Prioritize to Live Through

Dress: thrifted (from a trip this weekend with Lisa, Megan, and Emily - I let myself spend as much on thrift store stuff as I would have spent on gas to visit Joe, so I'm considering this a temporary, and acceptable, respite from the ban) * Belt: thrifted, remixed * Heels: Swedish Hasbeens, remixed * Bike necklace: remixed

It's been a weird week. It has felt slow, fast, busy, dragging, good, bad, fun, boring, productive, lazy, healthy, and lethargic all at once (or rather, back and forth. I think I might actually spontaneously combust if I felt all those things at one time). This morning I feel tired, happy that it's Thursday, but anxious about the day. I have meetings all morning, and still plenty to do this afternoon. It quite often feels like there aren't enough hours in the day, and I don't like the feeling that I'm not accomplishing everything that I've set out to accomplish.

I think that one of the most major challenges of being a grown-up -- whether in school, at work, with family, or anything else -- is figuring out how to prioritize your time. Learning that certain things, certain tasks, certain goals, just won't get accomplished, and learning that that is okay, is a major hurdle for most people. We want to do everything, complete everything, conquer the world. And I'm all about lofty goals and optimistic aspirations. But usually, in life, there is more to do than there is time to do it. So a bit of prioritizing is in order. I think that many people choose to let their relationships lie on the backburner in favor of being productive and accomplished at work. It's the trademark of the corporate workaholic, of course, but I think students and less "business-y" folk do it as well.

I was talking with two of the people I have been working with yesterday, and had to remind them that letting their social life completely drop off would be a mistake. They were more than willing to sacrifice friends, boyfriends, and, seemingly, fun, just to get their list of tasks completed. It really worried me, actually, because I think you can really put things into jeopardy if you stop paying attention to the people in your life. To me, my life is only as good as the people I share it with. Far be it for me to say how someone else should live their life, but I hope a piece of my advice got through to them. It's a hard thing to do, this prioritizing. Letting go of a goal, or cutting back on work, or doing something only halfway (or half as well as you'd like to do it), is a hard pill to swallow for most of us. But I think it's a hard pill to avoid, and it's best to come at it with a plan, knowing what you're willing to cut back on in favor of more important things.

Title song: Outkast, "Red Velvet"

The Summer Kisses

Dress: Forever 21, remixed * Boots: Target * Nautie Godiva Vintage Necklace: won from Huzzah! Vintage * Belt: thrifted, remixed

It's officially Autumn*! (In my early morning delirium, I wrote "It's the first day of summer!" before I realized that no, actually it's not. Maybe I'm not ready for summer to be over after all...) One thing I've learned from living in Chicago is that autumn is phenomenal. Chicago is usually a land of extremes. Summer is sweltering, humid and sticky and oppressive. The winter wind makes you literally feel like your skin is freezing on your body and is about to crack off (unpleasant, I know, but that's the exact sensation that I feel on those mid-January mornings). Spring is, for lack of a better term, mud season. But autumn, autumn is beautiful

The gorgeous piece of awesomeness I won from Huzzah! Vintage's giveaway with Nautie Godiva Vintage

Autumn is that brief interlude, when you don't have your air conditioning on, but the radiators haven't kicked in yet. As the leaves die, you can hear them rustling in the trees, getting ready to fall. Autumn is when Halloween happens, and that smell of crispness is in the air. Autumn is chock-full of cliches, and I adore them all. Apple cider (or fresh orchard apples, which we've been munching on this week!), pumpkin pie (and I'm sorry everyone, pumpkin spice lattes are nice and all, but there are things that signal Autumn more than a delicious treat from Starbucks), Thanksgiving. Honestly, I think what signals Autumn most for me are the smells. That's pretty much the case with the beginning of any season, but especially with autumn. There's a marked difference in the way the world smells, and you only notice it for a few days before you're accustomed to it. Autumn smells so clean to me, like all the gunk from the summer air is being swept away.

While spinning, I flashed the crap out of the street. This is me, embarrassed, trying to literally keep my shit together.

Like most things in my life, Autumn is also about food. It's finally cool enough to crank up the stove and turn on the oven without wanting to die from heat exhaustion. One of my roommates brought home a bag of concord grapes this week. First of all, holy hell those are crazy! I'd never had them before, and they are seriously like biting into an orb of grape juice. Anyway, I'm making a concord grape pie tonight. Seems odd, perhaps, but I think it will be incredibly yummy, and totally in line with my autumnal thoughts. Do you have any beginning-of-the-season treats that you make, bake, or buy? Any tips? Have you ever had a concord grape? What signals Autumn for you?

*I call it Autumn, not "fall", for no real reason other than it feels slightly indulgent.

Title song: Frank Sinatra, "Autumn Leaves" (heads up that this one might be used multiple times this season. It was my grandmother's favorite song, and I adore it)

Hitchhike the Road to Eden

Dress: thrifted * Cardigan: Old Navy, remixed * Boots: Rockport, remixed * Belt: thrifted, remixed * Bag: found near Joe's new apartment * Straw hat: for sale at Common Crow Vintage

You guys didn't think I was going to post an awesome video of me running down the block with a shopping cart and not follow up with an outfit post, did you? And you surely didn't think that I wouldn't take at least some of my outfit shots in said shopping cart, right? Okay, good. As long as we're on the same page. Oh, and that picture up there? It's my favorite picture ever. Fabulous dress? Check. Adorable hat? Check. Whimsical prop? Check. Duckface? Check. (Sorry about the duckface.)

Aside from all the fun Emily and I had taking these pictures, I truly adored this outfit. This thrifted dress is rayon, and just floats over my body, making it one of the most comfortable pieces I own. I couldn't be more excited to bust out the boots this year, and I love how perfectly my Rockport's match my favorite thrifted belt. I actually threw on the cardigan as a cold-office solution, but ended up just loving how it looked with the rest of the outfit. It compliments my black nerd glasses and, I think, kind of completes the whole look.

As you can probably tell from yesterday's epic weekend post, I stayed in Chicago this weekend instead of going to see Joe. There were a few things around the 'hood I wanted to do, and I knew my work stuff last week would be crazy, so I decided to stay put. And while I had a delightful weekend, and I'm quite glad I cooled my heels for a few days, I'm really looking forward to seeing him again this weekend. It's an odd transition to go from living with someone to living hundreds of miles apart. It's been relatively easy so far, but I'm definitely excited to see his bright shining bearded face on Friday.

Oh, and can we talk for a second about how much we love this hat?? I must confess that I didn't wear it to work. I just love how perfectly it goes with the outfit, and how it lends this cool vibe to the whole thing. I feel that it matches nicely with the shopping cart for some reason. It looks the tiniest bit hillbilly with my haircut, but in the most awesome way possible. I just think it's so adorable, and has the cutest shape, so I had to style it up.

p.s. Adorable hat? It's for sale in Emily's Etsy shop. Snatch away!

Title song: NOFX, "Freedom Lika Shopping Cart"

Never Felt a Feeling Quite this Strong

Gray pants: thrifted, remixed * Silk blouse: laundry room freebie, remixed * Suede pumps: Etsy * Record cuff: Etsy, remixed * Belt: thrifted, remixed

Hey everyone, it's photo dump Monday! I keep having these weekends, or photoshoots, that end up with a gazillion pictures. I hope it's not getting tiresome. And you know, if it is, I can always spice it up with another video of me pushing a shopping cart. Anyway, all of these are from Friday night, when Emily and I went to the opening of Labrabbit Optics, a vintage and contemporary eyewear shop in Wicker Park, and an event put on by the awesome women's design collective, Quite Strong (if you've seen this issue of Time Out Chicago, they're in it!). I went with what Emily called an outfit with a strong Charlie Chaplin vibe, which I took as an absolute compliment. I wanted to wear something interesting and easy, that played with proportions and fabrics and autumn colors.

Various pictures from the Labrabbit Optics event (from top to bottom): outside the shop, inside the shop (love the poster of Sigourney Weaver!), winning the lovely owners of the Sometimes Store and SisterMan Vintage over with my nail polish choices, posing like a goober, trying on glasses in front of Coyote DeGroot, the owner of Labrabbit Optics.

The Labrabbit Optics opening was lovely. Free wine and tasty pastries (which I happily did not spill on myself!), a fabulous turnout, and rad glasses ripe for the trying on. I am madly, painfully in love with the pair that I'm wearing above.

GlitterGuts was also there, taking pictures of party-goers as they tried on various specs. I adore this series of Emily and I, especially the last one, in which I totally look like I just admire the pants off of her (which I actually do)! Ah, the difference quality lighting makes! More pictures of the event can be seen at GlitterGuts and Chicago Streetstyle Scene.

Incredibly pleased with my name tag and temporary tattoo at the Quite Strong event.

We also hopped over to the event put on by Quite Strong, a design collective made up of "creatives of the female variety". It was so cool getting to meet the ladies in charge of the event, rock some Quite Strong temporary tattoos, and talk about thrifting, design, and jobs with Victoria, one of the founding ladies of the group. I hope for more happy, creative collaborations in the future. More pictures from the event can be found here.

How was your weekend? Any busy, crazy, delightful evenings? Any temporary tattoos?

Title song: Josh Turner, "Your Man"

*Other than those specifically attributed to GlitterGuts, all photos are by Emily.

Laundry Day: Jumped on My Shopping Cart

It's Friday. It's been a long week. I may or may not have gone a little crazy.

Enjoy. Please don't judge.

Title song: John Mayer, "Comfortable"

I'm Back...

Gals,
What a whirlwind of a month. Electric Picnic was an incredible festival. I had a blast working backstage with the cast and crew of Lucent Dossier, truely an awe inspiring experience. I loved every minute of it, hanging in the dressing area, repairing costumes ( which were amazing btw!!) and then hanging out with the characters after hours, which was a rare treat. These guys are all kinds of crazy in real life, they don't just save that for the stage, I tell ya!!! ;)
I have long been a fan of Lucent Dossier and it really was a dream come true to work alongside them in real life and experience a part of their crazy world if only for a short while!
I have included a clip from youtube showing their 2010 show that they brought to Electric Picnic, I think this vid was captured in the US just before they toured Europe.

Poowah!

Dress: Erin's donation bag, remixed * Shirt: thrifted, remixed * Loafers: thrifted, remixed * Ring: Forever 21, remixed * Bag: vintage Kenneth Cole, remixed

Remember how I said I was wearing the crap outta this dress, and layering it with everything I could think of? Well, here's another remix. I wish these pictures were better (and by better I mean not so flipping dark) so that I could truly showcase how rad this looked with the oxford shirt buttoned up high, and the awesome loafers, and the buttons mimicking from the blouse and dress.

I think I liked this one so much because it had a sort of stark minimalism to it. The colors are subtle and almost washed out, there aren't many accessories or embellishments, and the silhouette is a bit conservative. But it still felt fashion-forward, fun, and balanced. I think having the sweet green loafers and pop of cognac-colored leather from the purse really makes a difference. It would probably be downright dull without those bits.

Oh! And it's Thursday, which is almost Friday, which means we're almost done with this crazy daisy week. I worked another late night last night, and I'm going to try to get a bit more accomplished now before I head to work, so brief is the name of the game right now. Hope you all have a lovely Thursday! Gearing up for any weekend plans? I'll be staying in Chicago this weekend, and I'm really looking forward to some roommate bonding time, shopping (within the confines of my shopping ban, of course - I've decided that if I find something that I absolutely love, I'm allowed to spend my normal weekend gas money - about $25 - on it), brunching, sleeping, and, of course, True Blooding.

Title song: Frank Zappa, "Proto-Minimalism" (I know I usually try to make the titles make some semblance of sense, but who can pass up putting "poowah!" as the title??! Makes a rough week a little easier.)