is it spring yet?

Because I am sure sick of winter. Woke up this morning to snow, once again falling. And instead of a giddy "oh my god, SNOW" I groaned and rolled back over in bed. Luckily it wasn't sticking on the roads so getting to work was fine. In fact once you got to town and out of the woods where I live, it really wasn't snowing anymore. We better have a damn good summer this year, after this yucky winter.

cardigan - thrifted, tshirt - vintage depeche mode, skirt - thrifted, tights - hansel from basel, boots - thrifted, purse - thrifted dooney & burke with vintage scarf

I really wish I had gotten some detail shots today because these tights are deathly adorable. The little scallops/waves are actually yellow and have a red dot at the apex of each loop. My manager saw them on Pinterest and I guess thought "those are so Rachel!" so she showed them to me and I just had to have them. I put off buying them for awhile and right after I did, I saw an interview with Miranda July and she was wearing them in navy. Hey, if they're good enough for Miranda July, they're good enough for me.

I will also have to show you this scarf in greater detail because the pattern is really sweet. It's not one of my nicer thrifted/vintage scarves. I think it's nylon or acetate instead of silk so it can be too slick and too firm. Basically, it's not the best scarf for tying my hair back and I'm not sure I like it around my neck either. But tied on my plain black bag for a pop of color? That works for me!

iceland sweater

sweater - icelandica (reykjavik), shorts - macy's, tights - forgot, shoes - jeffrey campbell, purse - thrifted dooney & burke

I think that clothing is one of the best souvenirs you can buy. Not tacky "all I got was this tshirt" or "I (heart) NY"* sorts of things, but things that truly reflect the culture of the place you visited. Or just something simply stylish which will remind you of the city you bought it and make you smile. This sweater fits into the culture category since it is a traditional Icelandic design, made by local knitters out of Icelandic wool, which is famous for very warm. On the other hand, my favorite summer jacket, the military inspired one I bought in Sydney would fit into the stylish city category. There is nothing particularly Australian about that jacket but every time I wear it I think of Sydney and walking down by the harbor and shopping with my cousin. And the Liberty handkerchief perhaps straddles the line between the two categories. It's not quite as LONDON as the sweater is Icelandic, but Liberty is certainly a very British brand.

I was certainly very glad for that famously warm Icelandic wool (the sweater is seriously fuzzy) when it snowed AGAIN. What is with this late snow? We had some last year and now I wake up at the end of February and it's snowing. So bizarre! This time it didn't stick around very long, or even snow very much before it melted off.

*I do have a "I (heart) NY" tshirt that I regularly sleep in. 

what to do when it snows

1. Paint your nails sparkly pink.

2. Drink hot cocoa with peppermint schnapps at night and in the morning.

3. Put your hair in pincurls and wear red lippy.

4. Go sledding on the steepest hill you can find, and forget about your curls.

5. Drink strong snow based cocktails.

6. Or shitty beer on late night walks.

7. Play cards by candlelight, while listening to KEXP on a portable radio.

wool and flannel

sweater - borrowed, skirt - bb dakota, tights - mp, boots - thrifted

We're on the third day of this hair and the second day of this outfit (it was worn under my princess coat). I've been extremely lazy and just keep tucking strands back into the braids and adding bobby pins. This braided style is kind of my thing right now, although I do think I need to trim my bangs. I know a lot of people think I am crazy for wearing skirts in the winter, but these amazing cotton lined wool tights are warmer than any pants I own. They do pill a little, so they're not the best for a super sleek look, but they are warm. I also layer flannel shorts under all my skirts during the winter, which really adds a lot of warmth. 

I braved the snow and went to work, but we closed the store early, so I went home and drank hot cocoa with peppermint schnapps. I found this cute snowman in the parking lot, right in front of my car when I was jumpstarting it. The poor old thing doesn't like the cold. It started snowing again right when I got home, but snow when you're cozy at home, with a nice fire, well . . .  there's not much better than that, is there?

vintage winter wonderland

coat - thrifted, lipstick - revlon really red

I bought this coat last year but never had a chance to wear it. Honestly, I doubt I'll wear it more than once a year but I just couldn't pass it up at the thrift store. How often do you find and floor length, soft pink, wool coat with fur collar and cuffs. Actually, it looks like the fur was added at home, but it's soft and warm and lovely. It reminds me of something a Russian princess would wear. Of course I had to wear red lipstick. Unfortunately, we were losing the light while taking these pictures and I didn't get a full length shot. It really is a fabulous coat.

snow day

We finally got snow! And I proved I'm not a grownup yet by skipping work and having fun. Well, actually, I got stranded in Seattle and, knowing how everyone freaks out at the sight of snow in this town, elected to wait it out until it at least stopped coming down. Seriously, we don't handle snow well here. People get really stupid when they try to drive in it.

peacoat - old navy, scarf - gift, pants - gap, boots - thrifted

Here you see the mysterious and rarely seen Abominable Snow Rachel! This delightfully cozy scarf holds onto snow astonishingly (and chillingly!) well, so I looked ridiculous by the time I returned to my friend Shane's apartment. We thought it was pretty much done snowing and went out for a walk to check it out but it continued the entire time. The city looked absolutely beautiful, all soft and quiet. At least a couple inches accumulated while Shane and I were walking (the Abominable Snow Rachel was his idea, by the way) so when we got back to his apartment we found one of those cheesy fireplace videos on Netflix and made hot cocoa. Eventually, I got brave enough to drive home, which turned out to be not very scary. Still, I'm glad I didn't drive while it was actually snowing, and instead enjoyed it. This is the first snow we've had all winter, and I'm guessing after it clears up we won't get any more. 

last remnants of a winter

dress - yesstyle, tights - target, boots - thrifted

So these are from the last snow, the same as those snowman pictures. The dress is from this Asian fashion site which I kind of love because I always wanted to look like Korean or Japanese girls. I used to buy FRUiTS magazine all the time (Kinokuniya bookstore and Uwajimaya, what's up?) and once one of my coworkers said I looked kind of "Harajuku-esque." Anyways, I don't think my style is much influenced by that, but that's probably the first real fashion-y style that caught my interest. Ah high school.

Anyways, I wanted SO MUCH nordic print stuff this winter but ended up with only this sweater dress. Hoping I'm as into this pattern next winter and can go all out. Yesstyle is ahhh-mazing for nordic print EVERYTHING. Like I almost bought a faux fur trimmed nordic print fleece shorts. I controlled myself and bought this more practical dress.

winter winter winter

dress - from my cousin, shirt - urban outfitters, hat - gift from j's mom, tights - target, boots - thrifted

I wore this outfit quite awhile ago. I really like layering shirts under this dress. I think it looks a lot more interesting. I also really like this hat. Justina's mom gave it to me for Christmas, which was really sweet. The goofy hat makes me want to jump and pose in silly ways.

le bonhomme de neige français

This has been an especially snowy winter this year but I've bitched about it for the most part. Working and having to drive to work makes the prospect of snow less exciting than it has been in the past. But when it snowed the other day I knew I wasn't going to have to go in, so I was able to chill out and enjoy it. Justina and her brother came over to play in the snow. It took a little convincing to get him to come and even longer to figure out how to have fun like kids do, but we ended up making a snowman. And let me tell you, it is the raddest snowman ever.

Meet Jacques Cou-snow, the French snowman. He is tall, wears an orange hat, and has a mustache. He also likes le snow and escargot. Because he's French. And made of snow.

sweater - stepdad's, skirt - urban outfitters, tights - forgot, boots - thrifted, hat - gift from j's mom, purse - thrifted coach

I also had the most perfect breakfast tea party with myself yesterday. It was cold outside and warm inside, and I made a pot of tea and some toast and used a pretty cup and plate. I don't eat breakfast very often but I think if I made it cute like this all the time, I might more often.

snowy hangover

Ok, finally back, again with older pictures. Also, even though these are from almost two months ago, guess what? There's snow on the ground AGAIN. Ah, winter. Will you never end?

tee - borders&frontiers (designed by tavi!), hoodie - american eagle, jeans - gap, boots - thrifted

So this was New Year's Day. I was hungover, like seriously seriously hungover. I was supposed to head down to Olympia to see some bands play that night but I had to go home first and once I crashed on the couch, well, there was no getting back up. Napping was way more important. Hungover outfits, for me, always mean some kind of cool graphic or band tee, jeans, and a hoodie. There should be sunglasses involved, but it is winter and I cannot find any of mine. Supposedly Washington state buys the most sunglasses, which seems bizarre because we're known for our grey, rainy weather. But then we have a sunny day and no one can find the sunglasses they haven't needed for weeks and must rush out and buy a new pair. I definitely get surprise blinded pretty regularly. 

Obviously, I really needed sunglasses this particular day. My mom insisted that we should go for a walk, and as soon as we got up the hill and out of the shade, the sun was insane. Snow plus sun plus hangover equals headache, so I made her snap a few squinty pictures and headed back inside. It was beautiful though, and I took a few pretty snow pictures later on. 

The shirt was a gift from Amanda for Christmas. It's so cool that she bought it for me because I've been meaning to get one for ages, which she didn't even know. She just saw it and thought I'd like it and bought it for me. Such a good friend. Oh, and please please excuse the mess that is my hair in these pictures. Again, I was hungover, I wasn't bothering with a hairbrush. Hair and makeup are whatever remained of the previous night. Anyways, here's some pretty pictures of the snow.

Festivus for the Rest of Us

dress - thrifted, coat - uo, tights - target or something, oxfords - aldo, purse - thrifted coach, necklaces - talonalia

I think I may have talked about our Festivus party, but this is what I actually wore. I was definitely going for a 90s Elaine-y vibe in my outfit. Obviously the dress, but the shoes also reminded me of the lace-up, flat, menswear-y shoes she tended to wear. Of course, to be totally faithful to her look, they ought to have been chunkier and probably worn with some scrunched down socks. And my dress should have been much longer. But the spirit was there, I think.

This was our elegant Festivus pole. No decorations, since tinsel is distracting. I only wish we had a bigger pole, but this thing was cheap and better than the PVC one we started with. At least this is metal! Also, you can see our half finished game of Seinfeld monopoly right there, which is basically all we did.

Again, I'm pretty sure I talked about this before, but the next morning it was snowing and Justina and I hung out at Ugly Mug and went record shopping at Neptune. My mocha was made with Mexican hot chocolate and it was soooo yummy good. They have some really great "creative" drinks and dishes there. It's an unassuming place but probably my favorite cafe in the Seattle area. The girls that work at the counter are adorable and really sweet too.

first flood

You guys, I am so damn behind in posting. I've stopped taking pictures even because I have such a backlog that I need to get through. I just need to post more often, right? For example, these are from...early December, when we had some pretty major flooding. Not enough to make me miss work though, to my disappointment.

peacoat - old navy, buffalo plaid flannel shirt - thrifted, skirt - thrifted, tights - urban outfitters, boots - thrifted, hat - gift

You should have seen my face after running around in the rain taking pictures all morning. I was paying no attention until I hopped back in my car to head to work and glanced in my rearview mirror. Mascara was streaked all down my face. It looked sooo funny but luckily I had a spare tshirt to clean my face off.