Fall-ing in Love with Dolly & Dotty

Just because it starts as a work relationship doesn't mean it can't blossom into true love.  Sometimes a collaboration turns into a lasting love affair and such has been the case with Dolly and Dotty.  I worked with this up-and-coming brand many times in 2024 and I absolutely adored all the beautiful dresses they sent me.  (If you'd like to see those posts click here.) I still go back and browse every now and then to see what new beautiful prints and styles they've come up with lately.  When I saw this Sleepy Cat print on my favorite of all styles, a shirt dress!, I knew I had to have it for my autumn wardrobe.  This style is called the Mabel and I'm currently eyeing it in a couple of other prints as well.  My birthday has just come and gone, and I've been asked by a few lovely people in my life what I would like.  Hmmm...let me think.  Pretty dresses from Dolly and Dotty, of course!

Outfit Info: Sleepy Cat Book Print Shirt Dress from Dolly and Dotty

Style Inspiration

We all have days, sometimes weeks, or even seasons in life where we don't feel like we have the energy--energy to dress our best.  It's perfectly normal and absolutely fine when these days hit, but over time, the way you dress can affect your mindset.  I'm a firm believer that on those days when I feel like I just don't have it in me, if I go ahead and dress to impress, my mood and mindset shift to match how I dress.  The easiest way to combat those down days is to have some stylish but comfortable outfits that take very little effort to make you look and consequently feel amazing and lift you out of that slump right away.  

Joel Meyerowitz.  American, b. 1938.  Blonde on a Lambretta, 1965.  Manhattan, New York

    I came across this photo taken in 1965 of a young woman, likely on her way to work, in New York.  Let this be your dose of inspiration if you're feeling like you just don't have it in you today.  It's just a dress, some heels, and a necklace and yet she looks put together and very stylish.  Remember this gal, especially on your down days, because it's worth the little effort to feel chic and confident.

Movie Review: Weapons!

My birthday month is the hottest, driest, and most miserable of the year.  It also happens to be the time of the worst movies.  With summer vacation wrapping up, all the money making blockbusters have come and gone, and August is the time when studios dump whatever is left at the bottom of the barrel into theaters because no one is really going to see them anyway.  I make these connections between my birthday, the weather, and the cinema to explain why I rarely go to the movies as part of my birthday celebration.  However, this year, I heard from a movie critic whose reviews I trust about 80% of the time that a film called Weapons had just released and was surprisingly good.  I stopped the review right there, determined to go into this movie knowing absolutely nothing and come out totally blown away.  Mr. Bleu likewise said his favorite critics had liked the movie, so we loaded up for my birthday celebration of dinner and a movie.

First of all, let me just say, there will be no spoilers here.  I'm going to say very little other than I;m super glad that Amy Madigan, (a beloved 80s actress who starred as Chanice in Uncle Buck and Annie Kinsella in Field of Dreams )  is in fine form in this movie and is also hands down the most stylish dame on the block.

Justine, played by Julia Garner is the close second and also the last as far as fashion to fawn over in this film.  She has the perfect teacher-cute vibe with her short curls, lots of stripes, and hearts, and very tasteful jewelry.

There are a few acting all-stars such as Benedict Wong and Josh Brolin and to a lesser degree Justin Long (Galaxy Quest and He's Just Not That Into You) and Alden Eherenreich (Solo) who along with all the other talent deliver solid performances and pull together an interesting story that kept me guessing til the last second of the early part of the end.  Over all, this was an extremely enjoyable film and in a world full of boring remakes of already boring remakes and phoned-in sequel after sequel after sequel, something new, well told, and enjoyable is all I'm really looking for.

The Work's Already Done

    There's a hierarchy in the fashion world just like in any other and people who copy others' styles, buy the outfit on the mannequin or the store photo are met with disdain and considered to be lower tier.  God forbid you take inspiration from others, No!  Everything must be totally original.  I've always hated that stigma, because it limits fashion to only those with the creative flare for it.  Some people just aren't gifted in that way or interested in trying to be, but still want to look good, and there's nothing wrong with that.

    The outfit you saw on TV or in the product photos was designed by a professional stylist.  Why would you want to compete with that?  If nothing else, I am drawn to a piece sometimes based solely on the way the shop or an influencer styled it.  I don't need to reinvent the wheel, someone else has done all the work for me.  Particularly when I'm trying something I don't have a lot of experience with (See my post about the baggy silk blouse) Wearing it the way you saw someone else style it can be a great way to introduce something new into your wardrobe.  

    Now, I will say that I typically view that outfit as a starting point and once I'm more familiar with the way the piece fits me and works with things in my existing wardrobe, I always branch out and wear it in my own way.  Take this Postmark Bicycle print dress from Anthropologie that I thrifted last summer.  Jessica Day and Anthropologie already styled it for me so beautifully, so why do I have to come up with something else?  Over time I might, but right now, I love the way it looks with the shop and New Girl styles blended together and that's the way I've been wearing it for the past year without feeling any shame or need to try something else.  If a thing works it works and it's ok if someone else did some of the work to make you look good.

Outfit Info:  Thrifted Anthropologie Dress, YeMAK Cardigan, Bettie Page shoes are old from ModCloth

Style Crush: Carmen Dell'Orefice

It's been ages since I've done a style crush post, but when I came across the life and style of Carmen Dell'Orefice, I knew I had to share.  Born in 1931, Dell'Orefice's career has spanned nearly 70 years and she is the oldest working super model in history.  Granted genetics plays something of a role in the way this woman has aged, but my goodness, I think she's even lovelier now than she was when her career began at the age of 15 in 1946.  Of course I love her photo shoots from the 50s and 60s, but even her street style today is so chic; I am in total awe of this woman.

Chambray and Polka Dots

    Ok, so Memorial Day rolled around and I hit a few of the sales a little harder than I should have.  Honestly I don't know why I spend money any other time of year besides Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Black Friday because those are the best sales and the best time to get the pieces I love at a small fraction of the price.

    This olive green polka dot dress from Unique Vintage is something I've been watching and waiting to go on sale for a while and I knew it was finally time.  And since I'm trying to step out of my comfort zone a little, I thought I'd style it with a tied waist chambray shirt and matching VIVAIA ballet flats instead of my usual cardigan. 

    Since purchasing in May, I have worn this dress, actually this exact outfit, about half a dozen times already.  It's been great for work and fun and although I could never give up my cardis entirely, I'm thinking I really need to rock this tied shirt look more often.

Outfit Info:  Olive Green Polka Dot Dress from Unique Vintage, chambray shirt is old, Flats from VIVAIA

Kate Spade Vintage Makeover

Sometimes I see a piece that would be almost perfect.  It just needs a few touches to really give it that vintage flare that I love so much.  This lovely little Kate Spade shirt dress that I thrifted in the springtime for example is work appropriate and completely adorable.  I love the colors and the pattern at the cuffs & hem is just perfect, and you know I can never resist a shirt dress.  The only trouble?  Well, it doesn't really look like the product photos (shown at the bottom and top).  On the model, this dress has a fitted waist and a flared skirt.  On me not so much.  As-is, it's a little frumpy and lacking just a few touches to make it have that vintage style that I need.  The solution?

In order to give this dress more of a vintage look Ihad two options, do a few sewing alterations or style it.  I opted to style it.  I opened the collar, added a belt to cinch in the waist, and also to add a little contrast to the print, and of course, I added a petticoat to make the skirt a little fuller.  I used more modern necklaces because I am really loving the layered necklace look, but the flowers earrings and rings all give vintage vibes and of course my bow headband completes the look.  And now, with just a few small adjustments, this dress is perfect for my style.

Outfit Info:  Kate Spade dress thrifted from Depop, SheIn bag, Life Stride Loafers thrifted from Poshmark

Revamping Brown Bag Lunches

    The start of school is just around the corner and for many people that means chaos during which priorities can get neglected.  Admitedly for those first few years of switching my children from homeschool to public school I felt completely lost, and during that time a lot of my healthy habits fell lower on my priority list.  But, little by little and one by one I am starting to reclaim them.  Now that I work outside the home half the week, healthy homemade meals are one of those things that I have really struggled with.  

    I'm not hungry at 5:00 a.m. when it's time to decide what I'll be having for two out of my three meals for the day, and I'm so tired by the time that 6:00 p.m. rolls around and I walk through my door again that I don't care what I eat, as long as I can eat it quickly and then go to bed, which is why I am more likely to give in to processed convenience foods at these times.  

    Processed foods contribute to a host of health problems and I would rather avoid them as much as possbile.  The best way to combat the stress, fatigue, and indecision that can lead to junk food overload instead of nourishing homecooking is to have a plan and stick to it.    Which is why, I thought it would be nice to share with you a week's worth of my easy to prepare lunches that are satisfying and healthy.  *Unfortunately, I did not take beautiful, well-lit photos of my meals, just snapped a quick pic at my desk or kitchen counter before chowing down, so please forgive the quality of the photos.  I also am not going to discuss my portion sizes or calorie content.  These are the amounts at which I feel full, they may not work for everyone and that's ok.  This is what works for me and has for over two decades.  So, take the ideas if you wish and tailor them to your portion and calorie needs.  No comments necessary.

Day 1:  Tuna Bowl

This meal contains 1 packet of seaweed (sometimes 2), sliced ripe avocado, a can of tuna with mayo, sliced boiled egg, and white rice.  For this recipe, I start the rice cooking while I prepare the rest of the bowl.  It only takes about 10-15 minutes for the rice to cook, so I can make this quickly in the mornings for my brown bag lunches.  I don't focus much on counting calories or carbs, etc, just as long as the meal is comprised of whole foods with a good balance of protein, fat, carbs, fiber.

Day 2: Grilled Cheese

This meal contains organic sourdough bread with sliced gruyere.  A small amount of organic cashews, organic strawberries, organic blueberries, sugar snap peas, and sliced cucumber.  This meal requires me to grill the cheese sandwich, which only takes a few minutes, and the rest is all washing, a little slicing, and packing.

Day 3: Simple Charcuterie

I love "slow" foods, meaning a meal that requires lots of attention and time to eat it.  Mindless meals that I can swallow in seconds are not satisfying in the least.  So, this little charcuterie is comprised of some Triscuits, and orange, salami, smoked gouda slices, and sugar snap peas.  You can tell what I bought during my grocery week, because you will see the same ingredients popping up over and over throughout the week. Also, in this Day 3 meal, I had eaten half the meat, cheese, and crackers before I thought of snapping a pic, so it was double the portion shown here.

Day 4: Finger Foods

Organic blueberries, organic strawberries, cucumber slices, salami slices, provolone slices.  What I love about these meals is that they take only minutes to assemble in the morning, but they are the kinds of foods that take time to eat, which means I feel more satsified at the end of a meal like this rather than something I scarf down in 5 minutes or less.

Day 5:  Oh, Lala

Take and bake mini croissants each split and stuffed with deli turkey and slices of gruyere, cucumber slices, salted tomato slices, and fresh pineapple chunks.

All of these meals are quick and easy to assemble, nutritious, and because with a few simple ingredients can make so many combinations, I never really get tired of this food.

60s Glam

I love 1960s style and all things "mod" that that era produced, which is why Dear Creatures was such a great loss to the fashion world.  Dear Creatures was a 60s revival brand that very sadly went out of business in 2016.  I've been thrifting my favorite Dear Creatures pieces since that time and finally landed this lovely unicorn.  To be honest, I paid way too much for it, but I knew that was probably the only way I'd ever own it.  The last time I saw this dress listed for a reasonable price it sold within minutes.  So, I bit the bullet and paid a king's ransom for this dress.  I do love it though.  I wish all fashion design could be this good.

Outfit Info:  Dear Creatures Cecile Dress is thrifted