, Dooney and Burke
Isabella Wolf Fang Necklace, Wendy Brandes

Cause You Were Only Wanting to be Friends

Saturday we met Tina and Rand for brunch. Or breakfast, really. I don’t know. At what point does it become Brunch? We ate at like 10. And I had oatmeal. To me that’s breakfast, but it sounds more like an event if I call it Brunch.

So let’s just say we had Brunch.



I decided to put on pants since I’d been wearing those shorts for 2 days*. And by pants I means nicer leggings. Or jeggings. (I can’t decide if I like that word or not.) And that’s the other new tee from Urban Outfitters. It is SO SOFT. And I’m normally not a blue with blue jeans kind of girl, but these were different enough I felt good about the pairing.



We had a great time at Brunch. Tina and I had hung out but we had never really all huing out together, so there is always that small chance that not everyone will get along, but we did. I really hope we get together again soon!

After Bruch I asked Tina if she minded taking a few casual wear pictures with me and she agreed. The pictures that came out of that session are some of my favorite pictures of ever. They are adorable. Nathan said a couple of funny things** and started clicking, and the rest was history…












I just love those.

*Do you ever see the shorts/tights (or leggings) combo in real life? I hadn’t thought about it, but I can’t recall ever seeing anyone in Dallas who isn’t me doing that. Is it a fashion blog thing? I just thought it was a normal sort of tending thing that was happening, but then my views on what’s trendy are sharply skewed by all the personal fashion blogs I read…

** ETA So we were standing there, thinking about posing and I think we did a few shots, just straight forward, smiling, whatever, and then Nathan said "Don't you want to do your SASSY? Do your Sassy!" ("Sassy" is what Nathan calls the classic hand on hip pose.) I don't know why, but it KILLED me. And if I recall correctly, Tina is basically just amused at what a dork I am, because she is classy lady.

Sweater, Thrifted, vintage
Tee, Urban Outfitters
Jeggings, ANA at JCPenny
Boots, GAP kids
Gloves, Target
Bag, Dooney and Burke, Thrifted

When Did The World Stop Revolving Around Me?

Hey kids. It got crazy up in Dallas! Thursday we got to go home early due to impending doom. Or snow. Whatever. When I got home and changed we took a few pictures. The post today (and the post tomorrow and the next day probably) will be pretty picture heavy.



Isn’t that crazy? And beautiful? It snowed for about 24 hours. Now snow is not all that crazy. We do get it down here about once or twice a year. But not normally a measurable amount and it’s normally a “wintery mix” of rain, sleet and snow. This is just snow. It was so pretty I just sat on the couch with the blinds up and watched it for hours.



The dog hated it. HATED. He is cold natured and he hates to be wet. So the snow was not his thing. Plus it was almost as tall as he was.



He learned pretty quickly that if he ran really fast, he didn’t sink in as far.



I am a little bigger than him though, so I pretty much sank no matter what I did.





And I have a treat! A rare Nathan sighting!



Complete with fashion pose!



OhmygoshheissocuteIcoulddie.

Hoodie, Old Navy
Jacket, old
Shorts, Old Navy
Leggings, Target
Socks, Sock Dreams
Boots, GAP kids

90210, Original Cast

That was Nathan’s assessment of this outfit. And…not wrong.



I think the light wash denim jacket is what took it over the edge. I don’t think I’ve ever really been happy with the color of this jacket, but I adore the cut and fit. So I wore it one last time to make sure, but I need to dye it black. I just think I’ll get a lot more use out black.



But then I have to work out what I’ll top this dress with next time! I have a blazer that might kind of work, and a sweater that will work when it’s really cold. But I’m not sure about either.



Love this dress though. It’s at least one size too big and a bit paper baggy on, but it is so comfortable and I love the print.



He happened to get in frame this time, y’all!~ He’s there, all the time, goofing off, trying to distract me. And here is the proof.



Since he got in the shot, he felt he should share some outfit details with you (even though his outfit is just a blur of AA cardigan and old Morrissey tee shirt). So here is his Swatch.



Which is actually his mother’s Swatch. I bought him a watch for Christmas the first year we were married, and it was a kinetic watch. He wore it until it died last January. Since he was and has been unemployed since then, he borrowed this from his mother. He knows it is ridiculous, I suspect that is part of its charm for him. He refers to it as “all blinged out” He just doesn’t see the point in replacing his watch until he gets a new job and can afford to get a decent one.

Dress, Forever XXI
Leggings, Target
Boots, GAP Kids
Necklaces, self made
Leather cuff, Italy, gift
Bracelets, Various
Goofball, Husband

These are my skinny jeans.

I bought them at my very thinnest. Some days, they won’t go over my thighs. Some days they do. I feel so thin and wonderful when they do. I used to feel REALLY bad about myself on days when they didn’t fit, in fact I avoided trying them on for a few months out of fear of a bad self-esteem day. But I’ve started to let it go. It’s just a pair of jeans. I still weight the same as I did before I tried them on.





But I am not going to lie. As much as I’ve decided not to feel bad when they DON’T fit…I still enjoy when they do.





I have a hard time getting shots of my various rings, but this one came out really well! I love the contrast of the classic almost vintage style of the sapphire ring next to the playfulness of the skull ring. The sapphire was a Valentine’s day gift from Nathan one year, and the skull was from my best girl Alannah.



Tee, American Apparel
Jeans, Dear at Steve and Barry’s
Sandals, Victoria’s Secret
Bag, GAP
Necklaces, Haute Hardware at Etsy
Sapphire and diamond ring, Target fine jewelry
Skull ring, Road Kill at Etsy

Awkward

Awkward is an awkward looking word. Have you ever noticed that?

Oh. honey no. has been running a series this week called “Dressing Without Fear” and last week I promised to play along. In her own words:

"well, next week, starting monday, i’m challenging myself. each day i will dress to conquer my fears. i will either find a way to make a piece i thought was “too fancy” work for my casual workplace, or i will try a trend i haven’t mustered the guts to wear in public yet, or something, but i will do SOMETHING each day to get those feelings in check. because i will not be cowed by fashion, something that i firmly believe is meant to be fun and make you feel good.”

So. This dress was my choice. I never wear it to work because it feels both too fancy and too girly. I really only like it with my cropped moto jacket to give it some edge. But I wanted to try and give it a shot.



I toned it down by wearing a black leather belt instead of the self belt that came with it. I reallllllly think I would have liked this outfit 100% better if I had been able to wear a studded black leather belt with it. I think it would have made all the difference, but I don’t own one. So I couldn’t. (I should really own one. I know that now.)




Don’t get me wrong. I got a ton of compliments. Everyone seemed to like it. But I felt off. I felt a little not myself. I had dinner with Tina* (jealous? I would be) and she pointed out that even without the jacket, the tattoo rocks it up a bit (sorry I failed to get a pic, but you know what it looks like). And she’s right. I just don’t think it was enough for me.

I do love this dress. I have worn it to art showings and parties and felt great. I just think that in the end, it turns out, without that studded belt, it is in fact too dressy and girly for me personally to wear to the office. BUT I am glad I tried. Because now I know how I’d like to style it next!

I did like these shoes and earring with it, and will keep them next time I wear it...





I did not like that handbag with it. It was dark when I got dressed and it seemed like a good plan to tie the shoes in, but it wasn’t. It just made it that more awkward.

*Ahahaha. I just saw her post for today and she talks about how much she loved this dress. I find it hilarious that I am sort of semi-bashing it (in the context, I still LOVE the actual dress)

Dress, Belt and Shoes, Target
Earrings, PersephonePlus.etsy.com
Bag, GAP