Punky in Pink

Gap sweater from Lables, UO skirt, Steve Madden from Nordstrom Rack sandals

Want people to be happy when they see you? Wear a pink sweater. It's a compliment magnet. People love pink, okay? It's not usually my thing, but I admit it felt cute and fun. I tried it on at my favorite consignment shop thinking it would be a bit much (I mean, so PINK), but it fit perfectly and the price was right (5 bucks). But wait, there's more. The girl at the register rang up my stuff and then informed me she only charged half price since it had been in the store since April. Fashion was clearly rewarding me for stepping out of my style box. Then I overcompensated for the girliness of the sweater but adding a pleather miniskirt with a sheer underlay and metal-accented sandals. 

Giving a new meaning to shirtdress

J Crew sweater, H&M dress, Gap Kids shorts, Aldo shoes

So we moved into a new place, and it's got this thing called a yard, with grass, and sunshine, and (unfortunately) spiders that like to come inside and chill in our bathtub. 

And if you notice in the caption that I identify this yellow button up as a dress, that is not a typo. It was probably 6-9 inches longer AT LEAST when I bought it. Washed a couple of times in cold water on the delicate cycle, hung to dry, shrunk to high heaven. Can't even button the thing across my chest anymore. This is one reason I like buying clothes secondhand...they are usually already shrunk as much as they ever will. 

Strawberry summer

Macy's cardigan, UO dress, vintage sandals

Nothing says summer like a cotton strawberry-print dress and espadrilles. Also, everyone should have a shrunken red cardi like this, I wear it all the time, all year round, and it goes with so much stuff. Don't fear red accents, they are fun and cute and make people happy. 

I can live in this

UO t-shirt, Macy's necklace, UO via Buffalo Exchange skirt, Nine West via Ross wedges

Somebody send me a giant box of flowy, floral-print skirts, soft, loose-but-not-baggy plain scoop-neck t-shirts and strappy sandals next summer. That will be my uniform.

Gig day

Labels/Old Navy tank, Buffalo Exchange/Flying Tomato jacket, Buffalo Exchange/Celebrity Pink jeans, Bass Perry boots, Goodwill necklace, Roxy watch

Now that my band is actually playing the occasional gig, I find I'm having a lot of fun picking out show outfits. I've had a very dress/cardigan based style going for quite awhile, but over the past couple of years I've started to incorporate edgier and more masculine-inspired pieces into my looks. Since our music isn't exactly acoustic or shoe-gaze, I want to portray a powerful, strong look without going too cliche with black and leather. Tonight I put together some contradictory pieces that ended up looking amazing. I've got nods to classic rock style with my black ankle boots, snug pleather jacket and bleached jeans (which I did myself with this tutorial). I threw on the bright floral tank because I just bought it today and wanted to see how it would look, and ended up loving the contrast. So fun, light and summery, and yet it fits right in! 

Color on Color

Value Village top, Old Navy camisole, Gap Kids shorts, Ralph Lauren shades, vintage some secondhand shop in New Jersey espadrilles, Village Books book

You know what goes great with obnoxious, summery, in-your-face color? More color. No, I don't mean some wimpy pseudo-neutral. Think MORE COLOR in ALL CAPS. Putting a bright blue vintage top covered in gorgeous stitching with plain old jeans would be a crime. And pairing sea green shorts with white or gray is a cop-out. I tend to fall into a dark/boring color palette in the winter, so when I'm feeling good on a nice sunny day I push myself with daring color or pattern combos, like this look. And of course, nothing makes a better accessory than a book, especially one that adds a bold punch extra color!

The best sandals you will buy this summer...plus one minor caveat

PacSun cardigan, Romy dress, Bass sandals

As warm weather approached this spring, it became clear to me that I was in desperate need of a new pair of sandals. I'd worn out every pair I owned, except for a boring pair of Teva flip-flops and my vintage espadrilles, which were out of commission (the soles kept separating and needed re-gluing). I had several requirements for an appropriate pair. First, they must be comfortable. I'm no stickler for arch support, and tend to wear flats all day every day even when working on my feet in retail. I've never had  issues with my feet, so I don't have to be particularly careful in my footwear choices. However, considering that I had literally no proper sandals in my entire wardrobe, I needed something that could function as a bit of a workhorse. 

My mind started to wander to a pair of sandals I'd owned and worn to death in middle school. Curious, I pulled up the Bass website to see if they still made the same style. Turns out, they do! The style is called the Margie, and while they look and sound a bit dowdy on the website, they've got amazing potential. They even come in silver, gold and rose metallic for those of you on board with this year's apparent trend of metal on any and every shoe ever. I went with the gorgeous cinnamon version (much browner and richer in person than they appear online), since they seemed the most versatile.  I love the black as well. They're pretty pricey if you go through the Bass website ($45 is a freakin fortune for someone who makes as little money as I do), but there are other options. The always reliable Zappos has them for about $35. If, like me, you happen to live near a Bass Outlet store, run don't walk your butt to that store, they often have INCREDIBLE discounts on shoes. I got my Margie's for $22.99, or rather my mom did since were on a birthday shopping trip for me. 

The great thing about the Margie is that it's very comfy, and perfect for lots of walking. In fact, this article popped up a couple of weeks after I got mine, making me feel awesomely fashion-forward and confirming my assertion  They look great with my dark skinny jeans and will be a staple for the long evening walks Joe and I like to take this time of year. Plus, they have a slightly hippie vibe that works well for me as a resident of the Pacific Northwest. I'm much more into a sort of masculine-inspired/girly dress-and-cardigan dichotomy than some of my more naturalistic peers, and it's rare to see me in anything that could be described as earthy. But I love these lovlies, and they get my wholehearted seal of approval, both in the categories of practicality and style.

One last thing...remember that caveat thing I mentioned in the title? Yeah, well there is one, though it's really minor and nitpicky, not serious enough to put me off. These sandals have great, comfy, squishy soles. But because of this construction, the way the sole sort of deflates and inflates as you walk, they make a slight whoosing sound every time you take a step. At first, it was only one, but now both of my sandals do this. No one else seems to notice unless I point it out, and though I can hear it clearly, that's only because I am hyper-aware of it. Maybe this is a dealbreaker for some of you, I don't know. I find it somewhat amusing, to be honest.