{meet-ups} One to Stay and One to Go

Blouse: UO * Shorts: J. Crew, thrifted * Belt: thrifted * Cuff: thrifted * Bag: Target

Now first off, I'd like to point out that I have in fact worn more shirts than this one, despite what my recent posts may indicate. I just love how this shirt toes the line between casual t-shirt and lacy blouse. It's kind of become my go-to piece this summer. So when I knew I'd be meeting up with the beautiful witty Betsy for brunch a few weekends ago, this combo seemed to just fall into my lap. It was hot, humid, and muggy as hell, so I opted for breathable fabrics, perforated shoes, and casual weekend shorts (don't chino shorts just scream "brunch!" to you?).

One thing that is really tough about moving to a new place is that you kind of have to start over with your social group. Making friends as a grown-up kind of sucks, in my opinion. There are no more playgrounds in which we can simply saunter up to someone and ask if they'll be our best friend. There are no classrooms, sports teams, or after-school clubs in which you end up spending hours upon hours just being around other people. It's not like college, when there are dorms, and parties, and the constant flowing in and out of social circles. As an adult, all of that boils down to bars, clubs, or that most dreaded word: networking. And since I'm being honest here, I'll tell ya: I suck at all three. "Night life" has never been my thing. It's loud, overwhelming, and I end up awkwardly talking about real A-plus topics like the weather, summer construction, or what people are paying for their internet service. In short, it doesn't go super well. (Also, now would be a good time to validate this stream of consciousness, and to let me know that I'm not alone in the wacky world of adult friend-making.)

But brunch? Brunch I can do. And brunch, with someone that I've "met" through their delightful blog? That I can definitely do. So when Betsy and I sat down to our tasty bloody marys and unbelievably good creamed eggs, it was a lovely change of pace. (And I'm happy to report that at no point did I mention internet service rates, though I'm pretty sure that both the weather and summer construction did enter into our conversation.) Betsy is stylish, hilarious, smart, and super motivated, and it was easy and refreshing to launch into conversations about blogs, fashion, travel, moving, relationships, and, of course, our brunch. I earnestly look forward to many more moments of meeting and chatting over a strong drink and fabulous food.

Maybe that's the key. Maybe food is the hidden ingredient in my need to meet people. I'm much more comfortable talking to someone over a meal, which might be why bars are tough for me. There are only so many beer peanuts a gal can eat. So maybe I need to start just hanging out at brunch places. Sit at the bar. Strike up a conversation with the stranger next to me, who is also quietly enjoying their creamed eggs and morning mimosa. And who knows? Maybe we'll hit it off. Maybe they'll even give me a tip on how I can pay less for my internet service...

Title song: Lou Reed, "Egg Cream"

{outfit} More Lightnin' Bugs than Stars in the Sky

Blouse: UO * Jeans: H&M * Booties: UO * Necklace: heirloom from my grandmother * Belt: thrifted

I think I'm experiencing reverse culture shock. In all my travels, in all my life (and I've been incredibly fortunate to have many of them...travels, that is, not lives...), I've never really experienced culture shock. My arrival in a place is usually consumed with curiosity and exploration (and sometimes jet-lag). Instead, the moment that my world-view gets all wonky is when I finally get home, back into the good ol' US of A. That's when my rhythm gets thrown off, when I start noticing ridiculous cultural idiosyncrasies, and when I start feeling uncomfortable in my own space. All that to say that I sort of feel like I still have one foot in South America and one foot in the Midwest, which means I'm not quite mentally up to the task of documenting our trip to Ecuador yet. I'm definitely planning to tackle it this week, but in the meantime I'm going to happily use a few old backlogged pictures as a crutch for my inability to switch completely out of Spanish mode.

And I'm actually quite happy to finally post these pictures. This was a simple weekend outfit earlier this summer, one which I wore to run errands, do laundry, make dinner, and other simple, straightforward weekend tasks. I fell in love with the combo when I wore it, and then just swooned over the early evening light that graced the street in front of Joe's apartment. It was one of those ideal photo moments that you don't always get to capture, so I was thrilled that we were able to preserve those precious last few moments of the day.

I've been all about comfort and ease this summer, and feel a bit of a change in the sartorial winds. My summer uniform, though I've been consistently failing to document it, has been a faithful pattern of jean shorts, oxford or bankers blouses, and Sperry Topsiders. Casual cool is winning the day, and I've been immersing myself in comfortable tomboy-esque style, eschewing wrinkle-free skirts and heavy accessories in favor of rolled-up sleeves and frayed hems. This outfit falls somewhere in the middle, which is maybe why it is a fast favorite. I felt totally comfortable and simply summery, but appreciated the clean lines and simple jewelry of this somewhat-polished ensemble.

Title song: Gillian Welch, "Summer Evening"

Move Away From It

Sundress: vintage, thrifted * Sweatshirt: UO * T-strap flats: UO * Ring: gift

Now, I have never once promised that I wouldn't wear pajamas on the blog, so don't you all start jumping to conclusions that I'm going back on my word once you see this outfit. This sucker was casual softness at its very finest, and I happily pranced around town all day, feeling cool, easy, and comfortable. These were actually taken on Joe's last day in the country before his big trip, so I especially wanted something that wouldn't cause a fuss for a day of last-minute errands, gullet-stretching dinners, and total silliness along the lakeshore.

Joe might be the traveler, but I'm the explorer...

And you know what? I really liked how the whole outfit came together, too. The bright pop of fuschia from the skirt balanced out the neutrals in the rest of the outfit (and the neutrals of the cloudy, misty day), and all the fabric and slouchiness was somehow flattering. This skirt is actually a lovely midi-length vintage dress, which I found at Savers a few months ago. I'm trying to decide whether to get it hemmed, since it's really quite a lot of fabric on its own. But I love the pattern, and the soft, swishy fabric. Perfect for an easy summer.

I finally finished moving out of my old apartment yesterday. I ended up having to do it in phases, which meant that I felt like I was in transit for weeks at a time. It's nice to be safely ensconced in one residence (for now, at least), and I hope to be a bit more present around these parts now that I have less running around to do. Though with the weather as beautiful as it has been lately, I can't make any promises...

I already have big weekend plans a-brewing. Brunch, beer on the terrace, lots of gardening (you wouldn't believe me if I told you how big everything was getting; I'll try to remember to get pictures again and do a plot update post next week!), packing, unpacking, preparing for my summer trip to Colorado (yay!), yoga, bike rides, and seeing new friends. I may even let myself sleep in...

I've felt a bit scattered for the past few days (weeks, really, but who's counting?), and I'm really looking forward to another few days in my weekend home. What are your plans this weekend? Anyone else as glad as I am that we got a short week this week?

Title song: Modest Mouse, "Lounge"

My Heart's On Fire

Tank top: Old Navy * Cardigan: thrifted * Jeans: Gap * Loafers: c/o Common Crow Vintage * Necklace: Noble Town Vintage * Earrings: museum gift shop

Everyone, please meet Elvira. Elvira, meet everyone. She's a little shy, and needs a bit of a cleaning, but I thought it was high time for her to be properly introduced. Elvira is a Schwinn World Tourist, from the late 1970s-early 1980s (my best guess is 1982, based on the style of the handlebars and materials used for the wheels and frame, but it's not really a super precise guess). She's lived in Chicago until this weekend, when I brought her with me to my weekend home (haha, that sounds so much fancier than it is!). I can already tell that she'll be very comfortable there.

I actually bought this bike two years ago, but have barely ridden it at all. The thing is, though I admire and adore the plethora of folks who bike their way through the Chicago streets, I have little need for a bike in my life in the windy city. From where I live, I have a 20 minute walk to work, a 5 minute walk to the grocery store, and a 5 minute walk to the lake. It's silly, perhaps, but it's just never been practical for me to commute by bike. So Elvira has sat, unloved, in the basement bike room of my apartment (and, this past winter, negligently, she sat outside for some of our rough storms and got just a tad rusted, but after a quick visit to the local bike shop, she seems much happier and nearly rust-free).

I like Elvira because she's an easy bike to ride. The cruiser-style handlebars and the simple 10-speed gears make her flexible and versatile, ready for city streets, bike paths, and lakeshore cruises. I need an easy bike, one that won't stress me out, because, to be honest, I'm a little bit scared of bikes. Silly, I know. But two years ago, just after I bought Elvira, I had a bit of a bike mishap and badly broke my right arm (those of you who have been reading this blog for a long time probably remember the cast I sported for much of the summer of 2009). It was a very silly accident, doing something totally mundane (riding my bike through a parking lot), and I felt like it could have been easily avoided, but wasn't, so the whole ordeal instilled in me a sense of apprehension about bikes. I'm working my way through the fear, and I'm glad I have Elvira to help me with the transition.

In any case, she's a lovely little bike, and she's becoming happily acquainted with the streets and paths of my weekend home. I'm hoping to spend a bit of time next weekend polishing her up and installing a basket so that we can ride the town in style. (Oh, and speaking of style, I just adored the colorful ease of this outfit. It was one of those outfits that garnered real-life compliments - from a stylishly cute little hipster boy, no less! - so I considered it a wild success.)

Happy Monday, all!!

Title song: The Oakridge Boys, "Elvira"

A Little Peace of Mind

Dress: ModCloth * Sweater: thrifted * Oxfords: UO * Belt: Akira * Necklace: Noble Town Vintage

I'm exhausted, you guys. I've had the busiest, craziest, most sleepless few days, and I'm just totally dragging this morning. I dropped Joe off at the airport on Tuesday morning at 4:30, and I feel like I've been going non-stop since then. Even with my long, lovely weekend, I'm oh-so-ready for it to be Friday. I'm not trying to complain, but let's just say I'm really looking forward to sleeping in on Saturday morning.

This is actually a repeat outfit, with everything other than the shoes. I am sort of smitten with the shapelessness of this look, but I'm not sure why. I don't usually go for tight or form-fitting clothes, but I also try to balance loose items with more fitted ones. This outfit disguises my waist (or rather, waist-lessness, since I'm really more of a rectangle than an hourglass) and covers my legs and arms with ample fabric, but I love it. Maybe it's because it's just easy. Each piece of this outfit fits me well, is comfortable, and sits on my body in a way that never needs any adjusting, futzing, or rearranging. I love the colors, the softness of the muted tones and the huggable texture of the sweater. I love the accessories, pieces that I wear so often that they seem to becoming part of my trademark style. In some ways, it's an odd look, but to me it looks and feels so right. :)

I'm participating again this year in the Dress Your Best project, hosted by the gals at Academichic. I participated last year, and it would be remiss of me not to mention how profoundly the project impacted me. I was surprised by how seriously I took it, and how the idea of dressing for, and celebrating, parts of my body filtered through my thoughts and outfits for the duration of this year. So I'm really pleased to be going at it again this time around, and I feel like this outfit is a perfect one with which to kick it off. It's an outfit that doesn't highlight one part or the other, one feature over the rest. Nor is it particularly unique to my body or style. Rather, it is an outfit that could be worn by a plethora of body types. It would look wildly different on someone with an hourglass shape, or a tall woman with platform heels. And it would look smashing in both, and other, cases. But on me, on my small rectangular body, it looks unlike it would on anyone else. The pieces combine to fit me, on my body, and create a visual that is unique to that body. So this year my first Dress Your Best "submission" comes in the form of a celebration of my body as a whole. It has its ups and downs, its curves, dimples, imperfections, and scars, but it is mine, and it is unlike any other.

I'm really looking forward to crafting more posts in the next couple of weeks to celebrate the things that I adore about myself. I haven't narrowed down the list yet, and I may just fly by the seat of my pants with it and pick something at random everyday, but I know it will result in days of happy, productive reflection about myself. It's something I should do more often, and I'm glad to have the excuse to do it again now.

Title song: The Beatles, "I'm So Tired"

I Give Myself a Look

Oxford shirt: thrifted * Jeans: Gap * Brogues: Buffalo Exchange * Necklace: ModCloth * Glasses: Warby Parker

Yes, I knotted my shirt. I haven't knotted a shirt since the early '90s. I'm torn on the effectiveness of this style, and I'm not sure that the whole thing wouldn't have just looked better with the shirt tucked in. Oh well, you live, you learn. I just hope Kelly Kapowski approves...

Other than the questionable shirt-shortening strategy, I quite liked this outfit. Simple. Comfortable. Super easy. And with my Warby Parker specs and a pop of red from my fave lipstick, it felt just a bit interesting, too. 

My hair is officially out of control in these pictures, though. The pseudo-mullet I'd been rocking for awhile finally went past the point of no return right around when these pictures were taken. I've since gone to my dutiful stylist Ruth, at Twisted Scissors, for a much-needed trim. I'm thrilled with the baby-bob results, and have been happily mullet-free for a couple of weeks now. Hopefully I'll have pictures of the new cut up sometime next week.

In the meantime, it's Wednesday, and I have bagels to eat, coffee to drink, and shit to get done. Peace.

Title song: Theme song to "Saved By the Bell"