25 weeks // Christmas party with baby on board

So the reason why I had to wake up before 8 am on Saturday is because I had to book it downtown for a spa / salon appointment to prepare for Chris' work party that night. I didn't want to look completely busted, so I had to get rid of my pesky nose hairs, touch up my stubborn grays, and I decided to go ahead a get a blow out while there. After all was said and done, I felt like a million bucks. A bloated million bucks, but a cool mil, nonetheless:
  date: 7 December 2013 // occasion: corporate Christmas party
coat: passed on to me from my Grandma (similar) // dress: ASOS (maternity) // tights: ASOS (maternity) // shoes: Audrey Brooke via DSW (similar) // studs: Target // bag: on loan from Distillery Austin
I'm sorry about my unbearably smug face here. Eeep.

I loved the swingy movement to the dress. There's so much room in the dress that Jude tried to hide under it... while I was wearing it. Since this has proven to fit both me and my three year old at the same time, I'm sure this will still fit me come spring when I'm much larger. I think I'll be able to wear it with bare legs and flat sandals. Now... who can invite me somewhere where I get to dress up this nice again? Anyone? Anyone?

Lip color is MAC's Russian Red. Nail color is Essie's A List. I only own eight bottles of nail polish, but two of those are A List! 

I broke the shoes in earlier that morning at the salon. They are great and can be dressed down (as evidenced by overalls, no doubt) or up! The bag was the perfect finishing touch.

I love vintage lucite bags. I know that I will never be able to afford this modern take on them by Charlotte Olympia, but I keep my eyes peeled on Etsy and at vintage shops for cool, clear bags. Have you checked out The Distillery Austin, yet? Owned by a local brother and sister duo, their online Austin vintage shop is stocked full with cool treasures like this one. Check out their shop, blog, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to get the low down and to snatch up super thoughtful, one of a kind Christmas gifts. This vintage lucite clutch retails for $98. Not bad considering that when you get gussied up and carry this, you feel like a million bucks.

My own trash to treasure

I did it. Finally! A couple weeks ago I completed the monumental task of cleaning out our guestroom which, much to Chris' chagrin, I had been using as closet overflow for a while (and by "a while" I mean over a year). Chris' dad and step-mom were coming for a visit, so it had to be done! I made a sign that said the words "DONATE / SELL / KEEP" and set to work sorting things into those piles.

I took a small selection of my best vintage finds to do my first sale to Feathers, which is one of my favorite Austin vintage boutiques. I shop there often, but I have never sold there. Since I know the vibe of the store, I only took nine pieces for them to consider. I was pleasantly surprised when they took seven. Some of my pieces even made it onto their awesome blog:
Recognize the skirt on the top right? Yes, that was a part of one of my all-time favorite outfits. I was sad to see it go, but I haven't worn it since a Ladies who Lunch event in 2010, so I figured it was time to let someone else enjoy it.

Because unloading seven pieces hardly made a dent in the Great Closet Clean-out of 2012, that very same day I took four full laundry baskets to Buffalo Exchange to do a sale, too. Way back in the day, for one glorious summer between filming seasons one and two of Friday Night Lights, I worked there as a buyer. Because of this, I made sure to only take in items that are in season and in impeccable condition. I ironed, lint brushed, and folded everything neatly. I even took a baby wipe to the bottom of every pair of shoes and clipped loose threads on clothes. I have a theory that doing all this makes a big difference. They bought almost everything except for one pair of pants, one pair of shoes, and one dress that I thought they priced too low. I now estimate that 10% of my former wardrobe is now sitting at Buffalo Exchange.

Haven't done one of these in a while...

I am aghast that I have not done an outfit post since September 20th. Did the earth stop spinning? Did the sun stop shining? Have you been sobbing quietly into you pillow each evening since?

- What's that you say?

- What do you mean the world went on without me?!

I promise I have not been naked since September 20th. Much like Tobias Funke, I'm a never nude, so I assure you that I have been clothed daily, just not photographed. Today, however, I broke my cycle of fashion blogger failure. Ta-da! Clothes!

And boots!

And sunglasses!

And a necklace!

And a purse!

date: 2 Novemeber 2011 | occasion: breakfast with Alyson
thrifted dress: Buffalo Exchange | vintage jacket: c/o Miskabelle Vintage | boots: Wanted | sunglasses: 80's Purple via Delightful Dozen | necklace: c/o Accessorize (2009) | vintage clutch: Texas Thrift

Did you swoon when you saw the lace detailing on that Miskabelle jacket? I did when I saw it online. I did again when it came in the mail. I've been out of my head, crazy in love with chunky lace details lately. Don't believe me? Just ask my Pinterest. (We're still doing Pinterest, right?)

Running from paugh

If a person cannot wear a ridiculous headpiece to a fashion event, when, pray tell, does one wear one? After feeling a little off and dare I say paugh* during Austin Fashion Week, I decided to throw caution to the wind and wear whatever I darn well wanted to the Tribeza Fashion Night Out at By George last night:

*paugh- adjective. \ˈpɒ\ or \paw\, usually pronounced as a long, drawn out sigh.

definition: so oppressively ordinary that is causes physical exhaustion in the beholder.

So I did it. I wore a $5 vintage dress, my favorite sandals, and a fall-inspired floral headpiece that I made 30 minutes before the party.

date: 8 Sept 2011 | occasion: FNO
dress: vintage via 499 | headpiece: DIY | clutch: LV | wedges: Cynthia Vincent for Target
It was ridiculous -yes!- but it was me. I felt comfortable and confident all night long. I'd been struggling with my (lack of?) style lately, but after taking some time to reevaluate how I shop and why I blog, I finally feel like I'm coming back into my own. Apparently "my own" is a dash of bohemian with a huge heaping of laughter.

It feels good to be back.

Shop ATX: HEM Jeans + AG Jeans

Many months ago I bought a Groupon to Austin's famed denim bar HEM Jeans (<--- beware. Site automatically plays music). It was $50 for a $100 gift certificate but was not good on sale items. Shortly after I got it, I eagerly and excitedly went in. Imagine my dismay when 1- the Groupon barely covered half a pair of full-price jeans, and 2- I had the most frustrating time finding a pair of jeans that fit. I kept telling the salesgirl that I was a size 29 or 30 and that I didn't want any heavily whiskered jeans or cropped jeans. She kept bringing me size 27 or 28 to try on ("They'll stretch!" and ankle length pants that made me look like a cased sausage with a muffin top). Blerg. I left empty handed, a little peeved, and spewing and sputtering that shopping for jeans was way worse than shopping for a swimsuit. This had quickly become my first Groupon regret.

Fast forward to last week. With only a couple more weeks until my Groupon regret was to expire, I went back in, armed with a gift card to help cover the balance. I arrived right as the store was opening for the day and was greeted happily by Aimee, one of the owners. She quickly assessed my needs and immediately started filling my dressing room with her top picks.

I didn't tell her this, but I really wanted a pair of jeans that fit into my new guidelines: made in the USA, eco friendly (denim manufacturing is notoriously bad on the local environment), and a classic style that would last me years and years. I was fairly certain that I would not be able to find a single pair of jeans that fit even one of these requirements let alone a pair of jeans that even fit.

Then-- shut the front door!-- second pair on, the denim angels started singing. I tried on a pair of oh so soft Ballad jeans from AG. Holy smokes! The fit! The feel! They made my flat boy's-like butt look like a lady's! No muffin top or back spillage! And I wouldn't even need to have them hemmed! I gulped a little at the price tag ($178), but I had my $100 Groupon and my $50 gift card, so I was out of pocket $30 that day.

jeans: AG Adriano Goldschmied | tank: Old Navy | vintage vest: Blue Velvet | necklace: City Wide Garage Sale | wedges: Cynthia Vincent for Target | hat: Walmart
And here's the part that I really appreciate: these jeans not only fit like a dream, but they are produced solely in the United States using an "eco friendly" process. The wash I chose was not distressed and was made with an eco-friendlier indigo dye. The slight flare makes them a style that is sure to stay in my closet rotation for years.

[More about AG's eco friendly process here.]

Beware y'all. Once you get into the premium denim gang, you can't get out-- not even by a mass beating. My complete jean line-up is as follows:

Summer 2011 MVP: these shorts

How many photos is too many for an outfit of the day post? If you said six, I'm sorry.





date: 15 August 2011 | occasion: lunch at Shady Grove with Bee
vintage blouse: gift from Jessie at The Spice Rack | shorts: Strut (made in the USA) | shoes: c/o Wanted | Texas necklace: c/o Maya Brenner (25% off with code "AUSTIN") | medallion necklace: vintage from Style Station | feather necklace: Charlotte Russe | peace sign bracelet: c/o Jeweled by Alyssa (handmade) | watch: thrifted Michael Kors

I took these shorts to Boston and wore them almost every day. I haven't unpacked, yet, but I did open the suitcase to grab these out of the top to wear again today. Addicted to shorts! I love these particular shorts a lot and when I got them for the Texas Style Council Conference last spring I had no idea they'd be my summer staple. I don't know if they're worthy of six pictures, but I've been so behind on outfit photos that I may have gone a smidge overboard today.

All this begs the question: how many photos is too many per outfit? Six? Twenty six? One hundred and six?

Thank you, Mrs. Skrotch

I always forget my loyalty card when I go to the grocery store, so they always ask me for my phone number, and I always give them the number I had way back in the day in college in California. Someone else has that number now, and her name is Mrs. Skrotch (say it out loud!). So whenever they hand me my receipt, it's always, "Thank you, Mrs. Skrotch!" and I laugh and laugh and laugh because I have the sense of humor of a 4th grade boy. It's become a running joke in our family, and now every time I wear a dress that is a tad too short, I refer to myself as Mrs. Skrotch.

This Delightful Dozen vintage feather dress has been making the rounds for eight months. Can you believe it? I believe that Jen and I are the tallest of the Delightful Dozen (5'8''/ 5'9''), so things that work on the other girls are often scandalously too short on me (thus, my moniker Mrs. Crotch Skrotch). This dress was like a hip length t-shirt on me, as are a lot of really great vintage dresses. Alas, I've become an expert at turning too short dresses into skirts or wearing them as tunics. Proof:

I am wearing this with what may be my new favorite shoes. I own a lot of shoes from Wanted, but these Babe Oxfords might be my absolute favorite. The detailing is awesome and I can picture them with everything! Beware. You are going to see these a lot from here on out. I'm certain of it!

Turtle power! A turtle necklace is better than a turtleneck.

The print is so detailed!

date: 21 July 2011 | occasion: Evie Evan consultation
vintage blouse: Savers | dress (as skirt): Sally Jane Vintage via Delightful Dozen | belt: came free with a skirt from Maurice's | turtle necklace: c/o Lulu*s (similar) | oxfords: c/o Wanted

I'll have to do a little video to show you how I rig dresses to be skirts. I don't just tuck my shirt in and belt it; I have a tried and true technique. You tall ladies need to know how to do this, too, so you can borrow your shorter friends' dresses and not be Mrs. Skrotch in them. Tutorial coming soon!

[UPDATE: Tutorial here on the Delightful Dozen blog]

See how the rest of the Delightful Dozen wore this dress:

A glimpse into my future

Sometimes when you go to Savers for a photoshoot, you leave with an absurdly sparkly jacket.

Since I'm not planning on going back in time to a high school winter dance in 1983, I thought I'd just wear this over something incredibly casual for my friend Joanie's birthday party at a local Thai restaurant:

date: 9 July 2011 | occasion: casual birthday party
jacket: thrifted, Savers | shorts: Billabong (PacSun) | tee: American Apparel | oxfords: c/o ThreadSense | zebra bracelet: Fashionique (since closed)

This jacket is insane. I can see myself wearing it unironically as a grandma one day. I hope that Chris will take me on a cruise ship trip for octogenarians when we're in our 80's. I'll pair this with chiffon palazzo pants and white Grandma sandals and be the belle of the ball.

Grandma Indiana: "Remember when I wore this jacket fifty years ago, dear?"
Grandpa Chris: "It's just as ugly now as it was then, dear. Pass the Metamucil, please."

These were not a dream

Check out this awesome skirt I got from Feathers over the weekend:

Haha. Tricked you!

Not a skirt.

Those are actually white harem pants. And I think they're rad.

date: 8 July 2011 | occasion: Haddington's for dinner/ drinks
pants: Feathers | tank: F21 | blazer: Factory (Buy Definition) | wedges: Franco Sarto (Nordstrom Rack) | watch: thrifted Michael Kors

My friends tried to talk me out of these pants. Someone said they were Man Repellers (unintentional compliment!). Someone else may have even said that they resembled a diaper. But you know what I did? I stuck my fingers in my ears and said "La la la la la la! I can't hear you!" I had to have them. I laid eyes on them two weeks ago when another girl was clutching them to her chest to take into the fitting room. "Can I tackle her for those? She's pretty small; I think I can take her..." But then my strong sense of right and wrong guilt kicked in, and I let her be. So that's why I was so happy to see them on the rack a week later. I mean, that never happens at re-sale shops! Once you go back for something, it's like it never existed and it was all part of a faded dream.

For the record, I don't think they look like a diaper at all. And I definitely won't use use 'em for that purpose, ever. Whew.