unexpected

Florals in spring-time, especially around the Easter holiday, are always very unexpected.

unexpected

book report

 I've had this outfit in mind for a while and when our weekly visit to Chamblin's Bookmine rolled around on Friday and the weather finally cooled off enough to wear jeans, I seized the opportunity.  It was a great outfit for an afternoon of sitting on the floor surrounded by stacks of books in a quiet corner of the store (it was even more comfortable with the oversized cardigan I wrapped up in).

I've been on a dystopian-novel kick for  the last 12 years (it started with Margaret Atwood's Handmaid's Tale in high school) and I'm very fortunate that post-apocalyptic dystopian fiction is on the rise right now.  Like everyone else, I was/am a big fan of the Hunger Games series and have been looking for a book/series to fill that void for over a year, and with the assistance of goodreads.com I came across the Maze Runner series... have you heard of it?  It's not groundbreaking literature- in fact, it may even be classified as YA fiction- but the first book was one of those can't-put-it-down 6-hour-straight reads.  It's roughly based on the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur and that's all I'm going to say about it because I am notorious for giving away too many details and spoiling the plot when summarizing books.  You should just check it out.

book report

mint and eggplant (fashion, not food)

High: Getting off work early and coming home to take a long, indulgent nap.  It felt like Saturday morning.  I say Wednesday afternoons from here on out should be reserved for siestas.  

Low:  Mosquito season is upon us and I know this because I fed a swarm of them while I took these pictures.  At this rate I'll have malaria before August.

mint and eggplant (fashion, not food)

really good

i

I ordered these leopard print flats a month and a half ago and they finally came in yesterday.  There's a point when the anticipation of delayed gratification turns to annoyed impatience, and for me it was at the one month mark- I would have cancelled the order but they looked so cute in the picture and they were on sale and I had already mentally created a space for them in my closet.   The long wait was certainly unexpected (why did you sell me out-of-stock merchandise, Target?!) but it was so worth it.  You can go ahead and get used to this pair now because I want to wear them with everything- and since leopard is practically a neutral, I think I can get away with it.  I'm going to try, anyway. Green plaid and leopard print? Sure, why not?

Today's...
      Highs: 

• wearing new shoes and a new dress and feeling pretty fabulous for a Tuesday   
• the awesome breeze and perfect lighting as I took these pictures
• strolling along the beach with Ben before sunset

     Low:  don't have one. It was a really good day.

really good

high/low

High: Waking up with plenty of time to get ready before going to work.  Monday mornings are usually rushed, groggy and grumpy but today was different; maybe it was because I was wearing this perfect combination of colors?


Low: Realizing that the hem of my skirt is slightly higher in the back than in the front after looking at these pictures.  I'm not sure if it's because my butt is huge or the skirt is wonky; either way I can fix it.  Hope no one got a show they didn't intend to see today!

high/low

crewed copy

Ok, I really loved this outfit today.  It started with this J. Crew image that has been floating around Pinterest lately.  As I pinned it to my style board I said to myself, "I have what it takes to rip this look right off."  And for WAY less, too.  The blouse retails for $88 (is that a deal in the world of J. Crew or is it just status quo?  I'm a noob when it comes to the fancy brands);  I picked my blouse up at a vintage shop in Athens, GA last fall.  After chatting with the store owner for a half hour about running a vintage shop, I couldn't leave without buying something and when I spotted this blouse I immediately saw it for what it would be in my closet: an instant classic, something I'll be able to remix over and over again (or that's the plan, anyways).  So although it was $16- a bit steep for my thrifting taste- I made it mine and have not one regret about it. (I wore it here also, and I plan on wearing it more frequently over the next few months).  

This yellow and blue pairing is one of my favorites- it's so bright and cheerful.  I needed a top to wear underneath my dotted blouse but I couldn't find my go-to black tank (my closet is kind of a wreck right now).  Out of necessity I went digging through my t-shirt drawer and spotted this yellow t-shirt (how could I miss it? It's the color of a highlighter!).  I love the contrast between the two colors, especially when combined with black and white.  It's quite an eye-catching four-some.  (You can see a few other ways I've worn yellow with blue here, here and here).

Since there's so much going on with the colors and the print and the vest, I kept my jewelry light and low-key.  I thought a necklace or a cocktail ring would overwhelm the look and send it overboard, so I just stacked two basic rings and called it a day.  I was so comfortable in this outfit- it was figure flattering without being restrictive, light enough for the warm weather, and colorful to the point of elevating my mood.  More days like this one, please.

High: Spending the afternoon at the bookstore with Ben and stumbling across a new piece of fiction that I'll be starting tonight (as soon as I hit publish here).  The anticipation of beginning a new book is almost as pleasurable as reading the book itself.  It's that sense that anything can and will happen between those pages, and the promise of escape into another reality, and the gamble that the whole novel could be crap OR it could be your next favorite-book-ever.  So much potential lies beneath the cover of a brand new (to you) book- even more so when it's bought on a whim, completely uninformed and based solely on judgments made by the cover (which we all know is something that you're never supposed to do).

Low: Not getting a package that I've been expecting to come through the mail.  It should have been here today according to the tracker and yet it never showed up.  I'd expect it tomorrow but since I'm having it delivered at work I have to wait for Monday before I can get it.  Boo to delayed gratification.  I've waited long enough- this is both the delight and the drawback of ordering on-line.  

crewed copy

fidget, fidget

Today's High: Having lunch with my dad today (he came into town just to see me!).  I always have been, always will be a daddy's girl and growing up I had to share him with my two younger sisters, so even to this day I cherish any one-on-one time I get with him.
Today's Low: Being uncomfortable in this outfit all day. I hate when that happens!  I LOVE the look- the peach in the blouse brought out by the cardigan, the on-trend floral print that I already had in my closet, new gold flats- but something felt not right.  Maybe I was just fidgety, maybe it was the awkward cut and fit of the tank top, maybe I've grown since the last time I wore the top, who knows.  I was just glad to get home and change.  Ever feel that way?  Like an outfit is just perfect until you're stuck at work in it?
Meh, if an ill-fitting top was the lowest point of my day then I suppose I can call this Hump Day a success.

ps, last time I wore this top I attended a blogger meet-up (and took OOTD shots in the same place)

fidget, fidget