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.

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.

repeat offender

graphic top - totem via Topshop / watch - Arkanoplatz flea market, Berlin / purple jeans - Uniqlo, thrifted / woven flats - UO

Remember these pants? I loved them so much that I couldn't help borrowing them from my mom to wear to dinner over the weekend... and then again to the aquarium yesterday. I love the bright plum color and the slightly cropped length. They also proved the perfect complement for this colorful top, I picked up on a trip to London four years ago and have never really figured out how to wear, as it seems to somehow fall in between work-wear and casual-wear. Somehow these purple pants (magically?) make it feel infinitely wearable. For dinner out (with dear friends S. and her husband), I dressed this outfit up with a black blazer and studded flats, but a quick shoe-change made it feel equally appropriate for a fun day-trip with Chris.

Be sure to head over to Everybody Everywear today to see how other bloggers styled up their favorite colored pants!



P.S. Thank you all so much for all your sweet comments on my new haircut!

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.

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.)

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.

lakeside

necklace - Anthropologie / striped sweater - Gap, thrifted / jeans - Old Navy / woven flats - UO

This isn't the most exciting outfit I've ever blogged, but to be honest, it's hard to feel inspired to 'dress-up' when I'm spending so much time indoors, metaphorically chained to my desk! Fortunately I am nearing the finish line on my portfolio, and I should finally be done working on it (and complaining about it) tomorrow.

We did take a little break from working this afternoon to walk down to this little lake. I'm a definite city-kid, so it's still a little mind-blowing to me to find places like this just down the road from Chris' house. The weather was just gorgeous, and I love that it's actually cool enough to wear a light sweater again. I love the long days and cicada-songs of summer, but fall is by far my favorite season so I'm glad to feel it slowly creeping up on us.

color therapy

necklace - vintage, thrifted / silk blouse - Express, thrifted / watch - Arkanoplatz flea market, Berlin / jeans - Uniqlo / suede heels - UO / lipstick - Revlon Moon Drops in Orange Flip / polish  - Essie Meet Me at Sunset (red-orange) & Super Bossa Nova (fuscia)

Since getting back from our trip, I have spent almost all of my waking hours sitting at a desk, staring at a laptop and working on a portfolio to bring to job interviews. It is stressful, time-consuming work, made all the more frustrating by my discovery of just how bad I've been about documenting my professional work over the years. This morning I found myself feeling totally overwhelmed by my growing to-do list - on top of this portfolio, I owe a former professor some copy for a book, need to finish a few guest posts I promised to write ages ago, am itching to do a some design work here on the blog, and have a whole heap of emails and comments to respond to (something I am pathetically slow about in even the best of times) - and I realized I badly needed to step back and re-center myself.

Tania talked in her post today about the influence getting 'dressed' can have on our professional performance, and she couldn't be more right; I made myself take a break, swapped my yoga pants for jeans and a new-to-me silk button-down (admittedly a very wrinkly one, as I have yet to wash it - gross, I know), and even took a minute to paint my nails. These heels were conveniently sitting next to my desk (I just ordered their colorful cousins and needed to check the size), so I added them for an extra 'fancy' touch. I felt miles better after spending just a few minutes on myself, and while I still have quite lot still to do on my list, at least my nails are brightening up my keyboard a bit.

technicolor

necklace - vintage, Brooklyn flea market / striped shirt - Gap / braided belt - vintage, thrifted / red jeans - thrifted / woven flats - UO

I mentioned on Friday that I'd had an incredibly fruitful thrifting trip. I went to two of my favorite thrifts, looking for colored jeans, an olive blazer, work-appropriate t-shirt alternatives, a mustard pencil skirt, a Fairisle sweater, the perfect jean jacket, and, of course, stripes of any kind - and I came away with these red jeans, an olive-y military blazer, two bright silk tops, a cobalt silk button-down, a cobalt wool pencil skirt, a navy breton-striped sweater, and a kilim and leather belt. I couldn't believe my luck! I was especially thrilled to find these bright, bright jeans; I love the colored denim trend, and I've already got at least a dozen different outfits in mind to wear them with. However, I just happened to be wearing this necklace, shirt, belt and shoes on my thrifting trip, and they went so well with these pants in the dressing room on Friday that I immediately reached for the exact same pieces this morning.