They're back

Value Village sweater, Pacsun jeans, those sandals again

Earlier in the year, I read a book called Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, and loved it. I won't get into the plot too much, but it was basically about a future world where everyone spends most of their time in a virtual reality computer game-based world. It's mostly action-adventure, and though that's not always my first choice genre, I would wholly recommend it. So when I spied You by Lev Grossman, another video-game themed book, I hoped to be just as enthralled. I enjoyed most of it, but only in a mildly interested way, and found that the last section dragged quite a bit. It was basically a coming of age story in that way that coming of age seems to happen in our late twenties instead of teen years these days. And the the end was dragged down by too much technical babble and very little of the personality that had kept it somewhat afloat until then. The cover art is awesome, though. So here I am holding it.

These sandals again. You haven't seen the last of them.

Goodwill jacket, cool shop in Chester, NJ shirt, UO skirt, Steve Madden sandals from Nordstrom Rack

Elephants are the best. The store where I work currently has elephant-print scarves and I sometimes wear one while I'm working while trying to decide whether or not I should buy it. But really, I should buy it because I need more elephants in my life.

Grounded

Old Navy jacket, Old Navy top from Labels consignment, Pacsun jeans, vintage Ferragamo shoes from Buffalo Exchange

There is so much color in this outfit, I might have to wear all black for a week to recover. Somehow the neutrality of the denim jacket made me feel better about the whole thing, even though it was too hot to wear it at work and went most of the day without it.

Wishful dressing

UO t-shirt and skirt, vintage belt, Steve Madden boots

Here is my attempt at willing fall weather to come faster by wearing boots. It did not work. 

Two for one

secondhand AE cardigan, Buffalo Exchange dress, Bass sandals

Gap sweater from Labels consignment, self-cutoff AE shorts, LL Bean boat shoes from Value Village

So summer is ending and I can maybe wear pants again sometime soon without getting heat stroke at work. Meanwhile, here are a couple of tips on making the transition into fall a bit smoother. 

1. Get a Slurpee while you can. They are available year-round, but let's be honest, they're never better than in warm weather. Make sure you layer at least 3 flavors, beginning and ending always with Coke.

2. SWEATERS. Put them over shorts, flowy skirts, minidresses, and very soon skinny jeans with a great pair of boots. Find at least one really comfy, versatile sweater to add to your wardrobe and make it your signature piece. I got lucky with the one in the second photo, it's a lovely fit and sooooo soft it makes me want to pet myself.

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.