harv adams

letter sweater - vintage, polka dot pants - else, boots - modcloth, bag - thrifted dooney & burke, lippy - revlon really red

I like to think about who may have owned my vintage clothing before it came into my hands. Usually it's pure conjecture, but with this vintage letter sweater, I have a name. Harv Adams. He played basketball. Or baseball. I'm not not a sporty sort and can't tell what the ball on the big letter "A" is supposed to represent. He was either tiny or maybe...not in high school? Because this sweater is small. Other than that, I know either he was in the class of '60 or he was number 60 on whatever team he played on and he went to A-something school. Then, we get to start guessing. I think he played basketball and he was really tall and skinny. He was kind of shy and although he wasn't the star player, he was good. He liked academics and hoped to study at a good school. What do you think Harv Adams was like? And do you make up stories about your clothes' previous owners?

pretty parlor

A couple weeks ago I went shopping with my roomie in Seattle. We hit up a few vintage stores and bought a few things but by far my favorite was this shop. Pretty Parlour is a beautiful, fun place to shop, and while I didn't get anything on this visit, I'll be returning. It's one of those places that is just enjoyable to browse and everything is displayed to perfection. The petticoats hanging from the ceiling are particularly lovely and they have a store kitty and gal working there had outrageously fun personal style. And they have a shop kitty which is always a good thing.

pretty dots and flowers

 

Is it incredibly vain to say that that right there is one of my favorite pictures of me ever? I love the way I look with shorter bangs way more than I ever thought I would. I've been cutting them shorter and letting them grow out quite a bit before trimming them again for quite some time now and I always am happiest when they're really short. Occasionally I think about growing them out again because I think I would have more options for hairstyles but I think bangs are just right for me. That's not saying I won't try something else, but it's pretty great to find something that suits your style and face. Which is also what I think about winged liner. I've been liking myself a lot lately, ok?

 

blouse - target, shorts - target, shoes - gift

heidi braids and orange lippy

Oh my goodness you guys, Fall is here for real. Thank god I have cozy sweaters and crazy patterns to mix otherwise I would be mourning the loss of bare legs and little sundresses. And I got the best new lipstick EVER, making my life fulfilled. Just kidding. But I have been obsessed for ages with that great orange/red they use in the J.Crew catalog. I realized awhile back that they sell the color, but it was online only and shipping was a little ridiculous for such a small item. But then they had a free shipping promo and I snapped it up! I actually bought both colors they had available, but Chili Flake is the one you want. French Martini is a really weird light pink that looks AWFUL on me.

This was one of those days that I thought I looked awesome, but my coworkers all looked at me like I was crazy. I guess I can't blame them, I count 4 different patterns on my body in these pictures (can't forget the plaid socks!) and maybe that gives some people headaches. But I like having fun with what I wear. I like getting dressed to be a little bit like playing dress-up.

shirt - thrifted, sweater - icelandica (reykjavik), pants - else, socks - sockdreams, shoes - steve madden, purse - thrifted dooney & burke, glasses - joseph marc, lippy - face stockholm for j.crew in chili flake

diamond rings - - - i'm just me

rough and tough summer

 

tshirt - weekdays (copenhagen), skirt - thrifted, boots - thrifted

 

Sometimes I just want to dress like a badass and pose with propane tanks and lawn mowers. What? You don't do this? The shed at my parents' house is always an interesting place to take pictures because of all the construction type shit my stepdad keeps back there. I kind of love poking around back there. And sometimes chipped polish looks best.

shirt skirt

tshirt - gap, skirt - thrifted flannel shirt, boots - thrifted

I think flannel shirts might be the most useful item of clothing ever. I learned this trick to wearing them as a skirt from a blog (I've forgotten which one) and I love it for lazy coolness. Perfect for getting waffles with my roommates. I'll try to show you better next time how to do this, but it's basically buttoning the thing as high as you can and tying the sleeves around your waist. Too easy to not try it.

green suede shoes

 

I told you you'd be seeing a lot of these boots! I just can't wear them enough, you know? They're so great. I like wearing them with stuff that kind of clashes best, or lots of bright colors. The pink lace tights are kind of perfect too.

 

dress - target, tights - target, cardigan - uo, boots - modcloth, sunnies - topshop (london), necklace - vintage

 

I love love love this necklace. My dad gave it to my mom back when they were dating. It's bone, handcarved, and has the cleverest little handcarved clasp. I think it's supposed to be a dragon or something.

california deaming

Can you believe I've never been to California since I was a baby? My godmother lives down in northern Cali and I figured it was high time to visit her. I took the last week of August off from work and drove down to Arcata. I camped on the way, found the cutest one-eyed kitten, and picked up a pair of hitchhikers on the second day. It was cool to do this without much thought or planning. The campground office lady was surprised I was solo, and I'll admit camping is less fun alone, but I fashioned a ghetto headlamp out of the free key-chain flashlight and a couple hairpins so I could read some Mishimi and drink beer in my tent.

 

The long drive was exhausting but beautiful and it was wonderful to see my lovely godmother Karol when I arrived. My parents and her lost touch when I was young and I didn't really know her growing up. But a few years back she found me on facebook and we've been keeping in touch through the magic of the internet. I wondered if it would feel strange to visit her but as soon as I arrived I felt like I'd known her forever. And in a way, I really had. Karol was there when I was born and I am so thankful to have had the chance to get to know her in person.

We ate a lot of delicious food, but of particular note was Kyoto Sushi in Eureka where we had the MOST amazing Golden Dragon roll (not pictured but it involved salmon, avocado, salmon roe, and thinly sliced lemon and was SO GOOD). We also went to several cute vintage shops and used bookstores. Daisy Drygoods was particularly good and will get its own post soon as I go through the many, many pictures I took there. Missing Link Records in Arcata was also a highlight. The kind gentleman there hooked me up with some great tapes for the drive home. Definitely worth a visit if you're ever in town.

 

 

One thing I was most excited about was seeing the Redwoods. Driving through the forests on my way down there was incredible. I wanted to stop a million times but didn't, so Karol and I went on a little walk/mini hike at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park and I was in awe. Honestly, I feel like this was something I had been waiting my whole life for, without even knowing it.

And then, coolness of cool, we saw a GIANT herd of elk in the middle of a campground. Just milling around the trailers and campers and a bunch of people snapping pictures. We didn't get out of the car because those beasts are dangerous but we pulled into the lot and took some pictures leaning out of the car. I was so stoked on seeing all these crazy animals.

 

 

My last night before heading back Karol and I picked a bunch of blackberries from her yard and made a delicious cobbler, watched movies, and drank gin and tonics. It was a lovely evening and I did not want to leave. I feel so lucky to have gotten to know Karol, she's really an amazing woman and I get why she was important to both of my parents. I drove almost all the way back in one day, listening to my new tapes to keep me up. Finally, I had to stop at a rest stop and nap in my car for a few hours otherwise I think I wouldn't have made it home.