Sunset Dancer

Sunset Dancer

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Top: Thrifted

Skirt: Bought years ago

Boots: Betsey Johnson

Bracelets: NA

Earrings From Peru

I've said it before, but summer is not my favorite season. I hate mosquitoes licking their chops and webs being in places I want to walk thought and water lingering in the air preventing clear nasal passages. I want to walk in the woods without worry of stepping on a snake or being bitten by an array of tiny creatures with fluttering wings.

But there is just something so special about a summer sunset after the rain. Despite the sweat trickling down my neck into the streams, I can't help but feel that maybe summer is not so bad after all. I see the butterflies flitting through fields and honeybees peacefully gathering for the winter to come and I know that summer, for all it's faults, is not so bad after all.

So here I am, back in my special quiet place by myself, dancing, running, catching the sun's rays as they leak through the trees in spotlights before going to bed. I begin to believe that these spotlights are left just for me to dance in and my life is like it once was when I was a ballerina. This time, nature is my stage and the creatures are my audience. It all sounds really silly, but with my camera and my eyes and my legs in tow, everything feels right in the world. Autumn can wait just a little while longer. As long as there are butterflies and tiny bees and a stream gurgling like a newborn infant within my reach, summer is not so bad.

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5 Reasons Thrifting is Better than the Mall

5 Reasons Thrifting is Better than the Mall

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Dress: Fossil// Tank: H&M// Socks: Free People// Shoes: Urban Outfitters// Necklace: Street Scene Vintage// Rose: Farmer's Market

This dress (by Fossil!) is actually a thrift store find for $3. It's not perfect - it fits a little funny in the chest and the hem stays turned up, but it's imperfection is why it's perfect for me. I love the way it hangs, the way the wind causes the hem to drift ever so slightly. I love how it can be worn with flats, ankle boots, tights, and sweaters. I love how easy it is to style. And I always get compliments when I wear it. Being that several of my wardrobe staples are thrifted pieces, I decided it was time to share why thrifting is my preferred way of shopping. All cost benefits aside, here are 5 little reasons why I get joy from thrifting.

Finding something unique: At a thrift store I find items that feel like they were uniquely made for me. Of course, it’s possible that many other people have the same dress, but in the moment between you and your thrifted piece, there is only one. I like to feel like I have something different.

Quantity control: I don’t like to have overstuffed closets bursting with a dozen sweaters and 40 dresses. I hate feeling like I am lost in a sea of garments trying to decide what to wear. Because so often thrifting means leaving with nothing, I only bring home items that made my eyes grow into saucers and gleam like the moon. Some of my favorite clothes came from the Goodwill.

Finding what I like vs what is trendy: It’s 2015. Why do trends still matter? Honestly, they’re a little overwhelming…Forever 21 and H&M pull in new trends each week. Each week, people! It really seems like a waste to give your valuable time to clothing you don’t love just because a magazine or blog said you should wear it! You don’t have to wear crop tops or wideleg pants if skinnies and tunics are your preferred go to outfit. Wear what you want and wear it with confidence. When thrift shopping, you get clothes from all sorts of trends long gone (and by long gone it really could have been last spring - or earlier). However, when you find something at a thrift store that you like, you're buying it because you really like it. 

A lesson in patience: You honestly leave with nothing most of the time. This is ok and even encouraged. Buying something just because it’s cheap is always a waste of your money. However, when you find an item that you love, it feels all the more special.

A respect for reusing: Everything at the thrift store has been worn by other bodies who determined the item was not a love match. Instead of contributing to the tons of textiles clogging landfills, we reuse, recycle, and reduce environmental strain.

What about you? Do love or hate thrifting? Do you have any thrifting tips you would like to share with us? I would love the hear your thoughts.

Photos of me taken by my husband who is trying to learn the camera. All other photos taken by me.

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Purple Fields Forever and How to Feel Like it's Summer

Purple Fields Forever and How to Feel Like it's Summer

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Dress: A gift from my mother//Boots: Betsey Johnson//Earrings: Passing Through

You guys, I am so tired. So very tired. Between work and hunting for different work and rehearsing for my dance piece on Saturday, and taking one of my dogs for an emergency vet visit, I've had no time for me, which is something that I am very against. Rest is important, hence why I am looking back to the pictures my husband and I took in the beautiful field near our home during golden hour. Photographing before a sunset always makes me feel at ease. These long days make the jitters of a working girl fade into the background. Even though summer is not my favorite season (the heat! the humidity!) I must admit that the longer daylight is an amazing tonic for life's ailments.

But about this dress. My husband says I should wear it more and it's a shame that I've only donned it less times than I can count on my fingers. It was a random item my mother found in an Indian clothing store in Palo Alto, California, where my father lives. My mother said it was perfect for me so there it was, hanging in my closet, waiting for summer breezes to whoosh the skirt from one end of the field to another. When I put it on, I knew this dress was begging for fields, sunsets, clear days, picnics even. It craves light winds to rustle the ruffles and loves the soft glow of a sun about to retire for the evening.

I know I have mentioned how blessed I am to have nature around me in my city life, but really, I am so very blessed. I mean, look at these rolling fields. Tall grasses, whatever those almost flower looking grass things are, and fluffy clouds in the brightest of skies. With the light roar of a train in the near distance and fireflies preparing for their grand evening debut like dancers on opening night, I felt for the first time this month like it was really, truly summer.

P.S. If you've ever wondered how to style lace up combat boots with a feminine maxi dress for summer, now you know. Hah.

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Review: Everlane Slouchy Cotton Slub Tank

Review: Everlane Slouchy Cotton Slub Tank

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Top: Everlane// Shorts: Lucky Brand Outlet// Boots: Free People (made in Portugal)

When I first discovered Everlane, I knew I liked both their company ethics and their minimal yet comfortable aesthetic. I decided to purchase a few things during a sale, one of which was the cotton slub tank. I chose this tank both because I liked the slouchy style (form fitting clothes are not for me!) and because it had rave reviews from a few other fashion minded people I knew. What can I say? I'm in love. As I begin my search for more ethical clothing manufacturers, it's hard to find things that are both made responsibly and that I actually like. So many ethical manufacturers have a clean lined minimal look. To be honest, even Everlane is this way, but the slouchy fit of this tank fits with my aesthetic quite well: it's not tight, the pocket adds just enough detail, and it can be paired with shorts, jeans, or a cute maxi skirt. Versatility!

In addition to being a very versatile and fashionable piece, this tank is oh so comfy. I could live in it. I feel like the fabric is one of the few very good quality items I have been able to purchase in the past 10 years. I personally feel like long lasting quality is not something a lot of fashion companies take into consideration, but this tank is different. It will last for years. Furthermore, their shipping is quite reasonable and you get free shipping on your first order. I know that as my older tees and tanks begin to wear out I will be returning to Everlane.

*I was not paid or given anything free in exchange for this review. I purchased this top from Everlane and have not been endorsed by them in any way. I just like the top!


Update 9/29/15: Have worn this tank all summer and washed it many a time. It holds up so well to washing. Some of my other tanks, including one from Anthropologie, I handwash because I'm afraid the washing machine will rip them to shreds. This tank is a beast and continues to wear beautifully. I will absolutely be purchasing more basics from Everlane in the future.

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