It's Time to Steal Away

Shirt: c/o Threadless * Skirt: ModCloth * Cardigan: H&M * Boots: Dolce Vita for Target * Necklace: ModCloth * Cameo ring: grandmother's * Gold bangle: Grandmother's

This is a sister post to the guest post I wrote for the lovely Lisa at Archives. She asked me to write about a favorite road trip or vacation memory. Part of my response is there, on her blog, and part is here, in this post.

Joe and I bought a car in August. I had a car for the first year that I lived in Chicago, and then realized that it was more of a burden than a boon. so for the next two years, we lived in the city, happily sans vehicle, taking public transportation, or our feet, anywhere we needed to go. And then Joe found out he'd be moving out of the city over the summer. We knew we'd have to bite the bullet and spring for a car, or we'd never. see. each. other. again. (Yes, the drama is necessary for the proper telling of the story). So we hemmed, and hawed, and test drove, and haggled (and I had many near-nervous breakdowns), and we finally found our match in Thor/Heidi (depending on the day, the car is either an impressively powerful Norse god, or an adorable blond with pigtails). 

Now, Theidi and I go on a mini-road trip every weekend to go see Joe. We brave the traffic of the city (and I risk giving myself a semi-truck-shaped ulcer) and take the drive into the heart of the midwest to spend the weekend with our man. I was worried, when he moved, that it would be a difficult transition. I'd done long distance before, and had both great success and great failure, so I was skeptical about how this would work. It's incredibly hard to take two lives, that were intertwined as much as ours were, and pull them apart for a piece of every week, only to try to braid them together again each weekend. I was nervous, but committed, and I think that we both knew that it was worth the work and risk it might involve. And I found that I kind of loved the drive. It's not my very favorite thing, by a long-shot, but there's something wonderful about physically moving through space, from one part of life to another. I love the transitional feeling of driving (and taking long-distance trains, too). You can see your world shifting and changing as you pass through suburbs, small towns, and fields of grain and cattle. The transition is more real to me in a car than it is in a plane, where your travels consist of one sterile environment after another, and you don't realize that you've gone anywhere at all until you leave the airport. In a car, on my mini-road trip, I can see my life changing bit by bit, and I've come to identify the start of the weekend by that change.

So my response to Lisa's original prompt of "road trip or vacation memory" is really only about the road trip. When I drive out to see Joe, I'm not taking a vacation. We're just continuing the part of our lives that we left off on last weekend. We do fun stuff, of course, and try to take time to just hang out, but we also try to maintain the regular routine of our lives. Our time together is not an exception to the rule, not a time where anything goes, not a time where you're on hold from the real world. Our weekends together are the real world, and we work hard to make it feel that way. I don't go out of town every weekend to take mini-vacations with my boyfriend. Instead, I live my life in two places now, and both are equally real, rewarding, and rich. It just takes a weekly road trip to get back and forth.

Title song: Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Road Trippin'"

I Say You Don't Know

Dress: thrifted * Tights: Christmas present * Boots: Rockport * Wood cuff: H&M * Earrings: self-made

I don't normally post over the weekends (although, since I'm doing the 30 for 30 this time around, I better get in the habit of doing so!), but I just had to share my outfit from Joe and my date night on Friday. If you recall, we went out for a fancy dinner to celebrate my three-quarters birthday (and no, I'm not ashamed to celebrate four times a year, why do you ask?). The dinner was spectacular. Each of our dishes was simple and unassuming, but used fresh, local products to make the flavors incredibly vibrant and amazingly delicious.

We both started off with local, delicious beers (I'm a sucker for a good scotch ale in mid-winter) and truffle oil popcorn topped with sarvecchio cheese, which made me oh-so-happy. Joe went the good hearty deutsch route, getting liverwurst and schnitzel (y'all, I'm not normally one for pureed meats, but the liverwurst was ah-may-zing, and was topped with pickled apple slices). I ended up with a warm farro salad that made me want to convert from my quinoa-loving ways, and the most tasty, tender burger ever. I even got to have dessert, and went with a warm salted caramel brownie sundae with fresh-made ice cream and a raspberry coulis. Sorry for all the excruciating food details, you guys, but I'm still reeling from all the delicious!

I wanted to dress up for the occasion, but it's January, and I really had no idea how warm, cold, or fancy the restaurant would be. I really love what I ended up with. This turtleneck mini dress has served me well already, and has easily earned its $4 keep, and I'm always a sucker for cognac and leather accents, so I stuck with that. Oh, and don't worry about the bare legs under those lace tights! I had a pair of tall nude socks on underneath to keep my toes nice and warm. And it ended up being the perfect level of fancy, too. There were plenty of people in jeans, but many in heels and dressier garb, too, so I felt just right.

Thank you, Joe, for treating me to such a lovely date. You already know how much I enjoyed it, but I'll say it again here for posterity: it was wonderful.

Oh, and if you haven't yet, be sure to read Katie's phenomenal guest post on fashion as a curatorial force in our lives. I'm loving your comments and discussions so far!

Title song: Franz Ferdinand, "Take me Out"

It's Getting Late

Dress: UO * Cardigan: Old Navy, remixed * Tights: Target, remixed * Loafers: Common Crow Vintage (15%-off Cyber Monday sale today!!) * Belt: thrifted, remixed

How was everyone's Thanksgiving? Joe and I drove up to spend the holiday with his family, which was wonderful. We got to his mom's house on Wednesday afternoon, and almost literally when we turned off the car it started to snow. The biggest, prettiest, most perfect snow. The kind of snow that just feels like the holidays. I spent a good chunk of Wednesday afternoon and evening gazing out the window at the snow, and the neighborhood, all bundled up inside for the holiday. It's cheesy and ridiculous, but it was kind of awesome. It was super cold, too, so everything stayed perfectly frosted for all of Thanksgiving day, and most of Friday too. We haven't gotten snow in Chicago yet this year, so it was a kind of ideal way to feel like we were truly on vacation, and that the holiday season had really arrived.

The rest of the weekend was wonderful, too. We ate a lot, I held my own in the turkey day card games, and I got to meet more members of Joe's family, which was awesome. We spent Friday and Saturday exploring the city, hanging out at coffeeshops, and catching up with old friends. It was hard to come home yesterday, since I really felt like I was away, but it had to happen. I also took a complete break from the internet while we were gone. No email, no blogging, no commenting or tweeting or picture-taking. Joe's mom's house has neither internet nor a shower, so I spent my time taking long hot baths and reading books (I'm still working my way through Ulysses, if anyone is keeping track, but I finally finished What is the What, which I've been diligently reading since sometime this summer). It was divine.

These pictures are actually from a few weekends ago when Joe and I spent a Saturday in the city for a date. We went to Second City, with a giftcard I had gotten last Christmas, and then to Revolution Brewery for dinner (probably my favorite place in Chicago). I had actually worn this outfit to work earlier that week, minus the red lips, but thought it would segue perfectly into a casual city date night outfit, and I was right. It was comfortable and sassy, and I loved the way the red lips totally punches everything up to the next level. Plus, I'm obsessed with these loafers, so any excuse to wear them is fine by me.

I'm hoping to be back in the game this week, with picture-taking and blogging. It's going to be a very busy few weeks, and then Christmas will be upon us, which I can hardly believe. How was your Thanksgiving weekend? Did you get snow? Are you ready for it to be Christmas season yet?

Common Crow Vintage is a wonderfully cool sponsor of Between Laundry Days.

Title song: Elton John, "Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)"

Catch it All on WGN

White button-up: thrifted * Cardigan: Target * Jeans: Gap, remixed * Brogues: Kmart, remixed

Last night Joe and I enjoyed a little date night out at Wrigley Field. Joe had never been to a Cubs game before, and as part of our summer of fun we've been trying to take advantage of all the awesome stuff that Chicago has to offer. The Cubbies were playing the Oakland A's, so we got all dolled up in our finest blue, red, and white (the Cubs are apparently tres patriotic) and headed uptown. Granted, my outfit had to be both work and game appropriate, so I couldn't quite convey my Cubby pride like some of the other fans (they have the most adorable t-shirts, don't you think?). But I really loved this outfit anyway. I felt very 1950s/classic Americana. And bonus: this button-up is actually a thrifted boys' uniform shirt! Yay for $0.50 thrift store solid gold!

It was a fun game, and the Cubs won, which meant that the whole stadium broke into a singalong of "Go Cubs Go", which was awesome (I'm proud/ashamed to say that I didn't need the marquee to sing along. I've known all the words for years). The whole thing reminded me of how much I love Wrigley Field. It's an older stadium, and they've kept a lot of the classic touches that made Chicago such a baseball city back in the day. My grandma used to go to Wrigley with her grandfather when she was a kid in Chicago, and she was a big baseball fan throughout her life, so I always think of her when I see the Cubs.

I've been totally immersed in sports for the past few weeks. In addition to last night's game, Chicago has been in post-Stanley Cup euphoria for the past week. Plus, the staff in my office, and most of my friends and family, are completely and utterly World Cup obsessed. My office has switched to summer hours, which means we go home at 4, but in addition to that we've been watching 2 World Cup games per day, in the office. We have a projector set up in our conference room, and attendance is semi-mandatory (at the very least, skipping a match is definitely frowned upon). So I'm basically watching soccer for 3 hours/day (on top of the morning match, which Joe and I have been getting up early to watch). Which means I have maybe, maybe 3 hours of work per day. If I'm lucky. The Mexico/France game is this afternoon, and we're essentially shutting down at 1:00 for the match. We've invited friends, ordered food, and are expecting lots of beer and general rowdiness. It's awesome. I love my job.

Are you watching the World Cup? Who are you rooting for? (Right now, Uruguay is kicking major tail, and I'm loving it!)

Bonus sports trivia: In which movie did a dynamic duo of musical troublemakers lure the cops to Wrigley Field?

Title song: Steve Goodman, "Go Cubs Go"

The Lines are Open

Striped shirt: Forever 21, remixed * Dress, as skirt: Forever 21, remixed * Two-tone brogues: Urban Outfitters (Deena & Ozzy), remixed

Chicago gets a pretty bad rap, guys. It gets constantly pounded for its brutal winters, sleazy politicians, gridlock traffic, and serious socioeconomic divisions. Well, okay, it deserves most of that criticism, I guess, but people forget about how unbelievably rad Chicago is during the summertime. There's ample green space (which is totally easy to forget about during the winter when just about the last thing you'd want to do would be to go outside), great museums, farmers' markets in every corner of the city, and free events galore. And the weather ain't bad, either (granted, it's been raining all day today, and will probably be 90 and humid by the end of the week, but honestly, anything's better than a windchill of -17). And speaking of free events, last night was the totally gratis Downtown Sound Series, New Music Monday* show with local mostly-girl punk-pop band Hollows and...and...She & Him! Not bad, Chi-town, not bad at all.

Millennium Park, packed to the gills with the entire under-30 population of Chicago * me and my date * M. to the Ward and Zooey D.

Joe was beyond sweet enough to head down to Millennium Park early in the afternoon to stake out a spot on the lawn in front of Pritzker Pavilion. He did an awesome job defending our territory, and I met him down there after work. And oh, my, goodness, I did not expect the crowd that greeted me once I got there!! The pavilion apparently holds approximately 11,000 people, and the place was absolutely bursting at the seams, with flocks of people waiting in the wings for a spot to open up. Needless to say, I owe Joe big time! The opening band was fun, and the She & Him set was fantastic. I've seen M. Ward before, so I knew at least partly what to expect, but Zooey's voice was, in person, every bit as powerful and haunting as it is recorded. I actually think I prefer them live. Their albums are lovely, but I've sometimes felt that they're a bit over-produced, and it was nice to hear a rawer sound with a bit more depth. Some highlights (in addition to hearing all my fave She & Him songs live, and watching the painfully adorable Zooey dance around the stage, banging on her tambourine, of course)? Audience participation during "In the Sun", a superb version of M. Ward's "Magic Trick" (better, I think, than when he does it solo), a sweet but sad cover of Joni Mitchell's "You Turn Me on, I'm a Radio", and the voice-box busting encore-ending "I Put a Spell on You". Girl's got pipes!

It was absolutely adorable to see how many of the girls in the audience dolled themselves up, Zooey-style, for the concert. I can't say I was totally exempt from that group, actually. I ended up wearing this same outfit two days in a row because it was so comfortable and perfect both for a weekend stroll through a sunny art fair as well as a day of work and the concert. I threw on my leather jacket for warmth after the sun set last night (it got chilly!), but this was the perfect outfit for the day. I've worn this dress as a dress before, and I love its flirty cut, but it's kind of too short for me to feel comfortable, so I haven't worn it in awhile. I thought of trying to adjust it to function as a skirt, and I'm thrilled that it worked so well! I actually just tucked the halter part of the skirt under the waist and pinned the straps in place so that they didn't hang below the hem. I feel like I've found a whole new, fun, bright, lightweight summer staple in my wardrobe!! And I felt so cool and breezy with this Breton striped shirt, which I've already worn countless times this season. I think my newly-declared summer uniform has some competition!

*Can I please just say that I think it's a bit odd that they classify She & Him as "new music". Volume 1 was released in 2008, and I think it's too bad that Volume 2's popularity seems to bank more on Zooey's growing star power than the quality of the music (which, I think, is filling a gap in indie pop today).

Title song: Joni Mitchell* (sung last night by She & Him!), "You Turn Me on, I'm a Radio"

*I - unintentionally! - used a different Joni Mitchell song as my title song the last time I wore this dress!!

That's What Stairs are For

Dress: Urban Outfitters * Tights: Target * Booties: Payless * Necklace: Dalena Vintage, won in a giveaway by Calivintage * Dapper dude: courtesy of downtown Chicago

Joe and I had an awesome date night last night. We don't go out on dates very often, due to a deadly combination of a lack of money, time, and energy, so it's extra special when we get all dolled up and go out on the town together. Last night we went to the theatah. We had tickets to see the Broadway musical, Avenue Q at the Bank of America Theater (it makes me gag a little bit that the glorious Majestic Theater in Chicago has now been officially renamed. Marquee and all. I mean, seriously, is nothing sacred to these people?). The play was hilarious, and we had such a blast. I was totally blown away by the actors/singers/puppeteers abilities to multitask, be hilarious, and belt out a pretty awesome song or two. I love going to plays and musicals, especially big productions like this, so this was really just the perfect night for us. Joe had seen the musical once before in London, and he was so cute getting all excited to see how much I would enjoy it. He knows my sense of humor, I guess.

I feel like I should put a pretty massive disclaimer on this outfit, though. I was massively overdressed for the occasion. I kind of knew I would be, since I don't think anyone dresses up for the theater anymore, but I decided to go for it anyway. I got this dress awhile ago at UO for an absolute steal (I'm pretty sure it was marked down to $15). I'm not sure that you can tell from the pictures, but it's made up of panels of silk (the pink parts) and wool (the charcoal parts), and fits me so perfectly. I love the geometric pattern, full skirt, and flirty hemline. I wanted to let the dress totally shine, so I kept it way simple with accessories; black tights, black booties, skinny black headband, and this darling pink/gold necklace that I won from Calivintage/Dalena Vintage. I was really happy with it, even though I kind of stood out next to the Twizzlers vendor and people wearing ripped jeans and guzzling beers from plastic cups. I'm not normally a culture snob, but seriously, Chicago? A Twizzlers vendor at the Majestic (*ahem* bankofamerica *ahem*) Theater?

Do you guys dress up when you go to a play/musical/ballet/etc.? Am I being a big ol' Snobby McSnobberson? Can I have one of your Twizzlers?

Title song: Avenue Q, "Schadenfreude"

I Wanna Open This Hour

Outfit details:
White shirt: Old Navy, remixed
White tunic: Old Navy
Vest: thrifted
Jeans: Gap, remixed
Ballet flats: Target, remixed
Necklace: Snakes on a Necklace, in Objects Found shop

Where:
Breakfast, Field Museum, home for date night with Joe

Sorry for the kinda fuzzy photos. We opted to take them without the flash to get better colors, but we lost some clarity in the process. Joe and I had a lovely day today, walking around the museum, making rings out of dollar bills (anyone else remember doing that?), and making white Russians. We're watching Stranger than Fiction and The Darjeeling Limited tonight, with tastilicious pizza. I got this vest when I went thrifting with Jennine awhile back. It was in the little boys' section, and 50% off, which makes it even sweeter. It was originally button-less, but Joe sewed them on for me last night. He's so handy.

Title song: Spoon, "The Book I Write"

Warm Me from the Wind

Outfit details (day):
Dress: Lux, thrifted, worn as shirt, remixed as dress
Khakis: Old Navy
Metallic snakeskin platform wedges: Rampage, remixed
Belt: TJ Maxx, recently remixed
Glasses: Fysh
Leather cuff bracelet: gift

Where:
Work

My list of "things-I-need-for-work" is growing longer and longer. Work slacks are at the top of that list, since I currently only own these and the green pair that aren't denim, but blouses are high up too. I have a lot of plain shirts and t-shirts, which are okay when paired with fancier skirts or slacks, but look unpolished without that extra punch. My mom's coming to town in a few weeks so I'm looking forward to doing some "back-to-school/work/Clare's-first-real-job" shopping with her, but until then I'm on my own. So I thought it would be a good idea to remix this adorable Lux dress as a tunic, and I loved the result! Even though there was a lot of fabric bunched up around the waist, the viscose of the dress kept it from looking bulky. Plus, it made for a perfect work-to-play transition:

Outfit details (night):
Dress: Lux, remixed
Metallic snakeskin platform wedges: Rampage, remixed
Belt: Brazilian necklace, gift from my dad
Leather cuff bracelet: gift

Where:
Dinner, hanging with Joe on Friday night

It felt a little weird to basically just take off my pants to make my "evening" ensemble, but I was okay with it. I'm madly in love with this little dress, and now that I've worn it a few different ways I'm even more convinced of its perfection. It was a lovely evening, too, and I think Joe's becoming quite the photographer!!

Title song: Arlo Guthrie, "Chilling of the Evening"

I Had a Vision in My Backyard

Outfit details (day):
Plaid shirt: Old Navy
White knit pleated skirt: Old Navy, remixed
Black belt: TJ Maxx, remixed
Wedges: Naturalizer, remixed

Where:
Work

Loved this outfit but am tooooo exhausted to say much. This ne'er worn winter skirt became a wonderful summer favorite. And I'm loving me some plaid lately too.

Outfit details (night):
Plaid shirt: Old Navy
Skinny jeans: Old Navy, remixed
Purple flats: Soda, via GoJane, remixed

Where:
Sushi dinner with my uncle and Joe in Old Town

The "evening" version of this outfit was pretty simple...basically just throwing on some jeans (any excuse to wear denim is welcome now that I have a no-jeans job!) to meet my uncle for sushi with Joe. It was a lovely, and delicious evening!

Title song: David Byrne, "Nothing at all"

And a Fox Became God

Outfit details:
Dress: Max Studio, via TJ Maxx
Black cardigan: Old Navy, remixed
Wedge sandals: Naturalizer, remixed

Where:
Work, Japanese dinner date

This has got to be one of my favorite dresses. It's brand new to me, thanks to TJ Maxx bein' so darn awesome. It's so comfortable, too. It's not quite jersey, but not quite heavier stiffer dress material. Rather, it's some perfect in-between fabric (I suppose I could look at the label, but let's be honest, that's too much work) that drapes flatteringly and feels perfectly weighted. And I am slowly discovering that purple of any shade is totally my color. I love the way it complements my dark hair and skin tone (doubly so during the summer with my ever-so-slight tan).

Joe and I went out to dinner tonight at an adorable little Japanese place run by a Filipino couple (??). It was delicious, and romantic, and I was so happy to be able to talk throughout the whole dinner about my new job. Last night, however, I made a big dinner, which I thought I might document on film. I made lamb-stuffed tomatoes, onion herbed roasted red potatoes, and a farmer's market salad. Other than the beefsteak tomatoes for the lamb, all the produce was local. And all of it was delicious!

Title song: Coldplay, "Violet Hill"

It's a Big Enough Umbrella

Outfit details:
Dress: Lux, thrifted
Belt: thrifted, remixed
Sandals: GoJane, remixed

Where:
Work, museum, dinner and a movie

I bought this dress last weekend while doing some thrifting, and knew it would be a perfect summer work dress. It's pretty shapeless, so a belt is crucial, but it's silk, so the fabric drapes perfectly with the belt. I'm already thinking up other ways to wear it, with pants or leggings, as more of a tunic.

I decided to take the afternoon off to spend some time with Joe before my new job starts and I have to work a lot more hours. So we spent the afternoon at the Field Museum, which I love, and then went out to a happy-hour dinner at Rock Bottom Brewery and then to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. It was really nice to have a date night together. Our schedules have been weird lately and we haven't had a lot of time to go out together so it was really nice to do the whole dinner-and-a-movie thing.

So one of the things that I've been thinking about is how to get a more office-appropriate wardrobe started for my new job. I have a few select things, but not much. So I'm putting it to you all: knowing what you know about my style (and keeping in mind that I'm definitely still on a budget!), what are a few must-have work wardrobe staples? Any particular stores I should be checking out? And for you other short-legged lovelies, any advice on which brands offer petite sizes or shorter inseams?

Title song: The Police, "Every little thing she does is Magic"

She's Just a Girl Who Claims that I Am the One

Outfit details:
White tank: American Eagle, remixed
Gray silk pleated skirt: Old Navy, remixed as a shirt
Black/silver peep-toe wedges: Naturalizer
Black/silver/turquoise scarf (worn as belt): Forever 21, remixed as scarf
Earrings: Gift from sister
Ring: Forever 21

Where:
Work, Art Institute, dinner date

The heat finally broke yesterday evening!! As much as I've been loving all the flirty dresses and summery ensembles that the 90-degree weather has demanded, I was seriously relieved when a cool breeze swept down the street last night. So now our apartment, which is not yet air conditioned, is finally at a reasonable temperature, and I can go back to being okay with the idea of summery layers, neckscarves, close-toed shoes, and pants. I'm telling you, I truly struggled through a week of work-appropriate and heat-reasonable outfits. What do you do when you're stuck for inspiration? Where do you look to get ideas for a summery work wardrobe? Any pointers are seriously welcome.

As you can see, I'm still rocking the high-waisted look with this outfit. I've finally found a way to wear this skirt (as a skirt) that doesn't make me cringe. I bought it in winter and had so far only paired it with tights and boots. While it looks truly adorable with high-heeled booties, it clings to tights like moths to a flame (sorry 'bout the mixed metaphor). So I'm thrilled to know that it looks great as a summer work skirt!

To cool off yesterday afternoon, Joe and I spent some time downtown...at the 'Tute and out for dinner. I'm telling you, nothing is as cool and refreshing as a (giant!) mug of beer:

I'm instituting a new kind of challenge week this week. It's really more of a tribute week, though, for the King of Pop. Since I don't have any leather jackets or sequined gloves with which I could emulate Wacko Jacko's unparallelled style, I will feature one of my fave Michael Jackson hits in the title each day. I think Bubbles would approve.

Title song: Michael Jackson, "Billie Jean"