Greta in Gingham

It's been a long time since I've done an Anthropologie post.  I go through fads with the places I shop.  I don't know if it's them or me or both of us, but it seems like there will be a whole line that I will love or maybe I'll love everything for a year or two and then things change and I just don't do much shopping there.  

 I spent several years loving everything Anthro had to offer and desperately searching for those glorious dresses that I'd missed out on in-store.  It was a fun thing to do in my spare time and I found a few great bargains, but for the most part Anthro dresses keep their retail value.

So, even though I haven't really felt that spark for many of the new dresses, when I saw this Greta Gingham dress by Maeve pop up on a resale site it instantly rekindled that old Anthro flame and the hunt was on.  I found one and only one in my size and decided I had to have it.

There's a lot to love about this dress.  The colors are lovely, ivory and pale teal.  This dress has a nice length and a comfortable fit.  The shell is made of natural fibers, but the lining feels synthetic so it may be a little warm for summer wear.

It comes with a belt, has pockets, and there is some great detailing on the buttons at the neck and waist.  The real trick is finding a bra that won't show with this neckline.

The perfect dress for feeling pretty around the house for now or to a nice-casual event (eventually), I decided to lean into it a little by wearing a racer back bra with lace straps so it looks more deliberate that they show, because the back of this dress is really nice and shouldn't be hidden under a cardigan.

Shopping Info:  Greta Dress from Anthropologie, Camera Necklace from Ebay, Imperial Max Camera is Vintage

Lost (and found) in Translation

Today's post features a cute little comic top with some delightfully imperfect English.  With wide-eyed blondies exclaiming, "I do not want friends to eat at home!"  how could I not love this top?  While the print and colors are adorable it's the lost-in-translation word bubbles that really stole my heart.  Yes, I love it all the more for its imperfectness.  

On the subject of imperfection, I've just spent the past hour or so going through old blog posts and "fixing" them.  When I started this blog I wasn't very savvy at using blogger and tried to figure everything out on my own.  I was also so very shy about my own posts that once I'd written and posted them, I couldn't bear to go look at them.  

As a result, there were lots of little errors like photos pushing text into weird shapes or large gaps of blank space.  I expected to be hopelessly embarrassed by looking back.  Instead, and apart from all the little errors, I was very pleased with how the blog looked years ago.

I was pleased with my own sense of style back then and instead of feeling embarrassed I was flooded with the memories of how much I enjoyed putting those outfits together, taking photos, painstakingly editing them to have a digital background (I'm afraid I did it the hardest way possible), and writing up little posts to go with them.

I tend to go down memory lane and get stuck there feeling quite blue over the past.  This time I didn't.  Though I did make myself stop just shy of the posts that came right before a very painful time in my life.  I knew I wouldn't be able to look at those, so I didn't, but there were many others that reminded me of happy times and I didn't mind letting myself linger over those.

Much like my quirky little top, my past and my blogging skills have not been perfect.  But, I choose to not only forgive myself for my failings, but love my life and all it has been even more because it hasn't been perfect, because even though it has never been a fairy tale, it's also never been dull.

Shopping Info: Top and skirt from: SHEIN

At Eastertide

From Loveliest of Trees 

by Alfred Edward Housman

Loveliest of trees, the cherry now
Is hung with bloom along the bough,

And stands about the woodland ride

Wearing white for Eastertide.

And since to look at things in bloom, 

Fifty springs are little room,

About the woodlands I will go

To see the cherry hung with snow.

Loveliest of trees, the cherry now
Is hung with bloom along the bough,

And stands about the woodland ride

Wearing white for Eastertide.

Shopping info: Dress from Shein, necklace is vintage, rabbit is priceless and not for sale.

Blue Mountains, Purple Fields

Everywhere I look I see purple flowers blooming.  Johnny Jump-ups, wild violets, and nettles covering every yard, field and forest floor.

 You might recognize this field.  I come here every spring to snap a few photos.  Normally I don't make it here until much later in the season when the nettles are hidden under a layer of golden flowers.

But, it's been so warm out lately that I've made a point of driving by here just to see if the yellow flowers are blooming yet.  I'm glad they're taking their time so I could capture this amethyst field instead.  

I love this spot nestled against the blue mountainside with the the old gray barn on stilts standing guard.

And the breeze was especially playful making it nearly impossible to catch a moment with my sailor collar and hair all in place at once.

 While I've been home, I've been using my free time to do a little sewing.  Normally by springtime I've put away my sewing until winter comes around again.  But, since we're all staying close to home for the foreseeable future, I've been keeping busy with a few simple sewing projects to keep me feeling productive.

I thought this purple mermaid print on white cotton would be perfect for this scene and it did not disappoint.  I know I will wear this skirt a lot this spring and summer and I am definitely looking forward to the warmer days ahead and more time spent in the sunshine, even if it is in my own backyard.  

 Shopping Info: Dear Stella Fabric from Fabric.com, Top from SHEIN, Headband from Claire's

Someplace To Go While Staying Home

    I loved this quote by Mason Cooley that, "Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are."  So, I decided to include it in today's post.  It seems especially applicable at the moment given that most of us must stay close to home for as much of the time as possible, but we can always escape to any far away place in time or space with a good book. 

    I wasn't always a book lover, in fact my love for books didn't begin until I was nearly 20 and had decided that since i was almost an adult I wanted to be the well-rounded and well-read variety.  I made a list of classics like The Count of Monte Cristo, Jane Eyre, Kafka's Metamorphosis, A Clockwork Orange, and many others and I set to work reading them all.  By the time I'd finished the list, not only was I in possession of an impressive library, but I had developed a taste for reading.  It has never left me and in the current circumstances is serving me rather well.

    I've also developed a taste for vintage dresses and novelty prints although that didn't come about as some sort of self imposed rite of passage.  It was a natural and effortless affinity.  So, when Retrolicious released a teaser for their spring collection in February and all I saw was this thumbnail of fairytale books in vibrant colors, I began watching their site like a hawk until this dress released.  

    I don't often pre-order things but this time I did and anxiously awaited its release.  This dress does not disappoint.  It's made of cotton, has a nice length and pockets and has some elastic at the back waistline for a little more comfort.  Sounds perfect for wearing while curled up with a book in some sunny window on these warm spring days, don't you think?

Shopping Info:  Fairytales Midi Dress from Retrolicious

A Host of Golden Daffodils

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud 

by William Wordsworth

 I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the milky way,

They stretched in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

 The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:

I gazed—and gazed—but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

Shopping Info: outfit from Shein

 For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

Mix It Up!

KarinaDresses new April collection has just launched today and it is aptly titled Mix It Up!  This month for my collaboration with KarinaDresses I decided to mix it up by trying out a new (for me) style.  I have my favorite styles and I tend to gravitate toward them each time, but I really do try to mix things up a little now and then, plus I trust Karina to make me look amazing in any style.

So, this is my first time to try the Kate Dress.  Kate features a knee length hemline, a fitted waist, and pockets!  I chose the Kate dress in this gorgeous Squiggles print and short sleeves.

I love Karina's new Mix It Up! line.  So many cheery prints on classic Karina styles there's something to please any taste and flatter every figure.

This print is just too, too sweet!  I love the squiggles and the color palette so much I was feeling a little creative myself which is why I put together the top photo.  My Photoshop skills aren't amazing, but it was a lot of fun.

Since there are so many great colors in this dress, I decided to pull as many of them as possible into my accessories.  The only color I'm really missing is that bright blue.

And what better day to take photos of this lovely print than on this mild spring morning under the mauve blossoms of this magnolia tree.  It's almost like today was made just for this.

Shopping Info: Kate Dress in  Squiggles by KarinaDresses.com from the Mix It Up! collection

Don't Mimed If I Do (or some other, more clever pun about mimes)

I'm always searching for comfort clothes.  I love my dresses and I love walking out the door dressed to the nines, but there are plenty of days that I want that sort of easy stylish look that takes zero effort but looks amazing.  It sounds like a pipe dream, but it really isn't beyond achievement.

Today's outfit is one such outfit that is so comfortable and easy I could wear it even on my laziest days but still look and more importantly feel like I've put a little work into my appearance.  I know it's tempting to stay in your pajamas all day or make lounge wear your new work uniform, but I would caution against it.  During this time of quarantine, getting up, showering, and getting dressed for the day just as you would for work can be an important mental cue to keep you mentally organized and help prevent  depression. 

You don't have to put on a suit and tie, just something nice that signals to your brain, we're at work and this is important.  Now, truth be told about this particular outfit, as great as I feel in it, a friend of mine saw me in this outfit and said I looked like a French mime......Can you guess which gesture I mimed to her in response?  It was very un-ladylike, but too funny an opportunity to pass up.  Besides, certain situations require such responses.

Fortunately we have the kind of friendship that tolerates such statements and responses.  It's also fortunate that I happen to like French mimes and this outfit is the perfect blend of comfort and polish that I'd sooner paint my face white (not that I'd need to, I'm almost pale enough as it is) and give up speaking in favor of being trapped in invisible boxes or pulling transparent ropes than give up my outfit.

I wish I always wore things that looked perfect and everyone loved them, but that's just not reality.  I trust my own sense of style enough to wear things even if they're not popular with everyone, but I'm also humble enough to take advice from people whose opinions I trust.  Sometimes you just have to fight for something or else be prepared to ignore all those nay sayers who just go around all the time saying nay.

I don't really own any other suspender trousers besides these, but I may have to remedy that as they are supremely comfortable and most definitely adorable.  I love how they're fitted at the waist but loose in the legs.

Since they're so long, I decided to wear espadrilles with wedge heels to add a little distance between my cuff and the ground.  And a form fitting top is a must so you don't have all this fabric spilling out over the waist and around the suspenders.

So simple, so comfortable, so chic.  You'd never guess I slept in late today and just "threw something on" or that I've been at home for two weeks without leaving much.

Shopping Info: Outfit from: SHEIN