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.

tee sea be

brass whistle necklace - vintage via etsy / striped shirt - thrifted / belt - vintage, thrifted / skirt - homemade from a dress, Old Navy (tutorial here!) / sandals - Stockholm tourist shop

After a long night of uploading trouble, template snafus, and the usual last-minute-before-a-deadline frustrations, my stinkin' portfolio is done! Nothing to do but wait for it to be printed and delivered. Now, let us never speak of this again.

Yesterday's outfit was entirely made up of the tried-and-true - I'm still loving my new black floral skirt and my Hasbeens-esque sandals from Sweden, and just added a recently thrifted shirt to the mix. I never met a striped, bateau-neck, 3/4 sleeve shirt I didn't like, and I'm reasonably certain one can never have too many of them. (My boyfriend might contest this last claim.) Now if you'll excuse me, I have a little celebratory breakfast-and-thrifting to do.

miesian

sunglasses - Nasty Gal / necklace - boutique in Montmartre, Paris / v-neck top - Anthropologie / braided belt - vintage, thrifted / watch - Arkanoplatz flea market, Berlin / skirt - altered from a dress, UO / sandals - Target, thrifted 

It's funny to me how much noteworthy architecture pops up on in my outfit posts. I started this blog as an outlet for some of my non-professional interests, and yet my academic background just keeps popping up in the background. Given the kind of sightseeing we do, it shouldn't be altogether surprising - today it was the Bauhaus Archive, the Nordic Embassy complex, and, seen here, Mies' Neue Nationalgalerie - but I still think it's a little funny that my ostensible 'fashion blog' posts could also serve as flashcards for a course on modern architecture.

happiness

striped linen top - vintage, thrifted / cream silk blouse - mommed / pink silk blouse - thrifted / orange ombre blouse - thrifted / yellow silk top - Mango / olive blouse - Target / blue blouse - thrifted / cat print blouse - Zara

...is a blouse rainbow in your closet.

bonn temps

necklace - Anthropologie / linen blazer - vintage, thrifted / tote - Forever 21 / striped linen top - vintage, thrifted / belt - vintage, thrifted / ring - shop in Amsterdam / skirt - refashioned from dress, UO / woven flats - UO 

Remember this dress? Well, after hemming and hawing over it for a few days, I chopped off the top and made it into a skirt! I love it this way, the length is a little more comfortable and it seems much more versatile and flattering to me now. I wore this outfit for a lovely day-trip to Bonn yesterday. The weather finally took a turn for the truly sunny and warm, so I actually wound up spending most of the day carrying my blazer around in my bag.

Also, I just couldn't help my nerdiness - the title of this post is a three-way pun! 'Bon temps' can mean either 'good times' or 'good weather,' and we had both in Bonn! Oh, I slay me.

stripes & stripes

earrings - Berber handcraft, gift from Tunisia / dress - Topshop / belt - vintage, thrifted / striped espadrilles - Old Navy

Double stripes! Triple if you count the odd blonde streak I have at the back of my neck (which my mother still refers to as my 'skunk stripe').

Along with my weird trip-anticipation desire to 'save' the things I'm planning to pack, lately I've had an urgent sense that I should be trying to make the most of those clothes I'm not planning to bring. When we headed up to Massachusetts, I imagined I'd spend our entire visit frolicking in the host of summery dresses and wedges I'd planned to unearth from my boxes in the attic. Unfortunately, the weather had other plans, and the majority of our visit was far too cool for airy dresses. (Of course, now that we're headed back to VA and the temperature tomorrow will be pushing 100, I didn't really have room to bring back anything I'm not planning to take on the trip. Sigh.) When it did finally start warming back up yesterday, I jumped at the opportunity to break out this striped dress and wedge combo, both favorite pieces of mine over the last few years, but ones I'd never yet thought to pair together. I love the mix of horizontal, vertical, and diagonal stripes found in the bodice of this dress, and the wider stripes and neutral colors of these espadrilles felt like the perfect complement.

generous

necklace - Anthropologie / blazer - vintage, thrifted / striped linen top - vintage, thrifted / ring - Nasty Gal / purple pants - Uniqlo, thrifted / flats - UO
  
My mom has been on the lookout for a pair of purple pants recently, so I picked these up along with another pair at the thrift store yesterday, figuring at $2 a pair, I might as well give her options. When the weather turned a bit cooler today, I thought, what the heck, I'll just wear them once. After half an hour, it was clear I'll be keeping this pair for myself (sorry, Mom!). So much for my generous intentions.

I've been having so much fun rediscovering all the clothes I have stored in the attic up here, including my 'Miami Vice' blazer. I must have worn this white old lady blazer to work at least three times a week last summer; it just seemed capable of elevating every casual summer outfit to something at least vaguely office appropriate, and today it inspired several members of Chris' family to ask where I was going 'so dressed up.' Apparently there's nothing like cropped sleeves and sharp shoulders to make you look classy!

last broadcast

Hey friends! This is likely my LAST remote update (woohoo!), as we are leaving Turkey on Thursday and moving.... somewhere new! You'll have to check back to see just where we're going, but I will be back to blogging here as usual! In the meantime, I have a bunch of new posts up on my tumblr* - click to read orange flip (in which my delayed bargaining pays off (more or less)), silky (in which I do my best to blend in with a harem), islander (in which I wear pink, and we take a day trip that I never wanted to end), and four (in which I finally go to a whole 'nother CONTINENT!)
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EDIT: In the interests of maintaining a reasonably contiguous blog archive, I have amended my posts from Tumblr below - you can now read them here, or in their original home (with all the original comments) on Tumblr (click to read orange flip, silky, islander, four, party girl, & takeoffs). Enjoy!
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3.24.11 ORANGE FLIP

lips - Revlon Moon Drops lipstick in Orange Flip / vintage compass - Grand Bazaar, Istanbul / breton-striped cardigan - H&M / blue v-neck - Forever 21 / ankle-zip leggings - Style&Co., mommed / brogues - Primark

After semi-successfully readjusting my sleep schedule to correspond with daylight hours, boyfriend was not feeling so hot today - hence another unplanned day and another unplanned outfit. Apparently I really should just give up on planning entirely. Leggings were made for days like this, when you feel like you really ought to get out of your pajamas, but the farthest you're planning to go is the grocery store. While this sweater would probably benefit from a little love from the steam setting on our iron, going to that much effort just didn't seem in keeping with the lazy spirit of the outfit. (I got my Masters in post-rationalization. No, really.)

Yesterday we went back to the Grand Bazaar to see if we could get a better deal on this vintage compass I'd spotted a few weeks ago. I sent Chris in alone to do the negotiating, and the seller actually quoted him a higher starting price than the first time around! Fortunately he was still able to talk him down to the same (fair, but not incredible) final price as last time, so in the end we just went for it. I'm keeping my eye out for a longer brass chain to wear it on, but for now this shorter silver one will have to do.

My orange-red lipstick was a total afterthought, but I like how it brought in a little more color. I usually feel a little self-conscious about wearing bright lipstick, so a low-key day at home seemed like a great time to practice. I've otherwise been taking some time off makeup-wearing lately; while the hard water here seems to do great things for my hair, my skin hasn't been nearly as pleased with it.
How have you guys been liking my new photo style these last few days? I definitely think it's here to stay. I really like mixing up my regular head-to-toe outfit shots with some close-ups and details; I think it helps me overcompensate for being woefully uncreative when it comes to posing. (Ok, arms down, hands in pockets, um... hand on hip.... oh crap, I'm out of ideas.) My photographer seems to like it too, he definitely gets more into our photo shoots now that he gets to be a little more creative.
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3.25.11 SILKY

earrings - Anthropologie / silk scarf - vintage, thrifted / trench - H&M / bag - custom, valhallabrooklyn via etsy / ring - Primark / watch - La Mer / wood & brass bangle - vintage, thrifted / silk blouse - Mango / jeans - Banana Republic / brogues - Primark

If anyone can think of a reason why I shouldn't just wear this outfit every single day from here on out, I do not want to hear it. This is freakin' perfection in every way and I see no reason to bother wearing anything else, ever. (I have the sneaking suspicion this 'style blog' is about to get pretty boring though.)

After putting off all plans sightseeing and sartorial for the last few days, the stars of sleep (at least a little) and sickness (not too much) finally aligned for us today and we headed to Topkapi Palace for a taste of the sultanic lifestyle. I'd never visited a harem before, so I figured I'd better pile on the luxe materials in order to fit in. This saffron silk pocket tee was my other big score on our recent mall trip, and I've been holding out for just the right outing to wear it. The weather was still a bit breezy so I wound up embracing the full silk-on-silk combination with my vintage scarf. I love that the tiles in that second photo match the print perfectly. (Yup, totally planned that.)
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3.28.11 ISLANDER

jacket - Zara / tote - Forever 21 / brass whistle necklace - vintage via etsy / watch - La Mer / pink striped sweater - H&M / gray tank - Anthropologie / overdyed skinnies - Zara / shoes - Toms

Spring finally hit Istanbul this weekend! Saturday we took advantage of the lovely weather and headed to the Princes Islands, a cluster of four cute islands south of the city in the Sea of Marmara, close to the Anatolian coast. We took an hour and a half ferry ride to Büyükada, the biggest of the islands. There's a fairly cute little tourist-trappy town center, lots of fantastically derelict Victorian vacation homes, and some great rocky coastline. We clambered down cliffsides and scoped out tidepools, then bought ice cream cones and stopped to pet friendly dogs on the way back. Definitely the kind of outing I could get used to!

To add to their natural charms, the islands are completely car-free, so everyone takes horse-drawn carriage rides, rents bikes, or walks everywhere. We ended up walking - the better to sneak through back alleys up to the woodsy highest point - but I think if we went again, I'd spring for a tandem bike. I'm not a great cyclist on my own, but I love a good tandem ride (and have my eye on my parents' vintage Schwinn tandem for our next home, but that's a ways off yet).

My apologies for the super photo-heavy post, but it was hard to resist taking a ton of pictures in such a pretty place. This outfit is a pretty direct descendant of a few others I've worn on the blog. I knew the ferry ride would be chilly (especially since I insist on riding on the outside decks), so I opted for a few light layers that could be swapped out once the temperatures warmed up a little. This rope-print tote mostly gets used as a grocery bag on our travels (I'm way too cautious to use an open-topped bag as a purse), but it was great for carrying snacks and a nice break from the heft of my usual purse. I'll also admit that I can't resist the temptation to wear more 'nautical' things when I know I'll be going for a boat ride! I'm actually keeping an eye out for a bright little crossbody bag to use this summer - I love my valhallabrooklyn bag but don't think I'll want to be carrying something big and leathery once the weather heats up!

After all the Twitter hubbub about it last night, I managed to join Pinterest this afternoon and have already gotten way too into this amazing time-waster image organizer. If you'd like, you can check out my inspiration boards here.


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3.29.11 FOUR

earrings - Boston street vendor / fake Ray Bans - thrifted / trench - H&M / wood & brass bangle - vintage, thrifted / watch - La Mer / fox tee - Zara / wide leg jeans - Banana Republic / brogues - Primark

Four continents, that is! Yes, the other day Chris and I made our first official visit to Asia. (I say first 'official' because we're still not really sure whether the Princes Islands count.) So now I've technically visited more continents than I haven't. We took the ferry across the Bosphorous and spent Sunday afternoon wandering around trendy Kadıköy. We ended our day catching a little sun on the rocks in this waterfront park - along with a few thousand Turks. I think everyone here is as relieved as we are that the weather is finally warming up.

I am still completely enamored with the trench-wide leg combo; honestly, they should always sell these two garments side-by-side. This time I decided to dress it down a little more with my fox tee. I think the slight scoop neck and muted colors give it a bit of a '70s vintage vibe, so it seemed like a super natural pairing with the wide legs. I'll definitely be repeating this combo with sandals and no trench once the weather really starts warming up - which for us is likely to be this weekend, as we're moving again on Thursday! (And I'll be back to my regular blog - hooray!)

Oh! And if you haven't checked out Pinterest yet, you should get on that, stat. It's like never-ending candy for your eyeballs. One day and I am completely addicted to using it as a way to organize inspiration images, bookmark recipes and tutorials, and discover new pretty things! (And if you'd like an invite, just let me know in the comments and I'll hook you up.)
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3.30.11 PARTY GIRL

gold link necklace - vintage, great-grandmother's / ring - Primark / cashmere cardigan - Cynthia Rowley via Marshall's / fox print tee - Zara / belt - vintage, thrifted / pink skirt - H&M / over-the-knee socks - H&M / brogues - Primark

I felt completely ready for a tea party (not that kind) in this outfit. The muted tones and warm neutrals just seem so sweet to me, all I need are some petits fours. I think I have to blame my being drawn to this color palette and soft, messy hair on the pervasive saccharine sweetness of Pinterest - browsing that site is kind of like what would happen if you put an Anthropologie store, a fantasy road trip, a batch of popsicles, and a litter of orange kittens in a blender. At this point I am ready to subsist entirely on a color diet of coral, mustard, stripes (yes, stripes are a color), aqua and pink.
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3.31.11 TAKEOFFS

necklace - vintage, secondskinstyle via etsy / painted wood bangle - vintage, childhood dress-up box / red print button-down - vintage, thrifted / gray tank - Anthropologie / overdyed skinnies - Zara / red T-straps - UO

Look familiar? I liked this outfit so much the first time I wore it that it seemed a shame it was wasted on a day that I got sick (and wound up in pajamas by mid-afternoon). Yesterday's thrilling schedule of packing, cleaning, and finalizing travel plans seemed like a good time to revisit this easy, comfortable look; I did at least swap in a different necklace and shoes this time, so it's not an exact repeat and I actually think I like this version a little more. I'm also experimenting a bit with different ways to style my hair; I'm getting a little sick of wearing a bun every day, but unfortunately it's still just not quite long enough to get a cut yet. It's not really long enough yet for milkmaid braids either, but I figured out a pretty decent cheater method the other day. I still need to work on my bobby-pin-concealment, but otherwise it worked out surprisingly well and stayed put all day. Of course, boyfriend, who rarely has an opinion on anything I wear, was not a fan:

"So, how do you like my new hairstyle?"
"Woah! Um... it's... interesting?"
"So I guess you don't like it, huh."
"It's not permanent, is it?"

Yeah, not exactly a winner with that one. When pressed for details, he admitted that he thought it made me look, "like a nine-year-old on her way to the Ren Faire." Oh well! He's stuck with me through a lot of hairstyles so far (although he still brings up how much he disliked the lavender-purple ombre dye job I had seven years ago), so I suspect he'll learn to tolerate the braids once or twice a week.

We're leaving Turkey today, and I'm super excited to see our next home! This is also likely my last full post here on Tumblr. I'll still be posting some photos and inspiration here, but I'll be getting back to doing my regular outfit posting on my Blogspot blog. I've actually been thinking a lot about some ways I'd like to improve the blog, so keep an eye out for some exciting changes there in the near future.
In the meantime, if you've ever wondered how I look when losing my balance at the end of taking outfit shots, well... here's your answer:


Graceful!
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