Bundled

works cited: thrifted jacket; scarf from a street vendor; hand-me-down tee; UO sweater; target flats; madewell jeans; hand-me-down belt from my mom

I got back from my conference on Saturday and have been hanging out with one of my best friends from college who just got engaged (eeeee!) and is visiting DC. It's suddenly much colder outside so I've had to bundle up a lot more than I did last week. To be honest, I feel like I'm a little rusty at dressing for the cold (it feels like it's been summer for 6 months) and this outfit was basically a surrender after I changed four times and then decided I just needed to get out the door. Maybe it's just strange to go from a season of simplicity (dress + shoes) to a season where you've got to layer it on to keep cozy. Maybe a new blog or two in my reader would spice things up--anyone find a new blog they love lately?

Paging 1998

works cited: target dress and socks; j. crew belt, boots and sweater

As the weather turns, I've held out on wearing my coat by bundling up in wool sweaters and scarves. DC's fall weather is much more temperate than the midwest, and I've loved the slower pace of the leaves turning and the fact that I haven't yet had to wear tights. It also helps me continue my 90's-themed outfits--floral dresses, socks and boots, cargo jackets, big sweaters. Maybe it's just because I wore these things growing up, but I'd be thrilled if flannel, floral, and Doc Martens resurfaced for a second round in the style spotlight. Not to mention the great indie rock, a flood of coming-of-age comedies, low unemployment, independent bookstores in the pre-Amazon years. The only thing I'd leave behind are the too-short spaghetti strap tank tops I wore throughout 1998, shudder.

I Wish I Were In a Lake, Not Dressed in the Colors of One

works cited: common crow skirt (birthday gift from emily); j. crew blouse; thrifted belt; flats c/o blowfish; thrifted jacket hanging on bicycle

Today I really wish I were floating on an inner tube on a big sunny lake reading Julian Barnes's new novel and wearing a big floppy sunhat. Oh, and I wish I were blissfully free of all this work. Instead, I am looking like a grown up and sitting in front of two computers and two monitors (burn your eyes and make your synapses fire frenetically in half the time!) while I try to weed wordiness and the phrase "the ways in which" out of my own writing. Normally I try to keep this blog on the bright side of things, but the brightest I can muster today is the hope that this week zooms by quickly so that when it's over I can at least lie in the bathtub reading Julian Barnes's new novel...possibly even with a sunhat on.

Birthday Girl

works cited: gap pants, scarf and denim button-up; j. crew sweater (birthday gift from days of yore from my mom); UO flats; thrifted jacket and bag; americano from tryst

Today is my birthday (twenty-six!). It's clearly a great day for a birthday not only because the weather is perfect and the leaves are turning but also because I share my day of birth with other important people: a dear friend from grad school, a sweet anonymous commenter, Elaine's Adam, and Alfred Nobel (may he RIP), among others. Christopher took the day off work and my dad is in town, so I'm so overwhelmed with the possibilities of everything we could do today (bike rides! waffles! museums! hikes in rock creek park! movies! dancing! twizzlers! exclamation points for everyone! and all the parentheses I want in my blog posts!). I hope you have a terrific weekend and I'll see you next week, older, wiser, and fuller with waffles.

Scatterbrained

works cited: anthro dress; j. crew sweater; steve madden boots; necklace from etsy; tote c/o out of print books

Yesterday was one of those manic my-whole-closet-ends-up-on-the-floor mornings. It is not an ideal way to start the day; in fact, feeling flustered in the mornings seems to accelerate my slide into senility and I start forgetting important things, like weekly coffee dates (sorry, Sarah) and which direction I'm going on the metro (embarrassing). However, if I'm being optimistic, I'd like to think the increased scatterbrained-ness means that I am just saving up mental energy for more important things, like dissertation and plotting how to spend my birthday tomorrow :)

And Once More for the Cheap Seats

works cited: UO red jeans and flats; target striped tee; vintage glasses; sweater from filene's basement (not sure of brand); nobletown vintage earrings

Ladies and Gentleman of the Jury, I know I am a repeat offender. But if the jury will pause before its verdict, I will provide persuasive evidence for why I have to keep wearing the red pants: it's a busy week; the red pants are at the top of the drawer and so easy to grab and go; they are great for bicycling in because they don't get caught in the chain and they have great visibility; the cheerful color galvanizes me; they have a lot of lycra so I can curl up at a coffeeshop working for hours in comfort. I rest my case.

Second Time's the Charm

works cited: thrifted sweater; UO jeans; target boots; f21 necklace; breda watch; uneasy feelings about this outfit's level of big box brands: medium-high

I actually wore this exact outfit last week but didn't get a snap of it, so I tried again this week because I liked the color combo so much. I used to have a great pair of red pants in college, though sadly I shrunk out of them once I stopped eating dorm food and I was red-pants-less for about five years. So after I bought these this summer, I've been on a red-pants-binge and have been wearing them with just about everything. I really like the refreshing shock of color in my mostly navy/gray/black/brown closet. It seems like everyone and her mother has a pair of red jeans these days--I personally love getting to mooch inspiration from lots of different people on the street and on blogs styling the same item, though I know some people tire of an endless parade of red pants :) Are you a red pants lover or hater?

Weekends

works cited: gap dress; hand-me-down sweater; necklace from etsy (linleyshea); target boots; h&m bag

In the style of Thoreau, I sucked the marrow of out life of this weekend. These crisp-but-warm October weekends are rare so I packed it full with a bike ride, my honeycrisp apples, an evening out dancing with new friends, waffles with my handsome beau at Tryst, and the drum circle at the park. I also finished re-reading J.G. Farrell's Troubles which is even funnier--like embarrassing-laugh-out-loud-at-the-coffee-shop funny--the second time around. For an unfussy weekend, unfussy weekend clothes--favorite dress, chunky sweater, no makeup. Thoreau probably dispensed with mascara on the weekends, too, right?

Down the Rabbit Hole

works cited: loft corduroys; ralph lauren outlet button-up; cardigan c/o five bamboo; UO flats; moby dick tote c/o out of print books; cowl from etsy (seams to be); earrings from antho; breda watch

Today, I bundled up to go to the Library of Congress where I had planned to make big headway on a paper. But like so many of the best laid plans, this one didn't turn out exactly as I hoped and I ended up falling down a research rabbit hole and spending the day with my nose in a big stack of books while checking out this view (not too shabby! just don't tell the people in charge that I was breaking the rules and taking surreptitious photos). This outfit is just the kind of laid-back, simple look that I love: a crisp white button-up and corduroys (nerd staples) with a few pops of color. And of course, a nerdy book bag. Hope you have just the weekend you need, whether it's restful, fun, or productive--I'm hoping the weather clears up enough for a bike ride, and I have my heart set on some honeycrisp apples from the U St farmers' market (the best!).

Puddle Jumper

works cited: UO jeans; cowl from etsy (seams to be); target tunic; j. crew sweater; hunter boots

Even though I love the rain, this weather is really putting a cramp in my ability to take pictures. The dark rainclouds mess with the camera exposure, and I keep forgetting my umbrella, and I don't want the camera to get wet, and Christopher mopes if I make him stand in the rain taking photographs of my clothes (I can't imagine why...). Today we found a covered alcove with a serendipitously-matching maroon door and red brick (that architect sure had an eye for color-blocking) and got a few shots so I can move on with a clean conscience to the lovely parts of a rainy day: working, a cup of tea, and a good view of the puddles outside.

[CLOSED] Back-to-School Giveaways Part 6: $25 from Common Crow Vintage

This week, you have the chance to win a $25 gift certificate to one of the raddest vintage shops on the internet, Common Crow Vintage. Common Crow is run by another stylish grad student and dear friend of mine, Emily. I've been in her closet and can attest that she has an eye for really gorgeous stuff and all her pieces are very reasonably priced, so $25 will go a long way.  Plus, I love that vintage is one-of-a-kind so no one else is wearing my favorite, most compliment-inducing polka-dot skirt.
To enter, visit Common Crow and leave a comment telling me what you'd pick up. I'm drooling over this jacket or these gorgeous cognac boots. I'll pick a winner at random next week!
Update: Megan is the winner!

Stormy Weather

works cited: gap tee; j. crew skirt; thrifted belt; steve madden boots; etsy necklace; moby dick tote c/o out of print books

Another great outfit poached from a pin. It was a lovely overcast day and I settled in at a coffee shop to do some reading and tackle a big, horrible, soul-crushing pile of papers to grade. Gloomy cloudy days are a specific kind of wonderful weather, if only because they make it cozier and less depressing to be locked up in front of papers and a computer all day. It's partly what makes finals week during the winter a much better thing that spring term finals. On a dark, snowy day in winter term, there's not much better to do than curl up with your books and a cup of coffee. But come May, when the birds are chirping and it's sunny and warm, the last thing you want is to be locked up in the library.  Ergo: as long as I have a lot to do, bring on the fog and gloom!

Monumental

works cited: gap skirt; anthro top (gift from my sister); thrifted belt and bag; target flats; breda watch

This weekend, Christopher and I moseyed down to the National Mall to check out the monuments. As two nerds, we were inspired by the sights and argued happily about history, the symbolism of various monuments, and war. We stopped to take some tourist pictures at the Lincoln Memorial, where the views are spectacular. I was especially excited to see Lincoln, with whom I have a lot in common: we are both Illinois-transplants in DC who spend a lot of time sitting in chairs looking pensive.

Blog Love: My Closet in Sketches

It's been a little while since my last blog love post, but I've been sitting on this post because I love this blog so much I almost want to keep it all to myself :)

I've mentioned Lauren's beyond-rad blog before but it deserves repeating: this is one of my top 5 favorite reads in the morning because her writing is pithy, her sketches are quirky, and her style is rad and appreciably different from a lot of the other blogs I read. Much of her wardrobe is thrifted items and hand-me-downs from her mother and grandmother, and she has a bold eye for both clothes and language. In short, if your blog reader needs a jolt of inspiration and newness, get thee to My Closet in Sketches.

No Brainer

works cited: dress c/o five bamboo; thrifted wedges and bag; forever 21 necklace

Hallelujah, the weekend cometh! I've been playing a lot of catch up this week--grading stacks of papers, working on an upcoming conference, editing a journal, figuring out how to renew my drivers license when I've lost my social security card (sigh), and generally trying to keep my head attached to my body--so I'm looking forward to exploring the flea market, the drum circle at the park, and Mt Vernon this weekend and enjoying the last really great sunny days in DC before winter comes knocking. This wrap dress seemed like a no-brainer this morning: comfortable, pretty, and unfussy: leaving me plenty of mental space to work on other projects. Hope you have a wonderful sunny weekend!

Get Low

works cited: thrifted pleated skirt, bag, and belt; vintage ring (so cool, next time I'll get a close-up); UO flats; gap denim button-up

When I first thrifted this skirt, it felt very long compared to a lot of the skirts in my closet and I compensated for the loss of leg by wearing it with super-tall heels. Eventually, I've gotten accustomed to (and fond of) longer skirts, and I've happily worn them with flat shoes and without anxiety about looking shorter. Although I like a pair of wedges now and then, I walk so much that I truly prefer the comfort of flats with almost any outfit and this morning there was no doubt that flats would look just fine with a longer skirt. Plus the two stand up to windy days in the city and cover one's bum on the train--can't say "no" to pluses like those.

[CLOSED] Back-to-School Giveaways Part 5: $50 from Go Chic or Go Home

This week, you have a chance to win a $50 gift card from Go Chic or Go Home, which you can use toward any number of retailers, like Zappos, Banana Republic or Madewell! I've mentioned GCOGH before, but it is basically Cher's closet organizer from Clueless for your closet and computer. You can upload pictures of your own clothes, mix and match them into outfits, follow any number of sweet inspiration boards, and get "points" just for being on the site that translate into gift certificates to the store of your choice. In short, it's awesome.
To enter the giveaway, become a member of GCOGH (here's a special invite) and leave a comment here. I'll pick a winner in a week or so. Good luck!
P.S. My profile on GCOGH can be found here.
Update: the lucky winner is Stacey!

Call me Ishmael

works cited: dress c/o ruche; j. crew boots and belt; necklace collar from etsy (olive & a); bag c/o out of print

When I was growing up, we had an enormous white car with leather seats that would get piping hot in the summer and your legs would stick to them after swim lessons. My parents, both avid readers themselves, nicknamed it "the white whale." It was only when I read Moby-Dick many years later that I came to appreciate the name fully and to draw other parallels between car and whale--for example, Ahab's monomaniacal search for the meaning of life vis-a-vis the whale compared to my father's frantic search for the car in parking lots. The car was as dear to us then as my bicycle is to me now (even though I rarely lose it in a parking lot and don't often stick to the leather saddle). My love for Melville, however, persists.

Sleepless but sadly not in Seattle

works cited: dress c/o spotted moth; j. crew sweater; steve madden boots; socks and belt from target

I arrived back in DC last night after an exhilarating and simultaneously exhausting week away, during which I saw many old friends, got up early to watch the sunrise, wore my red jeans nearly every day, and succumbed to the convenience of traveling with a kindle instead of a pile of books. I also got to attend my five-year college reunion, where I stayed up till 4 a.m. two nights running just to have the extra hours with my friends. Laughing with old friends all night was just what I needed and I'm paying for it by feeling bleary-eyed this morning as I face a week of editing, conference-paper writing, and teaching that (weirdly) didn't go on vacation while I did. Happily, fall seemed to come to DC while I was away, and I could put into action my plans for this dress when I got up this morning.
Now I have a big mug of coffee and I'm off to catch up on everything. Did anything exciting happen on the internet last week?
P.S. Forgot to add: you can get a 10% discount at spotted moth by entering "nerd"at checkout :)