awkward

necklace - Forever 21 / blouse - Target / watch - Arkanoplatz flea market, Berlin / shorts - thrifted & hemmed / sandals - Target, thrifted

If I look just the slightest bit awkward in these photos (by which I mean, more so than usual), it's because there was a guy going back and forth between the door immediately over my left shoulder and a van across the street the entire time we were taking these pictures. I try not to feel too self-conscious while taking pictures, but this was... awkward. He definitely thought we were pretty odd, but I told him if he didn't want random American bloggers taking pictures outside his place of business/residence, next time he should try not painting his building such a sunny color.*

Since the theme of the week seems to be sharing my outfit inspiration, this one is definitely inspired by this look from Kendi, right down to the aqua statement necklace. Sadly, adorable heels are in short supply around here, but I'm always happy to add some extra bling to an outfit with these braided gold sandals.

*I told him no such thing.

too cool

sunglasses - thrifted / necklace - vintage, great-grandmother's / tote - Forever 21 / chambray shirt - Banana Republic, thrifted / dress - UO / belt - vintage, thrifted / ring - Amsterdam shop / watch - Arkanoplatz flea market, Berlin / woven flats - UO

We're staying in (I think) a pretty hipster-y area of Berlin, and I spend a good deal of time on the U-Bahn observing the impossibly cool girls of the city. These are girls with inscrutable tattoos and long hair that's completely buzzed on one side, and nearly every single one of them is sporting just the most perfect-fitting, perfectly worn-in jean jacket you've ever seen. I will probably never look anywhere near as cool as these Berlin girls (let's be honest, I dress up to visit buildings - 'cool' I am not), but I did decide to borrow their jean-jacket style with this chambray shirt for a late-afternoon picnic in Treptower Park. I think I'll definitely be wearing this shirt as a jacket more often from here on out; I loved the extra dimension it gave to an otherwise simple outfit, and the extra coverage it gave to a dress that can sometimes feel a bit like the express train to Boob City - although given that I was the only girl in the park who hadn't stripped down to her bikini or bra (or, ahem, gone bare - those Germans!), perhaps I needn't have worried too much about modesty.