time flies

scarf - homemade / jean jacket - LOFT, thrifted / purse - Athens tourist shop / bracelets - vintage, gifts / dress - UO / tights - Target / boots - DV by Dolce Vita 

It's hard to believe these photos were only taken a month ago, it feels like in no time at all we've gone from perfect fall weather to real winter. I remember being so in love with this outfit that I refused to take off my chunky scarf, even though I was way too hot!

A lot's been going on here over the last few weeks - we're still working away on making our apartment feel like home (it's coming together.... slowly), made restorative visits to family over the holidays, and even hosted a little get-together on New Year's Eve. I've also changed jobs, and am now working on a competition for an office I've admired for years. It's really exciting and I absolutely love the work, but the 50 hour work weeks (which are now creeping up past 60 as our deadline approaches) have certainly put a damper on my plans to get back to blogging regularly. Still, I'm hopeful that once the competition is over in a week or so that I'll be able to settle in to a more reasonable schedule.

While I was off eating Christmas cookies and tamales (we always have Mexican food on Christmas Eve, family tradition) in Virginia, this little blog turned a year old. I know, *technically* if you go through my archives you'll find posts from as far back as April of 2009 (I really don't recommend you bother reading that far back), but it took quite a while for me to decide just what I wanted to do with this blog, and for me the other emily was really born in its current form with this post.

So much has happened in the last year, from the living fantasy of The Trip to reuniting with our big yellow dog, moving to New York and seeing some great friends get married (we built them a huppah!) and have adorable babies, to now feeling newly energized and focused in my professional life - and blogging through it all. Over the next year, I hope my blog keeps evolving (up next - a long-overdue redesign!) but that writing it remains every bit as fun and rewarding as it has been so far. There is simply no non-cheesy way to say it, so here goes: Thank you - for your comments, emails, and just plain reading. Over the last year, the other emily has enabled some amazing new friendships (both in real life and in blog life) and has introduced me to such an incredible community of smart and deeply funny women. I never expected my blog to grow the way that it has, and it means so much to me that you enjoy it. Thank you all so, so much.

tweedy

scarf - import shop in Copenhagen / tweed wool blazer - vintage, mom's / striped shirt - thrifted / overdyed skinnies - Zara / purse - custom, valhallabrooklyn via etsy / woven flats - UO

Just a few photos from a lovely fall walk in our new neighborhood. We got the keys to our new place just over three weeks ago, and since then we have been working on it non-stop - from fixing broken doors to caulking windows, replacing our refrigerator, painting our six (six! seven if you count the vestibule! but of course, they're all tiny) rooms to putting up shelves and negotiating turn-of-the-century closets that aren't even deep enough to put a hanger in straight. I haven't bothered with nail polish or makeup in weeks, and it isn't unusual these days for me to find paint on my elbows in the middle of the workday.

Still, it's been fun rediscovering some old favorites as I slooooowly unpack my clothes. Case in point, this herringbone tweed blazer, definitely one of the nicest vintage pieces I own. It was part of a suit my Mom wore as she was just beginning her professional career, and I now love pairing it with more casual outfits to give them some classic texture and shape. It's also been the perfect outer layer for the fabulous weather we've been having lately, and I've been trying to get out and enjoy it as much as I can in between our many home improvement projects.

rusty

jacket - Forever 21 / striped sweater - Madewell / necklace - Clyde's Rebirth / bracelets - vintage, gift from boyfriend / purse - Athens tourist shop / skirt - Zara / boots - vintage Nine West via etsy

Well, once again, it's been a little while since I blogged. My apologies if this post seems a little rusty (har har). I hadn't planned to go on this little blogging hiatus, but these last few weeks have been absolutely packed - and while I have been wearing clothes every day (which, I'll admit, sometimes feels like an accomplishment), between the limited number of work-appropriate options currently stuffed in my suitcase and the inevitable Sophie's choice of weekday mornings ('Brush my hair, or wolf down some cereal?'), regular photos have lately faded to a fond memory. We managed to snap these on Saturday after checking out the Halloween Dog Parade in the East Village - there were some pretty terrific costumes (Lady Gaga dog! Shark Taco dog!), but I think my favorite was the couple that came dressed as Paul Bunyan, with their pug dyed blue as Babe the Blue Ox!

While the change of season has made my limited wardrobe feel even smaller, I have definitely been enjoying the opportunity to piles on lots of comfy layers. I picked up this oversized striped sweater a couple of weeks ago and it's become a fast favorite. It gives my lightweight jackets just the right amount of warmth, and I love how perfectly it matches my rust-colored skirt.

thoughtless

jean jacket - LOFT, thrifted / necklace - clyde's rebirth / striped dress - Old Navy / watch - Arkanoplatz flea market, Berlin / purse - Athens tourist shop / woven flats - UO

It will probably come as no particular surprise to regular readers of this blog that, if I had my druthers, I'd be happy to just wear this outfit every single day. In fact, up until these last few days,* I'd been creeping dangerously close to doing just that. Although we've only been here a week, I've somehow already grown bored with everything in my suitcase (didn't I used to have a lot of clothes in there?), but fortunately this dress and jacket combo still manages to make me feel great on days when I'm not up for thinking about what to wear.

*When New York decided to belatedly welcome us by approximating the interior climate of a steam room.

black magic

jean jacket - LOFT, thrifted / necklace - clyde's rebirth / v-neck - Old Navy / friendship bracelet - gift from high school boyfriend / watch - Arkanoplatz flea market, Berlin / pleated skirt - vintage Liz Claiborne, thrifted / clogs - Target

Both this jacket and skirt were scored on an incredibly fruitful thrifting trip with Tania last week. I've worn the jacket nearly every day since, but this pleated skirt felt like the real 'find' of the day. I've been itching for a longer sheer black skirt for a long time, and for just $2.50, this one really fit the bill. The pleated chiffon feels so dreamy and perfectly floaty, I'm afraid these photos really don't do this magic skirt justice. For a day spent birthday shopping with my mom (tomorrow I'll hit the big 2-7), I loved it with high platforms and this amazing wood and brass necklace I recently bought from Merl, and I'm looking forward to pairing it with tights and cozy sweaters as the weather continues to cool off.

And just in case you haven't seen it yet, yesterday Elaine of Clothed Much featured me in her 'Blog Crush' series! Hers was one of the very first style blogs I ever read, so I'm quite flattered. You can read the whole interview here.

hello handsome

necklace - Anthropologie / jacket - Forever 21 / striped shirt - thrifted / overdyed skinnies - Zara / watch - Arkanoplatz flea market, Berlin / loafers - vintage Bass, thrifted / yellow dog - American Lab Rescue

I'm sorry for the major photo-overload today - but can you blame me with this handsome guy by my side? We're spending the next few weeks in a temporary sublet in New York, and unfortunately we can't bring Winston up to join us until we find a more permanent home. Since we knew it'd be a few weeks 'til we saw him again, I thought I'd bring him out to co-star in some outfit pictures we took over the weekend, and he was a total champ! I think he was honestly pretty bored by the whole procedure, but I did manage to encourage some goofy faces out of him (and, ahem, myself) with a little ear-scratching.

bestriped

trench - H&M / striped shirt - H&M / braided belt - vintage, thrifted / watch - Arkanoplatz flea market, Berlin / red jeans - thrifted / brogues - Primark

Some photos from yesterday, offered (almost) without comment. I wore this for a rainy day of thrifting with Tania, who is completely awesome and has successfully made me just the teensiest bit sad that I'm leaving DC soon. (I mean, honestly, anyone who sends you home with amazing homemade cookies is a true friend.)

secondhander

jacket - thrifted / dress - vintage via etsy / belt - vintage, thrifted / wood & brass bangle - vintage, thrifted / boots - Peter Kaiser, vintage via rummage sale

I didn't realize until putting together this post that everything I wore today is second-hand. It's silly, but wearing outfits that are entirely made up of items that are homemade or second-hand always gives me a little sense of satisfaction.

Today it was lovely and cool (and, ahem, seriously rainy - hence the porch photos), so I jumped at the chance to bring my favorite boots out of storage. I went to a rummage sale in Princeton* last summer with the way-too-specific-to-ever-work-out hope of finding a pair of vintage, cognac leather boots with a low heel and some kind of detail at the ankle, and immediately fished this pair of mint-condition boots made in West (!) Germany out of a rubber bin filled with shoes. They were my size, and they were.... $2. This is what dreams are made of, my friends.

*For any NJ readers, it was the annual White Elephant sale at the hospital - seriously, do not miss it!

maritime

brass whistle necklace - vintage via etsy / jacket - Forever 21 / striped dress - Old Navy / braided belt - vintage, thrifted / watch - Arkanoplatz flea market, Berlin / tote - Forever 21  / woven flats - UO

Woah, who is that? I've gotten so accustomed to wearing my hair up every day that I now think I look like a completely different person with it down! However, since I'm planning to get it cut soon (yes, still a lot of planning, not a lot of doing) I am trying to get used to wearing it loose a bit more. I'm still pretty self-conscious letting it just 'do it's thing' uncontrolled ('what is it doing? does it look weird? what's going on up there?'), but I did manage to make it the whole day without breaking out the emergency hair elastic I kept in my pocket.

This was one of my favorite go-to outfits during my last year of grad school, particularly through fall and winter with tights and boots, and this summer version worked well for our first day exploring our new (and last!) temporary home - Stockholm! Our new apartment is right on the water (an accomplishment not at all cheapened by the fact that everyone's home here is right on the water), so I couldn't help but pay tribute to our surroundings with a very nautically-inspired outfit. We packed up my tote bag with lots of snacks (granola bars, apples, Coke Light & kettle chips - we're at least half-healthy!) and walked all the way from our place on Nacka through Södermalm and all over Gamla Stan and Riddarholmen... and all the way back! At this point I think my right foot is about ready to quit my leg entirely - hopefully I can find a local craftsman to carve me a replacement.