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.

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.

birthday suit

brass whistle necklace - vintage via etsy / fox-print tank - Forever 21 / belt - vintage, thrifted / wood & brass bangle - vintage, thrifted / linen skirt - vintage, thrifted / purse - Athens tourist shop / woven flats - UO

Thank you all for the well-wishes on my birthday, both here and on Twitter, I had a great, fairly low-key day. Chris and I have been scoping out potential neighborhoods all week (we're in a short-term place for now), so we spent most of the day on a long walk all the way up to Williamsburg and back. We decided we're definitely too old and uncool to live there, but we'll still visit for the abundant taco trucks and flea markets. On our way I got an extra-lovely birthday surprise - a job! I hadn't expected to get something so quickly, so I'm absolutely thrilled - and now we can actually start apartment-shopping in earnest. We went out for a double-celebration dinner in Park Slope, then ended the night drinking wine on this lady's fire escape.

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.

alexalike

brass whistle necklace - vintage via etsy / fox-print tank - Forever 21 / braided belt - vintage, thrifted / watch - Arkanoplatz flea market, Berlin / wide leg jeans - Gap

After months of inertia and indecision, last week I finally printed out a handful of my hair-pins from Pinterest (Alexa Chung and La Klum featured prominently in my ersatz collage) and headed in for my first proper haircut in two years. In some ways, what one chooses to wear to a haircut seems pretty important to me, as it's one of the best ways you can give a new hairdresser some sense of your personal style. I like to think of my style as generally rather 'cute, but low-key,' so I went with a fun printed top, wide leg jeans, and my favorite go-to accessories. I didn't end up going for anything too revolutionary, just a long-ish bob, but my hair feels so much nicer now without all my old straggly ends. Now I'm looking forward to experimenting more with styling it - and of course, if all else fails, it's still long enough for a sock-bun.

before the rain

earrings - Topshop / top - thrifted / wrap watch - La Mer / overdyed skinnies - Zara / woven flats - UO

My apologies for the crickets that have taken up residence around here this last week, taking and posting photos had to take a bit of a backseat to 'real life' for a few days. In that time we spent a long day on the bus to get my parents' house, had a whirlwind visit with some of my relatives from Texas, and have been chipping away at the miles-long to-do list that comes with trying to get jobs and move to a new city.

Unfortunately we had to hustle through these photos today, as a serious storm was brewing and the rain was just starting as we went outside. This outfit is dead simple, but it's exactly the kind of thing I'll miss once the weather gets cooler and I'm dressing for work. I love that a messy updo, bright top and statement earrings feel like just enough on these muggy summer days, and while I love layers (and boots! and tights!), getting dressed for fall (or an office) seems at the moment like an awful lot of work.

last minute

necklace - Forever 21 / striped sweater - H&M / olive tank - Target / tote - Forever 21 / maxi skirt - Target / wood & brass bangle - vintage, thrifted / sandals - Target, thrifted

Oh boy, did I ever underestimate how long it would take me to recover from our flights on Wednesday! I have never been this thrown by a time-change in my life - last night I went upstairs to take a 'nap' at 6:30, slept straight through dinner, and finally woke up this morning at 5! There are at least some benefits to becoming an uncharacteristically early-riser; this morning I had plenty of time to get dressed, have a leisurely breakfast and do some reading, all before my favorite thrift store opened up at 8am. I found a ton of good stuff (I went with a 'fall wardrobe wishlist' in mind and managed to snag about half of what I was looking for), and now I'm itching to get it all to the dry-cleaners so I can really start playing dress-up.

These photos are from our very last day in Sweden. I started off with this tank and my beaded necklace because I love the colors together, but it was a little chilly so I threw on a sweater as we headed out the door. I was a little skeptical about how this shortish, boxy sweater would look paired with a long skirt and nary a waist-defining belt in sight, but I wound up liking this outfit much more than I'd expected - and it's hard to argue with a pairing this comfortable!

the essentials

earrings - handmade by Carie of Pretty Little Mountains, won in giveaway / pink silk button-down - thrifted / tote - Forever 21 / watch - Arkanoplatz flea market, Berlin / braided chain bracelet - homemade using this tutorial / overdyed skinnies - Zara / woven flats - UO

From time to time I get emails from readers asking what they should pack for a trip, and I've always hesitated to be particularly specific in my replies. After eight months of living out of a suitcase, I have a pretty clear idea of what I like to pack for myself, but the trouble with my offering any kind of definitive packing list is that it will without a doubt fail to take into account all relevant factors. What do you like to wear the most? What time of year are you traveling, and to where? Will you be pounding the pavement in big cities? Lounging on a beach? Or hiking rugged trails? I can't tell you what to pack, because at this point I am only just beginning to get a handle on what I need while traveling - at this particular time and in this very particular set of places. Any travel brings with it an incredibly specific and idiosyncratic set of requirements, so to create a definitive and universally applicable packing list is an impossible task.

That said...

...here are a few things I think almost any traveler will find useful in their bag.  
These are my essentials.

1. A button-down shirt : As has been documented, I brought a lot of button-down shirts with me on this trip. Button-downs are infinitely versatile - they can be worn tucked in or untucked (or half-tucked), buttoned all the way to the collar or open, over a dress or top as a jacket, under another layer for a hint of color, tied up or belted. In nicer fabrics like silk (widely available at thrift stores), they can be worn casually or easily be dressed up should the occasion call for it. This oversized coral one is a blend of linen and silk which feels lovely and doesn't get too wrinkly in the suitcase - and cost me $2.98 secondhand.

2. A tote bag : Or, ideally, several tote bags, so that you can easily cart home your groceries (You weren't planning to eat out for every meal, were you? Eating in can make a huge difference in your traveling budget!). Not only is it good environmental karma to bring your own shopping bags, in many non-US countries bags are not free with your grocery purchases and must be paid for individually - not something you want to learn at the end of the checkout process! You'll also find lots of other uses for a lightweight bag while traveling - this one is packed with a water bottle, tupperware full of snacks (Pack lunches! Save your money for shoes!), a small notebook and pen, an extra grocery bag, and a scarf. However, please do not carry your wallet or passport in a bag like this - it is far too easy for pickpockets to just pluck your valuables out of the top in a crowded area with you none the wiser! Keep them in a securely zipped bag or money belt, or better yet, a safe or locked cabinet at home!

3. A watch : Or a cell phone, if you must, although beware of theft, and of potential roaming/data charges when you're far from home. You will be amazed at how often you will need to know the time while traveling - the time the metro stops running, the museum closes, your flight leaves, or that incredible bakery opens. With an eye towards safety, I'd recommend against anything too expensive or flashy. I wore a leather wrap watch from La Mer for the first part of our trip, and since then I picked up this 'gold' watch at a flea market in Berlin for €3.50.

4. Dark wash jeans : I feel like this staple hardly needs to be explained. Choose something comfortable enough for airplane rides - I like mine skinny with a lot of stretch. They'll go with everything in your suitcase, can probably go longer without laundering than you'd think, and the dark wash will allow you to dress them up or down as needed. I picked these up at a Zara in Barcelona and they've since become one of the most-worn items on my blog!

5. Flat shoes : I talked about the importance of your choice of shoes in this guest post over on sartoriography, but it cannot be stressed enough - you must. Bring. Flat. Shoes. If you are going to be doing any amount of walking or taking public transportation, you are going to want a pair of flat shoes that are truly comfortable. Comfortable means they should stand up to at least two hours of wandering/sightseeing at a time without pinching, rubbing, blistering, or making the balls and heels of your feet ache - at all. You will probably be on your feet a lot more while traveling than you are in your day-to-day routine, so soreness is to be expected, but your feet shouldn't feel ready to quit after only a few hours. Even if you're a devoted 'heels only' girl, try to give yourself a couple of flat options that you really like and will actually wear - personally I reach for these woven flats on a near-daily basis, and my brogues have proven a cute but practical option for rainy days.

I can't tell you how much use I've gotten out of all of these items over the last eight months, but I do know they've all more than earned their spot in my increasingly overstuffed suitcase. Do you all have any must-bring staples for traveling?