Happy Independence Day!

Somehow July 4 isn't as momentous when it falls in the middle of the week. Still, I can't complain about a day off work/ excuse to eat delicious food and drink outside all day.  Not that I need an excuse for a cocktail. (Seriously, my instagram feed is 90% food, cocktails and my cat)

I'll be going to not one, but two parties today! First a birthday backyard barbecue for my friend Kelly in Somerville, then fireworks and drinks on the beach in East Boston. I've go a killer outfit planned, a new swimsuit,  and two bottles of moscato chilling in the fridge, so I'm ready!

This is not the outfit I have planned, but it's the most patriotic outfit on my computer that you haven't seen, so here ya go!

How will you be celebrating today? 

In My Backyard

I love where I live. Sure, my apartment is small, and my closet smaller, but you can't beat the location. The only way I could have a shorter commute would be to work from home. I can walk to just about anywhere in the Back Bay or South End in 20-30 minutes, and I live within two blocks of a great coffee shop, a Marshall's and a plethora of restaurants. What more could a girl want (besides a bigger closet)?

Well, since you asked, I do miss having outdoor space. A yard, a deck, or a porch would be amazing. Especially when temps over 90 degrees+ no AC = hotter temperatures in my apartment than outside. Thankfully my fantastic location also means I have a variety of parks and gardens at my disposal.

On Sunday Mike and I got some frozen yogurt and went for a walk in the Fenway Victory Gardens. It's really cool to see what people grow in their little plots. Some were filled with flowers, others with the starts of a vegetable garden.

It was a hot day, and super windy. I'll spare y'all the photo where I had to hold my dress down, Marilyn Monroe style.Thankfully, I always wear shorts of some sort under my dresses. Despite the wind, this Dorothy Perkins dress really is perfect for a hot day. It's light and airy, the perfect length, and it's striped!

After our little walk we retreated to the crisp air conditioning of the movie theater for a matinee showing of the new Star Trek movie. There is seriously nothing better than a frigid movie theatre when it's over 90 degrees outside and you don't have air conditioning. 

Outfit: Dress- Dorothy Perkins last summer; Sandals- Payless old; Braceet- vintage (either my mo;m's or thrifted, not sure); Sunnies- Target

What do you like to do/ wear on a hot day? 

The Unofficial Start to Summer

Today is the start of a 4 day long heatwave in Boston, and I for one am stoked! (especially after a less than warm holiday weekend)

I spent the long, cold weekend in New York. Friday we headed to the Neuberger Museum of Art in Prospect. Most of the exhibits were closed, but there was still some cool stuff!

On Saturday Mike and I braved the cold, rainy, NYC weather and headed to Brooklyn for pizza brunch with friends and a trip to the Brooklyn Brewery. 

Yum! Then we headed to Citi Field to catch Mike's birthday Mets Game.

Unfortunately it was cold and rainy, so we spent most of the game in the Caesar's Club. We did manage to sneak out for a bit to some seats that were not as good, but also not as windy as ours. 

Most of the weekend was spent hanging out with Mike's family. 

Including this cute kitty, punky. 

On Sunday the clouds finally cleared!

The sun finally came out on Saturday, so we had a little barbecue. Mike did the grilling. I lounged.  And took outfit pictures in the back yard. 

Dress: Calvin Klein via TJ Maxx; Sandals- ? via shopbop; Cardigan- Old Navy

Feminine, Classic, and Fuss Free

The further I get into my 20s, the more developed my personal style becomes. I like simple, classic prints like polka dots and stripes. I love dresses, skirts, flowy blouses, and strappy sandals. I shy away from fussy or complicated. I don't wear a lot accessories. I wouldn't dare call myself sophisticated.

This outfit feels very me. Feminie, classic, and fuss free.

I bet you'll be seeing a lot of this dress this summer. The navy and white stripes are so versatile.

Outfit: Dress- EvanPicone via Marshalls; Cardigan- Old Navy; Shoes - Payless; Sunnies - F21

Spring is definitely here to say. Look at this little bunny that decided to crash my photo shoot!

And the flowers are gorgeous right now!

How would you describe your personal style?

Reluctant Bostonian

I don't think I can consider myself a blogger any more. I haven't posted on a regular schedule since last summer! Sometimes I'm just not into it. I get busy doing other things- my volunteer and organizing work, spending time with my man, diy manicures, watching marathons of The L Word on netflix... 

..and then I realize that it's been two weeks since I posted even though I have several outfit photos ready to go. These were actually taken about three weeks ago.

Outfit: Shirt and Jeans- Old Navy; Shoes- H&M

I want to thank everyone that has showed support for this amazing city I live in. It has been one hell of a few weeks. I know there are more horrific things going on all around the world all the time. I'm incredibly thankful to live somewhere where explosions and wild police chases are not the norm.

I didn't love this city when I moved here in December 2009. I figured I'd stay for 6 months, maybe a year, and then I'd move back to Austin, TX. Then I met Mike and made some awesome friends. I discovered the beauty of New England summers and autumns, and I fell in love. I stopped thinking about where I wanted to move next, and started thinking about which neighborhood I'd want to settle down in some day.

I'm proud to live here, and I'm not going anywhere anytime soon.

Black, white and purple

I took these pictures after work last week, before daylight savings. The light was low and they didn't turn out very well. I'm really looking forward to taking photos after work in the coming weeks and months. The days are only going to get longer from here and I couldn't be more thrilled!

My blog related goal for this spring and summer is to get more comfortable taking photos on my own in public. There are some beautiful parks and spots near my apartment that I hope to take advantage of, especially when the spring flowers start coming in.

Because otherwise, you're just going to get more sketchy looking photos from the alley behind my apartment building. And nobody wants that!

Outfit: Jeans- Old Navy; Blouse- DKNY via Gwynniebee; Shoes- Marshalls similar; Cardigan- Marshalls 

I've been wearing flats a lot lately. Having a two block commute I feel like it's easier to get away with footwear that is impractical for the weather. Regardless I can't wait to pack away my boots and enter flats/ sandals season!

What are you looking forward to wearing this spring?

Autumn 2012 in Review

I can't believe it's December already! I know winter doesn't officially start until the winter solstice on December 21st, but I always think of December 1st as the unofficial start of winter. With that in mind, here is a look back at some of my favorite outfits from Autumn 2012.

There are definitely some trends in my fall favorites. I loved cobalt, mustard yellow, horizontal stripes, and my denim jacket! Which outfit is your favorite?

Foliage and Shopping

The foliage is absolutely beautiful in New England right now! In my walk to the train or bus in the morning, I just want to stop, sip my coffee outside, and take it all in. This past weekend was mostly sunny, so I made sure to enjoy the many parks in my neighborhood and take in the foliage. 

What better for a walk in the park than a comfy pair of jeans, a tshirt, an over-sized cardigan, and some loafers I've had since high-school?

I took these pictures during my weekly scramble to find shopping something to do to get me out of the house while Mike watches every football game ever on Sunday.

Outfit: Jeans- F21+; TShirt- Old Navy; Cardigan- Vintage Men's, thrifted; Loafers- Naturalizer circa 2004

This Sunday? I went to not one, but two Marshalls. After trying on every pair of booties in my size between the two stores, I bought some nail polish, a pepper grinder and some gummy dinosaurs. Success?

Date Night- A Little bit Country

Mike and I have fallen into a routine of going out for dinner at least once a week. I think it's important to spend time together outside of our apartment, and it's nice to let someone else do the cooking. Friday we stayed in and enjoyed a game night of sorts (I agreed to play Wii with Mike in exchange for him playing cards with me). We also had yummy pork roast and beer.

Saturday Mike had a ton of homework to do, but we went out for dinner anyways. Since I had plenty of time to get ready, I decided to do something I almost never do- curl my hair.

We headed to Brookline Village with the intention of getting some Japanese or Latin food. Due to long lines and restaurants that didn't look like what expected from the Yelp reviews, we ended up at Village Smokehouse, a Texas style barbecue restaurant.

Outfit: Dress- Dorothy Perkins; Jacket- JCrew (thrifted); Boots- Madden Girl

I loved it. The food was delicious, and it felt like Texas. The whole date just felt a little bit country, in a good way! I don't know if it was the curls, or the combination of boots, an A-line dress and a denim jacket. Maybe it was the fact that I had watched the first episode of Nashville earlier that day, or maybe it was just the country music and barbecue.

Breaking all the Rules

I have always been a fan of makeovers. Clueless was one of my favorite movies growing up, and I loved TV shows like "What not to Wear". As much as I believe that how you look on the outside can affect your mood. I have become quite disenchanted with makeover shows. They always pose a stupid list of rules, especially for curvy women! No horizontal stripes, wear dark straight, but not skinny legged pants or an A-line skirt and heels to slim and elongate the leg, etc, etc, etc. 

I acknowledge that here are cuts, styles, colors and prints of clothing that are more "flattering" to my figure, but I think abiding by a list of rules when you get dressed in the morning is a ridiculous notion. If you aren't having fun with your wardrobe and taking some risks then what's the point? So here I am, wearing flat shoes, horizontal stripes and bold skinny leg pants. 

Look at me breaking all those rules. Where are Stacy and Clinton? 

Outfit: Corduroy skinnies-  F21+ last year; Sweater- Old Navy; Flats- Target

Allie over at Wardrobe Oxygen wrote a great post earlier this week on the subject of taking clothes a little too seriously. The post really resonated with me. In getting caught up in the rules, we jeopardize our personal style. We lose the things that make us unique! We should all take Allie's advice and lighten up a little! 

What  fashion faux pas did you commit this week? 

Autumn in the City

Saturday was a beautiful autumn day. The air was crisp, the sun was shining, and the foliage was beautiful. It was also one of those days that reminds me why I love city living, specifically Boston city living.

Outfit: Jeans and Shirt- Old Navy; Jacket- thrifted JCrew; Boots- MeToo via DSW; Scarf- Target; Bag- H&M. 

I met up with my friend Kelly and we walked around the Rose Kennedy Greenway and Fanueil Hall a bit. Then went to the Boston vs New York Food truck throw down.

Unfortunately the lines were super long, so we only got to try two of the food trucks. We stuck to the New York trucks since we can eat at the Boston trucks almost any time. First we had tacos from Big D's Grub Truck. They were delicious and well worth the long wait.

For dessert we had apple, cranberry and nutella empanadas from the Nuchas truck. Yum!

Earlier in the day, while waiting for my friend Kelly outside of the Park Street T station, I had the kind of experience that could only happen in Boston. I was watching an antiwar/ pro- Green Party demonstration, near by there was a guy dressed in revolutionary war era clothing leading a freedom trail tour, a guy with a thick South Boston accent peddling fried dough, and the air smelled like burnt leaves. Then all of a sudden a parade of anti-rape culture demonstrators walked by. I love this city!

How I Layer

Fall is the time for layers. While I wear cardigans year round, I also love layering sweaters, scarves, and jackets and you just can't do that during the summer. Monday was one of those days were I would have been happy to go to work in leggings or jeans and a sweatshirt, but sadly that just isn't an option. Next best thing? Stretchy black pants and a comfy shirt.

But it was chilly out Monday morning. I knew it would also be chilly in my office, so I added a red blazer...

... and a scarf

Outfit: Blouse- Old Navy; Pants- Torrid; Blazer- vintage, thrifted; Scarf- H&M; Flats- Marshall's

Yep. That'll do. 

What are your favorite layering pieces?

Old Friends

Saturday was the first day of autumn, and it is definitely starting to feel like it in Boston. We've been having chilly mornings, warm afternoons and breezy evenings. One of my favorite things about the change of seasons is pulling old favorites out from the back of my closet and wearing them again. It's like getting reacquainted with old friends! This sweater dress is one of the old friends I have been longing to get back in touch with. I wore it in my very first blog post, so it felt fitting to wear it on the first day of a new season.

I originally intended to wear my new black riding boots with this outfit, but I didn't like the way they looked with bare legs. I think they need to be broken in a bit. Instead I chose my cognac colored high heeled boots, and I really love the way this outfit turned out.

Outfit: Dress- Forever21+ (last year); Belt- H&M; Jacket- JCrew (thrifited); Boots- Madden Girl last year (similar here)

Mike snapped these pictures for me on our way to dinner. We went out for some delicious sushi  and then went to a party hosted by one of Mike's friends from law school. It was really nice to spend the evening with good company and drink some fall beers on the porch.

We did a lot of walking and standing. Although these boots are very comfortable for heels,my feet were killing me by the end of the night. Thankfully I'd thought ahead and thrown some flats in my purse, but I really wish I were better at wearing heels. Any tips?